[Self-perceived health in Spanish and Portuguese young seniors after the great recession according to the European Health Survey: A cross-sectional study]. / Salud autopercibida en ancianos jóvenes españoles y portugueses tras la recesión según la Encuesta Europea de Salud: un estudio transversal.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe self-perceived health (SPH) in Spanish and Portuguese population aged between 65 and 74years old and to analyze other associated factors measured in the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) in 2014. DESIGN: Retrospective secondary data analysis from EHIS 2014. SETTING: Community based. PARTICIPANTS: Young seniors, people aged 65-74years old surveyed and with available data from two countries. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: For each country and sex, SPH, sociodemographic variables, clinical chronic conditions, lifestyles and utilization of health care resources were described. A multiple logistic regression (very good or good SPH versus remaining levels) with robust estimators was used to assess the country effect adjusted by sociodemographic factors, clinical factors and/or lifestyles. RESULTS: Good SPH showed variation by country (52.9% Spain vs. 19% Portugal; P<.001) and gender (44% men vs. 31.3% women; P<.001). Both countries had high prevalence of multimorbidity (64.7% Spain vs. 76.3% Portugal; P<.001) and the distribution of chronic diseases was similar with the only exception of depression (13.2% Spain vs. 20.3% Portugal; P<.001). Regarding individual factors related with good SPH we found Spanish nationality (OR: 4.52; 95%CI: 4.05-5.04), male gender (OR: 1.10; 95%CI: 1.101-2.21), education level, completing primary school (OR: 1.28; 95%CI: 1.24-1.31) or achieving tertiary level (OR: 2.43; 95%CI: 1.14-5.17) and physical activity of two or more days per week (OR: 1.87; 95%CI: 1.39-2.5). Factors with a negative impact on SPH were multimorbidity (OR: 0.19; 95%CI: 0.12-0.31) and depression (OR: 0.32; 95%CI: 0.25-0.41). DISCUSSION: Good SPH is higher in Spanish young seniors compared to Portuguese. Having higher level of education achieved and practicing regular physical exercise were two most important factors increasing good SPH.

Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the potential systemic effects of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) on the nervous system. We designed a study aiming to assess the frequency and clinical predictors of cognitive impairment in AS patients. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional case-control study composed of consecutive patients with AS. Trained and blinded interviewers registered clinical-epidemiological data and applied a standardized neurological assessment for each subject of the study. At baseline, functional limitations were characterized using the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Cognitive impairment was evaluated with the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and the Clinical Dementia Rating, while neuropsychiatric symptoms were investigated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Healthy controls were matched for age, educational attainment, sex, and comorbidities. We compared the neurological outcomes between case and controls, and we determined the clinical predictors of cognitive decline. RESULTS: We included 40 patients (mean: 49.3 years) with AS and 40 healthy controls (mean: 48.8 years) in our study. In Brief Cognitive Screening Battery, patients with AS presented a statistically significant poor performance in the clock drawing test and in the verbal fluency. The mean Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores were significantly lower in AS subjects compared to the control group. Also, the prevalence of subjects classified as cognitively impaired according to MoCA was significantly higher in the AS group (90.0% vs. 57.5%, p = 0.02). Moreover, neuropsychiatric symptoms were more prevalent in AS patients. Worse functional limitations were associated with poor cognitive performance as well. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AS might be more vulnerable to cognitive decline.

Inhibitors of DNA binding proteins restrict T cell potential by repressing Notch1 expression in Flt3-negative common lymphoid progenitors.

Lineage commitment is regulated during hematopoiesis, with stepwise loss of differentiation potential ultimately resulting in lineage commitment. In this study we describe a novel population of B/NK bipotent precursors among common lymphoid progenitors in the fetal liver and the bone marrow. The absence of T cell precursor potential, both in vivo and in vitro, is due to low Notch1 expression and secondary to inhibition of E2A activity by members of the inhibitor of DNA binding (Id) protein family. Our results demonstrate a new, Id protein-dependent, molecular mechanism of Notch1 repression, operative in both fetal and adult common lymphoid progenitors, where T cell potential is selectively inhibited without affecting either the B or NK programs. This study identifies Id proteins as negative regulators of T cell specification, before B and NK commitment, and provides important insights into the transcriptional networks orchestrating hematopoiesis.