bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diet and Stress Impair Ovarian Function in Mid-life, Increasing Risk of Chronic Diseases of Aging in Primates
Authors: Frye Brett , Craft Suzanne , Register Thomas , Appt Susan , Vitolins Mara , Uberseder Beth , Silverstein-Metzler Marnie , Shively Carol 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Ovarian dysfunction increases risk for chronic diseases of aging including cardiovascular disease, depression, cognitive impairment, and bone and muscle loss which promote frailty. Psychosocial stress disrupts ovarian function and recent observations suggest that Western diet may also. Determination of causal relationships among diet, psychosocial stress, and ovarian physiology is difficult in humans. Nonhuman primates provide relevant opportunities to investigate diet and psychosocial effects on ovarian physiology and aging because, like humans, they have monthly menstrual cycles and recapitulate many aging-related processes similar to humans. We examined ovarian function in 38 socially housed, middle-aged females fed either a Western or Mediterranean diet for 26 months (~ an 8-year period for humans). During the last 12 months, we examined cycle length, peak progesterone per cycle, and frequency of anovulatory cycles using blood sampling (3/week) and vaginal swabbing (6/week). Repeated measures analysis revealed that like middle-aged women, cycle length increased, and progesterone levels fell over time, suggesting that ovarian dysfunction generally increased in our sample with time. In addition, both Western diet and the stress of low social status reduced progesterone levels, disrupting ovarian function, and increasing risk of chronic diseases of aging. This study demonstrates the additive negative effects of poor diet and psychosocial stress on ovarian physiology in mid-life and lays the groundwork for future investigations to uncover associated metabolic signatures of accelerated aging. The results also suggest that a Mediterranean diet may exert a protective influence against ovarian dysfunction and its pathologic sequelae.
Loss of ischemic tolerance with age: can we protect an old kidney
Authors: Plotnikov Egor 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The most abundant and vulnerable cohort of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is represented by the older people. It is well-known, the kidney tissue undergoes some changes with age, both at the morphological and molecular level. Therefore, when treating AKI in older patients, it is necessary to take into account the morphofunctional features of aging kidney tissue and metabolic alterations. We have shown that the kidney of old rats does not perceive signals from the most well-known protective approaches such as ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and caloric restriction (CR). Although the old kidney did not develop more severe AKI after ischemia, we found no pronounced effect on attempts to increase its resistance by IPC and CR. Analysis of the mechanisms underlying this loss of tolerance has shown that the most affected pathways are the mechanism of mitochondrial quality control, the effectiveness of autophagy, and the proliferative potential of kidney cells. However, several protective pathways activated in the young kidney were also active in the old one in response to the CR. In particular, an increase in SIRT1 deacetylase, antiapoptotic Bcl-xL, and a decrease in oxidative stress were observed. Our results show that some defense systems demonstrating their effectiveness in young organisms lose their beneficial effect in old organisms, while others still can be activated by protective approaches. Thus, it is necessary to carefully analyze the possibilities of increasing ischemic tolerance for old organisms. This work was supported by the Russian science foundation (grant #21-75-30009).
Metformin Preserves Mitochondrial Integrity at Old Age in Male Rats.
Authors: Wanagat Jonathan , Herbst Allen , Hoang Austin , Kim Chiye , Aiken Judd , McKenzie Debbie , Goldwater Deena 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Metformin is being deployed in clinical trials to ameliorate aging in older humans who do not have diabetes. In C. elegans, metformin treatment at old ages exacerbated mitochondrial dysfunction, led to respiratory failure, and shortened lifespan. Metformin is a commonly used, well-tolerated treatment for diabetes in older adults. Mitochondrial effects of metformin treatment in aged mammals has not been sufficiently investigated. We hypothesized that metformin treatment would not be toxic to older mammals. To define a therapeutic dose in aged hybrid rats, we evaluated two doses of metformin (0.1%, 0.75% of the diet) at 30-months of age. Body mass decreased at the 0.75% dose. Neither dose affected mortality between 30- and 34-months of age. We assessed mitochondrial quality, quantity, and function in aged rats treated with metformin at the 0.75% dose by measuring mitochondrial DNA copy number, deletion mutation frequency, and respirometry in skeletal muscle and heart. In skeletal muscle, we observed no effect of metformin on quadriceps mass, mtDNA copy number or deletion frequency. In the heart, metformin treated rats had higher mtDNA copy number, lower cardiac mass and no effect on deletion frequency. Metformin treatment resulted in lower mitochondrial complex I activity in both heart and quadriceps. Metformin did not compromise mitochondrial integrity, was well tolerated, and may have cardiac benefits to rats at old ages.
Exploring Spirituality, Loneliness and HRQoL In Hispanic Cancer Caregivers
Authors: King Jennifer , Badger Terry , Segrin Chris , Thomson Cynthia 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Providing care to an aging society in the new normal requires increased attention to the informal caregivers who support the health and well-being of older adults with chronic conditions. Hispanic caregivers carry a high caregiver-associated burden. Health disparities experienced by Hispanics, coupled with the emotional, social and physical demands of caregiving, may set an unprecedented risk for lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In a quantitative analysis, we investigated the relationship between spirituality, loneliness and HRQoL in Hispanic cancer caregivers using baseline data from the Support for Latinas with Breast Cancer study (N= 234 Hispanic caregivers). Findings suggested an indirect effect of spirituality on HRQoL through reduced loneliness among more spiritual caregivers, effects that were independent of age. The second study was conducted using qualitative semi-structured interviews (N= 10) with Hispanic caregivers. Interviews evaluated spirituality and HRQoL in Hispanic cancer caregivers who reported variable levels of loneliness. Five themes emerged: caregiver experience, coping strategies, loneliness, religion to gain strength or support, and spirituality to gain strength or support. Results supported the role of spirituality in promoting higher HRQoL in Hispanic cancer caregivers and elucidated pathways to intervene on HRQoL through spirituality. With Hispanics often underutilizing formal services, having an improved understanding of caregiving experiences, particularly related to spirituality, will support the development of culturally-relevant strategies and programming to promote HRQoL for Hispanic caregivers.
The Science Behind Multidomain Interventions to Slow Cognitive Decline
Authors: Mangialasche Francesca 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The spotlight on interventions to protect brain health and prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has recently widened to include risk modification. In the last 20 years, evidence continues to build to support cognition-enhancing effects of individual lifestyle components, which include, among others, physical exercise, diet, cognitive training, and cardiovascular risk management. A recent evolution of lifestyle trials is to combine these components as part of intervention delivery. The potential benefit of this approach on cognition in older adults, first showcased in the FINGER trial, is now under investigation by multiple groups across the nation and the globe. The multidomain approach offers important opportunities to boost lifestyle intervention ‘dose’, to examine inter-component synergistic effects, and for intervention tailoring to meet specific needs and limitations. Harmonization and data-sharing will be essential to meaningfully address the question of whether multidomain lifestyle modification can indeed be ‘medicine’ to protect brain health and reduce AD risk.
Risk perception and communal coping in families affected by type 2 diabetes
Authors: Lin Jielu , Zajdel Melissa , Myers Melanie , Koehly Laura 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Despite a recent decline, rates of type 2 diabetes remain high among older adults. Preventing and delaying the onset of the condition with lifestyle changes is key to reducing disease burden in the population. Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease, likely a result from the joint effect of genetic, socio-environmental and lifestyle risk factors that are clustered in families. As such, the prevention of type 2 diabetes is a communal coping process, where individuals communicate about risk and establish routines to facilitate one another’s health habits and compliance with therapeutics. This poster investigates how such a process is affected by one’s perception of risk based on his/her knowledge about family health history (FHH). We collected family network data from families of different racial backgrounds in the greater Cincinnati area (28 white and 17 black/ African American households; 127 participants). The analysis focuses on how the density of diabetes diagnosis in one’s FHH affects communication about shared risk for type 2 diabetes and encouragement to maintain or adopt a healthy lifestyle. Results suggest a higher concentration of diabetes diagnosis in one’s FHH is associated with a higher number of risk communication ties in all families. With regards to encouragement ties, high rates of diabetes diagnosis in FHH are associated with an increased number of encouragement ties only in families of black/African heritage. The findings highlight the need and promise of using FHH to motivate co-encouragement to maintain/adopt a healthier lifestyle in families of black/African heritage.
Daily alcohol use covaries with daily concentration problems across the lifespan: Findings from the MIDUS Refresher
Authors: Mogle Jacqueline , Linden-Carmichael Ashley , Miller Sara , Almeida David 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Alcohol use is typically associated with impaired cognitive functioning on tasks related to attention and concentration. However, it remains unclear whether these impairments persist across days in ways that are noticeable to the individual. We examined this using the daily diary project of the Midlife in the United States Refresher cohort. Participants (n=710; Mage=50.5; range 25-75) completed 8 nights of telephone-based diaries (Mdiaries=6.87) that included questions about daily alcohol use (“how many drinks did you have today?”) and five items assessing concentration (e.g., “today, did you have difficulty concentrating?”) rated on a scale (1=none of the time to 5=all of the time). Using autoregressive multilevel models, we examined how same and previous day alcohol use related to perceived difficulties with concentration. Greater total alcohol use over the diary period was related to reports of concentration problems (b=.31, SE=.10, p=.002) though current day (b=-.03, SE=.04, p=.49) and previous day alcohol use (b=.05, SE=.04, p=.23) were not. The association between previous day use and concentration problems was qualified by an interaction with total alcohol use (b=-.07, SE=.03, p=.002). Individuals who drank less alcohol in general, experienced greater perceived concentration problems following the days on which they did drink (b=.14, SE=.07, p=.03) relative to those who drank more alcohol across the diary period (b=-.04, SE=.04, p=.36). This relationship did not vary based on age, sex, or education. These results suggest that daily alcohol use could impair concentration across days, particularly for those adults who tend to consume less alcohol.
Grassroots Approaches To Community-Based Representative Recruitment In Multidomain Trials
Authors: Hill Marcus 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
U.S. POINTER is a randomized, controlled, multi-domain clinical trial to slow the progression of cognitive decline within the American population via tailored and culturally-appropriate healthy lifestyle interventions. For findings to be broadly relevant across the American population, incorporating an inclusive and robust recruitment effort has been essential to form a diverse and properly representative participant cohort. As such, the trial’s inclusive enrollment goal is 30% from traditionally underrepresented communities that include those at elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. To accomplish this goal, U.S. POINTER developed and deployed a grassroots recruitment strategy in partnership with outreach specialists at each site that includes a mix of evidence-based and innovative community engagement approaches. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present unique challenges for recruitment, our team has been able to strategize ways to continue working within the community to support trial recruitment. An overview of these methods will be presented.
Vitamin D, Insulin-Like Growth Factor, and Cognitive Performance: Age and Sex Variations
Authors: Tolea Magdalena , Chrisphonte Stephanie , Galvin James 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Vitamin D has been consistently linked to better cognitive function in observational studies. This impact may be due in part through its influence on neurotrophins. Whether the relationships between vitamin D, neurotrophins, and cognition vary based on biological factors such as age and sex is unclear. Using data from a sample of 400 community-dwelling older (mean age=75.3±9.4; 47% female) participants in a cross-sectional study of cognitive aging, we assessed relationships between plasma 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D and performance on a neuropsychological battery modeled after the UDSv3.0. Moderation by age and sex and the impact of vitamin D on the relationship between Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and cognitive performance were assessed by linear regression stratified by sex and age (median split at 76y). We found vitamin D to be positively linked to global cognition (MoCA: β=0.095±0.025SE, p&lt;0.001), working memory (Number Span Forward: β=0.017±0.007SE, p=0.011; Number Span Backward: β=0.016±0.007SE, p=0.028), episodic memory (Immediate Recall : β=0.089±0.027SE, p=0.001; Delayed Recall: β=0.047±0.015SE, p=0.002), attention and processing speed (Trail Making A: β=-0.365±0.163SE, p=0.026), executive function (Trail Making B: β=-0.537±0.215SE, p=0.014; Number-Symbol Coding: β=0.139±0.057SE, p=0.016), and an overall measure of cognitive function (z score: β=0.049±0.018SE, p=0.007). Most of these relationships were observed in women and younger older individuals (&lt;76y). In addition, vitamin D increased the effect of IGF-1 on global cognition and memory by 13% and 8%, respectively. Our findings suggest that vitamin D-focused dementia prevention efforts would benefit if targeted to women and younger segments of the senior population and/or as an adjuvant to cognitive enhancement interventions.
Evaluation of Episodic and Lexical Metamemory and Executive Function in Healthy Older Adults
Authors: Hayashi Atsuko 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
In older adults, it is important to maintain awareness of memory as well as memory performance. However, it is not clear whether the awareness of episodic and lexical memory changes with age and is related to self-evaluation of memory and executive function. Here age-related changes and the relationship between metamemory, executive function, and metamemory scale were investigated. Healthy old (n=40) and young (n=34) groups participated in this study. In the episodic memory task, participants were asked to memorize ten Kanji words and to estimate the number of words they could recall after ten minutes. In the lexical memory task, they rated the likelihood that they could write a target Kanji word written in hiragana and then wrote them down. They were also asked to complete the metamemory in adulthood(MIA) and the position stroop task. In the episodic and lexical memory and the position stroop task and MIA subscales, the performances of the younger group were significantly better than those of the older group. In the episodic memory task, there were correlations between the metamemory and MIA subscales in both groups, but in the lexical memory task, only in the old group. No correlation was found between the results of both memory tasks and the stroop test. These results suggest that older people overestimate memory performances in the episodic and lexical memory tasks and metamemory performances may be associated with self-evaluation of memory. In addition, metamemory might not be related to frontal lobe function as shown in executive function tasks.
Frailty and Processing Speed Performance at the Cusp of Midlife in CATSLife
Authors: Luna Maria , Pahlen Shandell , Corley Robin , Wadsworth Sally , Reynolds Chandra 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Frailty is an important multi-domain measure of health status and aging. Processing speed (PS) performance may be predictive of later frailty among older adults, but the interrelation between frailty and PS at the cusp of mid-adulthood is unclear. Using data from the ongoing Colorado Adoption/Twin Study of Lifespan Behavioral Development and Cognitive Aging (CATSLife; N = 1213; Mean age = 33.22 years; SD = 5.0), we constructed a 24-item frailty sum score across anthropomorphic, objective health, and perceived health and engagement measures based on the Accumulation of Deficits model. PS was measured using the Colorado Perceptual Speed (CPS) and WAIS-III Digit Symbol (DS) tests. All mixed-effects regression models accounted for clustering among siblings, and covariates included sex, age, race, ethnicity, and educational attainment. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) [95% CI] for frailty among siblings, adjusted for sex and age, ranged from near zero for siblings in adoptive families, .13 [.08-.30] for nonadoptive siblings/fraternal (DZ) twins, and .44 [.40-.48] for identical (MZ) twins, suggesting possible heritable influences. Poorer PS performance was associated with higher frailty, but was significant for DS only (B: DS = -0.43, p =.005). Furthermore, the DS-frailty association was magnified by age (B: DSxAge = -0.06, p =.025), suggesting that the associations between processing speed and frailty may increase with age. These findings help elucidate the interrelationship between indicators of frailty and cognitive performance for adults approaching midlife, a salient and understudied period within lifespan development.
Intergenerational Socioeconomic Mobility and Cognitive Impairment in Chinese Older Adults: Does Gender Matter?
Authors: Fu Rong , Liu Yujun 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The prevalence of dementia among older adults in mainland China is projected to increase rapidly in the next few decades. This study aimed to examine the impact of intergenerational socioeconomic mobility on the risk of cognitive impairment in a cohort of Chinese older adults, with a focus on potential gender differences. Data were derived from the 2011 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Socioeconomic mobility in this study includes three dimensions: occupational mobility, educational mobility, and residential mobility. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination. The final sample included 6,233 older adults aged 80 years and above. Logistic regression models were performed to assess the impact of the three dimensions of socioeconomic mobility on the risk of cognitive impairment in older men and women. For men, those with stable high occupational status across generations had the lowest risk of cognitive impairment. For women, those who received no education and lived in rural areas across generations had the highest risk of cognitive impairment. These findings lend support to the cumulative risk theory, which highlights the accumulation of risk factors that places individuals in jeopardy for negative health consequences in later life. The findings have implications for advancing supportive policies and practices related to maximizing the benefits of education and occupation for cognition in later life, especially for women in rural China.
Vascular Illness, Cognition, and Subjective Aging: Examining the Vascular Hypothesis of Aging
Authors: Dunsmore Victoria , Neupert Shevaun 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Cognition relates longitudinally and cross-sectionally to physical and psychological health among older adults. The Vascular Hypothesis of Aging (Drewelies & Gerstorf, 2020) suggests that illnesses of a vascular nature (e.g., stroke, hypertension, severe varicose veins) negatively affect cognitive abilities. Awareness of age-related change (AARC) is also related to cognition. What is not known is whether the presence of a vascular illness and daily cognitive abilities interact to predict daily awareness of age-related changes. The purpose of this study is to examine the daily fluctuations of cognition, (i.e., memory failures) and their interaction with vascular illness to predict daily awareness of age-related changes. Data were analyzed from 104 participants (M age = 64.67, 60-90 years) who completed online self-report questionnaires. On Day 1, participants answered baseline questionnaires regarding presence of vascular illness, and on Days 2-9 completed measures regarding AARC losses and memory failures. Multilevel models revealed main effects of daily memory failures on awareness of age-related losses, such that on days with more memory failures, older adults reported more age-related losses. We also found a main effect for vascular illness, such that those with a vascular illness reported higher levels of daily age-related losses. We did not find a significant interaction between vascular illness and daily memory failures on daily reported age-related losses. Our results provide preliminary evidence that the vascular hypothesis of aging may also extend to perceptions of age-related changes. Future research could consider examining daily symptoms of vascular illness as they unfold over time.