16 research outputs found

    Does loneliness contribute to mild cognitive impairment and dementia? A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

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    There is growing evidence that loneliness is associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. However, the extent of this association remains unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies examining this association was conducted. Six electronic databases were searched from inception to November 15th 2018. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to obtain pooled estimates and 95% CIs. Studies were also assessed for heterogeneity, methodological quality and publication bias. A total of 4270 hits were retrieved based on the initial search strategy and ten studies met the eligibility criteria involving 37339 individuals (mean age from 64.9 to 83.1 years). Variation between studies was present for the measurement of loneliness as well as for the case ascertainment of MCI and dementia. Loneliness was positively associated with increased risk of dementia (overall RR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.14, 1.40; n = 8). Due to lack of sufficient data, we could not explore the association between loneliness and risk of MCI through a meta-analysis, but limited evidence suggests a potential effect of loneliness on MCI. A further understanding of the deleterious effects of loneliness on MCI and dementia may assist the design of environmental and psychological interventions to prevent or delay the onset of these neuropsychiatric condition

    Differential Impact of Transient and Chronic Loneliness on Health Status. A Longitudinal Study

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    Loneliness is associated with worse health status out-comes. Yet, the present study is one of the first to identify howpatterns of loneliness (transient and chronic) are associated withhealth over time.Design:A total of 2,390 individuals were inter-viewed in 2011–2012 and 2014–2015 in a follow-up study con-ducted over a nationally representative sample of Spain. Afterconfirming a longitudinal relationship between loneliness andhealth status, a growth curve mixture modeling was used toexamine health trajectories.Main outcome measures:The three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale was used to assess loneliness. Healthstatus was measured with self-reported questions regarding tendomains (vision, mobility, and self-care, among others), and sevenmeasured tests (including grip strength, walking speed and imme-diate and delayed verbal recall).Results:A quarter of participantswere lonely at baseline. Both the group of transient and chronicloneliness showed a negative significant relationship with healthstatus at follow-up, (b¼ 0.063 andb¼ 0.075 respectively,p<0.001). Nevertheless, the health status did not change acrosstime in any group.Conclusion:People experiencing chronic lone-liness had the worst health status. Different patterns of lonelinesscould benefit from the appropriate interventionsThis work was supported by the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research andInnovation [635316 (ATHLOS Project)], by the European Community’s Seventh FrameworkProgramme (FP7/2007-2013) under agreement number 223071 (COURAGE in Europe), by theSpanish Ministry of Science and Innovation ACI-Promociona (ACI2009-1010), and by the Institutode Salud Carlos III-FIS research grants [PS09/00295, PS09/01845, PI12/01490, PI13/00059, PI16/00218 and PI16/01073]. Projects PI12/01490, PI13/00059, PI16/00218 and PI16/01073 have beenco-funded by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)‘A Way toBuild Europe’. The work was also supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III Centro deInvestigaci on Biom edica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM). ST is supported by theFoundation for Education and European Culture (IPEP), the Sara Borrell postdoctoral programme(reference no. CD15/00019 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII–Spain) and the Fondo190N. MART IN-MAR IA ET AL.Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). NMM is supported by the programme‘Contratos pre-doctorales para Formaci on de Personal Investigador, FPI-UAM’, Universidad Aut onoma deMadrid, Spai

    Comprehending socio-relational factors of mental wellbeing in the oldest old within Nordic and Mediterranean countries

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    Socio-relational aspects are essential for mental wellbeing (MWB), especially in the oldest old age. Our study aims to explore the socio-relational aspects related to MWB in accord ance with the experiences of the oldest old of four European countries; and to examine how these differ between Mediterranean and Nordic people. A total of 117 participants aged 80+ years old were recruited, and 23 focus groups were performed. Qualitative con tent analysis identified five main themes. Family seemed to be the most important driver of the MWB of the oldest old, followed by relationships with close friends. Participants felt better when they had a sense of being needed, cared for, and connected. Loneliness and isolation negatively affected MWB, although solitude was appreciated. Differences appeared between Mediterranean and Nordic regions. Initiatives to promote positive interactions with family and friends, as well as social activities within the community, may contribute to strengthening MWB in the oldest ol

    Measurement invariance of the day reconstruction method: Results from the COURAGE in Europe Project

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    The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-015-9669-xGiven the growing interest in the study of subjective well-being as a measure of social progress, instruments that produce valid and reliable scores and that can be used within and across countries are needed. The aim of the present study was to analyze the measurement equivalence of the Day Reconstruction Method in its brief version, using nationally representative samples from Finland, Poland, and Spain obtained within the COURAGE in Europe project. The goodness-of-fit of a two-correlated-factors model and the reliability of the scores obtained were assessed. Cross-country invariance was tested employing a multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, through sequential constraint imposition. In each country, measurement invariance was tested across time frames (morning, afternoon and evening) and days of the week (weekday and weekend). The results found support for the hypothesis of a two-correlated-factors (positive and negative affect) structure; the reliability of the positive, the negative and the net affect scores showed appropriate values. A high equivalence across the three national samples was found: all items except one showed strong measurement invariance indicating that respondents from Finland, Poland, and Spain attribute the same meaning to the latent construct under study, and the levels of the underlying items are equal in all three countries. Similar results were found for the measurement equivalence across time frames and days of the week. Our findings support the assumption of comparability across the different samples considered; in general, higher positive affect and lower negative affect were found in Finland, in the evening and at the weekendThe research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement number 223071 (COURAGE in Europe), from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FIS research grants number PS09/00295 and PS09/01845, and from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation ACI-Promociona (ACI2009-1010). The study was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), and the AGES-CM Programme (AGES-S2010/BMD-2422), B.O. is grateful to the Sara Borrell postdoctoral programme (reference no. CD12/00429) supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain

    Gel-Dispersed Nanostructures Lipid Carriers Loading Thymol Designed for Dermal Pathologies

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    Purpose: Acne vulgaris is one of the most prevalent dermal disorders affecting skin health and appearance. To date, there is no effective cure for this pathology, and the majority of marketed formulations eliminate both healthy and pathological microbiota. Therefore, hereby we propose the encapsulation of an antimicrobial natural compound (thymol) loaded into lipid nanostructured systems to be topically used against acne.Methods: To address this issue, nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) capable of encapsulating thymol, a natural compound used for the treatment of acne vulgaris, were developed either using ultrasonication probe or high-pressure homogenization and optimized using 22-star factorial design by analyzing the effect of NLC composition on their physicochemical parameters. These NLC were optimized using a design of experiments approach and were characterized using different physicochemical techniques. Moreover, short-term stability and cell viability using HaCat cells were assessed. Antimicrobial efficacy of the developed NLC was assessed in vitro and ex vivo.Results: NLC encapsulating thymol were developed and optimized and demonstrated a prolonged thymol release. The formulation was dispersed in gels and a screening of several gels was carried out by studying their rheological properties and their skin retention abilities. From them, carbomer demonstrated the capacity to be highly retained in skin tissues, specifically in the epidermis and dermis layers. Moreover, antimicrobial assays against healthy and pathological skin pathogens demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of thymol-loaded NLC gelling systems since NLC are more efficient in slowly reducing C. acnes viability, but they possess lower antimicrobial activity against S. epidermidis, compared to free thymol.Conclusion: Thymol was successfully loaded into NLC and dispersed in gelling systems, demonstrating that it is a suitable candidate for topical administration against acne vulgaris by eradicating pathogenic bacteria while preserving the healthy skin microbiome.</p

    Running title: Lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 lockdown in older adults

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    Epidemiol Health > Accepted Articles Original article Epidemiology and Health 2022;e2022026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022026 [Accepted] Published online Feb 21, 2022. The medium-term consequences of COVID-19 lockdown on lifestyle among Spanish older people with hypertension, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal-diseases, depression, and cancer Irene Rodríguez-Gómez1 , Coral Sánchez-Martín1 , Francisco J. García-García2 , Esther García-Esquinas3 , Marta Miret4 , Germán Vicente-Rodriguez5 , Narcís Gusi6 , Asier Mañas7 , José A. Carnicero8 , Marcela Gonzalez-Gross9 , José L. Ayuso-Mateos10 , Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo11 , Leocadio Rodríguez-Mañas12 , Ignacio Ara Royo1 1Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain 2Hospital Virgen del Valle, Complejo Hospitalario de Toledo, Toledo, Spain 3Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Korea 4Department of Psychiatry. School of Medicine. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain 5Department of Physiatry and Nursing, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain 6Instituto Internacional de Investigación e Innovación en Envejecimiento, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain 7Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain 8University Hospital. Getafe, Spain, Getafe, Spain 9ImFINE Research Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. , Madrid, Spain 10Department of Psychiatry. School of Medicine. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid , Madrid, Spain 11Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain 12University Hospital. Getafe, Spain, Getafe, Spain Correspondence Ignacio Ara Royo ,Email: [email protected] Received: Oct 14, 2021 Accepted after revision: Feb 21, 2022 Abstract Objectives: To assess the influence of different chronic diseases on lifestyle and health behaviours changes after COVID-19 lockdown in Spanish older people compared to people without these diseases and compare the differences in these changes between both periods. Method: 1092 participants (80.3±5.6y;66.5%women) from two Spanish cohorts were included. Telephone-based questionaries were used to evaluate health risk behaviours and lifestyle during lockdown and 7-months later. Self-reported physician-based diagnosis of chronic diseases was also reported. Cox-proportional models adjusted for main confounders were applied. Results: Improvements concerning lifestyle were found in older people with chronic diseases, although they worsened the physical component (except cancer). When they were compared to those without these diseases, hypertension was associated with a lower frequency of increased alcohol consumption (Hazard ratio:0.73[95% confidence interval:0.55;0.99]). Pulmonary diseases were associated with a lower risk of both decreased sedentary time (0.58[0.39;0.86]) and worsening sleep quality (0.56[0.36;0.87]), while CVD was only associated with a lower frequency of decreased sedentary time (0.58[0.38;0.88]). Depression was linked to a higher risk of increasing diet quality (1.53[1.00;2.36]). Cancer was less likely to worsen sleep quality (0.44[0.22;0.89]), but more likely to worsen their social contact frequency (2.05[1.05;3.99]). No significant association related to musculoskeletal diseases. Conclusions: Beneficial changes in health risk behaviours and lifestyle after the COVID-19 lockdown in older people with chronic diseases were found. Particularly, older people with hypertension, pulmonary disease and cancer showed beneficial changes after lockdown compared to their counterparts without diseases. Those with CVD and depression showed lifestyles that could involve a health risk

    Investigaciones en ciencias humanas y sociales : del ABC disciplinar a la reflexión metodológica

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    Diversidad de objetos, variedad de enfoques, prácticas disciplinares y multidisciplinares, y ejemplos de ejecución de proyectos de investigación y desarrollo son los rasgos distintivos de los siete capítulos que integran esta obra. En ellos se recoge el material desplegado en los Seminarios-Talleres de Metodología de la Investigación en Humanidades que se realizaron en el marco de las V Jornadas de Investigación de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo en setiembre de 2004: estudios sobre procesos sociales, cuestiones educativas, geográficas, históricas, lingüísticas y literarias. Algunos capítulos han mantenido el estilo y formato característicos del contexto de los seminarios-talleres, a veces con ligeras modificaciones; otros han sido enteramente reescritos para la convocatoria de esta publicación. Este libro refleja entonces abordajes disciplinares y pluridisciplinares diversos a problemáticas igualmente variadas. Por tratarse de propuestas orientadas a y/o basadas en seminarios-talleres, está claro que los autores involucrados no pueden abarcar todos los aspectos de los objetos de estudio respectivos. Sin embargo, la idea es al menos brindar algún punto de vista sobre el estadio de desarrollo de algunas de las investigaciones actualmente en ejecución en nuestra Facultad

    Informe final del escaneo de horizonte sobre futuras especies exóticas invasoras en España

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    73 p.La introducción de especies exóticas invasoras (EEI) es una de las principales causas de la pérdida de biodiversidad a nivel global, que provoca grandes costes socioeconómicos. Sin embargo, el número de nuevas introducciones continúa creciendo año tras año. Por lo tanto, urge identificar posibles futuras EEI con el objetivo de diseñar e implementar medidas que prevengan y mitiguen los efectos negativos de su introducción. Así, el objetivo de este estudio es prospectar qué especies exóticas no establecidas en España podrían llegar fácilmente en los próximos 10 años, establecerse y causar importantes impactos ecológicos. Para ello, se ha realizado un escaneo de horizonte, siguiendo la metodología establecida en trabajos previos, siendo el primero para el conjunto de las especies exóticas invasoras en España. Se añadieron en el análisis especies que no son autóctonas de España, incluyendo los archipiélagos de Canarias y Baleares, y que no están establecidas en España. Un total de 39 científicos, expertos en distintos grupos taxonómicos y ecosistemas, ha evaluado 933 especies. Con el objetivo de analizar el acuerdo entre las evaluaciones individuales de los expertos y su consistencia, se llevaron a cabo dos análisis de fiabilidad complementarios, cuyos resultados se discuten en este informe. Como resultado del escaneo, se obtuvo una lista priorizada de 105 especies (46 con riesgo muy alto y 59 con riesgo alto). La mayoría de estas especies (84,8%), sin embargo, no están incluidas actualmente en el Catálogo Español de Especies Exóticas Invasoras. Por lo tanto, se recomienda la realización de un análisis de riesgo más detallado de estas especies y, si se confirma el riesgo alto, la solicitud de su incorporación en dicho catálogo o en el Listado de especies alóctonas susceptibles de competir con las especies silvestres autóctonas, alterar su pureza genética o los equilibrios ecológicos. Del mismo modo, se propone la realización de escaneos de horizonte específicos para los archipiélagos de Canarias y Baleares, ya que muchas de las especies autóctonas de la Península no lo son de las islas y podrían tener un gran impacto si allí se introdujeran. Este informe también analiza la afinidad taxonómica (i.e. filo) y funcional (i.e. productor primario, depredador, omnívoro, herbívoro o filtrador) de las especies de la lista priorizada, su origen geográfico y las principales vías de introducción. Por último, discute los mecanismos de impacto de dichas especies.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovació

    Intentos de suicidio en la comunidad autónoma de Madrid: epidemiología, características y respuesta del sistema sanitario

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    Tesis doctoral inédita leida en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Psicología. Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud. Fecha de lectura: abril de 2010En este trabajo se pretenden dar respuesta a preguntas como ¿cuántas personas acuden a los hospitales por intento de suicidio?,¿qué cracterísticas tienen dichas personas?, etc. Se estructura esta tesis en: introducción, objetivos, método, resultados y discusión; y as u vez en 4 estudios: 1)estudio de la incidencia de la conducta; 2) estudio de las características de los intentos de suicidio; 3)estudio de la calidad de los informes; y 4)estudio de la respuesta del sistema sanitario
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