Aging-related biomarkers for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease based on bioinformatics analysis and machine learning.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial disease that lacks reliable biomarkers for its diagnosis. It is now clear that aging is the greatest risk factor for developing PD. Therefore, it is necessary to identify novel biomarkers associated with aging in PD.

Cognitive impairment is a risk factor for decreased physical performance in the elderly.

Background: This study aimed to show a 3-year trajectory of physical performance among Chinese elderly in Beijing communities and explore the associations between new adverse events during the 3-year follow-up period and decreased physical performance.

Methods: A longitudinal observational study included baseline data and transitional information of physical performance from 456 community elders (mean age 67.3 ± 4.

New horizons in Parkinson's disease in older populations.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Ageing is considered to be the greatest risk factor for PD, with a complex interplay between genetics and the environment. With population ageing, the prevalence of PD is expected to escalate worldwide; thus, it is of utmost importance to reduce the burden of PD.

Detection and prediction of freezing of gait with wearable sensors in Parkinson's disease.

Freezing of gait (FoG) is one of the most distressing symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD), commonly occurring in patients at middle and late stages of the disease. Automatic and accurate FoG detection and prediction have emerged as a promising tool for long-term monitoring of PD and implementation of gait assistance systems. This paper reviews the recent development of FoG detection and prediction using wearable sensors, with attention on identifying knowledge gaps that need to be filled in future research.

Effects of different levodopa doses on blood pressure in older patients with early and middle stages of Parkinson's disease.

Objective: Levodopa is the first-line treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, only a few studies have focused on the tolerance of this drug in older patients with PD in the early and middle stages. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of different levodopa doses on blood pressure (BP) in this subpopulation.

Age as a risk factor for orthostatic hypotension induced by the levodopa challenge test in patients with Parkinson's disease: Results from a single-center trial.

Background: Hypotension can occur in patients receiving levodopa (L-dopa) treatment for parkinsonism. However, only few studies have focused on the characteristics of orthostatic hypotension (OH) induced by the L-dopa challenge test (LCT). This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and influencing factors of LCT-induced OH in a relatively large sample of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Effects of cognitive ageing trajectories on multiple adverse outcomes among Chinese community-dwelling elderly population.

Background: Whether cognitive ageing trajectory is related to common functional deficits independent of initial cognitive function remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the adverse health effect and potential predictive factors of distinct cognitive trajectories among Chinese older adults.

Methods: Three thousand five hundred eighty-one community-dwelling older adults who completed three consecutive cognitive function examinations with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) over 5 years and were without cognitive impairment at enrollment were included.

High-accuracy wearable detection of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease based on pseudo-multimodal features.

Objective: Freezing of gait (FoG) is a serious symptom of Parkinson's disease and prompt detection of FoG is crucial for fall prevention. Although multimodal data combining electroencephalography (EEG) benefit accurate FoG detection, the preparation, acquisition, and analysis of EEG signals are time-consuming and costly, which impedes the application of multimodal information in FoG detection. This work proposes a wearable FoG detection method that merges multimodal information from acceleration and EEG while avoiding the acquisition of real EEG data.

Physical Resilience: A novel approach for healthy aging.

Population aging is evident globally. The traditional model of care based on disease management is not sufficient to develop a generation of functional older adult population. The construct of Physical Resilience (PR) holds great potential to make the agenda of healthy aging a reality if we were to properly understand it and develop intervention strategies to maintain PR through life.

Associations between homocysteine, inflammatory cytokines and sarcopenia in Chinese older adults with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Sarcopenia, an age-related disease, has been implicated as both a cause and consequence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and a symbol of poor prognosis in older adults with T2DM. Therefore, early detection and effective treatment of sarcopenia are particularly important in older adults with T2DM. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia in Chinese older T2DM patients and explore whether homocysteine and inflammatory indexes could serve as biomarkers and participate in the development process of sarcopenia.

The influence of probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and sleep insufficiency on fall risk in a community-dwelling elderly population.

Background: The objective was to investigate the individual effect and potential interactions of probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (pRBD) and sleep insufficiency on fall risk among a Chinese elderly population.

Methods: Community-dwelling population aged 55 years or above were recruited from the Beijing Longitudinal Study on Aging II cohort from 2010 to 2011. Odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models.

Intrinsic Capacity vs. Multimorbidity: A Function-Centered Construct Predicts Disability Better Than a Disease-Based Approach in a Community-Dwelling Older Population Cohort.

This study aimed to assess the status of intrinsic capacity (IC)-a novel function-centered construct proposed by the WHO and examine whether impairment in IC predicts subsequent 1-year activities of daily living (ADL) disability better than a disease-based approach, i. e., multimorbidity status.

Convolutional neural network optimizes the application of diffusion kurtosis imaging in Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: The literature regarding the use of diffusion-tensor imaging-derived metrics in the evaluation of Parkinson's disease (PD) is controversial. This study attempted to assess the feasibility of a deep-learning-based method for detecting alterations in diffusion kurtosis measurements associated with PD.

Methods: A total of 68 patients with PD and 77 healthy controls were scanned using scanner-A (3 T Skyra) (DATASET-1).

Detection of Motor Dysfunction With Wearable Sensors in Patients With Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Disorder.

Patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) are at high risk for conversion to synucleinopathy and Parkinson disease (PD). This can potentially be monitored by measuring gait characteristics of iRBD patients, although quantitative data are scarce and previous studies have reported inconsistent findings. This study investigated subclinical gait changes in polysomnography-proven iRBD patients compared to healthy controls (HCs) during 3 different walking conditions using wearable motor sensors in order to determine whether gait changes can be detected in iRBD patients that could reflect early symptoms of movement disorder.

Gait variability is sensitive to detect Parkinson's disease patients at high fall risk.

Background: Gait disturbance is an important risk factor for falls in Parkinson's disease (PD). Using wearable sensors, we can obtain the spatiotemporal parameters of gait and calculate the gait variability. This prospective study aims to objectively evaluate the gait characteristics of PD fallers, and further explore the relationship between spatiotemporal parameters of gait, gait variability and falls in PD patients followed for six months.

High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex relieves musculoskeletal pain in patients with Parkinson's disease: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Pain is common in Parkinson's disease, and there is no effective treatment. We conducted a clinical trial to determine whether high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex alleviates musculoskeletal pain in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Methods: In this single-center and double-blind trial, 52 patients with Parkinson's disease and musculoskeletal pain were randomly allocated to 26-member groups receiving 5 sessions of either 20-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or sham stimulation over the primary motor cortex.

Risk factors for possible REM sleep behavior disorders: A community-based study in Beijing.

Objective: To explore the risk factors for idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in a community population in Beijing.

Methods: Participants aged 55 years and above were recruited from the Beijing Longitudinal Study on Aging II cohort. We identified individuals with possible RBD (pRBD) using the validated RBD Questionnaire-Hong Kong in 2010.

Association of inflammatory factors and aging in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease as a common neurodegenerative disease, has been found to be related to inflammation. So we observed the characteristics of inflammatory indexes in patients with Parkinson's disease and investigated the relationship between inflammatory cytokines and clinical characteristics. Emerging data may reveal novel neuroinflammatory pathways and identify new targets for treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Early morning off in patients with Parkinson's disease: a Chinese nationwide study and a 7-question screening scale.

Background: Early morning off (EMO) is a common feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to characterize its clinical features and develop a convenient and pragmatic self-assessment instrument in a Chinese nationwide population.

Methods: This study was conducted on 942 PD patients admitted to 55 clinic centers for movement disorders between June 2018 and May 2019 in China.

Structural and functional brain alterations in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

Objective: To investigate structural and functional alterations in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) compared with healthy controls.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients with polysomnography-confirmed iRBD and 33 healthy subjects were recruited. All subjects underwent a 3-tesla structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examination.

Poor self-perceived health is associated with frailty and prefrailty in urban living older adults: A cross-sectional analysis.

In this study, we investigated the cross-sectional association of Self-perceived health (SPH) with frailty phenotype. A total of 4632 participants of the Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging II (mean age 75.4 ± 6.

Understanding the Physiological Links Between Physical Frailty and Cognitive Decline.

Declines in both physical and cognitive function are associated with increasing age. Understanding the physiological link between physical frailty and cognitive decline may allow us to develop interventions that prevent and treat both conditions. Although there is significant epidemiological evidence linking physical frailty to cognitive decline, a complete understanding of the underpinning biological basis of the two disorders remains fragmented.