Association depressive symptoms with memory function and social capital before and during COVID-19 in community-dwelling older adults in rural Japan: A retrospective study with a longitudinal data.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the impact of memory function and social capital on depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults in rural Japan. METHODS: A retrospective study with longitudinal data was conducted during COVID-19 from May 2021 to November 2021 (T2) in Kurogawa, Japan. The candidate population for this study was 145 with the following requirements: (1) older individuals aged 65 years or above who were registered in the Kurogawa study, and (2) those with previous data (from November 2016 to February 2020; T1 as pre-pandemic). Memory function was assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Logical Memory II delayed recall part A (LM II-DR). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Japanese version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Social capital was evaluated through civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. Fear of the COVID-19 infection (FCV-19S) was evaluated. RESULTS: The final analysis included 96 participants (mean age = 81.0 years, SD = 4.8) Multivariate analysis for GDS-15 score by Mixed Model Repeated Measures (MMRM) revealed significant associations between LM II-DR (ß = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.21-0.05, p = 0.002) and FCV-19S during COVID-19 (ß = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.01-0.15, p = 0.02) with GDS-15 score. However, civic participation, social cohesion and reciprocity were not associated with GDS-15 score. CONCLUSIONS: Among older adults in rural Japan, memory function and fear of the COVID-19 infection were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in MMRM analysis. However, social capital was not associated with depressive symptoms. This highlights the need to address memory function and fear of the COVID-19 infection in interventions for older adults during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Validation of actigraphy in hospitalised newborn infants using video polysomnography.

Actigraphy has been established as a reliable sleep assessment tool in adults; however, its utility in newborns remains unknown. Validation of actigraphy in newborns may provide a significant insight into the physiological and pathological acquisition process of mature diurnal sleep patterns and subsequent morbidities in both newborns and their mothers. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of sleep-wake detection by overnight actigraphy in a cohort of newborns. Simultaneous recording of polysomnography and actigraphy data was performed in 40 newborns admitted to a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A mixed-effects logistic regression model to explain the sleep state identified by polysomnography was employed using the actigraphic activity score as a fixed independent variable and the individual newborn's identity as a random effect. To evaluate the usefulness of the actigraphic activity score as a surrogate marker of sleep, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed using the variables that were used in the mixed-effects logistic regression model, and the area under the curve (AUC) was assessed. The results showed that polysomnography-determined sleep epochs were associated with a smaller activity index on actigraphy (odds ratio per 10 activity indices increase 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79-0.84). The AUC for the ROC curve was 0.87 (95% CI 0.87-0.88, range 0.54-0.99). An activity score of 124 showed the maximum overall accuracy (90.2%, 95% CI 87.7-92.1). Our present study suggests that sleep-wake states of NICU-hospitalised newborns can be precisely determined using actigraphy on the ankle.

Temporal changes and control variables of growth differentiation factor 15 levels during the first week of life in hospitalised newborn infants.

Serum growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a useful biomarker of mitochondrial diseases; its utility in newborns remains unknown. To investigate the temporal change in GDF15 within the first week of life, and to identify its potential control variables, blood samples were obtained from 18 newborns. The GDF15 levels declined to approximately 35% of the cord blood levels within the first week of life and were negatively correlated with postnatal age and Z-score of birth weight but were positively correlated with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and lactate levels. GDF15 levels may reflect the progress of postnatal transition to aerobic metabolism.