Publications by authors named "Jack Dalla Via"

Article Synopsis
  • A study examined the effects of providing vascular imaging results on diet and cardiovascular disease risk factors in 240 participants aged 60-80 with abdominal aortic calcification.
  • Participants were randomly assigned to receive (intervention group) or not receive (control group) their calcification results while both groups received educational resources.
  • The results showed no significant changes in fruit and vegetable intake, but the intervention group had lower cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease risk scores after 12 weeks compared to the control group.
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Purpose: Cancer survival is improving, making optimal management of long-term treatment-related adverse effects increasingly important. Exercise and a healthy diet are beneficial and regularly recommended in cancer survivorship guidelines; however, few cancer survivors meet these recommendations so there is a need to explore why. This study aimed to understand experiences receiving exercise and diet support among Australian breast and prostate cancer survivors during and following treatment, and to explore what support they would like to receive.

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Introduction: Cardiovascular imaging results offer valuable information that can guide health decisions, but their impact on medication use and adherence is unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the downstream impact of cardiovascular imaging results on medication use and adherence.

Methods: Searches were conducted across databases, including MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, and relevant references up to 2024.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study involving 1,276 women showed that those with the APOE ɛ4 gene had a higher risk of fall-related hospitalizations (HR 1.48), fracture-related hospitalizations (HR 1.28), and hip fracture hospitalizations (HR 1.83) over 14.5 years.
  • * Identifying APOE ɛ4 carriers could allow healthcare providers to target high-risk individuals for preventive measures and interventions to reduce fall and fracture risks.
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Frailty is associated with declines in physiological capacity across sensory, neurological, and musculoskeletal systems. An underlying assumption is that the frailer an individual, the more likely they are to experience falls and fractures. We examined whether grades of frailty can assess the long-term risk of hospitalized falls, fractures, and all-cause mortality in 1261 community-dwelling older women (mean age [SD] of 75.

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Background And Aims: Assessing the relationship between vitamin K1 intakes, using region-specific food databases, with both all-cause, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality warrants further investigation to inform future preventative strategies. Consequently, we examined the aforementioned associations in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Ageing Women (PLSAW).

Methods And Results: 1436 community-dwelling older Australian women (mean ± SD age 75.

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Falls and osteoporotic fractures are a major public health problem, particularly among older adults. A third of individuals aged 65 years and over fall at least once each year, with up to 20 % of these resulting in serious injury, including fracture. In conjunction with regular exercise, the importance of diet for musculoskeletal health has largely focused upon calcium, vitamin D, and protein, particularly in the context of preventing falls and fractures.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), a sign of vascular disease, was found to be linked to rapid weight loss in older women, with 39% of studied women experiencing significant weight loss over 5 years.
  • - Women with higher levels of AAC had increased odds of rapid weight loss, even after considering factors like diet and health metrics; this trend was consistent across different dietary and activity subgroups.
  • - Rapid weight loss over 5 years was found to correlate with higher all-cause mortality rates over the subsequent 9.5 years, indicating potential health risks associated with both AAC and weight loss.
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Often observed with aging, the loss of skeletal muscle (sarcopenia) and bone (osteoporosis) mass, strength, and quality, is associated with reduced physical function contributing to falls and fractures. Such events can lead to a loss of independence and poorer quality of life. Physical inactivity (mechanical unloading), especially in older adults, has detrimental effects on the mass and quality of bone as well as muscle, while increases in activity (mechanical loading) have positive effects.

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Article Synopsis
  • Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is linked to higher cardiovascular risks and poor long-term outcomes, and can be assessed using a scoring method on bone density screening images.
  • Researchers developed a machine-learning algorithm (ML-AAC24) to automate AAC scoring, making it easier to use compared to manual assessments.
  • In a study of 1,023 older women, results showed that those with moderate to extensive AAC had a significantly higher risk of experiencing fractures and hospitalization from falls over a decade-long follow-up.
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Objective: To examine the association between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), a biomarker of myocardial injury, muscle function decline and 14.5-year fall-related hospitalisation risk in women aged over 70 years.

Methods: 1179 ambulatory community-dwelling women aged over 70 years with subclinical levels of hs-cTnI (ie, <15.

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Introduction: A coronary artery calcium (CAC) CT scan can identify calcified plaque and predict risk of future cardiac events. Cancer survivors undergoing thoracic radiotherapy routinely undergo a planning CT scan, which presents a unique opportunity to use already obtained medical imaging to identify those at the highest risk of cardiac events. While radiation therapy is an important modality for many cancer treatments, radiation dose to the heart in thoracic radiotherapy leads to cardiotoxicity and may accelerate pre-existing atherosclerosis.

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Background: 'Exercise snacking', which is characterised by shorter and more frequent exercise bouts compared with traditional exercise guidelines, may be an acceptable strategy for increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in older adults.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the enablers and barriers for older adults associated with participation in a home-based exercise snacking program delivered and monitored using an Amazon Echo Show 5 device (Alexa).

Methods: This study used an interpretive description qualitative design to conduct semi-structured interviews following a 12-week pilot study in 15 adults aged 60-89 years with at least one chronic condition.

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Background: A few cross-sectional studies have highlighted inconsistent associations between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and musculoskeletal conditions. We sought to investigate the relationship between clinical CVD including subtypes, compromised muscle function, as well as incident self-reported and injurious falls in older women.

Materials And Methods: 1431 community-dwelling older women (mean age ± SD; 75.

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Objectives: We investigated whether there were differences in associations between cognition with muscle strength, fitness and function in men with prostate cancer (PCa) treated with, and without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and non-PCa controls. A secondary aim was to compare differences in the prevalence of cognitive impairment.

Design: This cross-sectional study compared 70 ADT-treated men with PCa aged 50-85 years to non-ADT-treated men (n=52) and non-PCa controls (n=70).

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Background And Aims: We and others have identified links between cardiovascular conditions and poor musculoskeletal health. However, the relationship between measures of carotid atherosclerosis such as focal carotid plaque and common carotid intima media thickness (CCA-IMT) and falls remains understudied. This study examined the association between measures of carotid atherosclerosis and fall-related hospitalization over 11.

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Context: Changes in body weight and composition (fat and lean mass) are prominent side effects of cancer treatment. Nutrition and exercise interventions are both key strategies to protect against these adverse effects, yet their impact when combined has not been comprehensively reviewed in adults with cancer.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the effects of combined nutrition and exercise interventions on body weight and composition in adults with cancer.

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We have previously shown that abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), a marker of advanced atherosclerotic disease, is weakly associated with reduced hip areal bone mineral density (aBMD). To better understand the vascular-bone health relationship, we explored this association with other key determinants of whole-bone strength and fracture risk at peripheral skeletal sites. This study examined associations of AAC with peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT)-assessed total, cortical and trabecular volumetric BMD (vBMD), bone structure and strength of the radius and tibia among 648 community-dwelling older women (mean ± SD age 79.

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Background: Very few older adults meet current muscle strengthening exercise guidelines, and several barriers exist to supervised, community-based resistance exercise programs. Older adults therefore require access to feasible resistance exercise modalities that may be performed remotely. This pilot study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of undertaking a four-week home-based resistance 'exercise snacking' intervention (performed either once, twice, or thrice daily) when delivered and monitored remotely in older adults.

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Objectives: The aim of this preplanned secondary analysis of a 12-month randomised controlled trial was to investigate the effects of a multicomponent exercise programme combined with daily whey protein, calcium and vitamin D supplementation on cognition in men with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Design: 12-month, two-arm, randomised controlled trial.

Setting: University clinical exercise centre.

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Background: The remote delivery and monitoring of individually-tailored exercise programs using voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants (VIPAs) that support conversation-based interactions may be an acceptable alternative model of digital health delivery for older adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the enablers and barriers for older adults participating in a home-based exercise program delivered and monitored by VIPAs.

Method: This qualitative study used videoconferencing to conduct semi-structured interviews following a 12-week, prospective single-arm pilot study in 15 adults aged 60 to 89 years living alone in the community.

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Background: The ratio of creatinine to cystatin C (Cr:Cyc) has been proposed as a biomarker of sarcopenia, as greater Cr:Cyc is typically associated with greater muscle mass. We examined the relationship between Cr:Cyc with individual sarcopenia measures, 5-year self-reported falls, and 12-year fall-related hospitalizations in a prospective cohort study of 1 118 community-dwelling older women (mean age 75.2 ± 2.

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Purpose: Reduced lean body mass (LBM) is common during and after treatment for breast cancer, and it is associated with increased treatment-induced toxicity, shorter time to tumor progression, and decreased survival. Exercise training is a potential intervention for maintaining or increasing LBM. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to investigate the effects of exercise training on LBM in breast cancer.

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Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease globally. Nuts and seeds, due to their unique nutrient composition, may provide health benefits for the prevention of NAFLD. To date, no research has investigated the association between nut and seed intake and NAFLD prevalence in a non-Mediterranean Western population.

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Purpose: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer has multiple adverse effects on musculoskeletal health. This 12-month randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effects of multicomponent exercise training combined with whey protein, calcium and vitamin D supplementation on bone mineral density (BMD), structure and strength, body composition, muscle strength, and physical function in ADT-treated men.

Methods: Seventy ADT-treated men were randomized to exercise plus supplementation (Ex + Suppl; n = 34) or usual care (control; n = 36).

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