OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at assessing the medication self-management capability of home-dwelling older adults with CF and exploring the ways, perceived challenges and barriers in medication self-management.
METHODS: A convergent mixed-method study design was used. The medication management capability of 16 CF individuals aged ≥ 60 years on ≥ 1 long-term prescription drugs were assessed using the Drug Regimen Unassisted Grading Scale (DRUGS). Virtual in-depth interviews were also performed between July-August 2022 using a semi-structured interview guide. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach guided by Bailey and colleagues' model of medication self-management.
RESULTS: The mean DRUGS summary score was 96.86 [standard deviation (SD) 3.74] with highest performance scores observed in medication access (100 %) and lowest performance score in medication identification (91.46 %). Informants were able to independently take their medications and they tended to organise their medication intakes according to mealtime even though some admitted missing medication doses due to forgetfulness. Informants had difficulties with recalling drug names, with little awareness of self-monitoring their own health conditions and the effects of medications. Misconceptions towards medications, difficulties in accessing medications, reduced mobility and worsening health conditions could potentially deter informants from safe and independent medication self-management. In contrast, trust in doctors and a desire to achieve treatment goal could motivate medication self-management.
CONCLUSION: The findings revealed knowledge gaps among older adults with CF in identifying their medications and self-monitoring which warrant reinforcement by healthcare professionals to ensure chronic safe medication use. Future studies should evaluate strategies to enhance medication safety in terms of self-monitoring in individuals with CF.
Objective: To investigate the effect of dual-task (dual-motor and dual-cognitive task) conditions on spatiotemporal gait parameters during timed up and go test in children with traumatic brain injury.
Methods and Material: A total of 14 children with traumatic brain injury and 21 typically developing children participated in this case-control study. Functional balance was assessed before the actual testing to predict the risk of falls. Timed up and go test was performed under single-task and dual-task (dual-motor and dual-cognitive task) conditions. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were determined using the APDM Mobility Lab system. The descriptive statistics and t-test were used to analyze demographic characteristics and repeated measure ANOVA test was used to analyze the gait parameters.
Results: Under dual-task (dual-motor and dual-cognitive task) conditions during the timed up and go test, gait performance significantly deteriorated. Furthermore, the total time to complete the timed up and go test, stride velocity, cadence, and step time during turning were significantly different between children with traumatic brain injury and typically developing children.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that gait parameters were compromised under dual-task conditions in children with traumatic brain injury. Dual-task conditions may become a component of gait training to ensure a complete and comprehensive rehabilitation program.
DESIGN: Data on sociodemographic background were obtained from parents. Height and weight were measured and BMI-for-age was determined. Adolescents were interviewed on their habitual dietary intakes using a semi-quantitative FFQ. Cognitive ability was assessed using the Wechsler Nonverbal Scale of Ability in a one-to-one manner. Dietary patterns were constructed using principal component analysis based on thirty-eight food groups of the semi-quantitative FFQ.
SETTING: Urban secondary public schools in the district of Gombak in Selangor, Malaysia.
SUBJECTS: Malay adolescents aged 12 to 13 years (n 416).
RESULTS: The mean general cognitive ability score was 101·8 (sd 12·4). Four major dietary patterns were identified and labelled as 'refined-grain pattern', 'snack-food pattern', 'plant-based food pattern' and 'high-energy food pattern'. These dietary patterns explained 39·1 % of the variance in the habitual dietary intakes of the adolescents. The refined-grain pattern was negatively associated with processing speed, which is a construct of general cognitive ability. The high-energy food pattern was negatively associated with general cognitive ability, perceptual reasoning and processing speed. Monthly household income and parents' educational attainment were positively associated with all of the cognitive measures. In multivariate analysis, only the high-energy food pattern was found to contribute significantly towards general cognitive ability after controlling for socio-economic status.
CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of foods in the high-energy food pattern contributed towards general cognitive ability after controlling for socio-economic status. However, the contribution was small.
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effects of fish oil supplementation on cognitive function in elderly person with MCI.
METHODS: This was a 12-month, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study using fish oil supplementation with concentrated docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Thirty six low-socioeconomic-status elderly subjects with MCI were randomly assigned to receive either concentrated DHA fish oil (n = 18) or placebo (n = 18) capsules. The changes of memory, psychomotor speed, executive function and attention, and visual-constructive skills were assessed using cognitive tests. Secondary outcomes were safety and tolerability of the DHA concentrate.
RESULTS: The fish oil group showed significant improvement in short-term and working memory (F = 9.890; ηp (2) = 0.254; p
OBJECTIVES: We aimed to examine the cognitive effects of mitragynine substitution in morphine-withdrawn rats. Furthermore, we asked whether neuronal addiction markers like the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II alpha (αCaMKII) might mediate the observed effects.
METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given morphine at escalating doses before treatment was discontinued to induce a spontaneous morphine withdrawal. Then, vehicle or mitragynine (5 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg, or 30 mg/kg) substitution was given for 3 days. A vehicle-treated group was used as a control. Withdrawal signs were scored after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, while novel object recognition (NOR) and attentional set-shifting (ASST) were tested during the substitution period.
RESULTS: Discontinuation of morphine significantly induced morphine withdrawal signs and cognitive deficit in the ASST. The substitution with mitragynine was able to alleviate the withdrawal signs. Mitragynine did not affect the recognition memory in the NOR but significantly improved the reversal learning deficit in the morphine-withdrawn rats.
CONCLUSIONS: These data support the idea that mitragynine could be used as safe medication therapy to treat opiate addiction with beneficial effects on cognitive deficits.
METHODS: This study involved 2004 nationally representative community-dwelling older Malaysians from the bottom 40% household income group. Financial well-being was assessed by the four-item financial satisfaction scale, while life satisfaction was measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Cognitive function was measured by using the Malay version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Hierarchical multiple regression was used as the prime method for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Financial well-being was positively associated with life satisfaction and cognitive function. Sex moderated the relationship between financial well-being and life satisfaction but not between financial well-being and cognitive function.
CONCLUSIONS: Financial well-being and life satisfaction were strongly correlated among older women, although no gender difference was found for the relationship between financial well-being and cognitive function. It appears financial well-being strongly predicts mental health. As such, poverty eradication initiatives targeting low-income older adults should be implemented to sustain life satisfaction and cognitive function.
METHODS: The study included 2322 community-dwelling older adults in Malaysia who were randomly selected through a multistage proportional cluster random sampling technique. Global cognition construct was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment; psychosocial stress construct was measured by perceived stress, depression, loneliness, and neuroticism; and processing speed was assessed by the Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the mediation and moderation tests.
RESULTS: Processing speed was found to partially mediate the relationship between psychosocial stress and global cognition (β in the direct model = -0.15, P