Psychometric properties of ability to contribute measurements as a domain of functional ability of older persons: a COSMIN systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Older person's ability to contribute covers contributions divided into five subdomains: assisting friends and neighbours, mentoring peers and younger people, caring for family, engaging in the workforce and voluntary activity. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of ability to contribute measurements as a domain of functional ability of older persons using Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) methodology for systematic reviews. METHODS: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO databases, for observational studies published within the last 10 years. The measurement properties of these ability measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy. Risk-of-bias assessment was performed using the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist. RESULTS: Of the 32,665 studies identified, we selected 19, of which the main purpose was to develop or validate an instrument or have related items that measure at least one of the subdomains. None of the instruments contained items that were fully related to the five subdomains, 60% (n = 12) were related to voluntary activities and 15% (n = 3) to mentoring peers and younger people. As for psychometric properties, two studies assessed content validity. Factor analysis was used to evaluate structural validity in 10 studies. Internal consistency was evaluated in 63% of the instruments and Cronbach's alpha ranges from 0.63 to 0.92. No study reported predictive validity. A very limited overview of their scope and limitations for their application was observed. CONCLUSIONS: We found no single instrument measuring all subdomains of ability to contribute. We found several instruments containing items that could indirectly measure some of the subdomains of the ability to contribute.

Insomnia Impairs Both the Pro-BDNF and the BDNF Levels Similarly to Older Adults with Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory Study.

Sleep disorders, including insomnia, are common during aging, and these conditions have been associated with cognitive decline in older adults. Moreover, during the aging process, neurotransmitters, neurohormones, and neurotrophins decrease significantly, leading to the impairment of cognitive functions. In this sense, BDNF, the most abundant neurotrophic factor in the human brain, has been suggested as a potential target for the prevention and improvement of cognitive decline during aging; however, the current evidence demonstrates that the exogenous administration of BDNF does not improve cognitive function. Hence, in the present study, we quantified pro-BDNF (inactive) and BDNF (active) concentrations in serum samples derived from older individuals with insomnia and/or cognitive decline. We used linear regression to analyze whether clinical or sociodemographic variables impacted the levels of BNDF concentration. We observed that insomnia, rather than cognitive decline, is significantly associated with BDNF concentration, and these effects are independent of other variables. To our knowledge, this is the first study that points to the impact of insomnia on improving the levels of BDNF during aging and suggests that opportune treatment of insomnia may be more beneficial to prevent cognitive decline during aging.

Introduction: Historical Development and Progression of Clinical Research on Ageing.

Research on ageing has developed since Greek times. It had a very slow advance during the Middle Ages and a big increase in the Renaissance. Darwin contributed somehow to the understanding of the ageing process and initiated a cumulus of ageing explications under the name of Evolutionary Theories. Subsequently, science discovered a great number of genes, molecules, and cell processes that intervened in ageing. This led to the beginning of trials in animals to retard or avoid the ageing process. Alongside this, improvements, geriatric clinical investigations (with the evidence-based medicine tools) started to consolidate as a discipline and commenced to show the challenges and deficiencies of actual clinical trials in ageing; the COVID-19 outbreak revealed some of them. The history of clinical research in ageing has already begun and is essential to affront the challenges that the world will face with the increasing ageing population.

Effect of Cataract Surgery on Frequency of Falls among Older Persons: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Falls are a significant public health problem among older people worldwide. The aim was to perform a new systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether cataract surgery is effective in reducing the rate of falls in older persons. METHODS: The systematic review was performed following the recommendations by the Cochrane Collaboration. Original papers were included with RCT or quasi-experimental design, which described the effect on uni- or bilateral cataract surgery on the rate of falls among people aged 60 or older. Titles and abstracts were reviewed, full-text versions were retrieved, and two independent examiners reviewed them to assess inclusion criteria. All relevant variables were synthesised in an evidence table. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed pooling the trials, and results were expressed as relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The initial search reported 99 potential abstracts, and 41 full-text versions were examined. In the end, eight studies were included. Five included patients 65 years of age and older, two patients 55 years and older, and one included patients 50 years or older. Phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implant were performed in all studies. Two were RCT, and six were quasi-experimental. Falls was the main outcome. The six quasi-experimental studies reported that a reduction in the frequency of falls was observed (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.48-0.96), although heterogeneity was significant (I 2 = 74%). Only one RCT reported risk reduction of 34% (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provides evidence that the first cataract surgery reduces the frequency of falls in older people with bilateral cataracts, but a second surgery does not have significant impact.

The Burden of Disease in Mexican Older Adults: Premature Mortality Challenging a Limited-Resource Health System.

Objectives: To assess the burden of disease and disability in older persons in Mexico from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016 study data. Methods: Analysis of the Mexican data from the GBD 2016 study is presented by state, sex, and stratified into four age groups: 60 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 to 89, and 90+ years. Results: The majority of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to disorders in persons 60+ in Mexico were due to premature mortality (68%). Diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and chronic kidney disease were the main causes of DALYs. With progressing age, sense organ diseases, dementias, and falls climbed to the top causes of years lived with disability (YLDs) in both sexes. Discussion: Most of the burden of disease in older Mexicans is due to premature mortality, underlining the need to strengthen the health system to respond better to health care needs of older persons with non-communicable diseases. This analysis provides information for the development of national health policies.

Risk factors for urinary incontinence among postmenopausal Mexican women.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Previous studies of racial/ethnic variation in urinary incontinence (UI) suggest that population-specific studies of UI risk factors are needed to develop appropriate public health recommendations. We assessed UI risk factors among postmenopausal Mexican women enrolled in the Mexican Teachers' Cohort. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 15,296 postmenopausal women who completed the 2008 questionnaire. UI cases were women who reported experiencing UI during menopause. Self-reported potential UI risk factors included age, reproductive variables, smoking status, adiposity, and several health conditions. We estimated multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for UI using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Among these postmenopausal women, the prevalence of UI was 14 %. Odds of UI were higher among women with ≥4 children vs nulliparous women (OR 1.43, 95 % CI 1.04-1.96) or body mass index (BMI) ≥30 vs <22 kg/m2 (OR 2.00, 95 % CI: 1.55-2.57). Age at first birth <20 vs 20-24 years, past or current vs never smoking, larger waist-to-hip ratio, and history of asthma, high blood pressure, or diabetes were also associated with higher odds of UI (OR 1.2-1.3). We found a trend of lower odds of UI with older age. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that information about UI and UI prevention strategies might be particularly useful for Mexican postmenopausal women with 4 or more children or higher BMI. Further studies with longitudinal UI data, in addition to data on UI severity and subtype, are needed to provide more specific information about UI risk factors to Mexican women.