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Objectives: C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase reactant, has been associated with atherosclerosis and has also been discussed as a target for intervention. The effects of resistance exercise on CRP are currently not clear. The present analysis investigated the response of CRP to resistance exercise in old adults. Design: Intervention study. Setting: Community. Participants: Old Icelandic adults (N = 235, 73.7 ± 5.7 years, 58.2% female). Intervention: Twelve-week resistance exercise program (3 times/week; 3 sets, 6-8 repetitions at 75-80% of the 1-repetition maximum) designed to increase strength and muscle mass of major muscle groups. Measurements: C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Mean CRP levels were 7.1 ± 4.6 mg/dL at baseline, thirty-six (15.6%) subjects had abnormally high CRP (>10 mg/L) values at baseline. After the resistance exercise program the overall changes in CRP were minor and not significant. However, CRP decreased considerably in participants with high CRP at baseline (-4.28 ± 9.41 mg/L; P = 0.015) but increased slightly in participants with normal CRP (0.81 ± 4.58 mg/L, P = 0.021). Conclusion: Our study shows that the concentrations of circulating CRP decreased considerably after a 12-week resistance exercise program in participants with abnormally high CRP at baseline, possibly reducing thus risk for future disease. CRP changed little in participants with normal CRP at the start of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To test whether retinal oxygen metabolism is different in glaucoma patients compared with healthy subjects. Methods This was a two-centre study where retinal vessel oxygen saturation was measured in glaucoma patients and healthy individuals with a non-invasive spectrophotometric retinal oximeter. Visual fields were obtained in the glaucoma patients. Results No statistical difference was found in retinal oxygen saturation in arterioles ( p=0.16), venules (p=0.16) and arteriovenous difference (p=0.24) when all glaucoma patients (n=74) were compared with healthy individuals (n=89). When patients with advanced glaucoma (visual field mean defect (MD ⩾ 10 dB, n=21)) were compared with healthy individuals, the oxygen saturation in venules was higher in glaucoma patients (58.2%±5.4% vs 53.8%±6.4%; p=0.0054, mean±SD) and the arteriovenous difference was lower in glaucoma patients (36.4%±4.7% vs 39.5%±5.7%; p=0.021). In glaucoma patients with mild glaucoma (visual field MD ⩾ 5 dB, n=33), no statistical differences were found in retinal oxygen saturation compared with healthy individuals. Conclusions Glaucoma patients with advanced glaucoma have higher oxygen saturation in venules and lower arteriovenous difference in oxygen saturation compared with healthy individuals. The decreased arteriovenous difference in severe glaucoma may be related to lower oxygen consumption secondary to neuropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. Purpose: To determine the incidence rate as well as causative diagnoses and surgical indications of enucleation in Iceland during the years 1992-2004. Methods: A retrospective population-based incidence study involving the entire population of Iceland. Medical records of all patients who underwent enucleation in Iceland from January 1992 through December 2004 were reviewed. The annually updated Icelandic census was used as a denominator data. Results: Fifty-six eyes were enucleated during 1992-2004. No eviscerations were done, and the three exenterations performed were not included in the study. The mean annual age-adjusted incidence rate of enucleation in Iceland was 1.48 enucleations per 100 000 population in comparison with 2.66 enucleations per 100 000 for the time period 1964-1991. With advancing age, a significant increasing linear trend existed (p < 0.001). The median age at enucleation was 51 years (SD 22; mean 55 years; 16-91 years). The three most common surgical indications for enucleation were blind painful eye, suspected ocular malignancy and acute trauma. The most common causative diagnosis for enucleation was traumatic lesion (39%). The annual incidence was 2.00 enucleations per 100 000 for men and 0.95 for women. There were significantly more men in the traumatic lesion group (p < 0.001), but no gender predominance was found in the other groups of causative diagnoses (p = 0.8). Conclusion: The overall mean annual incidence of enucleation in Iceland is continually decreasing, although the incidence of severe ocular trauma and ocular malignancy is fairly stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To determine whether retinal vessel oxygen saturation in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration ( AMD) is different from that of a healthy population. Methods Oxygen saturation was measured in retinal arterioles and venules in 46 eyes of 46 treatment-naïve exudative AMD patients and 120 eyes of 120 healthy controls. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to compare the two study groups. Results Oxygen saturation in retinal venules increases with age in patients with exudative AMD (0.45 ± 0.19% per year; p = 0.026), while it decreases with age in healthy individuals (−0.13 ± 0.03% per year; p = 0.0002). The slopes are statistically different ( ANCOVA; p = 0.0003). The reverse is true for the arteriovenous difference in oxygen saturation, which decreases with age in AMD patients (−0.29 ± 0.16% per year; p = 0.065) and increases in healthy individuals (0.12 ± 0.03% per year; p < 0.0001). At age 80 years, AMD patients have 2.7 percentage points higher venous oxygen saturation than healthy persons and 4.2 percentage points less arteriovenous difference. Conclusions The data suggest that retinal oxygen metabolism may be altered in exudative AMD. The arteriovenous difference is smaller in exudative AMD than in a healthy cohort, consistent with reduced oxygen extraction by retinal vessels in AMD patients. Further studies are needed to fully understand the role of retinal oxygen metabolism in the pathophysiology of exudative AMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives:A few previous studies indicate that protein supplementation increases gains in muscle mass and strength during a resistance exercise program. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether whey protein supplementation results in greater increases in lean body mass, muscle strength and physical function in elderly individuals during 12 weeks of resistance exercise when compared to isocaloric carbohydrate supplementation.Subjects/Methods:A total of 161 men and women, 65-91 years old, participated in a randomized, controlled, double-blind intervention study, involving dietary supplementation and a 12-week resistance exercise program, designed to increase muscle mass and strength of all major muscle groups. Participants exercised three times a week and received either 20 g of whey protein (n=83) or isocaloric carbohydrate (n=78) in liquid form immediately after each workout. Data were obtained at baseline and end point.Results:The primary outcomes, lean body mass, strength and physical function increased significantly during the course of the study. Type of dietary supplementation did not influence gains in lean body mass (P=0.365), quadriceps strength (P=0.776) or performance during a 6-min walk (P=0.726) or a timed up-and-go test (P=0.151). Twenty participants discontinued the intervention.Conclusions:Ingestion of 20 g of whey protein immediately after resistance exercise three times per week, does not lead to greater gains in lean body mass, strength and physical function in elderly people with sufficient energy and protein intakes when compared to isocaloric carbohydrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lean body mass (LBM) is important to maintain physical function during aging. We hypothesized that dietary protein intake and leisure-time physical activity are associated with LBM in community-dwelling older adults. To test the hypothesis, participants (n = 237; age, 65-92 years) did 3-day weighed food records and reported physical activity. Body composition was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Protein intake was 0.98 ± 0.28 and 0.95 ± 0.29 g/kg body weight in male and female participants, respectively. Protein intake (in grams per kilogram of body weight) was associated with LBM (in kilograms); that is, the differences in LBM were 2.3 kg (P < .05) and 2.0 kg (P = .054) between the fourth vs the first and the fourth vs the second quartiles of protein intake, respectively. Only a minor part of this association was explained by increased energy intake, which follows an increased protein intake. Our study shows that dietary protein intake was positively associated with LBM in older adults with a mean protein intake higher than the current recommended daily allowance of 0.8 g/kg per day. Leisure-time physical activity, predominantly consisting of endurance type exercises, was not related to LBM in this group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background. Insulin is a stimulator of skeletal muscle protein anabolism and insulin resistance might therefore negatively affect muscle protein metabolism. We investigated muscle mass and physical function before and after a resistance exercise program in participants with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in comparison to healthy controls. Methods. This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled intervention designed to investigate resistance training among older adults. Glucose metabolism status was not a selection criteria for the trial, and group designation was done retrospectively. Participants (N = 237, 73.7 ± 5.7 y, 58.2% women) participated in a 12-week resistance exercise program (3 times/week; three sets, six to eight repetitions at 75%–80% of the one-repetition maximum), designed to increase strength and muscle mass of major muscle groups. Body composition, muscular strength, timed up and go test, 6-minute walk for distance, and blood chemical variables were measured at baseline and endpoint. Results. Participants completing the study (n = 213) experienced significant changes in muscle strength or muscle function, which did not differ significantly between healthy (n = 198), prediabetic (n = 20), and T2DM participants (n = 17). Changes in serum glucose during the intervention differed by group: only glucose improved significantly in the prediabetic group, glucose and triacylglycerol improved significantly in the healthy group, whereas no serum parameter improved significantly in the T2DM group. Conclusions. A 12-week resistance exercise program improves muscle strength and muscle function to a similar extent in healthy, prediabetic, and T2DM elderly people. However, according to our data, T2DM participants do not experience favorable changes in fasting glucose or HbA1C. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background/aims The use of intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor antibodies for exudative agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) has stressed ophthalmology services and drug budgets throughout the world. The authors study the population-based incidence of exudative AMD in Iceland and the use of intravitreal ranibizumab in a defined population. Methods This is a prospective study of 439 consecutive patients aged 60 years and older with exudative AMD starting intravitreal ranibizumab for exudative AMD in Iceland from March 2007 to December 2009. All patients initially received three consecutive ranibizumab injections, with regular follow-up visits and re-treatment as needed. Results In total, 517 eyes from 439 patients received treatment for exudative AMD (mean age 79 years). The annual incidence of exudative AMD in the population 60 years and older is 0.29%. The incidence increased with advancing age, double for patients 85 years and older compared with those 75e79 years. Approximately 2400 ranibizumab injections per 100 000 persons aged 60 years and older were given each year for exudative AMD. Conclusions These data allow an estimation of the incidence of exudative AMD in a Caucasian population and the treatment load with ranibizumab, which may help plan anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment programmes and estimate costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the effects of resistance training on health related quality of life (HRQL) in the elderly. Aim: The main purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of resistance training on strength, body composition, functional capacity and HRQL in independent living elderly people. We hypothesised that resistance training would improve lean mass, muscle strength, physical function and HRQL. Methods: Subjects (N = 237, 73.7±5.7yrs, 58.2% female) participated in a 12-week resistance exercise program (3 times/week; 3 sets, 6-8 repetitions at 75-80% of the 1-repetition maximum) designed to increase strength and muscle mass of major muscle groups. Body composition, quadriceps- and grip strength, timed up and go test (TUG), six minute walk for distance (6MW) and HRQL were measured at baseline and endpoint. Results: Two hundred-and-four participants completed the study. Although the increase in lean mass was small (+0.8 kg, P<0.01), quadriceps strength (+53.5N), grip strength (+3.0lb), TUG (-0.6sec), 6MW (+33.6m) and HRQL (+1.2 t-score) improved significantly (all P<0.01). Changes in 6MW predicted improvement in HRQL after 12 weeks. Conclusions: Our study shows that a 12-week resistance exercise program significantly improves lean mass, muscle strength, physical function and HRQL in elderly individuals, and that improvements in physical function predict improvements in HRQL. Our study indicates that resistance training should be promoted for the elderly as it has the potential to improve physical performance, thereby prolonging healthy, independent aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern Hemisphere summer cooling through the Holocene is largely driven by the steady decrease in summer insolation tied to the precession of the equinoxes. However, centennial-scale climate departures, such as the Little Ice Age, must be caused by other forcings, most likely explosive volcanism and changes in solar irradiance. Stratospheric volcanic aerosols have the stronger forcing, but their short residence time likely precludes a lasting climate impact from a single eruption. Decadally paced explosive volcanism may produce a greater climate impact because the long response time of ocean surface waters allows for a cumulative decrease in sea-surface temperatures that exceeds that of any single eruption. Here we use a global climate model to evaluate the potential long-term climate impacts from four decadally paced large tropical eruptions. Direct forcing results in a rapid expansion of Arctic Ocean sea ice that persists throughout the eruption period. The expanded sea ice increases the flux of sea ice exported to the northern North Atlantic long enough that it reduces the convective warming of surface waters in the subpolar North Atlantic. In two of our four simulations the cooler surface waters being advected into the Arctic Ocean reduced the rate of basal sea-ice melt in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean, allowing sea ice to remain in an expanded state for > 100 model years after volcanic aerosols were removed from the stratosphere. In these simulations the coupled sea ice-ocean mechanism maintains the strong positive feedbacks of an expanded Arctic Ocean sea ice cover, allowing the initial cooling related to the direct effect of volcanic aerosols to be perpetuated, potentially resulting in a centennial-scale or longer change of state in Arctic climate. The fact that the sea ice-ocean mechanism was not established in two of our four simulations suggests that a long-term sea ice response to volcanic forcing is sensitive to the stability of the seawater column, wind, and ocean currents in the North Atlantic during the eruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives:The aims were (1) to compare fat free mass (FFM) estimates from regional hand-held bioelectrical impedance analysis (HHBIA) with conventional BIA (CBIA) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and (2) to develop a population specific equation for FFM prediction in Icelandic elderly.Subjects/Methods:DXA, CBIA and HHBIA data were available for 98 free-living Icelandic elderly (age=73.0±5.6 years, body mass index=28.8±5.2 kg/m2). Participants were randomized into a development block (n=50) and validation block (n=48). A population specific equation for FFM prediction was calculated using CBIA-derived resistance and anthropometric data from the development block and then compared with other BIA equations (Deurenberg, Segal, company-specific equations) and DXA estimates using the validation block.Results:The correlations between BIA methods and DXA were very high, that is, >0.9; however, mean differences compared with DXA were quite variable, ranging from −5.0 (Deurenberg) to +2.5 (Segal, HHBIA) and +3.3 kg (CBIA). Mean difference of the population-specific equation was below 0.1 kg. The standard deviations of the differences ranged from 2.6 to 3.3 kg. The limits of agreement of the BIA methods were similar and between 9.9 and 12.9 kg.Conclusions:In Icelandic elderly, HHBIA and CBIA produce similar FFM estimates when using company-specific prediction equations. CBIA provides the additional possibility to use a population-specific prediction equation, which yields best results. However, limits of agreement were wide and similar of all employed BIA methods, which indicates principal limitations of BIA analysis in the determination of FFM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional and biochemical properties of fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) from blue whiting (BW) were studied. FPH (2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 15% degree of hydrolysis [DH]) were made from isolated proteins from headed and gutted BW with Alcalase 2.4 L. The properties of dried BW mince and protein isolate compared to 4 reference proteins (soy and milk protein) were studied: color, solubility, water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-binding capacity (OBC), emulsion capacity (EC), and emulsion stability (ES). The angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of the soluble fraction of BW powders were also investigated. Furthermore, the products were characterized by analyzing their chemical composition. Chemical composition, solubility, OBC, and EC of the BW powders was significantly ( P < 0.05) different with different DH, while color, ES, and WHC were not significantly ( P > 0.05) different. Salt content of the FPH was high (4% to 19%) and increased with increased DH. Protein solubility varied from 10% to 70% and increased with increased DH. WHC of the FPH was around 97% and was higher than that of all the reference proteins tested. OBC decreased with increased DH (from 3.5 to 2.1 g oil/g protein) and was higher than OBC of the soy and milk proteins (1.6 to 1.9 g oil/g protein). EC of FPH was similar or lower than the reference proteins. ES of FPH (60% to 90%) was similar to or lower than soy and whey proteins (60% to 98%) but higher than casein (20%). ACE inhibition activity increased as DH was increased. The results from this study demonstrate that a functional bioactive hydrolysate can be produced from BW, which is an underutilized fish species, and may aid the industry in better utilizing this raw material. The novelty of this research was the use of BW as a raw material where the protein has been isolated with the pH shift method. Furthermore, it was novel that bioactivity and functionality was measured in the same samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection of electroencephalography (EEG) data during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is impeded by large artefacts in the EEG recordings, with the pulse artefact (PA) being particularly challenging because of its persistence even after application of artefact correction algorithms. Despite several possible causes of the PA having been hypothesized, few studies have rigorously quantified the contributions from the different putative sources. This article presents analytic expressions and simulations describing two possible sources of the PA corresponding to different movements in the strong static field of the MR scanner: cardiac-pulse-driven head rotation and blood-flow-induced Hall voltages. Models of head rotation about a left-right axis and flow in a deep artery running in the anterior-posterior direction reproduced properties of the PA including the left/right spatial variation of polarity. Of these two sources, head rotation was shown to be the most likely source of the PA with simulated magnitudes of >200 μV being generated at 3 T, similar to the in vivo PA magnitudes, for an angular velocity of just 0.5°/s. Smaller artefact voltages of less than 10 μV were calculated for flow in a model artery with physical characteristics similar to the internal carotid artery. A deeper physical understanding of the PA is a key step in working toward production of higher fidelity EEG/fMRI data: analytic expressions for the artefact voltages can guide a redesign of the wiring layout on EEG caps to minimize intrinsic artefact pickup, while simulated artefact maps could be incorporated into selective filters. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High frequencies of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in chromosome 11q22-qter have been observed in various malignancies, including breast cancer. Previous studies on breast carcinomas by Winqvist et al (Cancer Res 55: 2660-2664) have indicated that a survival factor gene is located in band 11q23, and that the highly informative microsatellite polymorphism at the APOC3 locus would be a suitable tool to perform more extensive LOH studies. In this European multicentre study, we have examined the occurrence of APOC3 LOH and evaluated the effect of LOH of this chromosomal subregion on the clinical behaviour of the disease in a cohort of 766 breast cancer patients in more detail. LOH for APOC3 was found in 42% of the studied tumours, but it was not found to be significantly associated with any of the studied clinical variables, including cancer-specific survival time or survival time after recurrent/metastatic disease. According to the present findings, the putative survival factor gene on 11q23 is not located close enough to the APOC3 gene, but apparently at a more proximal location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]