Masticatory Function, Sex, and Risk of Dementia Among Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: A decline in masticatory function may indicate brain dysfunction related to dementia, but the relationship between masticatory function and dementia risk remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether masticatory function is associated with the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Methods: Data were obtained from the nationwide prospective cohort study of randomly sampled community-dwelling Koreans aged ≥ 60 years.

Recreating Fall Risk Appraisal matrix using R to support fall prevention programs.

Objective: This study aimed to optimize Fall Risk Appraisal (FRA) graphing for use in intervention programs tailored toward reducing the fall risk of older adults by using computing graphic functions in the R language.

Materials And Methods: We utilized RStudio, a free development environment for the R language, as well as the functions within the "ggplot2" and "grid" packages, to develop a code that would recreate the FRA matrix for use in data visualization and analysis, as well as feedback for older adults.

Results: The developed code successfully recreates the FRA matrix in R and allows researchers and clinicians to graph participant data onto the matrix itself.

Comparing Device-Generated and Calculated Bioimpedance Variables in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Despite BIA emerging as a clinical tool for assessing older adults, it remains unclear how to calculate whole-body impedance (Z), reactance (Xc), resistance (R), and phase angle (PhA) from segmental values using modern BIA devices that place electrodes on both sides of the body. This investigation aimed to compare both the whole-body and segmental device-generated phase angle (PhA) with the phase angle calculated using summed Z, Xc, and R from the left, right, and combined sides of the body (PhA) and to compare bioelectric variables between sides of the body. A sample of 103 community-dwelling older adults was assessed using a 50 kHz direct segmental multifrequency BIA device.

The Different Associations of White Matter Hyperintensities With Severity of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment According to the Distance From the Lateral Ventricular Surface in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are common among the elderly. Although WMH play a key role in lowering the threshold for the clinical expression of dementia in Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related pathology, the clinical significance of their location is not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between WMH and cognitive function according to the location of WMH in AD.

Resistance Training Using VAriable Resistance Suit (VARS) Increased Isometric and Isokinetic Muscle Strength.

While resistance training promotes muscle hypertrophy and strength, accessibility of equipment is a barrier. This study evaluated a wearable VAriable Resistance Suit (VARS) as a novel and alternative method to achieve muscle strength improvement. It was hypothesized that by providing adjustable, bi-directional and speed dependent resistance, VARS can target specific muscles to improve muscle strength via an accessible and portable device.

Associations between monitor-independent movement summary (MIMS) and fall risk appraisal combining fear of falling and physiological fall risk in community-dwelling older adults.

Fall Risk Appraisal (FRA), a process that integrates perceived and objective fall risk measures, serves as a crucial component for understanding the incongruence between fear of falling (FOF) and physiological fall risk in older adults. Despite its importance, scant research has been undertaken to investigate how habitual physical activity (PA) levels, quantified in Monitor-Independent Movement Summary (MIMS), vary across FRA categories. MIMS is a device-independent acceleration summary metric that helps standardize data analysis across studies by accounting for discrepancies in raw data among research-grade and consumer devices.

Comparing Sensitivity, Specificity, and Accuracy of Fall Risk Assessments in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Purpose: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has implemented the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) initiative. This initiative provides an algorithm for fall risk screening. However, the algorithm has the potential to overcategorize individuals as high risk for falling upon initial screening, which may burden clinicians with the task of recategorizing individuals after follow-up testing.

Phase Angle and Impedance Ratio as Indicators of Physical Function and Fear of Falling in Older Adult Women: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Background: Older adults experience a significant decline in muscle integrity and function with aging. Early detection of decreased muscle quality can pave the way for interventions to mitigate the progression of age-related physical declines. Phase angle (PhA) and impedance ratio (IR) are measures of muscle integrity, which can be assessed quickly via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and may be indicative of physical function.

Association of Depression With the Progression of Multimorbidity in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: The relationship between depression and the risk of multimorbidity progression has rarely been studied in older adults. This study was aimed to determine whether depression is associated with progression in the severity and complexity of multimorbidity, considering the influence of depression's severity and subtype.

Methods: As a part of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia, this population-based cohort study followed a random sample of community-dwelling Koreans aged 60 and older for 8 years at 2-year intervals starting in 2010.

Association Between Executive Dysfunction-Related Activities of Daily Living Disability and Clinical Dementia Rating Domain Patterns in Patients With Vascular Dementia and Age-Matched Patients With Alzheimer's Dementia.

Objective: Although the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale was originally developed to stage Alzheimer's dementia (AD), it is now used globally for various types of dementia. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristic pattern of CDR domains and its association with neuropsychological findings and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with vascular dementia (VaD) and patients with AD.

Methods: We recruited very mild to mild VaD and AD patients who were age-matched among the first visitors to a dementia clinic.

Textural and Volumetric Changes of the Temporal Lobes in Semantic Variant Primary Progressive Aphasia and Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Texture analysis may capture subtle changes in the gray matter more sensitively than volumetric analysis. We aimed to investigate the patterns of neurodegeneration in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) by comparing the temporal gray matter texture and volume between cognitively normal controls and older adults with svPPA and AD.

Methods: We enrolled all participants from three university hospitals in Korea.

A Preliminary Study on the Potential Protective Role of the Antioxidative Stress Markers of Cognitive Impairment: Glutathione and Glutathione Reductase.

Objective: : To investigate the relationship between reduced glutathione (GSH), a key molecule of the antioxidant defense system in the blood, and glutathione reductase (GR), which reduces oxidized glutathione (glutathione disulfide [GSSG]) to GSH and maintains the redox balance, with the prevalence of Alzheimer's dementia and cognitive decline.

Methods: : In all, 20 participants with Alzheimer's dementia who completed the third follow-up clinical evaluation over 6 years were selected, and 20 participants with normal cognition were selected after age and sex matching. The GSH and GR concentrations were the independent variables.

What is the impact of one's chronic illness on his or her spouse's future chronic illness: a community-based prospective cohort study.

Background: Integrating a joint approach to chronic disease management within the context of a couple has immense potential as a valuable strategy for both prevention and treatment. Although spousal concordance has been reported in specific chronic illnesses, the impact they cumulatively exert on a spouse in a longitudinal setting has not been investigated. We aimed to determine whether one's cumulative illness burden has a longitudinal impact on that of their spouse.

Optimizing a Technology-Based Body and Mind Intervention to Prevent Falls and Reduce Health Disparities in Low-Income Populations: Protocol for a Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The lack of health care coverage, low education, low motivation, and inconvenience remain barriers to participating in fall prevention programs, especially among low-income older adults. Low-income status also contributes to negative aging self-perceptions and is associated with a high perceived barrier to care. Existing fall prevention intervention technologies do not enable participants and practitioners to interact and collaborate, even with technologies that bring viable strategies to maintain independence, prevent disability, and increase access to quality care.

Time of Day Effects on Anaerobic Performance Using a Nonmotorized Treadmill.

Renziehausen, JM, Bergquist, AM, Park, J-H, Hill, EC, Wells, AJ, Stout, JR, and Fukuda, DH. Time of day effects on anaerobic performance using a nonmotorized treadmill. J Strength Cond Res 37(10): 2002-2007, 2023-The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of time of day on performance during a maximal effort sprinting assessment (30nmt) and determine potential differences based on chronotype and sex.

Vision Transformer Customized for Environment Detection and Collision Prediction to Assist the Visually Impaired.

This paper presents a system that utilizes vision transformers and multimodal feedback modules to facilitate navigation and collision avoidance for the visually impaired. By implementing vision transformers, the system achieves accurate object detection, enabling the real-time identification of objects in front of the user. Semantic segmentation and the algorithms developed in this work provide a means to generate a trajectory vector of all identified objects from the vision transformer and to detect objects that are likely to intersect with the user's walking path.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective cohort study.

Background: There are growing concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of older adults. We examined the effect of the pandemic on the risk of depression in older adults.

Methods: We analyzed data from the prospective cohort study of Korean older adults, which has been followed every 2 years.

Levels of Accelerometer-Based Physical Activity in Older Adults With a Mismatch Between Physiological Fall Risk and Fear of Falling.

We examined the associations between levels of accelerometer-based physical activity and the mismatch of physiological fall risk and fear of falling (FOF) in community-dwelling older adults. We assessed 123 participants who received 7-day wrist-worn accelerometry. Physiological fall risk was assessed using the portable BTrackS™ balance system and FOF was assessed using a short version of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International.

Shared Risk Factors for Depressive Disorder Among Older Adult Couples in Korea.

Importance: Although couples may share many risk factors for depressive disorders in their lifetime, whether these factors mediate the shared risk of depressive disorders has rarely been investigated.

Objectives: To identify the shared risk factors for depressive disorder in couples and investigate their mediating roles in the shared risk of depressive disorders among older adult couples.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This nationwide, multicenter, community-based cohort study assessed 956 older adults from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia (KLOSCAD) and a cohort of their spouses (KLOSCAD-S) between January 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021.

Associations of Mutually Exclusive Categories of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior with Body Composition and Fall Risk in Older Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The individual effects of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) on health are well-recognized. However, little is known about the extent to which different combinations of these behaviors are associated with body composition and fall risk in older adults. This cross-sectional study examined the associations of mutually exclusive categories of PA and SB with body composition and fall risk in older women.