A Longitudinal Treatment Effect Analysis of Antipsychotics on Behavior of Residents in Long-Term Care.

Objective: The proportion of long-term care (LTC) residents being treated with antipsychotic medication is high, and these medications may exacerbate behavioral symptoms. We used propensity scores to investigate the effect of antipsychotic use on the worsening of behavioral symptoms among residents in LTC facilities.

Design: A retrospective study.

Constipation: a neglected condition in older emergency department patients.

Constipation and fecal impaction are common issues with the potential for significant morbidity in older people presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). While many of these patients present with classical symptoms of constipation or fecal impaction, atypical presentations are also frequent. These atypical presentations may include paradoxical diarrhea, fecal incontinence, urinary retention or overflow incontinence, hyperactive or hypoactive delirium, anorexia/dysphagia, and syncope.

Mild cognitive impairment and microbiota: what is known and future perspectives.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous condition definable as the intermediate clinical state between normal aging and dementia. As a pre-dementia condition, there is a recent growing interest in the identification of non-invasive markers able to predict the progression from MCI to a more advanced stage of the disease. Previous evidence showed the close link between gut microbiota and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD).

Platelets and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives.

Platelets have a fundamental role in mediating hemostasis and thrombosis. However, more recently, a new idea is making headway, highlighting the importance of platelets as significant actors in modulating immune and inflammatory responses. In particular, platelets have an important role in the development of vascular amyloid-b-peptide(ab) deposits, known to play a relevant role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) through accumulation and deposition within the frontal cortex and hippocampus in the brain.

How to conduct research in palliative care? A perspective from Italy.

Background: In western countries, the increasing life expectancy and the growing number of individuals with advanced chronic conditions have resulted in a greater demand for palliative care. Specifically, Italy has witnessed substantial growth in the palliative care field, marked by the establishment of Palliative Care Networks and an academic fellowship program in 2022. To further enhance this field, it is crucial to conduct high-quality scientific research that produces results applicable in clinical practice.

Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate prescribing of benzodiazepines in older nursing home residents.

Introduction: Previous research has raised concerns about high prevalence of drug-related problems, polypharmacy and inappropriate benzodiazepine prescribing in nursing homes (NHs) and confirmed lack of studies from Central and South-Eastern Europe. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of polypharmacy, hyperpolypharmacy and inappropriate benzodiazepine prescribing in NH residents in Croatia.

Methods: Data from 226 older NH residents from five Croatian NHs were collected using the InterRAI Long-Term Care Facilities assessment form.

Pilot randomized experimental study evaluating isopropyl alcohol and ultraviolet-C radiation in the disinfection of healthcare workers' smartphones.

Background: Smartphones in medical settings pose infection risks due to harbouring pathogenic bacteria.

Aim: This pilot study assessed the effectiveness duration of sanitization methods, focusing on 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes and ultraviolet-C (UVC) boxes, aiming to obtain preliminary data on the reduction in total bacterial load 3 h post-sanitization.

Methods: A randomized monocentric trial with two intervention arms (wipes and UVC boxes) was designed.

Correction: Technology-Assisted Cognitive Motor Dual-Task Rehabilitation in Chronic Age-Related Conditions: Systematic Review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/44484.].

Gender may be related to the side of the motor syndrome and cognition in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Background: and Sex and cognitive profile may be related to the laterality of motor symptoms in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is well recognised as an inherently asymmetric disease with unilateral onset of motor symptoms. The laterality of motor symptoms may be linked to sex, clinical and demographic variables, and neuropsychological disorders.

Association of Delirium and Depression with Respiratory and Outcome Measures in COVID-19 Inpatients.

Delirium (DEL) and depression (DEP) may impair the course and severity of acute respiratory illness. The impact of such syndromes on respiratory and outcome parameters in inpatients with COVID-19 needs clarification. To clarify the relationship between DEL and DEP and respiratory outcome measures, we enrolled 100 inpatients from COVID-19 units of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS of Rome.

Cognitive Change Among Nursing Home Residents: CogRisk-NH Scale Development to Predict Decline.

Objectives: Examine cognitive changes over time among nursing home residents and develop a risk model for identifying predictors of cognitive decline.

Design: Using secondary analysis design with Minimum Data Set data, cognitive status was based on the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS).

Setting And Participants: Baseline and 7 quarterly follow-up analyses of US and Canadian interRAI data (N = 1,257,832) were completed.

Association between Older Age and Psychiatric Symptoms in a Population of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Increased rates of anxiety and depression have been reported for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known regarding the onset of mental health morbidity during the acute phase of the disease and the role of age as potential independent risk factor for psychiatric symptoms. The cross-sectional association between older age and psychiatric symptoms has been estimated in a sample of 130 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 during the first and second wave of the pandemic.

Technology-Assisted Cognitive Motor Dual-Task Rehabilitation in Chronic Age-Related Conditions: Systematic Review.

Background: Cognitive-motor dual-task (CMDT) is defined as the parallel processing of motor (eg, gait) and cognitive (eg, executive functions) activities and is an essential ability in daily life. Older adults living with frailty, chronic conditions (eg, neurodegenerative diseases), or multimorbidity pay high costs during CMDT. This can have serious consequences on the health and safety of older adults with chronic age-related conditions.

Frailty modifies the effect of polypharmacy and multimorbidity on the risk of death among nursing home residents: Results from the SHELTER study.

Background: Frailty, disability, and polypharmacy are prevalent in nursing home (NH) residents, often co-occurring with multimorbidity. There may be a complex interplay among them in terms of outcomes such as mortality. Aims of the study were to (i) assess whether nursing home residents with polypharmacy (5-9 medications) or hyperpolypharmacy (≥10 drugs), have an increased risk of death and (ii) whether any association is modified by the co-presence of frailty or disability.

Comorbidity patterns in institutionalized older adults affected by dementia.

Introduction: Dementia is common in nursing homes (NH) residents. Defining dementia comorbidities is instrumental to identify groups of persons with dementia that differ in terms of health trajectories and resources consumption. We performed a cross-sectional study to identify comorbidity patterns and their associated clinical, behavioral, and functional phenotypes in institutionalized older adults with dementia.

FAIR4Health: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data to foster Health Research.

Due to the nature of health data, its sharing and reuse for research are limited by ethical, legal and technical barriers. The FAIR4Health project facilitated and promoted the application of FAIR principles in health research data, derived from the publicly funded health research initiatives to make them Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). To confirm the feasibility of the FAIR4Health solution, we performed two pathfinder case studies to carry out federated machine learning algorithms on FAIRified datasets from five health research organizations.

Applying the FAIR4Health Solution to Identify Multimorbidity Patterns and Their Association with Mortality through a Frequent Pattern Growth Association Algorithm.

The current availability of electronic health records represents an excellent research opportunity on multimorbidity, one of the most relevant public health problems nowadays. However, it also poses a methodological challenge due to the current lack of tools to access, harmonize and reuse research datasets. In FAIR4Health, a European Horizon 2020 project, a workflow to implement the FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability) principles on health datasets was developed, as well as two tools aimed at facilitating the transformation of raw datasets into FAIR ones and the preservation of data privacy.

Prevalence of dyslipidemia and hypercholesterolemia awareness: results from the Lookup 7+ online project.

Background: Cardiovascular disease still represents the leading cause of death worldwide. Management of risk factors remains crucial; despite this, hypercholesterolemia, which is one of the most important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, is still high prevalent in general population. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia and hypercholesterolemia awareness in a very large population.

Prognostic Interplay of Functional Status and Multimorbidity Among Older Patients Discharged From Hospital.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic weight of multimorbidity and functional impairment over long-term mortality among older patients discharged from acute care hospitals.

Design: A prospective multicenter observational study.

Setting And Participants: Our series consisted of 1967 adults aged ≥65 years consecutively admitted to acute care wards in Italy, in the context of the Report-AGE project.

The Association of Anticholinergic Drugs and Delirium in Nursing Home Patients With Dementia: Results From the SHELTER Study.

Objectives: Drugs with anticholinergic properties are associated with an increased prevalence of delirium, especially in older persons. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the use of this class of drugs in nursing home (NH) patients and prevalence of delirium, particularly in people with dementia.

Design: Cross-sectional multicenter study.

Gender may be related to the side of the motor syndrome and cognition in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Background: and Sex and cognitive profile may be related to the laterality of motor symptoms in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is well recognised as an inherently asymmetric disease with unilateral onset of motor symptoms. The laterality of motor symptoms may be linked to sex, clinical and demographic variables, and neuropsychological disorders.