New and Noteworthy Information—September 2017
Madsen TE, Khoury J, Alwell K, et al. Sex-specific stroke incidence over time in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study. Neurology. 2017 Aug 9 [Epub ahead of print].
Link Between Alcohol Intake and Cognitively Healthy Longevity
Older adults who consume alcohol moderately on a regular basis are more likely to live to age 85 without dementia or other cognitive impairments than nondrinkers, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers examined 1,344 older community-dwelling adults and assessed alcohol intake by questionnaire in 1984–1987. They evaluated cognitive function in approximately four-year intervals between 1988 and 2009. About 49% of participants reported moderate alcohol intake, and 48% reported drinking almost daily. Relative to nondrinkers, moderate and heavy drinkers had significantly higher adjusted odds of survival to age 85 without cognitive impairment. Near-daily drinkers had two- to threefold higher adjusted odds of cognitively healthy longevity versus living to at least age 85 with cognitive impairment or death before age 85.
Richard EL, Kritz-Silverstein D, Laughlin GA, et al. Alcohol intake and cognitively healthy longevity in community-dwelling adults: The Rancho Bernardo Study. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017;59(3):803-814.
MRI Shows Brain Differences in Genetic Autism
In two genetically related cohorts at high risk for autism, reciprocal neuroanatomic abnormalities were associated with cognitive and behavioral impairments, according to a study published online ahead of print August 8 in Radiology. Researchers performed MRI on 79 carriers of a deletion at 16p11.2, 79 carriers of a duplication at 16p11.2, 64 unaffected family members, and 109 controls. The participants completed cognitive and behavioral tests, and neuroradiologists reviewed the images for development-related abnormalities. The researchers found differences in the brain structures of deletion and duplication carriers, compared with noncarriers. Deletion carriers had brain overgrowth, and duplication carriers had brain undergrowth. When investigators compared cognitive assessments to imaging findings, they found that any imaging feature associated with the deletion carriers indicated worse daily living, communication, and social skills.
Owen JP, Bukshpun P, Pojman N, et al. Brain MR imaging findings and associated outcomes in carriers of the reciprocal copy number variation at 16p11.2. Radiology. 2017 Aug 8 [Epub ahead of print].
FDA Clears Stimpod NMS460 for Relief of Chronic Pain
The FDA has cleared Stimpod NMS460, a noninvasive neuromodulation device, for the symptomatic relief and management of chronic intractable pain. The unit also can be used for the adjunctive treatment of postsurgical pain, posttraumatic acute pain, and pain control due to rehabilitation. The device has a pulsed radio frequency waveform that creates electromagnetic effects similar to those of invasive pulsed radio frequency treatments. Treatment is applied transcutaneously. Case studies have shown quick and notable relief of chronic intractable pain. The treatment has no known side effects. The Stimpod NMS460 also incorporates nerve-locating technology that includes a nerve-mapping probe that enables practitioners to evaluate the treatment progress of damaged nerves. Xavant Technology, which markets Stimpod NMS460, is headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa.
Longer Sleep Is Associated With Lower BMI
Adults who have poor sleep patterns are more likely to be overweight or obese and have poorer metabolic health, according to a study published July 27 in PLoS One. Researchers analyzed associations between sleep duration and adiposity, selected metabolic health markers, and diet using National Diet and Nutrition Survey data. In all, 1,615 adults (57.1% female) between ages 19 and 65 completed questions about sleep duration and three to four days of food diaries. Investigators recorded blood pressure and waist circumference. Fasting blood lipids, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, thyroid hormones, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were measured in a subset of participants. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, sex, smoking, and socioeconomic status, sleep duration was negatively associated with BMI and waist circumference. Sleep duration was positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Potter GDM, Cade JE, Hardie LJ. Longer sleep is associated with lower BMI and favorable metabolic profiles in UK adults: findings from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. PLoS One. 2017; 12(7):e0182195.
Can Bleeding Risk After Stroke Be Predicted?
The S2TOP-BLEED score can estimate three-year major bleeding risk in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke who use antiplatelet agents, according to a study published online ahead of print August 2 in Neurology. To develop this prediction model, researchers combined data from six trials investigating antiplatelet therapy after TIA or ischemic stroke. They performed Cox regression analyses stratified by trial to study the association between predictors and major bleeding. Major bleeding occurred in 1,530 of the 43,112 patients during 94,833 person-years of follow-up. The observed three-year risk of major bleeding was 4.6%. The investigators identified male sex, smoking, type of antiplatelet agents, outcome on modified Rankin Scale ≥ 3, prior stroke, high blood pressure, lower BMI, elderly status, Asian ethnicity, and diabetes as predictors of major bleeding.
