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Background: Leptin has been reported to have positive effects on cognition but has not been studied in a population-based sample or stratified by race or gender. Methods Leptin and fat mass were measured in 2,731 subjects, including 50% African Americans. Eight years later, subjects were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Demographic factors and baseline measures, including a deficiency in leptin or levels in excess of what was predicted by fat, were investigated to see which predicted cognitive performance. Results:There was a statistical trend for lower leptin levels to be associated with higher cognitive scores. Once stratified by race and gender, excessive leptin was associated with lower MoCA total scores and delayed recall domain score for black men, but white men demonstrated a reverse relationship. Conclusion: Excess leptin appears to have differential effects on delayed recall in black and white men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For > 50 years, polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) have been used worldwide, mainly as surfactants and emulsifiers, and human exposure to some PFCs is widespread. Objectives: Our goal was to report PFC serum concentrations from a convenience sample of Dallas, Texas, children from birth to < 13 years of age, and to examine age and sex differences in PFC concentrations. Methods: We analyzed 300 serum samples collected in 2009 for eight PFCs by online solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-isotope dilution-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were detected in > 92% of participants; the other PFCs measured were detected less frequently. Overall median concentrations of PFOS (4.1 ng/mL) were higher than those for PFOA (2.85 ng/mL), PFNA (1.2 ng/mL), and PFHxS (1.2 ng/mL). For PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS, we found no significant differences (p < 0.05) by sex, significantly increasing concentrations for all four chemicals by age, and significantly positive correlations between all four compounds. Conclusions: We found no significant differences in the serum concentrations of PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, and PFHxS by sex, but increasing concentrations with age. Our results suggest that these 300 Texas children from birth through 12 years of age continued to be exposed to several PFCs in late 2009, years after changes in production of some PFCs in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]