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This study examined the differences in medical and long-term care costs over 18 months between pet owners and non-owners among community-dwelling older Japanese. Pet ownership data were collected from 460 community-dwelling adults age 65 years and older. These data were matched with data from the National Health Insurance, health insurance for older people, and Long-Term Care Insurance beneficiaries for 17 months back from the survey on pet ownership. Pet-ownership group-specific trajectories in monthly medical and long-term care costs were modeled by a generalized estimating equation. Among pet owners (n = 96, 20.9%) and non-pet owners (n = 364, 79.1%) there were no significant differences in baseline demographic or health characteristics including chronic disease and self-reported long-term care level. At baseline, pet owners had estimated monthly medical costs of ¥48,054 (SE = 0.11; $418), compared to ¥42,260 (SE = 0.06; $367) for non-pet owners. The monthly medical costs did not differ significantly between the two groups during the 18-month follow-up period. At baseline, estimated monthly long-term care costs of pet owners and non-pet owners were ¥676 (SE = 0.75; $6) and ¥1,420 (SE = 0.52; $12), respectively. During the follow-up period, the non-pet owner to owner ratio of monthly long-term care costs was 1.2 at minimum and 2.3 at maximum. This study showed that monthly long-term care costs for pet owners were approximately half those of non-pet owners. Pet owners might use long-term care services less frequently, or use lighter care services.

Objectives This study examined the association between dog and cat ownership, the onset of disability and all-cause mortality in an older population. Dog and cat owners take more regular exercise and have closer social relationships than non-owners. We further assess the beneficial effects of these moderating variables on the onset of disability and mortality. Methods Dog and cat ownership data were collected from 11233 community-dwelling adults age 65 years and older. These data were matched with data about the onset of disability held by the Japanese long-term care insurance system. Local registry data were used to ascertain all-cause mortality. Results During the approximately 3.5 year follow-up period, 17.1% of the sample suffered onset of disability, and 5.2% died. Logistic regression analysis indicated that, compared with a reference group of those who had never owned a dog (odds ratio fixed at 1.0), older adults who were currently dog owners had a significantly lower odds ratio of onset of disability (OR = 0.54 95% CI: 0.37–0.79). Our results further show that regular exercise interacts with dog ownership to reduce the risk of disability. The association of dog and/or cat ownership with all-cause mortality was not statistically significant. Conclusions Dog ownership appears to protect against incident disability among older Japanese adults. Additional benefits are gained from ownership combined with regular exercise. Daily dog care may have an important role to play in health promotion and successful aging.

OBJECTIVES:Recent studies reported that several gait parameters were associated with lower cognitive function or cognitive decline, however, known gait parameters were limited and no study has used large-scale data. We identified the characteristics for gait parameters of community-dwelling elderly Japanese with lower cognitive function. METHODS:1,240 community-dwelling adults (mean [SD] age, 77.2 [4.8] years; women, 59.4%) aged 70 or older participated in geriatric health assessments in 2016. We measured comprehensive gait parameters using resistive pressure platform. Cognition was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). RESULTS:There are possible correlations between gait measures (gait speed, stride length, step length, step width, average foot pressure, double support duration, and single support duration) and CVs (CV of stride length, step length, average foot pressure, and single support duration) with MMSE score, respectively. After adjustment for important confounders, multiple regression models showed that gait speed (β = .080, p = 0.006), stride length (β = .123, p

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206399.].

ObjectivesPrevious studies examined the physical characteristics of older dog owners. However, associations of health-related factors with dog/cat ownership have not been comprehensively evaluated. This cross-sectional study examined physical function, physical activity, social function, and psychological function of a population of community-dwelling older Japanese dog and cat owners after controlling for important confounders.MethodsThe analysis included data from 11,233 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older (51.5% women; 52.3% aged 75-84), in Ota City, Tokyo, Japan. Pet ownership experience and pet species owned were determined by self-reported questionnaire, and current, past, and never dog/cat ownership was analyzed.ResultsAnalysis of variables related to physical function and physical activity showed that motor fitness scale and walking activity were significantly associated with experience of dog ownership, after adjustment for important sociodemographic and health characteristics. Analysis of social function showed that interaction with neighbors, social isolation, and trust in neighbors were significantly associated with experience of dog ownership and cat ownership.ConclusionsAs compared with respondents with no history of pet ownership, motor fitness and walking activity are greater for dog owners and social function is higher for dog and cat owners. Caring for a dog or cat might be an effective health promotion strategy to increase physical activity and facilitate social participation among older adults.

BACKGROUND:The relation of a single risk factor with atherosclerosis is established. Clinically we know of risk factor clustering within individuals. Yet, studies into the magnitude of the relation of risk factor clusters with atherosclerosis are limited. Here, we assessed that relation. METHODS:Individual participant data from 14 cohorts, involving 59,025 individuals were used in this cross-sectional analysis. We made 15 clusters of four risk factors (current smoking, overweight, elevated blood pressure, elevated total cholesterol). Multilevel age and sex adjusted linear regression models were applied to estimate mean differences in common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) between clusters using those without any of the four risk factors as reference group. RESULTS:Compared to the reference, those with 1, 2, 3 or 4 risk factors had a significantly higher common CIMT: mean difference of 0.026 mm, 0.052 mm, 0.074 mm and 0.114 mm, respectively. These findings were the same in men and in women, and across ethnic groups. Within each risk factor cluster (1, 2, 3 risk factors), groups with elevated blood pressure had the largest CIMT and those with elevated cholesterol the lowest CIMT, a pattern similar for men and women. CONCLUSION:Clusters of risk factors relate to increased common CIMT in a graded manner, similar in men, women and across race-ethnic groups. Some clusters seemed more atherogenic than others. Our findings support the notion that cardiovascular prevention should focus on sets of risk factors rather than individual levels alone, but may prioritize within clusters.

Clinical manifestations and outcomes of atherosclerotic disease differ between ethnic groups. In addition, the prevalence of risk factors is substantially different. Primary prevention programs are based on data derived from almost exclusively White people. We investigated how race/ethnic differences modify the associations of established risk factors with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.We used data from an ongoing individual participant meta-analysis involving 17 population-based cohorts worldwide. We selected 60,211 participants without cardiovascular disease at baseline with available data on ethnicity (White, Black, Asian or Hispanic). We generated a multivariable linear regression model containing risk factors and ethnicity predicting mean common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and a multivariable Cox regression model predicting myocardial infarction or stroke. For each risk factor we assessed how the association with the preclinical and clinical measures of cardiovascular atherosclerotic disease was affected by ethnicity.Ethnicity appeared to significantly modify the associations between risk factors and CIMT and cardiovascular events. The association between age and CIMT was weaker in Blacks and Hispanics. Systolic blood pressure associated more strongly with CIMT in Asians. HDL cholesterol and smoking associated less with CIMT in Blacks. Furthermore, the association of age and total cholesterol levels with the occurrence of cardiovascular events differed between Blacks and Whites.The magnitude of associations between risk factors and the presence of atherosclerotic disease differs between race/ethnic groups. These subtle, yet significant differences provide insight in the etiology of cardiovascular disease among race/ethnic groups. These insights aid the race/ethnic-specific implementation of primary prevention.

Synaptogenesis is a fundamental step in neuronal development. For spiny glutamatergic synapses in hippocampus and cortex, synaptogenesis involves adhesion of pre and postsynaptic membranes, delivery and anchorage of pre and postsynaptic structures including scaffolds such as PSD-95 and NMDA and AMPA receptors, which are glutamate-gated ion channels, as well as the morphological maturation of spines. Although electrical activity-dependent mechanisms are established regulators of these processes, the mechanisms that function during early development, prior to the onset of electrical activity, are unclear. The Eph receptors and ephrins provide cell contact-dependent pathways that regulate axonal and dendritic development. Members of the ephrin-A family are glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored to the cell surface and activate EphA receptors, which are receptor tyrosine kinases.Here we show that ephrin-A5 interaction with the EphA5 receptor following neuron-neuron contact during early development of hippocampus induces a complex program of synaptogenic events, including expression of functional synaptic NMDA receptor-PSD-95 complexes plus morphological spine maturation and the emergence of electrical activity. The program depends upon voltage-sensitive calcium channel Ca2+ fluxes that activate PKA, CaMKII and PI3 kinase, leading to CREB phosphorylation and a synaptogenic program of gene expression. AMPA receptor subunits, their scaffolds and electrical activity are not induced. Strikingly, in contrast to wild type, stimulation of hippocampal slices from P6 EphA5 receptor functional knockout mice yielded no NMDA receptor currents.These studies suggest that ephrin-A5 and EphA5 signals play a necessary, activity-independent role in the initiation of the early phases of synaptogenesis. The coordinated expression of the NMDAR and PSD-95 induced by eprhin-A5 interaction with EphA5 receptors may be the developmental switch that induces expression of AMPAR and their interacting proteins and the transition to activity-dependent synaptic regulation.