Frailty and the risk of infection-related hospitalizations in older age: Differences by sex.

Objectives: To investigate the extent to which frailty is associated with infection-related hospitalizations in older men and women, and to explore whether, among women, previous exposure to endogenous estrogens in terms of age at menopause and number of pregnancies modify such a relationship.

Study Design: The sample comprised 2784 participants in the Progetto Veneto Anziani aged ≥65 years. At baseline and after 4.

Cardiovascular risk profiles and 20-year mortality in older people: gender differences in the Pro.V.A. study.

Unlabelled: The age- and gender-related cardio-metabolic changes may limit the applicability of guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in older people. We investigated the association of cardiovascular risk profile with 20-year all-cause and CVD-mortality in older adults, focusing on age- and gender-specific differences. This prospective study involved 2895 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years who participated in the Pro.

Association of physical activity trajectories with major cardiovascular diseases in elderly people.

Introduction: Cardiovascular benefits deriving from physical activity are well known, but it is unclear whether physical activity trajectories in late life are associated with different risks of cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.V.

Gender-Related Approach to Kidney Cancer Management: Moving Forward.

Men are more frequently diagnosed with kidney cancer than women, with a more aggressive histology, larger tumors, a higher grade and stage, and worse oncological outcomes. Smoking habits and sex steroid hormones seem to have a possible role in explaining these gender disparities. Moreover, the expression of genes involved in tumor growth and immune response in kidney cancer varies between men and women, having an impact on the gender-related response to oncological therapy, such as anti-angiogenic drugs and immunotherapy.

Spotlight on gender-specific disparities in bladder cancer.

Men are at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer, but women present with more advanced disease and have more unfavourable outcomes. Although epidemiologic and genetical studies have underlined the multifactorial aetiology and gender-related differences of bladder cancer, there is lack of evidence-based recommendation for gender-specific management of bladder cancer. We summarize the evidence and most recent findings on gender-specific differences in bladder cancer incidence, diagnosis, treatment and outcome, spotlighting the gender disparities in genetic and hormonal risk factors, pelvic anatomy, diagnostic setting and surgical choices.

[Gender medicine: a interdisciplinary approach to medicine.].

Objectives: From1995 (Beijing Conference) the World Health Organization strongly did call the attention on the need of great attention to women health and on the lack of studies on the differences in medicine between men and women. From the women health attention we arrived to gender medicine that is a transversal dimension of medicine which describes the differences within the same disease of symptoms, clinical evolution, drug therapy as well as prevention between men and women.

Methods: From some real life examples in this article we wish to make it clear that gender medicine is not a separated medical specialty but a dimension which pass through all specialties.

The effect of childcare activities on cognitive status and depression in older adults: gender differences in a 4.4-year longitudinal study.

Objectives: Although involvement in childcare activities seems to promote better physical and mental health in older adults, its impact on cognitive status and depression has not yet been fully elucidated. We aimed to analyze the association between engagement in childcare activities and cognitive and psychological status over a 4.4-year period in community-dwelling older adults.

Poor Physical Performance Predicts Future Onset of Depression in Elderly People: Progetto Veneto Anziani Longitudinal Study.

Background: Reduced physical performance is predictive of deleterious outcomes in older adults. Data considering objective physical performance and incident depression are sparse.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate during a 4-year study whether objective physical performance can predict incident depression among older adults who do not have depression at the baseline.

Changes in Frailty Status and Risk of Depression: Results From the Progetto Veneto Anziani Longitudinal Study.

Objective: To evaluate whether prefrailty was associated with the risk of developing depression and if longitudinal changes in frailty status corresponded to changes in incident depression during follow up.

Methods: A population-based, prospective cohort study was conducted for 4.4 years in two separate geographic areas near the city of Padua in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy.

Estrogen and thyroid cancer is a stem affair: A preliminary study.

Gender influences Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) with an incidence of 3:1 when comparing women to men with different aggressiveness. This gender discrepancy suggests some role of sex hormones in favoring the malignant progression of thyroid tissue to cancer. Estrogens are known to promote Stem Cell self-renewal and, therefore, may be involved in tumor initiation.

Factors Influencing Transitions Between Frailty States in Elderly Adults: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Longitudinal Study.

Objectives: To investigate frailty state transitions in a cohort of older Italian adults to identify factors exacerbating or improving frailty conditions.

Design: Population-based longitudinal study with mean follow-up of 4.4 years.

Gender, aging and longevity in humans: an update of an intriguing/neglected scenario paving the way to a gender-specific medicine.

Data showing a remarkable gender difference in life expectancy and mortality, including survival to extreme age, are reviewed starting from clinical and demographic data and stressing the importance of a comprehensive historical perspective and a gene-environment/lifestyle interaction. Gender difference regarding prevalence and incidence of the most important age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, disability, autoimmunity and infections, are reviewed and updated with particular attention to the role of the immune system and immunosenescence. On the whole, gender differences appear to be pervasive and still poorly considered and investigated despite their biomedical relevance.

Hyperuricemia, Cardiovascular Profile, and Comorbidity in Older Men and Women: The Pro.V.A. Study.

Hyperuricemia (HU) is growing worldwide and associates with several medical conditions in the elderly. However, data about older people and possible gender differences are sparse. The aim of this study was to compare HU prevalence rates and association with relevant medical disorders in elderly subjects of both sexes.

Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in Older Men and Women: The Pro.V.A Study.

Objective: A large body of clinical data suggests the importance of endogenous sex hormones in the pathogenesis of diabetes, but very little is known about the possible relationship between dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and diabetes, particularly in the elderly. We aimed, therefore, to examine whether high serum levels of DHEAS have any protective effects on the incidence of type 2 diabetes and to elucidate the possible role of gender in a cohort of older subjects.

Methods: We followed 1258 community-dwelling subjects aged ≥65 years without type 2 diabetes who belonged to the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.

Marital Status and Frailty in Older People: Gender Differences in the Progetto Veneto Anziani Longitudinal Study.

Objectives: Marital status has been associated with disability and mortality, but its potential role as a factor influencing frailty has yet to be thoroughly investigated. The analysis of gender-related differences in the relationship between marital status and frailty is another interesting matter that remains to be fully elucidated. The aim of our study was to examine the association between marital status and the incidence of frailty in a cohort of older men and women over a 4.

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Osteoarthritis in Older People: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Study.

Recent work has shown that low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels are associated with the presence of osteoarthritis (OA), but these studies focused on radiographical changes of OA, investigated only one joint, and did not consider the association with OA-related pain. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between 25OHD levels and any presence of OA and pain in a cohort of older people. This study was part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.

Serum uric acid and incident osteoporotic fractures in old people: The PRO.V.A study.

Purpose: Although high serum uric acid (SUA) levels are associated with negative outcomes in older people, recent studies reported that hyperuricemia could help protect against the onset of bone fractures. We consequently examined whether baseline SUA levels were associated with risk of incident osteoporotic fractures in a representative group of elderly people with no fractures or other bone-modifying conditions or drugs at the baseline.

Methods: Among 3099 people aged ≥ 65 years initially involved in the PRO.

Pre-frailty and risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly men and women: the Pro.V.A. study.

Background: Frailty is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the impact of early, potentially reversible stages of frailty on CVD risk is unknown.

Objectives: This study sought to ascertain whether pre-frailty can predict the onset of CVD in a cohort of community-dwelling, not disabled, elderly people.

Methods: A sample of 1,567 participants age 65 to 96 years without frailty or disability at baseline was followed for 4.

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and the Incidence of Peripheral Artery Disease in the Elderly: The Pro.V.A Study.

Aim: This study was conducted to examine whether low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)are associated with a higher risk of incident peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a representative group of elderly people.

Methods: We followed 1568 community-dwelling elderly participants without PAD at the baseline (among a sample of 2097 initially eligible) over a mean of 4.4 years as part of the Progetto Veneto Anziani (Pro.

Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and incident depression in the elderly: the Pro.V.A. study.

Objective: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) appears to have a protective effect against depression, but contrasting findings are available. Therefore, we investigated whether high serum DHEAS levels were associated with any protective effect on incident depression and incident severe depression in a representative group of elderly men and women.

Methods: In a population-based cohort longitudinal study in the general community, 789 older participants without depression and cognitive impairment at the baseline were included, among 3,099 screened subjects.