CCBAR
Newsletter – October, 2008
Editors:
Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
CCBAR
News
New
CCBAR technical reports on blood spot speciemens (hemoglobin, HbA1c,
CRP, EBV) are published online. CCBAR
continues publishing a series of technical report on biomarker
collection in
population-based studies. Currently, technical reports
are available on blood spots, saliva, and vaginal swabs specimens
as well as medication data
use for Wave I (2005-06) of the National Social Life, Health and Aging
Project. Technical
reports are available at the CCBAR website: http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/ccbartechreports.html
News
From the NEJM, Nature Journals, Science, BMJ and PNAS
[Letters]
Frequency of apolipoprotein E4 among older compared with younger HI...
[Genetics]
Individual disease risk and multimetric analysis of Crohn disease
Rare dominant genes with high penetrance can be identified by
linkage without inbreeding, whereas rare recessive genes with high
penetrance...
[
Medical_Sciences]
A farnesyltransferase inhibitor prevents both the onset an...
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is the most dramatic form
of human premature aging. Death occurs at a mean age of...
[Neuroscience]
Gene expression changes in the course of normal brain aging ar...
Gene expression profiles were assessed in the hippocampus,
entorhinal cortex, superior-frontal gyrus, and postcentral gyrus across
the lifespan of 55...
[NEWS]
GENETICS: DNA Test for Breast Cancer Risk Draws Criticism
Last week, deCODE Genetics released the first-ever breast cancer risk
test designed to cover common forms of the disease. Many oncologists
and geneticists decried the $1625 test as premature because it includes
just seven genetic variants out of the dozens or hundreds driving
breast cancer that scientists expect to find soon.
ORIGINAL
ARTICLE: Intensive Lipid Lowering with Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in ...
In this randomized, placebo-controlled trial, the combination of
simvastatin and ezetimibe had no effect on the progression of aortic
stenosis, despite substantial lowering of low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol. There was a reduction in the need for coronary bypass
surgery in the simvastatin-ezetimibe group, but unexpectedly, active
treatment was also associated with an increased incidence of cancer.
REVIEW
ARTICLE: Medical Progress: Uric Acid and Cardiovascular Risk
This review summarizes relevant studies concerning uric acid and
possible links to hypertension, renal disease, and cardiovascular
disease. Whether uric acid is an independent risk factor for such
diseases is still a point of debate. Current evidence is presented.
Biomarkers
and Aging in the News Media
• Western
diet 'raises heart risk'
Swapping fried
and salty foods for fruit and veg could cut a third of the heart attack
risk around the world, work suggests.
• More
Alzheimer's Risk for Hispanics, Studies Find
A significant
number of Hispanics appear to be getting Alzheimer's earlier, according
to recent studies.
• Surfing
The Web Stimulates Older Brains
A new UCLA study
shows that web-savvy baby boomers and seniors use more
brainpower while searching the Internet than during simple reading.
• Double
Vitamin D, Kids' Doctors Say
A report from
the American Academy of Pediatrics says children, from
newborns to teens, should get twice the previously recommended daily
amount of Vitamin D. New studies have found it may help reduce risks of
cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
• Sex
And Aging: Women In For A Surprise?
Both men and
women over 50 say they expect the desire for and ability
to have sex to diminish with age. Women, however, are more likely to
have physical symptoms and more likely to be surprised by them,
according to a new study.
• Racial
Disparities With Colon Cancer
A study shows
that African-Americans are at a greater risk than whites
when it comes to having large colon polyps, which can become cancerous.
• Firm
Says Test Judges Risk For Common Breast Cancers
A biotech
company today will begin offering the first genetic test to
assess a woman's risk for the most common forms of breast cancer,
reigniting debate about the growing number of unregulated genetic
tests.
• Infant
Mortality: U.S. Ranks 29th
The U.S. ranks
29th worldwide in infant mortality -- tying Slovakia and
Poland but lagging behind Cuba. Ranked 1, 2, 3: Singapore, Hong Kong,
Japan.
• Mild
Sleep Apnea May Up Heart Risk
Sleep apnea --
even if it is so mild that people have no daytime
drowsiness -- may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, a study
shows.
• Child
Abuse Increases Risk For Later Sexually Coercive Behavior In Some Men
Researchers
trying to identify factors that put men at risk for
committing sexual coercion have found that being victims of both
childhood physical and sexual abuse made them 4.5 times more likely to
engage in sexually coercive behavior than men who were not abused.
NIH
Press Releases
Annual
Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research 2007
The Office of
Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) announces the release of the ninth issue of the Annual
Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research.
The papers selected for the 2007 Bibliography include research
supported by government, industry, and academic institutions, as well
as public-private partnerships.
Panel
Advocates Improved Understanding of Hepatitis B and Screening of
High-R...
Management of
hepatitis B is a challenge for physicians and patients
due to an incomplete understanding of the disease course, complex
treatment indications, and the lack of large studies focusing on
important health outcomes. To examine these issues, the NIH convened an
independent, impartial panel this week to weigh the available evidence
on the management of hepatitis B.
Large-Scale
Genetic Study Sheds New Light on Lung Cancer, Opens Door to
Indiv...
A
multi-institution team, funded by the National Human Genome Research
Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today
reported results of the largest effort to date to chart the genetic
changes involved in the most common form of lung cancer, lung
adenocarcinoma. The findings should help pave the way for more
individualized approaches for detecting and treating the nation's
leading cause of cancer deaths.
Researchers
Identify Novel Type of Antibody that Potently Inhibits HIV Infection
A small antibody
fragment that is highly effective in neutralizing the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by preventing the virus from entering
cells has been identified by researchers at the National Cancer
Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This
finding may provide insight into the development of new treatments
against HIV and other viruses, hopefully in the not too distant future.
The study appears online Oct. 20, 2008, in "Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences."
NIA
and McKnight Brain Research Foundation Join Forces to Support Cognitive
A...
The Research
Partnership in Cognitive Aging is a newly launched
public-private effort to support current and emerging research on
age-related changes in the brain and cognition. Jointly funded by the
National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, through the
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), this effort is
expected to award an estimated $20 million in research grants over the
next five years.
Researchers
Establish International Human Microbiome Consortium
In related news,
leaders from the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services,
signed a letter of intent in September with the European Commission
(EC) officially agreeing to combine the data from the NIH Human
Microbiome Project and the EC Metagenomics of the Human Intestinal
Tract (MetaHIT) project.
New
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Centers Target
Stress-Rel...
The National
Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has added four new Centers of
Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(CERCs) to its research centers program. The new centers will add to
knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches
and their potential in treating and preventing diseases and conditions
that are common among Americans.
NIH Announcements
Announcing
Transition Schedule for NIH/AHRQ/CDC/NIOSH/FDA to Adobe-based forms
for SF424 Research and Related (R&R) Electronic Submissions through
Grants.gov
Centers
on the Demography and Economics of Aging (P30)
Request
for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Roybal
Centers for Translational Research on Aging (P30)
Request for
Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Neural
and Behavioral Profiles of Cognitive Aging (R01)
Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AG-09-010
Archiving
and Development of Socialbehavioral Datasets in Aging Related Studies,
(R03)
PAR-08-250
Translational
Research at the Aging/Cancer Interface (TRACI) (R01)
Program Announcement: PA-08-230
Translating
Basic Behavioral and Social Science Discoveries into Intervention...
Request
for Applications from the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts
Paul
B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging (K08 & K23)
Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AG-09-012
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: October 3, 2008
Application Receipt Date: November 3, 2008
Social
Neuroscience of Aging (R01)
Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-AG-09-006
Biomarkers
of Infection-Associated Cancers (R01)
Program
Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Biomarkers
of Infection-Associated Cancers (R21)
Program
Announcement from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Events
January
28-29, 2009. The
National Social
Life Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) will host the *NSHAP
Early Results Conference*, an NIA funded, competitive workshop to
present findings on integrated health and aging research using the
first wave of the NSHAP data. Please contact Sara
Leitsch at Leitsch-Sara@norc.org for more
information.
Gerontological Society of America Annual
meeting will
be held November 21-25, 2008 in National Harbor, Maryland
Population
Association of America Annual Meeting. April 30-May 2,
2009. Detroit, Michigan Marriott Renaissance Center.
The 19th IAGG World
Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics. July 5-10, 2009.
Paris, France
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This
Newsletter is
supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, National
Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)
