Physical Frailty Predicts Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Evaluation for Kidney Transplantation.

Introduction: An increasing number of older patients are undergoing evaluation for kidney transplantation; however, older patients experience increased rates of complications compared with younger patients, leading to the study of frailty assessments. Although many centers have evaluated the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP), less is known about the ability of the Short Performance Physical Battery (SPPB) to predict outcomes.

Methods: Frailty assessment by FFP and SPPB was introduced into routine outpatient evaluation for patients aged 55 years and older referred for transplantation.

Frailty and Age-Associated Assessments Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease and Transplantation Outcomes.

Background: Frailty is often defined as a decrease in physiological reserve and has been shown to be correlated with adverse health outcomes and mortality in the general population. This condition is highly prevalent in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient population as well as in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. Other age-associated changes include sarcopenia, nutrition, cognition, and depression.

Impact of frailty on mortality and quality of life in patients with a history of cancer undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly offered for aortic stenosis (AS) treatment in patients with a history of cancer. The impact of frailty on outcomes in this specific patient population is not well described.

Hypothesis: Frailty is associated with mortality and poorer quality of life (QOL) outcomes in patients undergoing TAVR with a history of cancer.

Benefits of both physical assessment and electronic health record review to assess frailty prior to heart transplant.

Introduction: Frailty status affects outcomes after heart transplantation, but the optimal way to assess frailty prior to transplant remains unknown.

Methods: This single-center, observational study assessed 44 heart transplant candidates for frailty using three methods. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP) were used as two physical assessments of frailty.

Metformin Treatment in Old Rats and Effects on Mitochondrial Integrity.

Metformin, a commonly used well-tolerated treatment for type 2 diabetes, is being deployed in clinical trials to ameliorate aging in older nondiabetic humans. Concerningly, some experiments in model organisms have suggested that metformin use at old ages shortens life span and is toxic to mitochondria. The demonstrated safety of metformin therapy in humans and the conflicting data from model organisms compelled us to test the hypothesis that metformin treatment would be toxic to older rats.