Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-18T13:17:39Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese Tiago Araújo.compressed.pdf: 7089899 bytes, checksum: 0d9fa1d7f42954a36ff78b4171da7ef7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T13:17:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Tese Tiago Araújo.compressed.pdf: 7089899 bytes, checksum: 0d9fa1d7f42954a36ff78b4171da7ef7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-30 / CAPEs / O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar a relação entre hiperuricemia, distúrbios metabólicos e as atividades biológicas de Myrciaria cauliflora, Crataeva tapia e Indigofera suffruticosa. Para tanto, foi realizado inicialmente um estudo populacional, com 3620 voluntários, adultos, homens, não diabéticos, do Nordeste brasileiro. Obesidade abdominal e hipertrigliceridemia foram avaliadas para a identificação do fenótipo denominado Cintura Hipertrigliceridêmica (CHTG) e para a avaliação da influência desses distúrbios metabólicos sobre a hiperuricemia. Posteriormente, estudos com modelo animal (Mus musculus) foram conduzidos. Assim, extratos orgânicos (etéreo, acetônico e metanólico) foram preparados a partir do epicarpo de frutos maduros de M. cauliflora, denominados, sequencialmente, de MCEE, MCAE e MCME, nas concentrações de 200mg/Kg e de 400mg/Kg. Análise fitoquímica e estudo da toxicidade oral desses extratos foram realizadas. MCAE foi administrado durante 14 dias em camundongos com diabetes induzida por aloxana; e avaliação do perfil glicídico, lipídico, de função renal e hepática e análise histológica do pâncreas foram realizadas. Atividade anti-hiperuricêmica de MCAE, em modelo de oxonato de potássio, também foi investigada. MCEE, MCAE e MCME foram usados para a avaliação de: atividade anti-inflamatória, usando os modelos de edema de pata e de peritonite; atividade antinociceptiva, nos modelos de dor induzida por ácido acético e de placa quente; atividade antioxidante, por ensaio com 2,2-difenil-β- picrilhidrazil; e atividade antitumoral, contra tumor sólido de carcinoma de Ehrlich. Lectina de C. tapia foi purificada e testada para avaliação de atividade hipoglicêmica. Extratos etéreo, clorofórmico e acetônico de folhas de I. suffruticosa foram preparados, analisados fitoquimicamente e testados contra cepas de S. aureus. Como principais resultados, este estudo demonstrou que: obesidade abdominal e hipertrigliceridemia, isoladas, mostraram significativas razões de chance (RC) sobre a presença de hiperuricemia, porem o fenótipo CHTG demonstrou o maior efeito (RC = 4,3), especialmente após o uso dos pontos de corte obtidos especificamente para a população do estudo; hiperuricemia apresentou uma forte associação com alto risco de morte por evento cardiovascular em dez anos (RC = 3,5); 200mg/Kg/dia e 400mg/Kg/dia de MCAE causou uma redução significativa da glicose plasmática e redução nos níveis séricos de triglicerídios, uréia, creatinina e transaminases, aumento de HDL-colesterol, melhora do aspecto morfológico das ilhotas pancreáticas e diminuição de cerca de 50% nos níveis de ácido úrico; MCEE, MCAE e MCME apresentaram relevante atividade antioxidante e produziram reduções significativas da resposta inflamatória, de nocicepção e da massa tumoral; lectina de C. tapia provocou redução significativa nos níveis de glicose, melhora das funções e dos aspectos morfológicos dos rins, pâncreas e fígado de camundongos diabéticos; o extrato acetônico de folhas de I. suffruticosa foi um potente inibidor de S. aureus, seguido pelo extrato clorofórmico, melhorando também sinergisticamente o efeito da eritromicina. Portanto, hiperuricemia está bastante relacionada com o fenótipo CHTG em homens do Nordeste do Brasil, podendo elevar em muito o risco cardiovascular desses indivíduos. M. cauliflora demonstrou um grande potencial terapêutico para hiperuricemia e as condições metabólicas associadas e, assim como lectina de C. tapia, demonstrou ser um agente promissor para o tratamento da diabetes; enquanto que I. suffruticosa mostrou-se ser bastante promissora contra S. aureus. / This study aimed to investigate the relationship among hyperuricemia, metabolic disorders and the biological activities of Myrciaria cauliflora, Crataeva tapia e Indigofera suffruticosa. Therefore, it was initially performed a population study, with 3620 volunteers, adults, men, non-diabetic, from northeastern Brazil. Abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia were evaluated for the identification of phenotype referred as Hypertriglyceridemic Waist (HTGW) and to assess the influence of these metabolic disorders hyperuricemia. Later, animal model studies (Mus musculus) were conducted. Thus, organic extracts (ether, acetone, and methanol) were prepared from ripe fruit epicarp of M. cauliflora referred to, sequentially, MCEE, MCAE, and MCME, at concentrations of 200mg/Kg and 400mg/Kg. Phytochemical analysis and study of oral toxicity of these extracts were made. MCAE was administered for 14 days in mice with alloxan-induced diabetes; and evaluation of glucose profile, lipid, renal and hepatic function and histological analysis of the pancreas were performed. Anti-hyperuricemic activity of MCAE, in potassium oxonate model, was investigated. MCEE, MCAE, and MCME were used for evaluation of: anti-inflammatory activity, using the rat paw edema model and peritonitis; antinociceptive activity, in models of pain induced by acetic acid and hot plate; antioxidant activity, by 2,2-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl assay; and antitumor activity against solid tumor of Ehrlich carcinoma. Lectin of C. tapia was purified and tested for evaluation of hypoglycemic activity. Ether, chloroform and acetone extracts of leaves of I. suffruticosa were prepared, phytochemically analyzed and tested against strains of S. aureus. As main results, this study demonstrated that: abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia, isolated, showed significant odds ratios (OR) for the presence of hyperuricemia, but HTGW phenotype demonstrated the most effect (OR = 4.3), especially after use the cutoffs obtained specifically for the study population; hyperuricemia showed a strong association with high risk of cardiovascular events death in ten years (OR = 3.5); 200mg/Kg/dia and 400mg/Kg/dia of MCAE caused a significant reduction in plasma glucose and reduction in serum levels of triglycerides, urea, creatinine and transaminases, increase in HDL-cholesterol, improvement in the morphological appearance of the pancreatic islets and decrease about 50% in the levels of uric acid; MCEE, MCAE, and MCME presented significant antioxidant activity and produced significant reductions in the inflammatory response, nociception and of the tumor mass; C. tapia lectin caused a significant reduction in glucose levels, improved the function and morphology of the kidneys, pancreas and liver of diabetic mice; and the acetone extract from the leaves of I. suffruticosa was a potent inhibitor of S. aureus followed by chloroform extract, also synergistically improving the effect of erythromycin. Therefore, hyperuricemia is closely related to the HTGW phenotype in men in Northeast Brazil, and can significantly increase the cardiovascular risk of these individuals. M. cauliflora demonstrated a great therapeutic potential for hyperuricemia and associated metabolic conditions, as well as C. tapia lectin proved to be a promising agent for the treatment of diabetes; while I. suffruticosa shown to be quite promising against S. aureus.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2018-07-19T18:55:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Adilson Santos Andrade de Sousa.pdf: 1247821 bytes, checksum: 9a8380bf13484c105223476f4ae7b8b5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-19T18:55:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adilson Santos Andrade de Sousa.pdf: 1247821 bytes, checksum: 9a8380bf13484c105223476f4ae7b8b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-29 / Patients with peripheral arterial disease have low levels of physical activity and high cardiovascular risk. Although peripheral arterial disease has a similar prevalence between men and women, studies have shown that the consequences of the disease are extremely different between the sexes. Studies show that women have lower functional capacity and lower levels of physical activity than men. However, the sexes are different from the barriers to the practice of physical activity and cardiovascular health indicators have not yet been studied. Objective: To compare the barriers to the practice of physical activity, cardiovascular function and arterial rigidity among men and women with peripheral arterial disease. Material and Method: this is a descriptive epidemiological study. The study included 267 patients with peripheral arterial disease and symptoms of intermittent claudication divided into two studies, 102 patients in the first study and 167 patients in the second study. The patients were submitted to the evaluation of physical activity level and barriers to the practice of physical activity, as well as cardiovascular health indicators (auscultatory arterial pressure, autonomic cardiovascular modulation, and arterial stiffness). Results: Women had a higher rate of increase by 34% compared to men who presented 29%, women had a rate of increase corrected by 75 beats per minute 31%, men had 25%. Women with peripheral arterial disease had lower levels of physical activity with moderate and vigorous intensity and reported more frequently than the following barriers to physical activity: lack of companionship to practice physical activity, fear of physical activity aggravate the disease, no place to sit when pain is felt and no place to practice physical activity. Conclusion: Regarding the cardiovascular variables, women present higher reflected wave indicators than men, as well as presented more barriers to physical activity compared to men. / Pacientes com doença arterial periférica apresentam baixos níveis de atividade física e elevado risco cardiovascular. Embora a doença arterial periférica tenha prevalência similar entre homens e mulheres, estudos têm mostrado que as consequências da doença são extremamente diferentes entre os sexos. Estudos mostram que as mulheres apresentam menor capacidade funcional e menores níveis de atividade física do que os homens. Porém, o quanto os sexos são diferentes às barreiras para a prática de atividade física e os indicadores de saúde cardiovascular ainda não foram estudados. Objetivo: Comparar as barreiras para a prática de atividade física, função cardiovascular e rigidez arterial entre homens e mulheres com doença arterial periférica. Material e Método: trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico descritivo. Fizeram parte do estudo 267 pacientes com doença arterial periférica e sintomas de claudicação intermitente divididos em dois estudos, no primeiro estudo foram 102 pacientes e no segundo estudo 167 pacientes. Os pacientes foram submetidos à avaliação do nível de atividade física e das barreiras para a prática de atividade física, bem como dos indicadores da saúde cardiovascular (pressão arterial auscultatória, modulação autonômica cardiovascular, e rigidez arterial).Resultados: As mulheres apresentaram maior índice de aumento 34% em comparação aos homens que apresentaram 29%, as mulheres apresentaram um índice de aumento corrigido por 75 batimentos por minuto 31%, os homens apresentaram 25%. As mulheres com doença arterial periférica apresentaram menores níveis de atividade física com intensidade moderada e vigorosa e reportam mais frequentemente que as seguintes barreiras para a prática de atividade físca: falta de companhia para a prática de atividade física, medo da atividade física agravar a doença, não ter lugar para sentar quando sente dor e não ter lugar para a prática de atividade física. Conclusão: Com relação às variáveis cardiovasculares as mulheres apresentam maiores indicadores de onda refletida do que os homens, bem como apresentaram mais barreiras para a prática de atividade física em comparação aos homens.

Introdução: O trato gastrointestinal humano é composto por uma comunidade microbiana diversificada que atua no controle da saúde. Estudos recentes demonstraram que o equilíbrio da microbiota intestinal é afetado na doença renal crônica (DRC), ocasionando o quadro de disbiose intestinal. Estes estudos sugeriram uma associação da disbiose intestinal com complicações metabólicas como acúmulo de toxinas urêmicas, progressão da DRC, inflamação e risco cardiovascular. Diante disso, medidas com o objetivo de restaurar o equilíbrio da microbiota intestinal são sugeridas, tais como a ingestão oral de probióticos, mas poucos estudos têm abordado o efeito destes suplementos na progressão da DRC e no risco cardiovascular destes pacientes. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito do consumo de probióticos em fatores associados com progressão da DRC e risco cardiovascular de pacientes com DRC. Material e métodos: Trata-se de um estudo clínico controlado por placebo registrado no Clinical Trials NCT03400228. O estudo incluiu 30 pacientes adultos com DRC nos estágios 3 a 5 não em diálise, com função renal estável e proteinúria igual ou superior a 500 mg. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre novembro de 2015 até dezembro de 2017. O protocolo do estudo constou de período de washout de 4 semanas e randomização dos pacientes para o grupo de intervenção (GI, suplemento com probiótico) ou para o grupo controle (GC, maltodextrina). Foi realizado avaliação basal e após 24 semanas de consumo de probiótico ou placebo. Todos os pacientes receberam a orientação de consumir 2 sachês por dia do probiótico ou do placebo (maltodextrina). Foram avaliadas variáveis demográficas, clínicas, nutricionais, hábito intestinal e exames laboratoriais com amostras sanguíneas e urinárias. Resultados: Dos 30 pacientes incluídos, 20 completaram as 24 semanas do estudo, sendo 10 no grupo intervenção e 10 no grupo placebo. Após o uso de probiótico houve aumento na taxa de filtração glomerular estimada (p<0,001) e diminuição nos níveis séricos de creatinina (p<0,001), ureia (p=0,015), proteína C reativa (p=0,03), hormônio da paratireóide (p=0,03) e potássio (p=0,012), em comparação ao grupo placebo. Os efeitos positivos do probiótico na taxa de filtração glomerular estimada e na diminuição dos níveis séricos de creatinina e ureia permaneceram após análise de regressão multivariada. Não houveram diferenças significativas nos parâmetros urinários entre os grupos. Sintomas de constipação (p<0,001) e consistência fecal (p=0,016) apresentaram melhora no grupo intervenção versus placebo. Conclusão: A suplementação de probióticos melhorou os marcadores de função renal e reduziu inflamação, além de auxiliar na melhora dos sintomas de constipação intestinal em pacientes com DRC. / Introduction: The human gastrointestinal tract is colonized by a diversified microbial community that acts in control of health. Recent studies have shown that intestinal microbiota balance is affected in chronic kidney disease (CKD) leading to intestinal dysbiosis. These studies have suggested association of intestinal dysbiosis with several metabolic disorders such as accumulation of uremic toxins, progression of CKD, inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Therefore, interventional measurement that improve intestinal microbiota balance are suggested such as supplementation of probiotics, however few studies evaluated the effect of these supplements on the progression of CKD and cardiovascular risk in CKD patients. Aim: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplementation on the factors associated with progression of CKD and cardiovascular risk in patients with CKD. Desing and Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Thirty patients with CKD stages 3 to 5 not on dialysis, with stable renal function and protein-creatinine ratio > 0.50 were included. Data collection was between November 2015 and December 2017. Study protocol was 4-week washout period, patients randomized to intervention group (IG, probiotic supplement) or control group (CG, maltodextrin), and follow for 24 weeks. Renal function, C-reactive protein (CRP), bone and mineral metabolism, nutritional, and lipid profile markers and intestinal habit were measured at baseline and 24 weeks of study. Results: From 30 patients included in this study, 20 completed the 24 study weeks, 10 in the TG and 10 in PG. After probiotic supplementation, there was increase in estimated glomerular filtration rate (p<0.001) and decrease in serum creatinine 8 (p<0.001), urea (p=0.015), C-reactive protein (p=0.030), parathyroid hormone (p=0.03), and potassium (p=0.012) levels compared to CG. The beneficials effects of probiotics on estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum creatinine, urea, and Creactive protein remained after multivariate linear regression. There were no significant differences in the urinary parameters between the two groups. Symptoms of constipation (p<0.001) and stool consistency (p=0.016) improved in IG compared to CG. Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation improved markers of renal function and reduced inflammation. In addition, it improved the symptoms of intestinal constipation in patients with CKD.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Medical Sciences)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Refer to document / The Belgium Development Co-operation through VLIR-UOS, The University of Limpopo,and The Flemish Universities

abstract: This research is an anthology of a series of papers intended to describe the health state, healthcare experiences, healthcare preventive practice, healthcare barriers, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors of Asian Americans (AA) residing in Arizona (AZ). Asian Americans are known to be vulnerable populations and there is paucity of data on interventions to reduce CVD risk factors. An extensive literature review showed no available disaggregated health data of AA in AZ. The Neuman Systems Model guided this study. Chapter 1 elucidates the importance of conducting the research. It provides an overview of the literature, theory, and methodology of the study. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the results of a cross-sectional descriptive secondary analysis using the 2013, 2015, and 2017 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) datasets. The outcomes demonstrate the disaggregated epidemiological phenomenon of AA. There were variations in their social determinants of health, healthcare barriers, healthcare preventive practice, CVD risk factors, and healthcare experiences based on perceived racism. It highlighted modifiable and non-modifiable predictors of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes. Chapter 4 is an integrative review of interventions implemented to reduce CVD risks tailored for Filipino Americans. Chapter 5 summarizes the research findings. The results may provide the community of practicing nurses, researchers, and clinicians the evidence to plan, prioritize, and implement comprehensive, theoretically guided, and culturally tailored community-led primary and secondary prevention programs to improve their health outcomes. The data may serve as a tool for stakeholders and policy makers to advocate for public health policies that will elevate population health of AA or communities of color in AZ to be in line with non-Hispanic White counterparts. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Nursing 2020

3. Summary Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Dr. rer. med. Cardiovascular risk factors in ageing brains: Functional and structural correlates of modifiable risk factors of brain ageing and Alzheimer’s disease among older individuals Eingereicht von: Shahrzad Kharabian Masouleh Angefertigt am: Max-Planck-Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften, Abteilung für Neurologie, Leipzig Betreut von: Prof. Dr. med. Arno Villringer Dr. A. Veronica Witte March 2018 Due to a world-wide demographic change ageing-associated complications including cognitive impairments and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia are becoming increasingly prevalent. In 2015, almost 47 million people worldwide were estimated to be affected by dementia, and the numbers are expected to reach 75 million by 2030, and 131 million by 2050, with the greatest increase expected in low-income and middle-income countries (Prince, M.; Wimo, A.; Guerchet, M.; Ali, G.; Wu, Y.; Prina, 2015). As no cure or substantial symptom-relieving treatment is yet available for these ever growing pathologic conditions, identifying modifiable factors that causally impact the risk of these diseases has become an important mission (Barnes and Yaffe, 2011). Although age is known to be the most important risk factor for these conditions, not all older individuals develop these pathologic states and pathologic neurodegenerative changes are not considered as part of a normal aging process. However, observations show that almost all aged brains show characteristic changes that are linked to neurodegeneration (Wyss-Coray, 2016). These observations raise the possibility that fundamental mechanisms of ageing may display early disease changes or contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders (Bartzokis, 2011; Bishop et al., 2010; Raz, 2005). A better understanding of possible modulators of function and structure of brain in regions that are known to be vulnerable in aging would thus open a novel window towards targets for intervention of disease progression. Epidemiological studies have begun to identify many environmental and genetic risk factors that influence prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases in older ages. Importantly, with respect to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), conditions such as depression, obesity and hypertension, specifically in midlife and diabetes are shown to independently affect increased prevalence of AD worldwide. In 2010, fifteen thousand AD-cases world-wide were attributed to cigarette smoking and low physical or mental activity (Norton et al., 2014). Moreover, disadvantageous metabolic profiles such as higher blood glucose levels or lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels have also been associated with worse cognition, brain alterations in AD-vulnerable regions and ultimately increased likelihood of developing AD in older ages (Crane et al., 2013; Villeneuve et al., 2014). In the first study of this thesis, we reviewed the epidemiological evidence regarding the impact of a “Mediterranean style diet” (MeDi) on brain health in aging (Huhn et al., 2015). MeDi, which is based on high consumption of fruits, vegetables, grains as well as sea-fish and low intake of sweets, convenient food, meat and dairy products, is shown to reduce cardio-vascular risk factors and benefit lipid and glucose metabolism while reducing risk of AD and cognitive dysfunction in aging. Despite extensive epidemiological evidence, little is known about neurobiological mechanisms, linking these life-style and health related factors to alterations in cognitive performance and incidence of AD. In the recent years whole brain magnetic resonance (MR) measurements have immensely increased our knowledge about the brain in health and disease. Novel MR protocols and analysis routines have been invented to assess different aspects of structure of the brain regions and their function within the living individuals. Studies in elderly AD patients have linked deposition of amyloid plaques, assessed using positron emission tomography (PET), in vulnerable structures such as frontal lobe, medial temporal structures and posterior cingulate area to atrophy and lower metabolic rate of glucose within these brain regions in association with accelerated cognitive decline (Buckner et al., 2005). Also, within healthy ageing population it has been shown that these AD-prone structures create a network, in which grey matter (GM) volume follow a different ageing trajectory compared to the rest of the brain, with a late development during adolescence and accelerated decline in older ages (Douaud et al., 2014; Fjell et al., 2014). Such coordinated change, specifically in older ages, might be a result of shared susceptibility of regions within this network to selective pathologies or a network-based spread of toxic agents (Zhou et al., 2012). Consequently, the above-mentioned AD-risk factors could through similar mechanisms impact brain structures within vulnerable regions, resulting in accelerated ageing, possibly reducing resilience of these regions towards AD-related pathology and thus increasing risk of developing AD in older ages. Based on this working hypothesis, in the rest of this doctoral research we investigate cerebral correlates of these risk factors and their impact on cognitive performance in healthy older adults. We initially focused on obesity as a major epidemic of the twentieth century, a major component of metabolic syndrome and an important AD-risk factor. Here we used conventional techniques to identify effects of Body-mass index (BMI) on regional GM volume (n = 617) as well as resting-state network connectivity (n = 712) and relations to cognitive performance in well-characterized samples of community-dwelled older adults (60-80 years) from Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases (LIFE) adult-study. The LIFE-Adult-Study is a population-based cohort study, which has already completed the baseline examination of 10,000 randomly selected participants from Leipzig, out of which ~2600 underwent a 3Tesla MRI brain scan, structured interviews, neuropsychological tests, and an extensive set of medical assessments (Loeffler et al., 2015). Our results showed that independent of age and a wide range of other confounding factors such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking status and APOE-genotype, there is a robust linear association between a higher BMI and lower GM volume in multiple brain regions, including (pre)frontal, temporal, insular and occipital cortex, thalamus, putamen, amygdala and cerebellum, which partially mediated negative effects of higher BMI on memory performance in our sample of older adults (Kharabian Masouleh et al., 2016). Furthermore, in the follow-up study, we found reproducible association between higher BMI and lower functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex with other nodes of the default mode network (Beyer et al., 2017). This network that consists of AD-prone regions within frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, exhibits similar alterations in normal ageing and among patients with AD (Damoiseaux et al., 2012; Tomasi and Volkow, 2012). Inspired by our results on network-based functional connectivity alterations and in-line with the hypothesis of network-based spread of toxic agents in neurodegenerative diseases, in our third MRI-study, we extended the number of risk factors to cover major “modifiable” risk factors of AD and identified the potential impact of these factors on morphological properties of large-scale structural covariance networks (Kharabian Masouleh et al., 2017). We therefore systematically assessed independent effects of obesity, smoking, blood pressure, as well as markers of glucose and lipid metabolism and physical activity on major GM networks in the same cohort as our first MR study. Furthermore, we detailed our analysis by adding both BMI as well as waist-to-hip ratio as measures of obesity and identified the structural networks based on information on area, thickness and volume of cortical structures. The spatial extent and composition of the co-varying GM measures within the different networks indicated that smoking and, to a lesser degree, higher blood pressure affected GM throughout the brain, which might be attributed to direct and indirect damage of neuronal tissue. Higher glycosylated hemoglobin, as a long-term marker of glucose metabolism, was found to predominantly affect areas that are known to have high glucose metabolism and early A-beta deposition. In addition, we detected negative effects of visceral obesity on a structural network consisting of multimodal regions, covering areas rich in intracortical myelinated fibres. This network spatially recapitulated the pattern of brain atrophy observed in Alzheimer’s disease and has been previously shown to develop relatively slowly during adolescence but present “accelerated” age-related degeneration at an old age. Accordingly, our findings possibly point towards detrimental effects of visceral fat-induced low-grade inflammation on myelin. This is a hypothesis that we are going to test in our future studies in LIFE (by direct assessment of visceral fat (VAT) on abdominal MRI and inflammatory markers). Future longitudinal studies that incorporate more detailed microstructural assessments are now needed to prove our proposed neurobiological hypotheses on the underlying mechanisms of the observed effects and to test if improving cardiovascular risk, specifically visceral obesity, would help to maintain the integrity of GM networks throughout old age and reduce the risk of AD.:List of Abbreviations 3 List of Figures 4 List of Tables 5 1. Introduction: 6 1.1: “Normal” cognitive ageing: 9 1.1.1. Ageing-associated changes in brain structure and function: 9 1.2. Modifiers of brain ageing and AD: 11 1.3. Methods: 18 1.3.1. Imaging protocols: 18 1.3.2. Network Identification: 19 1.3.2.1. Resting-state fMRI network extraction 19 1.3.2.2. Grey matter structural network extraction 20 1.4. Rationale of the work: 23 2. Publications: 25 2.1. Publication1: Review: Huhn et al, 2015 25 2.2. Publication2: Original article: Kharabian et al, 2016 36 2.3. Publication3: Original article: Beyer et al, 2017 47 2.4. Publication4: Original article: Kharabian et al, 2017 62 3. Summary: 76 References: 83 A. Supplemental Materials 93 Publication2- Kharabian Masouleh et. al., 2016 93 Supplementary Tables for Publication2 97 Supplementary Figures for Publication 2 101 Supplementary Figures for Publication4 105 B. Declaration of Authenticity 106 C. Author contributions to the publications 107 D. Curriculum Vitae 114 E. List of Publications: 117 F. Acknowledgements 119

Background: Annually, over 150,000 cardiovascular events occur among individuals ,65 years old in the United States, including asymptomatic ones. Coronary artery calcium (CAC), a subclinical marker of coronary artery disease (CAD), enhances risk stratification among asymptomatic individuals. This study assessed the prevalence of CAC in a rural population and determined relationships between traditional risk factors for CAD and CAC scores. Methods: During January 2011 to December 2012, asymptomatic individuals from central Appalachia were screened for CAC in the largest tertiary cardiovascular institute. Based on Agatston scale, participants were grouped into 4 CAC scores: zero (CAC 5 0), mild (CAC 5 1-99), moderate (CAC 5 100-399) and severe (CAC $ 400). Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associations between potential risk factors of CAD and CAC score. Results: Of 1,674 participants, 55.4% had positive CAC score (CAC . 0). Increasing age and being male were positively associated with higher CAC scores. Although there was significant association between mild CAC and hypertension and family history of CAD, moderate CAC was positively associated with smoking status. Except hypercholesterolemia and sedentary lifestyle, severe CAC was significantly associated with major health conditions (obesity, diabetes and hypertension), lifestyle (smoking) and family history of CAD. Conclusions: More than half of participants in the CAC screening had subclinical CAD (CAC score . 0). The association between CAC score and CAD risk factors suggests that education about subclinical atherosclerosis among asymptomatic individuals in this region with high cardiovascular disease prevalence is needed because CAC improves CAD risk stratification, and the knowledge of CAC enhances medication adherence and motivates individuals towards beneficial behavioral/lifestyle modification.

Purpose of Review: To review the landmark studies in predicting obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in symptomatic patients with stable chest pain and identify better prediction tools and propose a simplified algorithm to guide the health care providers in identifying low risk patients to defer further testing. Recent Findings: There are a few risk prediction models described for stable chest pain patients including Diamond-Forrester (DF), Duke Clinical Score (DCS), CAD Consortium Basic, Clinical, and Extended models. The CAD Consortium models demonstrated that DF and DCS models overestimate the probability of CAD. All CAD Consortium models performed well in the contemporary population. PROMISE trial secondary data results showed that a clinical tool using readily available ten very low-risk pre-test variables could discriminate low-risk patients to defer further testing safely. Summary: In the contemporary population, CAD Consortium Basic or Clinical model could be used with more confidence. Our proposed simple algorithm would guide the physicians in selecting low risk patients who can be managed conservatively with deferred testing strategy. Future research is needed to validate our proposed algorithm to identify the low-risk patients with stable chest pain for whom further testing may not be warranted.

Accumulating evidence suggests that measures of abdominal obesity outperform BMI in predicting diabetes and cardiovascular risk. However, it is debated which measure of obesity should be used. Currently, waist circumference (WC) is most commonly used and codefines the metabolic syndrome.

No description available.