Interactive Videogame Technologies to Support Independence in the Elderly: A Narrative Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a major health burden for the elderly population, affecting approximately 25% of people over the age of 65 years. This percentage is expected to increase dramatically in the next decades in relation to the increased longevity of the population observed in recent years. Beyond microvascular and macrovascular complications, sarcopenia has been described as a new diabetes complication in the elderly population. Increasing attention has been paid by researchers and clinicians to this age-related condition—characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass together with the loss of muscle power and function—in individuals with T2DM; this is due to the heavy impact that sarcopenia may have on physical and psychosocial health of diabetic patients, thus affecting their quality of life. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an update on: (1) the risk of sarcopenia in individuals with T2DM, and (2) its association with relevant features of patients with T2DM such as age, gender, body mass index, disease duration, glycemic control, presence of microvascular or macrovascular complications, nutritional status, and glucose-lowering drugs. From a clinical point of view, it is necessary to improve the ability of physicians and dietitians to recognize early sarcopenia and its risk factors in patients with T2DM in order to make appropriate therapeutic approaches able to prevent and treat this condition.

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Deleterious effects of prolonged bed rest on the body systems of the elderly - a review

Revista Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia ◽

10.1590/1981-22562018021.170167 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 499-506 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Luana Petruccio Cabral Monteiro Guedes ◽

Maria Liz Cunha de Oliveira ◽

Gustavo de Azevedo Carvalho

Keyword(s):

Research Question ◽

Primary Source ◽

Bed Rest ◽

The Elderly ◽

The Body ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Boolean Operator

Abstract Objective: to describe the deleterious effects of prolonged bed rest on the body systems of the elderly. Method: an integrative-narrative review was carried out, with the following research question: What are the effects of prolonged bed rest on the body systems of the elderly? The PubMed and Virtual Health Library databases were searched with the following terms: "bed rest” and "elderly" with the Boolean operator “and”. Results: a total of 1,639 articles were found. After application of the established criteria, nine articles remained, and 20 were added to maintain the citation of the primary source, giving a total of 29 articles. Conclusion: the immobility associated with prolonged bed rest is detrimental to the health of the elderly, as it affects several systems, such as the cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and urinary systems, which may lead to the onset of diseases in addition to those that led to bed rest.

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Sleep-related behaviors in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies

Reviews in the Neurosciences ◽

10.1515/revneuro-2014-0050 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alberto Raggi ◽

Walter Neri ◽

Raffaele Ferri

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Dementia With Lewy Bodies ◽

Lewy Bodies ◽

The Elderly ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Clinical Approach ◽

Prevalence Studies

AbstractPrevalence studies suggest that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are the most common dementing illnesses in the elderly. The aim of this narrative review was to provide data on sleep-related behaviors in AD and DLB. This paper contains arguments, with a clinical approach, on both circadian rhythm changes and dissociated states of wakefulness and sleep in these two conditions.

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Type II odontoid fractures in the elderly: an evidence-based narrative review of management

European Spine Journal ◽

10.1007/s00586-010-1507-6 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 195-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

D. Pal ◽

P. Sell ◽

M. Grevitt

Keyword(s):

The Elderly ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Type Ii ◽

Odontoid Fractures

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Malnutrition in the elderly: A narrative review

Maturitas ◽

10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.07.013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 76 (4) ◽

pp. 296-302 ◽

Cited By ~ 182

Author(s):

E. Agarwal ◽

M. Miller ◽

A. Yaxley ◽

E. Isenring

Keyword(s):

The Elderly ◽

Narrative Review

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Chronic Pain in the Elderly: The Case for New Therapeutic Strategies

January 2018 - Pain Physician ◽

10.36076/ppj.2015/18/e863 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5;18 (5;9) ◽

pp. E863-E876

Author(s):

Giustino Varrassi

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Neuropathic Pain ◽

Immune System ◽

Mast Cells ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Elderly Population ◽

Neuronal Cells ◽

Neuronal Cell ◽

The Elderly ◽

Narrative Review

Background: Elderly patients in general exhibit a higher incidence of chronic and neuropathic pain conditions. This group poses a particular clinical challenge due to age-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic issues, comorbid conditions, and polypharmacy, as well as frailty and cognitive decline. Poor control of pain has consistently been identified as an issue for older people. The identification of safe and efficacious treatments for chronic pain remains a critical public health concern, especially considering the progressive increase of the world’s elderly population. Objectives: This narrative review deals with the principal alterations of the somatosensory system together with changes in non-neuronal cells in the course of aging. The possibility to control chronic pain based on an innovative strategy which addresses non-neuronal cell dysregulation control will also be discussed. Study Design: Narrative review. Results: Peripheral nerves display functional, structural, and biochemical changes with aging that mainly involve Aδ fibers. Alteration in the responses to heat pain in the middle insular cortex and primary somatosensory cortex are also observed in the elderly. In general, pain threshold increases with age while the threshold of pain tolerance remains unchanged or decreases. Additionally, other important modifications of the pain perception system in this age group consist in a clear reduction in the descending inhibitory capacity with an associated increase in central sensitization. Furthermore, different changes concern immune system cells, such as mast cells and microglia, that with age show an increase in their sensitivity to noxious stimuli and a decreased capability to be regulated by homeostatic endogenous systems. Since these cells are the primary interlocutors for pain neurons, their alterations lead to changes that promote persistent neuroinflammation, thereby impacting pain neuronal cell functionality. Limitation: This review is not an exhaustive review for the current evidence supporting the role of immune cells in influencing pain somatosensory neuron functions. It is also important to stress the small number of studies designed to determine the efficacy and safety of anti-pain therapies in elderly patients. Conclusion: Non-neuronal cells of immune system origin such as microglia and mast cells, along with astrocytes, are capable of influencing pain somatosensory neuron functions. These nervous system non-neuronal cells may thus be viewed as innovative targets for persistent pain control. Among therapies aiming at preserving the functionality of non-neuronal cells, palmitoylethanolamide, with its high efficacy/risk ratio, may be an excellent co-treatment for the ever-growing elderly population with chronic pain. Key words: Elderly, chronic and neuropathic pain, mast cells, glial cells, neuroinflammation, micronized and ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide

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Oral Rehabilitation Using the Lip Muscle Trainer: A Narrative Review

Physical Treatments - Specific Physical Therapy ◽

10.32598/ptj.11.3.486.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 139-144

Author(s):

Ali Mohamed Ali Ismail ◽

Keyword(s):

Defense Mechanism ◽

The Elderly ◽

The Body ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Body Parts ◽

First Line ◽

Oral Rehabilitation ◽

Future Studies ◽

Instructions For Use

A lot of time is spent on exercising the body parts while the lips are neglected, despite the evidence on the wide-ranging effects of lips on overall health and quality of life. Oral rehabilitation by Patakara lip muscle trainer leads to a strong lip closure which can stand as the first-line defense mechanism against many oral dysfunctions related to aging. In the absence of a narrative review presented on this trainer, this paper focuses on the components, instructions for use, and oral health indications of the Patakara lip muscle trainer. This trainer could enhance many oral dysfunctions in the elderly as oral breathing, snoring, halitosis, dry mouth, and oral/gastrointestinal dysfunction, but future studies are needed in this field.

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Salient Conclusive Remarks on Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestations of Pediatric COVID-19: Narrative Review

Frontiers in Pediatrics ◽

10.3389/fped.2020.584694 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Abdelwahid Saeed Ali ◽

Ahmed Mossa Al-Hakami ◽

Ayed Abdullah Shati ◽

Ali Alsuheel Asseri ◽

Saleh Mohammed Al-Qahatani

Keyword(s):

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Primary Source ◽

The Elderly ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Human Populations ◽

Clinical Phenotypes ◽

Virus Acquisition ◽

Epidemiological Features ◽

Significant Public Health ◽

Novel Coronavirus

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), constituted significant public health concerns and impacted the human populations with massive economic and social burdens worldwide. The disease is known to infect people of all ages, including children, adults, and the elderly. Although several reports about pediatric COVID-19 were seen in the literature, we believe that the epidemiology and pathology of the infection described in these reports are not conclusive. Therefore, in this scientific communication, a narrative review study was performed to shed some light on the characteristic epidemiological features and clinical phenotypes of pediatric COVID-19. In this report, we had compiled and presented the different epidemiological features of the disease related to the age of infection, virus acquisition, explanations of the low infectivity rates, and consequences of infections. The discriminatory clinical manifestations of the disease in children were also addressed and discussed in this review. The search included the data published from the date of the start of the pandemic in December 2019 up to October 2020. Our literature search revealed that children of all ages, including neonates, had been infected by the virus. Despite the fact that pediatric COVID-19 is less common to occur, as compared to the disease in adults, the infected children usually manifest the disease symptomatology in benign form. Asymptomatic and symptomatic adult patients are the primary source of the virus to the children. Intrauterine transmission of the virus and breastfeeding infections to the neonates were hypothesized in some studies but ruled out since they were not confirmed. Intensive review and discussion warranting the low infection rates and benign conditions of COVID-19 in children were also made in this study. As documented in many studies, the infectivity, morbidity, and mortality rates of the disease among the children populations are much lower than those in adults. They also seem to be lower than those observed during SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV epidemics. The described clinical phenotypes of COVID-19 in children do not differ much from those of adults, and complications of the disease seem to be associated with comorbidities.

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