Endocrine factors, memory and perceptual capacities and aging in Asian men.

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study examined the associations of hormones and age with short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men. METHODS: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess perceptual capacity and memory. Linear regression analyses with the stepwise method were carried out with the SPSS 21.0 package. RESULTS: Age was associated with lower dehydorepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA/S), insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), thyroxine (T4), testosterone (T), bioavailable T (BioT) and error rate (Err) but higher glucose (GLU), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2) and retention time (RT). High GLU was associated with higher error rate, longer RT of the perceptual capacity domain and shorter digit span (DSpan) of the short-term memory domain. Higher insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (BP3) was associated with longer DSpan. High cortisol (Cor) was associated with higher Err, while high DHEA/S was associated with shorter RT. All other hormones from the adrenal, somatotrophic and gonadal were not significantly associated with cognition. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest (1) a role for tighter control of blood glucose levels in cognitive decline with aging in men, (2) different hormones may be related to different parameters of cognition and "cognition" is not a unitary phenomenon and (3) further investigation of the potential for exogenous DHEA/S to slow cognitive decline in aging, especially as it relates to reaction time.

The association of metabolic syndrome and aging with cognition in Asian men.

BACKGROUND: The present cross-sectional study examined the associations of individual metabolic factors and age with the short-term memory and perceptual capacity in 472 healthy Asian men. METHODS: The symbol digit and digit span tests from the Swedish Performance Evaluation System were used to assess the perceptual capacity and memory cognitive domains. Linear regression with the stepwise method, and multivariate analyses of the General Linear Model with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were carried out with the SPSS 21.0 package. RESULTS: High blood pressure and HDL were not significantly associated with either short-term memory or perceptual capacity. Age and glucose level were negatively associated but regular physical exercise was positively associated with perceptual capacity. On the other hand, high triglyceride level (TG) was positively associated but high waist/height ratio was negatively associated with short-term memory. When men without any component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were compared with men with one, two or three or more components of MetS, no significant differences in cognitive performance were noted. CONCLUSION: Not all the metabolic factors were significantly associated with short-term memory or the perceptual capacity domains. Those that were did not show a sufficiently consistent pattern of association to support a role for MetS as a whole in cognitive decline with aging. It may not be meaningful to evaluate the association of MetS as a whole with cognition.

Associations of physical exercise as a lifestyle habit with lean and fat body mass and handgrip strength and age in Asian men.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated how the intensity of physical exercise as a lifestyle habit is associated with age, body composition and handgrip strength. METHODS: Total body composition was analyzed using DEXA. Exercise scores were derived from an administered questionnaire and the scoring was calculated using the Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET). Handgrip strength was measured using a dynamometer. RESULTS: Age, independent of exercise intensity, was associated with declining lean mass, and handgrip strength and with increasing total body fat. A regular physical exercise regime of intensity greater than 1230 MET-min/week was associated with higher total lean mass and lean mass in the limbs, and handgrip strength and lower fat mass in the limbs. DISCUSSION: We have shown that age was associated with lower lean mass especially in the limbs and handgrip strength and higher total fat mass. Regular physical exercise as a lifestyle habit of any type and of sufficient intensity could help improve muscle strength in the limbs.

Effects of a brief action and coping planning intervention on completion of preventive exercises prescribed by a physiotherapist among people with knee pain.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to test the efficacy of action and coping planning in promoting engagement with preventive exercises among a sample of people with knee pain. DESIGN: Experimental trial. METHODS: Individuals who presented to a physiotherapist with knee pain (N=373, 57% female; M age=31.54, SD=10.06, age range=18-69 years) completed two assessments separated by 14 days. At baseline, participants completed measures of severity of problems associated with the knee (e.g., pain, symptoms) and past behavior. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to an action and coping planning or control group. Two weeks later, participants retrospectively reported their preventive exercise behavior over the past 14 days. Analyses revealed that the experimental group reported a higher number of preventive exercise sessions over the 14day period when compared with the control group. RESULTS: Participants who planned action and coping strategies reported a greater frequency of completed preventive exercises over a 2-week period than people who did not. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study underscore the importance of action and coping planning for the enactment of preventive exercises that are designed to manage or prevent knee pain.

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at the Melbourne Aquarium, April 2000: investigation and case-control studies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the source and risk factors associated with Australia's largest outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. DESIGN AND SETTING: Epidemiological and environmental investigation of cases of Legionnaires' disease associated with visits to the Melbourne Aquarium; two case-control studies to confirm the outbreak source and to investigate risk factors for infection, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with confirmed Legionnaires' disease who visited the Melbourne Aquarium between 11 and 27 April 2000 were compared (i) with control participants from the community, and (ii) with control participants selected from other visitors to the Aquarium during this period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk factors for acquiring Legionnaires' disease. RESULTS: There were 125 confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 associated with the Aquarium; 76% of patients were hospitalised, and four (3.2%) died. The Aquarium cooling towers were contaminated with this organism. Visiting the Aquarium was significantly associated with disease (odds ratio [OR], 207; 95% CI, 73-630). The case-control study indicated that current smoking was a dose-dependent risk (multivariable OR for currently smoking > 70 cigarettes/week, 13.5; 95% CI, 5-36), but chronic illness and duration of exposure at the site were not significant risks. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed an association between poorly disinfected cooling towers at the Aquarium and Legionnaires' disease in visitors, and confirmed current smoking as a critical risk factor. The rapid response, publicity, and widespread urinary antigen testing may have resulted in detection of milder cases and contributed to the relatively low apparent morbidity and mortality rates. The urinary antigen test allows rapid identification of cases and may be changing the severity of illness recognised as Legionnaires' disease and altering who is considered at risk.