Frontline: Heart disease risk in women; reduce heart disease risk; tau protein and Alzheimer’s disease
Sex-Specific Criteria Help Predict Heart Disease Risk in Women
Cardiovascular disease in women is often underdiagnosed in comparison to men, primarily due to the use of sex-neutral diagnostic criteria. The commonly used Framingham Risk Score, which predicts the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease within the next 10 years, is based on specific criteria including age, sex, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. However, this does not account for anatomical differences between sexes; female hearts, for example, are typically smaller and have thinner walls. A Stanford University research team has now built more accurate cardiovascular risk models incorporating four additional metrics: cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, pulse wave analysis, EKGs, and carotid ultrasounds. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, in April. The scientists found that sex-neutral criteria fail to diagnose women adequately, and if sex-specific criteria were used underdiagnosis would be less severe.
Reducing Stress-Related Brain Activity Helps Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Physical activity may help protect against cardiovascular disease in part by reducing stress-related brain activity, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, in April. Scientists analyzed medical records and other information from 50,359 adults who completed a physical activity survey. The median age of participants was 60, and 60 percent were women. A subset of participants also underwent brain imaging tests and measurements of stress-related brain activity. Participants who met physical activity recommendations throughout the approximately 10-year follow-up period had a 23 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with those who did not meet physical activity recommendations. Individuals with higher levels of physical activity also tended to have lower stress-related brain activity. People with stress-related conditions such as depression experienced the most cardiovascular benefits from physical activity.
Novel Neuron Model Sheds Light on Tau Protein Spread in Alzheimer’s Disease
A study performed by Weill Cornell Medicine scientists and published in the journal Cell, in April, sheds light on tau protein spread, a process that drives cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The scientists developed a human neuron model that simulates the spread of tau protein in the brain. This model led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets that could potentially block tau spread. The human neuron model of tau spread overcomes limitations of previous models and has identified potential targets for drug development, such as the UFMylation cascade. By identifying this novel therapeutic target (the UFMylation cascade) and identifying hundreds of genetic modifiers of tau abundance, the researchers have provided new tools and directions for the development of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions.
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