Ageing and Mental Health in the Context of Social Isolation in Covid-19 Pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has introduced the world to a new chapter in the last three to four years. The focus of this review is on a significant but often overlooked group and topic that has received limited research attention. Recent studies show that the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still intense, even around three years later. This article will summarize and discuss the results of 52 studies on anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), fear of loneliness, suicidal ideation, and resilience in the elderly population before and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. In addition to detrimental effects, attention is also given to the improved coping abilities and lack of significant psychological distress among the geriatric population when compared to younger age groups. This review will encompass research conducted on both the population of Bangladesh and the global population as a whole.

Postgastric bypass hypoglycaemia in a patient with end-stage renal disease: a diagnostic and management pitfall.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is currently one of the most popular procedures to aid weight loss. Hypoglycaemia associated with gastric bypass surgery is an underdiagnosed but life-threatening potential consequence of the surgical procedure. We present a case of a 44-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease presenting with refractory hypoglycaemia after 10 years of RYGB. Extensive history and work-up excluded medications, renal disease, insulinoma and dumping syndrome as the cause of hypoglycaemia. Dietary modifications or pharmacological trial of drugs did not ameliorate her symptoms with progressive worsening of hypoglycaemia leading to continuous dextrose infusion. Distal pancreatectomy was performed with subsequent resolution of hypoglycaemia. Surgical pathology results showed diffuse hyperplastic islet cells, confirming the diagnosis of postgastric bypass hypoglycaemia.

Long QT Syndrome and Duodenal Ampullary Adenoma: A New Association.

KCNQ1 gene mutation has a well-known association with long QT syndrome (LQTS). However, recent studies suggest that it may be implicated in intestinal neoplasia. We present a 27-year-old Hispanic man with a known history of LQTS secondary to KCNQ1 mutation, who presented with painless jaundice. Endoscopic retrograde pancreatic cholangiography revealed a prominent ampulla, with histology consistent with ampullary adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. Further endoscopic studies did not suggest familial adenomatous polyposis. To date, this is the index case of duodenal ampullary adenoma in the setting of KCNQ1 mutation.

The effect of exercise on the cerebral vasculature of healthy aged subjects as visualized by MR angiography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Prior studies suggest that aerobic exercise may reduce both the brain atrophy and the decline in fractional anisotropy observed with advancing age. It is reasonable to hypothesize that exercise-induced changes to the vasculature may underlie these anatomic differences. The purpose of this blinded study was to compare high-activity and low-activity healthy elderly volunteers for differences in the cerebrovasculature as calculated from vessels extracted from noninvasive MR angiograms (MRAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen healthy elderly subjects underwent MRA. Seven subjects reported a high level of aerobic activity (64 +/- 5 years of age; 5 men, 2 women) and 7, a low activity level (68 +/- 6 years of age; 5 women, 2 men). Following vessel segmentation from MRA by an individual blinded to subject activity level, quantitative measures of vessel number, radius, and tortuosity were calculated and histogram analysis of vessel number and radius was performed. RESULTS: Aerobically active subjects exhibited statistically significant reductions in vessel tortuosity and an increased number of small vessels compared with less active subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic activity in elderly subjects is associated with lower vessel tortuosity values and an increase in the number of small-caliber vessels. It is possible that an aerobic exercise program may contribute to healthy brain aging. MRA offers a noninvasive approach to visualizing the cerebral vasculature and may prove useful in future longitudinal investigations.