Associations of hearing and visual loss with cognitive decline and dementia risk: a 25-year follow-up of the Maastricht Aging Study.

Background: Hearing loss (HL) and visual loss (VL) are recently identified as promising dementia risk factors, but long-term studies with adequate control of other modifiable dementia risk factors are lacking. This 25-year follow-up study investigated the association between objectively measured HL and VL with cognitive decline and incident dementia.

Methods: 1823 participants (age 24-82 years) of the Maastricht Aging Study were assessed at baseline, 6, 12 and 25 years.

A Retrospective Cohort Study of a Newly Proposed Criteria for Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Background/objectives: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder traditionally diagnosed based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria in 1998. Recently, Hermann et al. proposed updated diagnostic criteria incorporating advanced biomarkers to enhance early detection of sCJD.

Redesigning telemedicine: preliminary findings from an innovative assisted telemedicine healthcare model.

Background: Telemedicine holds immense potential to revolutionise healthcare delivery, particularly in resource-limited settings and for patients with chronic diseases. Despite proven benefits and policy reforms, the use of telemedicine remains low due to several patient, technology, and system-level barriers. Assisted telemedicine employs trained health professionals to connect patients with physicians, which can improve access and scope of telemedicine.

Validation of the Updated "LIfestyle for BRAin health" (LIBRA) Index in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and Maastricht Aging Study.

Background: The "LIfestyle for BRAin health" (LIBRA) index was recently updated with three new modifiable factors: hearing impairment, social contact, and sleep (LIBRA2), but has not yet been validated.

Objective: Comparison of the performance of both LIBRA versions in predicting dementia risk.

Methods: Longitudinal data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS) were used.

Cognitive change in prevalent and incident hearing loss: The Maastricht Aging Study.

Introduction: Hearing loss (HL) has been associated with cognitive decline and dementia. We examined the temporal association between prevalent and incident HL and cognitive change.

Methods: A total of 1823 participants (24-82 years) from the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS) were assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 years, including pure-tone audiometry.