Impact of Reactive Balance Training on a Perturbation Treadmill on Physical Performance in Geriatric Patients:Results of a Single-Center, Assessor Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

Falls and related injuries are a frequent and serious health problem in older persons. Among the various strategies, different forms of active physical training, in particular, have demonstrated success in reducing fall risk. A task-specific training approach is perturbation-based training of reactive balance.

Acute disease induced cognitive dysfunction in older patients - an unrecognized syndrome.

Background: It is unknown, how many older hospitalized patients experience cognitive changes independently from delirium.

Methods: In this retrospective study, cognitive function was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment on admission and discharge in 103 acute care geriatric hospital patients.

Results: Mean age was 80.

The impact of disease-related immobilization on thigh muscle mass and strength in older hospitalized patients.

Background: We assessed the quantitative changes in muscle mass and strength during 2 weeks of hospitalization in immobile and mobile acutely ill hospitalized older adults.

Methods: Forty-one patients (82.4 ± 6.

Hemodynamic Effects of a Multidisciplinary Geriatric Rehabilitation Program.

Background: Geriatric rehabilitation programs primarily aim at an increase of mobility and functional autonomy of the elderly. The cardiovascular effects of these programs, however, remain elusive. Since regular physical exercise is associated with numerous beneficial cardiovascular effects including a reduction of blood pressure (BP), the present prospective study investigates the hemodynamic effects of a representative standardized rehabilitation program.

The Impact of Malnutrition on Acute Muscle Wasting in Frail Older Hospitalized Patients.

Very little is known about the effect of malnutrition on short-term changes of body composition, particularly muscle, among older hospitalized patients. We sought to investigate the association of malnutrition as assessed by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria with changes of thigh muscle mass and muscle strength among older patients during hospitalization. Forty-one patients (age range 66-97 years, 73% female) participated in this prospective longitudinal observational study.

Blood Thiamine Level and Cognitive Function in Older Hospitalized Patients.

Aim: We sought to identify any association between whole blood thiamine level and functional status in older hospitalized patients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed the results of routine measurements of whole blood thiamine levels of 233 older patients who were consecutively hospitalized to a geriatric acute care ward. Nutritional status, depression, and the participants' cognitive impairment were evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, Depression in Old Age Scale, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment, respectively.

Prevalence of thiamine deficiency in older hospitalized patients.

Purpose: Despite some reports of high prevalence of thiamine deficiency in elderly people, the reported prevalence is controversial mainly due to the methods used in assessing thiamin concentrations. In this study, we sought to investigate the prevalence of vitamin B1 deficiency, using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, among older hospitalized patients.

Patients And Methods: This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed the results of routine measurements of vitamin B1 of 238 older patients who were consecutively hospitalized to a geriatric acute care ward.

Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D-deficiency in frail older hospitalized patients.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is known to be highly prevalent in older persons. However, the prevalence in the subgroup of frail older hospitalized patients is not clear. We sought to investigate the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in frail older hospitalized patients.