4,128 results match your criteria: "University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill[Affiliation]"

Background: Disorders of gut-brain interactions (DGBI) affect more women, and marital quality may have been a factor that explains clinical manifestations of DGBI-however, the mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to elucidate supported relationships between DGBI with marital quality and clinical attributes in married Malay women.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved married Malay women with functional dyspepsia (FD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and FD-IBS overlap per Rome IV criteria.

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The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted population mental health worldwide. Few studies examined how the neighborhood environment and online social connections might influence the social gradient in mental health during the pandemic lockdown. We aim to examine the moderating and mediating role of neighborhood environment and online social connections in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health outcomes.

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Review of advances in glycan analysis on exosomes, cancer cells, and circulating cancer-derived glycoproteins with an emphasis on electrochemistry.

Anal Chim Acta

January 2025

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea; Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea. Electronic address:

Glycosylation, the intricate process of adding carbohydrate motifs to proteins, lipids, and exosomes on the cell surface, is crucial for both physiological and pathological mechanisms. Alterations in glycans significantly affect cancer cell metastasis by mediating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The subtle changes in glycosylation during malignant transformations highlight the importance of analyzing cell and exosome surface glycosylation for prognostic and early treatment strategies in cancer.

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Biomarkers.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Background: Growth/differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) has been associated with dementia risk, yet its predictive value across cohorts and sub-population, as well as its relationship with endophenotypes relevant to dementia, remains unknown.

Methods: Using the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study as the discovery cohort, we examined the relationship between plasma GDF15 levels (SomaScan) and risk for incident all-cause dementia (ACD) in late-life (N=4,287, 7-year follow-up, M=75±5) and in midlife (N=11,595, 20-year follow-up, M=57±6). Utilizing the UK Biobank (UKB; replication cohort), we related plasma GDF15 (Olink) to incident ACD (N=35,673, 14-year follow-up, M=61±5), vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD).

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Background: Weakened white matter (WM) integrity is highly associated with dementia risk. Still, not everyone with WM changes develops dementia, suggesting the important role modifiable lifestyle factors may have in reducing dementia risk. We investigated how social relationships in mid-life may modify the association between WM integrity and incident dementia risk within race and sex subgroups.

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Background: Midlife vascular risk factors are associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, the overall contribution of modifiable vascular risk factors in midlife and late-life to dementia remains unclear. In this study, we quantified population attributable fractions, which account for risk factor prevalence and strength of relative risks, of incident dementia from vascular risk factors measured in midlife and early late-life.

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Public Health.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

Background: Environmental pollutants, called perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been linked to adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, immune dysfunction and cancer risk, but their associations with adult cognition are unknown. Nearly everyone in the United States has detectable levels of PFAS in their blood, but our prior work found that Asian Americans have the highest exposure burden. As Asian Americans fastest growing segment of older adults, examination of relationships between serum PFAS concentrations and cognition in Asian Americans urgently needed.

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Background: Olfactory impairment appears early in the course of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and may serve as a non-invasive early marker of AD. Few studies have examined the association between olfaction and blood biomarkers of AD neuropathology in large, diverse, community-based populations. Blood levels of amyloid-beta (Aβ and Aβ), phosphorylated-tau (p-tau) forms, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament-light chain (NfL) appear to reliably reflect corresponding brain neuropathologies and neurodegeneration.

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Biomarkers.

Alzheimers Dement

December 2024

University of Mississippi Medical Center, The MIND Center, Jackson, MS, USA.

Background: Older adults with dual cognitive and mobility impairments have higher financial costs and poorer quality of life than adults with either impairment alone. Blood biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease (AD) pathology (Aβ42, Aβ40 and p-tau181) and neurodegeneration (neurofilament light (NFL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)) may identify individuals at risk for both mobility and cognitive impairment and provide novel insights into mechanistic underpinnings.

Method: Blood biomarkers (SiMoA Quanterix N4PE, p-tau181 single-plex) were available in a subsample of 1751 ARIC study participants at Visit 5 (V5, 2011-13, mean age 76.

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Background: Blood-based biomarkers show promise as a noninvasive, inexpensive method for measuring Alzheimer's disease pathology throughout the lifecourse. However, the predictive and classification accuracy of these biomarkers at different stages of the lifecourse and among diverse, community-dwelling populations requires further investigation.

Method: Between 2014 and 2015, 329 dementia-free participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and florbetapir positron emission tomography (PET).

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Background: Current blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology and neurodegeneration include the ratio of amyloid-β 42 to 40 (Aβ42/Aβ40), phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 (p-Tau181), neurofilament light (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Prior studies have reported that hypertension is cross-sectionally associated with lower levels of Aβ42/Aβ40 and longitudinally associated with faster accumulation of NfL. In this longitudinal investigation, we expanded on prior research by examining whether mid-life blood pressure status was associated with change in AD biomarkers from mid- to late-life.

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Background: Weakened white matter (WM) integrity is highly associated with dementia risk. Still, not everyone with WM changes develops dementia, suggesting the important role modifiable lifestyle factors may have in reducing dementia risk. We investigated how social relationships in mid-life may modify the association between WM integrity and incident dementia risk within race and sex subgroups.

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Background: Pharmacoepidemiologic studies assessing drug effectiveness for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are increasingly popular given the critical need for effective therapies for ADRD. To meet the urgent need for robust dementia ascertainment from real-world data, we aimed to develop a novel algorithm for identifying incident and prevalent dementia in claims.

Method: We developed algorithm candidates by different timing/frequency of dementia diagnosis/treatment to identify dementia from inpatient/outpatient/prescription claims for 6,515 and 3,997 participants from Visits 5 (2011-2013; mean age 75.

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Background: Our previous work has found that sexual and gender minority (SGM) or LGBTQIA+ caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience higher levels of stigma, depressive symptoms, and stress than non-SGM caregivers and that these outcomes are associated with experiences of microaggressions related to their SGM identities. Guided by the Health Equity Promotion Model, we sought to explore the impact of the environmental context on psychosocial outcomes among SGM caregivers of people living with ADRD.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional online survey using a non-probabilistic sample of SGM caregivers of people with ADRD recruited via social media (n = 284) were combined with publicly available data reporting composite equity climate index scores across five domains: legal/non-discrimination protections, youth/family support, political/religious attitudes, health access/safety, and work environment/employment.

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Background: Commonly used screening measures of cognitive function such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are not sensitive to assess cognitive function among individuals with severe cognitive impairment due to floor effect. The Severe Cognitive Impairment Rating Scale (SCIRS) was designed to assess cognitive function in those with severe cognitive impairment, however, psychometric properties of its English version have not been reported.

Method: Using the existing data from StaN and tTED studies, floor and ceiling effects (percentage of minimal or maximal scores) of SCIRS and MoCA were examined, and the association between SCIRS and MoCA was evaluated.

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Background: There is a high prevalence of depression among refugee youth in low- and middle-income countries, yet depression trajectories are understudied. This study examined depression trajectories, and factors associated with trajectories, among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study with refugee youth aged 16-24 in Kampala, Uganda.

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In Response.

Anesth Analg

November 2024

Department of Anesthesiology School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

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Exploring food safety knowledge and practices in Lebanon.

East Mediterr Health J

December 2024

Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon.

Background: Lebanon's economic and financial crises have affected the quality-of-life, including food safety and food security.

Aim: To assess food safety knowledge and practices among a sample Lebanese population and the association with the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of participants.

Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data online from 412 Lebanese adults aged ≥ 18 years [mostly female (77.

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Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) remains a pressing public health concern. Despite advancements in antidiabetic medications, suboptimal medication adherence persists among many individuals with T2D, often due to the high cost of medications. To combat this issue, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (Blue Cross) introduced the $0 Drug Copay (ZDC) program, providing $0 copays for select drugs.

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Background: Prognostication of atypical spindle cell neoplasms, including atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) and pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS), is challenging; outcomes vary widely, and further identification of prognostic features is crucial.

Objective: To evaluate prognostic factors that may portend worse outcomes in patients with AFX and PDS.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients with AFX and PDS was conducted.

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Suboptimal patient positioning with panoramic and CBCT imaging: effects on dose.

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol

November 2024

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, UNC Adams School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Objective: This study examined the effects of changes in patient positioning on radiation exposure for panoramic and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) radiographic examinations by measuring effective dose (E) and equivalent doses.

Study Design: Simulated radiographic examinations with optimal and suboptimal positioning-anterior shift by 1 centimeter (cm), posterior shift by 1 cm, chin lowered by 10 degrees (°), chin elevated by 10°, rotation by 10°, and lateral shift by 1 cm-were conducted using a tissue-equivalent phantom and optically-stimulated luminescent dosimeters. Exposures were made with the RAYSCAN Alpha Plus 160 X-ray unit using the following exposure parameters: panoramic, 80 kVp, 14 mA, and 13.

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Shoes or insoles embedded with carbon fiber materials to increase longitudinal stiffness have been shown to enhance running and walking performance in elite runners, and younger adults, respectively. It is unclear, however, if such stiffness modifications can translate to enhanced mobility in older adults who typically walk with greater metabolic cost of transport compared to younger adults. Here, we sought to test whether adding footwear stiffness via carbon fiber insoles could improve walking outcomes (eg, distance traveled and metabolic cost of transport) in older adults during the 6-minute walk test.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study compares total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSCH) during minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy for treating uterovaginal prolapse.
  • Results showed no significant difference in overall recurrence of prolapse between the two methods, but TLH had lower odds of recurrence in multivariable analysis.
  • TLH had a higher proportion of mesh exposures with lightweight mesh, but this finding wasn't significant after adjusting for other factors.
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Objective: To determine the safety, tolerance, and adherence to self-administered intravaginal 5% fluorouracil (5FU) cream as adjuvant therapy following cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN2/3) treatment among women living with HIV (WLWH) in Kenya.

Methods: A phase I pilot trial was performed among 12 WLWH in Kenya, aged 18-49 years between March 2023 and February 2024 (ClinicalTrial.gov NCT05362955).

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Significance: Advances in label-free imaging have impacted many areas of biological and biomedical imaging ranging from cell biology and cancer to pathology and neuroscience. Despite the great progress and advantages of these methods, it is clear that to realize their full potential, validation by extrinsic labels and probes is critically needed.

Aim: This perspective calls for developing and applying innovative labels and probes to validate both existing and emerging label-free imaging methods.

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