Digital Health Technology Use Among Older Adults: Exploring the Impact of Frailty on Utilization, Purpose, and Satisfaction in Korea.

BACKGROUND: The importance of digital technology is increasing among older adults. In this study, the digital health technology utilization status, purpose, and satisfaction of older adults were investigated according to frailty. METHODS: A face-to-face survey was conducted among adults aged 65 years or older. Frailty was defined using the Korean version of the fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illnesses, and loss of weight scale. RESULTS: A total of 505 participants completed the survey, with 153 (30.3%) identified as pre-frail or frail and 352 (69.7%) as healthy. All respondents used smartphones; 440 (87.1%) were application users, and 290 (57.4%) were healthcare application users. Wearable devices were used by only 36 patients (7.1%). Pre-frail or frail respondents used social media more frequently than healthy respondents (19.4% vs. 7.4%, P < 0.001). Among the respondents, 319 (63.2%) were not able to install or delete the application themselves, and 277 (54.9%) stated that the application was recommended by their children (or partner). Pre-frail and frail respondents used more healthcare applications to obtain health information (P = 0.002) and were less satisfied with wearable devices (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The usage rate of digital devices, including mobile phones among older adults in Korea is high, whereas that of wearable devices is low. There was a notable difference in the services used by pre-frail and frail respondents compared to healthy respondents. Therefore, when developing digital devices for pre-frail and frail older adults, it is crucial to incorporate customized services that meet their unique needs, particularly those services that they frequently use.

Developing a Multimodal Monitoring System for Geriatric Depression: A Feasibility Study.

The Internet of Medical Things is promising for monitoring depression symptoms. Therefore, it is necessary to develop multimodal monitoring systems tailored for elderly individuals with high feasibility and usability for further research and practice. This study comprised two phases: (1) methodological development of the system; and (2) system validation to evaluate its feasibility. We developed a system that includes a smartphone for facial and verbal expressions, a smartwatch for activity and heart rate monitoring, and an ecological momentary assessment application. A sample of 21 older Koreans aged 65 years and more was recruited from a community center. The 4-week data were collected for each participant (n = 19) using self-report questionnaires, wearable devices, and interviews and were analyzed using mixed methods. The depressive group (n = 6) indicated lower user acceptance relative to the nondepressive group (n = 13). Both groups experienced positive emotions, had regular life patterns, increased their self-interest, and stated that a system could disturb their daily activities. However, they were interested in learning new technologies and actively monitored their mental health status. Our multimodal monitoring system shows potential as a feasible and useful measure for acquiring mental health information about geriatric depression.

Physical resilience as a moderator of the relationship between frailty and disability in older adults with osteoarthritis.

AIMS: Frailty is a leading cause of deteriorating physical function of older adults with osteoarthritis. This study examined a model of frailty with the goals of (1) exploring the direct effect of osteoarthritic symptoms on disability and the mediating effect of frailty on disability and (2) determining whether both effects are moderated by physical resilience. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS: Data collection was conducted among patients 65-92 years of age (N = 235) who visited primary medical centres for the management of chronic arthritic pain between July and December 2019. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring osteoarthritic symptoms, frailty, physical resilience, and disability. SPSS 25.0 was used to analyse the conditional process model. This study was reported following the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: Frailty was shown to be a mediator between osteoarthritic symptoms and disability. Furthermore, physical resilience played a role as a moderator in both the direct and indirect pathways of this mediating relationship. CONCLUSION: The findings emphasize the detrimental effects of osteoarthritic symptoms on disability through frailty, and the moderated mediation results suggest that these effects were conditional on physical resilience, which is a modifiable internal resource of individuals. When planning nursing interventions for older adults with osteoarthritis, nurses need to consider physical resilience as a moderator to prevent frailty and disability.

Computed Tomography-Derived Skeletal Muscle Radiodensity Predicts Peak Weight-Corrected Jump Power in Older Adults: The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) Study.

Computed tomography (CT)-derived skeletal muscle area (SMA) and skeletal muscle radiodensity (SMD) reflect distinctive quantitative and qualitative characteristics of skeletal muscles. However, data on whether CT-based muscle parameters, especially SMD, can predict muscle function is limited. In a prospective cohort, 1523 community-dwelling older adults who underwent abdominal CT scans and the countermovement two-legged jumping test on a ground reaction force platform were analyzed (mean age 74.7 years, 65.1% women). SMA and SMD were measured at third lumbar vertebra level (L3). Individuals with low jump power (peak weight-corrected jump power < 23.8 W/kg in men and < 19.0 W/kg in women using clinically validated threshold) were older; had lower SMA, SMD, and maximal grip strength values; and had lower chair rise test and timed up and go test performance than those without low jump power. SMD was positively associated with peak weight-corrected jump power (adjusted ß = 0.33 and 0.23 per 1 HU increase in men and women, respectively, p < 0.001). One HU decrement in SMD was associated with 10% elevated odds of low jump power (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.10, p < 0.001) after adjusting for age, sex, height, inflammation, and insulin resistance markers, whereas the association of SMA with low jump power was attenuated (aOR 1.00, p = 0.721). SMD showed better discrimination for low jump power than SMA (AUC 0.699 vs. 0.617, p < 0.001), with additional improvement when added to SMA and conventional risk factors (AUC 0.745 to 0.773, p < 0.001). Therefore, CT-measured L3 SMD can be a sensitive surrogate marker for muscle function along with SMA in older adults, which merits further investigation.

Daytime Glycemic Variability and Frailty in Older Patients with Diabetes: a Pilot Study Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring.

We investigated the relationship between glucose variability and frailty. Forty-eight type 2 diabetic patients aged ≥ 65 years were enrolled. The FRAIL scale was used for frailty assessment, and participants were classified into 'healthy & pre-frail' (n = 24) and 'frail' (n = 24) groups. A continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system was used for a mean of 6.9 days and standardized CGM metrics were analyzed: mean glucose, glucose management indicator (GMI), coefficient of variation, and time in range, time above range (TAR), and time below range. The demographics did not differ between groups. However, among the CGM metrics, mean glucose, GMI, and TAR in the postprandial periods were higher in the frail group (all P < 0.05). After multivariate adjustments, the post-lunch TAR (OR = 1.12, P = 0.019) affected the prevalence of frailty. Higher glucose variability with marked daytime postprandial hyperglycemia is significantly associated with frailty in older patients with diabetes.

Relationship of the pre-operative comprehensive geriatric assessment to length of stay in Korean older adults undergoing spinal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Although pre-operative, Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment has been used widely, its impact on the health status of older adults has not been fully examined. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between subcomponents of a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment and length of hospital stay in older adults undergoing spinal surgery. METHODS: Participants were 133 older adults in neurosurgical department. The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment included nutrition, physical activity, functional status, cognition, depression, the Timed Up and Go test, self-rated health, and frailty. Length of stay was replaced by excessive number of days, because expected length of stay varied depending on the type of surgery. RESULTS: Excessive lengths of stay were associated with pre-frailty (p = 0.02), frailty (p = 0.02), risk of depression (p < 0.01), and post-operative complications (p < 0.01). More specifically, frailty and risk of depression played as moderators as interacting post-operative complications. The effect of interaction was greatest in the older adults who were frail and depressed (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Among the subcomponent of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, frailty and depression were significant predictors of excessive length of stay. The interrelationship between frailty and depression better explained excessive length of stay rather than considered as individual variable. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians are encouraged to pay attention to depression and frailty, and its interaction to improve the health status of surgical elderly patients.

Elevated Red Blood Cell Distribution Width Is Associated with Morphometric Vertebral Fracture in Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Independent of Anemia, Inflammation, and Nutritional Status: The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) Study.

Elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW), a simple measure of red blood cell size heterogeneity, has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity in the elderly population, which might reflect systemic inflammation and malnutrition. However, whether elevated RDW is associated with prevalent morphometric vertebral fracture (VF) in older adults has not been investigated. We examined 2127 individuals (mean age 71.7 years; women 66%) from a community-based cohort. VF was defined as ≥ 25% reduction in vertebral column height using the Genant semiquantitative method. Multiple VF was defined as the presence of VF at two or more sites. The prevalence of any VF and multiple VF was 14% and 4%, respectively, increasing from the lowest to the highest RDW tertiles (12-18% and 3-6%, p for trend < 0.05 for all). RDW was positively associated with age, body mass index (BMI), malnutrition, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), whereas it was negatively associated with albumin, hemoglobin, and ferritin levels. Elevated RDW was associated with any VF [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.26; p = 0.008] and multiple VF (aOR 1.36; p = 0.010) after adjustment for covariates, including age, sex, BMI, hsCRP, malnutrition, self-reported previous fracture, falls, osteoporosis, and hemoglobin and ferritin levels. The association between elevated RDW and VF remained robust in subgroups with (aOR 1.39; p = 0.048) or without anemia (aOR 1.26; p = 0.030). Elevated RDW was associated with prevalent morphometric VF in community-dwelling elderly individuals, independent of anemia, inflammation, and nutritional status.

Associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with metabolic syndrome and its components in elderly men and women: the Korean Urban Rural Elderly cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have investigated the association between vitamin D and metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, few studies have investigated the association stratified by sex in the elderly. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between vitamin D, MetS, and its components in Korean elderly men and women. METHODS: A total of 987 men and 1949 women aged ≥65 years were recruited through Korean Urban Rural Elderly cohort study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels were categorized into 4 quartiles and all data were analyzed separately by sex. MetS was defined by the revised criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. RESULTS: The participants in the lowest quartile of serum 25(OH)D showed a significant increase in the prevalence of high waist circumference, elevated triglyceride level, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, as well as MetS itself, in both men and women in a univariate analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders including age, smoking status, drinking status, exercise status, region of residence, seasonality, and parathyroid hormone level, the lowest 25(OH)D quartile group was associated with a higher risk of MetS (odds ratio [OR] 2.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-3.43 in men and OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.27-2.16 in women) compared to the highest 25(OH)D quartile group as the reference group. However, no significant association was found between serum 25(OH)D levels and the prevalence of MetS components including hyperglycemia or hypertension in both men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Low 25(OH)D levels were associated with increased odds of MetS; in particular, they were associated with MetS components of high waist circumference, hypertriglyceridemia, and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol, exercise, region of residency, and seasonality, in men and women over 65 years old.

Correction to: Associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with metabolic syndrome and its components in elderly men and women: the Korean Urban Rural Elderly cohort study.

Following the publication of this article [1], the authors reported an error in one of the author's names. In this Correction the incorrect and correct author name are shown. The original publication of this article has been corrected.

Low peak jump power is associated with elevated odds of dysmobility syndrome in community-dwelling elderly individuals: the Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) study.

In a community-dwelling elderly cohort (Korean Urban Rural Elderly), low peak jump power was associated with elevated odds of dysmobility syndrome and its components, independent of age and comorbidities. Jump power measurement improved discrimination of individuals with dysmobility syndrome when added to conventional risk factors. INTRODUCTION: Dysmobility syndrome was proposed to encompass the risks affecting musculoskeletal outcomes. Jump power measurement is a safe, reproducible high-intensity test for physical function in elderly. However, the relationship between jump power and dysmobility syndrome remains unknown. METHODS: A total of 1369 subjects (mean 71.6 years; women, 66%) were analyzed from a community-based cohort. Dysmobility syndrome was defined as the presence of ≥ 3 factors among falls in the preceding year, low lean mass, high fat mass, osteoporosis, low grip strength, and low timed get-up-and-go (TUG) performance. Subjects were grouped into tertiles of jump power relative to weight based on sex-stratified cutoffs (32.4 and 27.6 W/kg in men; 23.9 and 19.9 W/kg in women) or into the failed-to-jump group. RESULTS: The prevalence of dysmobility syndrome was 20% overall, increasing from the highest (T1) to lowest (T3) jump power tertile (1, 11, 15% in men; 11, 16, 39% in women) and the failed-to-jump group (39% in men; 48% in women). Low jump power or failed-to-jump was associated with elevated odds of dysmobility syndrome (T3 vs. T1, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.35, p < 0.001; failed-to-jump vs. T1, aOR 7.60, p < 0.001) and its components including falls, low lean mass, high fat mass, and poor TUG performance but not osteoporosis after adjustment for covariates. Jump power modestly discriminated dysmobility syndrome (area under the curve [AUC], 0.71, p < 0.001), which improved discriminatory performance when added to conventional risk factors (AUC, from 0.75 to 0.79, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Low peak jump power was associated with elevated odds of dysmobility syndrome and its components, independent of age and comorbidities.

Strong enhancement of emission efficiency in GaN light-emitting diodes by plasmon-coupled light amplification of graphene.

Recently, we have demonstrated that excitation of plasmon-polaritons in a mechanically-derived graphene sheet on the top of a ZnO semiconductor considerably enhances its light emission efficiency. If this scheme is also applied to device structures, it is then expected that the energy efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) increases substantially and the commercial potential will be enormous. Here, we report that the plasmon-induced light coupling amplifies emitted light by ∼1.6 times in doped large-area chemical-vapor-deposition-grown graphene, which is useful for practical applications. This coupling behavior also appears in GaN-based LEDs. With AuCl3-doped graphene on Ga-doped ZnO films that is used as transparent conducting electrodes for the LEDs, the average electroluminescence intensity is 1.2-1.7 times enhanced depending on the injection current. The chemical doping of graphene may produce the inhomogeneity in charge densities (i.e., electron/hole puddles) or roughness, which can play a role as grating couplers, resulting in such strong plasmon-enhanced light amplification. Based on theoretical calculations, the plasmon-coupled behavior is rigorously explained and a method of controlling its resonance condition is proposed.

Lower Jump Power Rather Than Muscle Mass Itself is Associated with Vertebral Fracture in Community-Dwelling Elderly Korean Women.

Sarcopenia is considered to be a risk factor for osteoporotic fracture, which is a major health problem in elderly women. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of sarcopenia, with regard to muscle mass and function, with prevalent vertebral fracture in community-dwelling elderly women. We recruited 1281 women aged 64 to 87 years from the Korean Urban Rural Elderly cohort study. Muscle mass and function were measured using bioimpedance analysis and jumping mechanography. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) and jump power were used as an indicator of muscle mass and function, respectively. Among the participants, we observed 282 (18.9%) vertebral fractures and 564 (44.0%) osteoporosis. Although age, body mass index, and prevalence of osteoporosis increased as both SMI and jump power decreased, prevalence of vertebral fracture increased only when jump power decreased. In univariate analysis, compared with the highest quartile of jump power, the lowest quartile had a significant odds ratio of 2.80 (95% CI 1.79-4.36) for vertebral fracture. This association between jump power and vertebral fracture remained significant, with an odds ratio of 3.04 (95% CI 1.77-5.23), even after adjusting for other risk factors including age, bone mineral density, previous fracture, and cognitive function. In contrast, there was no association between SMI and vertebral fracture. Based on our results, low jump power, but not SMI, is associated with vertebral fracture in community-dwelling elderly Korean women. This finding suggests that jump power may have a more important role than muscle mass itself for osteoporotic fracture.

Falls, a fear of falling and related factors in older adults with complex chronic disease.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify factors influencing falls and the fear of falling among older adults with chronic diseases in Korea. BACKGROUND: The fear of falling and falls in older adults are significant health problems towards which healthcare providers should direct their attention. Further investigation is needed to improve nursing practice specifically decreasing risk of falls and the fear of falling in Korea. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A convenience sample of 108 patients was recruited at the geriatric outpatient department of a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, medication use, fall history, level of physical activity, activities of daily living, mobility, muscle strength, and a fear of falling were investigated. Student's t tests, chi-square tests and multiple linear regressions were used in statistical analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-six participants (33.3%) among 108 subjects reported experiencing ≥1 falls in the past year. Marital status and the use of antipsychotics were associated with falls, while other factors were not significantly related to falls. Only benign prostatic hypertrophy and polypharmacy were significantly related to the fear of falling in the analysis of the relationships between chronic disease, medication use and fear of falling. In the regression model, the number of comorbidities, level of physical activity, activities of daily living and mobility were predictors of a fear of falling. Medication use was marginally significant, in the model. CONCLUSION: Increasing physical activity, functional fitness and physical independence is important to decrease the fear of falling, and to encourage active and healthy lives in older adults. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The findings from this study provide evidence for the development of nursing interventions for older adults. We recommend early screening for a fear of falling and nursing interventions to decrease the fear of falling through enhancing physical activity level and function.

Gamma-glutamyl transferase is associated with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in community-dwelling older adults: results from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010-2011.

Although elevated serum gamma-glutamyl transferase activity (GGT) has been linked with metabolic risk factors for sarcopenia, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, adiposity, and insulin resistance, whether GGT independently associated with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity has not yet been investigated. We analyzed cross-sectional data of 3,193 community-dwelling adults (42.2% men, age 63.4 ± 8.7) aged ≥50 years from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010-2011. Sarcopenia was defined as a calculated value of the appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by body weight (ASM/Wt, %) <1 standard deviation below the sex-specific mean for healthy young adults. Sarcopenic obesity was defined as sarcopenia combined with a waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women. The prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity increased stepwise from the lowest to highest GGT quintiles (sarcopenia, 20.2-39.7%; sarcopenic obesity, 7.5-27.3%; P for trend, <0.001). Serum GGT activity was associated negatively with ASM and positively with waist circumference. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, participants in the highest GGT quintile had a 2.3-fold increased risk of sarcopenia and 3.4-fold risk of sarcopenic obesity versus those in the lowest quintile, whereas each single-unit increase in natural log-GGT associated independently with a 35% increased risk of sarcopenia and 62% increased risk of sarcopenic obesity after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and other confounders. Elevated serum GGT activity was independently associated with sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in community-dwelling older adults.

The Korean urban rural elderly cohort study: study design and protocol.

BACKGROUND: Korea is one of the fastest aging countries and is expected to become a super-aged society within 12 years. The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) study was developed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics and establish the prevention and management of major disorders of the elderly in Korea. METHODS/DESIGN: The KURE study is a community-based prospective cohort study on health, aging, and common geriatric disorders of Korean elderly persons aged at least 65 years. To construct a cohort reflecting both urban and rural areas, we selected 2 representative communities in the country. To establish multidisciplinary approaches to geriatric health, this study was performed by researchers in the divisions of geriatrics, preventive medicine, endocrinology, and sociology. The baseline examinations began in 2012; the study will follow more than 4,000 elderly Koreans over 10 years. The first and second follow-up health examinations will be performed every 4 years. Every 2 years after each health examination, inter-assessment interview will be conducted to improve participant retention. DISCUSSION: The KURE study will provide longitudinal epidemiologic data on health, aging, and common geriatric disorders of the elderly in Korea. This is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary study of the elderly with respect to biological, physical, socio-economic, and environmental factors. The results of this study will contribute to improve public health and welfare policies for the aging society in Korea.

Metabolic phenotyping with computed tomography deep learning for metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis and sarcopenia predicts mortality in adults.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography (CT) body compositions reflect age-related metabolic derangements. We aimed to develop a multi-outcome deep learning model using CT multi-level body composition parameters to detect metabolic syndrome (MS), osteoporosis and sarcopenia by identifying metabolic clusters simultaneously. We also investigated the prognostic value of metabolic phenotyping by CT model for long-term mortality. METHODS: The derivation set (n = 516; 75% train set, 25% internal test set) was constructed using age- and sex-stratified random sampling from two community-based cohorts. Data from participants in the individual health assessment programme (n = 380) were used as the external test set 1. Semi-automatic quantification of body compositions at multiple levels of abdominal CT scans was performed to train a multi-layer perceptron (MLP)-based multi-label classification model. External test set 2 to test the prognostic value of the model output for mortality was built using data from individuals who underwent abdominal CT in a tertiary-level institution (n = 10 141). RESULTS: The mean ages of the derivation and external sets were 62.8 and 59.7 years, respectively, without difference in sex distribution (women 50%) or body mass index (BMI; 23.9 kg/m2). Skeletal muscle density (SMD) and bone density (BD) showed a more linear decrement across age than skeletal muscle area. Alternatively, an increase in visceral fat area (VFA) was observed in both men and women. Hierarchical clustering based on multi-level CT body composition parameters revealed three distinctive phenotype clusters: normal, MS and osteosarcopenia clusters. The L3 CT-parameter-based model, with or without clinical variables (age, sex and BMI), outperformed clinical model predictions of all outcomes (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: MS, 0.76 vs. 0.55; osteoporosis, 0.90 vs. 0.79; sarcopenia, 0.85 vs. 0.81 in external test set 1; P < 0.05 for all). VFA contributed the most to the MS predictions, whereas SMD, BD and subcutaneous fat area were features of high importance for detecting osteoporosis and sarcopenia. In external test set 2 (mean age 63.5 years, women 79%; median follow-up 4.9 years), a total of 907 individuals (8.9%) died during follow-up. Among model-predicted metabolic phenotypes, sarcopenia alone (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.55), MS + sarcopenia (aHR 1.65), osteoporosis + sarcopenia (aHR 1.83) and all three combined (aHR 1.87) remained robust predictors of mortality after adjustment for age, sex and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: A CT body composition-based MLP model detected MS, osteoporosis and sarcopenia simultaneously in community-dwelling and hospitalized adults. Metabolic phenotypes predicted by the CT MLP model were associated with long-term mortality, independent of covariates.

Influenza epidemiology and treatment in people with a visual disability: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Visual disabilities (VD) are expected to rise with an aging population. Persons with VD experience a higher prevalence of chronic and acute diseases. Despite the significance of influenza to this population, there is limited data comparing influenza care disparities between those with VD and those without. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the influenza burden and associated healthcare utilization in individuals with VD compared to those without disabilities. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Korean National Health Information Database, encompassing three influenza seasons (2011-2012 to 2013-2014). The influenza incidence and incidence rate ratio (IRR) was calculated. Adjusted IRRs were calculated using a zero-inflated Poisson model. We assessed the risk of admissions and 30-day post-influenza mortality, employing logistic regression or survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of 504,374 patients (252,964 patients with VD and 251,410 controls) were followed for 1,471,480 person-years. The influenza incidence was higher in the VD cohort than in the control (8.8 vs. 7.8 cases per 1000 person-years). VD cohort had a higher influenza IRR (adjusted IRR 1·13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1·02-1·25). Severe VD exhibited higher hospitalization risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·29, 95% CI 1·10-1·20) and increased medical costs. Severe VD was a significant risk factor for mortality (adjusted Hazard Ratio 1·89, 95% CI 1·04-3·45). CONCLUSIONS: People with VD have a higher influenza incidence, while their outcomes are comparable to those without. Nevertheless, severe VD significantly contributes more to hospitalization, mortality, and medical costs than controls.

Effect of Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Cognitive Function in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Two-Week Intervention.

PURPOSE: Repeated transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is expected to have the potential to improve cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of at-home tDCS for elderly patients with MCI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients aged 60-80 years, who maintained normal daily living but reported objective memory impairments, were enrolled. Active or sham stimulations were applied to the dorsal frontal cortex (left: anode; right: cathode) at home for 2 weeks. Changes in cognitive function were assessed using visual recognition tasks and the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), and safety and efficacy were assessed using self-reports and a remote monitoring application. RESULTS: Of the 19 participants enrolled, 12 participants were included in the efficacy analysis. Response times and MMSE scores significantly improved after active stimulation compared to the sham stimulation; however, there were no significant differences in the proportion of correct responses. The mean compliance of the efficacy group was 97.5%±4.1%. Three participants experienced burns, but no permanent sequelae remained. CONCLUSION: This preliminary result suggests that home-based tDCS may be a promising treatment option for MCI patients; however, it requires more attention and technological development to address safety concerns. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), KCT0002721.