CCBAR
Newsletter – September, 2008
Editors:
Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
CCBAR
News
CCBAR
is publishing a series of technical report on biomarker collection in
population-based studies. Currently, technical reports
are available on saliva specimens (cotinine, estradiol, DHEA,
progesterone, testosterone), vaginal swabs specimens (bacterial
vaginosis, HPV, candidiasis) and 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
Proceedings of the
2007 Chicago Annual Biomeasures meeting are available online.
Please visit CCBAR website at http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/workshopproceedings.htm
News
From the NEJM, Nature Journals, Science, BMJ and PNAS
[Medical_Sciences]
B-vitamin deficiency causes hyperhomocysteinemia and vascu...
In older adults, mildly elevated plasma total homocysteine
(hyperhomocysteinemia) is associated with increased risk of cognitive
impairment, cerebrovascular disease, and...
[Anthropology]
Male dominance rarely skews the frequency distribution of Y ch...
A central tenet of evolutionary social science holds that behaviors,
such as those associated with social dominance, produce fitness
effects...
[Anthropology-BS]
From the Cover: Neanderthal brain size at birth provides in...
From birth to adulthood, the human brain expands by a factor of 3.3,
compared with 2.5 in chimpanzees [DeSilva J...
[Medical_Sciences]
Exceptional longevity does not result in excessive levels ...
Late-life loss of independence in daily living is a central concern
for the aging individual and for society. The implications...
[Genetics]
FOXO3A genotype is strongly associated with human longevity
Human longevity is a complex phenotype with a significant
familial
component, yet little is known about its genetic antecedents.
Increasing...
[Population_Biology]
Mass incarceration can explain population increases in T...
Several microlevel studies have pinpointed prisons as an important
site for tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB in European and
central...
[Medical_Sciences]
Short telomeres are a risk factor for idiopathic pulmonary...
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) have a progressive and
often fatal course, and their enigmatic etiology has complicated
approaches to effective...
[Neuroscience]
Age-related top-down suppression deficit in the early stages o...
In this study, electroencephalography (EEG) was used to examine the
relationship between two leading hypotheses of cognitive aging, the
inhibitory...
[Evolution]
Multiple deleterious effects of experimentally aged sperm in a mo...
Sperm aging is known to be detrimental to reproductive performance.
However, this apparently general phenomenon has seldom been studied
in...
[Medical_Sciences]
Peripheral A{beta} subspecies as risk biomarkers of Alzhei...
Plasma Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels are putative biomarkers for Alzheimer's
disease (AD), but their significance and predictive value have been...
EARLY
RELEASE: Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Intensive Treatment of Type
...
Background The value of continuous glucose monitoring in the management
of type 1 diabetes mellitus has not been determined. Methods In a
multicenter clinical trial, we randomly assigned 322 adults ...
CORRESPONDENCE:
Multiple Biomarkers and Cardiovascular Risk
To the Editor: Zethelius et al. (May 15 issue)1 suggest that the
combination of multiple biomarkers with established risk factors ...
Live longer with LAMP-2
Upregulation of a protein involved in lysosomal degradation of proteins
helps stave off some of the cellular decline observed with aging. The
findings could lead to new approaches to fend off age-related disease
or even extend lifespan
Biomarkers: Finding the
needle in the haystack
The hunt for cancer biomarkers has, since its inception, promised to
reduce cancer mortality by enabling detection and subsequent
intervention at earlier, more treatable stages of the disease.
Proteomics-based approaches have dominated the field, but these have
failed to realize their potential, resulting in an
Biomarkers
and Aging in the News Media
• Older
fathers linked with bipolar
Older fathers
are more likely to have children with bipolar disorder than younger
men, research suggests.
• Japan
centenarians at record high
The number of
Japanese living over 100 has reached more than 36,000 - breaking new
records.
• Genetic
Key To Longevity?
Scientists
looking into aging say they've found a gene that's related to living a
long and healthy life.
• Lack
of joy in life ups early death risk: study
NEW YORK
(Reuters Health) - People who don't think life is worth living
are more likely to die within the next few years, research from Japan
shows.
• Vital
Statistics: The Odds It Will Kill You? See New Charts
New risk charts
provide a broader perspective on the risks associated with 10 different
causes of death.
• Cancer
Test for Women Raises Hope, and Concern
An ovarian
cancer test prompts questions on regulation and risk, and experts worry
it may mean unneeded surgery.
• Sex
Hormones Link To Heart Risk
Men are more
prone to, and likely to die of, heart disease compared
with women of a similar age -- and sex hormones are to blame, according
to a new study. The findings suggest that this "male disadvantage" may
be related to the sex-specific effects of naturally occurring sex
hormones.
• Biomarkers
For Ischaemia And Necrosis - Simple Blood Tests To Detect Myocardi...
Myocardial
infarction is the major cause of death worldwide. With
effective treatment within our grasp, accurate and rapid diagnosis is
of major medical and economic importance. With the development of
sensitive trials depicting either cardiac troponin I or cardiac
troponin T, the only current biomarkers thought to be unique to the
heart, the diagnosis of myocardial infarction has been revolutionized.
• Loss
Of Sleep, Even For A Single Night, Increases Inflammation In The Body
Loss of sleep,
even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt
one?s immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs. Losing
sleep for even part of one night can trigger the key cellular pathway
that produces tissue-damaging inflammation according to new research.
The findings suggest a good night?s sleep can ease the risk of both
heart disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Study
sees longterm benefit of blood-sugar control
Diabetics who
tightly control their blood sugar (AP) -- even if only
for the first decade after they are diagnosed - have lower risks of
heart attack, death and other complications 10 or more years later, a
large follow-up study has found....
• Lack
of vitamin B12 in elderly may cause brain shrinkage
Low levels of
the vitamin B12, found in meat, milk and eggs, may lead to a reduction
in brain volume, a new study shows.
• Blood
Marker Predicts Alzheimer's
Elderly people
are three times more likely to get Alzheimer's disease
if they have high blood levels of A-Beta 42, an essential building
block for plaque.
• Omega-3s:
Mixed Findings for Elderly
Omega-3 fatty
acids may help some older adults avoid dementia and live
longer -- but they may not be brighten the moods of seniors who aren't
depressed, three new studies show.
• Being
Tall May Up Prostate Cancer Risk
If you're a tall
man, you may have a slightly higher risk of developing
prostate cancer than men of more modest height, a study shows.
• Calcium
Levels Predict Prostate Cancer
Men with
high-normal levels of calcium in their blood may have an
increased risk for developing fatal prostate cancer, early research
suggests.
• Heart
fears over common chemical
A study links a
chemical commonly used in plastic food and drink packaging to
cardiovascular disease and diabetes by a study.
• Vital
Statistics: Prematurity May Lead to Adult Problems
Premature
babies, even those with no apparent treatable medical
problems, may face an increased risk of medical and social disabilities
in adulthood.
NIH
Press Releases
Low
Levels of Brain Chemical May Lead to Obesity, NIH Study of Rare
Disorder
...
A brain chemical
that plays a role in long term memory also appears to
be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of
becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a
rare genetic condition.
Bacterial
Pneumonia Caused Most Deaths in 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The majority of
deaths during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 were
not caused by the influenza virus acting alone, report researchers from
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part
of the National Institutes of Health. Instead, most victims succumbed
to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection. The
pneumonia was caused when bacteria that normally inhabit the nose and
throat invaded the lungs along a pathway created when the virus
destroyed the cells that line the bronchial tubes and lungs.
Largest
Study of Its Kind Implicates Gene Abnormalities in Bipolar Disorder
The largest
genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder
has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium
in brain cells. Researchers supported in part by the National Institute
of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, found an
association between the disorder and variation in two genes that make
components of channels that manage the flow of the elements into and
out of cells, including neurons.
Alternative
Vaccine Strategy Shows Promise in Prostate Cancer Patients
New research
indicates that giving patients a continuous low dose of an
immune system booster, a method known as metronomic dosing, as part of
a therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine strategy is safe and produces
similar immune responses and fewer side effects than the more common
dosing method, which is not well tolerated by many patients. This
study, led by researchers at that National Cancer Institute (NCI), part
of the National Institutes of Health, was published in the Aug. 15,
2008, issue of "Clinical Cancer Research."
Key Gaps
Remain in Understanding Health Effects of Vitamin D
Despite
considerable progress in research to understand the health effects of
vitamin D, experts convened by the NIH to review the available data
found major gaps in the evidence. The data are strongest in the area of
bone health among elderly men and post-menopausal women, suggesting
that increased vitamin D intake can improve bone health and prevent
falls. For other age groups and health issues, though, it is too early
to say conclusively whether more vitamin D might be beneficial.
Herpes
Virus Changes Anti-Herpes Drug to Form that Hinders AIDS Virus
The drug
acyclovir has long been used to suppress outbreaks of oral and
genital herpes. Herpes viruses change acyclovir to a form that prevents
them from reproducing. Now, it appears that after acyclovir is altered
by herpes viruses, it also interferes with the AIDS virus's ability to
reproduce, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health
and other institutions.
NTP
Finalizes Report on Bisphenol A
Current human
exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate
plastics and epoxy resins, is of"some concern" for effects on
development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects
in fetuses, infants and children, according to a final report released
today by the National Toxicology Program (NTP).
New NIH
Research Initiative to Test Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
Women troubled
by hot flashes and night sweats during the years around menopause want
safe, effective treatment options. A new research initiative from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) will establish a multisite research
network to conduct clinical trials of promising treatments for the most
common symptoms of the menopausal transition.
NIH Announcements
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)
