Publications by authors named "Mario Barbagallo"

Background: The impact of chronic exercise on cardiometabolic risk is a crucial aspect of public health. However, limited knowledge exists regarding differences in cardiometabolic parameters between older athletes, older controls, and sedentary or active young controls.

Methods: A comprehensive search in major databases until October 2024 was conducted for studies comparing older athletes with older controls or with both sedentary and active younger adults.

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The Mediterranean diet has gained significant attention for its potential health benefits on diverse pathological conditions including osteoarthritis (OA), a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage breakdown and inflammation. Numerous observational studies have suggested that adherence to the Mediterranean diet, may have protective effects against OA. The abundance of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds and omega-3 fatty acids, among the Mediterranean diet components is believed to contribute to its beneficial effects on OA.

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After its introduction in the ICD-10-CM in 2016, sarcopenia is a condition widely considered to be a medical disease with important consequences for the elderly. Considering its high prevalence in older adults and its detrimental effects on health, it is essential to identify its risk factors to inform targeted interventions. Taking data from wave 2 of the ELSA, using ML-based methods, this study investigates which factors are significantly associated with sarcopenia.

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The interest in the Mediterranean diet has grown considerably due to its potential health benefits on the prevention of diverse age-related chronic diseases and its association with longevity. This dietary pattern, considered among the healthiest in the world, is not simply a combination of healthy foods but goes further in its historical and cultural roots. Mediterranean diet is not intrinsically tied to any specific religion or spiritual system, but its cultural and geographical context has influenced the dietary practices of its inhabitants, encompassing the history of Western civilization and of the three Monotheistic religions Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

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Article Synopsis
  • Long COVID is a significant public health issue affecting many individuals, with this study aiming to identify predictors of its development and specific symptoms over time.
  • The study involved over 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Italy, using structured phone questionnaires to assess long COVID incidence and symptoms after a median follow-up of 19 months.
  • Results indicated that 91.7% experienced long COVID, particularly affecting respiratory and neurological systems, with vaccination reducing symptom odds and Delta variant infection greatly increasing the risk for neuropsychiatric symptoms.
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Objectives: Magnesium deficiency is common in older adults and has been associated with reduced muscle functionality and several age-related diseases. Evidence of its relationship with frailty is scarce. We aimed to explore the association of magnesium intake with incident frailty in the Seniors-ENRICA-1 cohort.

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Due to the continuous aging of the population and consequent increase in dementia, focus on its prevention is of growing importance for public health. Since effective pharmacological treatments are not yet available, other determinants of cognitive decline have become fundamental. Several studies have indicated that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is associated with reduced incident cognitive decline and dementia, but few studies have been conducted in persons already diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Identifying high-risk COVID-19 patients is critical for emergency department decision-making. Our study's primary objective was to identify new independent predictors of mortality and their predictive utility in combination with traditional pneumonia risk assessment scores and new risk scores for COVID-19 developed during the pandemic. : A retrospective study was performed in two Italian University Hospitals.

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Article Synopsis
  • More and more people around the world are getting older, but there aren’t enough doctors who know how to take care of them well.
  • It’s super important to teach health workers the right skills so they can help older folks live healthier lives.
  • Experts want to create a clear definition of what a geriatrician is, to better train them and make sure older people get the best care possible.
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Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common cardiovascular disorders, and its prevalence is increased due to age, genetics, and lifestyle factors. Emerging evidence suggests that the Mediterranean Diet (Med Diet) is linked to lower all-cause mortality in patients with increased cardiovascular disease risk, such as those with HF.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies into the relationship between the Med Diet on HF risk.

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Background: The mechanisms at the basis of depression are still matter of debate, but several studies in the literature suggest common pathways with dementia (genetic predispositions, metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms, neuropathological changes) and other geriatric syndromes.

Aims: To evaluate the role of cortisol (as marker of the HPA, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity) in elderly subjects with depressive symptoms (by the means of the AGICO, AGIng and COrtisol, study), in relationship to the presence of the major geriatric syndromes.

Methods: The AGICO study enrolled patients from ten Geriatric Units in Italy.

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Background: Multicomponent interventions based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) could promote active aging and improve health status in older people with Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs), but conflicting evidences are available.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of a CGA-based multicomponent personalized preventive program (PPP) in reducing unplanned hospitalization rates during 12-month follow-up in community-dwelling older people with NCDs.

Materials And Methods: In this randomized clinical trial (RCT), 1216 older adults recruited by 33 general practitioners (GPs) will be randomly allocated to intervention group (IG) or usual care control group (CG).

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Aims: Literature regarding anticoagulants in older people affected by atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited to retrospective studies, poorly considering the importance of multidimensional frailty. The main objective of this study is to evaluate in hospitalised older persons with AF the benefit/risk ratio of the anticoagulant treatments, considering the severity of frailty, determined by the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI).

Methods: In this European, multicentre, prospective study, older hospitalised patients (≥65 years) with non-valvular AF were followed-up for 12 months.

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Vaccination, particularly against pneumococcus and influenza, is a low-cost primary prevention, useful to avoid hard complications, particularly among frail older people. In this pilot study, we aimed to assess the effect of a strategy for influenza and pneumococcal vaccination for outpatients mainly affected by cognitive or endocrinological conditions, evaluating what could stimulate or demotivate vaccination among older people. This study was conducted during the 2023-2024 influenza season at the outpatient clinics in Palermo, Italy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Recurrent falls in older adults lead to serious health issues, prompting this study to assess the effectiveness of the World Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management (WGFPM) risk stratification algorithm using data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI).
  • The study involved 4,796 participants aged 40-80, who were categorized into low, intermediate, and high fall risk groups; the majority (82%) were identified as low risk.
  • Results show that while the WGFPM algorithm had a good specificity (89.9%) for identifying those at risk of falling, its sensitivity was limited (33.7%), indicating it may miss many individuals who are actually at risk.
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  • The study investigates the link between lifetime work and frailty in individuals aged 60 and older, using data from the UK Biobank.
  • It found that higher education and active workforce participation reduce the risk of frailty and pre-frailty, with specific job categories, like Associate Professional and Technical Positions, showing protective effects.
  • The research suggests that occupational history may play a significant role in predicting frailty in older adults.
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Nurses play a pivotal role in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, the success of local and national AMR containment efforts hinges on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of nursing staff and undergraduate students. This study aims to explore the determinants of nurses' KAP regarding AMR, offering insights to control the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens.

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Clinical or microbiological factors potentially associated with prolonged COVID-19 PCR positivity are still poorly underexplored, but they could be of importance for public-health and clinical reasons. The objective of our analysis is to explore demographic, clinical, and microbiological factors potentially associated with a prolonged positivity to SARS-CoV-2 among 222 hospitalized patients. Prolonged detection positivity for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in swap samples, defined as positivity more than 21 days, was the outcome of interest.

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Background: The association between depression and dementia is still unclear, particularly regarding depression as a potential risk factor preceding dementia. Therefore, we aimed to verify if the presence of depression at baseline may increase the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment during 15 years of follow-up in the SHARE (Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe) study.

Methods: Depressive symptoms were defined using the EURO-D, with a score ≥4 indicative of depression.

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Many studies support the idea that sarcopenic obesity (SO) could be considered a potential risk factor for negative health outcomes. These results have been inconsistent, and no umbrella reviews exist regarding this topic. Several databases until November 2023 were searched for systematic reviews with meta-analysis of observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control and prospective).

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Vitamin D deficiency is very common worldwide, particularly in old age, when people are at the highest risk of the negative adverse consequences of hypovitaminosis D. Additionally to the recognized functions in the regulation of calcium absorption, bone remodeling, and bone growth, vitamin D plays a key role as a hormone, which is supported by various enzymatic, physiological, metabolic, and pathophysiological processes related to various human organs and systems. Accruing evidence supports that vitamin D plays a key role in pancreatic islet dysfunction and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.

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Background & Aims: Osteosarcopenia is a recently recognized geriatric syndrome. The association between osteosarcopenia and mortality risk is still largely underexplored. In this systematic review with meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies, we aimed to explore whether osteosarcopenia could be associated with a higher mortality risk.

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