The effect of language skills on dementia in a Swedish longitudinal cohort

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 190-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica K. Ljungberg ◽  
Patrik Hansson ◽  
Rolf Adolfsson ◽  
Lars-Göran Nilsson

Abstract Recent findings indicate that bilingualism delay the onset of dementia. Using data from the Betula longitudinal cohort study on memory, health and aging (www.betula.su.se) the issue of a possible protective effect of bilingualism was addressed. Monolingual (n = 736) and bilingual (n = 82) participants (≥ 60 years) without dementia at inclusion were followed for incident dementia over a time-period up to 10 years. In total, 112 participants developed dementia. Analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for age, sex, and presence/absence of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele, with dementia outcome as the dependent variable. Results showed no delayed onset of dementia in bilinguals compared to monolinguals. However, because of the findings from a study using participants from the same population showing beneficial longitudinal effects of bilingualism on episodic memory; we argue that our results may depend on the frequency of use of the second language after retirement.

Rheumatology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 762-766
Author(s):  
Sujith Subesinghe ◽  
Alexander Kleymann ◽  
Andrew Ian Rutherford ◽  
Katie Bechman ◽  
Sam Norton ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives To investigate the relationship between occurrence of serious infection (SI) and lymphocyte counts in patients with RA using data from a single centre. Methods We used routinely captured data from a single tertiary rheumatology centre to explore the relationship between lymphopenia and SI risk. Adult RA patients were included over a 5-year follow-up period. Admissions due to confirmed SI were considered. SI rate with 95% confidence intervals was calculated. The association between SI with baseline lymphocyte counts, time-averaged lymphocyte counts throughout all follow-up, and a nadir lymphocyte count was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression. The relationship between lymphopenia over time and SI was analysed using a mixed-effect model of lymphocyte counts prior to SI. Results This analysis included 1095 patients with 205 SIs during 2016 person-years of follow-up. The SI rate was 4.61/100 patient-years (95% CI: 3.76, 5.65). Compared with patients with nadir lymphocyte counts >1.5 × 109 cells/l, nadir lymphopenia <1 × 109 cells/l was significantly associated with higher SI risk (HR 3.28; 95% CI: 1.59, 6.76), increasing to HR 8.08 (95% CI: 3.74, 17.44) in patients with lymphopenia <0.5 × 109 cells/l. Lymphocyte counts were observed to be reduced in the 30-day period prior to SI. Conclusion Lymphocyte counts below <1.0 × 109 cells/l were associated with higher SI risk in RA patients; the strongest association between lymphopenia and SI was observed when lymphocyte counts were below <0.5 × 109 cells/l. Lymphopenia may be used as a measure to stratify patients at risk of SI.


Author(s):  
Tao Huang ◽  
Ta-Chien Chan ◽  
Ying-Jhen Huang ◽  
Wen-Chi Pan

Metabolic syndrome is becoming more common worldwide. Studies suggest environmental pollution, including traffic noise, might be linked with metabolic syndrome. This study sought to evaluate how noise exposure is linked to the development of metabolic syndrome and its components in Taiwan. Using data from a cohort of 42,509 participants and Cox proportional hazards regression models, the effects of noise exposure on metabolic syndrome and its components were quantified. After adjustment for covariates (age, gender, body mass index, and physical activity), the hazard ratio for metabolic syndrome was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.04–1.22) for medium noise exposure and 1.24 (95% CI: 1.13–1.36) for high noise exposure. Noise exposure was also positively associated with all of metabolic syndrome’s components. This finding suggests noise exposure might contribute to metabolic syndrome and its components. Policies aiming to reduce noise pollution might reduce the risks of metabolic syndrome and its components.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 234-234
Author(s):  
Jeff Wiisanen ◽  
Robert R. McWilliams ◽  
William R Bamlet

234 Background: Body mass index (BMI) has been reported to determine risk for pancreatic cancer in addition to outcome, as those with higher BMI have decreased survival. Since May 2011, therapy for pancreatic cancer has improved with the addition of FOLFIRINOX. This study looks at overall survival in relation to BMI since the advent of the FOLFIRINOX. Methods: 2,277 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma were identified through the Mayo Clinic SPORE pancreatic cancer registry from 2000-14. Usual adult and BMI at time of enrollment were utilized as a binary variable ( < 30, ≥30 kg/m2). These were analyzed for association with survival using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: For the 2000-11 and 2011-14 groups, stage distribution was 4.4%, 34.7%, 21.6%, 39.2% and 1.2%, 39%, 22.2%, 37.6%, respectively for stage 1-4. Since pancreatic cancer commonly causes weight loss, more patients were in the higher usual adult BMI (34.6%) compared to enrollment (17.1%). For the period 2000-11, 33.8% of patients had a usual adult BMI of 30+ vs 37.8% for the 2011-14 patients. As previously reported, there was a difference in survival by BMI for the period 2000-May 2011, however, this was not seen for the period June 2011-14. Conclusions: Based on this cohort of patients, the previously reported detrimental effect of elevated BMI on survival in pancreatic cancer patients is no longer seen. This corresponds with the time period of improvement in pancreatic cancer treatment with FOLFIRINOX. Further studies should be performed to confirm our findings and to identify the causality of this association. [Table: see text]


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Si-Hyung Lee ◽  
Miri Kim ◽  
Kyung-Do Han ◽  
Ji Hyun Lee

AbstractChronic diseases, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), are frequently accompanied by various comorbidities, including anemia, which is considered a surrogate marker of systemic inflammation. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease prevalent in patients with chronic disease. Psoriasis risk in patients with CKD, however, especially in patients with low hemoglobin levels, has never been investigated. In this study, we investigated associations between low hemoglobin levels and psoriasis in patients with CKD using data from the National Health Insurance Service of Korea. During a mean follow-up period of 6.16 ± 1.02 years, psoriasis was recorded in 13,803 patients with CKD (2.39% of CKD patients). The cumulative incidence of psoriasis was significantly higher in CKD patients with anemia (hemoglobin levels < 13 g/dL in men and < 12 g/dL in women) than those without. In multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models, the risk of psoriasis was significantly higher in anemic CKD patients than nonanemic CKD patients (hazard ratio [HR] 1.136, 95% CI 1.089–1.185, p < 0.001). Additionally, we noted that the incidence of psoriasis decreased with increasing hemoglobin levels in CKD patients (HR 0.953, 95% CI 0.942–0.965, p < 0.001). Altogether, our findings indicate that low hemoglobin levels are significantly related to psoriasis risk in patients with CKD. Further study is required to elucidate whether low hemoglobin levels have an impact on the development of psoriasis or are merely a surrogate marker of psoriasis risk in patients with CKD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 925-925
Author(s):  
Timothy Barnes ◽  
Rifky Tkatch ◽  
Manik Ahuja ◽  
Laurie Albright ◽  
James Schaeffer ◽  
...  

Abstract As distinct constructs, loneliness and social isolation have both been associated with mortality in older adults. Many studies have examined each construct separately; however, few have examined their impact together, especially within the U.S. Using data from a large sample of U.S. adults age 65+ (N=7,982), the effect of loneliness and social isolation on all-cause mortality was examined considering their separate and joint effects. Measures were based on the UCLA-3 Loneliness Scale and the Social Network Index (SNI). Loneliness was categorized as: Severe, moderate, or no loneliness. Social isolation (defined by the SNI) was categorized as: Limited, medium, or diverse social networks (SN). Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed. Among participants, there were 328 deaths after data collection (4.1%). In separate, adjusted models, loneliness (severe, HR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.43-2.41 and moderate, HR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.16-1.98) and social isolation (limited SN, HR=2.37, 95% CI: 1.72-3.27 and moderate SN, HR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.12-2.14) were both associated with mortality. Modeled together, loneliness (severe, HR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.18-2.04 and moderate, HR=1.40, 95% CI: 1.07-1.83) and social isolation (limited SN, HR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.49-2.89 and moderate SN, HR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.05-2.02) both remained significantly associated with all-cause mortality with limited SN as the stronger indicator. Results demonstrate that both loneliness and social isolation contribute to greater risk of mortality among older adults. Furthermore, individuals with limited SN are at greatest risk. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, loneliness and social isolation should be targeted safely in efforts to reduce mortality risk among older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
I.D Poveda Pinedo ◽  
I Marco Clement ◽  
O Gonzalez ◽  
I Ponz ◽  
A.M Iniesta ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Previous parameters such as peak VO2, VE/VCO2 slope and OUES have been described to be prognostic in heart failure (HF). The aim of this study was to identify further prognostic factors of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in HF patients. Methods A retrospective analysis of HF patients who underwent CPET from January to November 2019 in a single centre was performed. PETCO2 gradient was defined by the difference between final PETCO2 and baseline PETCO2. HF events were defined as decompensated HF requiring hospital admission or IV diuretics, or decompensated HF resulting in death. Results A total of 64 HF patients were assessed by CPET, HF events occurred in 8 (12.5%) patients. Baseline characteristics are shown in table 1. Patients having HF events had a negative PETCO2 gradient while patients not having events showed a positive PETCO2 gradient (−1.5 [IQR −4.8, 2.3] vs 3 [IQR 1, 5] mmHg; p=0.004). A multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis revealed that PETCO2 gradient was an independent predictor of HF events (HR 0.74, 95% CI [0.61–0.89]; p=0.002). Kaplan-Meier curves showed a significantly higher incidence of HF events in patients having negative gradients, p=0.002 (figure 1). Conclusion PETCO2 gradient was demonstrated to be a prognostic parameter of CPET in HF patients in our study. Patients having negative gradients had worse outcomes by having more HF events. Time to first event, decompensated heart Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


Author(s):  
Hiroaki Ikesue ◽  
Moe Mouri ◽  
Hideaki Tomita ◽  
Masaki Hirabatake ◽  
Mai Ikemura ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the association between clinical characteristics and development of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in patients who underwent dental examinations before the initiation of treatment with denosumab or zoledronic acid, which are bone-modifying agents (BMAs), for bone metastases. Additionally, the clinical outcomes of patients who developed MRONJ were evaluated along with the time to resolution of MRONJ. Methods The medical charts of patients with cancer who received denosumab or zoledronic acid for bone metastases between January 2012 and September 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were excluded if they did not undergo a dental examination at baseline. Results Among the 374 included patients, 34 (9.1%) developed MRONJ. The incidence of MRONJ was significantly higher in the denosumab group than in the zoledronic acid (27/215 [12.6%] vs 7/159 [4.4%], P = 0.006) group. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that denosumab treatment, older age, and tooth extraction before and after starting BMA treatments were significantly associated with developing MRONJ. The time to resolution of MRONJ was significantly shorter for patients who received denosumab (median 26.8 months) than for those who received zoledronic acid (median not reached; P = 0.024). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that treatment with denosumab, age > 65 years, and tooth extraction before and after starting BMA treatments are significantly associated with developing MRONJ in patients undergoing treatment for bone metastases. However, MRONJ caused by denosumab resolves faster than that caused by zoledronic acid.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1514
Author(s):  
Hilde Espnes ◽  
Jocasta Ball ◽  
Maja-Lisa Løchen ◽  
Tom Wilsgaard ◽  
Inger Njølstad ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to explore sex-specific associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP), hypertension, and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) subtypes, including paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent AF, in a general population. A total of 13,137 women and 11,667 men who participated in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994–1995) were followed up for incident AF until the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted using fractional polynomials for SBP to provide sex- and AF-subtype-specific hazard ratios (HRs) for SBP. An SBP of 120 mmHg was used as the reference. Models were adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors. Over a mean follow-up of 17.6 ± 6.6 years, incident AF occurred in 914 (7.0%) women (501 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 413 with permanent AF) and 1104 (9.5%) men (606 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 498 with permanent AF). In women, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 2.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60–2.76) for paroxysmal/persistent AF and an HR of 1.80 (95% CI 1.33–2.44) for permanent AF. In men, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.46–2.46) for paroxysmal/persistent AF, while there was no association with the risk of permanent AF. In conclusion, increasing SBP was associated with an increased risk of both paroxysmal/persistent AF and permanent AF in women, but only paroxysmal/persistent AF in men. Our findings highlight the importance of sex-specific risk stratification and optimizing blood pressure management for the prevention of AF subtypes in clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroki Yoshikawa ◽  
Kosaku Komiya ◽  
Takashi Yamamoto ◽  
Naoko Fujita ◽  
Hiroaki Oka ◽  
...  

AbstractErector spinae muscle (ESM) size has been reported as a predictor of prognosis in patients with some respiratory diseases. This study aimed to assess the association of ESM size on all-cause in-hospital mortality among elderly patients with pneumonia. We retrospectively included patients (age: ≥ 65 years) admitted to hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 for community-acquired pneumonia who underwent chest computed tomography (CT) on admission. The cross-sectional area of the ESM (ESMcsa) was measured on a single-slice CT image at the end of the 12th thoracic vertebra and adjusted by body surface area (BSA). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the influence of ESMcsa/BSA on in-hospital mortality. Among 736 patients who were admitted for pneumonia, 702 patients (95%) underwent chest CT. Of those, 689 patients (98%) for whom height and weight were measured to calculate BSA were included in this study. Patients in the non-survivor group were significantly older, had a greater frequency of respiratory failure, loss of consciousness, lower body mass index, hemoglobin, albumin, and ESMcsa/BSA. Multivariate analysis showed that a lower ESMcsa/BSA independently predicted in-hospital mortality after adjusting for these variables. In elderly patients with pneumonia, quantification of ESMcsa/BSA may be associated with in-hospital mortality.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Anne Mette L. Würtz ◽  
Mette D. Hansen ◽  
Anne Tjønneland ◽  
Eric B. Rimm ◽  
Erik B. Schmidt ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Intake of vegetables is recommended for the prevention of myocardial infarction (MI). However, vegetables make up a heterogeneous group, and subgroups of vegetables may be differentially associated with MI. The aim of this study was to examine replacement of potatoes with other vegetables or subgroups of other vegetables and the risk of MI. Substitutions between subgroups of other vegetables and risk of MI were also investigated. We followed 29,142 women and 26,029 men aged 50-64 years in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort. Diet was assessed at baseline by using a detailed validated FFQ. Hazards ratios (HR) with 95% CI for the incidence of MI were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression. During 13.6 years of follow-up, 656 female and 1,694 male cases were identified. Among women, the adjusted HR for MI was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.13) per 500 g/week replacement of potatoes with other vegetables. For vegetable subgroups, the HR was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.77, 1.13) for replacement of potatoes with fruiting vegetables and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.77, 1.07) for replacement of potatoes with other root vegetables. A higher intake of cabbage replacing other vegetable subgroups was associated with a statistically non-significant higher risk of MI. A similar pattern of associations was found when intake was expressed in kcal/week. Among men, the pattern of associations was overall found to be similar to that for women. This study supports food-based dietary guidelines recommending to consume a variety of vegetables from all subgroups.


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