The Association of Regular Dog Walking with Mobility, Falls and Fear of Falling in Later Life.

Background: It has been suggested that dog walking may protect against falls and mobility problems in later life, but little work to date has examined this.The aim of this study was to assess if regular dog walking was associated with reduced likelihood of falls, fear of falling and mobility problems in a large cohort of community-dwelling older people.

Methods: Participants ≥60 years at Wave 5 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing were included.

Syncope: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment 2024.

Aim: In light of many recent advances in the field of vasovagal syncope, a selective review has been undertaken of these developments.

Methods: Recent publications on the following topics were reviewed; understanding of vasovagal syncope pathophysiology, tilt-testing methodology and interpretation, drug, ablation and pacemaker therapy.

Results And Conclusions: The vasovagal syncope field is very active in researching its pathophysiology, using it to gain better understanding of the process and applying this knowledge to therapy.

The Association between Psychotropic Medication Use and Gait and Mobility Impairment in Community-Dwelling Older People. Data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).

Background: Little work to date has quantified the effect of psychotropic medications (antidepressants, benzodiazepines, 'Z' drugs, antipsychotics, anticholinergics) on mobility and gait in later life. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between these medications and mobility/gait parameters in a large cohort of community-dwelling older people.

Methods: Participants were included if they were ≥60 years at TILDA Wave 1 and underwent gait and mobility assessment (Gaitrite system), with follow-up at Wave 3 (4 years).

A novel DNA methylation-based surrogate biomarker for chronic systemic inflammation (InfLaMeS): results from the Health and Retirement Study.

Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is a risk factor for chronic diseases and mortality and is an important biomarker in health research. DNA methylation (DNAm) surrogate biomarkers are valuable exposure, risk factor and health outcome predictors in studies where the measures cannot be measured directly and often perform as well or better than direct measure. We generated a DNAm surrogate biomarker for chronic, systemic inflammation from a systemic inflammation latent variable of seven inflammatory markers and evaluated its performance relative to measured inflammatory biomarkers in predicting several age-associated outcomes of interest, including mortality, activities of daily living and multimorbidity in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).

Use of open fires or closed solid fuel appliances for residential heating and cognitive decline in older adults.

Objectives: Use of solid fuel appliances is a major contributor to air pollution. Indoor solid fuel burning for cooking and heating in lower-middle income countries is associated with lower cognitive function and faster decline. Less is known, however, about the potential risk to brain health from burning solid fuels in open fires and closed appliances for heating purposes only, particularly in higher income countries.

Vitamin D, periodontitis and tooth loss in older Irish adults.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is associated with periodontitis and tooth loss in older adults. A total of 2346 adults underwent a detailed dental examination as part of the health assessment of a national population study - The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing. 25(OH)D analysis was performed on frozen non-fasting total plasma using LC-MS.

Which Components of the Haemodynamic Response to Active Stand Predict Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality? Data From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.

Background: An integrated haemodynamic response during standing may serve as an integrative marker of neuro-cardiovascular function. Individual components of both heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) responses to active stand (AS) have been linked with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. We assessed longitudinal associations between entire HR/BP response curves during AS, incident CVD and mortality over 12 years.

Cardiovascular Autonomic Function and Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA).

Purpose: To examine if changes in hemodynamic measures during an orthostatic challenge were associated with progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over a 4-year period in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing.

Methods: Participants with AMD who underwent an active stand (AS) test at wave 1 (2009/2010) and retinal photographs at both wave 1 and wave 3 (2014/2015) were included (N = 159: 121 with no AMD progression and 38 with progression). Beat-to-beat hemodynamic data were non-invasively collected using a Finometer MIDI device during the AS at wave 1, recording systolic blood pressure (sBP), diastolic blood pressure (dBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate.

Examining mental health and autonomic function as putative mediators of the relationship between sleep and trajectories of cognitive function: findings from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing (TILDA).

Objectives: This study investigates the mediating roles of autonomic function and mental health in the association between sleep and cognitive decline in adults aged 50 and above.

Method: A total of 2,697 participants with observations on sleep and mediators at baseline and repeated measures of cognitive function (MMSE) were included. Clusters of individuals with similar cognitive trajectories (high-stable, mid-stable and low-declining) were identified.

White matter fibre density in the brain's inhibitory control network is associated with falling in low activity older adults.

Recent research has indicated that the relationship between age-related cognitive decline and falling may be mediated by the individual's capacity to quickly cancel or inhibit a motor response. This longitudinal investigation demonstrates that higher white matter fibre density in the motor inhibition network paired with low physical activity was associated with falling in elderly participants. We measured the density of white matter fibre tracts connecting key nodes in the inhibitory control network in a large sample (n = 414) of older adults.

Frailty on the island of Ireland: evidence from the NICOLA and TILDA studies.

Background: Aimed to compare the prevalence, characteristics, and associated mortality risk of frailty in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Methods: Secondary analysis of the first wave of two nationally representative cohorts, the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing or NICOLA study (N = 8504) and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing or TILDA study (N = 8504). Frailty was assessed using a harmonized accumulation deficits frailty index (FI) containing 30 items.

Slower speed of blood pressure recovery after standing is associated with accelerated brain aging: Evidence from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).

Background: Impaired recovery of blood pressure (BP) in response to standing up is a prevalent condition in older individuals. We evaluated the relationship between the early recovery of hemodynamic responses to standing and brain health in adults over 50.

Methods: Participants from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) (n=411; age 67.

The Impact of Type 2 Diabetes on Peripheral and Cerebral Hemodynamic Responses to Active Stand.

Background: Although type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an established risk factor for cognitive impairment, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly explored. One potential mechanism may be through effects of T2DM on cerebral perfusion. The current study hypothesized that T2DM is associated with altered peripheral and central hemodynamic responses to orthostasis, which may in turn be associated with cognitive impairment in T2DM.

Nutrition is associated with differences in multisensory integration in healthy older adults.

Diet can influence cognitive functioning in older adults and is a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. However, it is unknown if an association exists between diet and lower-level processes in the brain underpinning cognition, such as multisensory integration. We investigated whether temporal multisensory integration is associated with daily intake of fruit and vegetables (FV) or products high in fat/sugar/salt (FSS) in a large sample (N = 2,693) of older adults (mean age = 64.

Cardiovascular disease and the risk of incident falls and mortality among adults aged ≥ 65 years presenting to the emergency department: a cohort study from national registry data in Denmark.

Background: Falls cause 58% of injury-related Emergency Department (ED) attendances. Previous research has highlighted the potential role of cardiovascular risk factors for falls. This study investigated the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk on three-year incident falls, with presentation to the ED, and mortality.

Were Frailty Identification Criteria Created Equal? A Comparative Case Study on Continuous Non-Invasively Collected Neurocardiovascular Signals during an Active Standing Test in the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).

Background: In this observational study, we compared continuous physiological signals during an active standing test in adults aged 50 years and over, characterised as frail by three different criteria, using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).

Methods: This study utilised data from TILDA, an ongoing landmark prospective cohort study of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years or older in Ireland. The initial sampling strategy in TILDA was based on random geodirectory sampling.

Physical activity dose for generalized anxiety disorder & worry: Results from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing.

The lowest moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) dose that conveys protection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and worry is unknown. This study quantified associations of weekly accumulated MVPA doses with GAD and worry across 10 years using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Continuous MVPA (metabolic equivalent of task [MET] minutes per week [MET.

Orthostatic Hypotension in Adults With Hypertension: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Although orthostatic hypotension (OH) has long been recognized as a manifestation of autonomic dysfunction, a growing body of literature has identified OH as a common comorbidity of hypertension. This connection is complex, related to pathophysiology in blood pressure regulation and the manner by which OH is derived as the difference between 2 blood pressure measurements. While traditional therapeutic approaches to OH among patients with neurodegenerative disorders focus on increasing upright blood pressure to prevent cerebral hypoperfusion, the management of OH among patients with hypertension is more nuanced; resting hypertension is itself associated with adverse outcomes among these patients.

The lived experience of frailty: beyond classification and towards a holistic understanding of health.

Purpose: Frailty is characterised by decreased physiological reserves and vulnerability to stressors. Although scales, such as the Fried's Frailty Phenotype (FP), Frailty Index (FI), and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), are used to identify frailty, the lived experience of frailty remains understudied.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational research involved participants aged 65 years and older from Wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).

Mind versus body: Perceived stress and biological stress are independently related to cognitive decline.

Chronic stress may increase risk of age-related cognitive decline. 'Stress', however, is a multidimensional construct and few studies have investigated the inter-relationship of subjective stress and biological stress with cognitive decline. In this study, we examine the relationship between perceived stress and two measures of biological stress - allostatic load, indexing stress at the physiological level and leukocyte telomere length, indexing stress at the cellular level - with cognitive decline over a 12-year period in adults aged 50 and older.