by Fabio Robusto  , Giovanni Colucci  , Maria Zamparella  , Enrico Maria Pellegrini  , Brigida Martucci  , Pasquale Iacovazzo  , Enza Colucci  , Martino Minardi  , Cristina Giliberti  , Vito Bossone  , Vito Lepore  and Stefano Ivis

Received: 08 September 2021;  Published: 04 March 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201192

Frailty is a chronic condition that increases the vulnerability to stressogenic factors and prevents the patient from returning to the preceding condition of homeostasis. This increases the risk of negative outcomes and progressively brings the patient toward disability, leading to higher use of healthcare resources. Clinical risk stratification systems can generally be useful for identifying frail patients from the standpoint of a healthcare system, though General Practitioners (GPs) assume a key and irreplaceable [...]

by Tatsuya Nogami  , Makoto Arai  and Koh Iwasaki

Received: 12 January 2022;  Published: 28 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201191

Several countries have entered the super-aging era. In Japan, the recently reported average life expectancy is approximately 90 years. Kampo medicine (a form of traditional Japanese medicine) is a part of the official medical service in Japan and is widely used for treating various illnesses of older people. However, although general physicians often prescribe Kampo preparations, most Japanese general physicians do not have an intimate understanding of the iatrology of Kampo. Kampo is based on traditional Chinese m [...]

by Takeshi Hatta  , Taketoshi Hatta  , Junko Hatta  , Akihiko Iwahara  , Kazumi Fujiwara  , Kimiko Kato  and Yukiharu Hasegawa

Received: 15 October 2021;  Published: 24 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201190

In the present study, we identified the factors of cognitive and physical performances predicting self-rated health perception (SRH) using an SRH questionnaire in 660 (298 men and 362 women) upper-middle-aged community dwellers. In addition, neuropsychological test battery and physical ability tests were applied. A multiple regression analysis was conducted using the forced entry method; digit cancellation test (D-CAT1), logical memory test, verbal fluency test, back strength, timed-up and-go (TUG), balancing test, [...]

by Darcy A Hille  , Sverre E Kjeldsen  , Stevo Julius  , Kristian Wachtell  , Peter M Okin  and Richard B Devereux

Received: 30 December 2021;  Published: 24 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201189

We aimed to assess some readily available patient characteristics such as urinary albumin excretion as predictors of a primary composite event of myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke, and cardiovascular death among patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy, and develop risk algorithms for the outcomes. A “Cox proportional hazards” model identified the baseline variables that significantly affected the occurrence of the composite endpoint in 9193 elderly hypertensive patients with lef [...]

by Alexander Peller  , Lara Suarez  , Ashleigh Trapuzzano  , Matt S. Stock  and Nicole Dawson

Received: 16 November 2021;  Published: 15 February 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201188

Gait speed has been correlated to quality of life and has been called the sixth vital sign. The purpose of this study was to understand the factors that comprise fast and comfortable gait speed. 90 older adults provided demographic, cognitive, and functional performance data. Hierarchical linear regression models revealed predictors for comfortable gait speed to be lower-extremity strength ( B = 1.13, β = 0.233, P< .05), comorbid health ( B = −2.95, β = −0.22, P < 0.05), and gender( B = [...]

by Andreea L. Seritan

Received: 26 November 2021;  Published: 24 January 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201187

Older adults’ mental health needs significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Geriatric psychiatry is an area of extreme workforce shortage globally. A novel curriculum was developed to educate healthcare providers on COVID-19-related geriatric and geropsychiatry topics. Monthly lectures were presented from November 2020 to June 2021. Evaluations were collected after each lecture via an anonymous survey. Overall lecture quality and relevance for the participants’ clinical practices were rated on a 1-3 Lik [...]

by OBM Geriatrics Editorial Office

Received: 06 January 2022;  Published: 06 January 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2201186

The editors of OBM Geriatrics would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2021. We greatly appreciate the contribution of expert reviewers, which is crucial to the journal's editorial process. We aim to recognize reviewer contributions through several mechanisms, of which the annual publication of reviewer names is one. Reviewers receive a voucher entitling them to a discount on their next LIDSEN publication and can download a certificate of recognition [...]

by Areen Omary  and Tameka Chambers

Received: 17 August 2021;  Published: 22 December 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2104185

The current study aimed to examine if sex can significantly predict risk for lifetime major depressive episodes among adults aged 65 and older with and without adjustment for covariate variables of race, education, marital status, health, and poverty. Secondary data was obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health public-use data file to achieve study goals. The study participants were males and females aged 65 years or older. The unweighted sample included 3,969 adults aged 65 years or older, represent [...]

by Karen E. Burke  , Xueyan Zhou  , Yongyin Wang  and Huachen Wei

Received: 29 July 2021;  Published: 13 December 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2104184

The supplement telomerase activator TA-65 (purified from Astragalus membranaceus) has been shown to retard cellular senescence, boost the aging immune system, and retard age-related symptoms. Lengthened telomeres retard aging, but because cancers often maintain longevity by lengthening telomeres, dietary telomerase activator might possibly increase tumorigenesis. This study investigated whether oral TA-65 effects the timing of onset and/or the incidence of skin cancers induced by UVB-irradiation and whether that po [...]

by Clément Dumont  , Madeleine Lefèvre  , Quiterie Aussedat  , Pierre-Louis Régnier  , Alexandra Masson-Lecomte  , Evanguelos Xylinas  , Hélène Gauthier  , Virginie Fossey-Diaz  , Amélie Arégui  and Stéphane Culine

Received: 23 July 2021;  Published: 08 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2104183

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (C-NAC) has been the standard of care in localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, the feasibility and benefit of C-NAC in elderly patients remain uncertain since this population has always been underrepresented in pivotal trials and is often barred from chemotherapy in routine practice because of their perceived frailty. Therefore, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of C-NAC in elderly patients with MIBS, we retrospectively reviewed the medical files of [...]