👤 Amanda Lyall

Plasma biomarkers may aid Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis and prognosis. Cardiovascular risk contributes to cognitive decline in AD, but whether it modifies the relationship between plasma biomarkers and cognitive status has not been assessed in a large multisite cohort. We aimed to explore if cardiovascular risk moderates plasma AD biomarkers' relationship with cognitive status. We included cognitively normal (n=301) participants and participants with mild cognitive impairment or probable AD (n=444) from the Bio-Hermes-001 study. Cardiovascular risk was quantified using the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease risk calculator. Logistic regression analyzed associations of cardiovascular risk and plasma biomarkers (amyloid beta 42/amyloid beta 40, phosphorylated tau [p-tau]181, p-tau217, apoE4 [apolipoprotein E]) with cognitive status. Moderation by cardiovascular risk was tested in each model. We included 745 participants (mean age=72.3 years; 423 [56.8%] female). Plasma biomarkers and cardiovascular risk were independently associated with cognitive status across models; the strongest association was with p-tau217 (odds ratio [OR], 2.33 [95% CI, 1.89-2.9]; Plasma AD biomarkers and cardiovascular risk were independently associated with cognitive status, with cardiovascular risk moderating the p-tau181 and p-tau217 cognitive status relationships. If certain plasma biomarkers and cardiovascular risk independently contribute to dementia risk, cardiovascular risk assessment should complement other biomarker evaluations in cognitive screening. Results should be interpreted with caution as associations might be primarily driven by age and sex. Future research including education and genetic risk is needed to clarify the studied relationships. Show less

Pregnancy is a risk factor for increased severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory infections, but the mechanisms underlying this risk are poorly understood. To gain insight into the role of pregnancy in modulating immune responses at baseline and upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, we collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma from 226 women, including 152 pregnant individuals and 74 non-pregnant women. We find that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with altered T cell responses in pregnant women, including a clonal expansion of CD4-expressing CD8 Show less

Pregnancy is a risk factor for increased severity of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections. The mechanisms underlying this risk have not been well-established, partly due to a limited understanding of how pregnancy shapes immune responses. To gain insight into the role of pregnancy in modulating immune responses at steady state and upon perturbation, we collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), plasma, and stool from 226 women, including 152 pregnant individuals (n = 96 with SARS-CoV-2 infection and n = 56 healthy controls) and 74 non-pregnant women (n = 55 with SARS-CoV-2 and n = 19 healthy controls). We found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with altered T cell responses in pregnant compared to non-pregnant women. Differences included a lower percentage of memory T cells, a distinct clonal expansion of CD4-expressing CD8 Show less