Neurofilament-light chains (NF-L), a biomarker of neuronal damage, is increased in sarcopenic patients: results of the sarcophage study

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Development and validation of new exercises to promote physical activity in nursing home settings, through qualitative method

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Neurofilament light chain concentration in an aging population.

BACKGROUND: Neurofilament light chain (NF-L) concentration is recognized to be modified in neurological diseases and traumatic brain injuries, but studies in the normal aging population are lacking. It is, therefore, urgent to identify influencing factors of NF-L concentration in the aging population. METHOD: We assessed NF-L concentration in sera of a large cohort of 409 community-dwelling adults aged over 65 years. We studied the association between NF-L and various physiological factors but also with self-reported comorbidities or life-style habits. RESULTS: We showed that NF-L concentration in serum was tightly associated with cystatin C concentration (r = 0.501, p  5 points) in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Finally, we are providing reference ranges by age categories for subjects with or without altered renal function. CONCLUSION: NF-L concentration in the aging population is not driven by the increasing number of comorbidities or depression. Yet, NF-L blood concentration is dependent on kidney function and NF-L interpretation in patients suffering from renal failure should be taken with caution

Post-marketing safety surveillance of anti-osteoarthritis drugs: a protocol for a systematic review of published literature

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Development and Validation of New Exercises to Promote Physical Activity in Nursing Home Settings.

peer reviewedBACKGROUND: GAMotion is a giant physical activity board game intended to improve levels of physical activity and a broader array of physical and psychological outcomes among nursing home residents. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to develop and validate new balance, flexibility, muscle strength, and walking exercises to be included in GAMotion. METHODS: A two-step design combining the Focus group and Delphi method was conducted among healthcare professionals divided into two independent samples of experts. The first sample was asked to develop exercises during a focus group. The second sample participated in a two-round Ranking-type Delphi method. During the first round, the participants were asked to rate the exercises developed during the focus group on a four-point Likert scale (from 1: not adapted at all to 4: very adapted). The exercises that did not reach consensus were removed (consensus established: median ≥ 3 on the Likert scale and at least 75% of experts rating the exercises as « adapted » or « very adapted »). During the second round, it was asked to rank the exercises selected at the end of the first round from most suitable to least suitable. RESULTS: The Focus group developed nine balance, twelve flexibility, twelve strength, and nine walking exercises. Following the first round of the Delphi method, two exercises in each category did not reach a consensus and were then removed. In the second round, the remaining seven balance, ten flexibility, ten strength, and seven walking exercises were ranked by the experts, and this classification allowed us to determine the four most suitable exercises from each category to be included in the GAMotion. CONCLUSION: A consensus-based approach among healthcare professionals allowed us to contribute to the development of new exercises to promote physical activity in nursing homes. These validated exercises can be included in the GAMotion board game

Intrinsic Capacity Defined Using Four Domains and Mortality Risk: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the SarcoPhAge Cohort

peer reviewedObjectives: The concept of 'intrinsic capacity' (IC) offers a new way to approach another concept, that of 'healthy aging'. The first objective of the present study was to assess the ability of the construct of 'intrinsic capacity' to predict death. The second objective was to assess whether deteriorations in intrinsic capacity, measured over 1 and 2 years, are predictive of death. Design: The present analysis was based on a prospective cohort study. Setting: Community-dwelling participants. Participants: The study recruited older adults aged 65 years and older. Measurements: Intrinsic capacity (IC) encompasses five domains: sensorial (not evaluated here), cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination), nutrition (Mini-Nutritional Assessment), mobility (Short Physical Performance Battery), and psychological (Geriatric Depression Scale). Each domain was considered satisfactory when its assessment, for an individual, was above the threshold defined by the initial validation of the domain assessment tool. To explore the relationship between IC and mortality risk, a Cox model was applied. The predictive value of the dynamic aspects (i.e., changes over 1 year and 2 years) was investigated using the following categorization of IC: stable, deteriorated, improved. Results: The sample was composed of 481 volunteers aged 73.4±6.12 years (60.1% women). Two satisfactory IC domains appeared to be significantly associated with reduced mortality risk: the satisfactory mobility domain (adjusted HR=0.45 [0.26-0.79]) and the satisfactory psychological domain (adjusted HR = 0.56 [1.04-3.09]). When considering intrinsic capacity as a whole construct, using a composite Z-score, we noticed that the risk of death was decreased by 49% for an increase of 1 standard deviation in IC. Changes in intrinsic capacity in the mobility and psychological domains led to an increased risk of death (from 2.74 to 4.18-fold). Conclusion: The concept of intrinsic capacity seems highly relevant in order to assess older adults' health and well-being. This concept should be considered for integration into clinical practice

Correction to: Malnutrition, assessed by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria but not by the mini nutritional assessment (MNA), predicts the incidence of sarcopenia over a 5‑year period in the SarcoPhAge cohort

In the original publication of the article was wrongly published as. “Malnutrition, assessed by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria but not by the mini nutritional assessment (MNA), predicts the incidence of sarcopenia over a 5-year in the SarcoPhAge cohort" The corrected title is. “Malnutrition, assessed by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria but not by the mini nutritional assessment (MNA), predicts the incidence of sarcopenia over a 5-year period in the SarcoPhAge cohort" The original article has been updated

Impact of malnutrition status on muscle parameter changes over a 5-year follow-up of community-dwelling older adults from the SarcoPhage Cohort

This study aimed to assess the impact of malnutrition on the 5-year evolution of physical performance, muscle mass and muscle strength in participants from the SarcoPhAge cohort, consisting of community-dwelling older adults. The malnutrition status was assessed at baseline (T0) according to the “Global Leadership Initiatives on Malnutrition” (GLIM) criteria, and the muscle parameters were evaluated both at T0 and after five years of follow-up (T5). Lean mass, muscle strength and physical performance were assessed using dual X-ray absorptiometry, handgrip dynamometry, the short physical performance battery test and the timed up and go test, respectively. Differences in muscle outcomes according to nutritional status were tested using Student’s t-test. The association between malnutrition and the relative 5-year change in the muscle parameters was tested using multiple linear regressions adjusted for several covariates. A total of 411 participants (mean age of 72.3 6.1 years, 56% women) were included. Of them, 96 individuals (23%) were diagnosed with malnutrition at baseline. Their muscle parameters were significantly lower than those of the well-nourished patients both at baseline and after five years of follow-up (all p-values 0.05)

Role of Collagen Derivatives in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Repair: A Systematic Scoping Review With Evidence Mapping

Introduction: There is currently no diseasemodifying drug for osteoarthritis (OA), and some safety concerns have been identified about the leading traditional drugs. Therefore, research efforts have focused on alternatives such as supplementation with collagen derivatives. The objective of this scoping review is to examine the extent, range, and nature of research, and to summarize and disseminate research findings on the effects of collagen derivatives in OA and cartilage repair. The purpose is to identify gaps in the current body of evidence in order to further help progress research in this setting. Methods: The databases Medline, Scopus, CENTRAL, TOXLINE, and CDSR were comprehensively searched from inception to search date. After studies selection against eligibility criteria, following recommended methods, data were charted from the retrieved articles and these were subsequently synthesized. Numerical and graphical descriptive statistical methods were used to show trends in publications and geographical distribution of studies. Results: The systematic literature search identified a total of 10,834 records. Forty-one published studies were ultimately included in the review, 16 of which were preclinical studies and 25 were clinical studies (including four systematic reviews/meta-analyses). Collagen hydrolysate (CH) and undenatured collagen (UC) were the two types of collagen derivatives studied, with a total of 28 individual studies on CH and nine on UC. More than a third of studies originated from Asia, and most of them have been published after 2008. Oral forms of collagen derivatives were mainly studied; three in vivo preclinical studies and three clinical trials investigated intra-articularly injected CH. In most of the clinical trials, treatment durations varied between 3 and 6 months, with the shortest being 1.4 months and the longest 11 months. All in vivo preclinical studies and clinical trials, regardless of their quality, concluded on beneficial effects of collagen derivatives in OA and cartilage repair, whether used as nutritional supplement or delivered intra-articularly, and whatever the manufacturers of the products, the doses and the outcomes considered in each study. Conclusions: Although current evidence shows some potential for the use of CH and UC as an option for management of patients with OA, there is still room for progress in terms of laboratory and clinical research before any definitive conclusion can be made. Harmonization of outcomes in preclinical studies and longer randomized placebo-controlled trials in larger populations with the use of recommended and validated endpoints are warranted before collagen derivatives can be recommended by large scientific societies

Performance of the “Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test as self-screening method for sarcopenia using the SarcoPhAge, Belgian cohort study.

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