• This presentation explores the use of human voice analysis as a non-invasive biomarker for early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The presentation reviews current research and discusses how voice analysis can reveal valuable insights into the progression of AD. The two targeted research questions are 1) to validate the human voice as an AD digital marker and 2) to show the human voice as a culturally and educationally unbiased biomarker. FHS collection of voice data is outlined, both in-clinic and remotely via smartphones.
• Research is summarized regarding acoustic features of speech. These are language-independent sound properties of speech like pitch, without linguistic features related to content and structure. Associations between the acoustic features and various clinical indicators and biomarkers are discussed, including neuropsychological test performance, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), MRI measures, and plasma AD biomarkers. The studies show relationships, some significant, between acoustic features and these indicators. In addition, a study comparing the American FHS cohort and the Malaysian AGELESS cohort assesses whether voice features can serve as culturally and educationally unbiased biomarkers. The acoustic features are similar across both groups. These findings together suggest that voice analysis could be a universally applicable tool for AD detection.

Physical Activity Harmonization Project - Boston University KMS (bu.edu)

• This presentation is an introduction to the Physical Activity Harmonization Project that is led by Dr. Phillip Hwang. The goal of this project is to help researchers create well-harmonized physical activity measures for FHS cohorts using existing data, develop research ideas and conduct analyses using these measures. The program codes and documents are uploaded to our GitHub repository – refer to description in the video.

Slone Drug Dictionary March 2024 - Boston University KMS (bu.edu)

• The Slone Drug Dictionary™ is a computerized coding system utilized in epidemiological studies to collect and analyze drug data. It simplifies the coding of medication names for analysis purposes. This dictionary has been employed by the Slone Epidemiology Center and various organizations since the 1970s, offering a proven tool for analyzing drug exposure and utilization information. It covers prescription and non-prescription drugs, dietary supplements, and their active ingredients, allowing researchers to easily identify specific groups of exposures. This presentation showcases the efforts to harmonize the Slone Drug Dictionary with Framingham ATC Medication codes for broader utilization across NIH-funded projects. The Slone database is available for licensing to those needing a reliable method for coding and interpreting drug information. More details can be found at Slone Drug Dictionary™ https://sites.bu.edu/slone-drug-dictionary/

Medication Harmonization Presentation - Boston University KMS (bu.edu)

• This presentation is an introduction to the recent Medication Harmonization Project that an FHS-BAP team has been working on. It is intended to be viewed by researchers with some background knowledge about the FHS and its purpose. The presentation explains the five drug classes considered by the project. The sources of data used in the project and why they are used are explained. The construction of the datasets and the annotated code that produces them are covered. Finally, the presentation explains the finished datasets of each type, their structure, and what newly harmonized data is contained in them.

Introduction to Framingham Heart Study Data - Boston University KMS (bu.edu)

• This presentation is an introduction to Framingham Heart Study data. It is intended for new analysts with access to FHS data to view as part of their training. It allows new analysts to gain knowledge about the FHS and learn the common terminology quickly during the brief presentation. The presentation covers general information about the FHS cohorts and their participants. The types of data the FHS uses, their collection, and their documentation are introduced. The methods of FHS file storage, access, and security for analysts are explained, including the FHS database (FRAM-DATA) and the BU Shared Computing Cluster (SCC).

Introduction to BROC Data Query

• The FHS-BAP Data Portal serves as a comprehensive resource for investigating brain aging and disease within the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). It offers easy access to brain aging data and biospecimens, summary statistics, streamlined request submission, and collaboration opportunities.

The health exam datasets from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) use 'idtype' and 'id' to identify each person uniquely. However, in some shared datasets, 'framid' is often used for the same purpose. When merging data from both sources, the first step is to create the 'framid' as the primary key. Keep in mind, we expect variable names to be in lowercase in the following programs. But, if they're in uppercase, you might need to make extra adjustments, especially if your software is case-sensitive.