Examining the relationship between anxiety and regional brain volumes in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center uniform, imaging, and biomarker datasets.

Anxiety has been associated with a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Existing research has identified structural differences in regional brain tissue in participants with anxiety, but results have been inconsistent. We sought to determine the association between anxiety and regional brain volumes, and the moderation effect of APOE ε4. Using data from participants in the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set, with complete imaging (MRI) and biomarker data (n = 1533), multiple linear regression estimated the adjusted effect of anxiety on 30 structural MRI regions. The moderation effect of APOE ε4 on the relation between structural MRI regions and anxiety was assessed as was the moderation effect of cognitive status. False discovery rate was used to adjust for multiple comparisons. After controlling for intracranial volume, age, sex, years of education, race, Hispanic ethnicity, and cognitive status, seven MRI regions demonstrated lower volumes among participants with anxiety: total cerebrum gray matter volume, right hippocampus volume, hippocampal volume (total), right and left frontal lobe cortical gray matter volume, and right and total temporal lobe cortical gray matter volume. Findings suggest that anxiety is associated with significant atrophy in multiple brain regions, with corresponding ventricular enlargement. Future research should investigate if anxiety-related changes to brain morphology contribute to greater AD risk.

Importance of self-weighing to avoid post-cessation weight gain: A secondary analysis of the fit and quit randomized trial.

Background: Smoking cessation is associated with weight gain, and the risk of weight gain is a common deterrent to quitting smoking. Thus, the identification of strategies for reducing post-smoking cessation weight gain is critical. Objective: Conduct secondary analysis of data from the Fit & Quit trial to determine if greater frequency of self-weighing is associated with less weight gain in the context of smoking cessation. Methods: Participants (N = 305) were randomized to one of three 2-month weight interventions (i.e., Stability, Loss, Bibliotherapy), followed by a smoking cessation intervention. Stability and Loss conditions received different types of self-weighing feedback. All participants received e-scales at baseline, to capture daily self-weighing data over 12 months. General linear models were applied to test the main objective. Results: Frequency of self-weighing was (mean ± SD) 2.67 ± 1.84 days/week. The Stability condition had significantly higher self-weighing frequency (3.18 ± 1.72 days/week) compared to the Loss (2.51 ± 1.99 days/week) and the Bibliotherapy conditions (2.22 ± 1.63 days/week). Adjusting for baseline weight and treatment condition, self-weighing 3-4 days/week was associated with weight stability (-0.77 kg, 95% CI: -2.2946, 0.7474, p = 0.3175), and self-weighing 5 or more days/week was associated with 2.26 kg weight loss (95% CI: -3.9249, -0.5953, p = 0.0080). Conclusions: Self-weighing may serve as a useful tool for weight gain prevention after smoking cessation. Feedback received about self-weighing behaviors and weight trajectory (similar to the feedback Stability participants received) might enhance adherence.

Adolescence exposure to China's great famine period and the association of metabolic syndrome in adulthood: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to famine during early life is related to several adverse health outcomes in adulthood, but the effect of famine exposure during adolescence is unclear. This study aims to examine whether exposure to famine in adolescence is associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adulthood. METHODS: This study included 4130 Chinese adults (2059 males and 2071 females) aged 59-71 from the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). All the selected participants were exposed to the three-year time period (1959-1961) of China's Great Famine. Participants were categorized into an adolescent-exposed group (born 01/01/1944-12/31/1948) and a non-adolescent-exposed group (born 01/01/1940-12/31/1941 and 01/01/1951-12/31/1952). Sex-stratified multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between exposure to famine in adolescence and MetS. RESULTS: Participants exposed to famine during adolescence were more likely to report MetS (aOR = 1.35; 95%CI 1.01-1.78) compared to the non-adolescent-exposed group. Further, males were 45% less likely to report MetS than females (aOR = 0.55; 95%CI 0.36-0.83). After stratification by sex, the effects of famine exposure during adolescence on MetS were detected among males only (aOR = 1.97; 95%CI 1.20-3.24). Additionally, males with a history of drinking were more likely to report MetS compared to those with no history of drinking (aOR = 2.63; 95%CI 1.41-4.90). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal that exposure to famine during adolescence is associated with higher odds of MetS in adulthood overall, and this association is only pronounced among males. This study emphasizes that undernutrition in early life, including adolescence, may have a long-term effect and be associated with adverse health events in middle-to-late life. Targeting those elderly people who suffered famine during adolescence may help prevent the development of MetS in later life.