Measuring the impact of hospitalisation for infectious diseases on the quality of life of older patients in four European countries: the AEQUI longitudinal matched cohort study (2020-2023).

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of hospitalisation for infectious diseases on the Health-Related Quality of life (HRQOL), multidimensional frailty, and functioning of older patients, we conducted a longitudinal matched cohort study in four European countries.

Methods: HRQOL, frailty, and functioning were assessed using validated questionnaires at inclusion, at discharge, and up to six months later (M6) in patients aged over 65 years hospitalised for severe acute respiratory or bloodstream infections, and matched controls hospitalised for non-infectious conditions. Comparative analyses employed multilevel mixed-effect linear or logistic models to assess changes from inclusion.

The Safety Profile of Amiodarone Among Older Adults (age ≥ 75 years): A Pharmacovigilance Study from the FDA Data.

Background: Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrhythmic agent with significant toxicities and drug interactions more likely to affect older adults. Nevertheless, data regarding amiodarone safety in this population are limited.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) data from 2003 to 2024 .

Estimating the Benefit of Transplant Over Dialysis in Candidates Over 55 Years.

Background: 'Life Years from Transplant' (LYFT) is a measure of the predicted difference between the expected lifespan with and without a kidney transplant. The metric was originally proposed in 1999; since then, demographics of the kidney transplant candidate population have materially changed.

Methods: Using contemporary SRTR data, we propose more sophisticated methods for estimating LYFT with a focus on older kidney transplant candidates, a growing sector of the current candidate pool.

Female Brain and Endocrinological Research-Veteran (FemBER-Vet) study: A study protocol for identifying endocrinological, lifestyle and psychosocial determinants of brain health outcomes in female veterans for future intervention success.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated a greater risk of dementia in female veterans compared to civilians; with the highest prevalence noted for former service women with a diagnosis of psychiatric (trauma, alcoholism, depression), and/or a physical health condition (brain injury, insomnia, diabetes). Such findings highlight the need for increased and early screening of medical and psychiatric conditions, and indeed dementia, in the female veteran population. Further, they call for a better understanding of the underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms that might confer heightened risk for female veterans, to tailor preventative and interventional strategies that support brain health across the lifespan.

Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Rheumatology.

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) consist of a broad range of immune-mediated multisystem diseases. They are chronic, incurable illnesses that often present in early to mid-life and can be associated with a high symptom burden, disability, and early mortality. Treatment guidelines for similar chronic, life-limiting conditions with uncertain disease courses now recommend palliative care (PC) assessment at the time of diagnosis.

External Validation of the Walter Index for Posthospitalization Mortality Prediction in Older Adults.

Importance: The Walter Index is a widely used prognostic tool for assessing 12-month mortality risk among hospitalized older adults. Developed in the US in 2001, its accuracy in contemporary non-US contexts is unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the external validity of the Walter Index in predicting posthospitalization mortality risk in Brazilian older adult inpatients.

Depressive Symptoms and Amyloid Pathology.

Importance: Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive decline in older individuals. Uncertainty about underlying mechanisms hampers diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. This large-scale study aimed to elucidate the association between depressive symptoms and amyloid pathology.

Evaluation of Treatment Outcomes Using dNLR and GNRI in Combination Therapy With Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Aim: This study aims to investigate the clinical utility of the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) and the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) in predicting treatment outcomes for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing combination therapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Atez/Bev).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 310 patients. The dNLR, NLR, and GNRI were calculated, and their impact on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was assessed.

Illness Intrusiveness, Perceived Control, and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Arthritis and Multimorbidity.

Objectives: Arthritis is associated with poor quality of life (QOL) among older adults; and QOL is even worse among those with arthritis and multimorbidity (MM). Illness intrusiveness and perceived control have been identified in studies of single illnesses as modifiable mechanisms for QOL, but are understudied in older adults with arthritis and MM. We investigated the role of these potential mechanisms with QOL among older adults with arthritis and MM.

Performance of the 1 h oral glucose tolerance test in predicting type 2 diabetes and association with impaired β-cell function in Asians: a national prospective cohort study.

Background: Postprandial glucose concentration 1-h (1 h-PG) after an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) has similar or superior performance to 2 h-PG in predicting type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in several populations, and is simpler to obtain in clinical practice. However, studies in Asians are scarce. We investigated the utility of elevated baseline 1 h-PG in predicting T2DM incidence within three years, and its relationship with β-cell function in 1250 non-diabetic Asian participants.

Distribution and determinants of the utilization of senior residential care homes in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: With the accelerated increase in the population of seniors aged 60 years or older in Saudi Arabia, understanding the utilization of senior residential care homes is crucial for improving service delivery and policy planning to meet the care transformation objectives of Vision 2030.

Objective: To assess the distribution and determinants of senior residential care home utilization across Saudi Arabia's 13 administrative regions, focusing on predictors of functional dependency among different socio-demographic groups.

Methods: This study analyzed data from 283 Saudi individuals aged ≥65 admitted to social residential care homes in 2021.

Long-Term Multimodal Exercise Intervention for Patients with Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration: Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes.

Introduction: After Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is the second most common form of early-onset dementia. Despite the heavy burden of care for FTLD, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments with sufficient efficacy remain scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a multimodal exercise program for FTLD and to examine preliminary changes in the clinical outcomes of the program in FTLD.

Estimating financial and health burden by initial Medicare plan choice and history of cancer.

Understanding the downstream consequences of initial Medicare plan selection is necessary to ensure access to and affordability of health care services, especially for older adults with serious illness. We used 2008-2020 data from the Health and Retirement Study to estimate financial and health burden by initial Medicare plan selection (traditional Medicare without supplemental coverage, traditional Medicare plus supplemental coverage, or Medicare Advantage) and self-reported history of cancer. Initially choosing benefits with greater financial protections (either traditional Medicare plus supplemental coverage or Medicare Advantage) relative to traditional Medicare without supplemental coverage was associated with lower levels of out-of-pocket spending and a lower likelihood of reporting cost-related medication nonadherence and fair or poor health.

Feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-based ACT intervention for caregivers (TACTICs) of adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD): a randomized pilot during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: Examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the Telephone Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Caregivers (TACTICs) on dementia caregivers' anxiety, depression, caregiver burden, suffering, and anticipatory grief.

Method: A 2-arm pilot randomized trial with dementia caregivers ≥ 21 years old with clinically elevated anxiety or anxiety-related functional interference. Two cohorts were recruited at the beginning and end of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association between depressive symptoms and lower urinary tract symptoms and impact among women: Investigating behavioural, cognitive and physiological pathways.

Objective: Mechanistic studies are needed to understand why depressive symptoms are associated with poorer physical health. The objective of this study was to examine whether behavioural, cognitive and physiological factors mediated an association between depressive symptoms, measured in early adulthood, and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and their impact, a composite variable measured in mid-life adulthood, among women in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, conducted in four regions of the United States.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Myeloablative conditioning in cord blood transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia patients is efficacious only until age 55.

Umbilical cord blood transplantation (CBT) is accepted as an effective treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC), rather than myeloablative conditioning (MAC) regimens allowed elderly patients to be treated safely. However, appropriate intensities of conditioning regimens are still unclear, especially for middle-aged patients. To compare outcomes after RIC and MAC regimens, we analyzed AML patients aged 16 years or older in the Japanese registry database, who underwent single cord unit CBT between 2010-2019.

Survivorship After Cardiogenic Shock.

Advances in critical care therapies for patients with cardiogenic shock (CS), including temporary mechanical circulatory support and multidisciplinary shock teams, have led to improved survival to hospital discharge, ranging from 60% to 70%. After their index hospitalization, however, survivors of CS may continue to face cardiac as well as extracardiac sequelae of these therapies and complications for years to come. Most studies in CS have focused primarily on survival, with limited data on long-term recovery measures among survivors.

Comparative Effectiveness of Individual Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors.

Importance: Evidence on cardiovascular benefits and safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors is mainly from placebo-controlled trials. Therefore, the comparative effectiveness and safety of individual SGLT-2 inhibitors remain unknown.

Objective: To compare the use of canagliflozin or dapagliflozin with empagliflozin for a composite outcome (myocardial infarction [MI] or stroke), heart failure hospitalization, MI, stroke, all-cause death, and safety outcomes, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), lower-limb amputation, bone fracture, severe urinary tract infection (UTI), and genital infection and whether effects differed by dosage or cardiovascular disease (CVD) history.