Search

BackgroundHypovitaminosis D, a condition highly common among older adults, is associated with 35-percent increased all-cause mortality. In contrast, vitamin D supplementation prevents all-cause mortality. The possible role of the dietary intake of vitamin D on mortality remains yet unknown.ObjectivesThe objective of this prospective study was to determine all-cause mortality risk according to baseline dietary vitamin D intake among older adults while accounting for potential confounders including dietary calcium intake.MethodsVitamin D and calcium dietary intakes were estimated at baseline from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire among 3,066 community-dwelling older women aged ≥75 years, recruited in the French EPIDOS cohort between 1992 and 1994, and for whom information about vital status was available in 2010. Dietary vitamin D and calcium intakes were defined as low if

Background and Purpose: Leukoaraiosis, also called white matter hyperintensities (WMH), is frequently encountered in the brain of older adults. During aging, gray matter structure is also highly affected. WMH or gray matter defects are commonly associated with a higher prevalence of mild cognitive impairment. However, little is known about the relationship between WMH and gray matter. Our aim was thus to explore the relationship between leukoaraiosis severity and gray matter volume in a cohort of healthy older adults.Methods: Leukoaraiosis was rated in participants from the PROOF cohort using the Fazekas scale. Voxel-based morphometry was performed on brain scans to examine the potential link between WMH and changes of local brain volume. A neuropsychological evaluation including attentional, executive, and memory tests was also performed to explore cognition.Results: Out of 315 75-year-old subjects, 228 had punctuate foci of leukoaraiosis and 62 had begun the confluence of foci. Leukoaraiosis was associated with a decrease of gray matter in the middle temporal gyrus, in the right medial frontal gyrus, and in the left parahippocampal gyrus. It was also associated with decreased performances in memory recall, executive functioning, and depression.Conclusion: In a population of healthy older adults, leukoaraiosis was associated with gray matter defects and reduced cognitive performance. Controlling vascular risk factors and detecting early cerebrovascular disease may prevent, at least in part, dementia onset and progression.

BackgroundFalls are frequent and severe in older adults, especially among those with cognitive impairments due to altered motor control. Which brain areas are affected among fallers remains yet not elucidated. The objective of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine whether the history of falls correlated with focal brain volume reductions in older adults.MethodsParticipants from the MERE study (n = 208; mean, 71.9 ± 5.9 years; 43% female; 38% cognitively healthy, 41% with mild cognitive impairment and 21% with dementia) were asked about their history of falls over the preceding year and received a 1.5-Tesla MRI scan of the brain. Cortical gray and white matter subvolumes were automatically segmented using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Age, gender, use of psychoactive drugs, cognitive status, and total intracranial volume were used as covariates.ResultsFifty-eight participants (28%) reported history of falls. Fallers were older (P = 0.001), used more often psychoactive drugs (P = 0.008) and had more often dementia (P = 0.004) compared to non-fallers. After adjustment, we found correlations between the history of falls and brain subvolumes; fallers exhibiting larger gray matter subvolumes in striatum, principally in bilateral caudate nucleus, than non-fallers. By stratifying on cognitive status, these neuroanatomical correlates were retrieved only in participants with MCI or dementia. There were no correlations with the subvolumes of white matter.ConclusionOlder fallers had larger subvolumes in bilateral striatum than non-fallers, principally within the caudate nucleus. This suggests a possible brain adaptative mechanism of falls in people with neurocognitive decline.

With the lack of effective therapy, chemoprevention and vaccination, focusing on the immediate repurposing of existing drugs gives hope of curbing the pandemic. Interestingly, montelukast, a drug usually used in asthma, may be proposed as a potential adjuvant therapy in COVID-19. The aim of the present article was to review the properties of montelukast that could be beneficial in COVID-19. Ten experimentally supported properties were retrieved, either related to SARS-CoV-2 (antiviral properties, prevention of endotheliitis and of neurological disorders linked to SARS-CoV-2), and/or related to the host (improvement of atherogenic vascular inflammation, limitation of the ischemia/reperfusion phenomenon, improvement of respiratory symptoms), and/or related to serious COVID-19 outcomes (limitation of the cytokine storm, mitigation of acute respiratory distress syndrome), and/or related to tissue sequelae (antioxidant properties, anti-fibrosis effects). Based on gathered theoretical evidence, we argue that montelukast should be further tested to prevent and treat COVID-19 outcomes.

Objective: Vitamin D is involved in brain health and function. Our objective was to determine whether the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration was associated with delirium in a case-control study of geriatric inpatients.Methods: Sixty cases with delirium (mean ± SD, 84.8 ± 5.7years; 58.3% female) and 180 age- and gender-matched controls were enrolled in a geriatric acute care unit between 2012 and 2014. The diagnosis of delirium was made using the Confusion Assessment Method. Hypovitaminosis D was defined using consecutively the consensual threshold value of 50 nmol/L and a threshold value calculated from a sensitivity-specificity analysis. Age, gender, number of acute diseases, use of psychoactive drugs, season of testing, and serum concentrations of calcium, parathyroid hormone, creatinine, albumin, TSH, vitamin B9 and vitamin B12 were used as potential confounders.Results: The 60 cases with delirium exhibited lower 25OHD concentration than 180 matched controls (35.4 ± 30.0 nmol/L vs. 45.9 ± 34.5 nmol/L, p = 0.035). Increased 25OHD concentration was associated with a decrease in delirium prevalence (OR = 0.99 [95CI: 0.98–0.99] per nmol/L of 25OHD, p = 0.038). The concentration distinguishing between cases and controls with the best sensitivity-specificity was found between 29.5 and 30.5 nmol/L. The regression models showed that delirium was associated with hypovitaminosis D defined either as 25OHD ≤ 50 nmol/L (OR = 2.37 [95CI: 1.07–5.25], p = 0.034) or as 25OHD ≤ 30 nmol/L (OR = 2.66 [95 CI: 1.30–5.45], p = 0.008).Conclusions: Decreased serum 25OHD concentrations were associated with delirium among acute geriatric inpatients. The threshold concentration to differentiate between cases and controls was around 30 nmol/L.

BackgroundApart from the well-established skeletal effects, vitamin D has been explored as a secretagogue influencing various adipokines, including adiponectin and irisin. Recent evidence suggests that specific forms of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OHD), such as free and bioavailable 25(OH)D, may provide more accurate measurements of vitamin D status. The relationship between vitamin D status and serum irisin and adiponectin concentrations remains largely unexplored, particularly during pregnancy.MethodsWe analyzed data from 67 healthy maternal-neonatal pairs from Northern Greece at birth. Biochemical and hormonal tests were conducted on each maternal-neonatal pair. The vitamin D forms were estimated using validated mathematical models. Subsequently, regression analyses were conducted to determine the association between the vitamin D forms and adipokine levels.ResultsBioavailable maternal 25(OH)D was inversely associated with neonatal irisin concentrations [β=-73.46 (-140.573 to -6.341), p=0.034]. No other associations were observed between maternal vitamin D status and neonatal adipokine concentrations.ConclusionIn conclusion, maternal bioavailable vitamin D concentrations are inversely associated with neonatal serum irisin concentrations, warranting further studies to evaluate the underlying mechanisms for this finding.