Multidimensional Prognostic Index and Mortality in Intermediate Care Facilities: A Retrospective Study.

Multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) is a frailty assessment tool used for stratifying prognosis in older hospitalized people, but data regarding older people admitted to intermediate care facilities (ICFs) are missing. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether MPI can predict mortality in older patients admitted to the ICFs. MPI was calculated using different domains explored by a standard comprehensive geriatric assessment and categorized into tertiles (MPI-1 ≤ 0.20, MPI-2 0.20-0.34, MPI-3 > 0.34). A Cox's regression analysis, taking mortality as the outcome, was used, reporting the results as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In total, 653 older patients were enrolled (mean age: 82 years, 59.1% females). Patients in MPI-2 (HR = 3.66; 95%CI: 2.45-5.47) and MPI-3 (HR = 6.22; 95%CI: 4.22-9.16) experienced a higher risk of mortality, compared to MPI-1. The accuracy of MPI in predicting mortality was good (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.74, 95%CI: 0.70-0.78). In conclusion, our study showed that prognostic stratification, as assessed by the MPI, was associated with a significantly different risk of mortality in older patients admitted to the ICFs, indicating the necessity of using a CGA-based tool for better managing older people in this setting as well.

Systematic review and meta-analysis found that malnutrition was associated with poor cognitive development.

AIM: Malnutrition is a major public health issue that has been associated with high susceptibility for impaired brain development and mental functioning. However, to date studies on this topic have not been collated and appraised. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the association between malnutrition and cognitive development. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase PsycINFO and Cochrane Library databases in English up to 8 December 2020. All studies reporting an association between nutritional status and cognitive development were included. p values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant and the results are reported as standardised mean differences (SMD), 95% confidence intervals (95%) and I2 statistics. RESULTS: We included 12 studies comprising 7,607 participants aged 1 to 12 years. Children with malnutrition had worse scores than controls for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (SMD -0.40; 95% CI -0.60 to -0.20; p < 0.0001; I2 77.1%), the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (SMD -3.75; 95% CI -5.68 to -1.83; p < 0.0001; I2 99.2%), visual processing (SMD -0.85; 95% CI -1.23 to -0.46; p 0.009; I2 11.0%) and short memory (SMD 0.85; 95% CI -1.21 to -0.49; p < 0.0001; I2 0%) tests. CONCLUSION: Normal cognitive development requires access to good and safe nutrition.

Mortality attributable to COVID-19 in nursing home residents: a retrospective study.

AIM: Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) is a widespread condition in nursing home (NH). It is not known whether COVID-19 is associated with a higher risk of death than residents without COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether COVID-19 is associated with a higher mortality rate in NH residents, considering frailty status assessed with the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI). METHODS: In this retrospective study, made in 31 NHs in Venice, Italy, the presence of COVID-19 was ascertained with a nasopharyngeal swab. Frailty was evaluated using the MPI, modified according to the tools commonly used in our NHs. A Cox's regression analysis was used reporting the results as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), using COVID-19 as exposure and mortality as outcome and stratified by MPI tertiles. Similar analyses were run using MPI tertiles as exposure. RESULTS: Overall, 3946 NH residents (median age = 87 years, females: 73.9%) were eligible, with 1136 COVID-19 + . During a median follow-up of 275 days, higher values of MPI, indicating frailer people, were associated with an increased risk of mortality. The incidence of mortality in COVID-19 + was more than doubled than COVID-19- either in MPI-1, MPI-2 and MPI-3 groups. The presence of COVID-19 increased the risk of death (HR = 1.85; 95% CI 1.59-2.15), also in the propensity score model using MPI as confounder (HR = 2.48; 95% CI 2.10-2.93). CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study of NH residents, COVID-19 was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality than those not affected by COVID-19 also considering the different grades of frailty.

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 publications were included, reporting on 18 outcomes, 795 studies, and 746,706 participants. Highly suggestive evidence (class II) supported the association between loneliness and incident dementia (relative risk, RR=1.26; 95%CI: 1.14-1.40, I2 23.6%), prevalent paranoia (odds ratio, OR=3.36; 95%CI: 2.51-4.49, I2 92.8%) and prevalent psychotic symptoms (OR=2.33; 95%CI: 1.68-3.22, I2 56.5%). Pooled data supported the longitudinal association between loneliness and suicide attempts and depressive symptoms. In narrative systematic reviews, factors cross-sectionally associated with loneliness were age (in a U-shape way), female sex, quality of social contacts, low competence, socio-economic status and medical chronic conditions. LIMITATIONS: Low quality of the studies included; mainly cross-sectional evidence. CONCLUSIONS: This work is the first meta-evidence synthesis showing that highly suggestive and significant evidence supports the association between loneliness and adverse mental and physical health outcomes. More cohort studies are needed to disentangle the direction of the association between risk factors for loneliness and its related health outcomes.