Journal of Aging Research最新文献

Background: Renal hemodynamic is influenced by both gender difference and age. Also, the Mas receptor (MasR) as one of the depressor components of the renin-angiotensin system which has more expression in females could postpone some dysfunctions associated with age, although the association between MasR and age in renal vascular responses to angiotensin II (Ang II) in male and female rats was well undefined. Therefore, the current study examined the effects of age and sex on systemic and renal vascular responses to graded doses of Ang II in Wistar rats with or without MasR antagonists (A779).

Materials and methods: Anesthetized Wistar male and female rats with two age ranges of 8-12 and 24-28 weeks were exposed to cannulate venous and arterial vessels. After stability, mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal perfusion pressure (RPP), renal vascular resistance (RVR), and renal blood flow (RBF) were measured in response to the infusion of Ang II with or without A779.

Results: There were no significant differences in the base values of MAP, RPP, RBF, and RVR between the two genders in both the age ranges of 8-12 and 24-28 weeks. In addition, no significant gender difference was observed in the age ranges of the above mentioned parameters among the groups receiving vehicle or A779. Also, the infusion of vehicle or A779 could not significantly change the base values. On the other hand, the responses of RBF and RVR to Ang II revealed gender differences among 8-12-week groups (P < 0.05) but not in 24-28-week groups, while the blockade of MasR could not influence the responses in the age ranges.

Conclusion: It was concluded that age could impress sex difference in RBF and RVR responses to Ang II infusion and that MasR alone could not participate in these responses. In other words, MasR is not active under normal and acutely elevated Ang II levels.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced mandatory stay-at-home orders and concerns about contracting a virus that impacted the physical and mental health of much of the world's population. This study compared the rates of depression and anxiety in a sample of older primary care patients (aged ≥65 years old) and their family members recruited for a clinical trial before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were dyads enrolled in the Caregiver Outcomes of Alzheimer's Disease Screening (COADS) trial, which included 1,809 dyads of older primary care patients and one of their family members. Mean scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7) were measured and compared before and during the pandemic. We found no difference in depression and anxiety among dyads of older primary care patients and their family members recruited before and during COVID-19. Additionally, we found that older primary care patients and family members who reported their income as comfortable had significantly lower depression and anxiety compared to those who reported having not enough to make ends meet. Along with this, older primary care patients with a high school education or less were more likely to have anxiety compared to those with a postgraduate degree. Moreover, our findings support the notion that certain demographics of older primary care patients and family members are at a higher risk for depression and anxiety, indicating who should be targeted for psychological health interventions that can be adapted during COVID-19. Future research should continue monitoring older primary care patients and their family members through the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, functional strength, aerobic capacity, and lipid profile of older adults living in urban and rural areas. For this purpose, 208 older adults were evaluated (132 living in rural areas and 73 living in urban areas). Sociodemographic data were collected, and functional strength, aerobic capacity, and lipid profile of older adults living in the southern region of Brazil were evaluated. Only total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were associated with place of residence (p < 0.05), and living in the countryside was associated with low aerobic capacity (p=0.010). The use of medication (OR = 3.01; p=0.012) and smoking (OR = 0.30; p=0.027) were the only variables that explained aerobic performance, regardless of place of residence. In conclusion, place of residence is not a factor that, alone or in combination with other conditions, affects the functional performance or lipid profile of the older adult population.

Introduction: Data examining the health of menopausal women and the prevalence of osteoporosis remain to be limited in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan countries. Thus, in this current study, we aimed to assess the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and anthropometric measurements of osteoporotic postmenopausal women and determine their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, community-based study. Postmenopausal women (n = 300), aged ≥45 years, were recruited from Khartoum state, Sudan. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to assess bone density. Weight, height, and waist circumference were measured twice. Fasting blood samples (5 ml) were collected to determine total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). AIP was calculated as an indicator of CVD risk.

Results: The mean age of the postmenopausal women was 61.6 ± 10.2 years (range 47-90 years). Women (n = 80) had the normal T-score, and an equal number had osteoporosis (n = 110) and osteopenia (n = 110). The prevalence of osteoporosis was 36.7%. Many postmenopausal women with normal T-scores suffered from general (71.2%) and central (94%) obesity. Postmenopausal women had high TC (24.4%), TG (25.6%), LDL-C (13.7%), and low HDL-C (76.0%) levels. Osteoporotic women (36.4%) were found to have a medium to high risk of CVD as determined by AIP. Women with normal T-scores had a higher number of CVD risk factors. A positive correlation was noted between AIP and TC among osteopenic (r = 0.292; P=0.002) and osteoporotic women (r = 0.265; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Osteoporosis was prevalent among Sudanese postmenopausal women who also had an increased risk for CVD. Public health education about osteoporosis and CVD risk is thus recommended.

Vascular dementia (VD) is a neurocognitive disorder whose precise definition is still up for debate. VD generally refers to dementia that is primarily caused by cerebrovascular disease or impaired cerebral blood flow. It is a subset of vascular cognitive impairment, a class of diseases that relate any cerebrovascular injury as a causal or correlating factor for cognitive decline, most commonly seen in the elderly. Patients who present with both cognitive impairment and clinical or radiologic indications of cerebrovascular pathology should have vascular risk factors, particularly hypertension, examined and treated. While these strategies may be more effective at avoiding dementia than at ameliorating it, there is a compelling case for intensive secondary stroke prevention in these patients. Repeated stroke is related to an increased chance of cognitive decline, and poststroke dementia is connected with an increased risk of death. In general, most physicians follow recommendations for secondary stroke prevention in patients with VD, which can be accomplished by the use of antithrombotic medicines such as antiplatelets (aspirin, clopidogrel, ticlopidine, cilostazol, etc.). In individuals with a high risk of atherosclerosis and those with documented symptomatic cerebrovascular illness, antiplatelets treatment lowers the risk of stroke. While this therapy strategy of prevention and rigorous risk management has a compelling justification, there is only limited and indirect data to support it. The following systematic review examines the role of antiplatelets in the management of vascular dementia in published clinical trials and studies and comments on the current evidence available to support their use and highlights the need for further study.

We estimate two common nonlinear models (quadratic and semilog) and one new model (exponential) of the time-age relationship in 500-yard freestyle swim times in the U.S. National Senior Games (ages 50 and up) in six biennial NSGA competitions (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019) for 468 men and 587 women. We use OLS and quantile regression (25%, 50%, and 75%) separately for each gender. The semilog model predicts faster times than the quadratic or exponential models. Our hypothesis that women slow down faster than men after age 50 is supported by both models as well as by our unique within-gender comparisons. Our findings of a nonlinear performance decline agree with studies of elite swimmers (Olympic, FINA). Our first-time study of NSGA data provides new guidelines to inform senior competitors. Our findings will assist trainers and community organizations that support NSGA competitions to promote a healthy senior lifestyle.

Introduction: Unsteady gait, instability, and lower extremity muscle weakness are some of the risk factors for falls. Reduced balance is a further precursor of falls, and injuries adversely affect the instability. In doing an activity without losing their balance, confidence among older adults is also crucial because it will influence their mobility.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine the association between activity balance confidence and functional mobility, including gait, balance, and strength, among older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among older adults living in long-term care facilities and community dwellings. A total of 326 older adults (>60 years old) participated in this study from three provinces in Java Island, Indonesia. The inclusion criteria were older adults living independently and without obstacles in communication, who have no hearing loss, and who agreed to be respondents. The activity-specific balance confidence (ABC) scale determines the level of confidence. The participants were asked about their balance confidence not to lose their balance while doing 16 activities. The dependent variable is the mobility test, including a gait test using TUG (times up and go) to see how the subjects stand, walk, and turn around; a balance test (four stages); and a strength test (30-second chair stand).

Results: The results of the ABC scale showed the respondents felt the most confidence not to lose their balance when they walk around the house (82.01%) and the less confidence when they stepped onto or off an escalator while holding onto a railing (37.7%). The gait, balance, and strength test revealed that 51.2% of the respondents showed an unsteady gait, 63.8% showed instability that felt awkward and unusual when standing on one leg, and 60.1% of the participants showed muscle weakness. The bivariate analysis significantly correlated the ABC scale test and all mobility tests. The older adult participants who are not confident will have 12.03 times higher the unstable result of the gait test, 8.4 times higher the unstable result of the balance test, and 7.47 times higher the less strength result of the strength test who are confident.

Conclusion: Older adults who lack balance confidence showed significantly poorer results in mobility tests.

Cognitive change occurs as a person ages and may result in decreased cognitive functioning in older adults (60 years and older). Simultaneous dual-task (SDT) interventions-activities that require the person to engage physically and cognitively at the same time-are effective in improving cognition in this group. This scoping review analysed published implementation-relevant details about effective SDT interventions, to assist the translation of the available evidence into various practice needs and contexts. A total of 23 databases were searched for relevant studies published between 2009 and 2020 inclusively. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that revealed statistically significant improvement in one or more aspects of cognitive function were appraised for methodological quality, using the Joanna Briggs Institute RCT checklist. The 14 RCTs scoring over 50% on the checklist were further analysed. Implementation-relevant data-for example, intervention nature, session length and frequency, equipment and space requirements, target group, and outcomes-were extracted, collated, and synthesised. The effective SDT interventions varied considerably in their nature and outcomes, meaning that suitable SDT interventions exist for a range of contexts. However, the resources required to implement some of the interventions either were not reported and/or may be prohibitive in some real-world practice contexts. Whilst "challenge" and "group interaction" were common features of effective SDT interventions, most studies failed to report on key implementation details required to facilitate translation into practice. It also remains unclear for how long the cognitive benefits are sustained following an effective SDT intervention. In future, more consistent publication of information about how to implement effective SDT interventions, for whom these interventions are engaging/enjoyable, and why would help to translate the available research into improved cognitive outcomes for older adults.

Increasing balance confidence in older individuals is important towards improving their quality of life and reducing activity avoidance. Here, we investigated if balance confidence (perceived ability) and balance performance (ability) in older adults were related to one another and would improve after balance training. The relationship of balance confidence in conjunction with balance performance for varied conditions (such as limiting vision, modifying somatosensory cues, and also base of support) was explored. We sought to determine if balance confidence and ability, as well as their relationship, could change after several weeks of training. Twenty-seven healthy participants were trained for several weeks during standing and walking exercises. In addition, seven participants with a higher risk of imbalance leading to falls (survivors of stroke) were also trained. Prior to and after training, balance ability and confidence were assessed via the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) and Activities Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, respectively. Both groups showed improvements in balance abilities (i.e., BESS errors significantly decreased after training). Balance confidence was significantly higher in the healthy group than in the stroke group; however, ABC results reflected that balance confidence did not significantly increase after training for each. The correlations between balance ability and balance confidence were explored. Encouragingly, healthy participants displayed a negative correlation between BESS errors and ABC (i.e., enhancements in balance confidence (increases in ABC Scale results) were related to improvements in balance ability (decreases in BESS errors)). For the stroke participants, despite improvements in balance ability, our results showed that there was no relation to balance confidence (i.e., no correlation between BESS errors and ABC) in this group.