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BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is important for healthy aging and disease prevention whereas sedentary behavior (SB) accelerates health deterioration.AimTo investigate activity profiles regarding PA and SB among generally healthy European older adults.MethodsMeeting PA recommendations was defined as ≥150 min/week of moderate and/or ≥75 min/week of vigorous PA. A cut-off of ≥5.5 h/day was used to define time spent with SB. We present prevalence of PA and SB overall and by sex, age, BMI, and country. We examined correlates with multivariate logistic regression models.ResultsTwo thousand one hundred and fifty-five DO-HEALTH participants completed baseline information on activity profiles [mean age 74.9 years (SD 4.5), 61.8% women]. Overall, 62.2% met PA recommendations and overall, 37.1% spent ≥5.5 h/day with SB. Younger participants (70–74 years), men, and those with BMI 2 met PA recommendations more often. Per country, prevalence of meeting PA recommendations were: Austria 74.4%, France 51.0%, Germany 65.6%, Portugal 46.5%, and Switzerland 66.7%. Regarding SB, prevalence did not differ in all subgroups. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, being male, younger age, lower MoCA scores, and higher SPPB score were associated with greater odds, whereas higher BMI, more years of education, higher GDS score, and residing in Portugal were associated with lower odds of meeting PA recommendations. High BMI and higher MoCA scores were associated with greater odds of high SB.ConclusionIndividualized public health efforts may be warranted even in active older adults, as profiles were less favorable in subgroups of older age, female sex and higher BMI.

The Mediterranean diet has been associated with many health benefits. Therefore, we investigated whether the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet at baseline, or changes in adherence over time, were associated with the incidence of pre-frailty or frailty in generally healthy older adults. This study used the DO-HEALTH trial data. We evaluated Mediterranean diet adherence with Panagiotakos’ MedDietScore at baseline and at 3-year follow-up; frailty was assessed annually with the Fried frailty phenotype. We used minimally and fully adjusted mixed logistic regression models to estimate the exposure–disease relationship. We included 1811 participants without frailty at baseline (mean age 74.7 years; 59.4% women). Baseline adherence, as reflected by the MedDietScore, was not associated with becoming pre-frail [OR(95%CI) = 0.93 (0.83–1.03) for five-point greater adherence] or frail [OR(95%CI) = 0.90 (0.73–1.12) for five points]. However, a five-point increase in the MedDietScore over three years was associated with lower odds of becoming pre-frail [OR(95%CI) = 0.77 (0.68–0.88)] and frail [OR(95%CI) = 0.77 (0.64–0.92)]. In generally healthy and active older adults, baseline adherence to the Mediterranean diet was not associated with the incidence of pre-frailty or frailty over a 3-year follow-up. However, improved adherence to the Mediterranean diet over time was associated with significantly lower odds of becoming pre-frail or frail.

Researchers in this study looked at how participating hospitals performed in Medicare���s Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative for five medical conditions (congestive heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sepsis, and acute myocardial infarction) and compared them with matched control hospitals. Hospitals in the initiative did not have lower costs or other better outcomes compared with those��not participating. Bundling for medical conditions may require more time, new care strategies and partnerships, or additional incentives.

Before the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), cardiac mortality and morbidity were common in HIV-infected children.This study sought to identify long-term cardiovascular effects of HAART in HIV-infected children.The CHAART-2 (HAART-Associated Cardiotoxicity in HIV-Infected Children) study prospectively compared 148 echocardiograms from 74 HAART-exposed children to 860 echocardiograms from 140 HAART-unexposed but HIV-infected children from the Pulmonary and Cardiac Complications of Vertically Transmitted HIV Infection (PComparing the HAART-exposed and HAART-unexposed groups, any HAART exposure was positively associated with left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening (z-score for difference = 1.07; p = 0.02) and HAART exposure duration (z-score difference per year = 0.17; p = 0.003. LV mass was negatively associated with any HAART exposure (z-score difference = -0.64; p = 0.01) as was septal thickness (z-score difference = -0.93; p = 0.001). Duration of HAART exposure was negatively associated with LV end-systolic dimension and heart rate (z-score difference per year= -0.11; p = 0.05; and z-score difference per year = -0.10; p = 0.002, respectively). During 11 years of follow-up, in the HAART-exposed group, LV mass and LV end-diastolic septal thickness were lower whereas LV contractility and LV fractional shortening were higher when compared to the HAART-unexposed group.Cardiac structure and function were better in perinatally HIV-infected children exposed to HAART than in those of similar children from the pre-HAART era but did decline over time. Evidence-based strategies for cardiovascular monitoring are needed to inform treatment decisions to improve long-term cardiovascular health.

Objective: To determine whether patient outcomes differ between general internists who graduated from a medical school outside the United States and those who graduated from a US medical school. Design: Observational study. Setting: Medicare, USA. Participants: 20% national sample of data for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 years or older admitted to hospital with a medical condition in 2011-14 and treated by international or US medical graduates who were general internists. The study sample for mortality analysis included 1 215 490 admissions to the hospital treated by 44 227 general internists. Main outcome measures: Patients' 30 day mortality and readmission rates, and costs of care per hospital admission, with adjustment for patient and physician characteristics and hospital fixed effects (effectively comparing physicians within the same hospital). As a sensitivity analysis, we focused on physicians who specialize in the care of patients admitted to hospital ("hospitalists"), who typically work in shifts and whose patients are plausibly quasi-randomized based on the physicians' work schedules. Results: Compared with patients treated by US graduates, patients treated by international graduates had slightly more chronic conditions. After adjustment for patient and physician characteristics and hospital fixed effects, patients treated by international graduates had lower mortality (adjusted mortality 11.2% v 11.6%; adjusted odds ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.93 to 0.96; P

BackgroundEmerging evidence suggests positive associations between serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), a marker of ovarian function, and breast cancer risk. Body size at young ages may influence AMH levels, but few studies have examined this. Also, no studies have examined the relation of AMH levels with breast density, a strong predictor of breast cancer risk.MethodsWe examined associations of early life body fatness, AMH concentrations, and breast density among 172 women in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC). Height and weight were measured at baseline (ages 8-10) and throughout adolescence. Serum AMH concentrations and breast density were assessed at ages 25-29 at the DISC 2006 Follow-up visit. We used linear mixed effects models to quantify associations of AMH (dependent variable) with quartiles of age-specific youth body mass index (BMI) Z-scores (independent variable). We assessed cross-sectional associations of breast density (dependent variable) with AMH concentration (independent variable).ResultsNeither early life BMI nor current adult BMI was associated with AMH concentrations. There were no associations between AMH and percent or absolute dense breast volume. In contrast, women with higher AMH concentrations had significantly lower absolute nondense breast volume (Ptrend < 0.01).ConclusionsWe found no evidence that current or early life BMI influences AMH concentrations in later life. Women with higher concentrations of AMH had similar percent and absolute dense breast volume, but lower nondense volume.ImpactThese results suggest that AMH may be associated with lower absolute nondense breast volume; however, future prospective studies are needed to establish temporality. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(7); 1151-7. ©2016 AACR.

This study explored the impact of insurance expansion on the use of health care services on residents in three Southern states���Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas���each with high poverty rates and high baseline uninsured rates but differing responses to the Medicaid expansion.

To determine whether a delirium abatement program (DAP) can shorten duration of delirium in new admissions to postacute care (PAC).Cluster randomized controlled trial.Eight skilled nursing facilities specializing in PAC within a single metropolitan region.Four hundred fifty-seven participants with delirium at PAC admission.The DAP consisted of four steps: assessment for delirium within 5 days of PAC admission, assessment and correction of common reversible causes of delirium, prevention of complications of delirium, and restoration of function.Trained researchers screened eligible patients. Those with delirium defined according to the Confusion Assessment Method were eligible for participation using proxy consent. Regardless of location, researchers blind to intervention status re-assessed participants for delirium 2 weeks and 1 month after enrollment.Nurses at DAP sites detected delirium in 41% of participants, versus 12% in usual care sites (P.001), and completed DAP documentation in most participants in whom delirium was detected, but the DAP intervention had no effect on delirium persistence based on two measurements at 2 weeks (DAP 68% vs usual care 66%) and 1 month (DAP 60% vs usual care 51%) (adjusted Por =.20). Adjusting for baseline differences between DAP and usual care participants and restricting analysis to DAP participants in whom delirium was detected did not alter the results.Detection of delirium improved at the DAP sites, but the DAP had no effect on the persistence of delirium. This effectiveness trial demonstrated that a nurse-led DAP intervention was not effective in typical PAC facilities.

BackgroundIn the Mode Selection Trial (MOST) of 2,010 patients with sinus node dysfunction, dual-chamber-paced patients had less atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure and had slightly improved health-related quality of life (QOL) compared with rate modulated right ventricular-paced patients. Our objective was to assess the impact of AF on QOL within MOST.MethodsWe analyzed serial QOL measures (Short Form-36, Specific Activity Scale, time trade-off) in 3 groups: (1) those without AF; (2) those with paroxysmal AF (PAF), but not chronic AF (CAF); and (3) those with CAF. We carried forward the last known QOL before crossover for all subsequent time points in patients randomized to rate modulated right ventricular pacing who crossed over to dual-chamber pacing for severe pacemaker syndrome.ResultsThree hundred seventeen patients (15.8%) had AF in the year after implantation, 206 patients within 3 months (191 PAF, 15 CAF), and another 159 (124 PAF, 35 CAF) between 3 and 12 months. There were no significant differences among groups in individual Short Form-36 subscales or time trade-off scores at 12 months as compared with baseline or 3 months. Cardiovascular health status was better at 12 months as compared with baseline or 3 months in those without AF.ConclusionsAtrial fibrillation after pacemaker implantation in elderly patients with sick sinus syndrome was not a major determinant of QOL. However, there was a trend toward better cardiovascular functional status in patients without AF.