0000000000074420
AUTHOR
Alberto Cester
The relationship between dietary vitamin k and depressive symptoms in late adulthood: A cross-sectional analysis from a large cohort study
Few studies assessed the associations between dietary vitamin K and depressive symptoms. We aimed to investigate the association between dietary vitamin K and depressive symptoms in a large cohort of North American People. In this cross-sectional analysis, 4,375 participants that were aged 45&ndash
Dietary acrylamide and incident osteoporotic fractures: an 8-year prospective cohort study
Abstract Background Acrylamide, a component of fried foods, has been associated with several negative health outcomes. However, the relationship between dietary acrylamide and osteoporotic fractures has been explored by a few cross-sectional studies. Aims To investigate if dietary acrylamide is associated with the onset of fractures in North American participants at high risk/having knee osteoarthritis (OA), over 8 years of follow-up. Methods A Cox’s regression analysis, adjusted for baseline confounders was run and the data were reported as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Dietary acrylamide intake was assessed at the baseline using a food frequency questionnaire and…
Prospective associations of cardiovascular disease with physical performance and disability
Background: Literature regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) and incident physical performance limitations and disability in older people is equivocal. Aims: This study aimed to investigate whether CVD is longitudinally associated with incident physical performance limitations and disability in a large population-based sample. Methods: This was an 8‑year prospective study using data collected as part of the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Participants were community-dwelling adults with knee osteoarthritis or at high risk for this condition. Diagnosed CVD was self-reported. Physical performance was assessed with measures of chair stand time and gait speed, whereas disability was assessed with t…
The instruments used by the Italian centres for cognitive disorders and dementia to diagnose mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the tools used in Italy to diagnose mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: In collaboration with the Luigi Amaducci Research Consortium, the Italian Network of Alzheimer Evaluation Units prepared a questionnaire to describe how MCI is diagnosed in the Italian Centres for cognitive disorders and dementia (CCDD). Results: Most of the ninety-two CCDDs participating in the survey were located in hospitals (54.7%); large percentages were coordinated by neurologists (50.8%) and geriatricians (44.6%). Almost all (98.5%) used the Mini Mental State Examination to diagnose MCI; the Clock Drawing Test was also frequently used (83.9%). Other neuropsycho…
miRNome Profiling Detects miR-101-3p and miR-142-5p as Putative Blood Biomarkers of Frailty Syndrome
Frailty is an aging-related pathology, defined as a state of increased vulnerability to stressors, leading to a limited capacity to meet homeostatic demands. Extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) were proposed as potential biomarkers of various disease conditions, including age-related pathologies. The primary objective of this study was to identify blood miRNAs that could serve as potential biomarkers and candidate mechanisms of frailty. Using the Fried index, we enrolled 22 robust and 19 frail subjects. Blood and urine samples were analysed for several biochemical parameters. We observed that sTNF-R was robustly upregulated in the frail group, indicating the presence of an inflammatory state. …
The relationship between different settings of medical service and incident frailty
Background: Some studies have reported a potential association between usual source of health care and disability, but no one has explored the association with frailty, a state of early and potential reversible disability. We therefore aimed to explore the association between older persons' self-reported usual source of health care at baseline and the onset of frailty. Methods: Information regarding usual source of health care was captured through self-report and categorized as 1) private doctor's office, 2) public clinic, 3) Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), or 4) hospital clinic/emergency department (ED). Frailty was defined using the Study of Osteoporotic Fracture (SOF) index as the…
Efficacy of conservative treatments for hand osteoarthritis
Background: Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is common, but the efficacy/safety of treatment interventions aimed to improve health outcomes in this population are not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to map and grade the effect of interventions for health outcomes in hand OA. Methods: Umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using placebo/no intervention as control group. For outcomes with a p-value <0.05, the certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) assessment. Results: From 189 abstracts, 9 meta-analyses (24 outcomes) were included, with…
Factors Associated With Loneliness: An Umbrella Review Of Observational Studies.
Background: Evidence provides inconsistent findings on risk factors and health outcomes associated with loneliness. The aim of this work was to grade the evidence on risk factors and health outcomes associated with loneliness, using an umbrella review approach. Methods: For each meta-analytic association, random-effects summary effect size, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), heterogeneity, evidence for small-study effect, excess significance bias and 95% prediction intervals were calculated, and used to grade significant evidence (p<0.05) from convincing to weak. For narrative systematic reviews, findings were reported descriptively. Results: From 210 studies initially evaluated, 14 publica…
Drug Prescription and Delirium in Older Inpatients: Results From the Nationwide Multicenter Italian Delirium Day 2015-2016
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the association between polypharmacy and delirium, the association of specific drug categories with delirium, and the differences in drug-delirium association between medical and surgical units and according to dementia diagnosis. Methods Data were collected during 2 waves of Delirium Day, a multicenter delirium prevalence study including patients (aged 65 years or older) admitted to acute and long-term care wards in Italy (2015-2016); in this study, only patients enrolled in acute hospital wards were selected (n = 4,133). Delirium was assessed according to score on the 4 "A's" Test. Prescriptions were classified by main drug categories; polypharmacy w…
"Delirium Day": a nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool
Background To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods This is a point prevalence study (called “Delirium Day”) including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium wa…
Low-dose vitamin D supplementation and incident frailty in older people: An eight year longitudinal study.
Hypovitaminosis D is associated with frailty, but if vitamin D supplementation may prevent the onset of frailty is poorly known. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation is associated with a lower risk of frailty. In this longitudinal study, 4,421 individuals at high risk or having knee osteoarthritis free from frailty at baseline (mean age: 61.3, females = 58.0%) were followed for 8 years. Details regarding vitamin D supplementation were captured by asking whether the participant took vitamin D during the previous year, at least once per month. Frailty was defined using the Study of Osteoporotic Fracture (SOF) index as the presence of at least two of the followi…
The Potential Role of miRNAs in Cognitive Frailty.
Frailty is an aging related condition, which has been defined as a state of enhanced vulnerability to stressors, leading to a limited capacity to meet homeostatic demands. Cognitive impairment is also frequent in older people, often accompanying frailty. Age is the main independent risk factor for both frailty and cognitive impairment, and compelling evidence suggests that similar age-associated mechanisms could underlie both clinical conditions. Accordingly, it has been suggested that frailty and cognitive impairment share common pathways, and some authors proposed “cognitive frailty” as a single complex phenotype. Nevertheless, so far, no clear common underlying pathways have been discove…