Female Reproductive Period Length, Parity and Hormonal Replacement Therapy and Dementia: The Elsi-Brazil Study.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease and other dementia have a higher incidence among women and that risk factors specific to the female sex could be involved. Few studies looked into female reproductive factors and their association with dementia in low-and middle-income countries.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) and included data from 2594 women aged 60 years and older.

The association of hearing loss with depressive symptoms and cognitive function among older people: Results from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Objectives: Hearing loss, depression, and cognitive decline are common among older people. We investigated the association of hearing loss with depressive symptoms and cognitive function in a nationally representative sample of people aged 50+ in Brazil.

Methods: Data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) included information on self-reported hearing loss, hearing aid use (effective or not effective), depressive symptoms (CES-D-8), and a global cognitive score (composed of immediate and late recall, verbal fluency, orientation and prospective memory) in a sample of 9412 individuals.

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight.

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution.

Frailty Modifies the Association of Hypertension With Cognition in Older Adults: Evidence From the ELSI-Brazil.

Background: The relationship between hypertension and cognition in later life is controversial. We investigated whether the association of hypertension with cognition differs in older adults according to the frailty status using cross-sectional data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging, a nationally representative sample of adults aged ≥50 years.

Method: Hypertension was defined by a medical diagnosis or measured blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg.

Universal Health Coverage: Are Older Adults Being Left Behind? Evidence From Aging Cohorts In Twenty-Three Countries.

Countries around the world have committed to achieving universal health coverage as part of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed upon by all United Nations members, intended to be achieved by 2030. But important population groups such as older adults are rarely examined as part of Sustainable Development Goals monitoring and evaluation efforts. This study uses recent (2014-16) high-quality, individual-level data from several aging cohorts representing more than 100,000 adults ages fifty and older in twenty-three high- and middle-income countries.

Racial inequities in tooth loss among older Brazilian adults: A decomposition analysis.

Objective: To determine the extent to which racial inequities in tooth loss and functional dentition are explained by individual socioeconomic status, smoking status and frequency/reason for the use of dental services.

Methods: Data came from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling people aged 50 years and over. Tooth loss and functional dentition (ie 20+ natural teeth) were the outcomes.

Differences in the prevalence of prediabetes, undiagnosed diabetes and diagnosed diabetes and associated factors in cohorts of Brazilian and English older adults.

Objective: To analyse differences in the prevalence of prediabetes (PD), undiagnosed diabetes (UDD) and diagnosed diabetes (DD) and associated factors between Brazilian and English older adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: England and Brazil.

Inflammatory markers associated with fall recurrence and severity: The Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the association between inflammatory markers and recurrent and severe falls in 1304 community-dwelling older adults from the Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging.

Methods: Information about falls in the previous 12 months was collected, and classified based on recurrence (two or more falls) and severity (requirement of medical attention). The screened biomarkers included interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12, TNF), chemokines (CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CCL2, and CCL5), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-PCR).

Influenza vaccine uptake among older adults in Brazil: Socioeconomic equality and the role of preventive policies and public services.

Background: Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since 1999, influenza vaccine is provided free-of-charge to adults aged 60 years or more in Brazil. Although vaccination coverage is high, previous studies have shown that socioeconomic and lifestyle factors play an essential role in predicting vaccine uptake.

Vertical Transmission of Zika Virus (Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) in Amazonian Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Delays Egg Hatching and Larval Development of Progeny.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a globally important arbovirus and has been reported from all states of Brazil. The virus is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an infective Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) or Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895). However, it is important to know if ZIKV transmission also occurs from Ae.

Optimization of DNA Extraction from Individual Sand Flies for PCR Amplification.

Numerous protocols have been published for extracting DNA from phlebotomines. Nevertheless, their small size is generally an issue in terms of yield, efficiency, and purity, for large-scale individual sand fly DNA extractions when using traditional methods. Even though this can be circumvented with commercial kits, these are generally cost-prohibitive for developing countries.

Socioeconomic Inequalities in Oral Health-Related Quality of Life among Brazilians: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Assess the magnitude of the socioeconomic inequalities related to the impact of oral health on quality of life among adults and elderly individuals.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with data from the most recent oral health survey from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The sample included data on 2288 individuals-1159 adults in the 35-44 age group and 1129 adults in the 65-74 age group.

Having a toilet is not enough: the limitations in fulfilling the human rights to water and sanitation in a municipal school in Bahia, Brazil.

Background: This article addresses the enjoyment of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRTWS), in particular access to toilets, in a public school in Bahia, Brazil.

Methods: Participant observation of the school's routine, focus groups with students in grades 8 and 9 of primary school (13 to 17 years old) and individual, semi-structured, interviews with members of school staff were applied, exploring access to water and sanitation by adolescent girls and boys.

Results: Students and school staff reported that the amount of toilets was insufficient and that their conditions were often inadequate because they were plugged or dirty.

Genome-wide burden and association analyses implicate copy number variations in asthma risk among children and young adults from Latin America.

The genetic architecture of asthma was relatively well explored. However, some work remains in the field to improve our understanding on asthma genetics, especially in non-Caucasian populations and with regards to commonly neglected genetic variants, such as Copy Number Variations (CNVs). In the present study, we investigated the contribution of CNVs on asthma risk among Latin Americans.

Prognostic value of disability on mortality: 15-year follow-up of the Bambuí cohort study of aging.

Background: Disability is a concern in the context of population ageing. The extent of an individual's disability is a major determinant of whether or not they require long-term care or survival time. We investigated the effect of three disability domains as predictors of all-cause mortality over 15-year follow-up in a Brazilian socioeconomically disadvantaged and multiracial older adult population.

Predictive value of multiple cytokines and chemokines for mortality in an admixed population: 15-year follow-up of the Bambui-Epigen (Brazil) cohort study of aging.

Inflammation, particularly elevated IL-6 serum levels, has been associated with increased mortality risk, mostly in Caucasians. The influence of genetic ethno-racial background on this association is unknown. We examined associations between baseline serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other cytokines (IL1-2, TNF, IL-10, and IL1β) and chemokines (CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9 and CXCL10) with 15-year mortality in 1,191 admixed Brazilians aged 60years and over.

Measuring socioeconomic inequalities in the use of dental care services among older adults in Brazil.

Objectives: The primary objectives are to assess socioeconomic inequality in the use of dental care among older Brazilian adults and to analyse the extent to which certain determinants contribute to that inequality.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using data from the National Oral Health Survey conducted in 2010. All individuals answered a structured questionnaire containing questions on their use of dental care and socioeconomic conditions and underwent a clinical oral examination by a dentist.

Multiple inflammatory markers and 15-year incident ADL disability in admixed older adults: The Bambui-Epigen Study.

Background: The ability of inflammatory markers to predict disability in later life has received growing attention. However, the current evidence came predominantly from Caucasians and the role of genomic ancestry has not been investigated.

Objective: We investigated the prognostic value of multiple citokynes and chemokines for incident disability in admixed older Brazilians and whether genomic African and Native American ancestry affects the association.

Age-related cognitive decline and associations with sex, education and apolipoprotein E genotype across ethnocultural groups and geographic regions: a collaborative cohort study.

Background: The prevalence of dementia varies around the world, potentially contributed to by international differences in rates of age-related cognitive decline. Our primary goal was to investigate how rates of age-related decline in cognitive test performance varied among international cohort studies of cognitive aging. We also determined the extent to which sex, educational attainment, and apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (APOE*4) carrier status were associated with decline.

Correlates of influenza vaccine uptake among community-dwelling older adults in Brazil.

This study aimed at assessing the factors associated with vaccine uptake in a representative sample of community-dwelling Brazilian older adults, specifically focusing on differences in socioeconomic factors among the country regions. We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based study, using a probabilistic household sample in 2013. Individuals aged 60 years or more answered a structured questionnaire informing on vaccination status and sociodemographic and behavioral covariates.

How functional disability relates to dentition in community-dwelling older adults in Brazil.

Objective: To assess the association between dentition status and functional disabilities among community-dwelling older individuals.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 5012 individuals aged 65-74 were interviewed in 2013 during a nationwide community-based survey. This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire including information on dentition, locomotion impairment, difficulties in basic and instrumental activities of daily life, socio-demographic characteristics, behaviour and general health status.

A minimum set of ancestry informative markers for determining admixture proportions in a mixed American population: the Brazilian set.

The Brazilian population is considered to be highly admixed. The main contributing ancestral populations were European and African, with Amerindians contributing to a lesser extent. The aims of this study were to provide a resource for determining and quantifying individual continental ancestry using the smallest number of SNPs possible, thus allowing for a cost- and time-efficient strategy for genomic ancestry determination.

Factors associated to vaccination against influenza among elderly in a large Brazilian metropolis.

Background: This study aimed to estimate coverage and identify factors associated to vaccination against influenza in the elderly population.

Methods: The study design was cross-sectional and population based. Data was collected in 2010 by the Health, Well-Being and Aging Study.

Oral health and changes in weight and waist circumference among community-dwelling older adults in Brazil.

Background: The authors conducted a study to evaluate the association between changes in weight and waist circumference (WC) and oral health status among older adults in Brazil.

Methods: The study sample consisted of community-dwelling people representing the population 60 years and older in the city of São Paulo who were enrolled in the Health, Well-being and Aging cohort study. Changes in weight and WC were classified as stable (within 5 percent of the second-wave weight and WC), loss (5 percent or more decrease since the second wave) and gain (5 percent or more increase since the second wave).