Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are undoubtedly the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Population aging is a global phenomenon. In developed countries, by the year 2050 one in four people will be aged 65+ years. This ongoing growth of the aging population leads to an increasing burden of CVD. The management of CVD in geriatric patients requires specific considerations. Aging is associated with complex pathophysiology due to decreased organ reserve, which is clinically described as frailty. Additionally, the aging population is extremely heterogenous and frequently characterized by a combination of unique features, including atypical disease presentation, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, altered pharmacokinetics, cognitive impairment, renal impairment, dysautonomia, elevated risk of falls, sarcopenia, and frailty. Furthermore, significant gaps in evidence exist largely due to the limited representation of the very elderly, and especially frail patients, in randomized controlled trials. When combined with issues related to life expectancy, goals of care, bioethics, and patients' preferences, these factors pose intricate challenges for healthcare providers. This literature review summarizes selected clinical scenarios that often introduce dilemmas in the management of elderly patients in cardiology practice, emphasizing the intersection of geriatric medicine and cardiology. These include blood pressure management, management of dyslipidemia, anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation, medical and device treatment of heart failure, antiplatelet and interventional management of acute coronary syndromes, and peri-procedural considerations in severe aortic stenosis. The above will provide guidance for clinical practice, as well as implications for health policies and future research in the field of geriatric cardiology.

STUDY DESIGN: Human herniated discs were obtained from discectomy specimens for the immunohistochemical detection of O-GlcNAc and O-GlcNAcase (OGA)/O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). PURPOSE: This study aimed to quantify the extent of O-GlcNAcylation and its associated enzymes (OGT/OGA) in human degenerated intervertebral discs. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The O-GlcNAcylation of nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitochondrial proteins as well as the effects of such post-translational modifications are currently the focus of extensive research. O-GlcNAcylation is believed to contribute to the etiology of chronic illnesses by acting as a nutrient and stress sensor in the cellular environment. Mature intervertebral disc cells are chondrocyte-like cells, and O-GlcNAc has been shown to promote chondrocyte apoptosis in vitro. We believe that O-GlcNAcylation is a key regulator of disc degeneration. METHODS: Fifty-six specimens were fixed for 24 hours in a 10% solution of neutral-buffered formaldehyde, dehydrated, and embedded in paraffin. Tissue slices (4-µm-thick) were used for hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We found that O-GlcNAcylation of cytoplasmic proteins was less than that of nuclear proteins in both single cells and cell clusters. Cytoplasmic O-GlcNAcylation occurs subsequent to nuclear O-GlcNAcylation and is directly proportional to disc degeneration. OGT and O-GlcNAc expression levels were identical in all specimens examined. CONCLUSIONS: O-GlcNAc and OGA/OGT expression is shown to correlate for the first time with intervertebral disc cell degeneration. Increasing disc degeneration is associated with increasing O-GlcNAcylation in both nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins in human disc cells.
Apoptosis ; Chondrocytes ; Chronic Disease ; Cytoplasm ; Diskectomy ; Formaldehyde ; Humans* ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Vitro Techniques ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Intervertebral Disc* ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; Nuclear Proteins ; Paraffin ; Protein Processing, Post-Translational ; Spine ; Transferases