Publications by authors named "R Merchant"

Background And Methods: Colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment can influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study examined HRQOL among older adults undergoing CRC treatment, and the conditional effects of race, ethnicity, and primary language. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicare Advantage enrollees ≥ 65 years old who completed the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (MHOS) (2016-2020).

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Introduction: Timely detection of dementia enables early access to dementia-specific care services and interventions. Various stakeholders brought together to refine Singapore's dementia care strategy identified a lack of a standardised cognitive screening tool and the absence of a comparative review of existing tools. We hence conducted a rapid review to evaluate the diagnostic performance of brief cognitive screening tools in identifying possible dementia among community-dwelling older adults in Singapore.

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Article Synopsis
  • Aging leads to physiological changes and increased disease vulnerability, culminating in higher mortality rates as individuals get older.
  • Regular physical activity (PA) and exercise can counteract aging effects, improve health span, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
  • Personalized exercise plans, including various forms of training like aerobic and resistance exercises, are essential for maintaining health and functionality in older adults, particularly those with age-related issues.
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Biomarkers of ageing serve as important outcome measures in longevity-promoting interventions. However, there is limited consensus on which specific biomarkers are most appropriate for human intervention studies. This work aimed to address this need by establishing an expert consensus on biomarkers of ageing for use in intervention studies via the Delphi method.

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Background: Therapists and their patients increasingly discuss digital data from social media, smartphone sensors, and other online engagements within the context of psychotherapy.

Objective: We examined patients' and mental health therapists' experiences and perceptions following a randomized controlled trial in which they both received regular summaries of patients' digital data (eg, dashboard) to review and discuss in session. The dashboard included data that patients consented to share from their social media posts, phone usage, and online searches.

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