scholarly journals The Effect of Ageing on Nasal Mucociliary Clearance in Women: A Pilot Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preetha Paul ◽  
Priscilla Johnson ◽  
Padmavathi Ramaswamy ◽  
Sitalakshmi Ramadoss ◽  
Bagavad Geetha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mucociliary Clearance ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Respiratory Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Sweet Taste ◽  
Respiratory Epithelium ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Nasal Mucociliary Clearance

Introduction. Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of death in the elderly. Impaired respiratory defences are one of the causes for increased susceptibility of the elderly to such infections. Nasal mucociliary clearance, the mirror image of bronchial clearance, is crucial in respiratory defence and is affected by various factors. Little is known about the effect of ageing on nasal respiratory epithelium. Aim. To evaluate the effect of ageing on nasal mucociliary clearance (NMC) in women. Materials and Methods. NMC was measured in 91 apparently healthy women of ages ranging from 20 to 80 years. The time taken to experience sweet taste at nasopharynx following the placement of saccharin pellet in the nostril was recorded as NMC time. Results and Discussion. NMC time was 10 min 36 secs in elderly women and it was significantly prolonged when compared to younger women (8 min 39 secs). The prolonged clearance may be due to altered cilia, slowed ciliary beating, or changes in the properties of mucus. Conclusion. NMC time clearly shows an increase with age signifying decreasing respiratory epithelium function. This study highlights an important cause of impaired respiratory health in older individuals and emphasises the need for preventive measures to be put in place.

Treatment Practices and Outcomes of Elderly Women with Breast Cancer in a Community Hospital

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 714-719
Author(s):  
Rosewellv Mackey ◽  
Gopal Chandru Kowdley
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Survival Data ◽  
Community Hospital ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Treatment Practices ◽  
The Impact

There is a paucity of clinical data available on specific treatment in the oncogeriatric population with breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment patterns and survival outcomes in the elderly to address any disparities at our community hospital. We retrospectively identified a total of 1749 patients diagnosed and treated for breast cancer at our institution between 2001 and 2011. Patient demographics, surgical treatment, stage of disease, tumor characteristics, adjuvant therapy, and 5-year survival data were obtained from tumor registry records. Comparisons between study groups were made using the Pearson χ2 test and Student's t test. We found more favorable prognostic makers among women older than 70 years of age. Of the women with lymph node-positive disease, 84 per cent of those younger than 70 years and 33 per cent in the older than 70 years of age study group received chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy were more frequently performed in the younger group. Overall 5-year survival was 90 per cent and 71 per cent for younger than 70 years and older than 70 years groups, respectively. Women older than 70 years of age have more favorable breast cancer characteristics compared with younger women and received less aggressive treatment and experienced a higher mortality rate. Prospective trials are needed to assess the impact of aggressive multimodality therapy in this oncogeriatric population.

Variations in Dental Anxiety among Middle-aged and Elderly Women in Sweden: A Longitudinal Study between 1968 and 1996

1999 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 1655-1661 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Hägglin ◽  
U. Berggren ◽  
M. Hakeberg ◽  
T. Hallstrom ◽  
C. Bengtsson
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Dental Anxiety ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cohort Effect ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Dental Services ◽  
Cross Sectional

Cross-sectional studies have shown that older individuals are significantly less dentally anxious than younger ones. However, research has not been able to show if this is a cohort effect or an effect of fear declining with age. If it is a cohort effect, dental anxiety among the elderly may pose a greater-than-expected problem for the providers of dental services. With the exception of longitudinal studies in children and a three-year follow-up on adults, no truly longitudinal epidemiological studies concerning dental anxiety have been performed. The aim of this project was to investigate how dental anxiety changes with aging. In a longitudinal population study of women in Goteborg, Sweden, starting in 1968, 1462 women aged 38 to 54 participated. A representative subsample of 778 women took part in a psychiatric examination where an investigation of dental anxiety was included. The same questions were also included when these women were re-examined in 1974,1992, and 1996. Three hundred seventy-five women were still eligible for investigation in 1996. In 1968-69, 48 (12.8%) of the participating women assessed themselves as "very afraid" or "terrified" when visiting the dentist, and in 1996 the frequency was 21 (5.6%) among the same women. In 1968-69, 180 women (48%) reported no dental anxiety when visiting the dentist, and 28 years later the frequency was 230 (61%). In the three youngest age groups, dental anxiety decreased significantly (p < 0.001) over the 28-year period. Older compared with younger women reported significantly less dental anxiety, and this was an age effect rather than a cohort effect. Thus, this longitudinal study supported the hypothesis that dental fear, like many other general and specific phobias, declines with age.

scholarly journals Age and education influence the performance of elderly women on the dual-task Timed Up and Go test

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisele de Cássia Gomes ◽  
Luci Fuscaldi Teixeira-Salmela ◽  
Bruna Espeschit Fonseca ◽  
Flávia Alexandra Silveira de Freitas ◽  
Maria Luísa Morais Fonseca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Activity Method ◽  
Different Levels

Gait variability is related to functional decline in the elderly. The dual-task Timed Up and Go Test (TUG-DT) reflects the performance in daily activities. Objective To evaluate the differences in time to perform the TUG with and without DT in elderly women with different ages and levels of education and physical activity. Method Ninety-two elderly women perfomed the TUG at usual and fast speeds, with and without motor and cognitive DT. Results Increases in the time to perform the TUG-DT were observed at older ages and lower educational levels, but not at different levels of physical activity. More educated women performed the test faster with and without DT at both speeds. When age was considered, significant differences were found only for the TUG-DT at both speeds. Conclusion Younger women with higher education levels demonstrated better performances on the TUG-DT.

scholarly journals Reduced mucociliary clearance in old mice is associated with a decrease in Muc5b mucin

2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (9) ◽  
pp. L860-L867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara R. Grubb ◽  
Alessandra Livraghi-Butrico ◽  
Troy D. Rogers ◽  
Weining Yin ◽  
Brian Button ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mucociliary Clearance ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Beat Frequency ◽  
Ciliary Beat Frequency ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Tracheal Tissue ◽  
Bronchial Tissue ◽  
Old Mice

Respiratory infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Previous reports have suggested that mucociliary clearance (MCC) is impaired in older individuals, but the cause is unclear. To unravel the mechanisms responsible for the age-associated decline in MCC, we investigated the MCC system in young (3 mo) and old (2 yr) C57BL/6 mice. We found that old mice had significantly reduced MCC function in both the upper and lower airways compared with young mice. Measurement of bioelectric properties of isolated tracheal and bronchial tissue revealed a significant decrease in Cl− secretion, suggesting that the older mice may have a reduced ability to maintain a sufficiently hydrated airway surface for efficient MCC. Ciliary beat frequency was also observed to be reduced in the older animals; however, this reduction was small relative to the reduction in MCC. Interestingly, the level of the major secreted mucin, Muc5b, was found to be reduced in both bronchioalveolar lavage and isolated tracheal tissue. Our previous studies of Muc5b−/− mice have demonstrated that Muc5b is essential for normal MCC in the mouse. Furthermore, examination of Muc5b+/− and wild-type animals revealed that heterozygous animals, which secrete ∼50% of the wild-type level of Muc5b, also demonstrate a markedly reduced level of MCC, confirming the importance of Muc5b levels to MCC. These results demonstrate that aged mice exhibit a decrease in MCC and suggest that a reduced level of secretion of both Cl− and Muc5b may be responsible.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Postural Stability in Young and Elderly Women

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-140
Author(s):  
Tomasz Marciniak ◽  
Ida Wiszomirska ◽  
Lidia Ilnicka
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Relative Difference ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Balance System ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Comparison Of The Results ◽  
The Impact

AbstractStudy aim: Assessment of postural stability performed on an unstable stabilometry platform. Comparison of the results ob­tained by two groups consisting of elderly (OW) (60+ years old) and younger women (YW).Material and methods: Seventy-three female volunteers were divided into two groups: 40 young women (20.2 ± 1.75), and 32 elderly women (68.3 ± 7.43). Participants performed five stability tests on Biodex Balance System SD: three 20-second tries, the Postural Stability Test (PST) and the Fall Risk Test (FRT). Three stability indexes - overall (OSI), anterior-posterior (APSI), and medial-lateral (MLSI) - both with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC) were analyzed. The impact of vision on balance was calculated as EC-EO. Also effect size was calculated and evaluated.Results: All of the parameters differed significantly between groups in favour of YW. The largest difference in significance as well as effect size was noted for FRT, p < 0.001 and 1.86 respectively. Tries measure the impact of vision on balance (EC-EO). The results concerning tries with EC-EO showed the strongest discrimination between groups - OSI p = 0.0088 (relative differ­ence 0.23 ± 0.26) and APSI p = 0.0268 (relative difference 0.17 ± 0.2). YW had a significantly better outcome.Conclusions: YW had better results in all of the parameters taken into consideration, with most of them being significant. This confirms that all of the regressive changes appearing with age influence balance. Lack of visual input (EC) in OW caused sig­nificantly worse results in most of the measured parameters, showing that vision is a very important factor for balance mainte­nance in the elderly.

scholarly journals Ovarian Cancer in the Elderly: Time to Move towards a More Logical Approach to Improve Prognosis—A Study from the FRANCOGYN Group

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1339
Author(s):  
Ludivine Dion ◽  
Camille Mimoun ◽  
Krystel Nyangoh Timoh ◽  
Sofiane Bendifallah ◽  
Alexandre Bricou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Cancer ◽  
Postoperative Complications ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Optimal Treatment ◽  
Surgical Approaches ◽  
University Hospitals ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Primary Surgery ◽  
Comorbidity Index

Background and objective: Elderly and/or frail women with ovarian cancer are often undertreated. The aim of the study is to compare the effects of age and frailty on surgical approaches, postoperative complications, and prognosis in elderly women with ovarian cancer. Methods: A retrospective multicenter study of women ≥70 years were treated for ovarian cancer at seven French university hospitals between 2007 and 2015. Results: Of the 1119 women treated for ovarian cancer during the study period, 147 were ≥70 years and had complete data. Of these women, 65 were aged 70–74 years, and 82 were aged ≥75 years. Overall, 77% of the younger women (49/65) received optimal treatment compared with 51% (40/82) of the older women (p = 0.018). Women ≥75 years underwent fewer bowel resections (32% vs. 67%, p < 0.001) and experienced fewer postoperative complications (22.6% vs. 38.9%, p < 0.001); 53.2% of the women in this age group were treated by primary surgery or surgery only. These women also received more chemotherapy with platinum only (15% [9/56] vs. 2% [1/57], p = 0.007) and less bevacizumab (9% [5/56] vs. 32% [18/57], p = 0.003). Patients with greater frailty (a modified Charlson Comorbidity Index [mCCI] score >3) had a five-year survival rate of 30% versus 62% for those with a score ≤3 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Surgeons modify their approach to treating ovarian cancer in women ≥75 years probably to reduce immediate postoperative complications. The prognosis is significantly worse in patients with greater frailty. Improvements to the sequence of treatments administered, with priority given to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with greater frailty, could help increase the number of women who receive optimal treatment and improve their prognosis.

scholarly journals The effects of teaching methods of palliative care on life pattern of old women with chronic pain

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Hesari ◽  
Zahra Sabzi ◽  
Shohreh Kolagari
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Old People ◽  
Life Pattern

Chronic pain is among problems of old people and causes changes in their life pattern and processes. Teaching palliative care can help old people suffering from chronic pain to live an active life. The aim of this research was to determine effects of educating of palliative care on life pattern of elderly women with chronic pain. The present study was a Quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post test was conducted on 30 elderly women suffering from chronic pain in 2018 in Iran. The Questionnaire for evaluating the Pattern of Life with Pain in the elderly was filled before the intervention, group educating of palliative care was carried out using an educational package, and the questionnaire was completed again immediately and one and three months after. The data was analyzed using mean, standard deviations, Fisher’s F test, and Greenhouse-Geisser and Bonferroni post-hoc test by employing SPSS- 16. Mean changes before teaching palliative care significantly differed from those of immediately and one and three months after the educational program (p = 0.0), (p = 0.004). There were significant differences between the stages of immediately and one month after the educational program and that of three months after it (p = 0.001), (p = 0.002). Concerning the personal life patterns, there were statistically significant differences between the stage immediately after the educational program and those before the intervention and three months after it (p = 0.005), (p = 0.000). Regarding the social life pattern, only the stage of one month after the educational program significantly differed from that of three months (p = 0.005). Mean growth in life pattern of the old women suffering from chronic pain in the stages after the intervention indicated the importance of and the necessity for palliative care during old age. Moreover, the success of this education three months after the educational program as compared to immediately and one month after it indicates that allocation of sufficient time plays a very important role in transferring information and in teaching methods of palliative care to old people.

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