Estradiol and inflammatory markers in older men

BACKGROUND

Aging is characterized by a mild proinflammatory state. In older men, low testosterone levels have been associated with increasing levels of proinflammatory cytokines. It is still unclear whether estradiol (E2), which generally has biological activities complementary to testosterone, affects inflammation.

METHODS

We analyzed data obtained from 399 men aged 65-95 yr enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti study with complete data on body mass index (BMI), serum E2, testosterone, IL-6, soluble IL-6 receptor, TNF-alpha, IL-1 receptor antagonist, and C-reactive protein. The relationship between E2 and inflammatory markers was examined using multivariate linear models adjusted for age, BMI, smoking, physical activity, chronic disease, and total testosterone.

RESULTS

In age-adjusted analysis, log (E2) was positively associated with log (IL-6) (r = 0.19; P = 0.047), and the relationship was statistically significant (P = 0.032) after adjustments for age, BMI, smoking, physical activity, chronic disease, and serum testosterone levels. Log (E2) was not significantly associated with log (C-reactive protein), log (soluble IL-6 receptor), or log (TNF-alpha) in both age-adjusted and fully adjusted analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

In older men, E2 is weakly positively associated with IL-6, independent of testosterone and other confounders including BMI.

Serum protein signatures detect early radiographic osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that early knee and hand osteoarthritis (OA) development is characterized by detectable changes in serum proteins relevant to inflammation, cell growth, activation, and metabolism several years before OA becomes radiographically evident.

METHODS

Using microarray platforms that simultaneously test 169 proteins relevant to inflammation, cell growth, activation and metabolism, we conducted a case-control study nested within the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Subjects included 22 incident cases of OA and 66 age-, sex- and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls. Serum samples tested were obtained at the time of radiographic classification as either case or control, and up to 10 years earlier at a time when all participants were free of radiographic OA. Proteins with mean signal intensities fourfold higher than background were compared between cases and controls using multivariate techniques.

RESULTS

Sixteen proteins were different between OA cases compared to controls. Four of these proteins [matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-7, interleukin (IL)-15, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 and soluble vascular adhesion protein (sVAP)-1] were already different in samples obtained 10 years before radiographic classification and remained different at the time of diagnosis. Six additional proteins were only associated with subsequent OA development and not with established OA.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in serum proteins implicated in matrix degradation, cell activation, inflammation and bone collagen degradation products accompany early OA development and can precede radiographic detection by several years.

Estradiol and metabolic syndrome in older italian men: The InCHIANTI Study

The increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) with age in older men has been linked with decreasing testosterone levels. Interestingly, while testosterone levels decline with age, estradiol (E2) levels remain relatively stable, resulting in a decreased testosterone:E2 ratio. Because E2 levels tend to be elevated in morbid obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes, it is reasonable to hypothesize that high E2 levels are associated with MS in older men. We studied the relationship of total and free E2 with MS after adjustment for multiple confounders, including age, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, interleukin-6 (IL-6), fasting insulin, and testosterone. Men 65 years or older (age range, 65-96; n = 452) had complete data on E2, testosterone, fasting insulin, sex hormone-binding globulin, IL-6, and albumin. Concentrations of free E2 and free testosterone were calculated using the mass action equations. MS was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III). Participants with MS had significantly higher serum free and total E2 (P < .001) (P = .003). After adjusting for confounders, including age, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, log(IL-6), and log(insulin), participants with higher log(total E2) (odds ratio [OR], 2.31; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.39-4.70; P = .02) and higher log(free E2) (OR, 2.69; 1.38-5.24; P < .001) had an increased risk of having MS. Log(free E2) (P = .04) maintained significant correlation with MS, even after further adjustment for BMI. In older men, high E2 is independently associated with MS. Whether confirmed in other studies, assessment of E2 should be also considered in older men. Whether changes in this hormonal pattern play a role in the development of MS should be further tested in longitudinal studies.

Association of adiposity status and changes in early to mid-adulthood with incidence of Alzheimer's disease

Adiposity status and change are potential risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The authors used data on 2,322 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging to analyze the relation between AD incidence and adiposity in Cox proportional hazards models, with adjustment for sociodemographic factors and smoking status. Body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) and waist circumference at specific ages were predicted by empirical Bayes estimators from mixed-effects regression models. After a median of 23.4 years of follow-up between 1958 and 2006, 187 participants developed AD. Among men, being underweight (BMI <or=18.5) at age 30, 40, or 45 years increased the likelihood of AD (hazard ratio (HR) = 5.76, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.07, 16.00); among women, being obese (BMI >or=30) at age 30, 40, or 45 years and jointly centrally obese (waist circumference >or=80th percentile) at age 30, 35, or 50 years increased AD risk (HR = 6.57, 95% CI: 1.96, 22.02). Women who lost weight (BMI change <10th percentile) between ages 30 and 45 years were also at increased risk (HR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.85). Weight gain among men (BMI change >90th percentile) between ages 30 and 50 years increased AD risk (HR = 3.70, 95% CI: 1.43, 9.56). Future studies should identify age- and gender-specific optimal weights and weight-loss strategies for preventing AD and investigate potential mechanisms.

Insulin-like growth factors, their binding proteins, and prostate cancer risk: analysis of individual patient data from 12 prospective studies

BACKGROUND

Some, but not all, published results have shown an association between circulating blood levels of some insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (IGFBPs) and the subsequent risk for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE

To assess the association between levels of IGFs and IGFBPs and the subsequent risk for prostate cancer.

DATA SOURCES

Studies identified in PubMed, Web of Science, and CancerLit.

STUDY SELECTION

The principal investigators of all studies that published data on circulating concentrations of sex steroids, IGFs, or IGFBPs and prostate cancer risk using prospectively collected blood samples were invited to collaborate.

DATA EXTRACTION

Investigators provided individual participant data on circulating concentrations of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-II, and IGFBP-III and participant characteristics to a central data set in Oxford, United Kingdom.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The study included data on 3700 men with prostate cancer and 5200 control participants. On average, case patients were 61.5 years of age at blood collection and received a diagnosis of prostate cancer 5 years after blood collection. The greater the serum IGF-I concentration, the greater the subsequent risk for prostate cancer (odds ratio [OR] in the highest vs. lowest quintile, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.19 to 1.60]; P < 0.001 for trend). Neither IGF-II nor IGFBP-II concentrations were associated with prostate cancer risk, but statistical power was limited. Insulin-like growth factor I and IGFBP-III were correlated (r = 0.58), and although IGFBP-III concentration seemed to be associated with prostate cancer risk, this was secondary to its association with IGF-I levels. Insulin-like growth factor I concentrations seemed to be more positively associated with low-grade than high-grade disease; otherwise, the association between IGFs and IGFBPs and prostate cancer risk had no statistically significant heterogeneity related to stage or grade of disease, time between blood collection and diagnosis, age and year of diagnosis, prostate-specific antigen level at recruitment, body mass index, smoking, or alcohol intake.

LIMITATIONS

Insulin-like growth factor concentrations were measured in only 1 sample for each participant, and the laboratory methods to measure IGFs differed in each study. Not all patients had disease stage or grade information, and the diagnosis of prostate cancer may differ among the studies.

CONCLUSION

High circulating IGF-I concentrations are associated with a moderately increased risk for prostate cancer.

Does prostate growth confound prostate specific antigen velocity? Data from the Baltimore longitudinal study of aging

PURPOSE

Although prostate specific antigen velocity was proposed to increase the specificity of prostate specific antigen-based screening, there are little published data on the effect of differential prostate growth on prostate specific antigen velocity. If a patient presents with rising prostate specific antigen over a year or more, it would be useful to know whether such a change in prostate specific antigen could be explained by prostate growth. Thus, we investigated the relationship between changes in prostate size and prostate specific antigen changes in a large cohort of men without prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified 242 men without prostate cancer from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who had 2 or greater serial pelvic magnetic resonance imaging studies and contemporaneous prostate specific antigen measurements. In this population we used the t test, correlation coefficients, and regression analysis to examine the relationship between prostate specific antigen changes and prostate volume changes, as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

RESULTS

The mean age was 55 years. During 4.2 years of median followup, the median rate of volume change was 0.6 cc per year (range -9.9 to 11.8), and the median prostate specific antigen change was 0.03 ng/ml per year. There was no correlation between prostate specific antigen changes and prostate growth, as measured in cc per year (r = -0.01, p = 0.9) or the percent change per year (r = 0.07, p = 0.3). On multivariate analysis, there was no significant relationship between changes in prostate volume and prostate specific antigen changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that volume increases alone do not cause a high prostate specific antigen velocity. Despite growth rates as high as 10 cc per year, prostate specific antigen velocity was less than 0.1 ng/ml per year in most men without prostate cancer. Thus, differential rates of prostatic growth should not confound the use of prostate specific antigen velocity for prostate cancer detection and prognostication.

High basal metabolic rate is a risk factor for mortality: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

BACKGROUND

Despite longstanding controversies from animal studies on the relationship between basal metabolic rate (BMR) and longevity, whether BMR is a risk factor for mortality has never been tested in humans. We evaluate the longitudinal changes in BMR and the relationship between BMR and mortality in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) participants.

METHODS

BMR and medical information were collected at the study entry and approximately every 2 years in 1227 participants (972 men) over a 40-year follow-up. BMR, expressed as kcal/m(2)/h, was estimated from the basal O(2) consumption and CO(2) production measured by open-circuit method. Data on all-cause and specific-cause mortality were also obtained.

RESULT

BMR declined with age at a rate that accelerated at older ages. Independent of age, participants who died had a higher BMR compared to those who survived. BMR was a significant risk factor for mortality independent of secular trends in mortality and other well-recognized risk factors for mortality, such as age, body mass index, smoking, white blood cell count, and diabetes. BMR was nonlinearly associated with mortality. The lowest mortality rate was found in the BMR range 31.3-33.9 kcal/m(2)/h. Participants with BMR in the range 33.9-36.4 kcal/m(2)/h and above the threshold of 36.4 kcal/m(2)/h experienced 28% (hazard ratio: 1.28; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.61) and 53% (hazard ratio: 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.96) higher mortality risk compared to participants with BMR 31.3-33.9 kcal/m(2)/h.

CONCLUSION

We confirm previous findings of an age-related decline of BMR. In our study, a blunted age-related decline in BMR was associated with higher mortality, suggesting that such condition reflects poor health status.

ACTN3 genotype is associated with muscle phenotypes in women across the adult age span

The R577X polymorphism in the alpha-actinin-3 encoding gene (ACTN3) has been associated with elite athletic performance, and recently with differences in isometric and dynamic muscle strength and power in the general population. In this study we sought to determine the association of ACTN3 R577X genotype with muscle strength and mass phenotypes in men and women across the adult age span. Eight hundred forty-eight (n = 848) adult volunteers (454 men and 394 women) aged 22-90 yr were genotyped for ACTN3 R577X. Knee extensor (KE) shortening and lengthening peak torque values were determined using isokinetic dynamometry and fat-free mass (FFM) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Women deficient in alpha-actinin-3 (X/X; n = 53) displayed lower KE shortening peak torque (30 degrees /s: 89.5 +/- 3.5 vs. 99.3 +/- 1.4 N.m, P = 0.011; 180 degrees /s: 60.3 +/- 2.6 vs. 67.0 +/- 1.0 N.m, P = 0.019) and KE lengthening peak torque (30 degrees /s: 122.8 +/- 5.7 vs. 137.0 +/- 2.2 N.m, P = 0.022; 180 degrees /s: 121.8 +/- 5.8 vs. 138.5 +/- 2.2 N.m, P = 0.008) compared with R/X + R/R women (n = 341). Women X/X homozygotes also displayed lower levels of both total body FFM (38.9 +/- 0.5 vs. 40.1 +/- 0.2 kg, P = 0.040) and lower limb FFM (11.9 +/- 0.2 vs. 12.5 +/- 0.1 kg, P = 0.044) compared with R/X + R/R women. No genotype-related differences were observed in men. In conclusion, our results indicate that the absence of alpha-actinin-3 protein (i.e., ACTN3 X/X genotype) influences KE peak torque and FFM in women but not men.

TNF promoter polymorphisms associated with muscle phenotypes in humans

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a potent catabolic factor to skeletal muscle. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha coding gene, TNF, have been implicated in the interindividual variation in TNF-alpha production via transcriptional regulation. The present study investigated the association of muscle phenotypes with five TNF promoter SNPs, which potentially have biological significance. Female and male volunteers (n = 1,050) from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were genotyped, and their regional and total body muscle mass, and arm and leg muscle strength were measured. Results indicated that putative high-expression alleles at positions -1031 and -863, individually or in combination in the haplotype 1031C-863A-857C-308G-238G, were associated with lower muscle mass in men. Specifically, carriers of -1031C, compared with noncarriers, exhibited lower arm muscle mass (6.4 +/- 0.1 vs. 6.8 +/- 0.1 kg, P = 0.01) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) (24.3 +/- 0.4 vs. 25.4 +/- 0.2 kg, P = 0.02), with leg muscle mass and the ASM index (ASMI; kg/m(2)) also tending to be lower (P = 0.06 and 0.07). Similarly, -863A allele carriers (linked with -1031), compared with noncarriers, exhibited lower arm muscle mass (6.4 +/- 0.1 vs. 6.8 +/- 0.1 kg, P = 0.04). Carriers of the haplotype 1031C-863A-857C-308G-238G, compared with noncarriers, exhibited lower arm muscle mass (6.3 +/- 0.2 vs. 6.8 +/- 0.1 kg, P < 0.01), trunk muscle mass (25.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 26.9 +/- 0.3 kg, P < 0.05), and ASM (24.1 +/- 0.5 vs. 25.3 +/- 0.2 kg, P < 0.025), with tendencies for lower leg muscle mass and ASMI (P = 0.07 and 0.08). Results indicate that genetic variation in the TNF locus may contribute to the interindividual variation in muscle phenotypes in men.

PSA doubling time versus PSA velocity to predict high-risk prostate cancer: data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

BACKGROUND

Our group has previously shown that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity (PSAV) is associated with the presence of life-threatening prostate cancer. Less is known about the relative utility of pretreatment PSA doubling time (PSA DT) to predict tumor aggressiveness.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the utility of PSAV and PSA DT for the prediction of life-threatening prostate cancer.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

From the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, we identified 681 men with serial PSA measurements.

MEASUREMENTS

Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between PSAV, PSA DT, and the presence of high-risk disease.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Within the period of 5 yr prior to diagnosis, PSAV was significantly higher among men with high-risk or fatal prostate cancer than men without it. By contrast, PSA DT was not significantly associated with high-risk or fatal disease. On multivariate analysis, including age, date of diagnosis, and PSA, the addition of PSAV significantly improved the concordance index from 0.85 to 0.88 (p<0.001), whereas PSA DT did not.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that PSAV is more useful than PSA DT in the pretreatment setting to help identify those men with life-threatening disease.

Glucose and insulin measurements from the oral glucose tolerance test and mortality prediction

OBJECTIVE

To verify what information from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) independently predicts mortality.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 1,401 initially nondiabetic participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging aged 17-95 years underwent one or more OGTTs (median 2, range 1-8), with insulin and glucose measurements taken every 20 min over the course of 2 h included in this study. Proportional hazards using the longitudinally collected data and Bayesian model averaging were used to examine the association of OGTT measurements individually and grouped with mortality, adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS

Participants were followed for a median 20.3 years (range 0.5-40). The first-hour OGTT glucose and insulin levels increased only modestly with age, whereas levels during the second hour increased 4% per decade. Individually, 100- and 120-min glucose measures and fasting and 100-min insulin levels were all independent predictors of mortality. When all measures were considered together, only higher 120-min glucose was a significant independent risk factor for mortality.

CONCLUSION

The steeper rise with age of the OGTT 2-h glucose values and the prognostic primacy of the 120-min glucose value for mortality is consistent with previous reports and suggests the value of using the OGTT in clinical practice.

Activity restriction induced by fear of falling and objective and subjective measures of physical function: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether activity restriction specifically induced by fear of falling (FF) contributes to greater risk of disability and decline in physical function.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Population-based older cohort.

PARTICIPANTS

Six hundred seventy-three community-living elderly (> or = 65) participants in the Invecchiare in Chianti Study who reported FF.

MEASUREMENTS

FF, fear-induced activity restriction, cognition, depressive symptoms, comorbidities, smoking history, and demographic factors were assessed at baseline. Disability in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and performance on the Short Performance Physical Battery (SPPB) were evaluated at baseline and at the 3-year follow-up.

RESULTS

One-quarter (25.5%) of participants did not report any activity restriction, 59.6% reported moderate activity restriction (restriction or avoidance of < 3 activities), and 14.9% reported severe activity restriction (restriction or avoidance of > or = 3 activities). The severe restriction group reported significantly higher IADL disability and worse SPPB scores than the no restriction and moderate restriction groups. Severe activity restriction was a significant independent predictor of worsening ADL disability and accelerated decline in lower extremity performance on SPPB over the 3-year follow-up. Severe and moderate activity restriction were independent predictors of worsening IADL disability. Results were consistent even after adjusting for multiple potential confounders.

CONCLUSION

In an elderly population, activity restriction associated with FF is an independent predictor of decline in physical function. Future intervention studies in geriatric preventive care should directly address risk factors associated with FF and activity restriction to substantiate long-term effects on physical abilities and autonomy of older persons.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and objective measures of lower extremity performance in older nondisabled persons: the InChianti study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the independent association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and objective measures of lower extremity performance.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional cohort study.

SETTING

Community-based.

PARTICIPANTS

Eight hundred thirty-six nondisabled women and men aged 65 and older enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti study.

MEASUREMENTS

Lower extremity performance was assessed using 4-m walking speed at fast pace, 400-m walking speed, and knee extension torque. Fasting HDL-C levels were determined using commercial enzymatic tests.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 73.7 (65-92), and 55.6% were women. After adjusting for potential confounders (sociodemographic factors, smoking, physical activity, body composition, and clinical conditions including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, inflammatory markers, and serum testosterone) HDL-C levels were significantly associated with knee extension torque in men and women and with 4-m and 400-m walking speed in men. Men in the highest tertile of the HDL-C distribution (>55 mg/dL) had, on average, a three times greater probability of belonging to the best tertile of all indexes of lower extremity performance, including 4-m fast walking speed (odds ratio (OR)=2.57, 95%=confidence interval (CI)=1.07-6.17), 400-m walking speed (OR=3.74, 95% CI=1.20-11.7), and knee extension torque (OR=3.63, 95%=CI 1.41-9.33). Path analysis suggested a direct relationship between HDL-C and knee extension torque.

CONCLUSION

In older nondisabled persons, HDL-C levels are highly correlated with knee extension torque and walking speed. Further research should focus on the biological mechanism of this association.

Relationship between low levels of anabolic hormones and 6-year mortality in older men: the aging in the Chianti Area (InCHIANTI) study

BACKGROUND

Aging in men is characterized by a progressive decline in levels of anabolic hormones, such as testosterone, insulinlike growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). We hypothesized that in older men a parallel age-associated decline in bioavailable testosterone, IGF-1, and DHEA-S secretion is associated with higher mortality independent of potential confounders.

METHODS

Testosterone, IGF-1, DHEA-S, and demographic features were evaluated in a representative sample of 410 men 65 years and older enrolled in the Aging in the Chianti Area (InCHIANTI) study. A total of 126 men died during the 6-year follow-up. Thresholds for lowest-quartile definitions were 70 ng/dL (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 0.0347) for bioavailable testosterone, 63.9 ng/mL (to convert to nanomoles per liter, multiply by 0.131) for total IGF-1, and 50 microg/dL (to convert to micromoles per liter, multiply by 0.027) for DHEA-S. Men were divided into 4 groups: no hormone in the lowest quartile (reference) and 1, 2, and 3 hormones in the lowest quartiles. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for confounders were used in the analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with men with levels of all 3 hormones above the lowest quartiles, having 1, 2, and 3 dysregulated hormones was associated with hazard ratios for mortality of 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-2.44), 1.85 (95% CI, 1.04-3.30), and 2.29 (95% CI, 1.12-4.68), respectively (test for trend, P <.001). In the fully adjusted analysis, only men with 3 anabolic hormone deficiencies had a significant increase in mortality (hazard ratio, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.09-5.46 (test for trend, P <.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Age-associated decline in anabolic hormone levels is a strong independent predictor of mortality in older men. Having multiple hormonal deficiencies rather than a deficiency in a single anabolic hormone is a robust biomarker of health status in older persons.

Prostate-specific antigen velocity risk count assessment: a new concept for detection of life-threatening prostate cancer during window of curability

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether the number of times the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) velocity (PSAV) exceeds a threshold (PSAV risk count) is predictive of high-risk prostate cancer.

METHODS

The PSAV was determined in 717 men (606 without prostate cancer; 32 with high-risk prostate cancer defined as death from cancer, PSA level of 20 ng/mL or more, or a Gleason score of 8 or more; and 79 with prostate cancer who were alive or dead of another cause). Multiple PSAVs determined from three repeated measures from each subject during 10 to 20 years were used to determine the risk count by summing the number of times a subject exceeded a PSAV threshold. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between the risk count and the probability of high-risk disease. The statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

The probability of high-risk disease increased directly with the risk count. After adjusting for age, PSA level, PSAV, and date of diagnosis, the PSAV risk count was significantly associated with the development of high-risk prostate cancer (relative risk 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.25 to 1.59 for a PSAV cutpoint 0.2 ng/mL/yr; relative risk 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.29 to 1.71 for a PSAV cutpoint of 0.4 ng/mL/yr; P <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The PSAV risk count could be a useful method of interpreting a PSA history to help identify those men who will benefit from a diagnosis of prostate cancer at PSA levels associated with curable disease.

The ACTN3 R577X nonsense allele is under-represented in elite-level strength athletes

Previous reports have shown a lower proportion of the ACTN3 X/X genotype (R577X nonsense polymorphism) in sprint-related athletes compared to the general population, possibly attributed to impairment of muscle function related to alpha-actinin-3 deficiency. In the present study, we examined the frequency of the X/X genotype in both Black and White elite-level bodybuilders and strength athletes in comparison to the general population. A reference population of 668 Whites (363 men and 305 women) and 208 Blacks (98 men and 110 women) was genotyped for the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism. Strength athletes (52 white and 23 black; 4 women) consisting predominantly of world class and locally competitive bodybuilders, and elite powerlifters were recruited and similarly genotyped. Significantly lower X/X genotype frequencies were observed in the athletes (6.7%) vs controls (16.3%; P=0.005). The X/X genotype was significantly lower in White athletes (9.7%) vs controls (19.9%; P=0.018). No black athletes (0%) were observed with the X/X genotype, though this finding only approached statistical significance vs controls (4.8%; P=0.10). The results indicate that the ACTN3 R577X nonsense allele (X) is under-represented in elite strength athletes, consistent with previous reports indicating that alpha-actinin-3 deficiency appears to impair muscle performance.

Expectant management of prostate cancer with curative intent: an update of the Johns Hopkins experience

PURPOSE

We updated our experience with a strategy of expectant treatment for men with stage T1c prostate cancer and evaluated predictors of disease intervention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 407 men with a median age of 65.7 years (range 45.8 to 81.5) with stage T1c (99.8%) or T2a (0.2%) prostate cancer suspected of harboring small volume prostate cancer based on needle biopsy findings and prostate specific antigen density have been followed in a prospective, longitudinal surveillance program with a median followup of 2.8 years (range 0.4 to 12.5). A recommendation for treatment was made if disease progression was suggested by unfavorable followup needle biopsy findings (Gleason pattern 4 or 5, greater than 2 biopsy cores with cancer or greater than 50% involvement of any core with cancer). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the affect of multiple covariates on the outcome of curative intervention.

RESULTS

Of 407 men 239 (59%) men remained on active surveillance at a median followup of 3.4 years (range 0.43 to 12.5), 103 (25%) underwent curative intervention at a median of 2.2 years after diagnosis (range 0.96 to 7.39) and 65 (16%) were either lost to followup (12), withdrew from the program (45), or died of causes other than prostate cancer (8). Older age at diagnosis (p = 0.011) and an earlier date of diagnosis (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with curative intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Recognizing that over treatment of prostate cancer is prevalent, especially among elderly patients, a program of careful selection and monitoring of older men who are likely to harbor small volume, low grade disease may be a rational alternative to the active treatment of all.

Electromyographic patterns suggest changes in motor unit physiology associated with early osteoarthritis of the knee

OBJECTIVE

To assess characteristics of active motor units (MUs) during volitional vastus medialis (VM) activation in adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) across the spectrum of radiographic severity and age-comparable healthy control volunteers.

METHODS

We evaluated 39 participants (age 65+/-3 years) in whom weight-bearing knee X-rays were assigned a Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) grade (18 with KL grade=0; four each with KL grades=1, 2 and 4; nine with grade 3). Electromyography (EMG) signals were simultaneously acquired using surface [surface EMG (S-EMG)] and intramuscular needle electrodes, and analyzed by decomposition-enhanced spike-triggered averaging to obtain estimates of size [surface-represented MU action potentials (S-MUAP) area], number [MU recruitment index (MURI)] and firing rates [MU firing rates (mFR)] of active MUs at 10%, 20%, 30% and 50% effort relative to maximum voluntary force [maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC)] during isometric knee extension.

RESULTS

Knee extensor MVIC was lower in OA participants, especially at higher KL grades (P=0.05). Taking the observed force differences into account, OA was also associated with activation of larger MUs (S-MUAP area/MVICx%effort; P<0.0001). In contrast, the estimated number of active units (MURI/MVICx%effort) changed differently as effort increased from 10% to 50% and was higher with advanced OA (KL=3, 4) than controls (P=0.0002).

CONCLUSION

VM activation changes at the level of the MU with symptomatic knee OA, and this change is influenced by radiographic severity. Poor muscle quality may explain the pattern observed with higher KL grades, but alternative factors (e.g., nerve or joint injury, physical inactivity or muscle composition changes) should be examined in early OA.