Publications by authors named "Mussi Chiara"
Article Synopsis
- Changes in cholesterol-related factors are important in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their timing, specific links, and relationship to genetic factors are still unclear.
- The study measured Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and specific cholesterol metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of patients with different cognitive decline stages, focusing on AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI-AD) with respect to genetic carriers.
- Results showed that PCSK9 and certain cholesterol markers in AD patients, especially genetic carriers, could act as specific indicators of lipid changes associated with AD progression, which weren’t observed in MCI-AD patients.
There is consistent evidence that immune response declines with aging, with wide interindividual variability and a still unclear relationship with the development of frailty. To address this question, we assessed the role of immune resilience (capacity to restore immune functions), operationalized as the neutrophil-to-lymphocytes ratio (NL-ratio) and monocytes-to-lymphocytes ratio (ML-ratio), in the pathway that from robust status shifts to pre-frailty and frailty, and finally to death. The InCHIANTI study enrolled representative samples from the registry lists of 2 towns in Tuscany, Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The objectives of this study were to describe the trajectories of bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone score (TBS) changes throughout pre-menopause (reproductive phase and menopausal transition) and post-menopause (early and late menopause) in women with HIV (WWH) undergoing different antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) and explore the risk factors associated with those changes.
Methods: This was an observational longitudinal retrospective study in WWH with a minimum of two DEXA evaluations comprising BMD and TBS measurements, both in the pre-menopausal and post-menopausal periods. Menopause was determined according to the STRAW+10 criteria, comprising four periods: the reproductive period, menopausal transition, and early- and late-menopausal periods.
Background: This study analyzes the effect of frailty and Post-Operative Delirium (POD) on the functional status at hospital discharge and at 4-month follow-up in patients with hip fracture (HF).
Methods: Multicenter prospective observational study of older patients with HF admitted to 12 Italian Orthogeriatric centers (July 2019-August 2022). POD was assessed using the 4AT.
Background: Fall risk in the elderly is a major public health issue due to the injury-related consequences and the risk of associated long-term disability. However, delivering preventive interventions in usual clinical practice still represents a challenge.
Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of a multiple-component combined with a multifactorial personalized intervention in reducing fall rates in a mixed population of community-dwelling elderly compared to usual care.
Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction play critical roles in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and Long-COVID. We hypothesized that a supplementation combining L-Arginine (to improve endothelial function) and Vitamin C (to reduce oxidation) could have favorable effects on Long-COVID symptoms.
Methods: We designed a survey (LINCOLN: L-Arginine and Vitamin C improves Long-COVID), assessing several symptoms that have been associated with Long-COVID to be administered nationwide to COVID-19 survivors; the survey also included effort perception, measured using the Borg scale.
Objective: To compare one-year mortality risk associated with syncope and unexplained fall in older adults with dementia.
Methods: 522 patients (aged >65 years) with dementia and history of transient loss of consciousness and/or unexplained falls were evaluated. The diagnosis of syncope was based on European Society of Cardiology guidelines.
Objective: To assess how lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs) are administered in the hospitalized patients aged 65 and older and their association with clinical outcomes according to their health-related profiles.
Design: This is a retrospective study based on data from REPOSI (REgistro POliterapie SIMI - Italian Society of Internal Medicine) register, an Italian network of internal medicine hospital wards.
Setting And Participants: A total of 4642 patients with a mean age of 79 years enrolled between 2010 and 2018.
Objective: Our aim was to measure the prevalence of delirium, its clinical features, and outcomes in older patients referred to a memory clinic.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 109 older outpatients with delirium referred to a memory clinic with a home care service. Delirium was diagnosed using the confusion assessment method and dementia with the DSM-5 criteria.
Background: The impact of cognitive status on outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is not well defined.
Aims: To assess the prevalence of cognitive impairment in AF patients and evaluate its association with: i) all-cause mortality; ii) a composite endpoint of death, stroke/systemic embolism, hemorrhages, acute coronary syndrome, pulmonary embolism, new/worsening heart failure.
Methods: In a cohort study, cognitive status was assessed at baseline by the Mini Mental State examination adjusted for age and education (aMMSE).
Objectives: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and the long-term outcome of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with dementia and history of syncope or falls.
Design: Observational: analysis of a prospective registry.
Setting And Participants: Between 2012 and 2016, the Syncope and Dementia Registry enrolled patients in 12 geriatric departments.
Article Synopsis
- * They recruited 3,017 mostly older female patients (median age 86), with significant variability in practices such as surgery timing, cognitive assessments, and rehabilitation discharge.
- * Results highlighted a need for a national discussion in Italy to standardize and improve orthogeriatric care, as the approaches differed significantly from international standards.
Background: Contemporary HIV care may reduce frailty in older adults living with HIV (OALWH). Objective of the study was to estimate prevalence of frailty at the age of 50 and 75 years, and build a model to quantify the burden of frailty in the year 2030.
Methods: This study included OALWH attending Modena HIV Metabolic Clinic between 2009 and 2015.
The management of hypercholesterolemia in older adults still represents a challenge in clinical medicine. The pathophysiological alterations of cholesterol metabolism associated with aging are still incompletely understood, even if epidemiological evidence suggests that serum cholesterol levels increase with ongoing age, possibly with a plateau after the age of 80 years. Age is also one of the main determinants of cardiovascular disease, according to all cardiovascular risk estimate tools.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Long QT and use of QT-prolonging drugs are common among older patients receiving polytherapies, but real-world evidence on their impact in clinical practice is controversial. We investigated prevalence, variables associated and clinical implications of prolonged corrected QT (QTc) among patients from the Syncope and Dementia study.
Methods: Observational, prospective, multicenter study.
Objectives: To determine whether hypotensive drugs may play a pivotal role in inducing orthostatic hypotension (OH)-related syncope.
Design: Prospective, observational, multicenter study.
Setting: Acute care wards, syncope units, and centers for the diagnosis of dementia.
HIV-positive individuals are more vulnerable to poor health than HIV-negative individuals. This vulnerability is characterized by a higher risk of several common, age-related health problems, even after adjustment for established risk factors. This expert opinion report aims at identifying the optimal biomarkers for monitoring the structural integrity and function of physiological systems at risk across aging in HIV-seropositive subjects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin D (VD) on the interaction among functional, echocardiographic and hormonal parameters in patients with heart failure (HF) and VD deficiency.
Methods: In a randomized, double blind trial, 35 patients with HF and VD<20 ng/mL, received either 300,000 U of oral cholecalciferol followed by 50,000 U/month for 6 months, or placebo treatment.
Results: Changes in the 6 Minute Walking Test (6MWT) assessed at 3 and 6 months in treatment group was the primary end point.