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To determine the effect of self-reported clinical diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on longitudinal changes in brain amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers (Aβ42, T-tau, and P-tau) in cognitively normal (NL), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) elderly. Longitudinal study with mean follow-up time of 2.52 ± 0.51 years. Data were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. Participants included 516 NL, 798 MCI, and 325 AD elderly. Main outcomes were annual rate of change in brain amyloid burden (i.e. longitudinal increases in florbetapir PET uptake or decreases in CSF Aβ42 levels); and tau protein aggregation (i.e. longitudinal increases in CSF total tau [T-tau] and phosphorylated tau [P-tau]). Adjusted multilevel mixed effects linear regression models with randomly varying intercepts and slopes was used to test whether the rate of biomarker change differed between participants with and without OSA. In NL and MCI groups, OSA+ subjects experienced faster annual increase in florbetapir uptake (B = .06, 95% CI = .02, .11 and B = .08, 95% CI = .05, .12, respectively) and decrease in CSF Aβ42 levels (B = -2.71, 95% CI = -3.11, -2.35 and B = -2.62, 95% CI = -3.23, -2.03, respectively); as well as increases in CSF T-tau (B = 3.68, 95% CI = 3.31, 4.07 and B = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.58, 2.86, respectively) and P-tau (B = 1.221, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.42 and B = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.22, 2.27, respectively); compared with OSA- participants. No significant variations in the biomarker changes over time were seen in the AD group. In both NL and MCI, elderly, clinical interventions aimed to treat OSA are needed to test if OSA treatment may affect the progression of cognitive impairment due to AD.

Background: To establish a prospective cohort to enumerate the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among residents aged ≥60 in an urban community of Shanghai, China. Methods: Participants received clinical evaluations including physical measurements, demographic and lifestyle questionnaires, physical and neurologic examinations, and neuropsychological testing. Urine and blood samples were collected, aliquoted, and stored. DNA was extracted for Apolipoprotein (APOE) genotyping. Diagnoses of dementia and MCI were made using standard criteria via consensus diagnosis. Results: Among 3,141 participants aged ≥60, 1,438 (45.8%) were men. The average age of participants was 72.3 years (SD 8.1), and they had an average of 11.6 years (SD 4.4) of education. The most common chronic disease of participants was hypertension (56.4%). The frequencies of APOE-​ε2, ε3 and ε4 were 7.9, 82.7 and 9.4%, respectively. We diagnosed 156 (5.0%, 95% CI 4.3-5.8%) participants with dementia. The prevalence rates of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia were 3.6% (95% CI 3.0-4.3%) and 0.8% (95% CI 0.5-1.1%). Conclusions: The Shanghai Aging Study is the first prospective community-based cohort study of cognitive impairment in China, with a comparable study design, procedures, and diagnostic criteria for dementia and MCI to most previous cohort studies in developed countries.

Introduction Calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), or the calcium to magnesium (Ca:Mg) ratio may affect the risk of dementia via complex mechanisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of dietary Ca, Mg, and Ca:Mg ratio with dementia risk at the prospective phase of the Shanghai Aging Study. Methods We analyzed data from 1565 dementia‐free participants living in an urban community who had measurements of dietary Ca and Mg intake derived from a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and incident dementia during follow‐up. Results Over the 5‐year follow‐up, 162 (10.4%) participants were diagnosed with incident dementia by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition criteria. Participants with the lowest tertile of dietary Ca (<339.1 mg/day) and Mg (<202.1 mg/day) had the highest incidence rates of dementia (3.3/100 person‐years for Ca, 3.3/100 person‐years for Mg) compared to those with higher Ca and Mg intake. In the subgroup with Ca:Mg ratios ≤ 1.69, Mg intake >267.5 mg/day was related to an increased risk for dementia (adjusted hazard ratio: 3.97, 95% confidence interval: 1.29–12.25). Conclusions Our findings suggest that high dietary intake of Mg is associated with an increased risk of dementia mainly among older adults with low Ca:Mg intake ratios. Proper balance of Ca to Mg in the diet may be critical to the relationship between Mg intake and risk of dementia. Highlights Participants with the lowest tertile of dietary calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) had the highest incidence rates of dementia. In the subgroup with Ca:Mg ratios ≤1.69, Mg intake >267.5 mg/day was related to an increased risk for dementia. Balance of Ca to Mg in diet may be critical to the relationship between Mg intake and risk of dementia.

To effectively monitor bird populations, accurate identification of species is critical. However, the reliability of species identification is rarely taken into account or quantified. For this study, bird call data was collected using automated acoustic recording devices (ARDs) over a 3-year period. We then compared the results from experienced ornithologists who independently identified bird calls from the same samples. Results were highly variable. The level of agreement between processors on identification for some species was high (e.g. tomtitPetroica macrocephala, 85.1%), whilst for others it was considerably lower (e.g. song thrushTurdus philomelos, 23.5%). There was no statistically significant difference in agreement between native and non-native species. However, there was some evidence for improvement in agreement for the third survey season, when compared to the first. In a more specific comparison of bellbirdAnthornis melanuraand tuiProsthemadera novaeseelandiaecalls, our results showed that these two species were frequently confused. There were many instances where only one of the processors identified a species. Possible explanations for why calls were missed include differences in hearing ability and levels of concentration between processors, whilst false positives could have resulted from confirmation bias. These results have implications not only for data collected using recording devices but also field-based counts of birds conducted by observers.

Diet may be associated with risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD). The authors examined the association between fruit and vegetable consumption in midlife and risk for all types of dementia and AD. Participants were 3,779 members of the Swedish Twin Registry who completed a diet questionnaire approximately 30 years before cognitive screening and full clinical evaluation for dementia as part of the study of dementia in Swedish Twins (HARMONY) study. Among the participants, 355 twins were diagnosed with dementia. Among these, 81 twin pairs were discordant for dementia (50 discordant for AD). Data were analyzed with logistic regression for the entire sample using generalized estimating equations to adjust for relatedness of twins and with conditional logistic regression for the co-twin control design. In fully adjusted models, a medium or great proportion of fruits and vegetables in the diet, compared with no or small, was associated with a decreased risk of dementia and AD. This effect was observed among women and those with angina. Similar, but nonsignificant, odds ratios were found in the co-twin control analyses. The findings suggest that higher fruit and vegetable consumption may reduce the risk of dementia, especially among women and those with angina pectoris in midlife.

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study administered cognitive function tests to more than 14,000 middle-aged adults in 1990–1992. The battery included the Delayed Word Recall test, the Digit Symbol Subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, and the Controlled Oral Word Association (Word Fluency) test. Test performance was correlated positively with education level, negatively with age, was better in women than in men, and better in managers/professionals compared with other occupations. After controlling for these factors, race and community, the findings most consistent for both sexes were that Delayed Word Recall was negatively associated with depressive symptoms, diabetes, and fibrinogen level; the Digit Symbol Subtest was associated with marital status, negatively associated with depressive symptoms, smoking status, fibrinogen level, and carotid intima-media thickness, and positively associated with alcohol drinking and FEV 1 ; and the Word Fluency test was positively associated with marital status, alcohol drinking, sports participation, and FEV 1 . Most of these cross-sectional results were in the predicted direction and have biologic plausibility, but mean differences between extreme categories were small (generally on the order of 0.1 to 0.2 of a standard deviation). Longitudinal study is warranted to evaluate whether small differences in middle-age lead to larger, clinically meaningful deficits with aging.

Automatic recording devices (ARDs) are becoming increasingly popular as a monitoring tool, especially for cryptic or nocturnal bird species. We wanted to determine the optimal time(s) of night and month(s) of the year for monitoring rūrū (a small NZ owl) using ARDs, to enable development of a robust monitoring method that maximises probability of detection. Fourteen ARDs were placed at 500 m intervals throughout a 400-ha forest block in the Eglinton Valley, Fiordland, New Zealand, and the presence of rūrū recorded monthly from August 2011 to March 2012. Data from the Department of Conservation’s national Tier 1 Monitoring Programme (2011–2016), gathered from multiple locations across public conservation land (PCL), were also analysed to provide broader context. Both at the Eglinton Valley and across New Zealand PCL, rūrū calls were detected in all months surveyed and during all periods of the night. Detection probability (derived from call activity) was generally higher in the North Island and the west coast of the South Island. At the Eglinton Valley the highest call activity occurred in December, with activity in spring generally higher than in summer. On PCL, calling activity was highest in spring and early summer and lowest in late summer. Patterns in how call activity changed throughout the night varied from month to month in the Eglinton Valley. Across New Zealand, PCL (for all months), the call activity peaked approximately 1 hour after sunset then steadily declined throughout the remainder of the night. Our results and those of previous studies indicate general patterns of calling activity but with local variation. We recommend that as a general rule, detection probability can be maximised by carrying out rūrū monitoring surveys in the spring or early summer, during the first few hours after sunset. However, we also recommend an initial study of the site(s) to investigate local variations in call activity before any long-term monitoring is initiated.

We used a rational-empirical approach in the construction and validation of a cognitive activity scale for use with elderly populations. The scale development effort produced a 25-item scale with a reasonably high level of internal consistency in a sample of 200 elderly individuals. Scale scores were positively correlated with years of education and measures of various domains of cognitive ability. In a separate cross-validation sample, a similar pattern of reliability and validity coefficients was obtained. The full scale score was found to contribute significantly to the prediction of cognitive ability after controlling for the effects of age, education, and gender. Two subscales (Higher Cognitive Abilities and Frequent Cognitive Abilities) and a measure of self-reported maintenance of cognitive activity were also developed. In a separate study, the maintenance score was found to differ significantly between the validation sample and a sample of individuals with a history of neurological disorder, with a moderate effect size (d approximately = .7). Further cross-validation studies in minority groups and groups of varying socioeconomic status will be critical in establishing the research and clinical value of the scale and subscales. (JINS, 2005, 11, 108–116.)