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Physical and biopsychosocial frailty, cognitive phenotypes, and plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in Chinese older adults: A population-based study
Xunyao Tian, Min Zhu, Yixun Ma, Nan Wang, Lin Shi, Cuicui Liu, Heng Zhang, Na Tian et al.. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2025-05
Topic: Plasma and spinal-fluid biomarkers
PF and BF were significantly associated with increased likelihoods of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and MCI. PF was significantly correlated with increased plasma p-tau217, GFAP, and NfL, and reduced Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio; BF was related to higher plasma total tau and NfL and lower Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio. PF in combination with demographics performed excellent in differentiating dementia from non-dementia (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.83). PF and BF are potential clinical biomarkers for dementia and MCI in older adults. Alzheimer's pathology, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration may underlie their associations. HIGHLIGHTS: Physical (PF) and biopsychosocial frailty (BF) were strongly associated with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in rural Chinese older adults. Frailty, especially PF, was associated with increased plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL) and a reduced plasma amyloid-β (Aβ)42/Aβ40 ratio. Alzheimer's pathology, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration may underlie the associations of frailty with dementia. PF, in combination with demographic factors, performed excellent (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.83) in differentiating dementia from non-dementia in rural older adults.
Key findings
- PF and BF were significantly associated with increased likelihoods of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD), and MCI.
- PF was significantly correlated with increased plasma p-tau217, GFAP, and NfL, and reduced Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio; BF was related to higher plasma total tau and NfL and lower Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio.
- PF in combination with demographics performed excellent in differentiating dementia from non-dementia (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.83).
- PF and BF are potential clinical biomarkers for dementia and MCI in older adults.
- Alzheimer's pathology, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration may underlie their associations.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants5,149
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 36 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 64 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 5,149 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40399764) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 36 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 36 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 64 out of 100. |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Tian, X., Zhu, M., Ma, Y., Wang, N., Shi, L., Liu, C., et al. (2025). Physical and biopsychosocial frailty, cognitive phenotypes, and plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in Chinese older adults: A population-based study. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70303
Vancouver
Tian X, Zhu M, Ma Y, Wang N, Shi L, Liu C, et al. Physical and biopsychosocial frailty, cognitive phenotypes, and plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in Chinese older adults: A population-based study. Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70303. PMID: 40399764.
BibTeX
@article{tian2025-40399764,
author = {Tian, Xunyao and Zhu, Min and Ma, Yixun and Wang, Nan and Shi, Lin and Liu, Cuicui and Zhang, Heng and Tian, Na and others},
title = {{Physical and biopsychosocial frailty, cognitive phenotypes, and plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease in Chinese older adults: A population-based study}},
journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70303},
pmid = {40399764},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70303}
}
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