Feasibility and Potential Effects of Multidomain Interventions to Improve the Cognitive and Functional Well-Being of Elderly Individuals in Residential Structures: The I-COUNT Pilot Study Protocol.

: Multidisciplinary approaches spanning the physical, cognitive, and social domains of geriatric evaluation are essential to promote functional well-being and reduce the aversive consequences of aging. The main objective of the pilot study, "Multidomain Interventions to improve the COgnitive and fUNctional well-being of elderly individuals in residential sTructures" (I-COUNT), is to assess the feasibility of a 6-month multidomain intervention performed on older adults in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs), compared with a group of residents following a traditional care approach. : The intervention will involve two LTCFs in Italy and will include physical exercise and cognitive training, administered and monitored using wearable technologies, a nutritional program based on the Mediterranean diet enriched with selected functional foods, and the administration of the vaccinations recommended in the national vaccination plan.

Beyond Treatment Decisions: The Predictive Value of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Older Cancer Patients.

: Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is essential for evaluating older cancer patients, but significant gaps persist in both research and clinical practice. This study aimed (I) to identify the CGA elements that most influence anti-cancer treatment decisions in older patients and (II) to explore the predictive value of CGA components for mortality. : This observational study included older patients with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed solid or hematological cancers, recruited consecutively from 2003 to 2023.

The Italian Standardization of the Cerebellar Cognitive Affective/Schmahmann Syndrome Scale: Cognitive Profiling in a Healthy, Heterogeneous Population.

Introduction: The Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome (CCAS), also known as Schmahmann's syndrome, is increasingly recognized for its impact on cognitive and emotional functioning yet remains underdiagnosed. This study aimed to standardize the CCAS-Scale (CCAS-S) in the Italian population, enhancing its methodological and statistical validity.

Methods: A total of 671 healthy Italian volunteers (mean age = 46.

The Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on Physical Performance in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study in Relation to Cognitive Function.

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in older adults, affects quality of life and physical performance. However, evidence is limited, and the impact of cognitive decline and frailty remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of AF on physical performance in older adults, considering cognitive function, frailty, and sex differences.

The interplay of caregiver-patient interactions: Investigating the relationship between burden, anosognosia, and coping strategies.

Dementia significantly burdens caregivers, increasing depressive and anxious symptoms. This impact is influenced by patient characteristics, anosognosia, and caregiver coping strategies. This study aims to analyze these factors and their relationships to provide insights for targeted interventions supporting caregivers of dementia patients.

The impact of age and frailty on hospitalization and survival in older liver transplant recipients: a longitudinal cohort study.

Purpose: Frailty is a well-established risk factor for adverse outcomes, particularly in liver transplant candidates. This study investigates the impact of age and frailty on key clinical outcomes-hospitalizations, waitlist survival, and post-transplant mortality-in cirrhotic patients evaluated for liver transplantation.

Methods: This study included older adults with chronic liver disease under consideration for transplantation.

Impact of vitamin D levels on mortality in older covid-19 vaccinated patients.

Background: Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the immune system and vaccine response, and hypovitaminosis D is a known risk factor for mortality. However, its potential influence on mortality in SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated older adults remains underexplored. This study aims to examine survival differences between unvaccinated and vaccinated older adults with varying vitamin D levels, and to assess the impact of vitamin D on mortality.

Cognitive cerebellum dominates motor cerebellum in functional decline of older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

Objectives: The present study aims to investigate the role that cognitive cerebellar lobules, compared to the motor ones, could have on performance abilities control in older individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Methods: Thirty-six participants with MCI were retrospectively recruited from the outpatient clinic for Cognitive Decline and Dementia at Geriatric Clinic and Regional Center for Brain Aging. Cognition was assessed through a reaction time (RT) task in which a mere cognitive (COG) component (RT/S1 COG, RT/S3 COG) has been isolated from a motor (MOT) component (RT/S1 MOT, RT/S3 MOT).

The Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) 8.1 version, including the memory index score (MoCA-MIS): Italian norms.

Background: We standardized, in Italy, the latest version (i.e., 8.

The hidden route: an exploratory study on autonomic influences in early phases of information processing.

Background: Adapting to an ever-evolving world and the constant changes taking place in one's own body requires a great deal of regulatory effort in which the brain and periphery act in synergy. In this framework, heart rate variability (HRV) is thought to reflect autonomic regulatory adaptions to the environment. The hypothesis of this exploratory work is that the sensory gating (SG) evoked potential might represent an index of early phases of the cognitive counterpart.

Motor markers of congenital cerebellar hypoplasia.

The Reach-to-Grasp (RtG) movement is a fundamental feature of human competence and a widely adopted model for the study of functional movements in both healthy and disease-affected individuals. In particular, 3-D kinematic analysis of RtG allows the study of fine hand movements and submovements, described as secondary fluctuations of the main movement. The aim of this study was to use a RtG movement to test upper limb motor performance in a patient with ataxic syndrome due to cerebellar hypoplasia.

The lateralized cerebellum: insights into motor, cognitive, and affective functioning across ages: a scoping review.

Research on the cerebellum and its functional organization has significantly expanded over the last decades, expanding our comprehension of its role far beyond motor control, including critical contributions to cognition and affective processing. Notably, the cerebellar lateralization mirrors contralateral brain lateralization, a complex phenomenon that remains unexplored, especially across different stages of life. The present work aims to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive scoping review of the lateralization of motor, cognitive, and affective functioning within the cerebellum across the lifespan.

Neuropsychology of sexuality in older adults: bridging gaps in literature and future directions in research.

Sexuality is a fundamental part of human existence and it encompasses thoughts, desires, behaviors, relationships, as well as neuropsychological and physiological components. However, sexuality in older adults is under-researched from the neuropsychological and psychophysiological perspectives and is often neglected by healthcare providers in the clinical practice. This article aims to explore the state of the art on the neuropsychology and psychophysiology of older adults' sexuality, proposing future research directions and emphasizing its significance.

Exploring the role of calf circumference as a predisposing factor for intra-hospital delirium: investigating potential gender differences: revealing potential gender variances.

Background: Malnutrition and sarcopenia significantly increase the risk of intra-hospital delirium, particularly among older adults. Given the potential correlation between calf circumference (CC) and these conditions, CC emerges as a promising predisposing factor for delirium. This study aims to investigate the independent association between delirium and anthropometric parameters, focusing on evaluating CC's predictive capacity for intra-hospital delirium risk.

The potential of cannabinoids in managing cancer-related anorexia in older adults: a systematic review of the literature.

Background And Objectives: Anorexia of aging (AoA) is a prevalent geriatric syndrome characterized by a multifactorial decline in appetite and reduced food intake associated with the aging process. This systematic review aims to investigate the use and outcomes of cannabinoids in addressing AoA, with the goal of providing a comprehensive understanding and discussing their potential integration into daily clinical practice.

Methods: A thorough search of databases (Embase Ovid, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) identified 6100 studies.

Shorter observation times and smaller gauge needles in outpatient kidney biopsies.

Controversy exists as to the optimal observational time (OT) after outpatient percutaneous kidney biopsy. Further, there is some uncertainty about the benefit of smaller (18-gauge) vs. larger (16-gauge) biopsy needles.

A multidisciplinary approach to improve adherence to medical recommendations in older adults at hospital discharge: The APPROACH study protocol.

Introduction: Poor comprehension and medication adherence are common in older people, especially after hospitalizations, in case of changes or prescriptions of new therapeutic regimes. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated approach in improving older individuals' adherence to medical recommendations after hospital discharge.

Methods: Data from an expected sample of 360 older inpatients (and their caregivers) will be collected.

Investigating the Functioning of Rating Scales With Rasch Models.

The hypothesis implicit in the rating scale design is that the categories reflect increasing levels of the latent variable. Rasch models for ordered polytomous items include parameters, called thresholds, that allow for empirically testing this hypothesis. Failure of the thresholds to advance monotonically with the categories (a condition that is referred to as "threshold disordering") provides evidence that the rating scale is not functioning as intended.

The Role of Cognitive Reserve in Protecting Cerebellar Volumes of Older Adults with mild Cognitive Impairment.

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between cerebellar volumes and cognitive reserve in individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). A description of proxies of cerebellar cognitive reserve in terms of different volumes across lobules is also provided. 36 individuals with MCI underwent neuropsychological (MoCA, MMSE, Clock test, CRIq) assessment and neuroimaging acquisition with magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T.

Implication of acute tubular injury in minimal change nephrotic syndrome.

While acute tubular injury (ATI) is known to occur in a significant number of minimal change disease (MCD) nephrotic syndrome cases with acute kidney injury (AKI), the clinical significance is not certain, and AKI may also occur without ATI. This study aimed to evaluate whether the severity of AKI defined by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria correlated with the presence or severity of ATI in a series of adult patients with MCD. We also looked at whether time to remission of nephrotic syndrome (NS) with treatment correlated with the presence of ATI in those with and without AKI.

Sarcopenic patients "get even": The impact of COVID-19 vaccination on mortality.

Background: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), driven by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has disproportionately affected the elderly, with comorbidities like sarcopenia worsening prognosis. Considering the significant impact of RNA vaccines on survival rates in this population, our objective is to investigate the impact of vaccination on the survival of hospitalized elderly patients with COVID-19, considering the presence or absence of sarcopenia.

Methods: Prospective study conducted on 159 patients aged>65 years from September 2021 to March 2022.