Disability subtypes and mortality rates in older adults: A longitudinal population-based study (NEDICES).

Objective: We investigated the mortality rates of three subtypes of disability and their specific explanatory factors in older adults.

Methods: Our data come from NEDICES, a population-based longitudinal cohort study of Spanish older adults. We examined 3816 participants without dementia who completed the Pfeffer's Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) and an assessment of self-perceived functional limitations (SFL) associated with health conditions.

Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation in Elite Athletes.

Importance: Vigorous exercise (particularly endurance sports) might increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), but there is variability in the reported frequency of this condition among elite athletes. The underlying pathophysiologic source remains unclear.

Objective: To determine AF incidence in a large cohort of elite athletes and its association with potential risk factors.

Milder forms of α-sarcoglicanopathies diagnosed in adulthood by NGS analysis.

Introduction: Sarcoglycanopathies (LGMD 2C2F) are a subgroup of limb-girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMD), caused by mutations in sarcoglycan genes. They usually have a childhood onset and rapidly progressive course with loss of ability to walk over 12-16 years.

Methods: Next generation sequencing (NGS) targeted gene panel was performed in three adult patients with progressive muscle weakness in which routine muscle histology and immunohistochemistry were not diagnostic.

Correction: Mutations in the DNA methylation pathway and number of driver mutations predict response to azacitidine in myelodysplastic syndromes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22157.

Physical activity levels are low in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) leads to exercise capacity impairment, but limited data are available on the objective evaluation of physical activity (PA) levels in these patients.

Methods: We assessed PA levels using triaxial accelerometry in Spanish PH patients (n=75, 48±14 years, 65% female) and gender/age matched controls (n=107), and examined potential associations of meeting minimum international recommendations [moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA) ≥150 min/week] with survival predictors.

Results: With the exception of vigorous PA (with very low values in both groups), all accelerometry data showed significant differences between patients and controls, with lower PA levels and proportion of individuals meeting minimum PA guidelines, but higher inactivity time, in the former.

Exercise during pregnancy is associated with a shorter duration of labor. A randomized clinical trial.

Objective: to examine the influence of an exercise program throughout pregnancy on the duration of labor in healthy pregnant women.

Study Design: A randomized clinical trial was used (Identifier: NCT02109588). In all, 508 healthy pregnant women were randomly assigned between 9 and 11 weeks of gestation to either a Control Group (CG, N = 253) or an Exercise Group (EG, N = 255).

Cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity in breast cancer survivors: is meeting current physical activity recommendations really enough?

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are becoming increasingly predisposed to cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Low cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity (PA) levels, as well as high values of adiposity indices, contribute to CVD risk. We evaluated adiposity, cardiorespiratory profile, and PA levels in two independent cohorts of BC survivors.

Muscle molecular adaptations to endurance exercise training are conditioned by glycogen availability: a proteomics-based analysis in the McArdle mouse model.

Key Points: Although they are unable to utilize muscle glycogen, McArdle mice adapt favourably to an individualized moderate-intensity endurance exercise training regime. Yet, they fail to reach the performance capacity of healthy mice with normal glycogen availability. There is a remarkable difference in the protein networks involved in muscle tissue adaptations to endurance exercise training in mice with and without glycogen availability.

Health Benefits of an Innovative Exercise Program for Mitochondrial Disorders.

Purpose: We determined the effects of an innovative 8-wk exercise intervention (aerobic, resistance, and inspiratory muscle training) for patients with mitochondrial disease.

Methods: Several end points were assessed in 12 patients (19-59 yr, 4 women) at pretraining, posttraining, and after 4-wk detraining: aerobic power, muscle strength/power and maximal inspiratory pressure (main end points), ability to perform activities of daily living, body composition, quality of life, and blood myokines (secondary end points).

Results: The program was safe, with patients' adherence being 94% ± 5%.

Mutations in the DNA methylation pathway and number of driver mutations predict response to azacitidine in myelodysplastic syndromes.

We evaluated the association of mutations in 34 candidate genes and response to azacitidine in 84 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), with 217 somatic mutations identified by next-generation sequencing. Most patients (93%) had ≥1 mutation (mean=2.6/patient).

High education accelerates cognitive decline in dementia: A brief report from the population-based NEDICES cohort.

Unlabelled: High education has been associated with faster cognitive decline after diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it is unclear whether these findings extend to other dementia subtypes.

Objective: We investigated whether educational attainment influences the cognitive trajectories of older adults with different dementia subtypes.

Methods: All participants were selected from NEDICES, a prospective population-based cohort study of Spanish older adults.

Is the SenseWear Armband accurate enough to quantify and estimate energy expenditure in healthy adults?

Background: The SenseWear Armband (SWA) is a monitor that can be used to estimate energy expenditure (EE); however, it has not been validated in healthy adults. The objective of this paper was to study the validity of the SWA for quantifying EE levels.

Methods: Twenty-three healthy adults (age 40-55 years, mean: 48±3.

Aquatic Activities During Pregnancy Prevent Excessive Maternal Weight Gain and Preserve Birth Weight: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of a supervised and regular program of aquatic activities throughout gestation on maternal weight gain and birth weight.

Design: A randomized clinical trial.

Setting: Instituto de Obstetricia, Ginecología y Fertilidad Ghisoni (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Immune dysfunction and increased oxidative stress state in diet-induced obese mice are reverted by nutritional supplementation with monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Purpose: Obesity is associated with impaired immune defences and chronic low levels of inflammation and oxidation. In addition, this condition may lead to premature aging. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a nutritional supplementation with monounsaturated and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on several functions and oxidative stress parameters in peritoneal immune cells of obese mice, as well as on the life span of these animals.

Normative Data of the Story and Six-Object Memory Recall Tests in Older Spanish Adults: NEDICES Population-Based Cohort.

Objective: We provide normative data for the story and six-object recall tasks, stratified by age and education in a large population-based cohort of older Spanish adults.

Method: The sample consisted of 2,581 participants without dementia (age range: 67-98 years) from different socioeconomic areas of central Spain. Normative data are presented in percentile ranks and divided into four overlapping age tables with different midpoints.

Cerebral versus Ocular Visual Impairment: The Impact on Developmental Neuroplasticity.

Cortical/cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is clinically defined as significant visual dysfunction caused by injury to visual pathways and structures occurring during early perinatal development. Depending on the location and extent of damage, children with CVI often present with a myriad of visual deficits including decreased visual acuity and impaired visual field function. Most striking, however, are impairments in visual processing and attention which have a significant impact on learning, development, and independence.

Is Educational Attainment Associated with Increased Risk of Mortality in People with Dementia? A Population-based Study.

Objective: The association between higher education and increased mortality in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is controversial. Further it is unknown whether education predicts survival in all dementia subtypes. We assessed mortality rates and death causes of persons with dementia compared to participants without dementia.

Effect of 8 months of whole-body vibration training on quality of life in elderly women.

Whole-body vibration (WBV) training in elderly may improve muscle strength, muscle power and postural control. However, knowledge about the effect of WBV training in elderly on measures of health as a multidimensional construct (health-related quality of life, HRQoL) is scarce. The present study aimed to determine the effects of WBV training on HRQoL in elderly women.

Muscle-Related Polymorphisms (MSTN rs1805086 and ACTN3 rs1815739) Are Not Associated with Exceptional Longevity in Japanese Centenarians.

Myostatin (MSTN) and α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) genes are potentially associated with preservation of muscle mass and oxidative capacity, respectively. To explore the possible role of these genes in exceptional longevity (EL), the allele/genotype frequency distribution of two polymorphisms in MSTN (rs1805086, K153R) and ACTN3 (rs1815739, R577X) was studied in Japanese centenarians of both sexes (n = 742) and healthy controls (n = 814). The rs1805086 R-allele (theoretically associated with muscle mass preservation at the expense of oxidative capacity) was virtually absent in the two groups, where genotype distributions were virtually identical.

Peripheral Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: a Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming a growing global problem, and there is an urgent need to identify reliable blood biomarkers of the risk and progression of this condition. A potential candidate is the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which modulates major trophic effects in the brain. However, findings are apparently inconsistent regarding peripheral blood BDNF levels in AD patients vs.