Biomedical subjects

H B Staehelin

Publications and source records attributed to H B Staehelin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Nutrition and aging: a consensus statement.

OBJECTIVE: To consider the relationship between nutrition and aging. To summarize existing knowledge and identify areas of ignorance. DESIGN: Experts from a range of relevant disciplines received and considered a series of questions related to aspects of the topic. SETTING: University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany. INTERVENTION: The experts met and discussed the questions and arrived at a consensus. CONCLUSION: Many specific conclusions were drawn that support the general view that as we age an inadequate nutrition contributes to the loss of function and the development and progression of disease. Nutritional status is influenced by a range of medical, physiological, psychological, social and situational variables. Adequate nutrition and physical activity are aspects of a health-promoting lifestyle. The encouraging of better nutrition and the taking of exercise is a cost-effective way of decreasing the incidence and progression of age-related disease. The earlier such interventions are introduced the better.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Genetic association of a cystatin C gene polymorphism with late-onset Alzheimer disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the cystatin C gene (CST3) is genetically associated with late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD). DESIGN: A case-control study with 2 independent study populations of patients with AD and age-matched, cognitively normal control subjects. SETTING: The Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, for the initial study (n = 260). For the independent multicenter study (n = 647), an international consortium that included the Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; the Scientific Institute for Research and Patient Care, Brescia, Italy; and Alzheimer's research units at the Universities of Basel and Zurich, Switzerland, and Bonn, Goettingen, and Hamburg, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred seventeen patients with AD and 390 control subjects. MEASURES: Molecular testing of the KspI polymorphisms in the 5' flanking region and exon 1 of CST3 and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. Mini-Mental State Examination scores for both patients with AD and control subjects. RESULTS: Homozygosity for haplotype B of CST3 was significantly associated with late-onset AD in both study populations, with an odds ratio of 3.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.56-9.25) in the combined data set; heterozygosity was not associated with an increased risk. The odds ratios for CST3 B/B increased from 2.6 in those younger than 75 years to 8.8 for those aged 75 years and older. The association of CST3 B/B with AD was independent of APOE epsilon4; both genotypes independently reduced disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: CST3 is a susceptibility gene for late-onset AD, especially in patients aged 75 years and older. To our knowledge, CST3 B is the first autosomal recessive risk allele in late-onset AD.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed1999

[Argyrophilic grain disease: differentiation from Alzheimer disease].

Argyrophilic grain disease (AgD) constitutes one cause of late onset dementia and is histologically characterized by the presence of abundant argyrophilic grains and coiled bodies. Both abnormalities are found mainly in limbic structures, among them the sector CA1 of the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex, and the amygdala. Using appropriate silver staining techniques, they are easily detectable and can easily be distinguished from neurofibrillary lesions of Alzheimer's disease (i.e., tangles and threads). Although the histopathology of AgD is well characterized, the nosological status is still unclear because most cases of AgD are associated with Alzheimer-type changes. For some authors, therefore, AgD is considered a variant of Alzheimer's disease rather than a distinct disease entity. The present review is aimed at presenting argyrophilic grain disease to a larger readership than just neuropathologists who are interested in neurodegenerative disorders. In this review we summarize morphological, immunohistochemical, clinico-pathological and genetic data obtained in more than 90 subjects with AgD. The main conclusions of this review are that AgD represents one of the most frequent, dementing disorders of old age and that it has to be clearly distinguished from Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed1999

Apolipoprotein E genotypes and cognitive functions in healthy elderly persons.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether apoE genotypes correlate with cognitive functions in clinically healthy persons. METHODS: In 1993 and 1995, we measured information processing speed, delayed free recall and semantic aspects of long-term memory in 227 men and 105 women aged 65 and over, a randomly selected subsample of the prospective Basel Study. Cardiovascular risk factors and education were assessed. RESULTS: E2 were more prevalent in old-old (>75 years, 23.5% vs. 15%) compared to E4 than in young-old (<75 years, 19.3% vs. 23.5%). Taking into account age and education, subjects with epsilon3/epsilon4 or epsilon4/epsilon4 alleles (E4) performed lowest in all 3 tests compared to those homozygous for epsilon3 (E3) or carriers of one or two epsilon2 alleles (E2) (reaction time P = 0.009, free recall P = 0.05, WAIS-R vocabulary P<0.05). In old-old there was a significant difference between E2 and E4 for reaction time (P = 0.02) and free recall (P<0.02) but not for vocabulary (P = 0.086). In all 3 groups there were no significant changes after 2 years. The subgroup with the genotype epsilon2/epsilon4 performed consistently best in the cognitive tests. Cholesterol was significantly increased in the E4 and E3 group compared to the E2 group. CONCLUSION: ApoE genotype correlates with cognitive performance. The increased prevalence of E2 in the old-old and the significantly lower plasma cholesterol levels suggest differential morbidity and mortality as important factors influencing the prevalence of cognitive disorders in late life.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Apolipoprotein E allele frequencies in argyrophilic grain disease.

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotypes were analyzed in 35 subjects with argyrophilic grain diseases (AgD). Neuropathologically, all cases were characterized by abundant argyrophilic grains in the hippocampus and in the entorhinal or parahippocampal cortex. We found an ApoE epsilon4 allele frequency of 0.007 in AgD patients, which is significantly different from the epsilon4 allele frequencies reported in age-matched Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients (0.24), but not from age-matched controls (0.09). We conclude that the ApoE epsilon4 allele does not constitute a risk factor for the development of AgD. Our results further suggest that AgD is a progressive disorder differentiated from AD by morphological and genetic criteria.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

The effects of resistance training on well-being and memory in elderly volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the short- and long-term effects of resistance training on muscle strength, psychological well-being, control-beliefs, cognitive speed and memory in normally active elderly people. METHODS: 46 elderly people (mean age 73.2 years; 18 women and 28 men), were randomly assigned to training and control groups (n=23 each). Pre- and post-tests were administered 1 week before and 1 week after the 8-week training intervention. The training sessions, performed once a week, consisted of a 10 min warm-up phase and eight resistance exercises on machines. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in maximum dynamic strength in the training group. This training effect was associated with a significant decrease in self-attentiveness, which is known to enhance psychological well-being. No significant changes could be observed in control-beliefs. Modest effects on cognitive functioning occurred with the training procedure: although there were no changes in cognitive speed, significant pre/post-changes could be shown in free recall and recognition in the experimental group. A post-test comparison between the experimental group and control group showed a weak effect for recognition but no significant differences in free recall. Significant long-term effects were found in the training group for muscular strength and memory performance (free recall) 1 year later. CONCLUSION: An 8-week programme of resistance training lessens anxiety and self-attentiveness and improves muscle strength.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Argyrophilic grain disease: distribution of grains in patients with and without dementia.

In a previous study we reported on a late onset dementia which occurred in only half of the patients with argyrophilic grain disease (AgD) investigated. To find a correlation between the distribution of argyrophilic grains (ArG) and the occurrence of a late onset dementia, we examined the limbic area in 35 subjects who had ArG as the main neuropathological finding. A retrospective clinical analysis was performed by collecting information from hospital charts supplemented by standardized interviews based on DSM IV criteria for dementia. Sections from the rostral and caudal hippocampal regions, including the entorhinal/transentorhinal and parahippocampal cortex on both sides, were strained by the Gallays method. Nineteen subjects were diagnosed as demented according to these criteria; 16 were considered to have been cognitively normal. High numbers of ArG were observed in the anterior part of the CA1 subfield in all cases. However, the posterior half of CA1 was involved significantly more often and more severely in demented than in non-demented individuals (P < 0.01). Moreover, the distribution of ArG in the entorhinal/transentorhinal and parahippocampal cortex was more widespread in the group of demented patients (P < 0.05). These results show that the intellectual status of patients with AgD was related to the extension of ArG in the limbic area. We suggest that AgD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with early subclincial lesions in the anterior part of the hippocampal formation. To provide a more accurate clinicopathological correlation, the rostrocaudal extension of ArG in the limbic area should be evaluated in AgD cases.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

Cholesterol screening in childhood: results of a 9-year follow-up study in Swiss and Italian children in Switzerland.

Mass screening for blood cholesterol as part of routine preventive health care of children continues to be discussed in several countries. Results of longitudinal studies underline the importance of the predictive value of cholesterol levels assessed during childhood. Some countries have changed their recommendations during the past years to blood cholesterol screening for obese children only or for children of high risk families. In the Kindergarten-study Basel, a follow-up study on somatic, psychic and social development of Swiss and immigrant schoolchildren, cardiovascular risk factors were assessed at the ages of 5, 10 and 14 years. The age-specific levels of total and LDL-cholesterol found in our study were slightly higher and HDL-cholesterol lower than, for example, those found in the Bogalusa Heart Study. For total cholesterol no significant tracking correlations over the 5 and 9 year periods were found. Tracking of LDL- and HDL-cholesterol differed between nationalities and sexes. The total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol index tracked slightly better. Italian girls showed the best 9-year tracking for HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.56). The differences between this and other studies can only partially be explained by different sampling and laboratory methods. Individual changes in cholesterol levels between the ages of 5 and 14 were marked. Sexual maturation was found to be of minor influence. Body mass index was the most consistent risk factor in our population. Changes of sex or growth hormone levels during puberty, but also changes of nutritional habits or physical activity might influence the individual cholesterol levels. Before recommendations on mass screening of cholesterol in children are made, the different longitudinal patterns of changes in cholesterol levels, and subpopulation-specific changes of nutritional habits and physical activity, should be discussed. The results of the Kindergarten study Basel suggest that attention should be paid to screening for obesity and to health education regarding nutrition and physical activity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Short-term effect of whole milk and milk fermented by Pseudomonas fluorescens on plasma lipids in adult boars.

The short-term effects of whole milk and milk fermented by Pseudomonas fluorescens, of the amino acid composition of the diet and of feeding frequency on the level of plasma lipids, were investigated in six 1-year-old adult boars. The experimental diets contained equal amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat and cholesterol. After an adaptation period of 5 d for each experimental treatment, blood was collected at regular intervals during 48 h and plasma levels of cholesterol, triacylglycerol, high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were examined. All variables except HDL-cholesterol showed distinct diurnal fluctuations, which were substantially influenced by feeding frequency. Variations in the amino acid composition of the experimental diets, which were within a physiological range, had no effect on the level of plasma lipids. Plasma lipid levels were significantly lower when the animals received the diets containing milk instead of the diet without milk: cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and LDL-cholesterol were reduced by 5.6, 5.8 and 10% respectively (pondered means) while HDL-cholesterol remained unaffected. Fermentation of whole milk by P. fluorescens reduced the lipid-lowering effect. Our findings suggest that the intake of diets containing milk results in a lower plasma cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol level than the intake of diets with a similar nutrient content which do not contain milk.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1989

Computed tomography, electroencephalography, and clinical features in the differential diagnosis of senile dementia. A prospective clinicopathologic study.

The accuracy of computed tomography, electroencephalography, and clinical features in the differential diagnosis of senile dementia was studied prospectively. Out of 50 demented patients, autopsy revealed 32 cases with either senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT), multi-infarct dementia (MID), or a combination of both. Eighteen patients had dementia caused by other diseases. Based on a combination of computed tomography, electroencephalography, and clinical features, senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type was differentiated from all 50 patients, with a specificity of 83% and a sensitivity of 80%. Focusing on senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type, multi-infarct dementia, or a combination of both, specificity decreased to 65% and sensitivity to 47%. Comparing the different methods, multi-infarct processes were diagnosed with a higher sensitivity by the clinical features (73%) than by computed tomography (18%) or electroencephalography (18%). None of the methods validly differentiated multi-infarct dementia from a combination of multi-infarct dementia and senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

Aged↗

PubMed1986

Plasma lipid fractions during bopindolol treatment in hypertensive patients.

The influence of bopindolol monotherapy on blood pressure and plasma lipid fractions was investigated in 24 hypertensive patients. Bopindolol lowered blood pressure and heart rate significantly. When compared with placebo, no changes were found in the plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Plasma triglycerides were significantly increased after 4 and 8 weeks but not after 12 weeks of bopindolol. It is concluded that bopindolol is an effective and well tolerated beta blocker in hypertensive patients. That it does not lower HDL cholesterol could be a potential advantage.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

PubMed1984

Plasma lipid fractions during long-term monotherapy with the ISA-containing beta-adrenoceptor blocker bopindolol in hypertensive patients.

The influence of bopindolol monotherapy on blood pressure and plasma lipid fractions was investigated in 24 hypertensive patients. Bopindolol lowered blood pressure and heart rate significantly. When compared with placebo no changes were found in the plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Plasma triglycerides were significantly increased after 4 and 8 weeks but not after 12 weeks of bopindolol. It is concluded that bopindolol is an effective and well tolerated beta-adrenoceptor blocker in hypertensive patients. The fact that it does not lower HDL cholesterol could be a potential advantage.

Adult↗

PubMed1977