Search

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) dysfunction has been recently recognized as a potential contributor to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to explore the relationship between VAT metabolism and cerebral glucose metabolism in patients with cognitive impairment. This cross-sectional prospective study included 54 patients who underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) brain and torso positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and neuropsychological evaluations. VAT metabolism was measured by 18F-FDG torso PET/CT, and cerebral glucose metabolism was measured using 18F-FDG brain PET/CT. A voxel-based analysis revealed that the high-VAT-metabolism group exhibited a significantly lower cerebral glucose metabolism in AD-signature regions such as the parietal and temporal cortices. In the volume-of-interest analysis, multiple linear regression analyses with adjustment for age, sex, and white matter hyperintensity volume revealed that VAT metabolism was negatively associated with cerebral glucose metabolism in AD-signature regions. In addition, higher VAT metabolism was correlated with poorer outcomes on cognitive assessments, including the Korean Boston Naming Test, Rey Complex Figure Test immediate recall, and the Controlled Oral Word Association Test. In conclusion, our study revealed significant relationships among VAT metabolism, cerebral glucose metabolism, and cognitive function. This suggests that VAT dysfunction actively contributes to the neurodegenerative processes characteristic of AD, making VAT dysfunction targeting a novel AD therapy approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has been recognized as an endocrine organ, and VAT dysfunction could be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to evaluate the association of VAT metabolism with AD pathology. This cross-sectional study included 54 older subjects with cognitive impairment who underwent 2-deoxy-2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) torso positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F-florbetaben brain PET. 18F-FDG uptake in VAT on 18F-FDG PET images was used as a marker of VAT metabolism, and subjects were classified into high and low VAT metabolism groups. A voxel-based analysis revealed that the high VAT metabolism group exhibited a significantly higher cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) burden than the low VAT metabolism group. In the volume-of-interest analysis, multiple linear regression analyses with adjustment for age, sex, and white matter hyperintensity volume revealed that 18F-FDG uptake in VAT was significantly associated with the cerebral Aβ burden (β = 0.359, p = 0.007). In conclusion, VAT metabolism was associated with AD pathology in older subjects. Our findings suggest that VAT dysfunction could contribute to AD development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is a substantial threat to the health of all populations worldwide, and old age is a robust risk factor for poor prognosis of COVID-19 infection. To reduce the fatality rate of COVID-19 infection, further understanding of elderly patients with COVID-19 is necessary. We aimed to investigate the prognostic factors in elderly patients with COVID-19. This was a multicenter and retrospective study. Overall, 340 elderly patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in 3 hospitals in Daegu, South Korea. Death and severe pneumonia requiring oxygen treatment were defined as poor clinical outcomes. Of the patients studied, 15% died and 35.2% were classified as having severe pneumonia. In binary logistic regression analysis, activities of daily living (ADL) impairment, fever during hospitalization, initial infiltration on chest radiograph, and initial increased C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly associated with severe pneumonia (OR = 5.33, p < 0.001; OR = 3.2, p = 0.002; OR = 2.32, p = 0.044; and OR = 1.33, p < 0.001, respectively). ADL impairment, comorbidity, fever during hospitalization, and initial increased CRP were significantly associated with death (OR = 7.13, p < 0.001; OR = 3.28, p = 0.005; OR = 3.15, p = 0.032, and OR = 1.18, p < 0.001, respectively). ADL impairment, fever, and initial CRP were poor prognostic factors in elderly patients with COVID-19. Understanding these poor prognostic factors is necessary to control the disease in elderly patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]