Subjective memory complaints in Italian elderly with mild cognitive impairment: implication of psychological status.

Subjective cognitive and memory complaints (SMC) are common in later life and are considered an indicator for progression to cognitive decline. The aim of the present study was to identify the relationship among SMC, neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychological aspects in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as to analyse the effect on SMC of a comprehensive cognitive training. Data from a sample of 94 patients enrolled in 'My Mind Project' (Grant No.

Effectiveness of citrate buffer-fluoride mixture in Terumo tubes as an inhibitor of in vitro glycolysis.

Introduction: Glycolysis affects glucose determination in vitro. The placement of sample tubes in ice-water slurry with plasma separation within 30 minutes is recommended, or alternatively the use of a glycolysis inhibitor. The aim of our two-steps study was to evaluate which Terumo tube is best for glucose determination in routine clinical setting.

Bioinformatic tools for microRNA dissection.

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important elements of gene regulatory networks. MiRNAs are endogenous single-stranded non-coding RNAs (~22-nt long) that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Through pairing with mRNA, miRNAs can down-regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation or stimulating mRNA degradation.

Tighter glycemic control is associated with ADL physical dependency losses in older patients using sulfonylureas or mitiglinides: Results from the DIMORA study.

Background: There is growing evidence that tight glycemic control may be more harmful than beneficial in older persons with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). It remains controversial if tight glycemic control (lower glycated hemoglobin A1c (A1c)) is associated with functional impairments in older frail patients with T2DM. We explored associations between A1c and losses in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) in diabetic nursing home (NH) patients and tested for differences according to anti-diabetic treatment: diet, anti-diabetic oral drug (AOD), insulin, combined insulin+AOD.

Impact of hospitalization on modification of drug regimens: Results of the criteria to assess appropriate medication use among elderly complex patients study.

Aim: To assess the impact of hospitalization on modification of drug burden among elderly patients.

Methods: The present prospective cohort study was carried out in acute care hospitals in Italy. The difference in the number of drugs used before hospital admission and those prescribed at discharge was calculated.

Disentangling the Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease, Anemia, and Mobility Limitation on Mortality in Older Patients Discharged From Hospital.

Backgrounds: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), anemia, and mobility limitation are important predictors of mortality. We aimed at investigating the interactions between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), anemia, and physical performance on 1-year mortality in older patients discharged from acute care hospitals.

Methods: Four hundred and eighty seven patients enrolled in a multicenter, prospective observational study were included in the analysis.

Serum levels of adipocytokines in psoriasis patients receiving tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors: results of a retrospective analysis.

Background: Adipocytokines are bioactive molecules that are deeply involved in the occurrence of atherosclerosis, obesity, and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors on serum levels of adipocytokines in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis.

Methods: Serum levels of adiponectin, resistin, visfatin, leptin, TNF-α, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated in sera obtained from 47 patients with psoriasis, both at baseline and after they had received TNF-α inhibitors for 24 weeks.

The economic impact of moderate stage Alzheimer's disease in Italy: evidence from the UP-TECH randomized trial.

Background: There is consensus that dementia is the most burdensome disease for modern societies. Few cost-of-illness studies examined the complexity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) burden, considering at the same time health and social care, cash allowances, informal care, and out-of-pocket expenditure by families.

Methods: This is a comprehensive cost-of-illness study based on the baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (UP-TECH) enrolling 438 patients with moderate AD and their primary caregiver living in the community.

The Report-AGE project: a permanent epidemiological observatory to identify clinical and biological markers of health outcomes in elderly hospitalized patients in Italy.

Background: Italy is expected to experience the largest growth in persons ≥65 years (>20% by 2020). This demographic shift allows for geriatric research on predictive clinical and biological markers of outcomes related to frailty, re-hospitalization and mortality.

Aims: To describe rationale and methods of the Report-AGE study project of acute care patients in Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA) research hospitals.

N-glycomic changes in serum proteins in type 2 diabetes mellitus correlate with complications and with metabolic syndrome parameters.

Background: Glycosylation, i.e the enzymatic addition of oligosaccharides (or glycans) to proteins and lipids, known as glycosylation, is one of the most common co-/posttranslational modifications of proteins. Many important biological roles of glycoproteins are modulated by N-linked oligosaccharides.

An international definition for "nursing home".

There is much ambiguity regarding the term "nursing home" in the international literature. The definition of a nursing home and the type of assistance provided in a nursing home is quite varied by country. The International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics and AMDA foundation developed a survey to assist with an international consensus on the definition of "nursing home.

The UP-TECH project, an intervention to support caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients in Italy: preliminary findings on recruitment and caregiving burden in the baseline population.

Objectives: The paper describes recruitment results and characteristics of the UP-TECH clinical trial sample, including level of care services use, informal caregiver burden and its determinants.

Methods: UP-TECH is designed to test innovative care solutions for community-dwelling patients with moderate stage Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers in Italy. Four hundred and fifty patient-caregiver dyads were randomized into three arms receiving different combinations of services, composed of case management interventions, nurse visits, assistive technology and educational brochures.

Recombinant DNA technology for melanoma immunotherapy: anti-Id DNA vaccines targeting high molecular weight melanoma-associated antigen.

Anti-idiotypic MK2-23 monoclonal antibody (anti-Id MK2-23 mAb), which mimics the high molecular weight melanoma-associated antigen (HMW-MAA), has been used to implement active immunotherapy against melanoma. However, due to safety and standardization issues, this approach never entered extensive clinical trials. In the present study, we investigated the usage of DNA vaccines as an alternative to MK2-23 mAb immunization.

Advanced technology care innovation for older people in Italy: necessity and opportunity to promote health and wellbeing.

Even though there is a constant and accelerating growth of the aging population worldwide, such a rapid rise is negatively impacting available home and community services not able to encompass the necessities associated with the increased number of older people. In particular, there are increasing demands on e-health care services and smart technologies needed for frail elders with chronic diseases and also for those experiencing active aging. Advanced Technology Care Innovation for older persons encompasses all sectors (assistive technology, robotics, home automation, and home care- and institution-based healthcare monitoring, telemedicine) dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing in all types of living environments.

Evidences of +896 A/G TLR4 polymorphism as an indicative of prevalence of complications in T2DM patients.

T2DM is today considered as world-wide health problem, with complications responsible of an enhanced mortality and morbidity. Thus, new strategies for its prevention and therapy are necessary. For this reason, the research interest has focused its attention on TLR4 and its polymorphisms, particularly the rs4986790.

Estimating glomerular filtration rate in older people.

We aimed at reviewing age-related changes in kidney structure and function, methods for estimating kidney function, and impact of reduced kidney function on geriatric outcomes, as well as the reliability and applicability of equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in older patients. CKD is associated with different comorbidities and adverse outcomes such as disability and premature death in older populations. Creatinine clearance and other methods for estimating kidney function are not easy to apply in older subjects.

Potentially inappropriate drug use among hospitalised older adults: results from the CRIME study.

Background: Beers criteria and screening tool of older person's prescriptions (STOPP) criteria are widely used to assess potentially inappropriate drug use (PIDU).

Objective: the aims of the present study are (i) to assess the prevalence of PIDU based on 2012 Beers criteria and STOPP criteria and (ii) to determine the impact of PIDU, as defined by these criteria, on health outcomes among older in-hospital patients.

Design: prospective observational study.

Migrant care workers and rehospitalization among older patients discharged from acute care hospitals.

Aim: The relationship between support at home and rehospitalization has not been extensively studied until now. In particular, little is known about the impact of being assisted by migrant care workers (MCW) and rehospitalization. We aimed at investigating such a relationship in a population of older patients discharged from hospitals.

MitomiRs in human inflamm-aging: a hypothesis involving miR-181a, miR-34a and miR-146a.

Mitochondria are intimately involved in the aging process. The decline of autophagic clearance during aging affects the equilibrium between mitochondrial fusion and fission, leading to a build-up of dysfunctional mitochondria, oxidative stress, chronic low-grade inflammation, and increased apoptosis rates, the main hallmarks of aging. Current research suggests that a large number of microRNAs (miRs or miRNAs) are differentially expressed during cell aging.

Body composition markers in older persons with COPD.

Background: Body composition has been shown to be correlated with physical performance, but data in older persons with diverse chronic diseases are lacking.

Objective: We aimed at investigating the associations of body composition to gait speed and nutritional status of older people in different stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design, Setting And Subjects: Cross-sectional analysis of data from Pulmonary Rehabilitation Geriatric Unit at INRCA in Casatenovo, Italy including 132 consecutively admitted COPD patients (mean age: 75 years) with data on body composition, walking speed and respiratory parameters.

Medications affecting functional status in older persons.

Current evidence suggests that functional status is an important outcome of pharmacologic treatments in older people. At the moment, studies have shown diverse effects of medications on functional status. For example, some have shown potentially detrimental effects, while others have found improvements on physical function in elders.

The oxygen therapy.

Oxygen (O(2)) is a vital element. Shortage of O(2) results in deranged metabolism and important changes in vascular tone with opposite effects on the systemic and pulmonary circulation. During hypoxemia, oxidative stress exposes the organism to a sort of accelerated senescence as well as to several acute untoward effects.

Subthreshold depression in older subjects: an unmet therapeutic need.

Major depression, defined according to DSM IV TR criteria, is less common in older subjects, while other types of depression are two to three times more prevalent. This heterogeneous group of disturbances has received different names: depression not otherwise specified, minor depression, subthreshold or subsyndromal depression. Moreover, each condition has been defined using heterogeneous criteria by different authors.

Practical management problems of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the elderly: acute exacerbations.

Purpose Of Review: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPDs) have numerous causes and are associated with increased mortality and hospitalization, especially in older patients. The urgent need to identify and enable timely treatment of ECOPDs is a necessity for physicians worldwide. This review will highlight the causes and optimal combinations of available treatments for such events in older populations.