As one of the major geriatric syndromes,frailty exerts adverse effects on life expectancy and quality of life of the elderly.Because of its importance,a number of methods and tools have been introduced for the assessment of frailty.Malnutrition,as an independent risk factor,interacts with frailty and is involved in its progression.This article reviews recent studies on frailty and malnutrition.

Objective: To study the effects of propafenone on action potential (AP) of rabbit ventricular myocytes with the tonic block and use-dependent block of transient sodium current (INa-T). Methods: A total of 10 adult New Zealand white rabbits were sacriifced and 10 individual ventricular myocytes were isolated by enzyme digestion method. Microelectrode technologies were used to record AP-related parameters: maximum diastolic potential (MDP), maximum rate of rise of the action potential upstroke (Vmax), action potential amplitude (APA) and action potential duration at 20%, 50% and 90% (APD20, APD50 and APD90).INa-T was measured, I-V curves and peak currents at different frequencies were detected by whole cell patch clamp before and after propafenone perfusion at 10 μmol/L. Results: There was no statistical difference in MDP at before and after propafenone perfusion as (-80 ± 6) mV vs (-82 ± 5) mV,P>0.05. After perfusion, APA was signiifcantly decreased as (95 ± 12) mV vs ( 125 ± 10) mV,P<0.05, the Vmax slowed down as (330 ± 43) V/s vs (420 ± 54) V/s,P<0.05, while APD20, APD50 and APD90 were unchanged as (8 ± 2) ms vs (6 ± 2) ms,P>0.05, (16 ± 3) ms vs (12 ± 3) ms,P>0.05 and (86 ± 14) ms vs (85 ± 12) ms,P>0.05. After propafenone perfusion, I-V curve ofINa-T was shifted upward and the peak current was decreased as (3001 ± 383) pA vs (4193 ± 378) pA, P<0.05. Before perfusion, when stimulated at 0.06 Hz, 1 Hz, 2 Hz, 5 Hz and 10 Hz, there were no signiifcant use-dependent block inINa-T , and no real difference inINa-T between the 10th and 1st pulse,P>0.05. After perfusion, no significant use-dependent block was observed when stimulated at 0.06 Hz and 1 Hz,P>0.05, while at 2 Hz, 5 Hz and 10 Hz, propafenone perfusion demonstrated signiifcant use-dependent block uponINa-T with the inhibition fractions of (22 ± 11)%, (38 ± 14)% and (52 ± 17)% respectively, those were signiifcantly different from the inhibition fractions at either 0.06 Hz or 1Hz,P<0.05. When the inhibition fractions were compared by each 2 conditions, allP<0.05. Conclusion: Propafenone may slow down the Vmax of AP, reduce APA and without the impact on APD; the effects onINa-T is not only in tonic block, but also more obviously in use-dependent block in isolated ventricular myocytes of New Zealand rabbit. Such inlfuences minimized the impact on QT interval and meanwhile, decreased the incidence of brad arrhythmia.

Objective To evaluate the clinical significance of antiplatelet antibody in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with thrombocytopenia.Methods Antiplatelet antibody (anti-GP Ⅱb/Ⅲa antibody, anti-GP Ⅰb/Ⅸ antibody, anti-GP Ⅰa/Ⅱ a antibody, anti-GP Ⅳ antibody) were detected by modified antigen capture ELISA. The positive rate of antiplatelet antibody between SLE complicated with thrombocytopenia group and without thrombocytopenia group before therapy were compared,and the positive rate of antiplatelet antibody before therapy and after therapy in SLE complicated with thrombocytopenia were compared,and the relevance between antiplatelet antibody and conditions in SLE complicated with thrombocytopenia were analyzed. Rank test and Chi square test were used for statistical analysis. Results The positive rate of anti-GP Ⅱb/Ⅲa antibody and anti-GP Ⅰb/Ⅸ antibody in SLE complicated with thrombocytopenia group before therapy was 50% and 67% respectively, however,the positive rate in SLE without thrombocytopenia group before therapy was 11% and 28% respectively,there was significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.05) and the positive rate of anti-GP Ⅱb/Ⅲa antibody and anti-GP Ⅰb/Ⅸ antibody in SLE complicated with thrombocytopenia group after therapy was 6% and 28% respectively, which was significantly lower than those before therapy (P＜0.05). In SLE complicated with thrombocytopenia group before therapy, there was significant relevance between anti-GP Ⅱb/Ⅲ a antibody and anti-GP[b/Ⅸ antibody, and there was significant relevance between these two antibodies and SLEDAI score,but no significant relevance between these two antibodies and ANA,dsDNA, ANCA. Neither anti-GPⅣ antibody nor anti-GP Ⅰ a/Ⅱ a antibody was detected in patients of this study. Conclusion The positive rate of antiplatelet antibody (anti-GP Ⅱb/Ⅲ a antibody, anti-GP Ⅰb/Ⅸ antibody) is significantly higher in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus complicated with thrombocytopenia,and these two antibodies are significantly associated with clinical outcomes.

Objective To retrospectively analyze the treatments of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (nvAF) in elderly patients aged 80 years and over,and to investigate the influencing factors for occurrence of stroke and transient ischemic attack(TIA)and relationships between antithrombotic therapy and stroke or TIA.Methods 101 elderly patients with nvAF were enrolled and grouped according to the occurrence of stroke/TIA and antithrombotic-correlated bleeding.The influencing factors were retrospectively analyzed and antithrombotic schemes were compared.Results Incidence rate of stroke/TIA was 28.7％ (29/101).Among all patients,70 cases were treated with antiplatelet therapy,19 cases were treated with anticoagulation therapy,while 12 cases received no antithrombotic (antiplatelet or anticoagulation) therapy before stroke.Both the nvAF time course and the antithrombotic strategy were significantly different between post-AF stroke/TIA group and non-postAF stroke/TIA group(both P＜0.05).The difference was reflected in ratios of antiplatelet therapy/anticoagulation therapy.The proportion of anticoagulation therapy was higher in non stroke/TIA group(x2 =5.778,P =0.016).Different antiplatelet therapy scheme significantly affected occurrence of stroke/TIA(P＜0.05).There was no significant effect of antithrombotic schemes on hemorrhagic events(x2=0.708,P =0.702).Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension,coronary heart disease,cancer,diabetes and previous stroke history,as well as nvAF duration were the independent risk factors for post-AF stroke/TIA(OR=1.351,95 ％CI:1.129-1.617).Conclusions Currently,the proportion using anticoagulation therapy is low,and single antiplatelet therapy is the main regimen in the elderly patients with nvAF.For elderly patients with nvAF,anticoagulation therapy has a protective effect against the occurrence of post-nvAF stroke/TIA,meanwhile there is no significantly increased risk of bleeding,which makes anticoagulation therapy advisable in the elderly.The nvAF time course is one of the risk factors,which is worth experts' attention in risk evaluation of thrombus in elderly patients.

Osteoarthritis (OA)is a chronic degenerative joint disease and one of the most common causes of pain and disability in the elderly.Frailty is a physiological state characterized by the deregulation of multiple physiologic systems in an aging organism,leading to the loss of homeostatic capacity that exposes the elderly to disability,disease,and eventual death.Prefrailty occurs at an earlier stage of the frailty spectrum and is closely associated with later development of frailty.A large number of studies,using various diagnostic criteria,have addressed the interrelationship between OA and frailty during their disease development processes.Identifying prefrailty and frailty is necessary for the choice of intervention measures and the prevention or delay of disability occurrence in elderly OA patients.Frailty can be considered as a new prognostic factor for mortality,especially in individuals with OA.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between serum uric acid level and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and outcomes after endovascular therapy (EVT) in elderly patients with anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:Elderly patients with AIS (aged ≥65 years) received EVT in Beijing Geriatric Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital from December 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. sICH was defined as cerebral parenchymal hemorrhage revealed by CT within 72 h after admission and the Naitonal Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score increased by ≥4 compared with the baseline. At 90 d after onset, the clinical outcome was evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale. 0-2 was a good outcome and 3-6 was a poor outcome. The clinical data of the sICH group and non-sICH group, as well as the good outcome group and poor outcome group were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent correlation between serum uric acid level and sICH and poor outcomes. Results:A total of 122 patients were enrolled, their age was 73.89±6.24 years, and 73 (59.8%) were male. Fifty-two patients (42.6%) had hemorrhagic transformation, 27 (22.1%) had sICH, and 28 (23.8%) had a good outcome at 90 d after onset. The serum uric acid in the sICH group was significantly lower than that in the non-sICH group ( P=0.002), while the serum uric acid in the good outcome group was similar to that in the poor outcome group ( P=0.510). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the lower serum uric acid was an independent risk factor for sICH (odds ratio 0.994, 95% confidence interval 0.990-0.998; P=0.011). Conclusion:The lower serum uric acid level was an independent risk factor for sICH after EVT in elderly patients with AIS, but it was not associated with the outcomes.

Frailty is an age-related syndrome mainly characterized by a decreased physical reserves and the development of multi-system disorders,which damage the protective ability of organism to exterior and interior stressor of harmful stimuli,and the protective ability of organism to maintain homeostasis,finally to increase the susceptibility and vulnerability to stressor of harmful stimuli.One focus is to investigate the correlation between physical and cognitive functions in elderly people as the basis of exploration for the association between frailty and cognitive decline.Several epidemiological studies have reported an idea that frailty increases the risk of cognitive decline which interactively increases the risk of frailty.This suggests that cognition impairment interacts with frailty in the ageing process.This paper reviews the potential association between frailty and cognitive impairment on the basis of the evidence on neuropathology,hormonal dysregulation,nutrition condition,chronic inflammation,vascular disease risk,and psychological factor.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute, febrile zoonotic disease that is caused by the RVF virus (RVFV). RVF is mainly prevalent on the Arabian Peninsula, the African continent, and several islands in the Indian Ocean near southeast Africa. RVFV has been classified by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as a category A pathogen. To avoid biological safety concerns associated with use of the pathogen in RVFV neutralization assays, the present study investigated and established an RVFV pseudovirus-based neutralization assay. This study used the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) lentiviral packaging system and RVFV structural proteins to successfully construct RVFV pseudoviruses. Electron microscopy observation and western blotting indicated that the size, structure, and shape of the packaged pseudoviruses were notably similar to those of HIV lentiviral vectors. Infection inhibition assay results showed that an antibody against RVFV inhibited the infective ability of the RVFV pseudoviruses, and an antibody neutralization assay for RVFV detection was then established. This study has successfully established a neutralization assay based on RVFV pseudoviruses and demonstrated that this method can be used to effectively evaluate antibody neutralization.
Africa ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; HIV ; Indian Ocean ; Islands ; Methods ; Microscopy, Electron ; Product Packaging ; Rift Valley fever virus ; Rift Valley Fever ; Zoonoses

Objective To investigate the relationship between frailty and serum biomarkers in the elderly. Methods A total of 371 elderly individuals aged 60 years and above with complete medical data were recruited during health examinations. Frailty phenotype assessment and comprehensive geriatric assessment were conducted.Serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6 ) ,high sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) ,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) ,homocysteine(Hcy) ,insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) ,25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D] ,folic acid and vitamin B12(VitB12) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays ( ELISA ) and chemiluminescence immunoassays. Associations between frailty and the above factors were analyzed. Results Serum levels of IL-6 ,TNF-α ,Hcy and IGF-1 were significantly elevated along with progressive increase in frailty severity(all P＜0.05).There were a downward trend in serum 25(OH)D levels and an upward trend in serum hs-CRP ,folic acid and VitB12 levels as frailty severity increased ,but the changes did not amount to any statistical significance(all P＞0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that ,after adjusting for age ,gender ,body mass index (BMI)and some clinical aspects (hearing loss ,urinary incontinence ,pain ,malnutrition ,cognitive dysfunction ,decreased activities of daily living ,depression , insomnia ,and anemia) ,serum levels of IL-6(OR=1.012 ,95% CI=1.005-2.041 ,P=0.033) ,IGF-1 (OR= 1.017 ,95% CI = 1.011-1.118 ,P= 0.021)and Hcy (OR= 1.007 ,95% CI :1.002-1.073 ,P=0.047)were significantly associated with frailty status. Conclusions Serum levels of IL-6 ,Hcy and IGF-1 are related to frailty status and may be used as potential biomarkers for the assessment of frailty in older adults.

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic impact of combining vitamin D supplementation with dietary adjustments on elderly male patients with diabetes and osteosarcopenia.Methods:From January 2021 to May 2023, a total of 108 male patients diagnosed with diabetes and osteosarcopenia were admitted to Beijing hospital for research purposes.The patients were randomly assigned to either a control group( n=54)or a trial group( n=54).The control group received conventional dietary adjustments, while the trial group received vitamin D supplementation in addition to dietary adjustments.Various parameters including 25-(OH)-VitD 3 levels, blood glucose levels, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index(ASMI), bone mineral density, and bone metabolism indexes were measured before and after the treatment in both groups. Results:Compared to the pre-treatment period, the levels of 25-(OH)-VitD 3, grip strength, 6 m step speed, and ASMI increased in both groups, while fasting blood glucose and 2 h postprandial blood glucose decreased significantly(all P<0.05).Additionally, the experimental group showed higher levels of 25-(OH)-VitD 3, grip strength, 6 m step speed, and ASMI compared to the control group post-treatment, with lower levels of fasting blood glucose and 2 h postprandial blood glucose(all P<0.05).Compared with the pre-treatment period (bone density values in the lumbar spine: 0.41±0.09, the hip: 0.42±0.12 in the control group; bone density values in the lumbar spine: 0.43±0.07, the hip: 0.44±0.09 in the experimental group), the bone density values of the lumbar spine and the hip were higher in both groups after treatment(bone density values in the lumbar spine: 0.76±0.12, the hip: 0.78±0.12 in the control group; bone density values in the lumbar spine: 0.95±0.22, the hip: 0.97±0.28 in the experimental group). The bone density values of the lumbar spine and the hip in the experimental group were higher than those of the control group after treatment(all P<0.05).Furthermore, serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone(PTH)and osteoclast differentiation factor(RANKL)were significantly lower, while serum osteocalcin(OCN)was significantly higher in both groups post-treatment(all P<0.05).In the experimental group, serum PTH and RANKL concentrations were significantly lower and serum OCN was significantly higher compared to the control group post-treatment(all P<0.05). Conclusions:The results show that incorporating vitamin D into dietary changes can effectively regulate blood glucose levels, decrease bone loss, enhance bone density, and improve muscle quality in this patient population.