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 = 8.28, β = 0.19, P < .05). Fo [...]

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 dire [...]

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 Clement 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 [...]

by Éilish A. Burke  , Rachael Carroll  , Angela W. Ding  , Melisa Yaman  , J. Bernard Walsh  , Philip McCallion  and Mary McCarron

Received: 23 June 2021;  Published: 08 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2104182

Globally between 30-40% of all osteoporotic fractures occur among men, with a quarter of all hip fractures, the most serious complication of osteoporosis, occurring in men. Among men of 50 years of age or older, osteoporotic fracture risk reaches an alarming 20%. What is of great concern is that associated mortality is greater among men when compared with women. For hip fractures specifically, mortality for men is two to three times that in women which may be attributed to the fact that osteoporosis is often consid [...]

by Nathan S. Jiang  , Byron Newton  and Xuezhi Jiang

Received: 28 June 2021;  Published: 19 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2104181

Osteoporosis is one of the most common disorders around the world. Osteoporotic fracture especially hip fracture are associated with an increased mortality rate in elders. However, elders with osteoporosis or at high risk of fractures remain largely underdiagnosed and undertreated. The screening, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis must be improved to maintain pace with its fast-growing prevalence. This review will cover risk factors of osteoporosis, screening and diagnosis tools, newfound advancements, curren [...]

by Jane Anastassopoulou  , Ioannis Mamarelis  and Theophile Theophanides

Received: 07 March 2021;  Published: 12 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2104180

In the present study, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the formation and development of carotid artery atherosclerosis. The FTIR spectra showed that with the progression of atheromatic plaque formation, the collagen changed its native structure from ɑ-helix to random coil, amyloid, and cross-links. The infrared spectra and SEM analysis of carotid arteries showed that higher than 65% of the atheromatic plaque in patients with stenosis cons [...]

by Alicja Włodarczyk  and Janusz Włodarczyk

Received: 26 October 2020;  Published: 18 August 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2103179

Zenker’s diverticulum is a cause of benign dysphagia. The main symptoms include dysphagia and regurgitation and require diagnostics to exclude neoplastic disease. Surgical treatment is recommended for symptomatic patients. The methods of treatment include endoscopic and open transcervical techniques. Thirty-eight patients treated using the open technique between 2000 and 2020 were analyzed. Patients were qualified for the procedure after a complete diagnosis that excluded the neoplastic process. All patients were a [...]