Editors: Natalia Gavrilova and Stacy Tessler Lindau
CCBAR
News
The 7th
Interdisciplinary Conference on Biomeasures in Population-based Health
and Aging Research was held October 25, 2011 at the University of
Chicago Gleacher Center. Of 11 participants who completed meeting
evaluations, most found the scientific content of this conference very
helpful in their work giving high evaluation scores ranging from 4.4 to
4.9 (on the 5-point scale). Participants responding to the conference
evaluation survey found Session 6 "Neighborhood Effects on Health" and
Session 5 "Neighborhood Disadvantage and Cardiometabolic Risks in the
Jackson Heart Study" to be of particular interest. For more information
on the workshop (including the conference agenda) please visit the
CCBAR website at: http://biomarkers.uchicago.edu/ChicagoBiomarkerWorkshop.htm
or contact Pleasant Radford, Jr. (pradford@babies.bsd.uchicago.edu)
with questions. CCBAR is working on posting video and powerpoint
highlights.
Natalia Gavrilova participated in the annual meeting of the
Gerontological Society of America held November 18-22, 2011 in Boston,
MA. She gave three presentations at the meeting, including a talk on
demographic consequences of life extension at Interest Group Session
"Societal consequences of delaying aging." This year the GSA meeting
had a record number of participants (over 3,500), which reflect a
growing importance of this area of research.
Neuroscience:
Stress
speeds
up
brain
degeneration
Prolonged stress may
accelerate neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease by exacerbating the
build-up of damaging proteins in the brain.John Trojanowski at the
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and his colleagues studied
mice that had been engineer...
Stem-cell
pioneer
bows
out
Geron halts first-of-its-kind clinical trial for spinal therapy.
Evolutionary
biology:
The
path
to
sociality
A comparative analysis traces the trajectory of change in social
organization among primates and establishes a firm foundation for
modelling the origins of social complexity.
Ageing:
Old
cells
under
attack
Age brings not just wisdom, but also, alas, many traits that to
most of
us are much less attractive. It now seems that, at least in mice,
clearance of senescent cells delays some of the maladies associated
with ageing.
Risk-takers
wanted
Treating costly conditions such as Alzheimer's disease may soon
collapse healthcare systems around the world, yet companies hesitate to
invest in the long, large clinical trials required to discover
disease-modifying therapies. New incentives are necessary to turn this
tide.
Molecular
mechanisms
of
cancer
development
in
obesity
The increasing incidence of obesity and its co-morbid conditions
poses
a great challenge to global health. In addition to cardiovascular
disease and diabetes, epidemiological data demonstrate a link between
obesity and multiple types of cancer. The molecular mechanisms
underlying how obesity causes ...
Epigenetics:
Inheriting
a
long
life
The epigenome is traditionally viewed as being 'reset' on
passage
through the germline. However, in a handful of cases, transgenerational
inheritance of epigenetic information can occur, although there is
limited molecular understanding of these events. Now, researchers have
found that longevity can...
[Report]
Stress-Related
Noradrenergic
Activity
Prompts
Large-Scale
Neural
Net...
Acute stress leads to reorganization of large-scale neural
network
connectivity in the brain that is driven by noradrenaline.
Trend
for
US
patients
to
seek
health
information
from media and internet is
s...
Patients in the United States were less likely to seek health
information from sources other than their doctor in 2010 than in 2007,
concludes a new survey.Only half (50%) of the 17,000 people who
participated in the telephone survey said they had sought out such
information over the past 12 months,...
Stepwise
evolution
of
stable
sociality
in
primates
Although much attention has been focused on explaining and
describing
the diversity of social grouping patterns among primates, less effort
has been devoted to understanding the evolutionary history of social
living. This is partly because social behaviours do not fossilize,
making it difficult to i...
Clearance
of
p16Ink4a-positive
senescent
cells
delays
ageing-associated
disor...
Advanced age is the main risk factor for most chronic diseases
and
functional deficits in humans, but the fundamental mechanisms that
drive ageing remain largely unknown, impeding the development of
interventions that might delay or prevent age-related disorders and
maximize healthy lifespan. Cellul...
Alzheimer
disease:
Benefits
of
an
insulin
nasal
spray
in Alzheimer disease an...
The results of a pilot trial indicate that insulin, delivered
intranasally, can preserve or even improve cognition and functional
abilities in patients with Alzheimer disease or amnestic mild cognitive
impairment. Over a 4-month period, patients receiving a daily 20 IU
intranasal dose of insulin exh...
Toward
an
experimental
exploration
of
the
complexity
of
human social
interact...
Few colleagues would debate that the complexity of human
cooperation is
unmatched in the animal kingdom. There are strong arguments that the
complexity of our social life is tightly linked to the evolution of our
large brain, particularly the neocortex (1). However, this view has
only partly been te...
To
qualify
as
a
social
partner,
humans
hide
severe punishment, although
their...
Conflicts of interest between the community and its members are
at the
core of human social dilemmas. If observed selfishness has future
costs, individuals may hide selfish acts but display altruistic ones,
and peers aim at identifying the most selfish persons to avoid them as
future social partners...
Cognitive
gains
of
later
life
are
important
clinically
Richards and Hatch recognise that simultaneous growth in and
loss of
cognitive ability occur at all ages.1 Growth is harder to measure than
loss in later life largely because the psychometric instruments were
developed to detect disability in younger people. Similarly, an early
use of IQ tests was t...
Effects
of
the
CETP
Inhibitor
Evacetrapib
Administered
as
Monotherapy or in C...
Interest remains high in cholesteryl ester transfer
protein (CETP) inhibitors as cardioprotective agents. Few studies have
documented the efficacy and safety of CETP inhibitors in combination
with commonly used statins. Objective: To examine the biochemical
effects, safety, and
tolerability o...
Prevention
of
Cardiovascular
Disease
and
Stroke:
Meeting
the
Challenge [Comme...
The
Cardiovascular
Biomarker
Conundrum:
Challenges
and
Solutions
[Commentary]
Detours
on
the
Road
to
Personalized
Medicine:
Barriers
to Biomarker Validatio...
Urinary
Sodium
and
Potassium
Excretion
and
Risk
of
Cardiovascular Events [Ori...
The precise relationship between sodium and potassium
intake and cardiovascular (CV) risk remains uncertain, especially in
patients with CV disease.
Objective: To determine the association between estimated
urinary sodium and potassium excretion (surrogates for intake) and CV
events in patien...
Canned
Soup
Consumption
and
Urinary
Bisphenol
A:
A
Randomized Crossover
Trial...
Biomarkers
and
Aging
in
the
News
Media
• For
Heart
Health,
Less
Sodium
Isn't
Always
Better
A study of 28,880 people showed that people who consumed too little
sodium were at greater risk for heart problems than people who took in
a moderate amount.
• Personal
Health:
Vitamin
B12
Deficiency
Can
Cause
Symptoms
That Mimic Aging
Low levels of the essential vitamin can bring on symptoms including
muscle weakness, fatigue, shakiness, unsteady gait, incontinence, low
blood pressure and depression.
• Vital
Signs:
Geography
Affects
Heart
Disease
Risk,
Study
Suggests
Women in the Southeast and Appalachia are found to have the highest
levels of markers that signal a risk of heart problems.
• Vital
Signs:
Researchers
Link
TCE
Solvent
to
Increased
Risk of Parkinson's
TCE, a solvent widely used in refrigerants and as a metal degreaser, is
associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, researchers
have found.
• Sugary
drinks
tied
to
heart
disease
in
women:
What about men?
Study shows increased heart risk among soda drinkers - even in absence
of weight gain
• 1
in
5
in
U.S.
now
suffers
from
hearing loss
More than 48 million people in the U.S. have significant hearing
loss, far more than previously estimated, according to a first-ever
national survey of people ages 12 and older who had their hearing
testing. Testing and treatment are vital, researchers say.
• Body
Language
Reveals
'Empathy
Gene'
A new study suggests empathetic body language and behavior are linked
to a genetic variation associated with sociability.
• High
Uric
Acid
Linked
to
Both
Gout
and
Diabetes
New studies show that high uric acid levels in the blood are associated
with a nearly 20% increased risk of developing diabetes and a more than
40% increased risk of developing kidney disease.
• Smiling
Makes
You
Look
Younger
A new study showed that when people looked at photos of happy faces,
they guessed the age of the person in the photo as younger than in
photos of the same person with a neutral or angry expression.
• Contraceptive
pill
associated
with
increased
prostate
cancer
risk
worldwide, ...
Use of the contraceptive pill is associated with an increased risk of
prostate cancer around the globe, new research finds.
• AMD-like
lesions
delayed
in
mice
fed
lower
glycemic
index diet
Feeding older mice a lower glycemic index diet delays the onset of
age-related, sight-threatening retinal lesions. Mice put on a higher GI
diet demonstrated elevated accumulations of debris known as advanced
glycation end products in the whole retina, particularly in the cells
of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE plays a crucial role
in maintaining vision and its dysfunction results in the gradual vision
loss that is the hallmark of age-related macular degeneration.
• Risk
of
contracting
diabetes
to
increase
in
world
of 7 billion people
World citizen number seven billion is less likely to die from
infectious diseases like measles or even AIDS, and more likely to
contract diabetes or other non-communicable diseases, as they are now
the leading causes of deaths globally.
• Every
mouse
is
different:
How
mouse
'personality'
sheds
light on human
depres...
Just as in humans, there are also the tough types or those with a more
delicate personality among mice, researchers confirm. Some adopt an
active strategy when faced with stressful situations and somehow try to
tackle the problem, whereas others display a passive attitude. Those in
the second group are more vulnerable: some of the physiological
characteristics resemble those attributed to human depression.
• Depression
in
young
people
increases
risk
of
heart
disease mortality
The negative effects of depression in young people on the health of
their hearts may be stronger than previously recognized. Depression or
a history of suicide attempts in people younger than 40, especially
young women, markedly increases their risk for dying from heart disease.
• Eating
fish
can
reduce
the
risk
of
diabetes,
study suggests
A study analyses the dietary patterns of the adult Spanish population
with high cardiovascular risk. The results reveal a high consumption of
both red meat and fish. However, whilst eating lots of cured meats is
associated with greater weight gain and a higher obesity rate, the
consumption of fish is linked to lower glucose concentrations and a
smaller risk of developing diabetes.
• Birth
weight
predicts
physical
functioning
at
age
60
Low birth weight and slow growth progressing to greater body mass in
pre-adolescence significantly increased the risk of poor physical
functioning at the age of 60 years, a new Finnish study found.
• Niacin-Statin
Combo
Offers
No
Benefit,
Study
Finds
Niacin, in combination with a cholesterol-lowering statin, didn't lower
the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular
'event,' and actually slightly increased the risk of strokes, according
to a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine. As a result,
the...
• Study:
Sex
Puts
a
Shine
on
Golden
Years
The more often older people have sex, the more likely they are to be
happy with life and enjoy a good marriage, a small study shows.
• Aging
stem
cells
may
explain
higher
prevalence
of
leukemia, infections among
...
Human stem cells aren't immune to the aging process, according to
scientists. Researchers studied hematopoietic stem cells, which create
the cells that comprise the blood and immune system. Understanding when
and how these stem cells begin to falter as the years pass may explain
why some diseases, such as acute myeloid leukemia, increase in
prevalence with age, and also why elderly people tend to be more
vulnerable to infections such as colds and the flu.
• Coffee
May
Cut
Endometrial
Cancer
Risk
Long-time coffee fans who drink four or more cups a day of caffeinated
coffee may be reducing their endometrial cancer risk by 30%, a new
study shows.
• Study
Links
Stress
To
Breast
Cancer
Stressed out? You might want to get it in check. Chicago researchers
say stress could be a new risk factor for breast cancer.
• Cancer-Fighting
Cells
Get
Boost
From
Viagra
Scientists in Germany genetically engineered mice to develop melanoma,
the deadliest form of skin cancer, and found that when these mice were
given Viagra in their drinking water, they lived twice as long as
untreated mice.
• Study
looks
at
the
nature
of
change
in
our aging, changing brains
As we get older, our cognitive abilities change, improving when we're
younger and declining as we age. Scientists posit a hierarchical
structure within which these abilities are organized. There's the
"lowest" level -- measured by specific tests, such as story memory or
word memory; the second level, which groups various skills involved in
a category of cognitive ability, such as memory, perceptual speed, or
reasoning; and finally, the "general," or G, factor, a sort of
statistical aggregate of ...
NIH Press Releases
Mouse study
explains bacterium's unique role in periodontitis
Scientists say they have solved in mice the mystery of how an
unusual
bacterium can trigger the common dental condition periodontitis while
residing in low numbers in the space between tooth and gum.
NIH answers
call to streamline technology transfer process
The National Institutes of Health is launching the electronic
Research
Materials catalogue (eRMa) to streamline the federal government's
technology transfer process. This project addresses one of the
important directives in a Presidential memorandum related to the
commercialization of federal research and support for high-growth
business potential. eRMa was designed and developed by the Office of
Technology Transfer (OTT) at NIH with support from the NIH's National
Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research.
Cholesterol
levels
elevated
in
toddlers
taking
anti-HIV
drugs
Toddlers receiving anti-HIV drugs have higher cholesterol
levels, on
average, than do their peers who do not have HIV, according to
researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
COPD
awareness continues to rise, new NIH survey finds
Awareness of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), the nation's
third leading killer, continues to rise in the United States, according
to the results of a Web-based survey released today by the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of
Health.
NIH-commissioned
Census
Bureau
report
describes
oldest
Americans
In 1980, there were 720,000 people aged 90 and older in the
United
States. In 2010, there were 1.9 million people aged 90 and older; by
2050, the ranks of people 90 and older may reach 9 million, according
to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau, commissioned by the National
Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health.
Delayed
stem cell therapy following heart attack is safe but not effective
Stem cells obtained from bone marrow, known as BMCs, can be
safely
injected into people 2-3 weeks following a heart attack, reports a new
clinical trial supported by the National, Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. However,
while safe, the BMCs did not improve heart function six months after
their administration.
NIH-funded
twin
study
finds
occupational
chemical
exposure
may
be linked to P...
A new research report contributes to the increasing evidence
that
repeated occupational exposure to certain chemical solvents raises the
risk for Parkinson's disease.
Updated
NIH
Sleep
Disorders
Research
Plan
seeks
to
promote and protect sleep ...
Building on scientific advances that link sleep problems to
health and
safety risks, the National Institutes of Health today released the 2011
NIH Sleep Disorders Research Plan.
Limited
Competition:
Alzheimer's
Disease
Cooperative
Study
(U19)
Funding Opportunity RFA-AG-13-001 from the NIH Guide for Grants
and
Contracts. This limited competition FOA is to continue the Alzheimer's
Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) as the pre-eminent Alzheimer's disease
(AD) clinical trials consortium. The purpose of this FOA is to solicit
the renewal application for the next 5-year cycle of the ADCS. The
goals of this next phase are to continue to advance research in the
development of interventions that might be useful for treating,
delaying, or preventing AD, particularly interventions that might not
be developed by industry.
Implications
of
the
Economic
Downturn
for
Health, Wealth, and Work at Older Ages
(R01)
Expiration Date: January 8, 2015
Behavioral
Interventions
to
Address
Multiple
Chronic
Health Conditions in Primary
Care (R01)
Expiration Date: January 8, 2014
Small
Grants
Program
for
Cancer
Epidemiology
(R03)
Funding Opportunity PAR-12-039 from the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), issued by the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), encourages the submission of Small
Research Grant (R03) applications for research on cancer etiology and
epidemiology. The overarching goal of this FOA is to provide support
for pilot projects, testing of new techniques, secondary analyses of
existing data, development and validation of measurement methods,
linkage of genetic polymorphisms with other variables related to cancer
risk, and development of innovative projects for more comprehensive
research in cancer etiology and epidemiology.
Limited
Competition:
Archiving
and
Dissemination
of
Research
Data
on
Aging
(P30)
Funding Opportunity RFA-AG-12-013 from the NIH Guide for Grants
and
Contracts. The purpose of this FOA is to continue the P30 Center Grant
to 1) maintain the existing collections of the National Archive of
Computerized Data on Aging and develop it further as a user-friendly
data archive to support behavioral and social science research on
aging; 2) advise and assist researchers in documentation and archiving
of data and metadata; 3) advise and assist researchers on methods of
sharing data for secondary analysis while providing adequate
protections for confidentiality; and 4) facilitate secondary analysis
by providing user support, access to data, and training and
consultation.
Economic
Studies
Ancillary
to
Completed
or
Ongoing
Health
Care
Delivery
and
F...
Funding Opportunity RFA-RM-11-023 from the NIH Guide for Grants
and
Contracts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits
applications for Research Project (R01) grant awards to support health
economics research ancillary to completed or ongoing large-scale health
care delivery and financing pilots, demonstrations, and other
experiments (PDEs) that are intended to reduce health care costs or
cost growth while maintaining or improving patient outcomes. This FOA
provides support for up to five years of funding. This FOA is a
component of the Common Fund initiative on Health Economics for Health
Care Reform (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/healtheconomics).
Phased
Economic
Studies
Ancillary
to
Planned
Health
Care
Delivery
and
Financi...
Funding Opportunity RFA-RM-11-024 from the NIH Guide for Grants
and
Contracts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits
applications for Phased Innovation (R21/R33) grant awards to support
health economics research conducted alongside planned large-scale
health care delivery and financing pilots, demonstrations, and other
experiments (PDEs) that are intended to reduce health care costs or
cost growth while maintaining or improving patient outcomes. This FOA
provides support for up to two years (R21 phase) for research planning
activities and feasibility studies, followed by possible transition to
up to four years of expanded research support (R33 phase). The total
project period for an application submitted in response to this FOA may
not exceed five years. This FOA requires measurable R21 milestones to
be completed prior to the transition to the R33 phase. This FOA is a
component of the Common Fund initiative on Health Economics for Health
Care Reform (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/healtheconomics).
Mechanistic
Pathways
Linking
Psychosocial
Stress
and
Behavior
(R01)
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-HL-12-037 issued by the NIH Basic Behavioral and
Social Sciences Opportunity Network (OppNet) solicits Research Project
grant (R01) applications from institutions and organizations that
propose to investigate basic psychological, social, and environmental
mechanisms and processes linking psychosocial stressors and behavior.
Announcements:
2012 WLS Pilot
Grant Program
The Center for Demography of Health and Aging (CDHA) at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison will award two to three pilot grants to
investigators using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) data for
scholarly research. Grant application must be received by May 25,
2012. Please contact Carol Roan by e-mail roan@ssc.wisc.edu or by
telephone (608) 265-6196 for more information.
The Population
Association of America is currently accepting applications for the
2012-2013 term of the prestigious Science and Technology Fellowship
Program of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS). The deadline to apply is December 15, 2011. This
fellowship is open to doctoral scientists from any discipline relevant
to population research. Both early and mid- career professionals are
encouraged to apply. To apply for the fellowship and for additional
information, please see PAA website: http://www.populationassociation.org/government-affairs/paa-fellowship/
Please email any questions to Juliane Baron at paaapc@crosslink.net
Conferences:
5th
Annual NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation:
Research
at
the
Crossroads
March 19-20, 2012, Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
Proposals submission deadline: November 10, 2011
Population
Association
of
America
Annual
meeting, San Francisco, CA.
The 2012 Annual Meeting will be held May 3-5 at the Hilton San
Francisco Union
Square Hotel.
American Geriatrics Society
2012 Annual Scientific Meeting, May 2-5, 2012, Seattle, WA
Abstracts
Deadline:
December
5,
2011
Summer
Research Institute on Behavioral Intervention, June 14-16, 2012
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
2012 Annual Meeting of
the American Sociological Association, August 17-20, Denver, CO
Abstracts
Deadline:
January
11,
2012
Gerontological
Society
of
America's
65th
Annual
Scientific
Meeting, November 14-18, 2012, San Diego, CA.
Abstracts Deadline: March 15, 2012
This
Newsletter is supported by a grant from the National
Institute on
Aging, National Institutes of Health (Grant No. 5 P30 AG012857)
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