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The Efficacy and Safety of Alzheimer's Disease Therapies: An Updated Umbrella Review.
Fan, F, Liu, H, Shi, X, Ai, Y, Liu, Q, Cheng, Y
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. 2022;(3):1195-1204
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence summaries for efficacy and safety of frequently employed treatments of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are sparse. OBJECTIVE We aimed to perform an updated umbrella review to identify an efficacious and safe treatment for AD patients. METHODS We conducted a search for meta-analyses and systematic reviews on the Embase, PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to address this knowledge gap. We examined the cognitive functions, behavioral symptoms, global clinical assessment, and Activities of Daily Living as efficacy endpoints, and the incidence of adverse events as safety profiles. RESULTS Sixteen eligible papers including 149 studies were included in the umbrella review. The results showed that AChE inhibitors (donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, Huperzine A), Ginkgo biloba, and cerebrolysin appear to be beneficial for cognitive, global performances, and activities of daily living in patients with AD. Furthermore, anti-Aβ agents are unlikely to have an important effect on slowing cognitive or functional impairment in mild to moderate AD. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that AChE inhibitors, Ginkgo biloba, and cerebrolysin are the optimum cognitive and activities of daily living medication for patients with AD.
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Confirmations, advances and recommendations for the daily care of schizophrenia based on the French national FACE-SZ cohort.
Fond, G, Godin, O, Schürhoff, F, Berna, F, André, M, Aouizerate, B, Capdevielle, D, Chereau, I, D' Amato, T, Dubertret, C, et al
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry. 2020;:109927
Abstract
BACKGROUND The National FondaMental Centers of Expertise (FACE) for Schizophrenia (SZ) have been created to shorten the gap between research and clinical practice. OBJECTIVES To synthetize in a review the 10-year findings issued from the FACE-SZ cohort analyses. METHODS More than 1000 patients were evaluated in 10 expert centers since 2010 with a 2-day long comprehensive standardized battery including neuropsychological testes and physical health assessment and followed-up for 3 years. RESULTS 1. The phase 0 cross-sectional analyses have confirmed well-known data: over-prescription of first-generation antipsychotics, antipsychotic polytherapy and long-term benzodiazepine and under-prescription of clozapine, 13% of drug-induced parkinsonism, 18% of akathisia, a mean duration of untreated psychosis of 18 months, one third of poorly-adherent patients, 24% of metabolic syndrome and 52% of current tobacco smokers with poor care for physical illnesses; a yearly mean financial cost of 15,000 euro/patient. 2. FACE-SZ also yielded additional data in insufficiently explored area: a half of major depression issues (among them one third of undiagnosed major depression and 44% of treated patients with unremitted depression), major depression having a strong impact on Quality of Life independently of negative symptoms, 22% of moderated to severe untreated physical pain. 3. FACE-SZ has explored emerging fields of research, including development of 4 stages- model of schizophrenia, chronic low-grade peripheral inflammation, latent Toxoplasma infection, hypovitaminosis D, and a model for relapse prediction at 2 years. DISCUSSION The associated factors and implications for public health programs were discussed. Based on the FACE-SZ findings and literature, the FACE-SZ group has yielded recommendations to improve daily care for schizophrenia and for future research.
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A comparison of Gordon's functional health patterns model and standard nursing care in symptomatic heart failure patients: A randomized controlled trial.
Türen, S, Enç, N
Applied nursing research : ANR. 2020;:151247
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is associated with poor quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality. AIM: This study aimed to investigate effect of application of Gordon's functional health pattern (FHP) model in nursing care of symptomatic HF patients on quality of life, morbidity and mortality in the post-discharge 30-day. METHODS This is a prospective randomized controlled study conducted in a single center. Experimental group received nursing care planned in accordance with Gordon's FHP model. 60 control and 60 experimental HF patients were included in the study. In the control group nursing care was given according to the standard protocol of the hospital whereas in the experimental group nursing care was given in accordance with Gordon's FHP model. Patients in both groups were followed up after discharge at 30th day. RESULTS Mean Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score improved significantly in the experimental group compared to the control group at 30th day (40.2 ± 23.5 vs 62.3 ± 22.9 respectively, p = 0.001). Seven patients (11.7%) in the experimental group and 17 patients (28.3%) in the control group were readmitted in the post discharge 30-day (p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis revealed significant difference in 30-day event free survival rates between groups (log-rank p = 0.31). CONCLUSION Application of Gordon's FHP model in the nursing care of HF patients was associated with significantly improved quality of life, and reduced hospital readmission rates at 30th day. This was the only independent predictor of 30-day event free survival.
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Clinical factors associated with activities of daily living and their decline in patients with severe dementia.
Tanaka, H, Nagata, Y, Ishimaru, D, Ogawa, Y, Fukuhara, K, Nishikawa, T
Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society. 2020;(3):327-336
Abstract
BACKGROUND To identify the clinical factors affecting activities of daily living (ADL) at baseline and after 6 months. METHODS We conducted a single-centre observational study at two time points across 6 months (baseline and after 6 months) from April 2015 to March 2017. in a 270-bed rural recuperation hospital at Hyogo prefecture in Japan. The total number of participants was 131 (male 33, female 98; mean age: 87.0 ± 7.0; mild and moderate dementia, 38; severe dementia, 93). Measurement scales used were Personal Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS) for assessing ADL, Mini-Mental State Examination and Cognitive Test in Severe Dementia (CTSD) for cognitive function, Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) for behavioural/psychological symptoms of dementia, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short form (MNA-SF) for nutritional status, Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia for pain, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and the number of illness categories based on Cumulative Illness Rating Scale Geriatrics for comorbidities. Multiple regression analyses identified the association between PSMS score as the dependent variable and other variables as independent variables. RESULTS In participants with severe dementia, the PSMS scores at baseline were significantly associated with CTSD, CCI, MNA-SF, and CSDD scores. In the longitudinal analysis, only CTSD score was significantly associated with PSMS score after 6 months. It is noteworthy that for participants with severe dementia, the only factor associated with ADL after 6 months was cognitive function, as assessed by CTSD score. CONCLUSIONS The most important factor predicting functional decline is cognitive function, even at the severe and profound stage.
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Meal-related difficulties and weight loss in older people: Longitudinal data from MAPT study.
Soriano, G, De Souto Barreto, P, Virecoulon Giudici, K, Cantet, C, Guyonnet, S, Vellas, B, Rolland, Y, Andrieu, S, ,
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). 2020;(11):3483-3488
Abstract
BACKGROUND Difficulties with meal-related activities (preparing meals and food shopping) may influence food intake, and contribute to nutritional risk among elderly people. All known studies on this topic had a cross-sectional design, thereby no causal relationships could be derived. We aim to investigate if difficulties with meal-related activities can contribute to subsequent weight loss in community-dwelling older people. METHODS We used data of older subjects from the MAPT Study (n = 1531, median age = 74 years, 64% women), who provided prospective data on weight every 6 months and cognitive, physical condition, and functional capacities every year during a 3-year period. Difficulties preparing meals and shopping were evaluated each year with the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living Prevention Instrument (ADCS ADL-PI) Scale. The risk of losing weight (≥5% or ≥ 3 kg in the following year) was estimated using a time-dependent Cox regression model. RESULTS During the 3-year follow-up, a total of 851 subjects experienced at least a 5% or 3 kg weight loss. Two hundred thirty-seven subjects declared having difficulties with meal preparation at least once, and 133 declared having difficulties shopping. Subjects reporting any meal-related difficulties were older (p < 0.001), had more depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), and a lower physical function (p < 0.001) compared to those without difficulties. They also had a lower cognitive score (preparing meals: p < 0.001; shopping: p = 0.005) and a lower body mass index (preparing meals: p = 0.005; shopping: p = 0.023) at the end of the study. Meal-related activities were not associated with weight loss in unadjusted analysis and after adjustment for sex, age, depression, physical and cognitive status. CONCLUSION Difficulties preparing meals and shopping had no effect on weight loss in community-dwelling older people, despite their association with advanced age, functional decline, and depressive symptoms.
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Overview of pharmacological interventions after traumatic brain injuries: impact on selected outcomes.
Kim, S, Mortera, M, Hu, X, Krishnan, S, Hoffecker, L, Herrold, A, Terhorst, L, King, L, Machtinger, J, Zumsteg, JM, et al
Brain injury. 2019;(4):442-455
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to conduct an overview of systematic reviews (SRs) to appraise the published evidence related to pharmacological interventions after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Searches were conducted with Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, PubMed. 780 retrieved SRs underwent a two-level screening to determine inclusion. Data extracted included participant characteristics, TBI severity, study design, pharmacological interventions, and outcomes. SRs were assessed for methodological quality by using the AMSTAR measurement tool. After removing duplicates, 166/780 SRs published between 1990-2017 were reviewed, 62 of which met inclusion criteria. More than 90 drugs and 22 substance-classes were extracted. Most medications were administered during the acute stage. Mild TBI was included in 3% of the SRs. Physiological outcomes comprised 45% of the SRs, primarily mortality. Activities of daily living (ADLs) outcomes constituted 22% of the SRs followed by cognition (13%) and psychological/behavioral outcomes (13%). Only 7% of the SRs assessed adverse events. Inconsistencies in definitions, methods, and heterogeneity of instruments used to measure treatment response were noted. Only a third of the SRs had high methodological quality. Most SRs had heterogeneous TBI samples, outcomes, or methodologies making it difficult to synthesize findings into recommended guidelines. This study demonstrated a need for adequately powered and rigorous randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to provide generalizable evidence on the effectiveness of pharmacologic interventions for TBI. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42015017355.
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Predictors of Readiness for Mobility Transition in Older Drivers.
Kandasamy, D, Harmon, AC, Meuser, TM, Carr, DB, Betz, ME
Journal of gerontological social work. 2018;(2):193-202
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Abstract
We administered the Assessment of Readiness for Mobility Transition (ARMT) to 301 older drivers and compared total scores with participant characteristics. Overall, 18% of participants were not attitudinally ready for mobility transition, while 19% were very ready. Notably, participants with hospitalizations in the past year were either very ready for mobility transition (20% vs 14% without hospitalizations) or not ready at all (30% vs 17%). Significant health events may polarize reactions towards mobility transition. Individualizing communication about driving cessation readiness could help address such differing views. To further consider its effectiveness, ARMT could be utilized in mobility transition counseling interventions.
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Orthostatic Hypotension and Associated Factors among Home Care Clients Aged 75 Years or Older - A Population-Based Study.
Luukkonen, A, Tiihonen, M, Rissanen, T, Hartikainen, S, Nykänen, I
The journal of nutrition, health & aging. 2018;(1):154-158
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OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine orthostatic hypotension (OH) and associated factors among home care clients aged 75 years or older. DESIGN Non-randomised controlled study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS The study sample included 244 home care clients aged 75 years or older living in Eastern and Central Finland. MEASUREMENTS Nurses, nutritionists and pharmacists collected clinical data including orthostatic blood pressure, depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale GDS-15), nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment MNA), drug use, self-rated health, daily activities (Barthel ADL Index and Lawton and Brody IADL scale) and self-rated ability to walk 400 metres. Comorbidities were based on medical records. RESULTS The prevalence of OH was 35.7% (n = 87). No association between OH and the number of drugs used or causative drug use and OH was found. In univariate analysis, coronary heart disease, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in a sitting position and lower mean MNA scores were associated with a risk of OH. Multivariate analysis showed that lower mean MNA scores (OR 1.140, 95% CI: 1.014-1.283) appeared to be independently connected to a risk of OH. CONCLUSION One-third of the home clients had OH and it was associated with lower MNA scores.
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The Effectiveness of a PRoactive Multicomponent Intervention Program on Disability in Independently Living Older People: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
van Lieshout, MRJ, Bleijenberg, N, Schuurmans, MJ, de Wit, NJ
The journal of nutrition, health & aging. 2018;(9):1051-1059
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BACKGROUND There is an increase in functional limitations and a decline in physical and mental well-being with age. Very few effective lifestyle interventions are available to prevent adverse outcomes such as disability in (pre-) frail older people. The effectiveness of an interdisciplinary multicomponent intervention program to prevent disability in older people in the community was tested. METHOD A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a one-year follow-up was conducted in the Netherlands. Community-dwelling pre-frail older people aged 65 years and over were invited to participate. Frailty was measured with the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) and categorized into non-frail (GFI=0), pre-frail (GFI = 1-3) and frail (GFI ≥ 4). The intervention program consisted of four components: a medication review, physical fitness, social skills, and nutrition. OUTCOMES The primary outcome was activity of daily living (ADL) measured with the Katz-6. Secondary outcomes were quality of life (SF-12) and healthcare consumption such as hospital admission, nursing home admission and primary care visits. Additional outcomes measured in the intervention group were physical fitness, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), muscle strength, walking speed, functional capacity, mobility, feelings of depression and loneliness and nutritional status. The data were collected at baseline, after each intervention component and at a 12-month follow-up. An intention to treat analysis was used. RESULTS In total, there were 290 participants, and 217 (74.8%) completed the study. The mean age was 74 (SD: 7.2), most were pre-frail (59.9%), the majority were female (55.2%), and the individuals were not living alone (61.4%). After the 12-month follow-up, the median Katz-6 score did not change significantly between the two groups; adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.96 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.39-2.35, p-value 0.92). No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups for quality of life and healthcare consumption. Among the participants in the intervention group, IADL (Friedman's test p <=0.04, X2 =6.50), walking speed (Friedman's test p <0.001, X2 =19.09) and functional capacity (Friedman's test p <0.001, X2 =33.29) improved significantly after the one-year follow-up. Right-hand grip strength improved immediately after completion of the intervention (Wilcoxon signed-rank test p=0.00, z= -3.39) but not after the 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSION The intervention program did not significantly improve daily functioning, quality of life and healthcare consumption among (pre) frail community-dwelling older persons at the one-year follow-up. Participants in the intervention group experienced improvements in walking speed, functional capacity and instrumental activities of daily living. More research is needed to better understand why may benefit and how to identify the target population.
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Risk factors and protective factors associated with incident or increase of frailty among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review of longitudinal studies.
Feng, Z, Lugtenberg, M, Franse, C, Fang, X, Hu, S, Jin, C, Raat, H
PloS one. 2017;(6):e0178383
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Frailty is one of the greatest challenges facing our aging population, as it can lead to adverse outcomes such as institutionalization, hospitalization, and mortality. However, the factors that are associated with frailty are poorly understood. We performed a systematic review of longitudinal studies in order to identify the sociodemographic, physical, biological, lifestyle-related, and psychological risk or protective factors that are associated with frailty among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted in the following databases in order to identify studies that assessed the factors associated with of frailty among community-dwelling older adults: Embase, Medline Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane, PsychINFO Ovid, CINAHL EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Studies were selected if they included a longitudinal design, focused on community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and older, and used a tool to assess frailty. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Quality of Reporting of Observational Longitudinal Research checklist. RESULTS Twenty-three studies were included. Significant associations were reported between the following types of factors and frailty: sociodemographic factors (7/7 studies), physical factors (5/6 studies), biological factors (5/7 studies), lifestyle factors (11/13 studies), and psychological factors (7/8 studies). Significant sociodemographic factors included older age, ethnic background, neighborhood, and access to private insurance or Medicare; significant physical factors included obesity and activities of daily living (ADL) functional status; significant biological factors included serum uric acid; significant lifestyle factors included a higher Diet Quality Index International (DQI) score, higher fruit/vegetable consumption and higher tertile of all measures of habitual dietary resveratrol exposure; significant psychological factors included depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS A broad range of sociodemographic, physical, biological, lifestyle, and psychological factors show a longitudinal association with frailty. These factors should be considered when developing interventions aimed at preventing and/or reducing the burden associated with frailty among community-dwelling older adults.