Journal: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Authors: Hertzel C Gerstein, Eric E Smith, Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige, Dipika Desai, Philip Awadalla, Philippe Broet, Sandra Black, Trevor J B Dummer, Jason Hicks, Alan Moody, Jean-Claude Tardif, Koon K Teo, Jennifer Vena, Salim Yusuf, Douglas S Lee, Matthias G Friedrich, Sonia S Anand Abstract: Background Diabetes is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and cognitive impairment. The anatomical basis for this is uncertain. Methods The Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds collected brain and carotid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 2 cognitive tests (the Digit Symbol Substitution Test and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test) in a cross-sectional sample of men and women. Brain MRIs identified brain infarcts (BI), lacunar BI, high white matter hyperintensity (WMH), vascular brain injury (VBI; BI or high WMH), and small vessel VBI (lacunar BI or high WMH). Carotid MRIs estimated carotid wall volume, a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis. Cognitive scores were standardized to each site’s mean score, and cognitive impairment was identified by 1 or both test scores ≤1 standard deviation below the site’s mean score on that test. Results The 7733 participants included 495 participants (6.4%) with diabetes, of whom 388 were taking diabetes drugs. After age and sex adjustment, diabetes was independently associated with BI (odds ratio [OR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05, 2.24), VBI (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.26, 2.13), small vessel VBI (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28, 2.19), and cognitive impairment (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.20, 1.80). The association between diabetes and small vessel VBI persisted after adjustment for cerebrovascular disease risk factors and nonlacunar infarcts (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.15, 2.01), and the association with cognitive impairment persisted after adjustment for small vessel VBI (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03, 1.56). Conclusion Small vessel disease characterizes much of the relationship between diabetes and VBI. However, additional factors are required to disentangle the relationship between diabetes and cognitive impairment. Link: https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa815

Journal: Canadian Journal of Cardiology Authors: Bartosz Orzel, Melanie Keats, Yunsong Cui, Scott Grandy Abstract: Background Physical inactivity is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Atlantic Canada is a region with lower physical activity (PA) levels and poorer CVD outcomes than the rest of Canada. Yet, within-region variation is expected. This study aimed to assess the association between PA and CVD and how this relationship varied on a regional level. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (PATH) Study. The cohort included 823 CVD cases and 2469 age, sex, and province of residence matched controls between the ages 35-69. Data collected included self-reported CVD and PA levels, as well as information on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and lifestyle behaviours. Simple and multiple logistic regression were used to assess the association between PA and CVD. Results High PA levels were associated with a 26% reduction in the mean probability of CVD compared to low PA levels across the total population. Compared to high PA levels, moderate and low PA levels were associated with increased odds of CVD across all four provinces. However, regional variation was observed, with higher odds of CVD for low-to-moderate PA levels in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and New Brunswick (NB) compared to Nova Scotia (NS) and Prince Edward Island (PEI). Conclusions Atlantic Canadians experience regional inequalities in the association between PA and CVD. Future work needs to explore underlying pathways driving these regional differences, which may be the impetus for interventions that mitigate risk and CVD burden in populations of greatest need. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2021.01.007

Journal: Oncology Authors: Gabriela Ilie, Robert Rutledge, Ellen Sweeney Abstract: Objective: Prostate and skin cancer are among the most prevalent forms of cancer among men and have favorable survival rates compared to other, more aggressive forms of cancers. Recent studies have shown that the odds of depression among men with a lifetime history of prostate cancer are higher compared to men without a lifetime history of prostate cancer. Here we extend previous findings and examine the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between depression and cancer survivorship status in a population-based sample of men from Atlantic Canada. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a subsample of 6,585 male participants aged 49–69 years from the 2009–2015 survey cycle of the Atlantic PATH study. The primary outcome was screening positive for mild, moderate or severe depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The main predictor variable was cancer survivorship status (the presence of a lifetime history of prostate cancer, skin cancer, forms of cancer other than prostate or skin cancer, or absence of a lifetime cancer diagnosis). Covariates included age, education, marital status, household income, province, ethnicity, comorbidity, and survivorship time. Results: An estimated 14.7% of men in this sample screened positive for mild, moderate or severe depression. Men with a history of prostate cancer were 2.60 (95% CI: 1.02, 6.65) times more likely to screen positive for depression than men with a history of any other form of cancer. The odds ratios were 10.23 (95% CI: 2.82, 37.49) or 4.00 (95% CI: 1.20, 13.34) times higher for survivors of prostate or skin cancer who reported a low household income to screen positive for depression compared to men with a history of any other form of cancer and high household income. Conclusions: These results extend current evidence of the association between prostate cancer survivorship and depression compared with men who never had a history of cancer diagnosis by indicating that this association still stands when the survivors of prostate cancer are compared to survivors of any other form of cancer, and further indicates that this association is moderated by household income. The findings highlight the importance of delivering mental health screening and support to prostate cancer survivors during the cancer journey, especially those with low household incomes. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000512444    

Authors: Keats, M., Cui, Y., DeClercq, V., Grandy, S., Sweeney, E., Dummer, TJB. (2020) Abstract: Background: While neighborhood walkability has been shown to positively influence health behaviors, less is known about its impact on chronic disease. Our aim was to examine the association between walkability and self-reported physical activity in relation to chronic health conditions in an Atlantic Canadian population. Methods: Using data from the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health, a prospective cohort study, we employed both a cross-sectional and a prospective analytical approach to investigate associations of walkability and physical activity with five prevalent chronic diseases and multimorbidity. Results: The cross-sectional data show that participants with the lowest neighborhood walkability were more likely to have reported a pre-existing history of cancer and depression and least likely to report chronic respiratory conditions. Participants with low physical activity were more likely to have a pre-existing history of diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and multimorbidity. Follow-up analyses showed no significant associations between walkability and chronic disease incidence. Low levels of physical activity were significantly associated with diabetes, cancer and multimorbidity. Conclusions: Our data provides evidence for the health protective benefits of higher levels of physical activity, and a reduction in prevalence of some chronic diseases in more walkable communities. Doi : https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228643 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8643