• Finch Blom posted an update 3 months ago

    To describe the trajectories of pain, dyspnea, fever, confusion, agitation and fatigue of nursing home residents’ (NHRs) after a transfer to the emergency department (ED).

    Observational multicenter study.

    17 EDs in France.

    751 NHRs presenting to EDs over four non-consecutive weeks (one week per season) in 2016.

    Trajectories of symptoms (binary variables) including pain, dyspnea, fever, agitation, confusion and fatigue at four times before ED transfer, during the transfer, in the ED and after discharge.

    Group-based multi-trajectory modelling was performed to identify groups of NHRs following similar trajectories of symptoms evolution after a transfer to ED. Five groups were identified. In group 1 (n=190), NHRs presented with confusion and a rising prevalence of fatigue. In group 2 (n=212), NHRs presented with a highly prevalent but declining pain. In group 3 (n=158), NHRs presented with similar peaking pain prevalence, rising confusion and fatigue, and a high but stable agitation prevalence. In groer or dyspnea rather than in those with confusion, agitation and fatigue. NHRs’ resilience through the stress of an ED transfer could be predicted by comorbidity and functional abilities, challenged by acute conditions representing various levels of stress intensity, and evaluated on the course of non-specific symptoms. NHRs’ resilience is key to estimate the appropriateness of an ED transfer and should facilitate advance care planning regarding NHRs’ hospitalizations.

    Depression in older adults may result from a variety of reasons such as loneliness feelings and malnutrition.

    To examine the direct and indirect effect of loneliness feelings on depressive symptoms, mediated by malnutrition, among older adults from different cultures during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic quarantine.

    A convenience sample of 101 Arabs and 100 Jewish older adults aged 65 and over was interviewed. Using bootstrapping, we tested the strength and significance of the conditional indirect effect of malnutrition (mediator) on the relationship between loneliness feelings and depressive symptoms.

    The relationship between loneliness feelings and depressive symptoms was mediated by malnutrition and Arab older adults reported a higher level than Jewish older adults of loneliness, depression, and malnutrition during the Covid-19 pandemic quarantine.

    To reduce loneliness feelings, depressive symptoms, and malnutrition in times of crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential upport accompanied by instructions for a healthy lifestyle and malnutrition prevention.

    The West China Health and Aging Trends study (WCHAT) is intended to focus on the research that will guide efforts to reduce disability, maximize health and independent functioning, and enhance quality of life at older ages in different ethnicities. And provide the basis for understanding trends and dynamics in late-life functioning, how these differ in various ethnic subgroups, and the economic or social consequences of aging and disability in western China.

    The cohort enrolled 7536 participants and 7439 participants aged 50 years and older in the baseline in 2018 and every year would be followed up. Finding to date The data in WCHAT were prospectively collected from Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Xinjiang by 7 medical institutions. A number of age-related outcome measures were collected though corresponding geriatric assessments. Blood testing, saliva, urine and feces testing are available for all cohort participants. Future plans The data in WCHAT can be used for various types of epidemiological research,that aimed to investigate the influence of culture specific life styles, diet and living environment on the prevalence of geriatric syndromes like frailty, sarcopenia and so on. This is a prospective multi-center observational study, which will be conducted in various ethnic groups gathering places. This study collected information that related to fatigue, falls, and cognition were obtained through self-reports, which might have recall bias and grouping errors. This study has problems such as the interviewees’ refusal to visit, death, going out, and large population mobility may lead to high loss of visit rates. This study collected information from a comparatively healthier elderly population in which external validity was limited.

    Experimental evidence suggest that tea polyphenols have anti-depressant effect and tea consumption may reduce the risk and severity of depression. We investigated whether tea consumption was associated with changes in depressive symptoms over time among Asian older adults.

    Population-based prospective cohort study with mean 4 years of follow up.

    Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Study (SLAS) of community-living older persons.

    3177 participants overall (mean age 67 years) and 3004 participants who were depression-free at baseline.

    Baseline tea consumption which include Chinese (black, oolong or green) tea or Western (mixed with milk) tea and change in Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) measure of depression. Incident depression was defined by GDS≥5, and GDS depression improvement or deterioration by GDS change of ≥4 points. Estimated odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95%CI) were adjusted for baseline age, sex, ethnicity, education, housing type, single/divorced/widowed, living alone, physical and social activity, smoking, alcohol, number of comorbidities, MMSE, and baseline GDS level.

    Compared to non-tea drinkers, participants who consumed ≥3 cups of tea of all kinds were significantly less likely to have worsened GDS symptoms OR=0.32, 95% CI=0.12, 0.84. Among baseline depression-free participants, the risk of incident GDS (≥5) depression was significantly lower (OR=0.34, 95%CI=0.13, 0.90) for daily consumption of all types of tea, and Chinese (black, oolong or green) tea (OR=0.46, 95%CI=0.21,0.99).

    This study suggests that tea may prevent the worsening of existing depressive symptoms and the reduce the likelihood of developing threshold depression.

    This study suggests that tea may prevent the worsening of existing depressive symptoms and the reduce the likelihood of developing threshold depression.

    To determine prevalence of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency and associations with cognitive performance in participants recruited for the Cognitive Health in Ageing Register Investigational, Observational, and Trial Studies in Dementia Research Prospective Readiness cOhort Study (CHARIOTPRO) SubStudy (CPRO-SS).

    Cross-sectional analysis of data collected in the screening phase for the CPRO-SS.

    Participants were recruited from the Chariot Register at Imperial College London comprising approximately 39,000 community dwelling volunteers.

    Community dwelling individuals aged 60-85 years with B vitamin biomarker measures available were included (n=1946). After medical history and other exclusions, 1347 cognitively healthy participants were included for analysis of cognitive data.

    Cognitive status was assessed with the Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Assays included vitamin B12 and folate, followed by serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels for those with low vitamin B12.identified for future interventional studies in this field.

    Older men and women are prone to vitamin B12 deficiency with associated subtle and different domain-specific disruptive effects in measures of memory and attention. Elevated homocysteine and methylmalonic acid contributed to poorer cognitive performance. Novel groups at particular risk of cognitive deficit were identified for future interventional studies in this field.Amiodarone therapy is widely prescribed in patients with atrial fibrillation. The higher prevalence of this arrhythmic heart disease, and the specific age-related issues of homeostasis in the elderly population, makes this group particularly exposed to its adverse effects. Among the many described side-effects, neurological impairments are the less documented and studied. Because amiodarone can be responsible for severe complications, as described in the case below, a close monitoring is necessary throughout its prescription. Awareness should be brought on the amiodarone-induced neurological side-effects as they could be overlooked.The health crisis we are facing is challenging seniors’ resources and capacities for adaptation and resilience. The PACOVID survey, set up a few days after containment, investigates their psychological and social experiences with regard to the COVID-19 crisis and to what extent these characteristics, representations and attitudes have an impact on health and mortality. A telephone survey is being carried out on 935 people already followed up in the framework of ongoing epidemiological studies. As we are writing this article, the interviews conducted during the containment have just ended. Even though we will have to wait for the analysis of the results to draw conclusions, words collected by the psychologists during the interviews already illustrate a great heterogeneity in the way older adults lived this experience social isolation, anxiety, the importance of family and the difficulty of being deprived of it, but also remarkable coping skills and resilience capacities.

    Survivors of childhood cancer (CCS) are at risk for early aging and frailty. Frailty in CCS has been assessed with established clinical criteria, a time-intensive approach requiring specialized training. There is an unmet need for cost-effective, rapid methods for assessing frailty in at-risk adolescent and young adult (AYA) CCS, which are scalable to large populations.

    To validate a sensor-based frailty assessment tool in AYA CCS, compare frailty status between CCS and controls, and assess the correlation between frailty and number of CCS comorbidities.

    Mean frailty index (MFI) was assessed by a frailty wrist sensor in 32 AYA CCS who were ≥1 year off therapy and in remission. Results were compared with 32 AYA controls without cancer or chronic disease.

    Frailty assessments with and without a simultaneous cognitive task were performed to obtain MFI. Results were compared between cases and controls using a Student t test, and the number of pre-frail/frail subjects by Chi Square test. The contribution ofeated with RT. A wrist-worn sensor-based method is feasible for application in AYA CCS, and provides an opportunity for cost-effective, rapid screening of at-risk AYA CCS who may benefit from early interventions.Interactions among physiological pathways associated with osteoporosis and sarcopenia are thought to contribute to the onset of frailty. The International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research Task Force thus met in March 2020 to explore how emerging interventions to manage fracture and osteoporosis in older adults may reduce frailty, disability, morbidity, and mortality in the older population. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions (including nutritional intervention, exercise, and other lifestyle changes) were discussed, including nutritional intervention, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. Pharmacological treatments for osteoporosis include bone-forming and antiresorptive agents, which may optimally be used in sequential or combination regimens. Since similar mechanisms related to resorption underlie physiological changes in muscle and bone, these interventions may provide benefits beyond treating osteoporosis. Clinical trials to test these interventions, however, often exclude frail older persons because of comorbidities (such as mobility disability and cognitive impairment) or polypharmacy.