Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics

BACKGROUND: The use of cholinesterase inhibitors (CHEIs) is commonly associated with urinary incontinence in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study evaluated the risk of antimuscarinic initiation drugs with the use of CHEIs in AD patients. METHODS: The study used a nested case-control study design involving 2013-2015 Medicare data of AD patients 65 years and older without antimuscarinic use in 2013. Cases were defined as those who initiated antimuscarinic treatment in 2014-2015...

This systematic review appraised previous findings of non-pharmacological interventions on gut microbiota and/ or intestinal permeability in older adults. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Library. Relevant studies were shortlisted based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and evaluated for risks of bias using the "Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias 2" and the "NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Before-After (Pre-Post) Studies with No Control Group"...

OBJECTIVE: To identify which cognitive functions and specific neuropsychological assessments predict falls in older people living in the community. METHODS: Five electronic databases were searched until 30/08/2022 for studies assessing the association between specific cognitive functions and faller status (prospective and retrospective), in community-dwelling older people. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analyses synthesised the evidence regarding the associations between different neurocognitive subdomains and faller status...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the optimal exercise intensity, type, and weekly duration for improving glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in older people individuals with diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and other databases were searched to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) starting from January 2000 to February 2024 that reported improved effects on fasting glucose and glycated haemoglobin after different exercises in middle-aged and elderly diabetic patients...

Recent research has suggested imbalances in gut microbiota composition as contributors to cardiac aging. An individual's physical condition, along with lifestyle-associated factors, including diet and medication, are significant determinants of gut microbiota composition. This review discusses evidence of bidirectional associations between aging and gut microbiota, identifying gut microbiota-derived metabolites as potential regulators of cardiac aging. It summarizes the effects of gut microbiota on cardiac aging diseases, including cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation...

PURPOSE: This study aimed to synthesize and assess evidence on non-pharmacological interventions for older adults, including those with prefrailty and frailty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive review of randomized trials and cohort studies on non-pharmacological interventions for individuals aged ≥60 was conducted using MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science through April 2023. RESULTS: Of the 285 papers screened, 13 met the eligibility criteria...

BACKGROUND: Globally, loneliness is a growing public health concern associated with poor mental and physical health among older adults. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to explore the prevalence of loneliness and associated risk factors among older adults across six continents. METHODS: Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and references lists were comprehensively searched until April 2024. Data analysis was performed using Logit Transformation model in R-Software for pooled prevalence and DerSimonian-Lard random-effects model in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis for associated factors of loneliness...

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with reduced intrinsic capacity (IC). However, studies evaluating longitudinal transitions between IC and frailty are limited. We conducted longitudinal analyses to investigate the association between intrinsic capacity (IC) and frailty transitions among community-dwelling older adults in Korea. METHODS: A total of 2,345 older adults who completed baseline and two-year follow-up surveys were selected from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study...

PURPOSE: There is a need to balance the benefits and risks associated with strong anticholinergic medications in older adults, particularly among those with frailty and cognitive impairment. This study explored the international prevalence of strong anticholinergic medication use in residents of nursing homes with and without cognitive impairment and frailty. METHODS: Secondary, cross-sectional analyses of data from 5,800 residents of 106 nursing homes in Australia, China, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and Spain were conducted...

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the effectiveness of a newly constructed frailty index (FI) for predicting short-term and long-term mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included inpatients aged ≥60 years diagnosed with chronic HF at a teaching hospital in western China. General data on the patients were collected from the electronic medical record system between January 1, 2017, and July 7, 2022, and death information was obtained from follow-up calls made from July 31, 2022, to August 1, 2022...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Against the current backdrop of population ageing, the correlation between cardiovascular diseases and endothelial dysfunction is increasingly important. Exercise, a simple and accessible method of preventing and ameliorating numerous diseases, has been demonstrated to significantly enhance endothelial function. This study aimed to assess the effects of aerobic exercise (AE), resistance exercise (RE), combined exercise (CE) and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on vascular endothelial function in middle-aged and older adults...

This study investigates the impact of the overall intensity and changes in grandparental caregiving on loneliness in grandparents in European countries. Data from waves 5 to 8 of the Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) were used (Nindividuals = 30,896 and Nobservations = 48,562). We included grandparents (aged 50 years and over) with at least one grandchild at the beginning of the study. The analyses reveal that any intensity of grandparental care decreases the risk of loneliness. When looking at changes in grandparental care the results show that stable caregiving roles appeared to reduce loneliness, while starting to provide grandparental care makes grandparents more vulnerable to loneliness...

Considering that a multifactorial lifestyle approach may prove more effective than a single factor approach to improve or maintain brain health, we evaluated the association of exercise (open skill exercise [OSE] or closed skill exercise [CSE]) combined with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFAs) (docosahexaenoic acid [C22:6n-3, DHA], eicosapentaenoic acid [C20:5n-3, EPA], and arachidonic acid [C20:4n-6, ARA]) intake with brain atrophy among older Japanese individuals (n = 795, aged 60-88 years) without a self-reported history of dementia based on the datasets of a two-year longitudinal study...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the interplay between individual nighttime and midday sleep duration and the number of new-onset chronic diseases and determine the optimal sleep duration associated with lowest number of new-onset chronic diseases. METHODS: We used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) covering a decade and involving 10,828 participants. A random intercept cross-lagged model was used to explore the interplay between nighttime/midday sleep durations and new-onset chronic diseases at both the within-individual and between-individual levels, followed by a dose-response analysis at the between-individual level to determine the optimal sleep duration...

AIM: To investigate the ability of eight frailty instruments to accurately predict all-cause mortality and other adverse outcomes in Australian primary care patients. METHODS: Study participants included adults aged ≥75 years attending one of three primary care clinics in South Australia. Frailty instruments studied were Fried's frailty phenotype (FFP), the Frailty Index (FI) of cumulative deficits, Kihon Checklist (KCL), the Fatigue Resistance Ambulation Illness and Loss of weight (FRAIL) scale, Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), PRISMA-7, Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS), and gait speed...

OBJECTIVE: Developing machine learning (ML) models to predict cognitive impairment among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. METHODS: This retrospective study used the 2016-2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use and Survey Public Use Files. Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older (n=4,965) with at least two consecutive years' data were included. Cognitive impairment was categorized into three stages: severe, moderate, and none based on self-reported data...

INTRODUCTION: Frailty is a geriatric syndrome that is highly susceptible to adverse health outcomes and is a major burden that exacerbates society's medical care. By investigating the frailty trajectory within the older demographic and initially recognizing its clinical outcomes, we will have more tactics to manage the at-risk population. METHODS: We executed a systematic review of trajectory studies elucidating the connection between frailty and adverse outcomes among older individuals (≥ 65 years) and explored articles published in English and Chinese from the inception of the database until Jun 30, 2024, in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus, CNKI, China Online Journals, VIP Information, and SinoMed...

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Therefore, exploring factors which may be associated with cognitive impairment is important. Correspondingly, this study aimed to systematically evaluate factors associated with cognitive impairment in AF patients by synthesizing relevant evidence. METHODS: A database search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases was conducted from inception until December 21, 2023...

Social isolation matters for health and longevity, but little research examines transitions into or out of social isolation or whether transitions are gendered or socially patterned. We described gender-specific trends in breadth and lack of social participation over 6 years overall and by age, country of origin, geographic location, education, wealth, and household income. We used three waves of CLSA data to evaluate changes in social isolation (0-1 activities) and broad social participation (5+ activities) in adults aged 45-75 (n = 24,788), by gender and socio-demographics, in linear and multinomial logistic regressions with post-estimated predicted probabilities...

Food insecurity, characterized by inadequate access to sufficient and nutritious food, poses a significant challenge to the health and well-being of older adults. This systematic review and meta-analysis was aimed to examine the association between food insecurity and body mass index (BMI) in older people, i.e., aging 60 and above. PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO in advance (ID CRD 42024543271). PubMed/MEDLINE, and Scopus were searched up to February 2024. Out of 5834 retrieved article, a total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing diverse geographic regions and socioeconomic contexts...