CCBAR
Newsletter
– March,
2014
Editors:
Natalia
Gavrilova
and
Stacy
Tessler
Lindau
CCBAR News:
NIA-Sponsored Biomarker Network
Meeting
The abstract "Vaginal cytological characteristics as a biomeasure of
estrogenization in a community-based population of older women" by
Natalia Gavrilova, Annie Dude, Joscelyn N.
Hoffmann, Martha K. McClintock, L. Philip Schumm
and Stacy Tessler Lindau has been accepted for presentation at
the NIA-sponsored Biomarker Network Meeting in Boston,
MA - Boston Marriott Copley Place, Wednesday
April 30, 2014 (8:30 - 4:30).
CCBAR Q&A:
Q: Do
you know what the average length of time was for the collection of
medications in NSHAP?
A: The
raw data from wave 1 of the NSHAP study (with timestamps available)
show that the median time for the medication log was
3 minutes with an average of about 4. This time is just for
the medication log and does not include the follow-up questions about
hormone use, etc.
We would like to thank Kristen Wroblewski for providing an answer to
this question.
News
from
the
NEJM, Nature Journals, Science, BMJ, PNAS, Lancet and JAMA
Medicine:
Adapt current tools for handling big data
by Ervin Sejdi
To speed up discoveries of disease biomarkers and treatments, we must
work out a cheaper and faster way to process, store and use the huge
medical data sets that are rapidly becoming available
Human
evolution: Hominin explorers were poor planners
Hominin migrations, such as those out of Africa, might have been led by
individuals with low levels of foresight.A team led by Colin Wren at
McGill University in Montreal, Canada, modelled the migratory behaviour
of individuals, based on the complexity of their environments and
Risk
factors: Depression recognized as a risk factor in ACS
by Gregory B. Lim
A scientific statement from the AHA recommends that depression be
recognized as a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with an
acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The committee of experts performed a
systematic review of the published literature and concluded that the
preponderance of evidence
Diagnosis:
High use of noninvasive imaging tests not associated with short-te...
by Bryony M. Mearns
"With health-care costs at unsustainably high levels, our team feels
the urgency to explore ways in which hospitals and health-care systems
can be more efficient in providing high-quality patient care," says Dr
Kyan Safavi from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven,
CT,
Matching
and causal mechanisms [Sustainability Science]
by Agrawal, A.
Excitement among social scientists about the discovery of randomized
controlled trials has been tempered by the recognition that
experimental research and related designs may be infeasible,
prohibitively expensive, or even unsuitable for an enormous range of
questions of interest to social science a...
Neural
mechanisms underlying indirect reciprocity [Social Sciences]
by Watanabe, T., Takezawa, M., Nakawake, Y., Kunimatsu, A.,
Yamasue, H., Nakamura, M., Miyashita, Y., Masuda, N.
Cooperation is a hallmark of human society. Humans often cooperate with
strangers even if they will not meet each other again. This so-called
indirect reciprocity enables large-scale cooperation among nonkin and
can occur based on a reputation mechanism or as a succession of
pay-it-forward behavior....
Contextual
effect of positive intergroup contact [Social Sciences]
by Christ, O., Schmid, K., Lolliot, S., Swart, H., Stolle, D.,
Tausch, N., Al Ramiah, A., Wagner, U., Vertovec, S., Hewstone, M.
We assessed evidence for a contextual effect of positive intergroup
contact, whereby the effect of intergroup contact between social
contexts (the between-level effect) on outgroup prejudice is greater
than the effect of individual-level contact within contexts (the
within-level effect). Across seve...
[Focus]
The A4 Study: Stopping AD Before Symptoms Begin?
by Sperling, R. A., Rentz, D. M., Johnson, K. A., Karlawish,
J., Donohue, M., Salmon, D. P., Aisen, P.
A new secondary prevention trial in older people with amyloid
accumulation at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease dementia should
provide insights into whether anti-amyloid therapy can delay cognitive
decline.
[Research
Articles] Longitudinal Change in CSF Biomarkers in Autosomal-Domina...
by Fagan, A. M., Xiong, C., Jasielec, M. S., Bateman, R. J.,
Goate, A. M., Benzinger, T. L. S., Ghetti, B., Martins, R. N., Masters,
C. L., Mayeux, R., Ringman, J. M., Rossor, M. N., Salloway, S.,
Schofield, P. R., Sperling, R. A., Marcus, D., Cairns, N. J., Buckles,
V. D., Ladenson, J. H., Morris, J. C., Holtzman, D. M., The Dominantly
Inherited Alzheimer Network
Clinicopathological evidence suggests that the pathology of
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begins many years before the appearance of
cognitive symptoms. Biomarkers are required to identify affected
individuals during this asymptomatic ("preclinical") stage to permit
intervention with potential dise...
Caregiver
Burden A Clinical Review
by Adelman RD, Tmanova LL, Delgado D, et al.
Caregiver burden may result
from providing care for patients with chronic illness. It can occur in
any of the 43.5 million individuals providing support to midlife and
older adults. Caregiver burden is frequently overlooked by
clinicians. Objectives: To outline the epidemiology of caregiver b...
Cortisol
shifts financial risk preferences [Neuroscience]
by Kandasamy, N., Hardy, B., Page, L., Schaffner, M.,
Graggaber, J., Powlson, A. S., Fletcher, P. C., Gurnell, M., Coates, J.
Risk taking is central to human activity. Consequently, it lies at the
focal point of behavioral sciences such as neuroscience, economics, and
finance. Many influential models from these sciences assume that
financial risk preferences form a stable trait. Is this assumption
justified and, if not, wh...
Cortisol
as a biomarker for depression in boys [Psychological and Cognitive S...
by Owens, M., Herbert, J., Jones, P. B., Sahakian, B. J.,
Wilkinson, P. O., Dunn, V. J., Croudace, T. J., Goodyer, I. M.
Major depressive disorder (MD) is a debilitating public mental health
problem with severe societal and personal costs attached. Around one in
six people will suffer from this complex disorder at some point in
their lives, which has shown considerable etiological and clinical
heterogeneity. Overall t...
Biomarkers
and
Aging
in
the
News
Media
• Why
happiness is a healthy choice
Managing emotional ups and downs and holding on to the sense of purpose
and meaning, are important to physical health, experts say.
• Study
ties breast gene to high-risk uterine cancer
Women with a faulty breast cancer gene might face a greater chance of
rare but deadly uterine tumors despite having their ovaries removed to
lower their main cancer risks, doctors are reporting....
• Big
climate report: Warming is big risk for people
If you think of climate change as a hazard for some far-off polar bears
years from now, you're mistaken. That's the message from top climate
scientists gathering in Japan this week to assess the impact of global
warming....
• Salt
makes obese teens' cells age faster, study says
Study found cells called telomeres -- which play a role in aging --
were shorter in overweight and obese teens who ate a lot of salt
• Stress
May Diminish a Woman's Fertility, Study Suggests
First U.S. review to show a possible link between stress and how long
it takes to get pregnant
• For
Happy Marriage, His Personality May Be Key
Study looked at health, 'positivity' and other traits in older couples
• Stress-Linked
Protein May Play Role in Alzheimer's
Stress-Linked Protein May Play Role in Alzheimer's
• Women
Bear Brunt of Alzheimer's Disease
New report highlights gender differences in disease risk and caregiver
burden.
• Blood
Test Might Predict Who Will Develop Alzheimer's
A blood test that can predict who is about to develop Alzheimer's or
related early memory loss up to two years before the first symptoms may
be in early stages of development, researchers believe.Many scientists
have tried, and failed, to come up with a test that can predict
Alzheimer's.
• Lower
IQ and poorer cardiovascular fitness in teen years increase risk of
ear...
Men who at the age of 18 years have poorer cardiovascular fitness
and/or a lower IQ more often suffer from dementia before the age of 60.
This is shown in a recent study encompassing more than one million
Swedish men.
• State-of-the-state
on genetic-based testing, treatment for breast cancer reve...
A review of the role that information gathered through genetic testing
plays in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer has been
conducted. The resulting paper discusses targeted therapies, new
biomarkers, and the quality of commercially available testing methods.
• Unconscious
mind can detect a liar -- even when the conscious mind fails
When it comes to detecting deceit, your automatic associations may be
more accurate than conscious thought in pegging truth-tellers and
liars, according to research. The findings suggest that conscious
awareness may hinder our ability to detect whether someone is lying,
perhaps because we tend to seek out behaviors that are supposedly
stereotypical of liars, like averted eyes or fidgeting. But those
behaviors may not be all that indicative of an untrustworthy person.
• Saturated
fat advice 'unclear'
Swapping butter for a sunflower spread may not lower heart risk, say
researchers, but experts warn against eating foods high in saturated
fat.
• More
Body Fat Raises Ovarian Cancer Risk, Study Suggests
The more a woman weighs, the greater her risk of ovarian cancer, a new
report suggests.It adds to strong suspicions that weight is somehow
linked to ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest cancers and one that
kills 14,000 U.S. women every year.
• Eat
more, die young: Why eating a diet very low in nutrients can extend
lifespan
A new evolutionary theory claims that consuming a diet very low in
nutrients can extend lifespan in laboratory animals, a finding which
could hold clues to promoting healthier aging in humans. Scientists
have known for decades that severely restricted food intake reduces the
incidence of diseases of old age, such as cancer, and increases
lifespan. The most widely accepted theory is that this effect evolved
to improve survival during times of famine.
• Healthy
midlife diet may prevent dementia later
Healthy dietary choices in midlife may prevent dementia in later years,
according a doctoral thesis. The results showed that those who ate the
healthiest diet at the average age of 50 had an almost 90 per cent
lower risk of dementia in a 14-year follow-up study than those whose
diet was the least healthy. The study was the first in the world to
investigate the relationship between a healthy diet as early as in
midlife and the risk of developing dementia later on.
• Well:
Anger Can Set Off a Heart Attack
A new analysis has found that outbursts of anger can significantly
increase the risk for irregular heart rhythms, angina, strokes and
heart attacks.
• Stress
undermines empathic abilities in men but increases them in women
Stressed males tend to become more self-centered and less able to
distinguish their own emotions and intentions from those of other
people. For women the exact opposite is true. Stress, this problem that
haunts us every day, could be undermining not only our health but also
our relationships with other people, especially for men. Stressed
women, however, become more 'prosocial' according to new research.
• Income
Gap, Meet the Longevity Gap
Two counties, separated by fortune and 350 miles, demonstrate the
widening divide in life expectancy between affluent and struggling
areas of the United States.
• Does
Self-Esteem Affect Seniors' Health?
Small study tied higher levels of stress hormone to less well-being in
older adults
• Wider
Waistline May Mean Shorter Lifespan: Study
Evidence review suggests extra inches raise risk of dying younger,
regardless of body weight
• Even
Slightly Higher Blood Pressure May Raise Stroke Risk: Study
Experts say the finding highlights importance of keeping blood pressure
under control
• Younger
men receive faster care for heart attacks, angina compared with women...
In younger adults experiencing heart attacks and angina, men are more
likely to receive faster care compared with women, new research shows.
In the study, men received faster access to electrocardiograms (ECGs)
and fibrinolysis than women, with door-to-ECG and door-to-needle times
of 15 and 21 minutes and 28 and 36 minutes, respectively. The study
also found that gender-related factors affected access to care for both
men and women.
• Colon
cancer incidence rates decreasing steeply in older Americans, study
shows
Colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the US in the
last 10 years among adults 50 and older due to the widespread uptake of
colonoscopy, with the largest decrease in people over age 65. Like
incidence, mortality rates have also declined most rapidly within the
past decade. From 2001 to 2010, rates decreased by approximately 3
percent per year in both men and women, compared with declines of
approximately 2 percent per year during the 1990s.
• Statin
debate: A bitter pill?
Are statins a risk worth taking?
• Vitamin
D may boost breast cancer survival odds
Foods high in vitamin D are fatty fish and cod liver oil; fortified
milks, cheeses and cereals also contain some of the vitamin
• New
Study Points To Health Risk Of Prolonged Sitting
Northwestern University research time has found that prolonged sitting
is a health problem, all by itself.
• Men:
The clock on your sperm is ticking
A comprehensive study suggests children with older fathers are at a
great risk for a host of psychiatric disorders.
NIH
Press
Releases
Researchers
discover underlying genetics, marker for stroke, cardiovascular d...
NIH-funded findings point to new potential strategies for disease
prevention, treatment.
Sepsis
study comparing three treatment methods shows same survival rate
NIH-funded clinical trial tested specific protocols against usual
high-level care
NIH
urges older Americans to protect their kidneys
Statement of NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., and NIA Director
Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Students
unlock the mysteries of the brain with NIH scientists
NIH celebrates Brain Awareness Week 2014.
Contacts
better than permanent lenses for babies after cataract surgery
Permanent lenses lead to more repeat eye surgeries, NIH study finds.
NIH
announces recruitment for clinical trial to test new tinnitus treatment
d...
Multi-center trial offers hope for millions of Americans with severe
tinnitus.
3-D
changes in DNA may lead to a genetic form of Lou Gehrig's disease
NIH-funded scientists reveal how a genetic code variation results in
devastating brain diseases.
High
plasticizer levels in males linked to delayed pregnancy for female
partners
NIH study of couples implicates three common phthalates in delay.
Prevalence
of allergies the same, regardless of where you live
Study suggests that people prone to developing allergies are going to
develop an allergy to whatever is in their environment.
Suicide
in the military: Army-NIH funded study points to risk and protective ...
Largest study of mental health risk and resilience ever conducted among
U.S. military personnel.
Funding
Announcements
Juvenile
Protective Factors and Their Effects on Aging (R03)
Expiration Date: July 17, 2016
Analysis
of Genome-Wide Gene-Environment (G x E) Interactions (R21)
Funding Opportunity PAR-13-382 from the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts. The purpose of this FOA is to provide support for research
projects that involve secondary data analyses of existing genome-wide
data from genome-wide association studies or other large genomic
datasets for the purpose of identifying gene-environment interactions.
The ultimate objective of this funding opportunity is the discovery of
complex interplays of genes and environmental factors in human
populations which may disclose novel genetic susceptibilities to
environmental exposures or a greater understanding of the role of
environmental exposures in the development, progression, and severity
of complex human diseases.
NIH
Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (Parent
R13/U13)
Funding Number: PA-13-347
Expiration Date: September 8, 2016
Academic
Research Enhancement Award (Parent R15)
Funding Number: PA-13-313
Expiration Date: September 8, 2016
Behavioral
and Social Science Research on Understanding and Reducing Health
Disparities (R21)
Funding Number: PA-13-288
Expiration Date: September 8, 2016
Mid-life
Reversibility of Early-established Biobehavioral Risk Factors (R01)
Funding Opportunity RFA-AG-14-006 from the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA)
issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is to solicit two-year
Research Project Grant (R01) applications that propose to explore the
potential for midlife plasticity of biobehavioral or psychological
systems affected by early life disadvantage. In order to speed the
development of novel intervention strategies, applicants are encouraged
either to use existing human cohort data to identify circumstances that
mitigate or exacerbate the effects of early adversity or to use human
and/or animal models to test the feasibility of developing
interventions aimed specifically at increasing malleability in
adulthood of risk persistence mechanisms.
High
Priority Behavioral and Social Research Networks (R24)
Funding Opportunity RFA-AG-14-007 from the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts. The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA)
issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), working in part with
funds contributed by the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Research (http://obssr.od.nih.gov/index.aspx ), is to provide
infrastructure support for advancing development of specific emerging
and high priority interdisciplinary areas of behavioral and social
research of relevance to aging. The infrastructure support will
facilitate research networks through meetings, conferences, small scale
pilots, training, and dissemination to encourage growth and development
of specified priority areas and of resources for the field at large.
Projects are solicited that will develop, strengthen, and evaluate
transdisciplinary approaches and methods for basic behavioral and/or
social research.
Regional
and
International Differences in Health and Longevity at Older Ages
(R01)
PA-13-125
Expiration Date September 8, 2016
Obesity
Policy
Evaluation Research (R01) PA-13-110
Expiration Date: May 8, 2016
Events:
Conferences:
2014
Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America
Marriott Copley Place, Boston, MA, May 1-3, 2014
Abstract deadline was September 27, 2013
2014
Annual
Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society
(AGS), May 15 - 17,
2014
Orlando, Florida
Abstract deadline was December 2, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST
The
26th REVES
meeting on health expectancy
Edinburgh, UK, May 28-30,
2014
Abstract submission deadline: February 1, 2014
The
67th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America,
November 5-9, 2014
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC
Abstract
submission deadline: March 5, 2014
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
Newsletter is supported by a grant from the National
Institute on
Aging, National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)
If you would like to unsubscribe please notify us at ngavrilova@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu
