GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2023-12-13DOI: 10.1159/000534998
Emilia Frangos, Jane Barratt, Jean-Pierre Michel, Fiona Ecarnot
{"title":"Vaccines in Long-Term Care Settings: A Narrative Review.","authors":"Emilia Frangos, Jane Barratt, Jean-Pierre Michel, Fiona Ecarnot","doi":"10.1159/000534998","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000534998","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Older people living in long-term care facilities represent a particularly vulnerable segment of the population, who disproportionately bear the burden of infectious diseases, as recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>Older long-term care residents typically cumulate several risk factors for infection and experience serious life-threatening outcomes once infected. These common infections are often compounded by the collective living environment, where it is more difficult to contain the spread of infection. Moreover, the staff may represent an additional reservoir of potential infection and mode of transmission. In this paper, we review the burden of infectious respiratory diseases in residents in long-term care and discuss the potential gains from higher vaccine coverage in this older and most vulnerable population but also from higher vaccine coverage among the facility staff. We highlight the compelling need to integrate specific vaccine recommendations for residents of long-term care into national vaccination schedules, as well as the need to include vaccination campaigns in routine protocols for infection control. Surveillance, reporting, hygiene, and individual protective measures remain key aspects in basic infection control, both in ordinary times and during epidemics.</p><p><strong>Key message: </strong>Vaccination of residents in long-term care facilities against respiratory diseases including influenza, pneumococcal disease, pertussis, and COVID is a simple, inexpensive, and effective means to reduce the burden of infection in this segment of the population.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"241-247"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138800677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-06-05DOI: 10.1159/000539591
Ameer Nor Azhar, Shan M Bergin, Shannon E Munteanu, Hylton B Menz
{"title":"Footwear, Orthoses, and Insoles and Their Effects on Balance in Older Adults: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Ameer Nor Azhar, Shan M Bergin, Shannon E Munteanu, Hylton B Menz","doi":"10.1159/000539591","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000539591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Footwear, orthoses, and insoles have been shown to influence balance in older adults; however, it remains unclear which features, singular or in combination, are considered optimal. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and synthesise the current evidence regarding how footwear, orthoses, and insoles influence balance in older adults. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and AMED) were searched from inception to October 2023. Key terms such as \"shoe*,\" \"orthoses,\" \"postural balance\" and \"older people\" were employed in the search strategy. Studies meeting the following criteria were included: (i) participants had a minimum age ≥60 years, and were free of any neurological, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular diseases; (ii) an active intervention consisting of footwear, foot orthoses, or insoles was evaluated; and (iii) at least one objective outcome measure of balance was reported.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>A total of 56 studies from 17 different countries were included. Three study designs were utilised (cross-sectional study, n = 44; randomised parallel group, n = 6; cohort study n = 6). The duration of studies varied considerably, with 41 studies evaluating immediate effects, 14 evaluating effects from 3 days to 12 weeks, and 1 study having a duration of 6 months. Seventeen different interventions were evaluated, including/consisting of textured insoles (n = 12), heel elevation (n = 8), non-specific standardised footwear and changes in sole thickness or hardness (n = 7 each), sole geometry or rocker soles, contoured or custom insoles and high collar height (n = 6 each), insole thickness or hardness and vibrating insoles (n = 5 each), outsole tread (n = 4), minimalist footwear and slippers (n = 3 each), balance-enhancing shoes, footwear fit, socks, and ankle-foot orthoses (n = 2 each), and eversion insoles, heel cups, and unstable footwear (n = 1 each). Twenty-three different outcomes were assessed, and postural sway was the most common (n = 20), followed by temporo-spatial gait parameters (n = 17). There was uncertainty regarding intervention effectiveness. Overall, features such as secure fixation, a textured insole, a medium-to-hard density midsole and a higher ankle collar, in isolation, were able to positively impact balance. Conversely, footwear with an elevated heel height and the use of socks and slippers impaired balance.</p><p><strong>Key messages: </strong>There is a substantial body of literature exploring the effects of footwear, orthoses, and insoles on balance in older adults. However, considerable uncertainty exists regarding the efficacy of these interventions due to variability in methodological approaches. Further high-quality research is necessary to determine whether a singular intervention or a combination of interventions is most effective for enhancing balance in older adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"801-811"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141261614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-08-29DOI: 10.1159/000540476
Shira Peleg, Miriam Wallimann, Theresa Pauly
{"title":"Associations between Daily Stressors, Health, and Affective Responses among Older Adults: The Moderating Effect of Age.","authors":"Shira Peleg, Miriam Wallimann, Theresa Pauly","doi":"10.1159/000540476","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000540476","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Reactivity to daily stressors may change as a function of stressor type and age. However, prior research often excludes older adults or compares them to younger age groups (e.g., younger and middle-aged adults). Recognizing older adults as a heterogeneous population with shifting motivations, this study focused on individuals aged ≥65 years and tested age differences in associations between different types of daily stressors, affect, and physical symptoms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 108 older adults aged 65-92 years (M = 73.11, SD = 5.92; 58% women) completed daily dairy questionnaires on daily stressors, positive and negative affect, and physical symptoms for 14 consecutive days. Multilevel models were employed, adjusting for sex, age, education, living situation, and day-in-study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings revealed age-dependent variations in the associations between daily stressors and affect and physical symptoms. Specifically, external stressors (e.g., finance and traffic stressors) and health stressors were more strongly associated with daily affective states and with overall physical symptoms (respectively) among older age adults. Age did not moderate associations between social stressors and affect or physical symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings underscore the heterogeneous nature of older adults' responses to daily stressors based on stressor type and age. Specifically, the oldest-old might benefit from personalized support for dealing with challenges such as health and financial stressors.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"1213-1226"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142106588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-03-08DOI: 10.1159/000535082
Weihao Xu, Anying Bai, Yuanfeng Liang, Zhanyi Lin
{"title":"Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome and the Risk of Incident Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies.","authors":"Weihao Xu, Anying Bai, Yuanfeng Liang, Zhanyi Lin","doi":"10.1159/000535082","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000535082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Epidemiologic studies have indicated an association of motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a pre-dementia stage characterized by the presence of cognitive complaints and a slow gait, with increased risk of incident dementia.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aimed to clarify this association using meta-analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to December 2022 for relevant studies that investigated the association between MCR and incident all-cause dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The random-effects model was used to determine a pooled-effect estimate of the association.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified seven articles that corresponded with nine cohort studies investigating the association between MCR and the risk of dementia. Pooled analysis showed that MCR was associated with a significantly increased risk of incident all-cause dementia (HR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.90-2.73) and AD (HR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.61-2.61). Sensitivity analysis showed that there was no evidence that individual studies influenced the pooled-effect estimate, verifying the robustness of the results.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results confirm that MCR is an independent risk factor of incident all-cause dementia and AD. Future studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying this association.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"479-490"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11098020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140093734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-01-16DOI: 10.1159/000536227
Yu Liang, Yiming Zhou, Can Zhou, Xinqi Cai, Li Liu, Fang Wei, Guolin Li
{"title":"Sertraline Promotes Health and Longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.","authors":"Yu Liang, Yiming Zhou, Can Zhou, Xinqi Cai, Li Liu, Fang Wei, Guolin Li","doi":"10.1159/000536227","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000536227","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>While several antidepressants have been identified as potential geroprotectors, the effect and mechanism of sertraline on healthspan remain to be elucidated. Here, we explored the role of sertraline in the lifespan and healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The optimal effect concentration of sertraline was first screened in wild-type N2 worms under heat stress conditions. Then, we examined the effects of sertraline on lifespan, reproduction, lipofuscin accumulation, mobility, and stress resistance. Finally, the expression of serotonin signaling and aging-related genes was investigated to explore the underlying mechanism, and the lifespan assays were performed in ser-7 RNAi strain, daf-2, daf-16, and aak-2 mutants.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sertraline extended the lifespan in C. elegans with concomitant extension of healthspan as indicated by increasing mobility and reducing fertility and lipofuscin accumulation, as well as enhanced resistance to different abiotic stresses. Mechanistically, ser-7 orchestrated sertraline-induced longevity via the regulation of insulin and AMPK pathways, and sertraline-induced lifespan extension in nematodes was abolished in ser-7 RNAi strain, daf-2, daf-16, and aak-2 mutants.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Sertraline promotes health and longevity in C. elegans through ser-7-insulin/AMPK pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"408-417"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139478076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-02-01DOI: 10.1159/000536050
Fei Gao, Ru-San Tan, Louis L Y Teo, See Hooi Ewe, Woon-Puay Koh, Kelvin B Tan, Angela S Koh
{"title":"Myocardial Aging among a Population-Based Cohort Is Associated with Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes and Sex-Specific Differences among Older Adults.","authors":"Fei Gao, Ru-San Tan, Louis L Y Teo, See Hooi Ewe, Woon-Puay Koh, Kelvin B Tan, Angela S Koh","doi":"10.1159/000536050","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000536050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Despite growing calls to tackle aging-related cardiovascular disease (CVD), the role of detecting early diastolic dysfunction such as those observed in aging, prior to clinical disease, is of unclear clinical benefit.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Myocardial function determined by echocardiography was examined in association with incident cardiovascular outcomes or all-cause death by Cox proportional hazards model. Sex-based differences in outcomes were included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 956 participants (mean age 63 ± 12.9 years, n = 424 males [44%]) were categorized based on mitral peak early-to-late diastolic filling velocity (E/A) ratios: E/A <0.8 (28%), E/A 0.8-1.2 (39%), E/A (29%), E/A >2.0 (4%). Incidence rate (IR) for non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes was 2.83 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 2.24-3.56) and 0.45 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 0.26-0.80) for all-cause death. Event-free survival from non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes was significantly different among E/A categories (log-rank p = 0.0269). E/A <0.8 (HR 1.80, 95% CI: 1.031, 3.14, p = 0.039) was associated with non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes. Among men, IR for cardiovascular outcomes was 3.56 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 2.62-4.84) and 0.75 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 0.39-1.44) for all-cause death. Among women, IR for cardiovascular outcomes was 2.22 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 1.56-3.16) and 0.21 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 0.067-0.64) for all-cause death. For E/A <0.8 category, women had significantly higher risks of non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes, compared to E/A 0.8-1.2 category (HR 2.49, 95% CI: 1.18, 5.23, p = 0.017).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Myocardial aging was an independent predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in community-dwelling older adults prior to clinical CVD. Impaired myocardial relaxation was prevalent in both sexes but associated with worse outcomes in women, suggestive of sex differences in age-related biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"368-378"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139671553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-08-17DOI: 10.1159/000540995
Ahmad J Abdulsalam, Pelin Analay, Murat Kara
{"title":"Painting a Clearer Picture by Measuring the Quadriceps Muscle with Ultrasound.","authors":"Ahmad J Abdulsalam, Pelin Analay, Murat Kara","doi":"10.1159/000540995","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000540995","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"1148-1149"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141999764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2023-10-19DOI: 10.1159/000534680
Chunyan Mai, Dan Chen, Francisco Olivos, Amber X Chen
{"title":"Disentangling Stereotypes towards Older Age Groups: Evidence from Factorial Survey Experiments in China and the USA.","authors":"Chunyan Mai, Dan Chen, Francisco Olivos, Amber X Chen","doi":"10.1159/000534680","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000534680","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Older adults are usually perceived as warmer but less competent than younger adults. This study examined how these stereotypes are related to domain-specific attributes and how individuals' values may moderate the association.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We recruited 560 Chinese participants (mean age [SD]: 23.14 ± 7.08 years old, ranging from 18 to 60 years old) and 479 American participants (mean age [SD]: 31.37 ± 7.19 years old, ranging from 18 to 57 years old). Participants rated perceived warmth and competence of older adults based on vignettes with varying descriptions of specific domains (i.e., three relational domains: number of friends, family relationship quality, and engagement in neighbourhood activities; and three individualistic domains: income, depression, and memory) and personal attributes (i.e., gender, age, and independence).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Firstly, the results showed that relational domains predict warmth, whereas individualistic domains predict competence in both samples from China and the USA. Secondly, in both samples, people with higher communal values attributed more relevance to relational domains on judgement of warmth. Lastly, only in the US sample did people with higher agentic values attribute more relevance to individualistic domains on judgement of competence.</p><p><strong>Discussion/conclusion: </strong>The study revealed that personal values, when determined relatively, contribute to stereotypes of older adults in the two independent samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"210-234"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10866177/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49676712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
GerontologyPub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2023-12-12DOI: 10.1159/000535717
Johan Rehnberg, Martijn Huisman, Stefan Fors, Anna Marseglia, Almar Kok
{"title":"The Association between Education and Cognitive Performance Varies at Different Levels of Cognitive Performance: A Quantile Regression Approach.","authors":"Johan Rehnberg, Martijn Huisman, Stefan Fors, Anna Marseglia, Almar Kok","doi":"10.1159/000535717","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000535717","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Educational differences in cognitive performance among older adults are well documented. Studies that explore this association typically estimate a single average effect of education on cognitive performance. We argue that the processes that contribute to the association between education and cognitive performance are unlikely to have equal effects at all levels of cognitive performance. In this study, we employ an analytical approach that enables us to go beyond averages to examine the association between education and five measures of global and domain-specific cognitive performance across the outcome distributions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study included 1,780 older adults aged 58-68 years from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Conditional quantile regression was used to examine variation across the outcome distribution. Cognitive outcomes included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, crystallized intelligence, information processing speed, episodic memory, and a composite score of global cognitive performance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed that the associations between education and different cognitive measures varied across the outcome distributions. Specifically, we found that education had a stronger association with crystallized intelligence, MMSE, and a composite cognitive performance measure in the lower tail of performance distributions. The associations between education and information processing speed and episodic memory were uniform across the outcome distributions.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Larger associations between education and some domains of cognitive performance in the lower tail of the performance distributions imply that inequalities are primarily generated among individuals with lower performance rather than among average and high performers. Additionally, the varying associations across some of the outcome distributions indicate that estimating a single average effect through standard regression methods may overlook variations in cognitive performance between educational groups. Future studies should consider heterogeneity across the outcome distribution.</p>","PeriodicalId":12662,"journal":{"name":"Gerontology","volume":" ","pages":"318-326"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10911170/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138800663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}