Let's Enjoy an Evening on the Couch? A Daily Life Investigation of Shared Problematic Behaviors in Three Couple Studies.

Symptom-system fit theory proposes that problematic behaviors are maintained by the social system (e.g., the couple relationship) in which they occur because they help promote positive relationship functioning in the short-term. Across three daily life studies, we examined whether mixed-gender couples reported more positive relationship functioning on days in which they engaged in more shared problematic behaviors. In two studies (Study 1: 82 couples who smoke; Study 2: 117 couples who are inactive), days of more shared problematic behavior were accompanied by higher daily closeness and relationship satisfaction. A third study with 79 couples post-stroke investigating unhealthy eating failed to provide evidence for symptom-system fit. In exploratory lagged analyses, we found more support for prior-day problematic behavior being associated with next-day daily relationship functioning than vice-versa. Together, findings point to the importance of a systems perspective when studying interpersonal dynamics that might be involved in the maintenance of problematic behaviors.

Daily solitude and well-being associations in older dyads: Evidence from daily life assessments.

Older adults spend significant time by themselves, especially since COVID-19. Solitude has been associated with positive and negative outcomes. Partners need to balance social connectedness with time for one's own needs. This project examines how individual and partner solitude are associated with daily affect and relationship quality in dyads of older adults and a close other. One-hundred thirty-six older adults plus a close other rated their relationship quality and reported affect, solitude, and its characteristics (desired and bothersome) every evening for 10 days. Over and above overall associations, individual and partner effects emerged; when individual desired solitude was up, participants reported more positive affect and their partners less negative affect. When bothersome solitude was up, participants and their partners alike reported more negative affect and less positive affect. Desired solitude was associated with more support, whereas bothersome solitude was associated with less partner support. Findings provide further evidence on the potential benefits of solitude, highlighting the importance of considering the social context of what is often believed to be an individual-level phenomenon.

Daily Rumination-Affect Associations in Dyads During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Negative and repetitive self-oriented thinking (rumination) is associated with lower well-being and health. The social context of rumination remains underexplored and mostly centers on marital relationships. To embrace the diversity of older adult relationships, this study includes a range of different relationships (e.g., spouses, siblings, friends, etc.) and examines the role of rumination by close others on individual well-being during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHODS: Using daily diary data from 140 Canadian older adults (M = 72.21 years, standard deviation [SD] = 5.39, range: 63-87 years, 47% women, 71% university educated) and a close other of their choice (M = 59.95 years, SD = 16.54, range: 18-83 years, 78% women, 81% university educated), this project builds on past research examining daily life rumination dynamics from a dyadic perspective. For 10 days, both dyad members reported their daily rumination and affect quality in the evening. RESULTS: Multilevel models replicate past work showing that individual rumination was associated with higher negative affect (within-person: b = 0.27, p < .001, between-person: b = 0.57, p < .001) and lower positive affect (within-person: b = -0.18, p < .001, between-person: b = -0.29, p < .001). Importantly, we additionally observed that partner rumination was associated with higher negative affect (b = 0.03, p = .038) and lower positive affect (b = -0.04, p = .023), highlighting the social context of rumination. DISCUSSION: Findings illustrate the significance of rumination for the self and others and underline the merit of taking a dyadic perspective on what is typically viewed as an individual-level phenomenon.

Everyday Pain in Middle and Later Life: Associations with Daily and Momentary Present-Moment Awareness as One Key Facet of Mindfulness.

This study investigated everyday associations between one key facet of mindfulness (allocating attention to the present moment) and pain. In Study 1, 89 community-dwelling adults (33-88 years; Mage = 68.6) who had experienced a stroke provided 14 daily end-of-day present-moment awareness and pain ratings. In Study 2, 100 adults (50-85 years; Mage = 67.0 years) provided momentary present-moment awareness and pain ratings three times daily for 10 days. Multi-level models showed that higher trait present-moment awareness was linked with lower overall pain (both studies). In Study 1, participants reported less pain on days on which they indicated higher present-moment awareness. In Study 2, only individuals with no post-secondary education reported less pain in moments when they indicated higher present-moment awareness. Findings add to previous research using global retrospective pain measures by showing that present-moment awareness might correlate with reduced pain experiences, assessed close in time to when they occur.

Daily Affect and Daily Prospective Memory in People after Stroke and Their Partners: The Moderating Role of Resting Heart Rate.

INTRODUCTION: Experimental research suggests that affect may influence prospective memory performance, but real-life evidence on affect-prospective memory associations is limited. Moreover, most studies have examined the valence dimension of affect in understanding the influence of affect on cognitive performance in daily life, with insufficient consideration of the arousal dimension. To maximize ecological validity, the current study examined the relationships between daily affect and daily prospective memory using repeated daily assessments and the role of resting heart rate on these relationships. We examined both valence and arousal of daily affect by categorizing affect into four dimensions: high-arousal positive affect, low-arousal positive affect, high-arousal negative affect, and low-arousal negative affect. METHOD: We examined existing data collected from community-dwelling couples, of which at least one partner had a stroke history. The analytic sample included 111 adults (Mage = 67.46 years, SD = 9.64; 50% women) who provided 1,274 days of data. Among the participants, 58 were living with the effects of a stroke and 53 were partners. Participants completed daily event-based prospective memory tasks (in morning and/or evening questionnaires), reported daily affect in the evening, and wore a wrist-based Fitbit device to monitor resting heart rate over 14 consecutive days. RESULTS: Results from multilevel models show that, within persons, elevated high-arousal negative affect was associated with worse daily prospective memory performance. In addition, lower resting heart rate attenuated the inverse association between high-arousal negative affect and lowered prospective memory performance. We did not find significant associations of high- or low-arousal positive affect and low-arousal negative affect with daily prospective memory. DISCUSSION: Our findings are in line with the resource allocation model and the cue-utilization hypothesis in that high-arousal negative affect is detrimental to daily prospective memory performance. Lower resting heart rate may buffer individuals' prospective memory performance from the influence of high-arousal negative affect. These findings are consistent with the neurovisceral integration model on heart-brain connections, highlighting the possibility that cardiovascular fitness may help maintain prospective memory into older adulthood.

Having a Good Time Together: The Role of Companionship in Older Couples' Everyday Life.

INTRODUCTION: Companionship (i.e., enjoyable shared activities) is associated with higher emotional and relational well-being. However, the role of companionship for emotional well-being and relationship satisfaction in older couples' everyday life is not well understood. This article studies time-varying associations of companionship with emotional and relational well-being as older couples engage in their everyday life. METHODS: Participants provided three data points a day over 7 days using electronic surveys that were simultaneously completed by both partners. A total of 118 older heterosexual couples reported momentary companionship, positive and negative affect, and closeness. Data were analyzed using an intensive longitudinal dyadic score model. RESULTS: Couples with higher average companionship showed lower overall negative affect, more overall positive affect, and higher overall closeness. During moments of elevated momentary companionship, partners reported more positive affect, less negative affect, and higher closeness. Regarding between-couple partner differences, i.e., when the female partner's momentary companionship was higher on average than the male partner's momentary companionship, the female partner also showed less negative affect, more positive affect, and higher closeness than the male partner. During moments in which the female partner's momentary companionship was higher than the male partner's momentary companionship, the female partner showed less negative affect, more positive affect, and higher closeness than the male partner. DISCUSSION: Older couples show a consistent link between companionship and emotional well-being and closeness in everyday life emphasizing the importance of studying companionship in close relationships.

Exploring behavior change techniques for reablement: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Reablement is a team-based person-centered health and social care model, most commonly available for community-dwelling older adults. Understanding the components of reablement and how it is delivered, received, and enacted facilitates best evidence and practice. Determining behavior change techniques (BCTs) or strategies is an important step to operationalize implementation of reablement. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed literature to identify BCTs used within reablement studies. METHODS: We registered our study with the Joanna Briggs Institute and conducted five database searches. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed studies focused on adults and older adults without significant cognitive impairment or dementia receiving reablement, and all study designs, years, and languages. We excluded studies focused on reablement for people with dementia or reablement training programs. The last search was on April 8, 2021. Two authors screened independently at Level 1 (title and abstract) and 2 (full text). Two authors adjudicated BCTs for each study, and a third author confirmed the final list. RESULTS: We identified 567 studies (591 publications) and included 21 studies (44 publications) from six global locations. We identified 27 different BCTs across all studies. The three most common BCTs for reablement were goal setting (behavior), social support (unspecified), and instruction on how to perform a behavior. CONCLUSIONS: We highlight some behavioral components of reablement and encourage detailed reporting to increase transparency and replication of the intervention. Future research should explore effective BCTs (or combinations of) to include within reablement to support health behavior adoption and maintenance.

Partner Contributions to Goal Pursuit: Findings From Repeated Daily Life Assessments With Older Couples.

OBJECTIVES: This study focuses on the role of spouses for facilitating goal progress during a phase in life when individual resources for goal pursuit are particularly limited. Specifically, we examined the moderating role of relationship characteristics in old age for time-varying partner involvement-goal progress associations as couples engaged in their everyday lives. We also assessed time-varying associations between everyday goal progress, effectiveness of partner contributions, and spousal satisfaction with this contribution. METHODS: We used multilevel modeling to analyze data from 118 couples (Mage = 70 years, SD = 5.9; 60-87 years, 50% women; 57% White). Both partners reported their personal goals and provided information on relationship satisfaction, conflict, and support. They also provided simultaneous ratings of everyday goal progress, effort, partner involvement as well as effectiveness of and satisfaction with partner contribution up to three times daily over 7 days. RESULTS: In line with expectations, higher relationship satisfaction and support and lower conflict were associated with higher goal progress when the partner was involved in goal pursuit. Both effectiveness of and satisfaction with partner contributions were positively associated with everyday goal progress. DISCUSSION: Whether partner involvement is beneficial for goal progress depends on characteristics of the relationship as well as what partners actually do in everyday life. This highlights the importance of considering both stable person characteristics as well as time-varying processes to capture the complexity of goal pursuit in older couples.

Defining and implementing patient-centered care: An umbrella review.

OBJECTIVES: Patient- or person-centered care (PCC) integrates people's preferences, values, and beliefs into health decision-making. Gaps exist for defining and implementing PCC; therefore, we aimed to identify core elements of PCC and synthesize implementation facilitators and barriers. METHODS: We conducted an overview of systematic reviews (umbrella review) and included peer-reviewed literature for adults in community/primary care settings. Two reviewers independently screened at Level 1 and 2, extracted data and appraised the quality of reviews. Three reviewers conducted a thematic analysis, and we present a narrative synthesis of findings. RESULTS: There were 2371 citations screened, and 10 systematic reviews included. We identified 10 PCC definitions with common elements, such as patient empowerment, patient individuality, and a biopsychosocial approach. Implementation factors focused on communication, training healthcare providers, and organizational structure. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a synthesis of key PCC elements to include in a future definition, and an overview of elements to consider for implementing PCC into practice. We extend existing literature by identifying clinician empowerment and culture change at the systems-level as two future areas to prioritize to enable routine integration of PCC into practice. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings may be useful for researchers and or health providers delivering and evaluating PCC.

Sleep efficiency and the metabolic risk score in very active older women and men.

Study Objectives: Sleep disruption is a risk factor for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in older adults. How physical activity (PA) interacts with the negative cardiometabolic effects of poor sleep is not known. We objectively measured sleep efficiency (SE) in very active older adults and examined the association between SE and a continuous Metabolic Syndrome Risk Score (cMSy). Methods: Very active older adults (age ≥65 years) from a Master's Ski Team (Whistler, Canada) were recruited. Each participants wore an activity monitor (SenseWear Pro) continuously for 7 days to provide measures of both daily energy expenditure (metabolic equivalents, METs) and SE. All components of the metabolic syndrome were measured and a principal component analysis was used to compute a continuous metabolic risk score (cMSy, sum of eigenvalues ≥1.0). Results: A total of 54 participants (mean age 71.4 years, SD 4.4 years, and 24 men and 30 women) were recruited and had very high PA levels (>2.5 h per day of exercise). Initially, there was no significant association between SE and cMSy (p = 0.222). When stratified by biological sex, only men showed a significant negative association between SE and cMSy (Standardized ß = -0.364 ± 0.159, p = 0.032). Conclusions: Only older men show a significant negative association between poor SE and increased cardiometabolic risk, despite high levels of PA.

Evaluation of Clinical Practice Guidelines on Fall Prevention and Management for Older Adults: A Systematic Review.

Importance: With the global population aging, falls and fall-related injuries are ubiquitous, and several clinical practice guidelines for falls prevention and management for individuals 60 years or older have been developed. A systematic evaluation of the recommendations and agreement level is lacking. Objectives: To perform a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines for falls prevention and management for adults 60 years or older in all settings (eg, community, acute care, and nursing homes), evaluate agreement in recommendations, and identify potential gaps. Evidence Review: A systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses statement methods for clinical practice guidelines on fall prevention and management for older adults was conducted (updated July 1, 2021) using MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, PEDro, and Epistemonikos databases. Medical Subject Headings search terms were related to falls, clinical practice guidelines, management and prevention, and older adults, with no restrictions on date, language, or setting for inclusion. Three independent reviewers selected records for full-text examination if they followed evidence- and consensus-based processes and assessed the quality of the guidelines using Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE-II) criteria. The strength of the recommendations was evaluated using Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation scores, and agreement across topic areas was assessed using the Fleiss κ statistic. Findings: Of 11 414 records identified, 159 were fully reviewed and assessed for eligibility, and 15 were included. All 15 selected guidelines had high-quality AGREE-II total scores (mean [SD], 80.1% [5.6%]), although individual quality domain scores for clinical applicability (mean [SD], 63.4% [11.4%]) and stakeholder (clinicians, patients, or caregivers) involvement (mean [SD], 76.3% [9.0%]) were lower. A total of 198 recommendations covering 16 topic areas in 15 guidelines were identified after screening 4767 abstracts that proceeded to 159 full texts. Most (≥11) guidelines strongly recommended performing risk stratification, assessment tests for gait and balance, fracture and osteoporosis management, multifactorial interventions, medication review, exercise promotion, environment modification, vision and footwear correction, referral to physiotherapy, and cardiovascular interventions. The strengths of the recommendations were inconsistent for vitamin D supplementation, addressing cognitive factors, and falls prevention education. Recommendations on use of hip protectors and digital technology or wearables were often missing. None of the examined guidelines included a patient or caregiver panel in their deliberations. Conclusions and Relevance: This systematic review found that current clinical practice guidelines on fall prevention and management for older adults showed a high degree of agreement in several areas in which strong recommendations were made, whereas other topic areas did not achieve this level of consensus or coverage. Future guidelines should address clinical applicability of their recommendations and include perspectives of patients and other stakeholders.

Anosmia-related internet search and the course of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The current pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, China. Although the first case in the United States was reported on Jan 20, 2020 in Washington, the early pandemic time course is uncertain. One approach with the potential to provide more insight into this time course is the examination of search activity. This study analyzed US search data prior to the first press release of anosmia as an early symptom (March 20, 2020). METHODS: Daily internet search query data was obtained from Google Trends (September 20th to March 20th for 2015 to 2020) both for the United States and on a state-by-state basis. Normalized anosmia-related search activity for the years prior to the pandemic was averaged to obtain a baseline level. Cross-correlations were performed to determine the time-lag between changes in search activity and SARS-CoV-2 cases/deaths. RESULTS: Only New York showed both significant increases in anosmia-related terms during the pandemic year as well as a significant lag (6 days) between increases in search activity and the number of cases/deaths attributed to SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence from search activity to suggest earlier spread of SARS-CoV-2 than has been previously reported. The increase in anosmia-related searches preceded increases in SARS-CoV-2 cases/deaths by 6 days, but this was only significant over the background noise of searches for other reasons in the setting of a very large outbreak (New York in the spring of 2020).

Active With Whom? Examining the Social Context of Physical Activity in Individuals After Stroke and Their Partners.

Engaging in regular moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) is crucial to reduce future health risk for individuals living with the effects of a stroke and their partners. Although numerous studies point to the importance of social factors in physical activity engagement, little is known about with whom individuals after stroke and their partners engage in physical activity with and whether different physical activity companions are uniquely associated with MVPA. Eighty-nine community-dwelling individuals after stroke (Mage = 68.64, SD = 10.44; 74% male) and 83 partners (Mage = 66.04, SD = 9.91; 24% male) completed 14 consecutive days of daily life assessments that included wearing physical activity monitors (accelerometers) and self-reporting physical activity companions (n = 1,961 days). Results show that average levels of MVPA were correlated between partners (r = 0.38), as were day-to-day MVPA fluctuations (r = 0.34). Importantly, for individuals after stroke, being active with their partner, but not with any other physical activity companion, was linked with elevated daily MVPA. In contrast, for partners of individuals after stroke, engaging in physical activity with a variety of different companions (partner, other family member, friend, colleague) was each associated with higher MVPA in daily life. For both individuals after stroke and their partners being active by oneself (without a companion) on a given day was not associated with elevated MVPA. Findings suggest that interventions that promote physical activity engagement should consider the role of meaningful others, with the partner being particularly key for individuals living with chronic health conditions.

Time-varying associations between everyday affect and cortisol in older couples.

OBJECTIVE: Positive as well as negative emotional experiences fluctuate and they may be shared between romantic partners. Everyday emotion dynamics in couples may relate to physiological stress responses, with accompanying cortisol secretion being one pathway through which emotional dynamics can "get under the skin." We examined time-varying relationships of one's own as well as one's partner's sadness and contentment with salivary cortisol. We also examined the degree to which perceptions that the respective partner was sharing their feelings moderates these associations. METHOD: Both partners of 84 community-dwelling older adult couples (Mage = 71.1 years) provided simultaneous daily life assessments of momentary cortisol, sadness and contentment, and perceptions of shared spousal feelings four times per day over seven consecutive days (up to 28 assessments). RESULTS: Momentary cortisol was higher in moments when individuals reported higher sadness, lower contentment, and perceptions that their partner was sharing their feelings less than usual. Cortisol was also higher when the partner reported higher sadness and lower contentment but only when one felt that the partner was sharing their feelings more than usual at that moment in time. CONCLUSIONS: This study illuminates a potential pathway (i.e., perceptions of shared spousal feelings) by which not only one's own emotional experiences, but also those of the spouse, are associated with the activation of physiological stress systems as indicated by elevated cortisol in a sample of older couples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Social integration after moving to a new city predicts lower systolic blood pressure.

Residential mobility is linked to higher incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. A mechanism by which residential relocation may impact health is through the disruption of social networks. To examine whether moving to a new city is associated with increased CVD risk and whether the extent to which movers rebuild their social network after relocating predicts improved CVD risk and psychosocial well-being, recent movers (n = 26), and age- and sex-matched nonmovers (n = 20) were followed over 3 months. Blood pressure, C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CRP/ALB), social network size, and psychosocial well-being were measured at intake (within 6 weeks of residential relocation for movers) and 3 months later. Multiple regression indicated higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) for movers (M = 107.42, SD = 11.39), compared with nonmovers (M = 102.37, SD = 10.03) at intake, though this trend was not statistically significant. As predicted, increases in movers' social network size over 3 months predicted decreases in SBP, even after controlling for age, sex, and waist-to-hip ratio, b = -2.04 mmHg, 95% CI [-3.35, -.73]. Associations between increases in movers' social ties and decreases in depressive symptoms and stress were in the predicted direction but did not meet the traditional cutoff for statistical significance. Residential relocation and movers' social network size were not associated with CRP/ALB in this healthy sample. This study provides preliminary evidence for increased SBP among recent movers; furthermore, it suggests that this elevation in CVD risk may decrease as individuals successfully rebuild their social network.

Joint Goals in Older Couples: Associations With Goal Progress, Allostatic Load, and Relationship Satisfaction.

Older adults often have long-term relationships, and many of their goals are intertwined with their respective partners. Joint goals can help or hinder goal progress. Little is known about how accurately older adults assess if a goal is joint, the role of over-reporting in these perceptions, and how joint goals and over-reporting may relate to older partners' relationship satisfaction and physical health (operationally defined as allostatic load). Two-hundred-thirty-six older adults from 118 couples (50% female; M age = 71 years) listed their three most important goals and whether they thought of them as goals they had in common with and wanted to achieve together with their partner (self-reported joint goals). Two independent raters classified goals as "joint" if both partners independently listed open-ended goals of the same content. Goal progress and relationship satisfaction were assessed 1 week later. Allostatic load was calculated using nine different biomarkers. Results show that 85% self-reported at least one goal as joint. Over-reporting- the perception that a goal was joint when in fact it was not mentioned among the three most salient goals of the spouse - occurred in one-third of all goals. Multilevel models indicate that the number of externally-rated joint goals was related to greater goal progress and lower allostatic load, but only for adults with little over-reporting. More joint goals and higher over-reporting were each linked with more relationship satisfaction. In conclusion, joint goals are associated with goal progress, relationship satisfaction, and health, but the association is dependent on the domain of functioning.

Reshaping the path of vascular cognitive impairment with resistance training: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Subcortical ischemic vascular cognitive impairment (SIVCI) is the most common form of vascular cognitive impairment. Importantly, SIVCI is considered the most treatable form of cognitive impairment in older adults, due to its modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia. Exercise training is a promising intervention to delay the progression of SIVCI, as it actively targets these cardiometabolic risk factors. Despite the demonstrated benefits of resistance training on cognitive function and emerging evidence suggesting resistance training may reduce the progression of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), research on SIVCI has predominantly focused on the use of aerobic exercise. Thus, the primary aim of this proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial is to investigate the efficacy of a 12-month, twice-weekly progressive resistance training program on cognitive function and WMH progression in adults with SIVCI. We will also assess the efficiency of the intervention. METHODS: Eighty-eight community-dwelling adults, aged > 55 years, with SIVCI from metropolitan Vancouver will be recruited to participate in this study. SIVCI will be determined by the presence of cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment < 26) and cerebral small vessel disease using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Participants will be randomly allocated to a twice-weekly exercise program of (1) progressive resistance training or (2) balance and tone training (i.e., active control). The primary outcomes are cognitive function measured by the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive-Plus (ADAS-Cog-13 with additional cognitive tests) and WMH progression. DISCUSSION: The burden of SIVCI is immense, and to our knowledge, this will be the first study to quantify the effect of progressive resistance training on cognitive function and WMH progression among adults with SIVCI. Slowing the rate of cognitive decline and WMH progression could preserve functional independence and quality of life. This could lead to reduced health care costs and avoidance of early institutional care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02669394 . Registered on February 1, 2016.

Baroreflex function and postprandial hypotension in older adults.

PURPOSE: Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is a common but poorly understood etiology for fainting in older adults. One potential mechanism is age-related baroreflex dysfunction. We examined baroreflex function in older adults with PPH and without PPH (noPPH) during a standardized meal test. METHODS: 57 adults (age ≥ 65; 24 PPH, 33 noPPH, mean age 77.9 ± 0.9 years, 54% female) were recruited and had meal tests performed. The baroreflex effectiveness index (BEI, %) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS, ms/mm Hg) were calculated using the sequence method. RESULTS: Baseline BEI (22 ± 2 versus 23 ± 2 percent, t = - 0.411, p = 0.682) and BRS (14.1 ± 2.4 versus 13.8 ± 2.5 ms/mm of Hg, t = - 0.084, p = 0.933) were similar in PPH and noPPH subjects. During the meal test PPH subjects showed significantly lower BEI as compared to noPPH subjects (time × PPH, F = 2.791, p = 0.042), while there was no difference in the postprandial change in BRS (time, F = 0.618, p = 0.605). CONCLUSION: Patients with PPH demonstrated an acute postprandial decrease in baroreflex effectiveness during meal testing as compared with normal subjects, suggesting a potential contributing mechanism for this condition.

A rapid point-of-care ultrasound marker for muscle mass and muscle strength in older adults.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sarcopenia is defined as the gradual age-associated loss of both muscle quantity and strength in older adults, and is associated with increased mortality, falls, fractures and hospitalisations. Current sarcopenia criteria use dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measures of muscle mass, a test that cannot be performed at the bedside, unlike point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS). We examined the association between ultrasonic measures of muscle thickness (MT, vastus medialis muscle thickness) and measures of muscle quantity and strength in older adults. METHODS: A total of 150 older adults (age ≥ 65; mean age 80.0 ± 0.5 years, 66 women, 84 men) were recruited sequentially from geriatric medicine clinics. Each subject had lean body mass (LBM, by bioimpedance assay), grip strength, mid-arm biceps circumference (MABC), gait speed and MT measured. All initial models were adjusted for biological sex. RESULTS: In our final parsimonious models, MT showed a strong significant correlation with all measures of muscle mass, including LBM (Standardised ß = 0.204 ± 0.058, R2 = 0.577, P < 0.001) and MABC (Standardised ß = 0.141 ± 0.067, R2 = 0.417, P = 0.038). With respect to measures of muscle quality, there was a strong significant correlation with grip strength (Standardised ß = 0.118 ± 0.115, R2 = 0.511, P < 0.001) but not with subject performance (gait speed). CONCLUSIONS: MT showed strong correlations with both measures of muscle mass (LBM and MABC) and with muscle strength (grip strength). Although more work needs to be done, PoCUS shows potential as a screening tool for sarcopenia in older adults.

You're under my skin: Long-term relationship and health correlates of cortisol synchrony in older couples.

Growing evidence points to systematic linkages in various physiological indices among romantic partners. This physiological synchrony may facilitate intimacy and connectedness in couples. However, synchronous increases in physiological arousal could also hamper the respective partners' health. To shed light on the consequences of physiological synchrony as well as their potential gender specificity, the current study examined associations between everyday cortisol synchrony and levels of and subsequent changes to relationship satisfaction and non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol levels over a 3-year period. Older couples (N = 85; age range = 60-87 years) provided saliva samples for cortisol estimation 5 times daily for 7 days. They further reported their relationship satisfaction and provided a blood sample that was analyzed for lipid levels up to three times in 1-year intervals. Data were analyzed using dyadic growth curve models. Among wives, higher cortisol synchrony was associated with stronger increases in relationship satisfaction over time (b = 1.61, p = .011) but also stronger increases in non-HDL cholesterol levels over time (b = 2.02, p = .042). For husbands, higher cortisol synchrony was not significantly associated with levels or changes of relationship satisfaction but with higher non-HDL cholesterol levels at Time 1 (b = 6.54, p = .015). Synchrony may be important for bonding and relationship maintenance. However, being strongly linked to a romantic partner's physiology may also have health costs due to the accumulative burden of repeated elevations in cortisol, possibly affecting husbands and wives in different ways. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).