Cohort Profile: The Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)†

Abstract

Similar to other industrialized countries, Germany's population is ageing. Whereas some people enjoy good physical and cognitive health into old age, others suffer from a multitude of age-related disorders and impairments which reduce life expectancy and affect quality of life. To identify and characterize the factors associated with 'healthy' vs. 'unhealthy' ageing, we have launched the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II), a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional project that ascertains a large number of ageing-related variables from a wide range of different functional domains. Phenotypic assessments include factors related to geriatrics and internal medicine, immunology, genetics, psychology, sociology and economics. Baseline recruitment of the BASE-II cohort was recently completed and has led to the sampling of 1600 older adults (age range 60-80 years), as well as 600 younger adults (20-35 years) serving as the basic population for in-depth analyses. BASE-II data are linked to the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), a long-running panel survey representative of the German population, to estimate sample selectivity. A major goal of BASE-II is to facilitate collaboration with other research groups by freely sharing relevant phenotypic and genotypic data with qualified outside investigators.

T-cell immunity in the aging human

“…The advances began with the identification of the BCR-ABL1 gene in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 1985, leading to the introduction of ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and the JAK2 V617F mutation in polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) in 2005, leading to the JAK inhibitors. [1][2][3] CML is now arguably the most successfully treated human malignancy. Despite these remarkable achievements, the quest for cure, functionally defined as treatment-free remission after discontinuation of TKI therapy, remains difficult.…”

Secular Changes in Late-Life Cognition and Well-Being: Towards a Long Bright Future With a Short Brisk Ending?

“…Detailed descriptions of participants, variables, and procedures can be found in previous publications (for the BASE, see Baltes & Mayer, 1999; for the BASE-II, see Bertram et al, 2014). Select details relevant to this report are given below.…”

Response Error in a Web Survey and a Mailed Questionnaire: The Role of Cognitive Functioning

“…Aging Study II (BASE-II), a survey that primarily focuses on multidimensional processes of physical and mental aging (see Bertram et al 2014). The analysis reveals a high impact of cognitive functioning at the various stages of the survey response process.…”

“…This longitudinal survey focuses primarily on multidimensional processes of physical and mental aging (see Bertram et al 2014). The BASE-II sample is a non-probability sample consisting of 1600 elderly (age 60 to 80) and a reference group of 600 younger residents (age 20 to 35) living in greater Berlin.…”