CCBAR
Newsletter
– November,
2013
Editors:
Natalia
Gavrilova
and
Stacy
Tessler
Lindau
CCBAR News:
The 8th
Chicago Workshop on Biomeasures in Population-Based Health
and Aging Research
Slides
for selected presentations at the 2013 Workshop, "Biosocial Study of
Health and Aging in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and HIV-Affected
Populations" are available at the CCBAR website:
Natalia Gavrilova participated in the annual meeting of the
Gerontological Society of America in New Orleans, LA (November 18-24,
2013). Many sessions featured biomarker research including "Are
Socioeconomic Differences in Health-Related Outcomes Still Important in
the Oldest Old?," "Biomarkers of Aging: Looking Beyond the One-System
One-Deficit Paradigm," "The Use of Biomarkers in Gerontological Nursing
Research." A related symposium, "Geroscience - Aging Biology as the
Common Risk Factor for Chronic Diseases," organized by Felipe Sierra
(NIH), examined basic to translational aging research and aging “as a
driver” of diseases of the elderly. Another symposium "National
Sexuality, Aging, and Health Research: Optimal Aging among LGBT Older
Adults" chaired by Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen (U Washington), illustrated
the importance of understanding both risks and resources as they relate
to optimal aging in our increasingly diverse society. The
Interest Group Meeting "Societal Implications of Delaying Aging"
discussed related funding opportunities.
CCBAR Q & A:
Q:
Would
you be able to assist me by providing the numbers
of racial minorities who participated in NSHAP saliva specimen
collection?
A (Natalia Gavrilova): Published proportions of ethnic/racial minorities cooperating in saliva
collection are presented in a paper describing the salivary hormone
assays (Gavrilova N.,
Lindau S.T. Salivary sex hormone measurement in a national,
population-based study of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology
Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,
2009, 64, Suppl.1, i94-105.). The numbers of racial minorities who
cooperated were not published and we list them here: White/Caucasian
2,108 (of 2,295), Black/African American 427 (of 509) and 181 others
(of 193).
News
from
the
NEJM, Nature Journals, Science, BMJ, PNAS, Lancet and JAMA
Experimental
evidence for the influence of group size on cultural complexity
by Maxime Derex, Marie-Pauline Beugin, Bernard Godelle, Michel
Raymond
The remarkable ecological and demographic success of humanity is
largely attributed to our capacity for cumulative culture. The
accumulation of beneficial cultural innovations across generations is
puzzling because transmission events are generally imperfect, although
there is large variance in fide...
Preoptic
control of song and brain plasticity [Neuroscience]
by Alward, B. A., Balthazart, J., Ball, G. F.
Steroid hormones regulate multiple but distinct aspects of social
behaviors. Testosterone (T) has multiple effects on learned courtship
song in that it regulates both the motivation to sing in a particular
social context as well as the quality of song produced. The neural
substrate(s) where T acts t...
HPV:
Sex, cancer and a virus
by Megan Scudellari
Human papillomavirus is causing a new form of head and neck cancer?
leaving researchers scrambling to understand risk factors, tests and
treatments.
Life
history trade-offs in cancer evolution
by C. Athena Aktipis, Amy M. Boddy, Robert A. Gatenby, Joel S.
Brown, Carlo C. Maley
Somatic evolution during cancer progression and therapy results in
tumour cells that show a wide range of phenotypes, which include rapid
proliferation and quiescence. Evolutionary life history theory may help
us to understand the diversity of these phenotypes. Fast life history
organisms reproduce ...
Sleep
deprivation increases brain connectivity [Neuroscience]
by Bosch, O. G., Rihm, J. S., Scheidegger, M., Landolt, H.–P.,
Stampfli, P., Brakowski, J., Esposito, F., Rasch, B., Seifritz, E.
In many patients with major depressive disorder, sleep deprivation, or
wake therapy, induces an immediate but often transient antidepressant
response. It is known from brain imaging studies that changes in
anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity
correlate with a relief of depr...
Similarity
increases altruistic punishment [Psychological and Cognitive Scien...
by Mussweiler, T., Ockenfels, A.
Humans are attracted to similar others. As a consequence, social
networks are homogeneous in sociodemographic, intrapersonal, and other
characteristics - a principle called homophily. Despite abundant
evidence
showing the importance of interpersonal similarity and homophily for
human relationships, th...
[Research
Articles] Gene Transfer of Human Apoe Isoforms Results in Different...
by Hudry, E., Dashkoff, J., Roe, A. D., Takeda, S., Koffie, R.
M.,
Hashimoto, T., Scheel, M., Spires-Jones, T., Arbel-Ornath, M.,
Betensky, R., Davidson, B. L., Hyman, B. T.
Inheritance of the 4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE)
is the strongest genetic risk factor associated with the sporadic form
of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), whereas the rare APOE
2 allele has the opposite effect. However, the mechanisms whereby APOE
confers risk and protection remain uncertain. ...
[Focus]
Preserving Youth: Does Rapamycin Deliver?
by Johnson, S. C., Martin, G. M., Rabinovitch, P. S.,
Kaeberlein, M.
Research suggests that the drug rapamycin slows mammalian aging, but
a provocative new study has gained attention by claiming to show it
does not.
Target
cardiovascular risk rather than cholesterol concentration
by Krumholz, H. M.
The recent American 'Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to
Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults' heralds a new era
in the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular...
British
women are engaging in greater variety of sexual practices
by Torjesen, I.
Great Britain is becoming more accepting of sexual diversity, and women
in particular are now more open to participating in more diverse sexual
behaviours, especially well educated and wealthier...
Association
of Nut Consumption with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality
by alerts@nejm.org (Ying Bao et al)
New England Journal of Medicine, Volume 369, Issue 21, Page 2001-2011,
November 2013.
Depression
Promotes Cognitive Decline in Patients With Diabetes
by Slomski A.
Individuals with type 2
diabetes who
also have depression had an accelerated cognitive decline during a
40-month cohort study of participants in the Action to Control
Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes?Memory in Diabetes (ACCORD-MIND) trial
(Sullivan MD et al. JAMA
Psychiatry. 2013;70[10]:1041-1047).
Risks
Higher for Some Estrogen Drugs
by Slomski A.
Use of conjugated equine
estrogens
(CEEs) to relieve the vasomotor symptoms of menopause is associated
with about twice the risk of venous thrombosis compared with oral
estradiol, according to a population-based case-control study of
postmenopausal women (Smith NL et al. JAMA Intern Med.
doi:10.1001...
Accumulating
Evidence for Statins in Primary Prevention
by Robinson JG.
Many voices in the public
and the
medical community argue strongly against the widespread use of statins
for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Critics give several reasons to avoid statin therapy, including
concerns about adverse effects, lack of a total mortality ben...
Childhood
maltreatment and brain connectivity [Neuroscience]
by Herringa, R. J., Birn, R. M., Ruttle, P. L., Burghy, C. A.,
Stodola, D. E., Davidson, R. J., Essex, M. J.
Maltreatment during childhood is a major risk factor for anxiety and
depression, which are major public health problems. However, the
underlying brain mechanism linking maltreatment and internalizing
disorders remains poorly understood. Maltreatment may alter the
activation of fear circuitry, but li...
Gene-by-age
interaction in brain [Psychological and Cognitive Sciences]
by Glahn, D. C., Kent, J. W., Sprooten, E., Diego, V. P.,
Winkler,
A. M., Curran, J. E., McKay, D. R., Knowles, E. E., Carless, M. A.,
Goring, H. H. H., Dyer, T. D., Olvera, R. L., Fox, P. T., Almasy, L.,
Charlesworth, J., Kochunov, P., Duggirala, R., Blangero, J.
Identification of genes associated with brain aging should markedly
improve our understanding of the biological processes that govern
normal age-related decline. However, challenges to identifying genes
that facilitate successful brain aging are considerable, including a
lack of established phenotyp...
What's
New With Measuring Cholesterol?
by Gaziano J, Gaziano TA.
Exactly 100 years ago, one
of the most
important lines of research in cardiology began the story of
cholesterol. This complicated saga has many twists and turns and much
controversy, even continuing to today. It is the tale of a simple
compound that has been the subject of thousands of papers and se...
Genetics:
More risk genes for Alzheimer's
The largest genetics study so far of late-onset Alzheimer's disease has
identified 11 new genome regions that alter the risk of the disease.A
team of some 200 scientists in the International Genomics of
Alzheimer's Project carried out meta-analyses of four separate
genome-wide association studies,
Childhood
poverty, chronic stress, and adult brain [Psychological and Cogniti...
by Kim, P., Evans, G. W., Angstadt, M., Ho, S. S., Sripada, C.
S., Swain, J. E., Liberzon, I., Phan, K. L.
Childhood poverty has pervasive negative physical and psychological
health sequelae in adulthood. Exposure to chronic stressors may be one
underlying mechanism for childhood poverty - health relations by
influencing emotion regulatory systems. Animal work and human
cross-sectional studies both suggest...
Resolving
the Tension Between Population Health and Individual Health Care
by Sox HC.
Health care in the United
States is far
costlier than in any other country, yet its outcomes, while improving,
are worsening relative to other countries in the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Perhaps the de facto
organizing principle for US health care - approaching each...
Biomarkers
and
Aging
in
the
News
Media
• Want
to Stay Young? Start Moving
Study finds it's never too late to reap the anti-aging benefits of
exercise
•
Eat
nuts, live longer
Hungry? Grab a handful of nuts. Not only are they packed with protein,
but it turns out they may be the food for longevity.
• How
to Slash Heart Risks Tied to Obesity
Lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, analysis
concludes
• Flushed
Complexion After Drinking Could Point to High Blood Pressure Risk
Response could signal vulnerability for alcohol-linked blood pressure
trouble, study found
• The
deadly news about all osteoporotic fractures
It is well known that hip and vertebral fractures increase the risk of
premature death. Until now, little has been known about the clinical
impact of non-hip, non-vertebral fractures -- so new Australian
research showing that they may also increase the risk of death will
better inform treatment.
• Negative
BRCA testing may not always imply lowered breast cancer risk
Women who are members of families with BRCA2 mutations but who test
negative for the family-specific BRCA2 mutations are still at greater
risk for developing breast cancer compared with women in the general
population, according to a study.
• Health
insurance increases preventive care, not risky behaviors
People with health insurance are more likely to use preventive services
such as flu shots and health screenings to reduce their risk of serious
illness, but they are no more likely than people without health
insurance to engage in risky health behaviors such as smoking or
gaining weight, researchers have found.
• High-fat
diet during puberty speeds up breast cancer development
New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty
speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase
the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.
• Bumps
in the Road to New Cholesterol Guidelines
Some doctors said a panel issuing guidelines for avoiding cholesterol
risks had ignored part of the available data, and they asserted it
should have first released a draft report to allow for comments.
• More
walking tied to lower stroke risk among older men
NEW YORK - Older men who spend several hours walking each day are less
likely to have a stroke than their peers who rarely walk, a new study
suggests. And walking pace didn't seem to matter.
• Step
away from that soda: Sugary drinks raise cancer risk for women, study
finds
Here's another reason for ladies to just put down that sugary soda ? it
raises the risk of endometrial cancer.Women who drank the most sweet
soft drinks had a 78 percent increased risk of the cancer, researchers
found. But other sweet treats, such as baked goods, didn't have an
effect.
• We're
No. 26! US below average on most health measures
Americans are below average on most measures of health - from obesity
to infant mortality - when compared with other rich countries, and
they're falling behind on lifespan, too, according to the latest survey.
• Unemployment
stress may cause men to age faster, study finds
As if being unemployed isn't bad enough, the stress of long-term
joblessness may cause men to genetically age faster, a new large study
suggests.
• 'The
Pill' Tied to Raised Risk of Glaucoma
Eye disease more common among users of birth control pills, study finds
• Investments
in aging biology research will pay longevity dividend
Finding a way to slow the biological processes of aging will do more to
extend the period of healthy life in humans than attacking individual
diseases alone, according to some of the nation's top gerontologists.
• Mushroom
Compound Offers Hope for Cancer in Dogs and Humans
Jeff Gillman's dog Reuben is enrolled in a clinical trial of a Chinese
mushroom compound that has shown some of the longest survival rates
ever reported for dogs with hemangiosarcoma. Researchers hope it may
help humans, too.
• Depression
'speeds ageing process'
Depression can make us physically older by speeding up the ageing
process in our cells, research suggests.
• Meat
Products Could Raise Diabetes Risk: Study
But more research is needed to confirm the findings
• Obese
older women at higher risk for death, disease, disability before age 85
Obesity and a bigger waist size in older women are associated with a
higher risk of death, major chronic disease and mobility disability
before the age of 85, according to a study.
• Bisexual
Men Aren't at Greater HIV Risk: Review
Analysis of 3,000 studies found they were 40 percent as likely as
homosexual men to have AIDS virus
NIH
Press
Releases
Gene-silencing
study finds new targets for Parkinson's disease
NIH study sheds light on treatment of related disorders.
NIH
mouse study finds gut microorganisms may determine cancer treatment
outcome
An unhealthy gut microbiome may limit treatment effectiveness.
Researchers
suggest China consider national flu vaccination plan with stagger...
According to the first comprehensive study of the country's flu
patterns.
Genetic
data does not improve anticoagulation control with warfarin
NIH-funded study shows genotyping adds no benefit when added to a
clinically-guided dosing formula.
Chelation
therapy reduces cardiovascular events for older patients with diabetes
Use of chelation therapy in the United States between 2002 and 2007 by
nearly 68 percent.
NIH
survey identifies barriers to effective patient-provider dialogue about
COPD
Lack of communication between patients and doctors about COPD remains a
major issue.
NIH-funded
study finds donor age not a factor in most corneal transplants
10-year success rates remained steady at 75 percent for corneal
transplants from donors 34-71 years old.
NIH
statement: Family support key to diabetes prevention, management
Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, Director, National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases for World Diabetes Day.
First
director named for NHGRI's new Division of Genomics and Society
Lawrence Brody, Ph.D. selected to lead new division that includes ELSI
research program.
Earliest
marker for autism found in young infants
NIH-funded study finds attention to others? eyes declines in 2 to
6-month-old infants later diagnosed with autism.
NIH-funded
study finds that gabapentin may treat alcohol dependence
Promising results from a randomized, controlled clinical trial of the
medication.
Study
shows adults had significant weight loss three years after bariatric
su...
Second study in teens shows few complications in first 30 days after
surgery.
Funding
Announcements
The Iinstitute of Medicine
has an exciting research opportunity with funding available to analyze
data from the Air Force
Health Study (AFHS; also known as the Ranch Hand study).
The AFHS
was a Congressional directed epidemiologic study intended to evaluate
the frequency and nature of adverse health effects that might be
related to exposure to military herbicides used during the Vietnam
Conflict. Standardized, comprehensive health and personal
characteristics data and multiple biospecimens were collected for 20
years in 6 cycles (1982, 1985, 1987, 1992, 1997, and 2002). In all,
2,758 subjects participated in at least one cycle exam.
Access to the materials is open to qualified researchers
whose use of the AFHS assets is deemed appropriate by an IOM committee
that evaluates the scientific merit of proposals and the National
Academies' Institutional Review Board. The program accepts proposals as
part of a rolling submission process; funding is available to support
the most meritorious pilot studies and small-scale research projects.
Please check www.iom.edu/afhs for the current announcement and links to
information on the data and submission materials. In the case
of questions, please contact Anne Styka, MPH, Research Director, Air
Force Health Study, Board on the Health of Select Populations,
Institute of Medicine (202.334.3941, astyka@nas.edu).
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
PAR-12-186 DBSR
Macroeconomic Aspects of Population Aging (R01)
Expiration
date:
10/04/2014
Biodemography
of
Aging
(R01),
Funding
Number:
PAR-12-078
Expiration Date: March 4, 2014
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: 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 15, 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
