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  1. Su HC, Liu CH, Chen HY, Wu YL, Griffiths MD, Li CY, et al.
    BMC Geriatr, 2024 May 31;24(1):477.
    PMID: 38822234 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-05071-5
    BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the concept of intrinsic capacity (comprising composite physical and mental capacity) which aligns with their concepts of healthy aging and functional ability. Consequently, the WHO promotes the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework as guidance for geriatric care. Consequently, each government should have a screening tool corresponding to ICOPE framework to promote geriatric care. The present study examined the initial psychometric properties of the Taiwan version of ICOPE (i.e., ICOPES-TW).

    METHODS: Older people (n = 1235; mean age = 72.63 years; 634 females [51.3%]) were approached by well-trained interviewers for participation. A number of measures were administered including the ICOPES-TW, WHOQOL-AGE (assessing quality of life [QoL]), Clinical Frailty Scale (assessing frailty), Barthel Index (assessing basic activity of daily living [BADL]), and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (assessing instrumental activity of daily living [IADL]).

    RESULTS: The ICOPES-TW had a two-factor structure (body functionality [eigenvalue = 1.932] and life adaptation [eigenvalue = 1.170]) as indicated by the results of exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency of the ICOPES-TW was low (Cronbach's α = 0.55 [entire ICOPES-TW], 0.45 (body functionality factor), and 0.52 (life adaptation factor). ICOPES-TW scores were significantly (i) positively correlated with age (r = 0.321), IADL (r = 0.313), and frailty (r = 0.601), and (ii) negatively correlated with QoL (r=-0.447), and BADL (r=-0.447), with all p-values 

  2. Hou WH, Moo CC, Kuo TL, Kuo CL, Chu SY, Wu KF, et al.
    J Psychosom Res, 2022 Nov;162:111033.
    PMID: 36115193 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111033
    OBJECTIVE: Few studies have assessed the sex-specific and age-specific risk of aspiration pneumonia (AP) in patients with stroke and evaluated whether mental disorders may increase this risk. In this population-based cohort study, we investigated the sex-specific and age-specific risk of AP in association with stroke and the joint effects of stroke and mental disorders on the risk of AP.

    METHODS: We included 23,288 patients with incident stroke admitted between 2005 and 2017 and 68,675 matched nonstroke controls. Information on mental disorders was obtained from medical claims data within the 3 years before the stroke incidence. Cox proportional hazards models considering death as a competing risk event were constructed to estimate the hazard ratio of AP incidence by the end of 2018 associated with stroke and selected mental disorders.

    RESULTS: After ≤14 years of follow-up, AP incidence was higher in the patients with stroke than in the controls (11.30/1000 vs. 1.51/1000 person-years), representing a covariate-adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (sHR) of 3.64, with no significant sex difference. The sHR significantly decreased with increasing age in both sexes. Stratified analyses indicated schizophrenia but not depression or bipolar affective disorder increased the risk of AP in the patients with stroke.

    CONCLUSION: Compared with their corresponding counterparts, the patients with schizophrenia only, stroke only, and both stroke and schizophrenia had a significantly higher sHR of 4.01, 5.16, and 8.01, respectively. The risk of AP was higher in younger stroke patients than those older than 60 years. Moreover, schizophrenia was found to increase the risk of AP in patients with stroke.

  3. Hu GW, Li CY, Zhang G, Zheng CJ, Ma FZ, Quan XY, et al.
    Quant Imaging Med Surg, 2024 Dec 05;14(12):8064-8082.
    PMID: 39698640 DOI: 10.21037/qims-24-1837
    BACKGROUND: Liver hemangiomas (HGs) are characterized by cavernous venous spaces delineated by a lining of vascular endothelial cells and interspersed with connective tissue septa. Typically, a liver HG has higher apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2 values than those of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and liver metastases, and lower ADC and T2 values than those of liver simple cysts. However, a portion of HGs shows ADC and T2 overlapping with those of HCC, liver metastasis, and simple cyst. When MRI is the first line examination for the liver, contrast enhanced imaging is commonly used to confirm the diagnosis of liver HG. Magnetic resonance diffusion-derived vessel density (DDVD) is a physiological surrogate of the area of microvessels per unit tissue area. DDVD is calculated according to: DDVD(b0b2) = Sb0/ROIarea0 - Sb2/ROIarea2, where Sb0 and Sb2 refer to the tissue signal when b is 0 or 2 (s/mm2). Sb2 and ROIarea2 can also be approximated by other low b-values (such as b=10) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). In this study, we conducted a preliminary evaluation of magnetic resonance DDVD pixelwise map (DDVDm) for liver HG diagnosis.

    METHODS: Three testing datasets were included. All imaging data were acquired at 3.0T. Dataset-1 consisted of 16 HGs (lesion diameter: 1.5-8.85 cm), 4 focal nodular hyperplasia (FNHs, lesion diameter: 1.72-5.7 cm), and 24 HCCs (lesion diameter: 1.83-12.77 cm), and DDVDm was reconstructed with b=0 and b=2 images. Dataset-2 consisted of 6 HGs (lesion diameter: 1.14-6.2 cm), and DDVDm was reconstructed with b=0 and b=10 images. Dataset-3 consisted of 28 HCCs (lesion diameter: 1.91-3.52 cm), and DDVDm was reconstructed with b=0 and b=2 images. For dataset-1 and dataset-2, a trained reader was required to make a diagnosis for a lesion solely based on DDVDm with 4 choices: (I) HG with confidence; (II) HG without confidence; (III) solid mass-forming lesion (MFL) with confidence; (IV) solid MFL without confidence. Then, three readers attempted to confirm whether DDVDm features summarized from dataset-1 and dataset-2 would be generalizable to dataset-3.

    RESULTS: For dataset-1 and dataset-2 together, the correct diagnosis was made by the trained reader in 90.9% (20/22) of the HGs (77.7% with confidence) and 96.4% (27/28) of the MFLs (85.7% with confidence). HG generally showed substantially higher DDVD signal relative to background liver parenchyma. Though not necessarily, HG DDVD signals could be similar to those of blood vessels. Some HGs showed DDVD signals higher or similar to that of kidneys which have a higher perfusion than the liver. MFL generally showed DDVD signals only slightly higher, similar to, or even slightly lower, than that of background liver parenchyma. The DDVDm features of dataset-3 were all consistent with MFL.

    CONCLUSIONS: When DDVDm is used to evaluate the liver, HG can be diagnosed with confidence in a substantial portion of patients without the need for a contrast enhanced scan. Our result will be relevant for HG confirmation when MRI is the first line examination for the liver.

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