CCBAR
Newsletter – January, 2008
Editors:
Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
CCBAR
News
CCBAR activities were
presented recently at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological
Society of America as a poster "Using Online Technologies for Building
a Community of Scientists Engaged in Population-Based Aging and Health
Research" at the poster session (November 17, 2007) by Natalia
Gavrilova, Karl Mendoza and Stacy Tessler Lindau. Natalia
Gavrilova also made an outreach lecture about biomarker collection
methods and CCBAR activities at the International Longevity Workshop in
Selangor, Malaysia (November 27, 2007). Please see workshop
photos here.
News
From the NEJM, Nature Journals, Science, BMJ and PNAS
Ageing: The ups and downs of
ageing
The many physiological changes that occur as organisms age make it
difficult to pinpoint common characteristics of ageing across tissues
and species. Two recent studies that have focused on alterations in
gene expression during ageing illustrate how headway can be made in
this field.
[Anthropology-BS]
Recent acceleration of human adaptive evolution
Genomic surveys
in humans identify a large amount of recent positive
selection. Using the 3.9-million HapMap SNP dataset, we found...
[Anthropology-BS]
Life history trade-offs explain the evolution of human pygmies
Explanations for
the evolution of human pygmies continue to be a
matter of controversy, recently fuelled by the disagreements
surrounding...
[Psychology]
Subliminal exposure to national flags affects political thought ...
Political thought and behavior play an important role in our lives,
from ethnic tensions in Europe, to the war in...
[Medical_Sciences]
In vitamin B12 deficiency, higher serum folate is associat...
In a recent study of older participants (age ≥60 years) in the
1999–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES),...
[Psychology-BS]
Anterior temporal lobes mediate semantic representation: Mimi...
Studies of semantic dementia and PET neuroimaging investigations
suggest that the anterior temporal lobes (ATL) are a critical substrate
for...
[Physiology]
Effect of aging on regional cerebral blood flow responses associ...
Levels of thirst and ad libitum drinking decrease with advancing
age, making older people vulnerable to dehydration. This study
investigated...
EDITORIAL:
Skipping toward Personalized Molecular Medicine
"Personalized molecular medicine." As with other catchy terms for
big ideas, such as "reversing global warming" and "renewable energy,"
the concept of personalized molecular medicine is certainly important,
but the ...
CORRESPONDENCE:
Sexuality and Health among Older Adults in the United States
by Caffrey, N., O'Neill, D., Paparrigopoulos, T., Tzavellas, E.,
Karaiskos, D., Lindau, S. T., Laumann, E. O., Levinson, W.
Biomarkers
and Aging in the News Media
•
Asthma
risk 'rises in menopause'
Women going
through the menopause have a higher risk of developing
respiratory diseases, researchers say.
• Drinking
alcohol may keep leg arteries healthy
In the elderly,
moderate alcohol
consumption may protect against leg artery disease, a condition in
which the arteries in the legs become narrowed or clogged with fatty
deposits, reducing blood flow to the legs.
• Green
tea may cut prostate cancer risk
Drinking several
cups of green tea every day may help keep prostate
cancer from spreading, according to a study funded by the ...
• Severe
Psoriasis May Up Death Risk
People with
severe psoriasis had a 50 percent increased risk of death
compared to people without the inflammatory skin disease in a newly
reported study.
• Waist-To-Hip
Ratio May Predict Heart Risk
Get out the
measuring tape - your waist-to-hip ratio may beat the scale
at predicting heart disease, a British study shows. The message: No
matter what size you are, keep your waistline in proportion to your
hips.
• Real-World
Fitness May Cut Stroke Risk
Stroke may be
half as likely for adults over 40 who can carry
groceries, climb stairs, kneel, bend, and lift, a British study shows.
• Weight
Gain After Breast Cancer Deadly
Weight gain
after a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer can be deadly.
For every 11 pounds gained, the risk of dying from breast cancer
increases by 14%, according to a new study.
• FBI
Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics
The FBI is
embarking on a $1 billion effort to
build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical
characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented
abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad.
• Breast cancer gene
targets Hispanic women
A gene known to
give many Jewish women a high risk of cancer also puts
many Hispanic women at high risk, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
• Moderate
Exercise May Cut Dementia Risk
Moderate
exercise such walking and climbing stairs may help prevent
vascular dementia in people aged 65 and older, an Italian study shows.
• Depressed?
It May Up Breast Cancer Risk
Dutch
researchers find depression can cause breast cancer risk to spike.
• Disturbed
sleep link to diabetes
An interrupted
night's sleep may increase the risk of developing
diabetes, a US-based study suggests.
• Chronic
inflammation not linked to ovarian cancer
The results of a
study published in the
International Journal of Cancer suggest that most factors that may
cause inflammation of the ovaries are not associated with a
statistically significant increased risk of ovarian cancer.
• Testosterone
does not improve function in older men
Although use of
testosterone supplements
may increase lean body mass and reduce fat mass in older men, it does
not improve functional mobility or mental ability, according to a
report in the Journal of the American Medical Association for January
2.
• Aging:
For Uninsured, Medicare Makes a Healthy Impact
Uninsured people
55 and older significantly reduce their risk of
declining health after they enroll in Medicare at 65, a new study
suggests.
• Low cancer risk for
those with Down syndrome
People with Down
syndrome suffer cancer less than most other people and
a study gives one possible explanation ? they produce higher levels of
a certain protein.
• Study:
Rare Gene Change Linked to Autism
A rare genetic
variation dramatically raises the risk of developing
autism, a large study showed, opening new research targets for better
understanding the disorder and for treating it....
• Study
Links Vitamin C To Stroke Risk
Though the
science behind it continues to confound researchers, a new
study shows clearly that getting a healthy dose of vitamin C through
eating fruit and vegetables can greatly reduce the risk of stroke.
• FDA cracks down on
'bio-identical' hormones
Government
health officials on Wednesday began cracking down on
Internet sales of custom-mixed hormones for menopausal women, a market
born when doctors deemed prescription estrogen therapy too risky for
many.
• Fathers
Get 16% More Prostate Cancer
Fathers are 16%
more likely than childless men to get prostate cancer.
But after a second child, prostate cancer risk drops 5% per child.
• Happy
Marriage Soothes Job Stress
Happily married
wives may recover faster from a rough day at work than
women in unhappy marriages, UCLA and UC Davis researchers report.
• Pursuit
of Happiness: Your Behavior
New science
shows that happiness is about our behavior, not just our
biology.
NIH
Press Releases
Early
Fine-Tuning of Neural Connections May Turn Destructive Later in Life
The immune
system helps to prune excess connections between neurons in the
developing brains of young mice, according to scientists funded by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
Heart Attack
Symptoms in Women -- Are they Different?
Chest pain is
still the most common sign of a heart attack for most women, although
studies have shown that women are more likely than men to have symptoms
other than chest pain or discomfort when experiencing a heart attack or
other form of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to an article
"Symptom Presentation of Women With Acute Coronary Syndromes -- Myth
vs. Reality" published online Dec. 10 in the . The study was funded by
the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National
Institutes of Health.
Scientists Can
Predict Psychotic Illness in up to 80 Percent of High-Risk Youth
Youth who are
going to develop psychosis can be identified before their illness
becomes full-blown 35 percent of the time if they meet widely accepted
criteria for risk, but that figure rises to 65 to 80 percent if they
have certain combinations of risk factors, the largest study of its
kind has shown. Knowing what these combinations are can help scientists
predict who is likely to develop the illnesses within two to three
years with the same accuracy that other kinds of risk factors can
predict major medical diseases, such as diabetes. The research was
conducted in youth with a median age of 16 and was funded primarily by
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National
Institutes of Health.
Autism Risk
Higher in People with Gene Variant
Scientists have
found a variation in a gene that may raise the risk of developing
autism, especially when the variant is inherited from mothers rather
than fathers. The research was funded by the National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers
Discover New Biomarker for Predicting Liver Cancer Spread and Sur...
New research has
shown that a unique pattern of microRNAs, small RNA molecules that
regulate gene activity, can accurately predict whether liver cancer
will spread and whether liver cancer patients will have shorter or
longer survival, even patients with early stage disease. The study,
which appeared online January 7, 2008 in "Hepatology", was conducted by
researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the
National Institutes of Health, and colleagues at Ohio State University,
Columbus, and the Liver Cancer Institute in Shanghai, China.
NIH
Announcements
NIH
Revision Awards for Studying Interactions Among Social, Behavioral, and
Genetic Factors in Health (R01)
Letters if
Intent Receipt Date(s): April 13, 2008
Application
Receipt/Submission Date(s): May 13, 2008
PA-07-008:
Biobehavioral
Methods to Improve Outcomes Research (R21)
PA-06-443:
Human
Biospecimen Resources for Aging Research (R03)
Predictive
Multiscale Models of the Physiome in Health and Disease (R01)
ELSI
Regular Research Program (R01)
ELSI
Small Research Grant Program (R03)
Notice
of a Report from the National Institute on Aging Meetings on New
Interventions for Menopausal Symptoms
Harmonization
of Longitudinal Cross-National Surveys of Aging (R21)
Advancing
Novel Science in Women s Health Research (ANSWHR) [R21]
Events
NIH videocast
• NCI
Biospecimen Best Practices Forum - Seattle
The National
Cancer Institute (NCI) is pleased to invite stakeholders
in the research community to participate in an upcoming NCI Biospecimen
Best Practices Forum. Institute and Center Program Managers are
encouraged to extend this invitation to NIH grantees.
Forums will be
held on January 28, 2008, at the Bell Harbor
International Conference Center in Seattle, Washington.
Do not miss this
unique opportunity to learn more about the NCI Best
Practices for Biospecimen Resources (NCI Best Practic...
• Culture Matters
in Research: Ignore at Your Peril! (HHS Only)
Science in the
Public Health
“Culture
counts!” That was the take-home message from the 2001 Surgeon
General’s report on mental health. Many researchers have taken that
message to heart; search for “culture” and “health outcomes” in Pub
med, and you’ll retrieve 2,965 Entries! Many terms—culturally
competent, culturally relevant, and community-based—are used to discuss
how culture can inform public health research. But what is culturally
appropria...
Association for Gerontology in Higher
Education Annual Meeting, February
21-24, 2008. Baltimore, USA
Gerontological Society of America
the 61st Annual Meeting. November 21-25, 2008, at the Gaylord -
National Harbor, Maryland.
The Call for Papers for the 61st Annual Scientific Meeting will be
available online starting January 31, 2008. This year's
theme is "Resilience in an Aging Society: Risks and Opportunities." The
deadline for abstract submissions is March 14, 2008.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
Newsletter is
supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, National
Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)
