The development, implementation and evaluation of a transitional care programme to improve outcomes of frail older patients after hospitalisation.

Background: fragmented healthcare systems are poorly suited to treat the increasing number of older patients with multimorbidity.

Objective: to report on the development, implementation and evaluation of a regional transitional care programme, aimed at improving the recovery rate of frail hospitalised older patients.

Methods: the programme was drafted in co-creation with organisations representing older adults, care providers and knowledge institutes.

Optimal screening for increased risk for adverse outcomes in hospitalised older adults.

Background: Screening for frailty might help to prevent adverse outcomes in hospitalised older adults.

Objective: To identify the most predictive and efficient screening tool for frailty.

Design And Setting: Two consecutive observational prospective cohorts in four hospitals in the Netherlands.

Increased functional connectivity and brain atrophy in elderly with subjective memory complaints.

Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are common among elderly. Although subtle changes in memory functioning can hardly be determined using neuropsychological evaluation, neuroimaging studies indicate regionally smaller brain structures in elderly with SMC. Imaging of resting-state functional connectivity is sensitive to detect changes in neurodegenerative diseases, but is currently underexplored in SMC.

High blood pressure and resilience to physical and cognitive decline in the oldest old: the Leiden 85-plus Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between various blood pressure (BP) measures at age 85 and future decline in physical and cognitive function the oldest old.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: The population-based Leiden 85-plus Study.

Cerebrovascular hemodynamics in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: a meta-analysis of transcranial Doppler studies.

Background And Purpose: Alteration in cerebrovascular hemodynamics has reported in both ageing and dementia. However, it is still unclear whether this alteration follows similar pattern in ageing and in different dementia pathologies. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate changes in cerebral blood flow velocity and pulsatility index in two most common forms of dementia; Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, using transcranial Doppler studies.

Cognitive decline precedes late-life longitudinal changes in vascular risk factors.

Introduction: Although obesity, hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension in midlife are risk factors for dementia in late life, dementia is associated with lower body mass index, cholesterol levels and blood pressures. It is unclear whether declines in these vascular risk factors are preceded by declines in cognitive function or vice versa.

Methods: Within the Leiden 85-plus Study, a prospective population-based study of 599 subjects aged 85 years, the authors annually measured body mass index, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, glucose levels and blood pressure, and assessed global cognitive function using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) during a 5-year follow-up.

Dynamics of traditional metabolic risk factors associate with specific causes of death in old age.

Background: In contrast to middle age, higher body mass index (BMI), cholesterol levels, and blood pressures associate no longer with increased mortality in old age. With increasing age, these risk factors are prone to change over time. It is unclear whether dynamics of these traditional metabolic risk factors in late life associate with mortality and whether they occur in concert with each other.

Impact of incident vertebral fractures on health related quality of life (HRQOL) in postmenopausal women with prevalent vertebral fractures.

Vertebral fractures are a common complication of osteoporosis and may cause a decrease of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study was designed to determine the impact of incident vertebral fractures on HRQOL. The Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE), a multicenter, randomized, double blind trial, in which women were taking raloxifene or placebo.

Bone histomorphometric and biochemical marker results of a 2-year placebo-controlled trial of raloxifene in postmenopausal women.

Raloxifene is a selective estrogen receptor modulator that has been shown to increase bone density. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of raloxifene on bone tissue by studying bone biopsy specimens before and after 2 years of raloxifene or placebo therapy. The women in this study were participants of the double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation (MORE) trial.