bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Human Genes That Link Middle-Age Comorbidities And Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Murakami Shin 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Advancements in biomedical research have identified the genes influencing life spans, stress resistance and age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Stress resistance includes resistance to multiple forms of stress, pathogens and toxic beta-amyloid which is tightly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. We have investigated 431 human genes that are associated with co-morbidities (Vahdati Nia et al, 2017; Le et al., 2020). Those genes are involved in lipid metabolism, hemostasis, hemostasis, neuroendocrine and immune functions. The genes are relevant to middle-life health. We explore a wide variety of co-morbidities that could happen in middle to late life. I will give a brief review of increased stress resistance, and genetic markers associated with co-morbidities. I will discuss how the studies may benefit to fight against COVID-19. References: 1. Vahdati Nia B, Kang C, Tran MG, Lee D, Murakami, S. (2017) Front. Genet. 8:55. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2017.00055 2. Le D, Crouch N, Villanueva A, Phong Ta, Dmitriyev R, Tunzi M, and Murakami S. (2020) Journal of Neurology and Experimental Neuroscience. 6;S1.
Strategies for implementing music-based interventions for people with dementia: A systematic review
Authors: Amano Takashi , Strong Joe , Hooley Cole , Inoue Megumi 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Previous research has found that music-based interventions are effective at improving several outcomes related to dementia for nursing home residents. Some studies have investigated the implementation of music-based interventions. However, to date, there is no synthesis available regarding strategies and outcomes of these implementation studies. This study aims to synthesize available evidence regarding implementation strategies and outcomes of music-based interventions for nursing home residents with dementia. We conducted a systematic literature search in PsychInfo, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and The Cochrane Library. A total of 8 studies were included for the qualitative synthesis. Of the eight studies, half were studies of music therapy and the other half were on individualized music. We identified 49 implementation strategies. The most frequently reported category of strategies was planning (34.7%), followed by education (24.5%), quality management (24.5%), restructuring (12.2%), and finance (4.1%). No strategies under the category of attending to the policy context were reported. We identified 21 implementation outcomes. The most frequently reported category was adoption (33.3%), followed by fidelity (28.6%), appropriateness (19.0%), sustainability (9.5%), acceptability (4.8%), and cost (4.8%). No studies measured feasibility or penetration. Although various implementation strategies have been utilized, most of them are under the categories related to intervention methods. Less attention has been paid to strategies that aim at structural changes of intervention delivery systems. Future studies should investigate facilitators and barriers of implementing music-based interventions especially focusing on organizational and structural aspects.
Association of Blood Cell Parameters of Peripheral Inflammation With Brain Imaging Measures
Authors: Fang Yuan , Lunetta Kathryn , Satizabal Claudia , Alosco Michael , Mez Jesse , Qiu Wendy , Doyle Margaret , Murabito Joanne 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), red cell distribution width (RDW), and mean platelet volume (MPV), are easily measured circulating blood cell parameters that reflect chronic peripheral inflammation which increases risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We investigated the cross-sectional association between these blood cell parameters and brain MRI measures, including total cerebral brain volume (TCBV) as percentage of total intracranial volume (TCV) to correct for differences in head size, hippocampal volume (HPV) and log transformed white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) cohorts. We identified 2882 FHS participants 25 to 92 years of age (mean 59 years), 53% women, who attended an exam that included a complete blood cell count sample and received a brain MRI within five years of blood draw. We used linear mixed effect models to examine associations, adjusting for age, age^2, sex, education, cohort, time between blood draw and MRI, prevalent cardiovascular disease, C-reactive protein, APOE-ϵ4 genotype and TCV for HPV and WMH, and accounting for familial correlation using a random effect. We observed significant (p≤0.01) associations between higher RDW and smaller TCBV, and between elevated NLR and larger WMH volume. Analysis on an older subgroup (age ≥60 years, mean 71 years, n=1357) demonstrated larger effect sizes and additional significance between increased RDW with smaller HPV. We conclude that chronic peripheral inflammation as measured by NLR and RDW associates with MRI measures of brain aging (TCBV, HPV) and vascular brain injury (WMH) in FHS, with stronger impact in participants ≥60 years.
Predictors of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Dementia
Authors: Kang Bada , Cho Eunhee , Kim Sujin , Hwang Sinwoo , Kwon Eunji , Heo Seok-Jae , Lee Jun Hong , Ye Byoung Seok 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Although disclosing the predictors of different behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) is the first step in developing person-centered interventions, the current understanding is limited as it considers BPSD as a homogenous construct, not accounting for its heterogeneity. Therefore, this study explored the predictors of BPSD subsyndromes, and built prediction models for these subsyndromes in community-dwelling older adults with dementia in Korea. This prospective study consisted of a two-wave dataset. We fit the generalized linear mixed models using Wave 1 data (N = 145) and then validated them using Wave 2 data (N = 59). BPSD and their proximal factors were assessed on a daily basis using diaries written by family caregivers. Sleep and activity levels were objectively measured using actigraphy. The amount of nighttime sleep hours was significantly associated with next-day sleep and nighttime behaviors (OR = 0.87; p = 0.005), with the amounts of energy expenditure showing significant association with euphoria/elation (OR = 0.02; p = 0.019). All subsyndromes except euphoria/elation were found to be significantly associated with either hunger, thirst, urination, or bowl movement; with all BPSD showing a significant association with environmental changes. We also found several background factors, including premorbid personality and taking sedatives as predictors for specific subsyndromes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve scores for the data were greater than 0.9 and 0.8 in Waves 1 and 2, respectively, across all subsyndromes. Prediction models for BPSD will help in the development of symptom-targeted, individualized interventions.
State-Level Policy Actions to Support Family Caregivers
Authors: Evans Molly 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The stresses created by the growing need for family caregivers have failed to prompt federal policy action; in its absence, states are stepping up. This review of state policies that support employment among family caregivers found six main categories of legislative action: paid leave; expanding federally mandated unpaid leave; paid sick time; unemployment insurance for job loss attributable to caregiving duties; establishing family caregivers as a protected classification in employment discrimination; and flexible or alternative work schedules. Despite the demand for policies that support and empower working caregivers, a minority of states have passed such legislation; to date, 9 states have implemented paid family leave; 14 have implemented mandatory sick leave legislation; and 14 have expanded FMLA. This study discusses state-level policy actions, reviews the status and importance of these policies, and finds that despite gaps in caregiver support legislation at the state level, there is significant and promising momentum.
A Phase I Trial Assessing Lomecel-B Infusion in Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease: Study Design and Rationale
Authors: Ramdas Kevin , Yousefi Keyvan , Hitchinson Ben , McClain-Moss Lisa , Diaz Liliana , Baumel Barry , Hare Joshua , Oliva Anthony 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss and persistent cognitive dysfunction which significantly compromises quality of life. Brain inflammation is a prominent feature of AD pathology. Lomecel-B which is derived from culture-expanded medicinal signaling cells (MSCs) have immuno-modulatory capacity and control inflammation and the cytokine production of lymphocytes. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of Lomecel-B infused intravenously in individuals with AD. Safety was monitored by examining vital signs, physical and neurological exams, laboratory tests (hematology, coagulation, blood chemistry, and urinalysis). This was a multicenter phase 1 double-blinded, placebo controlled trial initiated with a safety run in phase of 3 individuals followed by a randomized phase of 28 individuals. During the safety run-in phase all subjects were treated with low dose Lomecel-B no less than 5 days apart, and evaluated for safety. In the randomized phase, subjects were treated with either low or high dose Lomecel- B or Placebo in a 2:2:1 randomization ratio. The study enrolled adults aged 50-80 years diagnosed with AD via confirmatory brain MRI and PET scan and a MMSE score of 18-24. Safety and efficacy assessments were completed at 30, 90, 180, 270 and 365 days. We describe the design and rationale for this phase 1 trial with the primary objective of assessing the safety of Lomecel-B on adults with AD. The secondary efficacy measurements included ADAS-Cog 11, MMSE, TMT, UPSIT, GDS, blood biomarkers and numerous quality of life questionnaires.
Comparison of Cognitive Intervention Delivery Formats in Patients with Dementia-A Network Meta-analysis
Authors: Sun Yue , Wang Zhi-wen 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Cognitive intervention has been shown to be effective to delay cognitive decline in older adults with dementia. However, whether cognitive intervention could be effectively delivered in individual, group, telephone, guided self-help and unguided self-help formats remains unclear. Pubmed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, Chinese Biomedical Literature database and Wan Fang database were systematically searched. 3419 records were extracted, quality assessed, and double-blind screened by 2 authors. Totally 51 studies were included which enrolled 3388 participants. Network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to evaluate the relative effects and rank probability of different cognitive intervention delivery formats. For older adults with dementia, guided self-help, group and individual cognitive intervention delivery formats appeared effective in improving the cognitive function, while telephone and unguided self-help were not significantly inferior to control condition. Guided self-help had the highest probability of being the best treatment among the five cognitive intervention delivery formats. Health-care professionals should apply personalized cognitive intervention format based on individual condition and preferences.
Hippocampal Volume Is Smaller In Female Double Carriers Of Two Strongest AD Genetic Risk Factors
Authors: Ukraintseva Svetlana , Popov Vladimir , Arbeev Konstantin , Duan Hongzhe , Bagley Olivia , Kulminski Alexander , Yashin Anatoliy 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may facilitate AD-related changes in the brain long before AD clinical manifestation. While APOE4 was linked to a reduced hippocampal volume (HV) in a number of studies, the impact of rs2075650, another polymorphism strongly associated with AD, on HV is less clear. The rs2075650 (in TOMM40) is only in moderate to low LD with APOE4, and may have independent effects on HV or interact with APOE4. We studied associations of rs2075650 (G allele, risk factor for AD), rs429358 (C allele, proxy for APOE4), and their combinations, with right HV measured by MRI, among 10,738 women and 9,775 men aged 60-75, from UK Biobank. We found that right HV was significantly (p&lt;0.02) smaller in women who carry both AD risk variants (rs2075650(G) and rs429358(C)), than in non-carriers of both of these variants, while having only one risk variant (G or C) didn’t clearly affect HV. The studied associations didn’t reach statistical significance in men. Our results suggest that rs2075650(G) and rs429358(C) may contribute synergistically to a reduction in hippocampus volume, in females only, and support the role of interactions between genetic risk factors for AD in sex differences in preclinical biomarkers of AD pathology.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and risk of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and other related dementia
Authors: Schliep Karen , Zhang Yue , Tschanz Joanne , Majersik Jennifer , Facelli Julio , Varner Michael 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Several recent studies have examined whether hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other related dementias (RD) with conflicting findings. Limitations to prior studies include lack of assessing risk by dementia subtype, inadequate sample sizes, and not fully exploring the role of mid-life factors. We performed a retrospective matched cohort study among women with &gt;1 singleton pregnancy (1939–2013) using the Utah Population Database. HDP-exposed women (n=19,989) were one-to-two matched with unexposed women (n=39,679) by 5-year age groups, year of childbirth (within 1 year), and parity (1, 2, 3, 4, ≥5) at the time of the pregnancy. HDP pregnancies were complicated by preeclampsia (62%), gestational hypertension (34%), and eclampsia (4%). Women with a history of HDP had a higher hazard of all-cause dementia (HR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.26, 1.50) compared to women without a history of HDP after adjustment for maternal age, year of childbirth, and parity. The hazard doubled after additionally accounting for pre-pregnancy BMI (HR=2.31; 95% CI: 1.24, 4.32). Stratifying by dementia subtype, we found HDP to be associated with a higher hazard of vascular dementia (HR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.26) and other related dementia (HR=1.49; 95% CI: 1.34, 1.65) but not Alzheimer’s disease (HR=1.04; 95% CI: 0.87, 1.24) after accounting for competing risks. Mid-life hypertension and stroke were found to have the greatest mid-life impact, mediating 43% and 41% of dementia risk, respectively, highlighting women who may most benefit from close surveillance and early preventive and clinical interventions.
The Relationship Between Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Nighttime Behaviors, and Alzheimer’s Disease CSF Biomarkers
Authors: Zhang Meina , Cho Young-Eun , Moon Chooza 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly involves neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as nighttime behaviors (or sleep disturbance), hallucination, delusion, or mood changes. However, it is unclear how NPS and sleep disturbances are correlated with AD biomarkers. The purpose of this analysis was to examine how NPS and nighttime behaviors are associated with AD CSF biomarkers by cognitive status. A total of 1,667 subjects’ (mean age = 69.4 SD=9.3, 48 % (808) were male) data from the National Alzheimer’s Disease Coordinating Center (NACC) were used, including subjects with dementia (n = 577), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 363), cognitive impairment but not MCI (n = 47), cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s etiology (n= 608), and normal cognition (n = 680). The nighttime symptoms, number, and severity of NPS were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire Quick Version (NPI-Q). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were analyzed for Aβ42,dft5 t-tau, p-tau. We used generalized linear models to explore the associations accounting for age, sex, APOE4 alleles, and BMI. We found the number of NPS were associated with Aβ42 (p = 0.042) in individuals with MCI, impaired, or dementia due to Alzheimer’s etiology. Yet, the number of NPS were not associated with t-tau or p-tau in individuals with and without dementia. The severity of NPS including nighttime symptoms were not associated with biomarkers. Our results could suggest that the number of NPS can be reflected by higher CSF Aβ42 levels in the individuals with Alzheimer’s etiology. Future longitudinal analyses are warranted to understand the causal relationships.
Undesirable Weight Change and Reduced Sleep Quality in University Older Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Butt Hamza , Insel Kathleen , Jason Kendra , Wager Mark , Robles Dagoberto , Yang Yunjia 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
This study investigated the occurrence of undesirable weight change (UDWC) and reduced sleep quality (RSQ), and major factors associated with these changes during COVID-19 pandemic amongst university older employees (age 50+). Participants (n = 846) were recruited throughout campus and completed an online survey. Summary statistics were used to describe characteristics of the study participants and frequency and level of UDWC and RSQ. Proportional odds models were used to assess major factors associated with UDWC and RSQ. The results showed 416 (43.2%) participants reported UDWC and 474 (49.2%) RSQ. Age was inversely, and obesity positively associated with UDWC and RSQ. With each 5-year increase in age, the OR (95% CI) was 0.87 (0.78, 0.97) for reporting UDWC and 0.90 (0.81, 1.00) for reporting RSQ. Obese individuals were significantly more likely to report a worse UDWC and RSQ (OR (95% CI) = 1.58 (1.18, 2.11) and 1.56 (1.16, 2.10) respectively).
Technology Use, Comfort, and Interest: A comparison between caregiver and older adult populations
Authors: Hubner Sarah , Chataut Akankshya , Shade Marcia , Fruhling Ann , Manley Natalie , Walls Meaghan Fitzgerald , Boron Julie Blaskewicz 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Remaining community-dwelling is a goal for most aging adults; however, this may necessitate assistance from caregivers. To reduce burden and improve adult autonomy, recent technological advancements have provided various supports. These advancements may improve quality of life (QOL) while also enhancing psychological/physical well-being for adults and caregivers. To investigate relationships between technology, QOL, and caregiver burden, needs assessments with focus groups were utilized. Four older adult focus groups (N=20) and three caregiver focus groups (N=12) were convened. Older adult participants, aged 64-83 years (M=73.1,SD=5.3), were 50% female and generally white (90%). Caregiver participants, aged 31-78 years (M=61.9,SD=12.6), were majority female (83%) and generally white (92%). Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, focus groups were conducted via Zoom video-conferencing. Thematic analyses revealed major themes of privacy, transportation, and interest in streamlined technologies. Throughout groups, privacy was consistently described; participants were either 1) apathetic, noting absence of privacy or 2) hyper-vigilant about security, citing privacy as a major barrier to utilization. Transportation, specifically self-driving/enhanced vehicles, emerged as a focus for future technologies as a means to reduce care burden and improve personal autonomy/QOL. In general, participants noted that major barriers to technology use included complexity and cost; persons expressed interest in simpler/cheaper devices. This study indicates varied interest in technology while exposing barriers to use. Additionally, the methodology demonstrates the utility of technology (e.g., Zoom) in accessing vulnerable and/or isolated populations. Overall, understanding barriers to technology use and adoption informs upcoming developments and may improve accessibility and usefulness in future systems/devices.
What Factors are Associated with Facilitating Conditions to Use Gerontechnology?
Authors: Park Hayoung , Joo Susanna , Kim DaeEun , Kim YoonMyung , Jun Hey Jung 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore relevant factors associated with facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology among Korean older adults. The sample was 310 Korean older adults aged 65 and above without cognitive impairment who participated in an online survey. The facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology were measured by the sum of five questions about basic knowledge, available help, financial resources, accessibility, and social influences of using gerontechnology from the Senior Technology Acceptance Model (STAM). Possible relevant factors comprised socio-demographic characteristics, physical and mental health, environmental factors, and social relationships. The results from the linear regression analyses showed that employment status, household income, cognitive function, social activity participation, and support from friends or neighbors were significantly associated with facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology. Older adults who are employed, have higher household income, have better cognitive functions, participate more in social activities, and receive higher levels of support from friends or neighbors tend to be in more facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology. The findings from this study imply the necessity of facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology as social policies for older adults who are unemployed, have lower household income, have worse cognitive functions, and have fewer social resources. This study is meaningful in that it has empirically explored various factors related to facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology for older adults based on the STAM. Future studies are needed to explore significant factors associated with facilitating conditions to use gerontechnology via various contexts.