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We sought to assess cognitive benefits of a community-based multidomain intervention for improving cognition among older adults at risk of cognitive decline (COMBAT).A two-armed cluster-randomized controlled trial.Community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older and were at risk of cognitive decline (n = 209).In this 9-month intervention study, 10 community hospitals in Beijing, China, were randomized (1:1) to receive either a multidomain intervention of meditation, cognitive training, exercise, and nutrition counseling or usual care. The intervention was delivered with weekly 1-hour group training sessions and weekly home homework.Primary outcome was change in cognition as measured by a composite Z score of seven cognitive tests. Secondary outcomes included subjective cognitive abilities, positive and negative affective experiences, physical activity, and dietary habits. Assessments were administered at baseline, end of the intervention, and 1 year after completing the intervention (1-year follow-up).Immediately after the intervention, the intervention group showed significant enhancement in cognitive performance (p = 0.026). The between-group difference in the Z score of change of cognition was 0.20 (95% CI: 0.053, 0.35), with a Hedges' g of 0.40 (95% CI: 0.29, 0.50). However, this cognitive benefit was not significant at 1-year follow-up.This multidomain intervention was effective to improve cognition for at-risk individuals. Long-term effects on cognitive function and individual differences in response to the intervention deserve further investigation.

Background Several guidelines have suggested alternative glycemic markers for hemoglobin A1c among older adults with limited life expectancy or multiple coexisting chronic illnesses. We evaluated associations between fructosamine, albumin-corrected fructosamine (AlbF), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and mortality in the diabetic and nondiabetic subpopulations, and compared which marker better predicts mortality among participants aged 80 and older. Methods Included were 2 238 subjects from the Healthy Ageing and Biomarkers Cohort Study (2012–2018) and 207 participants had diabetes at baseline. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models investigated the associations of fructosamine, AlbF, FPG, and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and non-CVD mortality in the diabetic and nondiabetic subpopulations. Restricted cubic splines explored potential nonlinear relations. C-statistic, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and net reclassification improvement (NRI) evaluated the additive value of different glycemic markers to predict mortality. Results Overall, 1 191 deaths were documented during 6 793 person-years of follow-up. In the linear model, per unit increases of fructosamine, AlbF, and FPG were associated with a higher risk of mortality in nondiabetic participants, with hazard ratios of 1.02 (1.00, 1.05), 1.27 (1.14, 1.42), and 1.04 (0.98, 1.11) for all-cause mortality, and 1.04 (1.00, 1.07), 1.38 (1.19, 1.59), and 1.10 (1.01, 1.19) for non-CVD mortality, respectively. Comparisons indicated that AlbF better predicts all-cause and non-CVD mortality in nondiabetic participants with significant improvement in IDI and NRI. Conclusions Higher concentrations of fructosamine, AlbF, and FPG were associated with a higher risk of all-cause or non-CVD mortality among the very elderly where AlbF may constitute an alternative prospective glycemic predictor of mortality.

Objective we aimed to investigate the association of smoking cessation with risk of all-cause mortality amongst oldest old people (aged ≥ 80 years). Design this was a prospective cohort study. Setting the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, implemented in 23 provinces of China. Participants a total of 28,643 community-dwelling oldest old people (mean age, 92.9 ± 7.5 years) were included. Methods in this community-based cohort study, Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the association of smoking cessation with risk of all-cause mortality. Results during 136,585 person-years of follow-up from baseline to 1 September 2014, compared with never smokers, hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for all-cause mortality were 1.06 (1.02–1.10) for current smokers, 1.23 (1.09–1.39) for transient quitters (≤1 consecutive years since smoking cessation), 1.22 (1.12–1.32) for recent quitters (2–6 consecutive years since smoking cessation) and 1.11 (1.02–1.22) for long-term quitters (>6 consecutive years since smoking cessation). Cox models with penalised splines revealed an increased risk of all-cause mortality after smoking cessation; the highest mortality risk was observed within 2–4 years after smoking cessation and the risk gradually decreased with duration of smoking cessation. We further conducted subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses to reduce the impact of reverse causation. Conclusions smoking is harmful to health in all populations. Our study findings indicated smoking cessation in late life to be associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality amongst oldest old people who have smoked for a long time.

What is already known on this topic? Healthy aging among Chinese older people has low prevalence. Some sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were shown to be associated with healthy aging. What is added by this report? The age-adjusted prevalence of healthy aging in the 6 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) of China is 15.8 % in 2019. County-level factors, such as the prevalence of healthy communities in a county, as well as some sociodemographic variables and physical exercise, are potential factors of healthy aging. What are the implications for public health practice? These findings showed that more targeted actions, including generalizing healthy communities and individual-level interventions, may be of great importance for healthy aging.

Background The aim of this study was to examine the trends in impairment regarding activities of daily living (ADL), physical performance, and cognitive function among the oldest-old (those aged 80 and older) in China between 1998 and 2014. Methods We used data on 34,297 oldest-old individuals from the seven waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study. We estimated age, period, and cohort effects on the prevalence of self-reported ADL impairment, tested physical performance and cognitive function impairment using the age–period–cohort model. Results Regarding age, the prevalence of ADL, physical performance, and cognitive function impairment were highest in the centenarians, but they did not increase with age in this population. Among the literate subgroup, the prevalence of cognitive impairment increased more rapidly with age than that in the illiterate subgroup. Regarding period, the prevalence of self-reported and tested physical impairment slowly increased between 1998 and 2014, but cognitive impairment remained stable. Regarding cohort, ADL impairment continuously decreased. However, physical and cognitive impairment remained stable after a brief decline in the early birth cohorts. Conclusions The results suggest that the age effect is still the most obvious effect regarding several types of functional impairment. The likelihood of a younger person experiencing functional impairment may not change significantly, but ADL is likely to be amenable to improvement resulting from improved medical and social care. Therefore, increased care for the oldest-old may considerably improve their quality of life, particularly regarding their basic ADL.

Background: Research on the relationship between long-term exposure to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5) and poor cognitive function is lacking in developing countries, especially in highly polluted areas. Objectives: We evaluated associations of long-term exposure to PM2.5 with poor cognitive function in a diverse, national sample of older adults in China. Methods: This analysis included data on 13,324 older adults (5,879 who were 65–79 years of age, 3,052 who were 80–89 years of age, 2,634 who were 90–99 years of age, and 1,759 who were ≥100 years of age) with normal cognitive function at baseline from March 2002 to September 2014, with 64,648 person-years of follow-up. We used a geographic information system analysis to estimate the annual average satellite-derived PM2.5 concentration for the geocoded location of the participants’ baseline residences. Poor cognitive function was defined as a score of less than 18 on the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Competing risk models were performed to explore the association of PM2.5 with poor cognitive function. Results: Each 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 5.1% increased risk of poor cognitive function [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.051; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.023, 1.079]. Compared to the lowest quartile of PM2.5 (

Summary Background Evidence from cohort studies in North America and Europe indicates that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2·5) is associated with an increased mortality risk. However, this association has rarely been quantified at higher ambient concentrations. We estimated the hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality from long-term exposure to PM2·5 in a well established Chinese cohort of older adults. Methods The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) is a prospective cohort study of men and women aged 65 years and older enrolled in 2008 and followed up through 2014 for mortality events. We studied individuals for whom residential locations were available in 2008 for linkage to 1 km grids of PM2·5 concentrations, derived from satellite remote sensing. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effect of long-term exposure to PM2·5 on all-cause mortality, controlling for age, sex, smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, body-mass index, household income, marital status, and education. We then used our results to estimate premature mortality related to PM2·5 exposure in the population aged 65 years and older in China in 2010. Findings 13 344 individuals in the CLHLS cohort had data for all timepoints, yielding follow-up data for 49 440 person-years. In a 3-year window, these individuals were exposed to a median PM2·5 concentration of 50·7 μg/m3 (range 6·7–113·3). The overall HR for a 10 μg/m3 increase in this value was 1·08 (95% CI 1·06–1·09). In stratified analyses, HRs were higher in rural than in urban locations, in southern versus northern regions, and with exposure to lower versus higher PM2·5 concentrations. Based on the overall HR, we estimated that 1 765 820 people aged 65 years and older in China in 2010 had premature mortality related to PM2·5 exposure. Interpretation Long-term exposure to PM2·5 is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality among adults aged 65 years and older in China, but the magnitude of the risk declines as the concentration of PM2·5 increases. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China, National High-Level Talents Special Support Plan of China for Young Talents, US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Columbia University Global Policy Initiative.

Objectives A few studies of Western populations have found inconsistent results regarding the associations between vitamin D status and physical function. We explored the association between circulating vitamin D status [plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D] and incident activities of daily living (ADL) disability among Chinese older adults. Design Community-based longitudinal cohort study. Setting and Participants A total of 2453 men and women (median age 84.0 years) in 7 Chinese longevity areas were included. Measures Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident ADL, with adjustments for potential sociodemographic, and lifestyle confounders and biomarkers. Because there was a statistically significant interaction between plasma 25(OH)D and sex in relation to incident ADL, men and women were analyzed separately. Results The median concentrations of plasma 25(OH)D were 46.6 nmol/L and 36.4 nmol/L for men and women, respectively. Compared with the lowest quartile in the fully adjusted model, the HR for incident ADL disability for the highest quartile was 0.55 (95% CI 0.36–0.85) for women; for men, a null association was indicated (HRhighest vs lowest 0.61, 95% CI 0.37–1.00). However, when using the recommended circulating 25(OH)D thresholds by the US Institute of Medicine, those with vitamin D sufficiency (≥50 nmol/L) had better ADL disability prognoses than those with vitamin D deficiency ( Conclusions and Implications The relationship between plasma 25(OH)D concentration and incident ADL disability was sex-specific among Chinese older adults. However, participants with recommended vitamin D sufficiency may have better disability prognoses in both sexes, suggesting that the recommended 25(OH)D concentration for bone health may extend to functional outcomes such as ADL disability in Chinese older adults.

China is aging rapidly, and the number of Chinese elderly with dementia is expected to rise. This paper projects, up to year 2060, the number of Chinese elderly within four distinct cognitive states. A multi†state population model was developed using system dynamics and parametrized with age–gender†specific transition rates (between intact, mild, moderate and severe cognitive impairment and death) estimated from two waves (2012 and 2014) of a community†based cohort of elderly in China aged ≥65 years (N = 1824). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis and the bootstrap method was used to obtain the 95% confidence interval of the transition rates. The number of elderly with any degree of cognitive impairment increases; with severe cognitive impairment increasing the most, at 698%. Among elderly with cognitive impairment, the proportion of very old elderly (age ≥ 80) is expected to rise from 53% to 78% by 2060. This will affect the demand for social and health services China. Copyright © 2017 System Dynamics Society

To explore associations of dietary diversity with cognitive function among Chinese elderly.This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011-2012, data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models.community-based setting in the 23 provinces in China.8,571 elderly participants, including 2984 younger elderly aged 65-79 and 5587 oldest old aged 80+ participated in this study.Intake frequencies of food groups was collected and dietary diversity (DD) was assessed based on the mean of DD score. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and cognitive impairment was defined using education-based cutoffs. Information about socio-demographics, lifestyles, resilience and health status was also collected.Poor dietary diversity was significantly associated with cognitive function, with β (95% CI) of -0.11(-0.14, -0.08) for -log (31-MMSE score) and odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.29 (1.14, 1.47) for cognitive impairment. Interaction effect of age with DD was observed on cognitive impairment (P interaction=0.018), but not on -log (31-MMSE score) (P interaction=0.08). Further separate analysis showed that poor DD was significantly associated with increased risk of cognitive impairment in the oldest old (p0.01), with odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.34 (1.17, 1.54), while not in the younger elderly (p0.05), with OR (95% CI) being 1.09 (0.80, 1.47) in the fully adjusted model. Similar results were obtained when DD was categorized into four groups.Poor dietary diversity was associated with worse global cognitive function among Chinese elderly, and particularly for the oldest old. This finding would be very meaningful for prevention of cognitive impairment.

Fasting blood glucose level is the primary indicator for the diagnosis of diabetes. We aim to conduct a longitudinal study on the association between long-term fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) exposure and fasting blood glucose concentrations. We recruited and followed up 1449 participants older than 65 years of age in 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2017 in eight counties in China. Fasting blood glucose was repeatedly measured 3697 times in total among these participants. Data on annual ground-level PM(2.5) concentrations with a 0.01° spatial resolution from 2005 to 2016 were used to assess exposures. An increase of 10μg/m(3) in 3-year average exposure to PM(2.5) was associated with an increase of 0.146 mmol/L (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.045, 0.248) in fasting blood glucose in all participants. The association was more pronounced among the subgroup with diabetes compared to the subgroup without diabetes (P

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietary diversity is widely advocated in national and international recommendations although whether the beneficial effects on survival or longevity still apply in the final phase of the lifespan remains understudied. We aimed to prospectively examine the association of dietary diversity, food items with all-cause mortality among the oldest old (80+) and determine whether dietary diversity recommendations were appropriate for this population. METHODS: The study included 28,790 participants aged 80+ (9957 octogenarians, 9925 nonagenarians, and 8908 centenarians). A baseline dietary diversity score (DDS) was constructed based on nine food items of a food frequency questionnaire. Cox models with penalized splines evaluated non-linear associations of DDS as continuous variable with mortality to identify cut-offs of DDS. RESULTS: We documented 23,503 deaths during 96,739 person-years of follow-up. Each one unit increase in DDS was associated with a 9% lower risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.91; 95% confidential interval (CI): 0.90–0.92). Compared to participants whose DDS less than 2 scores, those with a DDS of 2, 3, 4, 5, and higher than 6 scores had a lower mortality risk, the HRs were 0.86 (0.82–0.89), 0.78 (0.75–0.81), 0.69 (0.66–0.72), 0.65 (0.62–0.68), and 0.56 (0.53–0.58) respectively, and a significant trend emerged (p

In vitro and in vivo experimental studies have shown garlic has protective effects on the aging process, however, there is no evidence that garlic consumption is associated with all-cause mortality among oldest-old individuals (&ge, 80 years). From 1998 to 2011, 27,437 oldest-old participants (mean age: 92.9 years) were recruited from 23 provinces in China. The frequencies of garlic consumption at baseline and at age 60 were collected. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for potential covariates were constructed to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) relating garlic consumption to all-cause mortality. Among 92,505 person-years of follow-up from baseline to September 1, 2014, 22,321 participants died. Participants who often (&ge, 5 times/week) or occasionally (1&ndash, 4 times/week) consumed garlic survived longer than those who rarely (less than once/week) consumed it (p &lt, 0.001). Participants who consumed garlic occasionally or often had a lower risk for mortality than those who rarely consumed garlic at baseline, the adjusted HRs for mortality were 0.92(0.89&ndash, 0.94) and 0.89(0.85&ndash, 0.92), respectively. The inverse associations between garlic consumption and all-cause mortality were robust in sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses. In this study, habitual consumption of garlic was associated with a lower all-cause mortality risk, this advocates further investigation into garlic consumption for promoting longevity.

BACKGROUND Vitamin D has a neuroprotective function, potentially important for the prevention of cognitive decline. Prospective studies from Western countries support an association between lower vitamin D level and future cognitive decline in elderly people. No prospective study has examined this association in Asia. METHODS This community-based cohort study of elderly people in China follows 1,202 cognitively intact adults aged ≥60 years for a mean duration of 2 years. Plasma vitamin D level was measured at the baseline. Cognitive state of participants was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Cognitive impairment was defined as an MMSE score

Associations between plasma elements and chronic kidney disease (CKD) among the elderly are poorly understood. In this cross-sectional study, we explored the associations between exposure to four plasma elements and CKD in elderly people aged ≥90 years in longevity areas in China. We measured plasma selenium, manganese, iron, and zinc levels and used logistic regression models to investigate associations between CKD and these four plasma elements after adjusting for confounding factors among 461 participants aged ≥90 years in the fifth wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS) conducted in 2009. The median plasma selenium, manganese, iron, and zinc levels were 120.51 μg/L, 26.64 μg/L, 2880.52 μg/L, and 1882.42 μg/L in the CKD group and 108.76 μg/L, 31.55 μg/L, 4512.00 μg/L, and 2294.24 μg/L in the non-CKD group, respectively. Single- and multiple-element multivariable models showed that plasma manganese, iron, and zinc were negatively associated with CKD. In the multiple-element multivariable models, the adjusted odds ratios for CKD were 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27–0.86) for the second highest quartile of manganese, 0.37 (95% CI: 0.21–0.68) and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.19–0.65) for the third highest and highest quartiles of iron, respectively, and 0.53 (95% CI: 0.29–0.94) for the highest quartile of zinc, compared with the lowest quartiles of these three elements. Plasma manganese, iron, and zinc levels protect against CKD in elderly people aged ≥90 years in longevity areas.

Objective Although some people with mild cognitive impairment may not suffer from dementia lifelong, about 5% of them will progress to dementia within 1 year in community settings. However, a general tool for predicting the risk of cognitive impairment was not adequately studied among older adults. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Community-living, older adults from 22 provinces in China. Participants We included 10,066 older adults aged 65 years and above (mean age, 83.2 ± 11.1 years), with normal cognition at baseline in the 2002–2008 cohort and 9354 older adults (mean age, 83.5 ± 10.8 years) in the 2008–2014 cohort of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Methods We measured cognitive function using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Demographic, medical, and lifestyle information was used to develop the nomogram via a Lasso selection procedure using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. We validated the nomogram internally with 2000 bootstrap resamples and externally in a later cohort. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were measured by area-under-the-curves and calibration curves, respectively. Results Eight factors were identified with which to construct the nomogram: age, baseline of the Mini-Mental State Examination, activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living score, chewing ability, visual function, history of stroke, watching TV or listening to the radio, and growing flowers or raising pets. The area-under-the-curves for internal and external validation were 0.891 and 0.867, respectively, for predicting incident cognitive impairment. The calibration curves showed good consistency between nomogram-based predictions and observations. Conclusions and Implications The nomogram-based prediction yielded consistent results in 2 separate large cohorts. This feasible prognostic nomogram constructed using readily ascertained information may assist public health practitioners or physicians to provide preventive interventions of cognitive impairment.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Baseline characteristics of study participants across the 4 groups (N=1447). Table S2. Baseline characteristics of study participants by follow-up status (N=1447). Table S3. Hazard ratios for the individual associations of hs-CRP level and cognitive function with all-cause mortality (N=1447). Table S4. Hazard ratios for the combined associations of hs-CRP and cognitive impairment with all-cause mortality, without adjustment for chronic diseases (N=1447).

Background: The "male-female health-survival paradox" that women live significantly longer, but have lower physical performance and more adverse health outcomes at older ages than men, is a phenomenon observed everywhere in the world. This study aims to provide an understanding of the "male-female health-survival paradox", through investigating whether genetic associations with longevity are stronger in males or females. Methods: We conducted logistic regression and bio-demographic analyses, using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets including 2,178 centenarians and 2,299 middle-aged controls of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study. Findings: We found that averages of probabilities of longevity, associated with each of the six mutually exclusive groups of 11 male-specific and 11 female-specific top loci (P

Objectives The association between cognitive function and cholesterol levels is poorly understood and inconsistent results exist among the elderly. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of cholesterol level with cognitive performance among Chinese elderly.

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a risk factor for survival in middle-aged individuals, but conflicting evidence exists on the relationship between LDL-C and all-cause mortality among the elderly. The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between LDL-C and all-cause mortality among Chinese oldest old (aged 80 and older) in a prospective cohort study.LDL-C concentration was measured at baseline and all-cause mortality was calculated over a 3-year period. Multiple statistical models were used to adjust for demographic and biological covariates.During three years of follow-up, 447 of 935 participants died, and the overall all-cause mortality was 49.8%. Each 1 mmol/L increase of LDL-C concentration corresponded to a 19% decrease in 3-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-0.92). The crude HR for abnormally higher LDL-C concentration (≥3.37 mmol/L) was 0.65 (0.41-1.03); and the adjusted HR was statistically significant around 0.60 (0.37-0.95) when adjusted for different sets of confounding factors. Results of sensitivity analysis also showed a significant association between higher LDL-C and lower mortality risk.Among the Chinese oldest old, higher LDL-C level was associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality. Our findings suggested the necessity of re-evaluating the optimal level of LDL-C among the oldest old.

Importance: Sex differences in genetic associations with human longevity remain largely unknown; investigations on this topic are important for individualized health care. Objective: To explore sex differences in genetic associations with longevity. Design, Setting, and Participants: This population-based case-control study used sex-specific genome-wide association study and polygenic risk score (PRS) analyses to examine sex differences in genetic associations with longevity. Five hundred sixty-four male and 1614 female participants older than 100 years were compared with a control group of 773 male and 1526 female individuals aged 40 to 64 years. All were Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study participants with Han ethnicity who were recruited in 1998 and 2008 to 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures: Sex-specific loci and pathways associated with longevity and PRS measures of joint effects of sex-specific loci. Results: Eleven male-specific and 11 female-specific longevity loci (P < 10 -5) and 35 male-specific and 25 female-specific longevity loci (10 -5≤ P < 10 -4) were identified. Each of these loci's associations with longevity were replicated in north and south regions of China in one sex but were not significant in the other sex (P =.13-.97), and loci-sex interaction effects were significant (P -5) and US women (P = 4.6 × 10 -5) but not significant in Chinese and US men. The associations of the loci rs2622624 of the ABCG2 gene were replicated in Chinese women (P = 6.8 × 10 -5) and European women (P =.003) but not significant in both Chinese and European men. Eleven male-specific pathways (inflammation and immunity genes) and 34 female-specific pathways (tryptophan metabolism and PGC-1α induced) were significantly associated with longevity (P -5) and 35 male-specific and 25 female-specific loci (10 -5≤P < 10 -4) were jointly replicated across north and south discovery and target samples. Analyses using the combined data set of north and south showed that these 4 groups of sex-specific loci were jointly and significantly associated with longevity in one sex (P = 2.9 × 10 -70to 1.3 × 10 -39) but not jointly significant in the other sex (P =.11 to.70), while interaction effects between PRS and sex were significant (P = 4.8 × 10 -50to 1.2 × 10 -16). Conclusion and Relevance: The sex differences in genetic associations with longevity are remarkable, but have been overlooked by previously published genome-wide association studies on longevity. This study contributes to filling this research gap and provides a scientific basis for further investigating effects of sex-specific genetic variants and their interactions with environment on healthy aging, which may substantially contribute to more effective and targeted individualized health care for male and female elderly individuals.

Background: Prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasing as the world ages. AF is associated with higher risk of mortality and disease, including stroke, hypertension, heart failure, and dementia. Prevalence of AF differs with each population studied, and research on non-Western populations and the oldest old is scarce. Methods: We used data from the 2012 wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, a community-based study in eight longevity areas in China, to estimate AF prevalence in an elderly Chinese population (n = 1418, mean age = 85.6 years) and to identify risk factors. We determined the presence of AF in our participants using single-lead electrocardiograms. The weighted prevalence of AF was estimated in subjects stratified according to age groups (65-74, 75-84, 85-94, 95 years and above) and gender. We used logistic regressions to determine the potential risk factors of AF. Results: The overall prevalence of AF was 3.5%; 2.4% of men and 4.5% of women had AF (P < 0.05). AF was associated with weight extremes of being underweight or overweight/obese. Finally, advanced age (85-94 years), history of stroke or heart disease, low high-density lipoprotein levels, low triglyceride levels, and lack of regular physical activity were associated with AF. Conclusions: In urban elderly, AF prevalence increased with age (P < 0.05), and in rural elderly, women had higher AF prevalence (P < 0.05). Further exploration of population-specific risk factors is needed to address the AF epidemic.

Background Previous studies regarding the lipid-cognition relation in older adults are limited and have generated mixed results. We thus examined whether higher blood cholesterol concentrations were associated with faster cognitive decline in a community-based longitudinal study of Chinese elderly. Methods The study included 1,159 Chinese adults aged over 60 years (women: 48.7%, mean age: 79.4 years), who were free of dementia, Parkinson disease and stroke at the baseline. Blood concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), were assessed at the baseline. Global cognitive functions were assessed using the Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at in 2009, 2012 and 2014. Association between blood cholesterol and repeated cognitive function was analyzed with linear mixed models, adjusting for sociodemographic information, behavior and lifestyle, depression symptoms, physical examination, hypertension, and laboratory indexes. Results Higher baseline TC and LDL-C concentrations were significantly associated with greater cognitive decline. Adjusted mean difference in cognitive decline rate, comparing two extreme quartiles, was 0.28 points (MMSE score) per year (95% confident interval (CI): -0.54,–0.02; P-trend = 0.005) for TC and 0.42 points per year (95% CI: -0.69, -0.16; P-trend = 0.006) for LDL-C. In a subgroup analysis, the associations between all lipids and cognitive decline appeared to be more pronounced among individuals aged 100 years or older (n = 90), relative to others. Conclusions Higher blood concentrations of TC and LDL-C in late-life were associated with faster global cognitive decline. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13024-017-0167-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between vitamin D level and cognitive impairment in individuals aged 60 and older. Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting: Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, a community-based cohort study in areas in China where the density of centenarians is exceptionally high. Participants: Individuals with mean age of 84.9 ± 12.7 (N = 2,004). Measurements: Participants’ cognitive state was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Vitamin D was measured in plasma using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results: The cross-sectional association between quartiles of plasma vitamin D level and cognitive impairment (MMSE score

Objectives To explore associations of BMI and waist circumference (WC) with disability among the Chinese oldest old. Methods The 5,495 oldest old in the sixth wave of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study conducted in 2011 were included in this study. Disability was assessed by activities of daily living (ADL); height and weight for BMI and WC were measured; information including socio-demographics, lifestyles, and health status was collected. Results Generalized additive models analysis showed that the association of BMI/WC with ADL disability was nonlinear. Among the males, logistic regression results supported a “J” shape association between ADL disability with BMI/WC-the highest tertile group in BMI or WC was significantly associated with an increased risk of ADL disability: odds ratio 1.78 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-2.52) for BMI and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.44-2.82) for WC. Among females, an inverse “J” shape association was found, only the lowest tertile group before the cutoff point had an increased risk of ADL disability: odds ratio 1.42 (95%CI: 1.02-1.97) for BMI and 1.47 (95% CI:1.06-2.04) for WC. Conclusions Associations of BMI and WC with ADL disability are significant even in the oldest old, but differ between the genders.

The association between dietary diversity (DD) and psychological resilience among older people is an underdeveloped area of research. This cross-sectional study explored the associations of DD with psychological resilience among 8571 community-based elderly individuals. The intake frequencies of food groups were collected, and dietary diversity was assessed based on the mean DD score. Psychological resilience was assessed using a simplified resilience score (SRS). Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. Poor DD was significantly associated with psychological resilience, with a &beta, (95% CI) of &minus, 0.94 (&minus, 1.07, &minus, 0.81) for the SRS (p &lt, 0.01) and an odds ratio (95% CI) of 1.83 (1.66, 2.01) for low SRS status. The interaction effects of age with DD were observed for the SRS (p &lt, 0.001) and low SRS status (p &lt, 0.001). Based on separate analyses by age group, the association of a low SRS with poor DD was more prominent in the younger elderly than the oldest old, with OR (95% CI) 2.32 (1.96, 2.74) and 1.61 (1.43, 1.82), respectively. Compared with younger participants with good DD, the risk of a low SRS was greater for younger participants with poor DD, the oldest old with good DD, and the oldest old with poor DD, with OR (95% CI) 2.39 (2.02, 2.81), 1.28 (1.09, 1.51), and 2.03 (1.72, 2.39), respectively. The greatest contribution to DD was from a high consumption of vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Our study suggested that poor DD was associated with a low psychological resilience among the Chinese elderly, especially the younger elderly. These findings suggest that augmentation of DD might promote psychological resilience.

Mean difference in annual cognitive change for each mmol/L increment of lipid concentrations, stratified by age. (DOCX 13Â kb)

Higher or lower blood pressure may relate to cognitive impairment, whereas the relationship between blood pressure and cognitive impairment among the elderly is not well-studied. The study objective was to determine whether blood pressure is associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly, and, if so, to accurately describe the association.Cross-sectional data from the sixth wave of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted in 2011.Community-based setting in longevity areas in China.A total of 7144 Chinese elderly aged 65 years and older were included in the sample.Systolic blood pressures (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) were measured, pulse pressure (PP) was calculated as (SBP) - (DBP) and mean arterial pressures (MAP) was calculated as 1/3(SBP) + 2/3(DBP). Cognitive function was assessed via a validated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).Based on the results of generalized additive models (GAMs), U-shaped associations were identified between cognitive impairment and SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP. The cutpoints at which risk for cognitive impairment (MMSE24) was minimized were determined by quadratic models as 141 mm Hg, 85 mm Hg, 62 mm Hg, and 103 mm Hg, respectively. In the logistic models, U-shaped associations remained for SBP, DBP, and MAP but not PP. Below the identified cutpoints, each 1-mm Hg decrease in blood pressure corresponded to 0.7%, 1.1%, and 1.1% greater risk in the risk of cognitive impairment, respectively. Above the cutpoints, each 1-mm Hg increase in blood pressure corresponded to 1.2%, 1.8%, and 2.1% greater risk of cognitive impairment for SBP, DBP, and MAP, respectively.A U-shaped association between blood pressure and cognitive function in an elderly Chinese population was found. Recognition of these instances is important in identifying the high-risk population for cognitive impairment and to individualize blood pressure management for cognitive impairment prevention.

A comparative analysis between centenarians' children and neighborhood controls is an efficient approach to learn how familial longevity influence and its interaction with environmental factors affect healthy aging. Yet, there are few extant studies that inform this topic; this study expands this literature.We analyze data from 417 children of centenarians and 560 neighborhood controls without family history of longevity in China (all participants aged 60-80) using ordered logit regression models.We found that, compared to the neighborhood controls and adjusted for various potentially confounding factors, centenarians' children had significantly better instrumental activities of daily living function(p.001), smaller number of chronic conditions or health problems(p.01), less anxiety and loneliness(p.01), better cognitive function (p.01), more resilience (p.01), better self-rated health (p.001), and better self-rated life satisfaction (p.001). The results also reveal that interactions between familial longevity influence and one of three environmental factors (whether, as children, they received adequate medical care when ill, number of living children, and household economic conditions) may possibly affect health outcomes at old ages (p.05). We discovered that effects of the environmental factors on health outcome are substantially stronger among elders who have no family history of longevity compared to centenarians' children who probably carry positive genes and/or lifestyle behaviors from their long-lived parent(s), which may promote longevity.Familial longevity influence, through genetics and family lifestyle, is significantly associated with various aspects of health at older ages. Interactions between familial longevity influence and some environmental factors may affect health in old age.

Objective: to explore the relationship between blood lipids/lipoproteins and cognitive function in the Chinese oldest-old. Design: multivariate statistical analysis using cross-sectional data. Setting: community-based setting in longevity areas in China. Subjects: eight hundred and thirty-six subjects aged 80 and older were included in the sample. Methods: plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose were measured and information about demographics and lifestyle was collected. Cognitive status was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: cumulative logit model analysis showed that triglyceride was significantly negatively associated with cognitive impairment. By general linear modelling, there was a significant linear trend of MMSE scores with the level of triglyceride, but not with levels of cholesterol after adjustment. The odds ratio (OR) of cognitive impairment (MMSE score

Although dietary patterns are crucial to cognitive function, associations of dietary patterns with cognitive function have not yet been fully understood. This cross-sectional study explored dietary patterns associated with cognitive function among the older adults in underdeveloped regions, using 1504 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and over. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and 24-h dietary recall. Factor analysis was used to extract dietary patterns. Global cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Two dietary patterns, a “mushroom, vegetable, and fruits” (MVF) pattern and a “meat and soybean products” (MS) pattern, were identified. The MVF pattern, characterized by high consumption of mushrooms, vegetables, and fruits was significantly positively associated with cognitive function (p < 0.05), with an odds ratio of (95% CIs) 0.60 (0.38, 0.94) for cognitive impairment and β (95% CIs) 0.15 (0.02, 0.29) for –log (31-MMSE score). The MS pattern, characterized by high consumption of soybean products and meat, was also associated with better cognitive function, with an odds ratio of 0.47 (95% CIs 0.30, 0.74) for cognitive impairment and β (95% CIs) 0.34 (0.21, 0.47) for –log (31-MMSE score). Our results suggested that both the MVF and MS patterns were positively associated with better cognitive function among older adults in underdeveloped regions.

The interactive effect between diabetes and impaired kidney function on cognitive impairment in older adults has not yet been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of diabetes and impaired kidney function with cognitive impairment among Chinese older people living in a rural area. This cross-sectional study included 1,358 participants (age ≥60 years; 60.5 % women) in the population-based Confucius Hometown Aging Project in Shandong, China. Data on demographics, lifestyle factors, health history, use of medications, global cognitive function, and kidney function were collected through structured interviews, clinical examinations, and blood tests. We defined diabetes as a fasting plasma glucose level ≥7.0 mmol/l or use of hypoglycemic agents, impaired kidney function as glomerular filtration rate estimated from cystatin C (eGFRcys)

To explore the association between anemia and 3-year all-cause mortality among the oldest old people in longevity areas in China.In August 2012, questionnaire survey, health examination and blood test were conducted among 929 old people aged ≥ 80 years in 7 longevity areas in China, who were included in Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) 2009. Cox regression model was used to evaluate the association between anemia or different hemoglobin levels and mortality.Among the 929 subjects, the prevalence of anemia was 49.6%, the main form of anemia was normocytic anemia. During the three year follow-up period, a total of 447 subjects died, the overall mortality was 49.8% (56.0% in subjects with anemia and 43.3% in subjects without anemia). Compared with the subjects without anemia, the mortality risk increased by 25% in the subjects with anemia after adjusting confounding factors (HR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03-1.52). Macrocytic anemia, simplex microcytic anemia and microcytic hypochromic anemia were all associated with the increased mortality in the oldest old people. Compared with the subjects with low hemoglobin concentration, the subjects with high hemoglobin concentration had a lower mortality risk, and the association was more obvious in women.Anemia and low hemoglobin concentration were associated with higher mortality risk in the oldest old people in China, indicating the importance of anemia prevention and treatment among this population.

OBJECTIVE: To track changes of the burden and trends of childhood injury mortality among children aged 0-14 years in China from 2004 to 2011. DESIGN: National representative data from the Chinese Disease Surveillance Points system and Chinese Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance system from 2004 to 2011 were used. Rates and 95% CIs of aged-standardised mortality, as well as the proportions of injury death, were estimated. SETTING: Urban and rural China. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 0-14 years from 2004 to 2011. RESULTS: The proportion of injury among all deaths in children increased from 18.69% in 2004 to 21.26% in 2011. A 'V' shape change was found in the age-standardised injury mortality rate during the study period among the children aged 0-14 years, with the age-standardised injury mortality rate decreasing from 29.71 per 100 000 per year in 2004 to 24.12 in 2007, and then increasing to 28.12 in 2011. A similar change was observed in the rural area. But the age-standardised mortality rate decreased consistently in the urban area. The rate was higher among boys than among girls. Drowning, road traffic accidents and falls were consistently the top three causes of death among children. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood injury is an increasingly serious public health problem in China. The increasing trend of childhood injury mortality is driven by the rural areas rather than urban areas. More effective strategies and measures for injury prevention and control are needed for rural areas, boys, drowning, road traffic accidents and falls. Language: en

Objectives To explore associations of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with disability among the Chinese oldest old. Design and Methods 5495 oldest old in the sixth wave of Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study conducted in 2011 were included in this study. Disability was assessed by Activities of Daily Living (ADL); height and weight for BMI and WC were measured; information including socio-demographics, lifestyles and health status was collected. Results Generalized additive models analysis showed that the association of BMI/WC with ADL disability was non-linear. Among the males, logistic regression results supported a ‘J‘ shape association between ADL disability with BMI/WC--the highest tertile group in BMI or WC was significantly associated with an increased risk of ADL disability: odds ratio 1.78 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26-2.52) for BMI and 2.01 (95% CI: 1.44-2.82) for WC. Among females, an inverse ‘J’ shape association was found, only the lowest tertile group before the cutoff point had an increased risk of ADL disability: odds ratio 1.42 (95%CI: 1.02-1.97) for BMI and 1.47 (95% CI:1.06-2.04) for WC. Conclusions Associations of BMI and WC with ADL disability are significant even in the oldest old, but differ between the genders.

The metabolism characteristic in the gastrointestinal tract and possibility of transfer from gastrointestinal tract into liver and kidney was investigated.48 SD rats were allotted into 8 subgroups randomly, 6 groups rats of them were fed with transgenic rice diets and 2 groups rats were fed with non-transgenic rice diets. All rats were fed with transgenic and non-transgenic rice for two weeks. All rats were fast and sacrificed, the contents of stomach, jejunum, the lower part of ileum, cecum and rectum were taken out at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 24 hours respectively after eating final diets. Fed two groups of SD rats with transgenic diet and non-transgenic rice diet respectively for 4 weeks, the liver and kidney were sampled and stored. All samples was examined by PCR.The fragment of hpt was found the was only detected in stomach and jejunum, but none of the five fragments was detected in the lower part of ileum, cecum and rectum. The degradation of hpt was time-relationship and long-length fragment relationship, the longer was the action time, the more serious was the degradation. Foreign hpt gene was not detected in liver and kidney.hpt gene was easy to degraded in gastrointestinal tract and was not detectable in hepatic tissue and nephridial tissues.