Untangling the overlap between frailty and low lean mass: Data from Toulouse frailty day hospital.

Background: The decline in lean mass, observed in older people, has been frequently associated with frailty. This assumption has scarcely been assessed. This study explored the association between current proposed definitions of low lean mass and the Fried phenotype of frailty.

Redox Systems, Antioxidants and Sarcopenia.

According to the free-radical theory of aging, oxidative stress is a key contributor to the onset of age-related conditions by inducing structural and functional alterations in several cellular components. Although innate defenses exist for limiting the occurrence of such detrimental effects, their ability to counteract the continuous and large production of reactive oxygen species becomes increasingly inefficient with aging. In this context, interventions aimed at preserving the homeostatic balance between oxidant production and antioxidant protection may be beneficial on the pathophysiological modifications and clinical manifestations featuring the aging process.

Components of the Frailty Phenotype in Relation to the Frailty Index: Results From the Toulouse Frailty Platform.

Objectives: The frailty phenotype proposed by Fried and colleagues is a widely used frailty screening instrument, consisting of 5 components: weight loss, exhaustion, low grip strength, slow gait speed, and low physical activity. Although equally considered in the computation of the frailty phenotype score, each of the components may present a specific and different weight in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to estimate the weight of each frailty phenotype component in terms of age-related deficit accumulation, defined according to the frailty index (FI) proposed by Rockwood and colleagues.

Identification of biological markers for better characterization of older subjects with physical frailty and sarcopenia.

Population aging is rapidly accelerating worldwide; however, longer life expectancy is not the only public health goal. Indeed, extended lifetime involves maintaining function and the capacity of living independently. Sarcopenia and physical frailty are both highly relevant entities with regards to functionality and autonomy of older adults.

Frailty and cognitive decline: how do they relate?

Purpose Of Review: To provide a comprehensive review of the recent literature (published over the last 12 months) exploring the relationship between frailty and cognition.

Recent Findings: Fourteen studies were retained for the present review. No randomized controlled trial was found.

Frailty: role of nutrition and exercise.

Purpose Of Review: The scope of the current study is to provide an updated, comprehensive review of the recent literature (past 12 months), examining the role of nutrition and exercise on frailty.

Recent Findings: Over the past 12 months, seven studies with different designs explored the relationship between nutrition and frailty, four examined the role of exercise on frailty, and only one study investigated the combination of the two interventions. The only study combining an exercise program with a nutritional consultation reported a short-term (3 months) improvement of the frailty status.

The frailty phenotype and the frailty index: different instruments for different purposes.

The integration of frailty measures in clinical practice is crucial for the development of interventions against disabling conditions in older persons. The frailty phenotype (proposed and validated by Fried and colleagues in the Cardiovascular Health Study) and the Frailty Index (proposed and validated by Rockwood and colleagues in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging) represent the most known operational definitions of frailty in older persons. Unfortunately, they are often wrongly considered as alternatives and/or substitutables.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and Alzheimer's disease progression in older adults: results from the Réseau sur la Maladie d'Alzheimer Français cohort.

Objectives: To assess whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) treatment is associated with less cognitive decline in older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) than in those using other hypertensive or no drugs.

Design: Four-year prospective multicenter cohort study with a biannual assessment.

Setting: Memory clinics from 16 university hospitals in France.

Association of a 7-year percent change in fat mass and muscle mass with subsequent cognitive dysfunction: the EPIDOS-Toulouse cohort.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction and changes in body composition share common pathophysiological pathways. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate whether changes in appendicular muscle mass (AMM) and fat mass (FM) are associated factors with an increased risk of cognitive dysfunction in community-dwelling older women.

Methods: A nested case-control study was performed in 181 women aged 75 years and older from a subsample of the Epidemiologie de l'Osteoporose participants from Toulouse.

Biomarkers of sarcopenia in clinical trials-recommendations from the International Working Group on Sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia, the age-related skeletal muscle decline, is associated with relevant clinical and socioeconomic negative outcomes in older persons. The study of this phenomenon and the development of preventive/therapeutic strategies represent public health priorities. The present document reports the results of a recent meeting of the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (a task force consisting of geriatricians and scientists from academia and industry) held on June 7-8, 2011 in Toulouse (France).

Prognosis of an abnormal one-leg balance in community-dwelling patients with Alzheimer's disease: a 2-year prospective study in 686 patients of the REAL.FR study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of an abnormal one-leg balance (OLB) test for functional decline, nursing home admission, and mortality in community-dwelling patients affected with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Design: A 2-year prospective, observational cohort study.

Setting: Nineteen memory centers across France.