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In the general population, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference are recognized risk factors for several chronic diseases and all-cause mortality. However, whether these associations are the same for older adults is less clear. The association of baseline BMI and waist circumference with all-cause and cause-specific mortality was investigated in 18,209 Australian and US participants (mean age: 75.1 ± 4.5 years) from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, followed up for a median of 6.9 years (IQR: 5.7, 8.0). There were substantially different relationships observed in men and women. In men, the lowest risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was observed with a BMI in the range 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 [HR25-29.9 vs 21–24.9 kg/m2: 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73–1.00] while the highest risk was in those who were underweight [HRBMI <21 kg/m2 vs BMI 21–24.9 kg/m2: 1.82; 95% CI 1.30–2.55], leading to a clear U-shaped relationship. In women, all-cause mortality was highest in those with the lowest BMI leading to a J-shaped relationship (HRBMI <21 kg/m2 vs BMI 21–24.9 kg/m2: 1.64; 95% CI 1.26–2.14). Waist circumference showed a weaker relationship with all-cause mortality in both men and women. There was little evidence of a relationship between either index of body size and subsequent cancer mortality in men or women, while non-cardiovascular non-cancer mortality was higher in underweight participants. For older men, being overweight was found to be associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, while among both men and women, a BMI in the underweight category was associated with a higher risk. Waist circumference alone had little association with all-cause or cause-specific mortality risk. Trial registration ASPREE https://ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01038583. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the distribution of PSA levels, we applied linear regression models to the natural-log-transformed PSA levels against the length of regular marijuana use, controlling for age and cigarette smoking status. Length of RMU was significantly associated with higher PSA levels in African Americans ( I P i = 0.008), with a 10-year increase in regular use associated with a 20.4% increase of total PSA levels from baseline (95% CI 5.0-38.1%). We designed a study to characterize regular marijuana use (RMU) and its association with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a biomarker tested in men typically over the age of 50 to help screen prostate cancer [[2]-[4]] by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). [Extracted from the article]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and often progressive inflammatory disease of the airways that is both preventable and treatable. It is well established that those with mild-to-moderate disease severity represent the majority of patients with COPD, yet this subpopulation is relatively under-studied. Because of an insidious pre-clinical phase, COPD is both under-diagnosed and under-treated. Recent studies have confirmed that even patients with mild, grade 1 COPD [i.e. those with a reduced forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1)/forced vital capacity ratio but normal FEV 1], have measurable physiological impairment with increased morbidity and a higher risk of mortality compared with non-smoking healthy controls. Beyond the imperative of smoking cessation—the pivotal intervention in all COPD stages—the role of pharmacotherapy for prevention of disease progression has yet to be established. The main objective of this review is to provide a concise overview of the heterogeneous pathophysiology of COPD with only mild airway obstruction on spirometry and obstacles for early diagnosis. We emphasize that the absence of sufficiently powered trials involving a large number of patients precludes definitive recommendations in support of (or against) long-term pharmacological treatment in mild COPD. Despite these limitations, we present a rationale for earlier pharmacological intervention derived from recent physiological studies performed in symptomatic patients with mild COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the contribution of alterations in central ventilatory control, static and dynamic respiratory mechanics and their interaction to exertional breathlessness in healthy human pregnancy. Detailed ventilatory, respiratory mechanical/muscular and perceptual responses to incremental cycle exercise were compared in the third trimester (TM(3)) and again approximately 5 months post-partum (PP) in women with (B, n = 12) and without (NB, n = 15) clinically significant activity-related breathlessness (measured by the baseline dyspnea index). In contrast to NB, breathlessness intensity ratings were significantly higher at any given work rate during exercise in TM(3) versus PP within B. This difference could not be explained by differences in central ventilatory control or respiratory mechanical/muscular factors. When compared with NB, the B group had an exaggerated ventilatory response to exercise in PP and TM(3), and appeared to lack central desensitization to the perceptual effects of maternal hyperventilation that was manifest within the NB group. In conclusion, gestational breathlessness could not be explained by alterations in central ventilatory control or respiratory mechanical/muscular factors, but reflected the normal awareness of increased ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Should Mild COPD be Treated? Evidence for Early Pharmacological Intervention," A. F. Elbehairy, and colleagues published in a previous issue in 2013 is presented.