Self-Report of Aerobic Activity among Older African Americans with Multiple Chronic Conditions.

Physical inactivity among older adults around the world is a growing concern. In the United States, older African Americans report high levels of physical inactivity, especially older African Americans with chronic conditions. This study examined the influence of chronic conditions on aerobic activity among a sample of community-dwelling, older African Americans with a self-reported diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions, such as hypertension and arthritis. Findings indicate that regardless of age, the number of chronic conditions was a significant influence in self-report of aerobic activity. Successful self-management of type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions may promote physical activity among sedentary older African Americans with multiple chronic conditions. Furthermore, research that considers a life course epidemiological approach are needed to enhance our understanding about the cumulative effects of MCC on physical activity among sedentary, older African Americans with MCC.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a pilot study of quantitative perfusion and diffusion-weighted breath-hold magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: To confirm the feasibility of breath-hold DCE-MRI and DWI at 3T to obtain the intra-abdominal quantitative physiologic parameters, K(trans), k ep, and ADC, in patients with untreated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. METHODS: Diffusion-weighted single-shot echo-planar imaging (DW-SS-EPI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI were used for 16 patients with newly diagnosed biopsy-proven pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. K(trans), k ep, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of pancreatic tumors, non-tumor adjacent pancreatic parenchyma (NAP), liver metastases, and normal liver tissues were quantitated and statistically compared. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were able to adequately hold their breath for DCE-MRI, and 15 patients for DW-SS-EPI. Four patients had liver metastases within the 6 cm of Z axis coverage centered on the pancreatic primary tumors. K(trans) values (10(-3) min(-1)) of primary pancreatic tumors, NAP, liver metastases, and normal liver tissues were 7.3 ± 4.2 (mean ± SD), 25.8 ± 14.9, 8.1 ± 5.9, and 45.1 ± 15.6, respectively, k ep values (10(-2) min(-1)) were 3.0 ± 0.9, 7.4 ± 3.1, 5.2 ± 2.0, and 12.1 ± 2.8, respectively, and ADC values (10(-3) mm(2)/s) were 1.3 ± 0.2, 1.6 ± 0.3, 1.1 ± 0.1, and 1.3 ± 0.1, respectively. K(trans), k ep, and ADC values of primary pancreatic tumors were significantly lower than those of NAP (p < 0.05), while K(trans) and k ep values of liver metastases were significantly lower than those of normal liver tissues (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 3T breath-hold quantitative physiologic MRI is a feasible technique that can be applied to a majority of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas.

Vitamin D and calcium-sensing receptor polymorphisms differentially associate with resting energy expenditure in peripubertal children.

Given that calcium metabolism is influenced by genes and is tightly linked to energy-utilizing pathways, this study evaluated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) with resting energy expenditure (REE). In 273 boys and girls, 7-12 years of age, cross-sectional REE was measured via indirect calorimetry, body composition by DXA, and dietary measures by 24-h recall. SNPs for VDR Cdx-2 (rs11568820) and CASR A986S (rs1801725) were genotyped using the Illumina Golden Gate assay. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the association between SNPs and REE. African American carriers of the 'A' VDR Cdx2 allele had increased levels of REE in the overall sample, and this association was apparent among participants with an adiposity level of <25 % and 30 % body fat in males and females, respectively. For CASR, an association between carriers of the 'A' allele and REE was observed only in those in the upper median of calcium intake. VDR and CASR variants are associated with REE in children and are influenced by levels of calcium intake and adiposity. Our results bring awareness to mechanisms underlying the regulation of REE and biological and dietary influential factors.

Comparing Vitamin D Supplementation Versus Placebo for Urgency Urinary Incontinence: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation to reduce urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) episodes. DESIGN: Pilot, two-arm, randomized trial conducted from 2013 to 2017. Interventions were 12 weeks of weekly oral 50,000 IU vitamin D3 or placebo. SETTING: Academic, university-based outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling postmenopausal women, 50 years or older, with at least three UUI episodes on 7-day bladder diary and serum vitamin 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) of 30 ng/mL or less. MEASUREMENTS: The primary efficacy estimate was the percentage change in UUI episodes. Secondary estimates included changes in other lower urinary tract symptoms, along with exploratory subgroup analysis by race/ethnicity and obesity. RESULTS: We randomized 56 women (aged 50-84 years; mean = 60.5 ± 8.2 years), 28 to vitamin D and 28 to placebo; 51 completed treatments. Mean serum 25(OH)D at baseline (21.2 ± 5.2 and 18.2 ± 5.6, P = .30) improved to 57.9 ± 16.3 ng/mL with vitamin D3 and 21.9 ± 8.2 ng/mL with placebo (P < .001). UUI episodes per 24-hour day decreased by 43.0% with vitamin D3 compared to 27.6% with placebo (P = .22). Among black women (n = 33), UUI episodes decreased by 63.2% with vitamin D3 compared to 22.9% with placebo (P = .03). Among obese women, UUI episodes decreased by 54.1% with vitamin D compared to 32.7% with placebo (P = .29). For all women, changes in voiding frequency (P = .40), nocturia (P = .40), urgency (P = .90), incontinence severity (P = .81), and overactive bladder symptom severity (P = .47) were not different between arms. CONCLUSIONS: Postmenopausal women with UUI and vitamin D insufficiency demonstrated a greater than 40% decrease in UUI episodes, which did not reach statistical significance compared to placebo, except in the subset of black women. The results of this pilot study support further investigation of vitamin D3 alone or in combination with other treatments for UUI, particularly for women in higher-risk subgroups. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:570-575, 2019.