Browsing by Author "Ng, Ted Kheng Siang"
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Item Open Access Association between housing type and accelerated biological aging in different sexes: moderating effects of health behaviors.(Aging, 2021-08-29) Ng, Ted Kheng Siang; Matchar, David Bruce; Pyrkov, Timothy V; Fedichev, Peter O; Chan, Angelique Wei-Ming; Kennedy, BrianIntroduction
Despite associated with multiple geriatric disorders, whether housing type, an indicator of socioeconomic status (SES) and environmental factors, is associated with accelerated biological aging is unknown. Furthermore, although individuals with low-SES have higher body mass index (BMI) and are more likely to smoke, whether BMI and smoking status moderate the association between SES and biological aging is unclear. We examined these questions in urbanized low-SES older community-dwelling adults.Methods
First, we analyzed complete blood count data using the cox proportional hazards model and derived measures for biological age (BA) and biological age acceleration (BAA, the higher the more accelerated aging) (N = 376). Subsequently, BAA was regressed on housing type, controlling for covariates, including four other SES indicators. Interaction terms between housing type and BMI/smoking status were separately added to examine their moderating effects. Total sample and sex-stratified analyses were performed.Results
There were significant differences between men and women in housing type and BAA. Compared to residents in ≥3 room public or private housing, older adults resided in 1-2 room public housing had a higher BAA. Furthermore, BMI attenuated the association between housing type and BAA. In sex-stratified analyses, the main and interaction effects were only significant in women. In men, smoking status instead aggravated the association between housing type and BAA.Conclusion
Controlling for other SES indicators, housing type is an independent socio-environmental determinant of BA and BAA in a low-SES urbanized population. There were also sex differences in the moderating effects of health behaviors on biological aging.Item Open Access Effects of Self-Care for Older PErsons (SCOPE) on Functional and Physiological Measures: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.(Journal of clinical medicine, 2020-03-24) Ng, Ted Kheng Siang; Matchar, David Bruce; Sultana, Rehena; Chan, AngeliqueBackground
Population aging poses unprecedented demands on the healthcare system. There is also a scarcity of evidence on self-care intervention to improve objective measures of morbidity and aging-associated functional and physiological measures in a low-income multi-ethnic population setting.Methods
We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01672177) to examine the effects of the Self-Care for Older PErsons (SCOPE) program. We randomized 14 Senior Activity Centers and randomly selected older adults within these centers. Functional and physiological measurements were performed at baseline, 10-month, and 18-month periods. The primary outcome was a composite of three morbidity-specific measures, which include hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), peak expiratory flow, and systolic blood pressure. Aging-associated functional and physiological measures were examined as secondary outcomes. Repeated-measure mixed models were employed to examine the effects of SCOPE on these measures.Results
378 community-dwelling older adults participated in either the treatment (n= 164) or the control arm (n = 214). The primary outcome was not significantly improved. For the secondary outcomes, SCOPE participants demonstrated slower oxygen desaturation at an 18-month period (p = 0.001), improved time to complete the chair-stand test (p < 0.001) at a 10-month period with the effect persisting at the 18-month period (p < 0.001). SCOPE participants also had significantly improved vitamin B12 levels at the 18-month period (p < 0.001), increased hemoglobin concentration (p < 0.001), decreased mean corpuscular volume (p = 0.001), and decreased creatinine (p = 0.002) at the 10-month period.Conclusions
SCOPE did not improve morbidity-specific measures. However, it improved several aging-associated measures implicated in geriatric syndromes. This study highlights the potential of a self-care program in the prevention of geriatric syndromes in community-dwelling older adults, while emphasizing self-management to manage existing morbidities.Item Open Access Novel metabolomics markers are associated with pre-clinical decline in hand grip strength in community-dwelling older adults.(Mechanisms of ageing and development, 2021-01) Ng, Ted Kheng Siang; Kovalik, Jean-Paul; Ching, Jianhong; Chan, Angelique W; Matchar, David BruceBackground
Hand grip strength (HGS) has been proposed as a robust predictor for frailty and sarcopenia. Hence, identifying biomarkers for declining HGS accompanying aging could deepen our understanding of the biological underpinnings, informing pre-emptive intervention. Acylcarnitines (ACs) are metabolites generated by fatty acid metabolism in the mitochondria and are dysregulated in multiple disorders affecting the musculature. However, they have not been comprehensively profiled and examined regarding their utility in predicting variability in declining HGS, longitudinally. Thus, we aimed to: 1) validate previous findings on insignificant cross-sectional association between ACs and HGS, and 2) examine whether baseline ACs were associated with both decline and variability in HGS over 18 months, in community-dwelling older adults.Methods
We included participants who had HGS measured with dynamometer longitudinally (N = 121). We quantified ACs by targeted plasma metabolomics profiling. Multivariable linear regressions were then performed.Results
Cross-sectionally, ACs were not significantly associated with HGS. Longitudinally, baseline short-chain dicarboxylic and hydroxylated acylcarnitines (AC-DC/-OH) levels were inversely associated with and significantly explained the variability in 18-month decline in HGS. A specific AC species, the C4-OH, accounted for most of the variance explained.Conclusions
We showed novel biomarkers for declining HGS, furthering molecular understanding and informing nutritional pre-emptive programs.Item Open Access Plasma acylcarnitines as metabolic signatures of declining health-related quality of life measure in community-dwelling older adults: a combined cross-sectional and longitudinal pilot study.(The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2022-05-23) Ng, Ted Kheng Siang; Wee, Hai Ning; Ching, Jianhong; Kovalik, Jean-Paul; Chan, Angelique W; Matchar, David BruceBackground
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures are predictors of adverse health outcomes in older adults. Studies have demonstrated cross-sectional associations between HRQoL measures and blood-based biochemical markers. Acylcarnitines (ACs) are a class of metabolites generated in the mitochondria and are predictive of multiple geriatric syndromes. Changes in ACs reflect alterations in central carbon metabolic pathways. However, the prospective relationship between plasma acylcarnitines and declining HRQoL has not been examined. This study aimed to investigate both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of baseline ACs with baseline and declining EuroQol-5 Dimension/ EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-5D/ EQ-VAS) in community-dwelling older adults.Methods
120 community-dwelling older adults with EQ-5D/ EQ-VAS measurements at baseline and follow-up were included. We quantified ACs at baseline using targeted plasma metabolomics profiling. Multivariate regressions were performed to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the measures.Results
Cross-sectionally, ACs showed no significant associations with either EQ-5D index or EQ-VAS scores. Longitudinally, multiple baseline short-chain ACs were significantly and inversely associated with declining EQ-5D index score, explaining up to 8.5% of variance in the decline.Conclusions
Within a cohort of community-dwelling older adults who had high HRQoL at baseline, we showed that short-chain acylcarnitines are independent predictors of declining HRQoL. These findings reveal a novel association between central carbon metabolic pathways and declining HRQoL. Notably, dysregulation in mitochondrial central carbon metabolism could be detected prior to clinically important decline in HRQoL, providing the first evidence of objective biomarkers as novel predictors to monitor HRQoL in non-pharmacological interventions and epidemiology.