scholarly journals Sex-specific educational attainment is associated with telomere length in an Australian rural population

QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (7) ◽  
pp. 469-473
Author(s):  
Y Zhou ◽  
B D Hambly ◽  
D Simmons ◽  
C S McLachlan
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Rural Population ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Method ◽  
Education Attainment ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background There is limited understanding on whether and how socioeconomic status (SES), particularly educational attainment and household income, impacts on telomere length in an Australian rural context. Additionally, it is unknown whether access to health services via the Australian public or private health system influences telomere length. Aim This study investigates whether there is a relationship between telomere length and SES indicators (income, education) as well as health insurance status in a rural Australian population. Methods Samples were drawn from the Australian Rural Victoria cross-sectional Crossroads Study. Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) was measured using a multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Results Among 1424 participants, we did not find a significant main effect association with LTL across education, income level and health insurance. An exploratory finding was sex may influence the relationship between educational attainment and LTL (P = 0.021). In males, but not females, higher education was associated with longer LTL by 0.033 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.002–0.063, P = 0.035]; in those with low education attainment, male participants had shorter LTL by 0.058 (95% CI −0.086 to −0.029) than female participants (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Being male and having lower education attainment was associated with shorter telomere length in our rural population. Evidence from our study supports the importance of education on LTL in males in rural Australia. Our studies also support previous findings that LTL in later life may not be closely associated with indicators of SES.

scholarly journals Leukocyte Telomere Length in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Its Association with Clinical Phenotypes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hecker ◽  
Brit Fitzner ◽  
Kathrin Jäger ◽  
Jan Bühring ◽  
Margit Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Method ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Leukocyte Telomere Length ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Association Analyses ◽  
Telomere Attrition

AbstractAging is a significant factor influencing the course of multiple sclerosis (MS). Accelerated telomere attrition is an indicator of premature biological aging and a potential contributor to various chronic diseases, including neurological disorders. However, there is currently a lack of studies focusing on telomere lengths in patients with MS. We measured the average leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in biobanked DNA samples of 40 relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS), 20 primary progressive MS patients (PPMS), and 60 healthy controls using a multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. Changes in LTL over a period of >10 years were evaluated in a subset of 10 patients. Association analyses of baseline LTL with the long-term clinical profiles of the patients were performed using inferential statistical tests and regression models adjusted for age and sex. The cross-sectional analysis revealed that the RRMS group was characterized by a significantly shorter relative LTL, on average, as compared to the PPMS group and controls. Shorter telomeres at baseline were also associated with a higher conversion rate from RRMS to secondary progressive MS (SPMS) in the 10-year follow-up. The LTL decrease over time was similar in RRMS patients and PPMS patients in the longitudinal analysis. Our data suggest a possible contributory role of accelerated telomere shortening in the pathobiology of MS. The interplay between disease-related immune system alterations, immunosenescence, and telomere dynamics deserves further investigation. New insights into the mechanisms of disease might be obtained, e.g., by exploring the distribution of telomere lengths in specific blood cell populations.

scholarly journals Challenges to access health faced by rural population and their perception regarding healthcare

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. e54789
Author(s):  
Maria Maiely Bezerra Gomes ◽  
Silvana Cavalcanti dos Santos ◽  
Jefferson Nunes dos Santos ◽  
Valdirene Pereira da Silva Carvalho ◽  
Ana Karine Laranjeira de Sá ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Population ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
National Level ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Population Diversity ◽  
Health Determinants ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Access To Health

The Brazilian nation has rich population diversity, and this makes it responsible for guaranteeing the social rights of all. In this perspective, this research seeks to categorize which are the main challenges in access to health that the rural populations face and to understand how the execution of this health care is carried out by professionals from the perspective of rural people. This is a cross-sectional study with a qualitative approach, carried out at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida Settlement, located in the municipality of Pesqueira (Pernambuco state) in 2018. The results demonstrate that the challenges faced by settled families are due to the difficulty of access to health services. In view of this, the rural population chooses to keep their cultural practices focused on their health alive. Therefore, it is common to use herbal medicines and mystics related to religious beliefs in self-care practices. It was concluded that the current public policies have gaps in their implementation, especially in terms of accessibility, security, health education, equity and respect for cultural differences. In addition, there is precariousness at the national level of studies focused on the health determinants and determinants of the rural population, which makes it necessary that more research be carried out so that new public policies can emerge.

scholarly journals Survey on Health, Well-being and Aging. SABE Colombia 2015: Technical report

2019 ◽  
pp. 128-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delia Ortega Lenis ◽  
Fabián Méndez
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Population ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

Introduction: Colombian population is getting old in an accelerated manner, causing economic, social and health services effects. The Ministry of Health and Social Protection in the National System of Population Studies and Surveys for Health implemented the first health, well-being and aging survey- SABE-2015 Colombia- to know the living conditions of people 60 years of age or older. Objective: Describe the design of the method, statistical sampling and quality control of information from the SABE-2015 survey. Methods: A cross-sectional study, with quantitative and qualitative approaches, representative for the population in urban and rural areas aged 60 or over. Information was collected on socioeconomic variables, physical and social environment, behavior, cognition and affection, functionality, mental well-being, health conditions, and the use and access to health services. Results: 23,694 surveys were conducted, 17,189 in urban population (72.5%) and 6,505 in rural population. The percentage of effective national response was 66% in 244 municipalities. Supervision was made in 40% of the surveys and telephone re-contact in 25%. The consistency of 100% surveys was reviewed and double entry was developed in 5% of them. National estimates have a 5% margin error. Conclusion: The SABE Colombia 2015 survey is representative of the main indicators of health, well-being and aging in Colombia. The design allows regional comparisons, between large cities and urban and rural population.

scholarly journals Association of Leisure Activities With Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Older Adults in Colombia: A SABE-Based Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Guerrero Barragán ◽  
Diego Lucumí ◽  
Brian Lawlor
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
State Examination

Observational and interventional studies suggest that participation in leisure activities may help protect against cognitive decline in older people. This study aimed to examine the association between participation in leisure activities and cognitive impairment in older adults in Colombia. Data for this study were derived from the Colombian National Survey of Aging (SABE 2015), a cross-sectional survey with a sample size of 23,694 older adults representing the total population (mean age, 70.8 years; 57.3% females). Cognitive impairment was classified as cognitive impairment without dementia (CIWD) and dementia, according to the revised version of the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination and the Lawton and Brody functional scale. Leisure activities were evaluated using six items of a questionnaire. Sex-stratified multinomial regression models were used to analyze the association of leisure activities with CIWD and dementia after adjusting for educational attainment, literacy, and other potential confounders. In adjusted models for men, leisure activities in later life were associated with a decreased risk of CIWD (odds ratio [OR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68–0.78) and dementia (OR, 0,52; 95% CI, 0.48–0.58). For women, leisure activities in later life were associated with a decreased risk of CIWD (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.66–0.78) and dementia (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.43–0.53). The findings suggest that greater participation in leisure activities in later life may act as a protective factor against CIWD and dementia among older adults in Colombia, independent of educational attainment and literacy.

scholarly journals Football and Team Handball Training Postpone Cellular Aging in Women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Hagman ◽  
Bjørn Fristrup ◽  
Rémi Michelin ◽  
Peter Krustrup ◽  
Muhammad Asghar
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Mitochondrial Function ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Cellular Aging ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Mtdna Copy Number ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Team Handball

Abstract Aims: Several hallmarks of aging have been identified and examined separately in previous exercise studies. For the first time, this study investigates the effect of lifelong regular exercise in humans on two of the central aging hallmarks combined. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 129 healthy, non-smoking women, including young elite football players (YF, n=29), young untrained controls (YC, n=30), elderly team handball players (EH, n=35) and elderly untrained controls (EC, n=35). From a resting blood sample, mononuclear cells (MNCs) were isolated and sorted into monocytes and lymphocytes. Telomere length, mitochondrial (mtDNA) copy number and mitochondrial function (PGC-1α and PGC-1β expression) were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: Overall, young women showed significantly longer telomeres and higher mitochondrial function, but lower mtDNA copy number compared to elderly subjects. A multivariate analysis showed that YF had 22–24% longer telomeres in lymphocytes and MNCs compared to YC. In addition, YF showed 19–20% higher mtDNA copy number in lymphocytes and MNCs compared to YC. The two young groups did not differ in PGC-1α and PGC-1β expression. EH showed 14% lower mtDNA copy number in lymphocytes compared to EC, but 3.4-fold higher lymphocyte PGC-1α expression compared to EC. In MNCs, EH also showed 1.4-1.6- fold higher mitochondrial function. The two elderly groups did not differ in telomere length.Conclusion: Elite football training and lifelong team handball training are associated with anti-aging mechanisms in leukocytes in women, including maintenance of telomere length and upregulation of mitochondrial function.

scholarly journals Telomere length measurement for longitudinal analysis: implications of assay precision

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nettle ◽  
Shahinaz M Gadalla ◽  
Tsung-Po Lai ◽  
Ezra Susser ◽  
Melissa Bateson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Measurement Error ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Gold Standard Method ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Researchers increasingly wish to test hypotheses concerning the impact of environmental or disease exposures on telomere length (TL), and use longitudinal study designs to do so. In population studies, TL is usually measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based method. This method has been validated by presenting a correlation with a gold standard method such as Southern blotting (SB) in cross-sectional datasets. However, in a cross-section, the range of true variation in TL is large, and measurement error is introduced only once. In a longitudinal study, the target variation of interest is small, and measurement error is introduced both at baseline and follow-up. We present a small dataset (n = 20) where leukocyte TL was measured 6.6 years apart by both qPCR and SB. The cross-sectional correlations between qPCR and SB were high both at baseline (r = 0.90) and follow-up (r = 0.85), yet their correlation for TL change was poor (r = 0.48). Moreover, the qPCR but not SB data showed strong signatures of measurement error. Through simulation, we show that the statistical power gain from performing a longitudinal analysis is much greater for SB than qPCR. We discuss implications for optimal study design and analysis.

scholarly journals Early life adiposity and telomere length across the life course: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna L. Guyatt ◽  
Santiago Rodriguez ◽  
Tom R. Gaunt ◽  
Abigail Fraser ◽  
Emma L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Small For Gestational Age ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Appropriate For Gestational Age

Background: The relationship between adiposity at birth and in childhood, and telomere length is yet to be determined. We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyse the results of studies assessing associations between neonatal and later childhood adiposity, and telomere length. Methods: We searched Medline, EMBASE and PubMed for studies reporting associations between adiposity measured in the neonatal period or later childhood/adolescence, and leucocyte telomere length, measured at any age via quantitative polymerase chain reaction, or terminal restriction fragment analysis, either cross-sectionally, or longitudinally. Papers published before April 2017 were included. Results: Out of 230 abstracts assessed, 23 papers (32 estimates) were retained, from which 19 estimates were meta-analysed (15 cross-sectional, four longitudinal). Of the 15 cross-sectional estimates, seven reported on neonates: four used binary exposures of small-for-gestational-age vs. appropriate-for-gestational age (or appropriate- and large-for-gestational age), and three studied birth weight continuously. Eight estimates reported on later childhood or adolescent measures; five estimates were from studies of binary exposures (overweight/obese vs. non-obese children), and three studies used continuous measures of body mass index. All four longitudinal estimates were of neonatal adiposity, with two estimates for small-for-gestational-age vs. appropriate-for-gestational age neonates, and two estimates of birth weight studied continuously, in relation to adult telomere (49-61 years). There was no strong evidence of an association between neonatal or later childhood/adolescent adiposity, and telomere length. However, between study heterogeneity was high, and there were few combinable studies. Conclusions: Our systematic review and meta-analysis found no strong evidence of an association between neonatal or later childhood or adolescent adiposity and telomere length.

scholarly journals Awareness and perception of health insurance among rural population in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 3808
Author(s):  
Raja T. K. ◽  
Buvnesh Kumar M. ◽  
Muthukumar T. ◽  
Anisha Pannakal Mohan
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Population ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Chief Minister ◽  
The Family

Background: Health insurance awareness and perception is most preliminary and people are getting familiar of it. Still the utilization of health insurance has not reached the rural areas due to lack of awareness among rural population. The present study was done with an aim of assessing individual’s awareness and perception of the health insurance.Methods: The study was a community based cross sectional study conducted for a period of 6 months among villages which is field practice area of a medical college in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu. 310 houses were interviewed. Line listing of the houses was done and data collected through semi structured questionnaire either from the head of the family or the family member who was available in the house. Data collected was statistically analyzed by SPSS version 21.Results: In this study, among 310 participants majority were females (62%), middle class (31%), nuclear family (83%). 51% were aware about health insurance, source of awareness was mostly from television (38.3%). 48% of study participants were aware of Chief Minister Health Scheme.Conclusions: Majority of the people who were aware about the Chief Minister Health Scheme were not aware about the complete benefits and details of the scheme, which emphasis on the need for creating more awareness about health insurance to avoid unpredictable health expenses in case of illness and injuries.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Willingness to Pay for Outpatient Services at RSU Tangerang Selatan

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Farah Elena Astrilia ◽  
Yanti Harjono Hadiwiardjo ◽  
Gatot Soeryo
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Outpatient Services ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Treatment Experience ◽  
Ability To Pay ◽  
The Government ◽  
Information Treatment

Background: The government established a national health insurance program (NHI) to increase access to health services but the program is still not optimal, it affects the number of hospital visits and income. Therefore it required an analysis of patient’s willingness to pay out of pocket for outpatient services. The purpose of this study was to determine factors affecting patient’s willingness to pay. Method: This research is a cross sectional study involving 124 internal medicine outpatients at General Hospital (RSU) South Tangerang City in November 2019. Data were obtained from a questionnaire. Patient’s income, information, treatment experience, health insurance, distance to hospital, health service, ability to pay, and willingness to pay was investigated using chi square and logistic regression analysis. Results: The results outcomes showed that the level of willingness to pay of respondents is quite high and is influenced by patient’s income (p = 0.001), information (p = 0.045), treatment experience (p = 0.010), and ability to pay (ATP) (p = 0.001).  Factors that have the most significant associations were patient’s ability to pay (OR = 14,502). Conclusion: Patient’s income, information, treatment experience, and ATP affect the willingness to pay of patients.

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