We here posit that measurements of midlife cognition can be instructive in understanding cognitive disorders. Even though molecular events signal possible onset of cognitive disorders decades prior to their clinical diagnoses, cognition and its possible early changes in midlife remain poorly understood. We characterize midlife cognition in a cognitively healthy population-based sample using the Cogstate Brief Battery and test for associations with cardiovascular, adiposity-related, lifestyle-associated, and psychosocial variables. Learning and working memory showed significant variability and vulnerability to psychosocial influences in midlife. Furthermore, midlife aging significantly and progressively increased prevalence of suboptimal cognitive performance. Our findings suggest that physiological changes in cognition, measured with simple tests suitable for use in everyday clinical setting, may signal already in midlife the first clinical manifestations of the presymptomatic biologically defined cognitive disorders. This pilot study calls for longitudinal studies investigating midlife cognition to identify clinical correlates of biologically defined cognitive disorders.

• Keywords
• cognitive disorders, cognitive performance, midlife cognition, psychosocial variables, quality of life, suboptimal cognition,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) is defined for the presence of ideal behavioral and health metrics known to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). The association of circulatory phospho- and sphingo-lipids to primary reduction in cardiovascular risk is unclear. Our aim was to determine the association of CVH metrics with the circulating lipid profile of a population-based cohort. Serum sphingolipid and phospholipid species were extracted from 461 patients of the randomly selected prospective Kardiovize study based on Brno, Czech Republic. Lipids species were measured by a hyphenated mass spectrometry technique, and were associated with poor CVH scores, as defined by the American Heart Association. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) species were significantly lower in ideal and intermediate scores of health dietary metric, blood pressure, total cholesterol and blood fasting glucose compared to poor scores. Current smokers presented higher levels of PC, PE and LPE individual species compared to non-smokers. Ceramide (Cer) d18:1/14:0 was altered in poor blood pressure, total cholesterol and fasting blood glucose metrics. Poor cardiovascular health metric is associated with a specific phospho- and sphingolipid pattern. Circulatory lipid profiling is a potential biomarker to refine cardiovascular health status in primary prevention strategies.

• Keywords
• cardiovascular health, lipidomics, mass spectrometry, phospholipids, sphingolipids,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

In contrast to the decreasing burden related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the burden related to dysglycemia and adiposity complications is increasing in Czechia, and local drivers must be identified. A comprehensive literature review was performed to evaluate biological, behavioral, and environmental drivers of dysglycemia and abnormal adiposity in Czechia. Additionally, the structure of the Czech healthcare system was described. The prevalence of obesity in men and diabetes in both sexes has been increasing over the past 30 years. Possible reasons include the Eastern European eating pattern, high prevalence of physical inactivity and health illiteracy, education, and income-related health inequalities. Despite the advanced healthcare system based on the compulsory insurance model with free-for-service healthcare and a wide range of health-promoting initiatives, more effective strategies to tackle the adiposity/dysglycemia are needed. In conclusion, the disease burden related to dysglycemia and adiposity in Czechia remains high but is not translated into greater CVD. This discordant relationship likely depends more on other factors, such as improvements in dyslipidemia and hypertension control. A reconceptualization of abnormal adiposity and dysglycemia into a more actionable cardiometabolic-based chronic disease model is needed to improve the approach to these conditions. This review can serve as a platform to investigate causal mechanisms and secure effective management of cardiometabolic-based chronic disease.

• Keywords
• adiposity, cardiometabolic risk, cardiovascular disease, chronic disease, dysglycemia, insulin resistance, nutrition, obesity, type 2 diabetes,
• MeSH
• Adiposity ethnology   MeSH
• White People statistics & numerical data   MeSH
• Chronic Disease epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Diet adverse effects   ethnology   MeSH
• Health Status Disparities MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Dyslipidemias epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Hypertension epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Cardiometabolic Risk Factors MeSH
• Cardiovascular Diseases epidemiology   etiology   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Metabolic Syndrome epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Obesity epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Glucose Intolerance epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Prediabetic State epidemiology   ethnology   MeSH
• Prevalence MeSH
• Sedentary Behavior ethnology   MeSH
• Social Determinants of Health ethnology   MeSH
• Feeding Behavior ethnology   MeSH
• Health Literacy MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic epidemiology   MeSH