Search

INTRODUCTION: We assessed the effects of multivitamin‐mineral and cocoa extract supplementation on incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and all‐cause probable dementia. METHODS: COSMOS‐Mind (N = 2262), a 2 × 2 factorial, randomized‐controlled clinical trial administered a telephone‐based cognitive battery at baseline and annually for 3 years. Incidence rates of MCI, and separately dementia, were compared among treatment arms with proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Over 3 years, 110 incident MCI and 14 incident dementia cases were adjudicated. Incidence rates did not vary by assignment to multivitamin‐mineral or cocoa extract (all p's ≥ 0.05); however, statistical power was low. When participants assigned to multivitamin‐mineral versus placebo converted to MCI, their scores for global cognition (p = 0.03) and executive function (p < 0.001) were higher and had declined less relative to the previous year (p = 0.03 for global cognition; p = 0.004 for executive function). DISCUSSION: Multivitamin‐mineral therapy may provide cognitive resilience, countering conversion to MCI, but not significantly reduce its incidence over 3 years. Highlights: Multivitamin‐mineral supplementation did not reduce risks for cognitive impairment.Cocoa extract supplementation did not reduce risks for cognitive impairment.Multivitamin‐mineral supplementation slowed cognitive declines for incident mild cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating adiponectin and leptin have been associated with risk of pancreatic cancer. However, the relationship between long-term exposure to these adipokines in the prediagnostic period with patient survival has not been investigated. Methods: Adipokine levels were measured in prospectively collected samples from 472 patients with pancreatic cancer. Because of sex-specific differences in adipokine levels, associations were evaluated separately for men and women. In a subset of 415 patients, we genotyped 23 SNPs in adiponectin receptor genes (ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2) and 30 SNPs in the leptin receptor gene (LEPR). Results: Adiponectin levels were inversely associated with survival in women [HR, 1.71; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-2.54]; comparing top with bottom quartile but not in men (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.46-1.70). The SNPs rs10753929 and rs1418445 in ADIPOR1 were associated with survival in the combined population (per minor allele HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.51-0.84, and HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.12-1.58, respectively). Among SNPs in LEPR, rs12025906, rs3790431, and rs17127601 were associated with survival in the combined population [HRs, 1.54 (95% CI, 1.25-1.90), 0.72 (95% CI, 0.59-0.88), and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.56-0.89), respectively], whereas rs11585329 was associated with survival in men only (HR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.23-0.66; Pinteraction = 0.0002). Conclusions: High levels of adiponectin in the prediagnostic period were associated with shorter survival among women, but not among men with pancreatic cancer. Several polymorphisms in ADIPOR1 and LEPR are associated with patient survival. Impact: Our findings reveal the association between adipokine signaling and pancreatic cancer survival and demonstrate the importance of examining obesity-associated pathways in relation to pancreatic cancer in a sex-specific manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wave of individuals impacted by dementia continues to rise rapidly as worldwide lifespan increases. Dietary strategies to slow cognitive decline and prolong time to clinical dementia remain understudied, but with potentially powerful public health consequences. Indeed, previously conducted large, randomized, placebo‐controlled trials of micronutrients remain an under‐leveraged resource to study changes in cognitive performance. As a motivating example, we highlight an ancillary report from the Physicians' Health Study, where subjects randomized to β‐carotene (a provitamin A carotenoid) had a more attenuated change in longitudinal global cognitive performance and verbal memory, as compared to subjects randomized to placebo. Despite mechanistic evidence from cell and animal studies supporting a vitamin A‐mediated role in the biology associated with cognition, limited follow‐up work has been conducted. We argue that dietary factors (including provitamin A) deserve a second look, leveraging multi‐omic approaches, to elucidate how they may mitigate cognitive decline and dementia risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dietary supplements are touted for cognitive protection, but supporting evidence is mixed. COSMOS‐Mind tested whether daily administration of cocoa extract (containing 500 mg/day flavanols) versus placebo and a commercial multivitamin‐mineral (MVM) versus placebo improved cognition in older women and men. Methods: COSMOS‐Mind, a large randomized two‐by‐two factorial 3‐year trial, assessed cognition by telephone at baseline and annually. The primary outcome was a global cognition composite formed from mean standardized (z) scores (relative to baseline) from individual tests, including the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status, Word List and Story Recall, Oral Trail‐Making, Verbal Fluency, Number Span, and Digit Ordering. Using intention‐to‐treat, the primary endpoint was change in this composite with 3 years of cocoa extract use. The pre‐specified secondary endpoint was change in the composite with 3 years of MVM supplementation. Treatment effects were also examined for executive function and memory composite scores, and in pre‐specified subgroups at higher risk for cognitive decline. Results: A total of 2262 participants were enrolled (mean age = 73y; 60% women; 89% non‐Hispanic White), and 92% completed the baseline and at least one annual assessment. Cocoa extract had no effect on global cognition (mean z‐score = 0.03, 95% CI: ‐0.02 to 0.08; P =.28). Daily MVM supplementation, relative to placebo, resulted in a statistically significant benefit on global cognition (mean z = 0.07, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.12; P =.007), and this effect was most pronounced in participants with a history of cardiovascular disease (no history: 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.11; history: 0.14, 95% CI ‐0.02 to 0.31; interaction, nominal P =.01). Multivitamin‐mineral benefits were also observed for memory and executive function. The cocoa extract by MVM group interaction was not significant for any of the cognitive composites. Discussion: Cocoa extract did not benefit cognition. However, COSMOS‐Mind provides the first evidence from a large, long‐term, pragmatic trial to support the potential efficacy of a MVM to improve cognition in older adults. Additional work is needed to confirm these findings in a more diverse cohort and to identify mechanisms to account for MVM effects. Highlights: COSMOS‐Mind was a large simple pragmatic randomized clinical trial in older adults conducted by mail and telephone.The trial used a two‐by‐two factorial design to assess treatment effects of two different interventions within a single large study.We found no cognitive benefit of daily cocoa extract administration (containing 500 mg flavanols) for 3 years.Daily multivitamin‐mineral (MVM) supplementation for 3 years improved global cognition, episodic memory, and executive function in older adults.The MVM benefit appeared to be greater for adults with cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early-life exposures play key roles in the development of metabolic diseases. Whether such effects exist beyond one generation remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the transgenerational association of early-life exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959 to 1962 with the trajectories of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP) in 2 consecutive generations.Methods: We included 21 106 F1 observations born between 1954 and 1967 (median age: 45 years) and 1926 F2 observations (median age: 23 years) from the longitudinal household-based China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1993 to 2015. Trajectories of BMI, WC, systolic BP, and diastolic BP were fitted and compared between groups using linear mixed effect models.Results: Early-life exposure to famine was associated with increased BMI, WC, and BP in 2 consecutive generations with sex and age disparities. In F1, famine was associated with increased BMI, WC, systolic BP, and diastolic BP, especially in men or those aged older than 50 years (P ranged from <0.001 to 0.02). In F2 men but not women, the parental exposure to famine was associated with 0.59 kg/m2 ([95% CI, 0.10-1.08], P=0.02) increase in BMI. In F2 aged ≥25 years but not those younger ones, the parental exposure to famine was associated with increased BMI (0.83 kg/m2 [0.14-1.51], P=0.03), systolic BP (2.04 mm Hg [0.20-3.88], P=0.03), and diastolic BP (1.73 mm Hg [0.28-3.18], P=0.02).Conclusions: The effects of an adverse developmental environment through famine in early life on BMI and BP later in life may persist beyond one generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have investigated the effect of multivitamin‐mineral supplementation (MVM) on cognitive change among community‐dwelling older adults and effects remain untested using detailed in‐person, gold‐standard neuropsychological assessments; thus, we tested the effect of daily MVM vs. placebo on cognitive function among older adults enrolled in the in‐clinic component of COSMOS (COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study). Furthermore, we conducted a meta‐analysis of the findings from the three COSMOS cognition studies: COSMOS‐Clinic (n = 603 for the detailed in‐person cognitive assessments), COSMOS‐Mind (n = 2262 for telephonic‐based cognitive assessments); and COSMOS‐Web (n = 3562 for computer‐based cognitive assessments) to provide a robust evaluation of the effects of MVM on cognition. Methods: COSMOS is a 2×2 factorial RCT of cocoa extract supplements (Mars Edge; containing 500 mg/day flavanols) and/or MVM (Haleon, as Centrum Silver) for cardiovascular and cancer prevention. In COSMOS‐Clinic, n = 573 of n = 603 COSMOS‐Clinic participants completed all cognitive tests at baseline; n = 492 completed all cognitive tests at both baseline and 2‐year follow‐up. The primary outcome was global cognitive score [averaging z‐scores of 11 tests: general cognition (the Modified Mini‐Mental State), episodic memory (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease [CERAD] word list learning and delayed recall tests; East Boston Memory Test immediate and delayed recall trials), CERAD word list recognition, and executive function/attention (two fluency tests; Trail Making Tests A and B; digit span backwards)]. Episodic memory and executive function/attention were examined separately. Finally, we used random‐effects models to meta‐analyze the findings of three COSMOS cognition studies. Results: In COSMOS‐Clinic, we observed a signal for effect of MVM vs. placebo on improvement in global cognition over two years (mean difference = 0.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: ‐0.003, 0.12). MVM vs. placebo led to significant improvement in episodic memory (mean difference = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.001, 0.23) but not in executive function/attention (mean difference = 0.04, 95% CI: ‐0.04, 0.11). The meta‐analysis of three COSMOS studies showed significant benefits of MVM on global cognition and episodic memory (will be presented in detail). Conclusion: Daily MVM compared to placebo showed improvement in global cognition and episodic memory over 2 years among community‐dwelling older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COSMOS‐Mind, a large, randomized placebo‐controlled pragmatic trial in older adults, recently reported that daily supplementation with multivitamin‐mineral, but not cocoa extract, benefited global cognition. We assessed effects of these supplements on prespecified secondary outcomes of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and all‐cause dementia (DM). We also assessed treatment‐related cognitive trajectories leading to conversion to MCI or dementia. Method: COSMOS‐Mind (N = 2262) administered a telephone‐based cognitive battery at baseline and annually for 3 years. Proxies of participants meeting criteria for suspected cognitive impairment based on a cognitive screener (TICSm) were interviewed. An expert panel adjudicated cognitive status. Incidence rates of MCI, and separately DM, were compared among arms with proportional hazards regression. Changes in cognitive trajectories leading to MCI and DM were assessed with linear models. Result: At baseline, adjudication for suspected cognitive impairment was triggered for 419 (20%) participants, yielding adjudications of 217 (10%) MCI and 4 (0.2%) DM cases. During follow‐up, triggers were less frequent in the MVM than placebo arms: hazard ratio = 0.73 (p = 0.04). Across 3 years, 110 incident MCI and 14 incident DM cases were adjudicated. Incidence rates of these outcomes did not vary by assignment to multivitamin‐mineral or cocoa extract (all p≥0.05), however statistical power was low. Incident MCI was associated with a marked decline in cognitive function from the previous year (p<0.001). When participants assigned to multivitamin‐mineral versus placebo converted to MCI, their scores for global cognition (p = 0.03) and executive function (p<0.001) were higher and had declined less relative to the previous year (p = 0.03 for global cognition; p = 0.004 for executive function). Daily cocoa extract use did not attenuate cognitive decline leading up to MCI. Conclusion: COSMOS‐Mind does not provide evidence that cocoa extract or multivitamin‐mineral therapy lowers risk of incident MCI or DM. Multivitamin‐mineral therapy, but not cocoa extract, may provide cognitive resilience countering conversion to MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between prediagnostic antibody responses to Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) and subsequent risk of colorectal cancer is not established. Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study of 8,126 participants in a consortium of 10 prospective cohorts in the United States. Results: Higher seroprevalence of any F. nucleatum antibody was observed among non-White participants (51.1%) compared with White participants (31.2%). We did not find any statistically significant association between seropositivity to any of the eight F. nucleatum proteins and colorectal cancer risk. Conclusions: Prediagnostic antibody responses to F. nucleatum proteins were not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Auto-antibodies to tumor suppressor p53 are found in a subset of patients with colorectal cancer. A recent prospective study in the United States has reported a significant 1.8-fold increased odds for colorectal cancer development with prediagnostic seropositivity to p53. In this study, we sought to examine this association in a U.S. colorectal cancer cohort consortium to evaluate the potential utility of p53 auto-antibodies as an early biomarker for colorectal cancer. Methods: Auto-antibodies to p53 were measured in prediagnostic blood samples of 3,702 incident colorectal cancer cases and 3,702 controls, matched by age, race, and sex, from 9 U.S. prospective cohorts. The association of seropositivity to p53 with colorectal cancer risk, overall and by time between blood draw and diagnosis, was determined by conditional logistic regression. Results: Overall, 5% of controls and 7% of cases were seropositive to p53, resulting in a statistically significant 33% increased colorectal cancer risk [odds ratio (OR), 1.33; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09-1.61]. By follow-up time, the association was only significant with colorectal cancer diagnoses within 4 years after blood draw (OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.62-3.19), but not thereafter (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.76-1.24). Conclusions: In this large consortium of prospective cohorts, we found that prediagnostic seropositivity to tumor suppressor p53 was significantly associated with an over 2-fold increased odds of developing colorectal cancer within 4 years after blood draw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and 80% of patients present with advanced, incurable disease. Risk markers for pancreatic cancer have been characterized, but combined models are not used clinically to identify individuals at high risk for the disease. Methods: Within a nested case-control study of 500 pancreatic cancer cases diagnosed after blood collection and 1,091 matched controls enrolled in four U.S. prospective cohorts, we characterized absolute risk models that included clinical factors (e.g., body mass index, history of diabetes), germline genetic polymorphisms, and circulating biomarkers. Results: Model discrimination showed an area under ROC curve of 0.62 via cross-validation. Our final integrated model identified 3.7% of men and 2.6% of women who had at least 3 times greater than average risk in the ensuing 10 years. Individuals within the top risk percentile had a 4% risk of developing pancreatic cancer by age 80 years and 2% 10-year risk at age 70 years. Conclusions: Risk models that include established clinical, genetic, and circulating factors improved disease discrimination over models using clinical factors alone. Impact: Absolute risk models for pancreatic cancer may help identify individuals in the general population appropriate for disease interception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leukocyte telomere length has been associated with risk of subsequent pancreatic cancer. Few prospective studies have evaluated the association of prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length with pancreatic cancer survival. Methods: We prospectively examined the association of prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length with overall survival (OS) time among 423 participants diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma between 1984 and 2008 within the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Nurses' Health Study, Physicians' Health Study, and Women's Health Initiative. We measured prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length in banked blood samples using quantitative PCR. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate HRs for OS with adjustment for potential confounders. We also evaluated 10 SNPs at the telomerase reverse transcriptase locus. Results: Shorter prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length was associated with reduced OS among patients with pancreatic cancer (Ptrend = 0.04). The multivariable-adjusted HR for OS comparing the lowest with highest quintiles of leukocyte telomere length was 1.39 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.93), corresponding to a 3-month difference in median OS time. In an analysis excluding cases with blood collected within 2 years of cancer diagnosis, the association was moderately stronger (HR, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.21; comparing the lowest with highest quintiles; Ptrend = 0.01). No prognostic association or effect modification for the prognostic association of prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length was noted in relation to the studied SNPs. Conclusions: Prediagnostic leukocyte telomere length was associated with pancreatic cancer survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antibody responses to Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus (SGG) proteins, especially pilus protein Gallo2178, have been consistently associated with colorectal cancer risk. Previous case-control studies and prospective studies with up to 8 years of follow-up, however, were unable to decipher the temporality of antibody responses to SGG in the context of the long-term multistep development of colorectal cancer. In this study, we analyzed a large U.S. colorectal cancer cohort consortium with follow-up beyond 10 years for antibody responses to SGG. Methods: We applied multiplex serology to measure antibody responses to 9 SGG proteins in participants of 10 prospective U.S. cohorts (CLUE, CPSII, HPFS, MEC, NHS, NYUWHS, PHS, PLCO, SCCS, and WHI) including 4,063 incident colorectal cancer cases and 4,063 matched controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess whether antibody responses to SGG were associated with colorectal cancer risk, overall and by time between blood draw and diagnosis. Results: Colorectal cancer risk was increased among those with antibody responses to Gallo2178, albeit not statistically significant [OR, 1.23; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.99-1.52]. This association was stronger for cases diagnosed <10 years after blood draw (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.09-1.79), but was not found among cases diagnosed =10 years after blood draw (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.50-1.24). Conclusions: In a large cohort consortium, we reproduced the association of antibody responses to SGG Gallo2178 with colorectal cancer risk for individuals diagnosed within 10 years after blood draw. Impact: This timing-specific finding suggests that antibody responses to SGG are associated with increased colorectal cancer risk only after tumorigenesis has begun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous genetic variants have been confirmed as prostate cancer risk factors. These variants may confer susceptibility to the development of specific molecular alterations during tumor initiation and progression. The TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion occurs in roughly 50% of prostate cancers. Genetic risk variants may influence the development of this fusion. We sought to determine whether prostate cancer risk variants are differentially associated with TMPRSS2:ERG fusion-positive and negative cancer. Methods: In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Physicians' Health Study Tumor Cohort, we evaluated the associations of 39 prostate cancer risk SNPs with TMPRSS2: ERG fusion status, measured by ERG protein expression. Logistic regression was performed to generate OR and 95% confidence intervals. The primary outcome was ERG+ (n = 227) versus ERG- (n = 260) prostate cancer. A secondary outcome was ERG+ or ERG- cancer versus controls without cancer. Results: Six of 39 SNPs were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with ERG+ versus ERG- disease. Three SNPs were exclusively associated with the risk of ERG+, one with risk of ERG-, and two with associations trending in opposite directions for ERG+ and ERG-. Only two significant SNPs would be expected by chance. Conclusions: Prostate cancer genetic risk variants are differentially associated with the development of ERG+ and ERG- prostate cancer. Impact: Our findings suggest the molecular process of prostate carcinogenesis may be distinct for men with different underlying genetic predisposition. When examining risk factors for prostate cancer, the integration of molecular subtypes may enhance understanding of the etiology of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and male breast cancer risk is unclear. In the Male Breast Cancer Pooling Project, with 449 cases and 13,855 matched controls, we used logistic regression with study stratification to generate adjusted ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for LTPA tertiles and male breast cancer risk. Compared with low LTPA, medium and high LTPA were not associated with male breast cancer risk (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79-1.29; 0.90, 0.69-1.18, respectively). In jointeffects analyses, compared with the referent of high body mass index (BMI; ⩾25 kg/m2)/low LTPA, neither medium nor high PA was associated with risk among high BMI men, but normal BMI men (<25 kg/m2) with low or medium LTPA were at a nonsignificant ~16% reduced risk and those with high LTPA were at a 27% reduced risk (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.50-1.07). Physical activity alone may not confer protection against male breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on association of prostate cancer risk variants with gene expression in normal and tumor tissue. It mentions the generation of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression data with the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Gene 1.0 ST microarray of the Physicians' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study participants. It concludes the association of risk variants with several genes of prostate cancer and lipid metabolism pathways.

The article discusses a study to examine the role of antioxidants in reducing risk of aggressive prostate cancer, and effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in antioxidant genes on this association. Topics discussed include effect of antioxidants, including α-tocopherol, selenium, and lycopene on prostate cancer, germline genetic variants in antioxidant genes, and use of Cox proportional hazards regression to examine circulating antioxidants.

The article focuses on a study which investigated the relationship between self-reported history of diabetes and subsequent risk of glioma and possible effect modification by seven glioma-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Topics addressed include the association between 13 diabetes risk-associated SNPs, identified from genome-wide association studies and glioma risk, and calculation of odds ratios and confidence intervals.

The article offers information on a study on prostate cancer and the expression of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) protein in tumor tissue. Topics include overexpression of PSMA in serum and tumor tissue, biochemical recurrence in surgically treated prostate cancer, and disease-specific mortality. Results show that high tumor PSMA expression is not an independent predictor of lethal prostate cancer, but it may account for malignant features of tumor angiogenesis and Gleason grade.

The article discusses a study aimed to determine the potential use of pro-surfactant protein B (pro-SFTPB) for distinguishing lung cancer cases from matched controls as a risk marker. Topics covered include the measures used in the association analyses, the association of increased plasma concentration of pro-SFTPB with higher lung cancer risk, and the promise of the novel biomarker pro-SFTPB as a risk marker.

Background: Type 2 diabetes and mid‐life obesity increase the risk for cognitive decline and cognitive impairment in men and women. Studies disagree, however, on whether the associations diabetes and obesity have with cognitive function vary by sex. Method: We analyzed data from the COSMOS clinical trial and its COSMOS‐Mind ancillary study of cocoa extract (including 600 mg/d cocoa flavanols) and a multivitamin to reduce risks for major cardiovascular events and total invasive cancer (COSMOS), and cognitive decline (COSMOS‐Mind). In COSMOS‐Mind we administered a standardized telephone‐based cognitive battery to assess episodic memory, executive function and global cognition in 2,262 adults, age>65 (mean=73) years, 58% women, 33% obese (body mass index >30 kg/m2), and 10% diabetes. Individuals with histories of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cancer (excluding non‐melanoma skin cancer) were excluded. Sex, obesity, and diabetes were based on self‐report. Multiple regression analyses were used to compare cross‐sectional associations between cognitive function and age for women and men grouped by obesity and diabetes, with adjustments for education and race/ethnicity. Result: Women averaged better scores than men for memory (mean+standard error difference=0.42+0.04 SDs), executive function (0.26+0.04 SDs), and global cognitive function (0.30+0.4 SDs), all p<0.001. These differences were evident for individuals both with and without obesity or diabetes (all two‐way interactions p>0.20). Obesity, compared with no obesity, was associated with less steep slopes with greater age among women in all domains (all p<0.04), with no differences seen in men for any domain. This held without and with adjustment for diabetes. For composite cognitive function, the slope of the association with greater age was ‐0.064+0.005 SD/year among women without obesity compared with ‐0.030+0.009 SD/year among those with obesity (p=0.001), and the differences between women and men with obesity increased with age. After adjustment for obesity, diabetes was not associated with steeper slopes with age for any domain in either sex. Conclusion: In the COSMOS‐Mind cohort of clinical trial volunteers, the difference in cognitive function between women and men with obesity increased with age. However, in these cross‐sectional analyses we cannot rule out potential biases related to self‐report or differential survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article a cohort study that examined the association of prediagnostic circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and TNF-α receptor II (TNF-&#945R2) and subsequent pancreatic cancer risk. Also examined are the effect of chronic inflammation in cancer development, as well as such chronic inflammatory conditions like chronic pancreatitis, obesity and type-II diabetes.

The article presents a study on the association of vitamin D status with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study conducted a meta-analysis of data from prospective studies that assessed the optimal 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels with CVD risk from MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1966 through February 2012. Findings suggest a generally linear, inverse association between circulating 25-hydroxy-vitamin D ranging from 20 to 60 nmol/L and risk of CVD.

The article discusses a study on whether the trans-membrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2):v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) fusion is associated with a more aggressive phenotype of prostate cancer and eventually worse prognosis. Prostate cancer diagnosis were first identified by self-report and confirmed by review of medical records and pathology reports. It suggests that TMPRSS2:ERG fusion status is not a strong predictor of prostate cancer recurrence.

The article discusses the Physician's Health Study which determines the relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and death before age 90. It is mentioned that HDL-C has been linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in several cross-sectional and some cohort studies.

The article presents a study on the association between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin (OH) D and the risk of pancreatic cancer. It is said that cancer development and growth can be stopped by vitamin D and its analogues. Findings showed an inverse association between the two variables in which higher levels of plasma-25(OH)D are linked to a lower risk for pancreatic cancer. One limitation of the study mentioned is the use of a single measure of 25(OH)D.

The article discusses a research study on the association of prostate cancer risk with common polymorphisms of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and receptor genes (ADIPOR1/R2). Researchers evaluated 29 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in ADIPOQ of 13 subjects, ADIPOR2 in 11 subjects and ADIPOR1 in 5 subjects. Results showed that four ADIPOQ tagging polymorphisms have significant association with the overall risk for prostate cancer.