Chronological Age Differences Research Articles

Impact of Sex and Menopausal Status on Episodic Memory Circuitry in Early Midlife.

Cognitive neuroscience of aging studies traditionally target participants age 65 and older. However, epidemiological surveys show that many women report increased forgetfulness earlier in the aging process, as they transition to menopause. In this population-based fMRI study, we stepped back by over a decade to characterize the changes in memory circuitry that occur in early midlife, as a function of sex and women's reproductive stage. Participants (N = 200; age range, 45-55) performed a verbal encoding task during fMRI scanning. Reproductive histories and serologic evaluations were used to determine menopausal status. Results revealed a pronounced impact of reproductive stage on task-evoked hippocampal responses, despite minimal difference in chronological age. Next, we examined the impact of sex and reproductive stage on functional connectivity across task-related brain regions. Postmenopausal women showed enhanced bilateral hippocampal connectivity relative to premenopausal and perimenopausal women. Across women, lower 17β-estradiol concentrations were related to more pronounced alterations in hippocampal connectivity and poorer performance on a subsequent memory retrieval task, strongly implicating sex steroids in the regulation of this circuitry. Finally, subgroup analyses revealed that high-performing postmenopausal women (relative to low and middle performers) exhibited a pattern of brain activity akin to premenopausal women. Together, these findings underscore the importance of considering reproductive stage, not simply chronological age, to identify neuronal and cognitive changes that unfold in the middle decades of life. In keeping with preclinical studies, these human findings suggest that the decline in ovarian estradiol production during menopause plays a significant role in shaping memory circuitry. Maintaining intact memory function with age is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, and women have an increased risk for memory disorders relative to men later in life. We studied adults early in the aging process, as women transition into menopause, to identify neuronal and cognitive changes that unfold in the middle decades of life. Results demonstrate regional and network-level differences in memory encoding-related activity as a function of women's reproductive stage, independent of chronological age. Analyzing data without regard to sex or menopausal status obscured group differences in circuit-level neural strategies associated with successful memory retrieval. These findings suggest that early changes in memory circuitry are evident decades before the age range traditionally targeted by cognitive neuroscience of aging studies.

Monitoring Workload in Throwing-Dominant Sports: A Systematic Review.

The ability to monitor training load accurately in professional sports is proving vital for athlete preparedness and injury prevention. While numerous monitoring techniques have been developed to assess the running demands of many team sports, these methods are not well suited to throwing-dominant sports that are infrequently linked to high running volumes. Therefore, other techniques are required to monitor the differing demands of these sports to ensure athletes are adequately prepared for competition. To investigate the different methodologies used to quantitatively monitor training load in throwing-dominant sports. A systematic review of the methods used to monitor training load in throwing-dominant sports was conducted using variations of terms that described different load-monitoring techniques and different sports. Studies included in this review were published prior to June 2015 and were identified through a systematic search of four electronic databases including Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Medline and SPORTDiscus. Only full-length peer-reviewed articles investigating workload monitoring in throwing-dominant sports were selected for review. A total of 8098 studies were initially retrieved from the four databases and 7334 results were removed as they were either duplicates, review articles, non-peer-reviewed articles, conference abstracts or articles written in languages other than English. After screening the titles and abstracts of the remaining papers, 28 full-text papers were reviewed, resulting in the identification of 20 articles meeting the inclusion criteria for monitoring workloads in throwing-dominant sports. Reference lists of selected articles were then scanned to identify other potential articles, which yielded one additional article. Ten articles investigated workload monitoring in cricket, while baseball provided eight results, and handball, softball and water polo each contributed one article. Results demonstrated varying techniques used to monitor workload and purposes for monitoring workload, encompassing the relationship between workload and injury, individual responses to workloads, the effect of workload on subsequent performance and the future directions of workload-monitoring techniques. This systematic review highlighted a number of simple and effective workload-monitoring techniques implemented across a variety of throwing-dominant sports. The current literature placed an emphasis on the relationship between workload and injury. However, due to differences in chronological and training age, inconsistent injury definitions and time frames used for monitoring, injury thresholds remain unclear in throwing-dominant sports. Furthermore, although research has examined total workload, the intensity of workload is often neglected. Additional research on the reliability of self-reported workload data is also required to validate existing relationships between workload and injury. Considering the existing disparity within the literature, it is likely that throwing-dominant sports would benefit from the development of an automated monitoring tool to objectively assess throwing-related workloads in conjunction with well-established internal measures of load in athletes.

The contribution of flowering time and seed content to uneven ripening initiation among fruits within Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir clusters.

Ripening initiation-associated hormonal changes and sugar accumulation for individual fruits differed by seed content and did not depend heavily on flowering time or duration from anthesis to clusters' onset of ripening. For Vitis vinifera, the ripening initiation of individual fruits in a cluster occurs unevenly. This developmental period is called véraison. Why individual fruits initiate ripening at different times is not well studied, though differences in seed content and unequal developmental durations that arise from asynchronous flowering within a cluster have been proposed. This study examined how much both variables contribute to individual fruits' ripening progress by mid-véraison, when half of berries in a cluster have initiated ripening, and whether either or both factors affect the timing of characteristic, ripening-initiation associated changes in abscisic acid and auxin before, at, and after véraison. Overall, developmental duration and flowering time did not sufficiently explain how far berries had progressed into the ripening stage because fruits did not require a fixed amount of time to initiate ripening. Fruits from early and late flowers but of similar seed content were able to initiate ripening at the same time despite differences in chronological age. This suggests either an early developmental enhancement occurred for late-initiated fruits or that flowering time is an inappropriate "day zero". Ultimately, only seed content was linked to the timing and magnitude of ripening-related hormone changes, supporting that seeds have a comparatively larger influence than flowering time on the ripening initiation of individual berries. More specifically, if the fraction of berry weight occupied by seed was high, then the initiation of ripening for that berry and its associated hormone changes were delayed relative to berries with less seed weight versus total berry weight.

The Swedish Aging With Spinal Cord Injury Study (SASCIS): Methodology and Initial Results

BackgroundAdvances in acute treatment, physiatric care, and rehabilitation have improved survival greatly after spinal cord injury (SCI) and increased longevity. This has led to a need for an in-depth understanding of factors associated with healthy aging in people with long-term SCI. ObjectiveTo present the methodology and initial results of the Swedish Aging with Spinal Cord Injury Study, a longitudinal cohort survey targeting older adults with long-term SCI. DesignCross-sectional cohort study. SettingHome and community settings. ParticipantsPeople aged 50 years or older with SCI for at least 10 years. MethodsData were collected through interviews and assessments during home visits and from the participants' medical records. Main Outcome MeasurementsStudy-specific protocol with custom-designed questions, and validated generic and SCI-specific assessment tools focusing on functioning, disability, health, well-being, lifestyle, and personal and environmental factors. ResultsOf 795 potential participants, 184 matched the inclusion criteria and the final sample comprised 123 participants (67% response rate; 36 women and 87 men, mean age 63 ± 9 years, mean time since injury 24 ± 12 years). Traumatic SCI accounted for 62%, and 31% had sustained a complete SCI. A majority was married or had a partner, and used some form of assistance and/or mobility device. Thirty-five percent were working full-time or part-time. Based on the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), 3 groups of SCI severity were formed. There were no significant differences in chronological age, marital status, or vocational situation between the tetraplegia AIS A-C group (n = 22), the paraplegia AIS A-C group (n = 41), and the all AIS D group (n = 60). Participants in the all AIS D group were significantly older at injury, had a shorter time since injury, and were less likely to use mobility devices compared with the other 2 groups. ConclusionThese baseline data of the Swedish Aging with Spinal Cord Injury Study provide a description of older adults with long-term SCI. Forthcoming studies and subsequent follow-ups will generate new insights into factors that promote healthy aging, minimize disability and enhance participation, quality of life, and life satisfaction in people aging with long-term SCI.

The Relative Age Effect in Women’s Ice Hockey

A relative age effect (RAE), or chronological age differences among individuals within the same age group, has been observed in 14 sports (Cobley et al., 2009). A strong RAE has been reported in me ...

Mining of hospital laboratory information systems: a model study defining age- and gender-specific reference intervals and trajectories for plasma creatinine in a pediatric population.

The knowledge of physiological fluctuation and variation of even commonly used biochemical quantities in extreme age groups and during development is sparse. This challenges the clinical interpretation and utility of laboratory tests in these age groups. To explore the utility of hospital laboratory data as a source of information, we analyzed enzymatic plasma creatinine as a model analyte in two large pediatric hospital samples. Plasma creatinine measurements from 9700 children aged 0-18 years were obtained from hospital laboratory databases and partitioned into high-resolution gender- and age-groups. Normal probability plots were used to deduce parameters of the normal distributions from healthy creatinine values in the mixed hospital datasets. Furthermore, temporal trajectories were generated from repeated measurements to examine developmental patterns in periods of changing creatinine levels. Creatinine shows great age dependence from birth throughout childhood. We computed and replicated 95% reference intervals in narrow gender and age bins and showed them to be comparable to those determined in healthy population studies. We identified pronounced transitions in creatinine levels at different time points after birth and around the early teens, which challenges the establishment and usefulness of reference intervals in those age groups. The study documents that hospital laboratory data may inform on the developmental aspects of creatinine, on periods with pronounced heterogeneity and valid reference intervals. Furthermore, part of the heterogeneity in creatinine distribution is likely due to differences in biological and chronological age of children and should be considered when using age-specific reference intervals.

Retrospective evaluation of pubertal development and linear growth of girls with Turner Syndrome treated with oral and transdermal estrogen.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the pubertal development and linear growth of Turner Syndrome (TS) girls regularly monitored in our department. The data of 13 patients with TS were evaluated retrospectively. Left hand radiograms were evaluated by three different pediatric endocrinologists to determine bone ages. Six (46.2%) of the TS girls were treated with oral estrogens, while 7 (53.8%) were treated with transdermal estrogen. The ratios of chronological age (CA) difference to bone age (BA) difference (ΔCA/ΔBA) in two groups of patients treated with estrogen were compared at the time of the last control. The ΔCA/ΔBA ratio in the transdermal estrogen-treated group was significantly higher (p=0.005). These results suggest slower BA progression in the TS girls treated with transdermal estrogen. BA advancement is less significant with transdermal estrogen, which is associated with adequate breast development.

Biological Age and Sex-Related Declines in Physical Activity during Adolescence

Sex differences in the rate of decline in physical activity (PA) are most pronounced during adolescence. However, once boys and girls are aligned on biological age, sex differences in the patterns of PA become attenuated. The aim of this study was to test whether biological maturation can account for sex differences in participation in PA over time from late childhood to early adolescence. A prospective cohort of children (N = 2100; 1064 boys) was followed from ages 11 to 14 yr, with repeated assessments of PA and anthropometry. Self-reported participation in organized and free play activities was used to track participation in PA. Biological age was measured using an estimate of years to attainment of peak height velocity. Mixed-effects models were used to test whether controlling for biological age attenuates the effect of chronological age and sex on PA. As expected, the rate of decline in participation in PA was greater for girls than for boys (B = -1.18, P < 0.01). In multivariable analyses, adjusting for biological age completely attenuated the effect of sex and chronological age for participation in free play activities, but not for participation in organized play. Overall, biological age was a stronger predictor of participation than chronological age. The effect of biological age on sex by chronological age differences may be specific to certain types of PA participation. Given the importance of maturation to participation in activity, it is suggested that public health strategies target biological not chronological age to prevent declines in PA during adolescence particularly when promoting habitual or lifestyle activity.

Lung age in women with morbid obesity

ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of morbid obesity on the lung age in women and to correlate with body mass, body mass index (BMI), and ventilatory variables. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study with 72 morbidly obese women and a control group consisting of 37 normal weight women. The subjects performed a pulmonary function test to determine lung age, and the results were correlated to anthropometric variables and lung volumes. ResultsThe morbidly obese group had significantly higher lung age (50.1±6.8 years) than the control group (38.8±11.4 years). There was no difference in chronological age between groups. There was a significant positive correlation among chronological age, body mass, BMI, and lung age (r=0.3647, 0.4182, and 0.3743, respectively). There was a negative correlation among forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, expiratory reserve volume (ERV), and lung age (r=−0.7565, −0.8769, -−0.2723, and −0.2417, respectively). ConclusionLung age is increased in morbidly obese women and is associated with increased body mass and BMI.

Lung age in women with morbid obesity

ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of morbid obesity on the lung age in women and to correlate with body mass, body mass index (BMI), and ventilatory variables. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study with 72 morbidly obese women and a control group consistingof 37 normal weightwomen. The subjects performed apulmonary function test to determine lung age, and the results were correlated to anthropometric variables and lung volumes. ResultsThe morbidly obese group had significantly higher lung age (50.1±6.8 years) than the control group (38.8±11.4 years). There was no difference in chronological age between groups. There was a significant positive correlation among chronological age, body mass, BMI, and lung age (r=0.3647, 0.4182, and 0.3743, respectively). There was a negative correlation among forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, expiratory reserve volume (ERV), and lungage (r=-0.7565, -0.8769, —0.2723, and —0.2417, respectively). ConclusionLung age is increased in morbidly obese women and is associated with increased body mass and BMI.

Older job seekers' job search intensity: the interplay of proactive personality, age and occupational future time perspective

ABSTRACTLong-term unemployment of older people can have severe consequences for individuals, communities and ultimately economies, and is therefore a serious concern in countries with an ageing population. However, the interplay of chronological age and other individual difference characteristics in predicting older job seekers' job search is so far not well understood. This study investigated relationships among age, proactive personality, occupational future time perspective (FTP) and job search intensity of 182 job seekers between 43 and 77 years in Australia. Results were mostly consistent with expectations based on a combination of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the notion of compensatory psychological resources. Proactive personality was positively related to job search intensity and age was negatively related to job search intensity. Age moderated the relationship between proactive personality and job search intensity, such that the relationship was stronger at higher compared to lower ages. One dimension of occupational FTP (perceived remaining time left in the occupational context) mediated this moderating effect, but not the overall relationship between age and job search intensity. Implications for future research, including the interplay of occupational FTP and proactive personality, and some tentative practical implications are discussed.

Hypothyroidism in Children Beyond 5 y of Age: Delayed Diagnosis of Congenital Hypothyroidism

To determine the frequency of undiagnosed congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and its manifestations in hypothyroid children presenting beyond 5 y of age. Retrospective analysis of records of children with hypothyroidism more than 5 y of age at presentation between October 1997 and April 2010. Three hundred twenty children were diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Ninety-four (29.3%) were ≥5 y at presentation. Of these, CH was diagnosed in 34 (36.1%) and acquired hypothyroidism (AH) in 60 (63.9%). Symptoms of CH were noted at a mean age of 35.3±25.9 mo (range 12-132 mo) while the mean age at presentation was 86.6±35.3 mo (range 60-216 mo). The mean interval between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was nearly 51 mo. The mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis in children with AH was significantly shorter (8 mo, p<0.001). The main presenting complaints in children with CH and AH were growth delay (100%) and thyroid swelling (65%) respectively. Mean fT4 values in CH and AH at presentation were 0.23 and 0.34 ng/dL respectively (p=0.019). Children with CH had significantly higher TSH values (377.4 mIU/L) as compared to those with AH (151.4 mIU/L) (p=0.002) and had significantly delayed bone age (mean difference in chronological age and bone age 4.9 y in CH vs. 2.0 y in AH, p<0.01). Most common cause of CH in this group was thyroid dysgenesis (51.8%), followed by agenesis (25.9%) and dyshormonogenesis (22.2%). In absence of a universal screening program, diagnosis of CH, an important cause of preventable mental retardation is often delayed in India.

Applicability of Greulich and Pyle skeletal age standards to Indian children

A total 375 Indian children of age 1 day to 19 years were studied (male 194 and female 181). For determining the bone age (skeletal age), wrist and hand radiographs were taken. The skeletal age was determined by blinded review of radiograph using Greulich and Pyle atlas (2nd edition, 1959). If we consider all age group (1-19 years), the Indian boys were retarded in skeletal age by 0.7 years and females by 0.33 years. Male and female children skeletally lag behind the American standard (GP Atlas) in all age groups except 12-13 years age group in which girls are accelerated by 0.22 years. Chronological age and skeletal age difference of more than 1 year is seen between age group 7 years and 12 years in males. Females after second year showed a retardation, which ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 years, up to the age of 19 years. The present study concludes that, Greulich and Pyle atlas is not applicable to the Indian children of both sexes especially in middle and late childhood.

Chronological and subjective age differences in flourishing mental health and major depressive episode

Mental health is more than the absence of psychopathology, but few studies use positive mental health along with a measure of past year major depressive episode (MDE). This study addresses this gap by investigating the association of MDE and flourishing mental health (FMH) with chronological age and subjective (felt and ideal) age. Data are from the Midlife in the United States random digit dialing sample of adults ages 25 to 74, collected in 1995 (n = 3032). Rates of MDE were lowest, and FMH highest, among the three oldest age cohorts (45–54, 55–64, 65–74 years). Subjective age was linked with chronological age; with age, adults tend to feel younger, and want to be an age that is younger, than their actual age. As predicted by the model of subjective age as an adaptive strategy, feeling younger was related to a lower risk of MDE and a higher risk of FMH. However, wanting to be younger was related to a lower risk of FMH and unrelated to MDE.

Ansiedad-estado y variables sociodemográficas en futbolistas juveniles colombianos durante competencia

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;Con el objetivo de evaluar la ansiedad-estado en relación con variables sociodemográficas en el periodo competitivo, fueron evaluados los jugadores participantes en la fase semifinal del Campeonato Nacional Juvenil de Fútbol (n=93) realizado en Manizales en agosto de 2009. Fue utilizado el test IDARE (STAI) de Spielberger et ál. (1970). La edad cronológica media de los participantes fue 17,4±20,0 años. Los resultados del IDARE fueron relacionados con variables sociodemográficas y del rendimiento deportivo como posición de juego, edad cronológica y deportiva, estrato socio-económico, escolaridad y lugar de nacimiento. Se encontró que los defensas, del equipo del Valle del Cauca, los jugadores de más alto estrato socioeconómico (5-6) y los de menor edad deportiva experimentaron mayores niveles de ansiedad; mientras que en función de escolaridad, lugar de procedencia (capital vs. provincia) y edad cronológica no se encontraron diferencias significativas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Palabras clave:&lt;/strong&gt; psicología del deporte, ansiedad, ansiedad-estado, fútbol, adolescencia.&lt;/p&gt;

Estimation of individual biological aging and individualized evaluation of biomarkers of aging in healthy people

To estimate the degree of biological aging for healthy people by the biological age score equation and observe the differences of various aging biomarkers so as to provide targets for clinical anti-aging intervention. A total of 2876 subjects aged 30 - 98 years old were recruited from 3 Chinese cities in 2003. After screening, 852 healthy subjects were finally selected and assigned into 4 groups according to ages: young group (< 45 yr), middle-aged group (45 - 59 yr), young-elder group (60 - 74 yr) and elder group (≥ 75 yr). They received a total of 108 physical, morphological, physiologic and biochemical examinations. The biological age score equation was employed to compute the individual biological age scores for all subjects. Then the biological age score was taken as a dependent variable and the chronological age as an independent variable for linear regression. Based on the confidence interval with ± 1 standard deviation of regression line, they were divided into 3 groups (delayed aging, normal aging and early aging). According to the chronological ages and degrees of aging, two-way analysis of variance was conducted for the following 7 biomarkers: end diastolic velocity (EDV), intima-media thickness (IMT), ratio of peak velocity of early filling to atrial filling (E/A), mitral valve annulus lateral wall of peak velocity of early filling (MVEL), arterial pulse pressure (PP), fibrinogen (FIB) and cystatin C (CYSC). At the same time, the differences of 7 biomarkers were observed in different aging groups in 4 age groups. (1) A comparison of biological age score: there were no significant differences in chronological age among 3 biological aging groups in same chronological age groups. However, there were some significant differences in biological age score (young group: F = 91.8, P < 0.01; middle-aged group: F = 134.5, P < 0.01; young-elder group: F = 199.5, P < 0.01; elder group: F = 82.1, P < 0.01). (2) Two-way analysis of variance (aging groups and chronological age groups for biomarkers): there were significant differences of 7 biomarkers in different chronological age groups and different aging groups. (3) A comparison of biomarkers among aging groups: there were significant differences in PP among 3 aging groups in 4 age groups. PP increased significantly in early aging group to normal aging group and delayed aging group (young group: 49.0 ± 6.9, 37.6 ± 6.4, 30.8 ± 7.6 mm Hg, F = 93.2, P < 0.01; middle-aged group: 52.9 ± 7.3, 44.3 ± 5.9, 32.7 ± 8.4 mm Hg, F = 125.7, P < 0.01; young-elder group: 61.9 ± 7.6, 51.6 ± 6.6, 37.1 ± 8.7 mm Hg, F = 196.5, P < 0.01; elder group: 72.2 ± 13.7, 61.1 ± 6.8, 43.8 ± 10.8 mm Hg, F = 60.2, P < 0.01). There were significant differences in EDV among 3 aging groups in 4 age groups. EDV increased significantly in early aging group to normal aging group and delayed aging group. There were significant changes in IMT, MVEL, E/A, CYSC and FIB among aging groups in different age groups. (1) Biological age score plays an essential role in the evaluation of aging. Based on individual evaluation of biological age score, the degrees of aging can be categorized by grouping so that a clinician may provide clinical anti-aging interventions within the target groups. (2) The above 7 biomarkers are competent for the evaluation of aging. They can not only be used to construct biological age score equation, but also provide clinical targeted interventions for aging.

Neurological soft signs feature a double dissociation within the language system in Williams syndrome

The neurocognitive profile of Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is characterized by visuospatial deficits, apparently fluent language, motor soft signs, and hypersociability. We investigated the association between neuromotor soft signs and visuospatial, executive-attentive, mnestic and linguistic functions in a group of 26 children and young adults with WBS. We hypothesized that neurological soft signs could be an index of subtle neurofunctional deficits and thus provide a behavioural window into the processes underlying neurocognition in Williams-Beuren syndrome. Dysmetria and dystonic movements were selected as grouping neurological variables, indexing cerebellar and basal ganglia dysfunction, respectively. No detrimental effects on visuospatial/visuoconstructive skills were evident following the presence of either neurological variable. As for language skills, participants with dysmetria showed markedly reduced expressive syntactic and lexico-semantic skills as compared to non-affected individuals, while no difference in chronological age was evident. Participants with dystonic movements showed reduced receptive syntax and increased lexical comprehension skills as compared to non-affected individuals, the age factor being significant. In both instances, the effect size was greater for syntactic measures. We take these novel findings as suggestive of a double dissociation between expressive and receptive skills at sentence level within the WBS linguistic phenotype. The investigation of neuromotor soft signs and neuropsychological functions may provide a key to new non-cortico-centric genotype/phenotype relationships.

Cellular Aging Reflected by Leukocyte Telomere Length Predicts Advanced Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease Risk

To determine the association between leukocyte telomere length (TL) and atherosclerosis and its clinical sequelae stroke and myocardial infarction. Within the scope of the prospective population-based Bruneck Study, leukocyte TL was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 800 women and men aged 45 to 84 years (in 1995). The manifestation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (1995-2005) and the progression of atherosclerosis (1995-2000) were carefully assessed. The TL was shorter in men than in women (age-adjusted mean [95% CI], 1.41 [1.33 to 1.49] versus 1.55 [1.47 to 1.62]; P=0.02) and inversely correlated to age (r=-0.22, P<0.001) and family history of CVD (P=0.03). Participants with CVD events during follow-up (n=88) had significantly shorter telomeres (age- and sex-adjusted mean [95% CI], 1.25 [1.08 to 1.42] versus 1.51 [1.45 to 1.57]; P<0.001). In multivariable Cox models, baseline TL emerged as a significant and independent risk predictor for the composite CVD end point and its individual components (myocardial infarction and stroke); however, this was not the case for de novo stable angina and intermittent claudication. Subjects in the top and bottom TL tertile group differed in their CVD risk by a factor of 2.72 (95% CI, 1.41 to 5.28), which is the risk ratio attributable to a 13.9-year difference in chronological age. Remarkably, in our atherosclerosis progression model, TL was strongly associated with advanced, but not early, atherogenesis. All findings were consistent in women and men. Our findings indicate a differential role of telomere shortening in the various stages of atherosclerosis, with preferential involvement in advanced vessel pathology and acute vascular syndromes.

Impact of Walking on Adipose Tissue Lipoprotein Lipase Activity and Expression in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine regional variation in adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (AT-LPL) activity and expression in pre-and postmenopausal women, before and after training, once differences in chronological age or obesity degree are taken into account. Methods: Sixteen late pre- and 14 early postmenopausal (49 ± 2 vs. 52 ± 2 years; p < 0.001) moderately obese women (body mass index 29–35 kg/m²) were subjected to a 16-week walking program (3 sessions/week of 45 min at 60% heart rate reserve). Abdominal and femoral AT-LPL activity and expression, fasting lipidlipoprotein profile, body composition, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were measured before and after our intervention. Statistical analyses were performed using covariance analysis for age differences. Results: AT-LPL activity and expression, lipid-lipoprotein metabolism, body fatness, and CRF were similar at baseline, irrespective of the group considered. Slight reductions in plasma cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, fat mass and waist girth reductions, CRF increases as well as femoral AT-LPL activity and expression decreases after our intervention were comparable, regardless of menopausal status (0.0001 < p < 0.05). Conclusions: Lipid storage is decreased in the femoral depot after walking, regardless of menopausal status. Reduction in AT-LPL activity or expression does not lead to a more deleterious lipid-lipoprotein profile, despite the modest decrease noted in HDL cholesterol concentrations.

Influences of competition level, gender, player nationality, career stage and playing position on relative age effects

Relative age, referring to the chronological age differences between individuals within annually age-grouped cohorts, is regarded as influential to an athlete's development, constraining athletic skill acquisition. While many studies have suggested different mechanisms for this effect, they have typically examined varying sports, precluding an examination of the possible inter-play between factors. Our three studies try to bridge this gap by investigating several moderators for relative age effects (RAEs) in one sport. Handball is a sport with position-specific demands, high cultural relevance and a performance context with established developmental structures and levels of representation for males and females. In Study 1, we investigated the influence of competition level and gender on RAEs before adulthood. In Study 2, elite participation, player nationality and stage of career are considered during adulthood. In Study 3, playing position and laterality (i.e., right vs left handedness) are investigated as moderators. Collectively, the results emphasize the complex inter-play of direct and indirect influences on RAEs in sports, providing evidence toward explaining how RAEs influence the development and maintenance of expertise.