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Background and Objective: There is insufficient evidence on whether the concordance of sociodemographic, behavioral, and nutritional characteristics between spouses correlates with the concordance of metabolic syndrome (MetS) between spouses, or if a spouse's characteristics are directly linked to their own MetS. This study seeks to evaluate the association between the concordance of characteristics and the concordance of MetS in couples and investigate whether a spouse's attributes are linked to their partner's MetS. Methods: Analyzing data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019–2021, 1824 couples with complete data, including MetS parameters, sociodemographic details, health behaviors, and dietary information, were included. General linear model and logistic regression were employed. Results: Among couples, 10.7% exhibited concordant MetS, with spousal concordance ranging from 1.3% to 81.5% for nonoptimal characteristics. Multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of both partners having MetS increased by 1.04–1.61 times with a higher mean age of the couple and higher concordance in lower education, poor subjective health, insufficient strength exercise, and excessive carbohydrate consumption. When accounting for both individual and spousal factors, the odds of MetS rose with the higher mean age of the couple, having a spouse with MetS, their own characteristics (lower education, poor subjective health, insufficient strength exercise, and sedentary behavior for husbands and wives; alcohol consumption and insufficient walking for husbands; and excessive carbohydrate intake for wives), and spousal factors such as smoking (in husbands) and lower education, lower economic status, and excessive carbohydrate intake (in wives). In wives, spousal sedentary behavior and poor subjective health were linked to decreased odds. Conclusions: The findings suggest a connection between MetS concordance and shared characteristics in couples, as well as an association between both spousal MetS status and characteristics and their own MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-dependent accumulation of amyloid plaques in patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with reduced amyloid clearance. Older microglia have a reduced ability to phagocytose amyloid, so phagocytosis of amyloid plaques by microglia could be regulated to prevent amyloid accumulation. Furthermore, considering the aging-related disruption of cell cycle machinery in old microglia, we hypothesize that regulating their cell cycle could rejuvenate them and enhance their ability to promote more efficient amyloid clearance. First, we used gene ontology analysis of microglia from young and old mice to identify differential expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p16ink4a), a cell cycle factor related to aging. We found that p16ink4a expression was increased in microglia near amyloid plaques in brain tissue from patients with AD and 5XFAD mice, a model of AD. In BV2 microglia, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated p16ink4a downregulation transformed microglia with enhanced amyloid phagocytic capacity through regulated the cell cycle and increased cell proliferation. To regulate microglial phagocytosis by gene transduction, we used poly (D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles, which predominantly target microglia, to deliver the siRNA and to control microglial reactivity. Nanoparticle-based delivery of p16ink4a siRNA reduced amyloid plaque formation and the number of aged microglia surrounding the plaque and reversed learning deterioration and spatial memory deficits. We propose that downregulation of p16ink4a in microglia is a promising strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies on trends in the proportions of past-year weight loss attempts among Asian adults are limited. Our hypotheses were that trends in the proportions would increase and sociodemographic, weight, and health-related factors would be associated with these attempts. Methods: Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2021, this study evaluated the trends and their related factors among Korean adults. Complex sample design analyses were applied to the data of 80,160 adults. Results: The weighted proportion of past-year weight loss attempts increased from 35.2% in 2005 to 41.3% in 2021. The proportion of past-year weight loss attempts increased for individuals with nonobese body mass index (BMIs) (<25 kg/m2), decreased for males with obese BMIs (≥25 kg/m2), and did not change for females with obese BMIs. A multivariate-adjusted model showed that the proportion of weight loss attempts decreased for males and increased for females over the 16-year period [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval): males, 0.993 (0.988–0.998); females, 1.013 (1.009–1.017)]. The OR of weight loss attempts was higher for females, younger individuals, and those with higher economic status, higher BMIs, self-perceived larger body shapes, self-rated better health, and chronic diseases. These characteristics decreased the odds of individuals with obese BMIs making no weight loss attempts. Conclusions: The proportion of past-year weight loss attempts increased over the 16-year period among all participants, but a declining trend was observed for those with obesity. In addition to BMI, socioeconomic factors, subjective perceptions of body shape, and health-related factors were related to weight loss attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]