Tryptophan Metabolism and Neurodegeneration: Longitudinal Associations of Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites with Cognitive Performance and Plasma Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Biomarkers in the Duke Physical Performance Across the LifeSpan Study.

Background: The kynurenine pathway (KP) comprises a family of tryptophan-derived metabolites that some studies have reported are associated with poorer cognitive performance and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the associations of plasma KP metabolites (kynurenine [KYN], kynurenic acid [KA], and tryptophan [TRP]) with a panel of plasma ADRD biomarkers (Aβ42/ β40 ratio, pTau-181, glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], and neurofilament light [NfL]) and cognitive performance in a subset of older adults drawn from the Duke Physical Performance Across the LifeSpan (PALS) study.

Methods: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess cognitive performance.

Age Related Cognitive Function Was Positively Associated with Diastolic Pressure and Negatively Associated with Antibody Expression in Chinese Oldest-Old and Centenarian Adults.

Purpose: Age related cognitive function (ARCF) is of increasing concern in an aging population. Few studies have examined the relationships between ARCF and antibody expression or blood pressure, particularly in older populations. Large sample sizes are needed to elucidate these relationships to inform better strategies for identification and prevention of cognitive decline.

The Gap in Mental Health Service Utilization Among United Methodist Clergy with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms.

Clergy are tasked with multiple interpersonal administrative, organizational, and religious responsibilities, such as preaching, teaching, counseling, administering sacraments, developing lay leader skills, and providing leadership and vision for the congregation and community. The high expectations and demands placed on them put them at an increased risk for mental distress such as depression and anxiety. Little is known about whether and how clergy, helpers themselves, receive care when they experience mental distress.

Meteorin-like is an injectable peptide that can enhance regeneration in aged muscle through immune-driven fibro/adipogenic progenitor signaling.

Pathologies associated with sarcopenia include decline in muscular strength, lean mass and regenerative capacity. Despite the substantial impact on quality of life, no pharmacological therapeutics are available to counteract the age-associated decline in functional capacity and/or, resilience. Evidence suggests immune-secreted cytokines can improve muscle regeneration, a strategy which we leverage in this study by rescuing the age-related deficiency in Meteorin-like through several in vivo add-back models.

Improving Care Coordination Between Veterans Health Administration Primary Care Teams and Community Home Health Aide Providers: A Qualitative Study.

Effective coordination between medical and long-term services is essential to high-quality primary care for older adults, but can be challenging. Our study assessed coordination and communication through semi-structured interviews with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) primary care clinicians ( = 9); VHA-contracted home health agencies ( = 6); and home health aides ( = 8) caring for veterans at an urban VHA medical center. Participants reported (1) establishing home health services is complex, requiring collaboration between many individuals and systems; (2) communication between medical teams and agencies is often reactive; (3) formal communication channels between medical teams and agencies are lacking; (4) aides are an important source of patient information; and (5) aides report important information, but rarely receive it.

Impact of Computerized Cognitive Training on Default Mode Network Connectivity in Subjects at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease: A 78-week Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a high risk group for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Computerized Cognitive Games Training (CCT) is an investigational strategy to improve targeted functions in MCI through the modulation of cognitive networks.

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine the effect of CCT versus a non-targeted active brain exercise on functional cognitive networks.

Reduced circulating folate among older adults caused by continuous work: nested cross-sectional study conducted in a country with folic acid fortification program.

Population aging is 1 of the biggest challenges facing public health today, and cognitive dysfunction is an important concern. Cognitive impairment may be associated with high folate concentrations and low vitamin B concentrations; the latter is a common problem among elderly people. Therefore, we hypothesized there was a high circulating folate concentration among older people living in a country with a mandatory folic acid fortification program.

Physical Function Effects of Live Video Group Exercise Interventions for Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Veteran's Gerofit Group Case Study.

Literature on telehealth interventions for older adults has been primarily on asynchronous interventions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adult exercise programs transitioned to an online format. This systematic review and case study examines the effectiveness of older adult live video exercise group interventions on physical health with insights from a Los Angeles VA program, Gerofit.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Homeless Care Transition Program: Durham Homeless Care Transitions.

Transitional care and medical respite programs provide assistance to people experiencing homelessness as they move from acute care into community settings. These programs can address issues that may fall outside the reach of traditional medical care yet have a profound impact on the health of vulnerable populations. This article focuses on the cost-effectiveness of the Durham Homeless Care Transitions (DHCT) program.

Roles for c-Abl in postoperative neurodegeneration.

The nonreceptor tyrosine kinase c-Abl is inactive under normal conditions. Upon activation, c-Abl regulates signaling pathways related to cytoskeletal reorganization. It plays a vital role in modulating cell protrusion, cell migration, morphogenesis, adhesion, endocytosis and phagocytosis.

NO and PM air pollution co-exposure and temperature effect modification on pre-mature mortality in advanced age: a longitudinal cohort study in China.

Background: There is a discourse on whether air pollution mixture or air pollutant components are causally linked to increased mortality. In particular, there is uncertainty on whether the association of NO with mortality is independent of fine particulate matter (PM). Furthermore, effect modification by temperature on air pollution-related mortality also needs more evidence.

Social Risk Factors Are Associated With Disability Prevalence - Results From 17 States in the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Purpose: Determine the association between incremental increases in the number of social risk factors and the prevalence of any disability and disability type.

Design: The cross-sectional analysis was conducted using 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from states whose surveys included items about social risk factors.

Setting: Respondents from 17 US states.

Causal analysis identifies small HDL particles and physical activity as key determinants of longevity of older adults.

Background: The hard endpoint of death is one of the most significant outcomes in both clinical practice and research settings. Our goal was to discover direct causes of longevity from medically accessible data.

Methods: Using a framework that combines local causal discovery algorithms with discovery of maximally predictive and compact feature sets (the "Markov boundaries" of the response) and equivalence classes, we examined 186 variables and their relationships with survival over 27 years in 1507 participants, aged ≥71 years, of the longitudinal, community-based D-EPESE study.

Elevated C-Reactive Protein and Subsequent Patient-Reported Cognitive Problems in Older Breast Cancer Survivors: The Thinking and Living With Cancer Study.

Purpose: To examine longitudinal relationships between levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and cognition in older breast cancer survivors and noncancer controls.

Methods: English-speaking women age ≥ 60 years, newly diagnosed with primary breast cancer (stage 0-III), and frequency-matched controls were enrolled from September 2010 to March 2020; women with dementia, neurologic disorders, and other cancers were excluded. Assessments occurred presystemic therapy/enrollment and at annual visits up to 60 months.

Testing the Pragmatic Effectiveness of a Consumer-Based Mindfulness Mobile App in the Workplace: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Mental health and sleep problems are prevalent in the workforce, corresponding to costly impairment in productivity and increased health care use. Digital mindfulness interventions are efficacious in improving sleep and mental health in the workplace; however, evidence supporting their pragmatic utility, potential for improving productivity, and ability to reduce employer costs is limited.

Objective: This pragmatic, cluster randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the experimental effects of implementing a commercially available mindfulness app-Calm-in employees of a large, multisite employer in the United States.

Phosphoproteomic mapping reveals distinct signaling actions and activation of muscle protein synthesis by Isthmin-1.

The secreted protein isthmin-1 (Ism1) mitigates diabetes by increasing adipocyte and skeletal muscle glucose uptake by activating the PI3K-Akt pathway. However, while both Ism1 and insulin converge on these common targets, Ism1 has distinct cellular actions suggesting divergence in downstream intracellular signaling pathways. To understand the biological complexity of Ism1 signaling, we performed phosphoproteomic analysis after acute exposure, revealing overlapping and distinct pathways of Ism1 and insulin.

Assessing the effects of ultraviolet radiation, residential greenness and air pollution on vitamin D levels: A longitudinal cohort study in China.

Vitamin D metabolism is essential in aging and can be affected by multiple environmental factors. However, most studies conducted single exposure analyses. We aim to assess the individual and combined effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, residential greenness, fine particulate matter (PM), and ozone (O) on vitamin D levels in a national cohort study of older adults in China.

Infection and inflammation: New perspectives on Alzheimer's disease.

Neuroinflammation has been recognized as a component of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) pathology since the original descriptions by Alois Alzheimer and a role for infections in AD pathogenesis has long been hypothesized. More recently, this hypothesis has gained strength as human genetics and experimental data suggest key roles for inflammatory cells in AD pathogenesis. To review this topic, Duke/University of North Carolina (Duke/UNC) Alzheimer's Disease Research Center hosted a virtual symposium: "Infection and Inflammation: New Perspectives on Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

The Cabarrus County COVID-19 Prevalence and Immunity (C3PI) Study: design, methods, and baseline characteristics.

Objectives: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral illness with public health importance. The Cabarrus County COVID-19 Prevalence and Immunity (C3PI) Study is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study designed to contribute valuable information on community prevalence of active COVID-19 infection and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies as the pandemic and responses to it have and continue to evolve. We present the rationale, study design, and baseline characteristics of the C3PI Study.

Childhood Adversity and Midlife Health: Shining a Light on the Black Box of Psychosocial Mechanisms.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poorer health, which has spurred public health efforts to reduce the number of adverse events children experience. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that all ACEs can be prevented. For adults who already experienced ACEs in childhood, what psychological, social, and behavioral intervention targets might reduce risk for negative health outcomes? To provide insight into the "black box" of psychosocial mechanisms linking ACEs to poor health, our study used data from the Dunedin Study, a longitudinal cohort assessed from birth to age 45.

Change in four measures of physical function among older adults during lung cancer treatment: A mixed methods cohort study.

Introduction: Functional outcomes during non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment are critically important to older adults. Yet, data on physical function and which measures best capture functional change remain limited.

Materials And Methods: This multisite, mixed methods cohort study recruited adults ≥65 years with advanced NSCLC starting systemic treatment (i.

Associating persistent self-reported cognitive decline with neurocognitive decline in older breast cancer survivors using machine learning: The Thinking and Living with Cancer study.

Introduction: Many cancer survivors report cognitive problems following diagnosis and treatment. However, the clinical significance of patient-reported cognitive symptoms early in survivorship can be unclear. We used a machine learning approach to determine the association of persistent self-reported cognitive symptoms two years after diagnosis and neurocognitive test performance in a prospective cohort of older breast cancer survivors.

Resilience in older adults with cancer: A scoping literature review.

Introduction: Resilience, the ability to respond to stressors by maintaining or rapidly returning to normal homeostasis, serves as a new paradigm to improve the care of older adults. However, resilience research in oncology is nascent. We aimed to describe the current research landscape on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial resilience in older cancer patients.