Lower Cardiac Output Relates to Longitudinal Cognitive Decline in Aging Adults.

BACKGROUND: Subclinical reductions in cardiac output correspond to lower cerebral blood flow (CBF), placing the brain at risk for functional changes. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to establish the consequences of reduced cardiac output on longitudinal cognitive outcomes in aging adults. METHODS: Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project participants free of clinical dementia and heart failure (n = 306, 73 ± 7, 58% male) underwent baseline echocardiography to assess cardiac output (L/min) and longitudinal neuropsychological assessment at baseline, 18 months, 3 and 5 years. Linear mixed-effects regressions related cardiac output to trajectory for each longitudinal neuropsychological outcome, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, body surface area, Framingham Stroke Risk Profile score, apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status and follow-up time. Models were repeated, testing interactions with cognitive diagnosis and APOE-ε4 status. RESULTS: Lower baseline cardiac output related to faster declines in language (ß = 0.11, p = 0.01), information processing speed (ß = 0.31, p = 0.006), visuospatial skills (ß = 0.09, p = 0.03), and episodic memory (ß = 0.02, p = 0.001). No cardiac output x cognitive diagnosis interactions were observed (p > 0.26). APOE-ε4 status modified the association between cardiac output and longitudinal episodic memory (ß = 0.03, p = 0.047) and information processing speed outcomes (ß = 0.55, p = 0.02) with associations stronger in APOE-ε4 carriers. CONCLUSION: The present study provides evidence that even subtle reductions in cardiac output may be associated with more adverse longitudinal cognitive health, including worse language, information processing speed, visuospatial skills, and episodic memory performances. Preservation of healthy cardiac functioning is important for maintaining optimal brain aging among older adults.

MYC regulates the antitumor immune response through CD47 and PD-L1.

The MYC oncogene codes for a transcription factor that is overexpressed in many human cancers. Here we show that MYC regulates the expression of two immune checkpoint proteins on the tumor cell surface: the innate immune regulator CD47 (cluster of differentiation 47) and the adaptive immune checkpoint PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1). Suppression of MYC in mouse tumors and human tumor cells caused a reduction in the levels of CD47 and PD-L1 messenger RNA and protein. MYC was found to bind directly to the promoters of the Cd47 and Pd-l1 genes. MYC inactivation in mouse tumors down-regulated CD47 and PD-L1 expression and enhanced the antitumor immune response. In contrast, when MYC was inactivated in tumors with enforced expression of CD47 or PD-L1, the immune response was suppressed, and tumors continued to grow. Thus, MYC appears to initiate and maintain tumorigenesis, in part, through the modulation of immune regulatory molecules.