Bidirectional transitions of sarcopenia states in older adults: The longitudinal evidence from CHARLS.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function, brings multiple adverse outcomes including disability and death. Several sarcopenia consensuses have newly introduced the premorbid concept of possible sarcopenia and recommended early lifestyle interventions. Bidirectional transitions of premorbid states have been revealed in several chronic diseases yet not clarified in sarcopenia. This study aims to investigate the underlying transition patterns of sarcopenia states. METHODS: The study utilized three waves of data from a nationally representative survey, the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), and included community-dwelling individuals aged 60 years and older with at least two sarcopenia states assessments based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria 2019 (AWGS2019) between 2011 and 2015. The estimated transition intensity and probability between non-sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia, sarcopenia, and death were investigated using multi-stage Markov (MSM) models. RESULTS: The study comprised 4395 individuals (49.2% female, median age 67 years) with a total of 10 778 records of sarcopenia state assessment, and the mean follow-up period was 3.29 years. A total of 24.5% of individuals with a current state of possible sarcopenia returned to non-sarcopenia, 60.3% remained possible sarcopenia, 6.7% progressed to sarcopenia, and 8.5% died by the next follow-up. The transition intensity of recovery to non-sarcopenia (0.252, 95% CI 0.231-0.275) was 2.8 times greater than the deterioration to sarcopenia (0.090, 95% CI 0.080-0.100) for individuals with possible sarcopenia. For individuals with possible sarcopenia, the estimated probabilities of recovering to non-sarcopenia, progressing to sarcopenia, and transitioning to death within a 1-year observation were 0.181, 0.066, and 0.035, respectively. For individuals with sarcopenia, the estimated probabilities of recovering to non-sarcopenia, recovering to possible sarcopenia, and transitioning to death within 1-year observation were 0.016, 0.125, and 0.075, respectively. In covariables analysis, age, sex, body mass index, physical function impairment, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes are important factors influencing bidirectional transitions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the bidirectional transitions of sarcopenia states among older adults and reveal a notable proportion of possible sarcopenia show potential for recovery in the natural course. Screening and intensifying interventions based on risk factors may facilitate a recovery transition.

Factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine hesitancy after stroke: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The vaccination status of post-stroke patients, who are at high risk of severe outcomes from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a significant concern, yet it remains unclear. We aimed to explore the vaccination status, factors associated with vaccine hesitancy, and adverse effects after vaccination among post-stroke patients. METHODS: This multi-center observational study enrolled hospitalized post-stroke patients from six Chinese hospitals (Oct 1, 2020 - Mar 31, 2021), examining vaccine uptake and self-reported reasons for vaccine hesitancy, utilizing logistic regression to investigate risk factors for vaccine hesitancy, and recording any adverse reactions post-vaccination. RESULTS: Of the total 710 post-stroke patients included in the study, 430 (60.6%) had completed the recommended full-3 dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, with 176 (24.8%) remaining unvaccinated. The most common reasons for vaccine hesitancy were concerns about vaccine side effects (41.5%) and impaired mobility (33.9%). Logistic regression identified advanced age (aOR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.36-2.85, P = 0.001), lower Barthel Index score (aOR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.82-0.93, P = 0.018), higher Modified Rankin Scale score (aOR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.32-2.56, P = 0.004), and poorer usual activity level of EuroQol 5-Dimension (aOR = 2.82, 95%CI: 1.51-5.28, P = 0.001) as independent risk factors for vaccine hesitancy. Approximately 14.8% reported minor adverse reactions, mainly pain at the injection site. CONCLUSION: We found that post-stroke patients have insufficient SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rates, with key risk factors for vaccine hesitancy including concerns about side effects, advanced age, and functional impairments. No severe adverse reactions were observed among the vaccinated population.

Gut microbiota-host lipid crosstalk in Alzheimer's disease: implications for disease progression and therapeutics.

Trillions of intestinal bacteria in the human body undergo dynamic transformations in response to physiological and pathological changes. Alterations in their composition and metabolites collectively contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The role of gut microbiota in Alzheimer's disease is diverse and complex, evidence suggests lipid metabolism may be one of the potential pathways. However, the mechanisms that gut microbiota mediate lipid metabolism in Alzheimer's disease pathology remain unclear, necessitating further investigation for clarification. This review highlights the current understanding of how gut microbiota disrupts lipid metabolism and discusses the implications of these discoveries in guiding strategies for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease based on existing data.

Knowledge mapping of trends and hotspots in the field of exercise and cognition research over the past decade.

Exercise elicits a wide range of physiological responses in mammalian tissues that enhance a broad range of functions, particularly in improving cognitive performance. However, the field lacks a comprehensive bibliometric analysis that clarifies its knowledge structure and research hotspots. This study aims to address this gap and map the research landscape regarding the role of exercise in cognitive function enhancement. Firstly, the frequencies and co-occurrence of keywords were analysed to identify six main clusters: aging, cognitive impairment, rehabilitation, obesity, fatigue, and hippocampus. Secondly, reference timeline co-citation analysis revealed that hippocampus and aging were the major bursts with high intensity and long attention span while children had recently emerged as a topical subject. Finally, the evolution of themes from 2012 to 2022 was analysed, and found that older adults had been the leading research theme for exercise affecting cognition. Childhood obesity was an emerging theme that attracted increasing research attention in recent years while the hippocampus research theme expanded rapidly during the decade but remained a niche topic with less relevance to others. This research identified and summarised research priorities and evolutionary trends in exercise to improve cognition by constructing knowledge networks through visual analysis. It provides researchers with a comprehensive insight into the current state of the field to facilitate further research.

Knowledge mapping of exercise and physical activity research in older adults: Hotspots, bursts, and trends of the last decade.

Background and objectives: Global aging has increased the importance of health management in older adults. Exercise is a crucial strategy for healthy aging and has led to numerous scientific advancements due to its impact on age-related illnesses. We aim to investigate the research hotspots, bursts of knowledge base, and trends in the field of exercise and physical activity in older adults over the past decade and present them in a visual manner. Methods: We searched and retrieved data from the Web of Science database, and performed a bibliometric analysis of publications on exercise and physical activity research in older adults from 2013 to 2022. We evaluated the current status and hotspots through co-occurrence analysis using VOSviewer. The evolution and bursts of knowledge base were assessed through co-citation analysis using CiteSpace. Thematic evolution was analyzed using the bibliometrix package to discover keyword trends. The attribution and collaboration of countries/regions, institutions and authors were also analyzed. Results: A total of 27,820 publications were included. Publications on exercise and physical activity in older adults increased from 1755 records in 2013-3737 records in 2022 annually. In co-occurrence analysis of keywords, 5 major clusters were revealed: sarcopenia, cognition, frailty, mental health, and rehabilitation. Co-citation analysis reveals that the knowledge base has evolved from references focused on frailty, dementia, and physical activity before 2016 to references focus on sarcopenia, cognition and sedentary behavior after 2020. Among the top 10 high-frequency keywords, sarcopenia demonstrated a consistent and significant upward trend, with its percentage increasing from 8.7 % (82 times) in 2016 to 12.2 % (236 times) in the most recent year, making it the most frequently used keyword. Frailty ranked second, starting at 5.6 % (41 times) in 2013 and gradually rising to 11.7 % (225 times) in 2022. The most productive country, institution and author were the USA (8212 publications), the University of Pittsburgh(501 publications), and Brendon Stubbs(94 publications), respectively. Discussion: Publications on exercise and physical activity for older adults have surged in the last decade, accompanied by a shift in the knowledge base. Regional disparities in the academic output in this field need to be addressed in the future to promote healthy aging.

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This study aims to elucidate the effects of soil particle composition and fractal dimension on soil physical and chemical properties following sand-binding revegetation within straw checkerboard in south-eastern Tengger Desert. Three afforested plantations in the year of 2016 (i.e., 1 year), 2013 (i.e., 4 years) and 1987 (i.e., 30 years) were selected as study sites, with the adjacent mobile sand land as control (CK). We measured soil particle composition, soil fractal dimension, and the changes of soil physical and chemical properties. The relationship between soil particle composition, soil fractal dimension, and soil properties was analyzed. The results showed that contents of soil particle with the size of both 100-250 µm and 250-500 µm were greater than that of 50-100 µm, ranging from 42.5% to 80.1% and from 12.5% to 42.2% relative to that ranging from 0.2% to 20.8%. Contents of soil particle with the size of <2 µm and 2-50 µm were remarka-bly lower than that of 100-250 µm, 250-500 µm and 50-100 µm, ranging from 0 to 1.3% and from 0 to 22.7%, respectively. However, contents of soil particle at the size of 500-1000 µm was the lowest occupying <0.3% of soil particle composition. Soil particle with the size of <2 µm and 2-50 µm were found in the 30-year sites only. Soil particle distribution at the size of 50-100 µm, 100-250 µm, and 250-500 µm followed the order of 30 a>1 a>4 a＞CK, 4 a>1 a>CK>30 a, and CK>1 a>4 a> 30a, respectively. Soil particle with the size of 500-1000 µm occupied little of soil particle composition, with no significant difference between each site. The fractal dimension of soil particles ranged from 0.54 to 2.59. There was significantly greater soil fractal dimension in 30 a in comparison to 4 a, 1 a and CK, with the intermediate values in 4 a and 1 a, and the lowest values in CK. There was a significantly positive correlation of fractal dimension of soil particles with soil particle content of clay, silt, very fine sand, and a significantly negative correlation of fractal dimension of soil particles with soil particle content of medium sand. Fractal dimension of soil particles was positively correlated with soil electrical conductivity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and carbon-nitrogen ratio, but with no correlation with soil pH and soil water content. Soil particle content at the size of <2 µm, 2-50 µm, and 50-100 µm had a significant positive correlation with soil electrical conductivity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and carbon-nitrogen ratio, whereas soil particle content at the size of 250-500 µm had a negative correlation with the former four soil indices and soil water content. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation of soil particle content at the size of 500-1000 µm with soil water content. It was concluded that the sand-binding reve-getation within straw checkerboard in Tengger Desert could facilitate the fine soil particles by ameli-orating stressful soil conditions. Long-term succession of revegetation on mobile sand land could enhance soil clay and silt content as well as soil fractal dimension, thus be beneficial for the improvement of soil physical and chemical properties and desertification control.