Associations of intrinsic capacity, fall risk and frailty in old inpatients.

Introduction: This study explored the associations of intrinsic capacity (IC), fall risk, and frailty in geriatric inpatients. Methods: A total of 703 hospitalized patients aged 75 years or older were recruited for this retrospective observational study from Zhejiang Hospital using a comprehensive geriatric assessment. The IC composite score was constructed from the scores of the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Short Physical Performance Battery, Short Form Mini Nutritional Assessment, 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and self-reported hearing and vision impairment. Adverse outcomes were recorded as the fall risk and frailty using the Morse Fall Scale and the Clinical Frailty Scale. Spearman's correlation coefficient analyses and multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the associations between IC, high fall risk, and frailty. Results: Declined IC composite scores were associated with increased risks of falls [odds ratio (OR) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57-0.72] and frailty (OR = 0.45, 95%CI: 0.37-0.54) among older hospitalized patients after adjusting for the related potential confounders. In addition, decreased cognitive, vitality, locomotion, and psychological scores were associated with increased adverse health conditions, with ORs ranging from 0.26 to 0.70. Vision impairment was observed to increase the risk of frailty (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.23-0.76) after adjusting for the related potential confounders. Discussion: This study indicated that declined IC was associated with fall risk and frailty in older inpatients. Further prospective studies are needed to explore the longitudinal associations between baseline IC and subsequent risk of falls and frailty.

Coexisting Frailty and Cognitive Impairment as a Predictor of Adverse Outcomes in Older Inpatients After Discharge: Results from a One-Year Follow-Up Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the combined effects of frailty and cognitive impairment on adverse outcomes, including new falls and new activities of daily living (ADL) dependency over a 1-year follow-up. Patients and Methods: A total of 311 older hospitalized patients participated in this retrospective observational study and completed a 1-year follow-up. Frailty was assessed by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Cognitive function was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). All participants were classified into four groups: 1) the healthy group (n=180); 2) the cognitive impairment group only (n=38); 3) the frailty group only (n=44); and 4) coexisting frailty and cognitive impairment group (n=49). The follow-up data of adverse outcomes include the incidences of new falls and new ADL dependence. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore the associations of frailty and/or cognitive impairment with adverse outcomes. Results: The prevalence rates of frailty, cognitive impairment, and co-occurring frailty with cognitive impairment were 29.9%, 28%, and 15.8%, respectively. Among these four groups, there was a statistical difference in the incidence of new ADL dependence during the follow-up period (9.5% vs 11.4% vs 35.9% vs 61.9%, P < 0.001). After adjusting the confounding variables, older hospitalized patients with frailty and cognitive impairment had a higher risk of new ADL dependence when compared with the healthy group (OR: 4.786, 95% CI: 1.492-15.355), but frailty only or cognitive impairment only was not associated with new ADL dependency. Conclusion: Elderly inpatients with comorbid frailty and cognitive impairment on admission were significantly associated with an increased risk of new ADL dependency 1 year after discharge. Therefore, it is necessary for the early identification of frailty and cognitive impairment, and effective interventions should be implemented.

Orthostatic hypotension is associated with malnutrition diagnosed by GLIM in elderly hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND: Orthostatic Hypotension (OH) and malnutrition, are common health problems in elderly hypertensive patients. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between malnutrition and OH in elderly hypertensive patients. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional single-center study. All participants underwent a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), in which malnutrition was defined according to the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria based on four different methods of diagnosing muscle mass loss. Furthermore, the accuracy of these methods was verified by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors for OH in elderly hypertensive patients. RESULTS: For GLIM criteria, when Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI) was the gold standard for muscle mass loss, the Area Under ROC Curve (AUC) values for Upper Arm Circumference (UAC), Calf Circumference (CC), and Hand Grip Strength (HGS) were 0.784, 0.805, and 0.832, with moderate accuracy in diagnosing malnutrition. Multivariate analysis showed that females, Diabetes Mellitus (DM), diuretics, and malnutrition diagnosed by GLIM-UAC were risk factors for OH in elderly hypertensive patients. CONCLUSION: Prompt detection of malnutrition in the elderly and attention to changes in UAC may be critical. Similarly, we should strengthen medication and disease management in elderly hypertensive patients.

Associations of poor sleep quality, chronic pain and depressive symptoms with frailty in older patients: is there a sex difference?

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance, chronic pain and depressive symptoms later in life are modifiable risk factors and may contribute to frailty. However, much less is known about sex differences in the association between these concurrent symptoms and frailty in older patients. Therefore, we conducted this study to explore the associations of poor sleep quality, chronic pain, and depressive symptoms with frailty in older patients, and the sex-specific associations. METHODS: In an observational population-based study, 540 older hospitalized patients from Zhejiang Hospital in China were enrolled. We collected data on poor sleep quality, pain, depressive symptoms and frailty using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Numerical Rating Scale, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Clinical Frailty Scale. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the total sample and sex-specific associations among symptom burdens, symptom combination patterns and symptom counts, and frailty. RESULTS: After adjusting for the potential covariates, concurrent poor sleep quality and depressive symptoms (OR = 4.02, 95% CI 1.57-10.26), concurrent poor sleep quality and chronic pain (OR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.04-4.05), and having three symptoms (OR = 3.52, 95% CI 1.19-10.44) were associated with a higher likelihood of frailty in older inpatients. In addition, older patients with 2 or 3 symptoms (2 and 3 vs. 0 symptoms) had a higher risk of frailty, and the odds ratios were 2.40 and 3.51, respectively. Interaction analysis and sex-stratified associations exhibited conflicting results. The nonsignificant effect of the interaction of sex and symptoms on frailty, but not the sex-stratified associations, showed that individual symptoms, symptom combination patterns, and symptom counts were associated with elevated risks of frailty in older male patients, but not in older female patients. CONCLUSIONS: Increased symptom burdens were associated with a higher risk of frailty in older inpatients, especially in those with poor sleep quality concurrent with at least one of the other two symptoms. Thus, a multidisciplinary program addressing these common symptoms is required to reduce adverse outcomes.

Compatibility between Solubility and Enhanced Crystallinity of Benzotriazole-Based Small Molecular Acceptors with Less Bulky Alkyl Chains for Organic Solar Cells.

Optimizing the molecular structures of organic solar cell (OSC) materials and boosting the power conversion efficiencies are the eternal theme in the solar energy region. A series of fused benzotriazole (BTA)-based A-DA'D-A structures of nonfullerene acceptors (such as Y18) were developed for application in efficient OSCs, in which high quantum efficiencies and low voltage losses could be achieved because of the optimized electron-deficient core and specific molecular geometry. Here, based on the BTA core, the bulky alkyl chain on the BTA unit was further tailored to minimize the lateral alkyl chains and enhance the crystallinity while maintaining an adequate solubility. The resulting NFAs of BTA-C1, BTA-C5, and BTA-C6 are synthesized. Compared with the well-designed molecular Y18 (BTA-C8), we found that simply replacing the 2-ethylhexyl chain with a single methyl (BTA-C1) can easily improve the fill factor up to 77%, but its poor light absorption capacity and large domain size impeded further efficiency improvement. In particular, the BTA-C5, with a shortened branch alkyl chain of 2-methylbutyl, achieves suitable solubility and enhanced crystallinity. Significantly, owing to the balanced charge carrier mobility and suitable phase separation, the BTA-C5-based binary single-junction OSCs achieve a high efficiency of 17.11%, which is one of the top values in BTA-based OSCs.

The Impact of Intrinsic Capacity on Adverse Outcomes in Older Hospitalized Patients: A One-Year Follow-Up Study.

BACKGROUND: Intrinsic capacity (IC) is a novel view focusing on healthy aging. The effect of IC on adverse outcomes in older hospitalized Chinese adults is rarely studied. OBJECTIVES: This study focused on investigating the impact of IC domains on the adverse health outcomes including new activities of daily living (ADL) dependency, new instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) dependency, and mortality over a 1-year follow-up. METHODS: In a retrospective observational population-based study, a total of 329 older hospitalized patients from Zhejiang Hospital in China were enrolled and completed 1-year follow-up. The 5 domains of IC including cognition, locomotion, sensory, vitality, and psychological capacity were assessed at admission. The IC composite score was calculated based on these domains, and the higher IC composite score indicated the greater amount of functional capacities reserved. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the association between IC at baseline and 1-year adverse outcomes. RESULTS: During the 1-year follow-up, 69 patients (22.5%) experienced new ADL dependency, 103 patients (33.6%) suffered from new IADL dependency, and 22 patients (6.7%) died. After adjusting for age, sex, education level, comorbidities, and polypharmacy, low Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores at admission predicted 1-year new ADL dependency (odds ratio [OR] = 2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-4.78) and new IADL dependency (OR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.14-4.04) among older hospitalized patients, but no significance was obtained between IC domains and mortality. Higher IC composite score at admission was associated with decreased risks of 1-year new ADL dependency (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.40-0.70) and new IADL dependency (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61-0.95), and 1-year mortality (OR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31-0.74) after adjustment for the possible confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of ICs at admission predicted adverse health outcomes including new ADL and IADL dependency and mortality 1 year after discharge among older hospitalized patients.