The lateralized cerebellum: insights into motor, cognitive, and affective functioning across ages: a scoping review.

Research on the cerebellum and its functional organization has significantly expanded over the last decades, expanding our comprehension of its role far beyond motor control, including critical contributions to cognition and affective processing. Notably, the cerebellar lateralization mirrors contralateral brain lateralization, a complex phenomenon that remains unexplored, especially across different stages of life. The present work aims to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive scoping review of the lateralization of motor, cognitive, and affective functioning within the cerebellum across the lifespan.

Influence of androgen receptor on bone health in transgender adults: insights from the COMET study.

Purpose: Previous studies show that transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals, especially those assigned male at birth (AMAB), often have low bone mineral density (BMD) before beginning gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). The reasons for this are not fully understood, and the potential role of androgen receptor (AR) polymorphisms - known to affect bone density in the general population - has not been explored. This study aims to assess the impact of AR polymorphisms on bone health in the TGD population.

Body composition and perceived stress levels in transgender individuals after one year of gender affirming hormone therapy.

Introduction: Higher stress levels are linked to increased body fat and decreased bone density, effects that can be exacerbated by lifestyle choices. This is particularly relevant for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, who often face additional stress from transphobia and social stigma. However, there is limited research on how stress affects body composition and bone health in TGD individuals, particularly in relation to gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT).

Neuropsychology of sexuality in older adults: bridging gaps in literature and future directions in research.

Sexuality is a fundamental part of human existence and it encompasses thoughts, desires, behaviors, relationships, as well as neuropsychological and physiological components. However, sexuality in older adults is under-researched from the neuropsychological and psychophysiological perspectives and is often neglected by healthcare providers in the clinical practice. This article aims to explore the state of the art on the neuropsychology and psychophysiology of older adults' sexuality, proposing future research directions and emphasizing its significance.

Exploring the role of calf circumference as a predisposing factor for intra-hospital delirium: investigating potential gender differences: revealing potential gender variances.

Background: Malnutrition and sarcopenia significantly increase the risk of intra-hospital delirium, particularly among older adults. Given the potential correlation between calf circumference (CC) and these conditions, CC emerges as a promising predisposing factor for delirium. This study aims to investigate the independent association between delirium and anthropometric parameters, focusing on evaluating CC's predictive capacity for intra-hospital delirium risk.

The potential of cannabinoids in managing cancer-related anorexia in older adults: a systematic review of the literature.

Background And Objectives: Anorexia of aging (AoA) is a prevalent geriatric syndrome characterized by a multifactorial decline in appetite and reduced food intake associated with the aging process. This systematic review aims to investigate the use and outcomes of cannabinoids in addressing AoA, with the goal of providing a comprehensive understanding and discussing their potential integration into daily clinical practice.

Methods: A thorough search of databases (Embase Ovid, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) identified 6100 studies.

The Role of Cognitive Reserve in Protecting Cerebellar Volumes of Older Adults with mild Cognitive Impairment.

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between cerebellar volumes and cognitive reserve in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). A description of proxies of cerebellar cognitive reserve in terms of different volumes across lobules is also provided. 36 individuals with MCI underwent neuropsychological (MoCA, MMSE, Clock test, CRIq) assessment and neuroimaging acquisition with magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T.

Sarcopenic patients "get even": The impact of COVID-19 vaccination on mortality.

Background: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), driven by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has disproportionately affected the elderly, with comorbidities like sarcopenia worsening prognosis. Considering the significant impact of RNA vaccines on survival rates in this population, our objective is to investigate the impact of vaccination on the survival of hospitalized elderly patients with COVID-19, considering the presence or absence of sarcopenia.

Methods: Prospective study conducted on 159 patients aged>65 years from September 2021 to March 2022.

Can the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) be a predictive instrument for mortality in older adult liver transplant candidates?

Purpose: The most recent guidelines recommend that selection of liver transplant recipient patients be guided by a multidimensional approach that includes frailty assessment. Different scales have been developed to identify frail patients and determine their prognosis, but the data on older adult candidates are still inconclusive. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the Liver Frailty Index (LFI) and the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) as predictors of mortality in a cohort of older people patients being evaluated for liver transplantation.

Recognizing Depression in the Elderly: Practical Guidance and Challenges for Clinical Management.

Depression is one of the most common mood disorders in the late-life population and is associated with poor quality of life and increased morbidity, disability and mortality. Nevertheless, in older adults, it often remains undetected and untreated. This narrative review aims at giving an overview on the main definitions, clinical manifestations, risk and protective factors for depression in the elderly, and at discussing the main reasons for its under/misdiagnosis, such as cognitive decline and their overlapping symptomatology.

Surgical aortic valve replacement in elderly patients: effects on physical performance, cognitive function and health-related quality of life.

Background: Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is still the gold standard for treating aortic valve stenosis (AVS). Its effectiveness has been extensively examined in terms of perioperative mortality, but its impact on overall health has received much less attention.

Aims: To assess the physical performance, cognitive status, and health-related quality of life of elderly patients undergoing SAVR, in the short, medium and long term.

Association of body surface area with fat mass, free fat mass and total weight in healthy individuals, and implications for the dosage of cytotoxic drugs.

Background & Aims: In oncology, the dosage of anti-neoplastic drugs is generally adapted to the patient's body surface area (BSA). We investigated the potential differences between BSA and body weight (BW) in estimating the variability in body composition among individuals, especially older adults.

Materials And Methods: The study population included 322 community-dwelling individuals with different age and sex: 45 adult men (AM, age 18-65 years), 86 older men (OM, age >65 years), 54 adult women (AW, age 18-65 years), and 137 older women (OW, age >65 years).

Judgment Capacity, Fear of Falling, and the Risk of Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Progetto Veneto Anziani Longitudinal Study.

Little is known of the factors that transform fear of falling (FOF) from a normal adaptive to a maladaptive response that could alter its impact on fall risk. Focusing on judgment capacity, we investigated whether it is associated with FOF and FOF-related activity restriction (AR), and whether it modifies the influence of FOF on fall risk. Data came from 2625 community-dwelling older adults enrolled in the Progetto Veneto Anziani.

Parathormone, vitamin D and the risk of atrial fibrillation in older adults: A prospective study.

Background & Aims: Vitamin D and parathormone (PTH) have been associated with cardiovascular outcomes, but their impact on atrial fibrillation (AF) onset is still unclear. We explored the influence of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and PTH on AF risk in older adults.

Methods And Results: Data come from 2418 participants enrolled in the Progetto Veneto Anziani study.

The mutual association between dyspnea and depressive symptoms in older adults: a 4-year prospective study.

dyspnea in daily living (DDL), night-time dyspnea (NTD) and depression are common symptoms in older people. However, how changes in dyspnea may influence and be influenced by modifications in depressive symptoms, so far has not been fully evaluated. We aimed to estimate the extent to which both DDL and NTD could be mutually associated to depressive symptoms in older adults with chronic conditions.

Dietary strategies for mitigating osteosarcopenia in older adults: a narrative review.

The synchronic loss of bone mineral density and decrease in muscle mass, strength, and function defines the scenario of osteosarcopenia, which is associated with an increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults. An important role in preventing muscle and bone loss is played by nutritional factors, in particular the intake of proteins, calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. This review summarizes the available literature concerning the influence of protein intake and supplementation (vitamin D, Ca, Mg, branched-chain amino acids) on the decline of musculoskeletal integrity in healthy older adults.

Difficulties with Fine Motor Skills and Cognitive Impairment in an Elderly Population: The Progetto Veneto Anziani.

Objectives: To investigate dysfunction in fine motor skills in a cohort of older Italian adults, identifying their prevalence and usefulness as indicators and predictors of cognitive impairment.

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

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.

Anthropometric parameters and the incidence of atrial fibrillation in older people: the PRO.V.A study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been associated with body size and central obesity, but the impact of different anthropometric measures in this relationship has been inadequately investigated.

Hypothesis: In this study, we examined the association between baseline anthropometric parameters with the incidence of AF in older people, hypothesizing that body size could impact the onset of AF more than fat distribution.

Methods: Our study included 1764 participants with a mean age of 74.

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.