News
07/19/2024 - Publication: MicroRNA expression levels are associated with vascular function
MicroRNAs are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and have been reported to affect many cardiovascular mechanisms, being associated with several cardiovascular diseases. This manuscript by our PhD Student Valentina Talevi and her colleagues explores the role of whole-blood microRNAs in vascular-related traits to better understand the molecular mechanisms that lead to cardiovascular diseases and identify potential candidate targets for the development of prevention strategies against these diseases.
Using data from the first 3000 participants of the Rhineland Study, they found that some microRNAs were associated with total arterial compliance as well as cardiac output. Interestingly, a subset of these microRNAs were also associated with white matter hyperintensity burden, suggesting that some microRNAs related to cardiovascular traits may also have implications for brain health. Furthermore, these microRNAs are involved in pathways related to blood vessel morphogenesis, development, and angiogenesis.
Publication: Peripheral whole blood microRNA expression in relation to vascular function: a population-based study. Valentina Talevi et al; Journal of Translational Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05407-0
07/10/2024 - Dr. Dan Liu appointed as Career Development Fellow
We're excited to announce that Dr. Dan Liu, who completed her PhD with us in 2021 and has been a valued postdoc ever since, has been appointed as a Career Development Fellow. She will be leading her group focusing on "Molecular Epidemiology of Aging", where she will continue her cutting-edge research into the factors influencing aging processes. Congratulations, Dan!
03/07/2024 - Grant: Dr. Dan Liu receives AARFD fellowship from the Alzheimer’s Association
Aging is the primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). But not everyone ages biologically the same way. Even people of the same chronological age can experience neurodegeneration differently, which is the process that leads to AD/ADRD. Dr. Liu’s project titled “Biological aging underlies neurodegeneration across the adult lifespan” aims to understand how aging at the molecular level is connected to neurodegeneration as we grow older. In her project, Dr. Liu will utilize extensive molecular data from the Rhineland Study cohort to develop a novel biological aging metric.
The multi-molecular nature of the metric will enable a comprehensive and precise quantification of biological aging, independent of chronological age. Dr. Liu will then use this metric to assess the relation between biological aging and neurodegenerative changes across the entire adult lifespan, and to perform functional pathway analyses to decipher the key molecular processes through which biological aging affects neurodegenerative changes. Importantly, through this approach she will disentangle the precise molecular mechanisms through which biological aging itself affects neurodegeneration.
02/06/2024 - Publication: PFAS associated with unfavorable cardio-metabolic risk profile
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used and persistent chemicals that have been linked to adverse cardiovascular risk profiles. This study assessed the relationship between blood levels of three PFAS compounds—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)—and lipid profiles in the general population. Data were collected from participants of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study (NEO) and the Rhineland Study, covering ages 30 to 89. A PhD student of AG Breteler, Elvire Landstra, and her colleagues showed that higher levels of PFOS and PFHxS were associated with increased levels of total lipid, cholesterol, and phospholipids in various lipoprotein subclasses. The harmful effects were more pronounced in younger individuals. These findings highlight the need for stricter regulation of PFAS due to their association with unfavorable lipid profiles, even at low concentrations.
Publication: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Concentrations are Associated with an Unfavorable Cardio-Metabolic Risk Profile: Findings from Two Population-Based Cohort Studies. Elvire Landstra, T. Faquih et al.; Expo Health (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s12403-023-00622-4
07/26/2023 - Elvire Landstra wins Award of the Metabolomics Society
The 19th conference of the Metabolomics Society, an organization comprised of scientists worldwide that investigate the small molecules that make up humans, animals and plants, took place between June 18-22 in Canada this year. Here, Elvire Landstra, PhD student in the Rhineland Study, was awarded the prize for best Student presentation for her talk on lipids in relation to brain health.
All of us, naturally, want to age in a healthy manner and not get sick. However, some are more susceptible to disease than others. Going beyond their bad reputation, lipids may provide the key to understanding what keeps brains healthy across the lifespan. They are important not only as possible markers of disease, but also, critically, as important targets to prevent disease in the first place. Elvire Landstra’s research identified some key features of these lipids as important in health and disease in the general population.
04/10/2023 – Publication: Physical activity is associated with slower epigenetic ageing
Epigenetic aging – that is, age-related changes in the methylation patterns of DNA – is a sensitive marker of biological aging, which strongly contributes to both age-associated functional decline and development of a range of age-related diseases. Using cross-sectional data from more than 3,500 participants of the Rhineland Study, a team led by Ahmad Aziz, examined the association between physical activity and epigenetic aging, as well as the role of immune function and cardiovascular risk factors in mediating this relationship. They found that regular physical activity can slow epigenetic aging by improving immune function and reducing cardiovascular risk. Specifically, higher levels of physical activity were associated with slower epigenetic aging.
Publication: Physical activity is associated with slower epigenetic ageing—Findings from the Rhineland study. Fabienne A.U. Fox et al.; Aging Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1111/acel.13828
02/28/2023 – Publication: Visual impairment is associated with neurodegeneration in the retina and the brain
A team led by Dr. Dr. Ahmad Aziz analyzed visual acuity, retinal structures (measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT)) and brain and hippocampal degeneration (measured with magnetic resonance imaging) using data from more than 3,300 participants of the Rhineland Study in Bonn. Their results suggest a close association between visual impairment and degeneration of the retina and different brain structures, including the hippocampus, a brain region that plays a crucial role in memory formation. According to their findings, OCT-derived retinal measurements may be useful markers for neurodegeneration.
Publication: Visual impairment and retinal and brain neurodegeneration: A population-based study. Davide Garzone et al.; Human Brain Mapping (2023). DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26237
02/27/2023 – Publication: Adequate vitamin D levels are associated with greater grip strength across adult lifespan
Sufficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), the precursor to the biologically active form of Vitamin D, are important for optimal muscle function. The team, led by Dr. Dr. Ahmad Aziz, investigated the relationship between 25-OHD levels and muscle strength in more than 2,500 participants of the Bonn Rhineland Study, spanning most of the adult lifespan. They found that people with higher levels of 25-OHD had stronger muscles – but only up to a certain point, after which higher levels of 25-OHD had a negative effect on muscle strength. In older adults the effect of 25-OHD on muscle strength was weaker compared to the effect in younger adults. According to their findings published this month in the Journal Endocrine Connections, having enough vitamin D is important for strong muscles, but ingesting too much vitamin D might be harmful.
Publication: 25-hydroxyvitamin D level is associated with greater grip strength across adult lifespan – a population-based cohort study. Fabienne A.u. Fox et al.; Endocrine Connections (2023). DOI: 10.1530/EC-22-0501
02/08/2023 – Publication: Cardiovascular correlates of epigenetic ageing across the adult lifespan
Using data from the Rhineland Study, Dr. Dan Liu (first author) and colleagues investigated if differences in cardiovascular risk among people with the same chronological age are related to different rates of biological aging. They found that higher cardiovascular risk in multiple areas (including kidney function, body fat, and overall risk) was linked to faster biological aging. Most of the effects on biological aging were independent, suggesting that they may contribute to aging cumulatively. These cardiovascular risk factors may hence serve as targets for modifying the rate of biological ageing itself, with potential health impacts that go beyond the purely cardiovascular aspects of the ageing process.
Publication: Cardiovascular correlates of epigenetic aging across the adult lifespan: a population‑based study. Dan Liu et al.; GeroScience (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s11357-022-00714-0
01/01/2023 – Grant: Dr. Dianna de Vries gets grant from the Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V.
Is chronic stress a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease? This is the question Dr. Dianna de Vries would like to investigate as part of the research grant of the Alzheimer Forschung Initiative e.V.. The aim here is to better understand the association between perceived stress and brain health and to find out whether this is an indirect association through the activation of the immune system. Since there is currently no effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, it is particularly important to address widespread modifiable risk factors.
Further information on the grant can be found here.
10.07.2024 - Dr. Dan Liu wird Career Development Fellow
Wir freuen uns, dass Dr. Dan Liu, die 2021 ihre Promotion bei uns abgeschlossen hat und seitdem eine geschätzte Postdoktorandin war, zum Career Development Fellow benannt wurde. Sie wird die Gruppe „Molekulare Epidemiologie des Alterns“ leiten und ihre wegweisende Forschung zu den Einflussfaktoren des Alterungsprozesses fortsetzen. Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Dan!
11/14/2022 – Monique Breteler is one of the most successful scientists in the world
Research.com, a leading academic platform for researchers, has published the 2022 edition of its ranking of the 1000 best female scientists in the world. The DZNE is very happy to have one of them in its ranks: Monique Breteler, Director of Population Health Sciences, is ranked 43rd worldwide and even 2nd in the national ranking for Germany!
Further information on criteria and ranking can be found here.
10/11/2022 – Rika Etteldorf wins DGEpi Master Prize
The 17th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi) e.V. took place in Greifswald from 26th-29th September 2022. Rika Etteldorf, psychologist and doctoral student in the Rhineland Study, presented the results of her Master's thesis in a specially designated session "Master's students present" during the DGEpiannual meeting and was able to win the Master's Prize for outstanding Master's theses in epidemiology. In her Master's thesis, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Ettinger (University of Bonn) and Dr. Annabell Coors (DZNE), Rika Etteldorf investigated the correlations between brain structure and eye movements in the first 5,000 participants of the Rhineland Study.
08/03/2022 – Publication: The Brain Already Benefits from Moderate Physical Activity
Even moderate physical activity has a positive effect on the brain. DZNE researchers led by Dr. Dr. Ahmad Aziz deduce this from examinations of 2,550 participants of the Bonn Rhineland Study. According to their findings, certain areas of the brain are larger in physically active individuals than in those who are less active. In particular, brain regions that have a relatively high oxygen demand benefit from this effect.
Read the full press release
Publication: Association Between Accelerometer-Derived Physical Activity Measurements and Brain Structure: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Fabienne Fox et al.; Neurology (2022). DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200884
07/05/2022 – Prof. Monique Breteler and Prof. Tobias Böckers received membership certificates of the Leopoldina
On July 13, not less than two of our researchers were ceremoniously inducted as new members of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina: Prof. Monique Breteler, Director of Population Health Research and head of the Rhineland Study, and Prof. Tobias Böckers, group leader at the DZNE Ulm. This award honours their services to the neurosciences.
Read the full press release
06/30/2022 – Publication: More Brain Lesions in Senior Women than in Men of the Same Age
In women after menopause, the extent of certain brain lesions is larger than in men of the same age. DZNE researchers come to this conclusion based on the assessment of more than 3,400 adults as part of the Bonn Rhineland Study. A team led by neuroscientist Monique Breteler reports on the findings in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The assessed tissue damages are considered potential risk factors for dementia and stroke. The current findings underline the significance of sex-specific medicine.
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Publication: Relation between sex, menopause, and white matter hyperintensities: the Rhineland Study. Valerie Lohner et al.; Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology (2022). DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000200782
03/15/2022 – Publication: The Retina as a Potential Biomarker for Reduced Brain Matter
Researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE) have found a close connection between the dimensions of retinal structures and those of the brain. Their study results suggest that assessments of the eye’s retina could help to detect a loss of brain substance, i. e. “brain atrophy”. The findings are based on data from the so-called Rhineland Study.
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Publication: Retinal layer assessments as potential biomarkers for brain atrophy in the Rhineland Study. Matthias M. Mauschitz et al.; Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06821-4