METHODS: Subjects aged 55 years and above from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study with available information on vision and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores were included. Data were obtained through a home-based interview and hospital-based health check by trained researchers. Visual acuity (VA) was assessed with logMAR score with vision impairment defined as VA 6/18 or worse in the better-seeing eye. Cognition was evaluated using the MoCA-Blind scoring procedure. Those with a MoCA-Blind score of <19/22 were considered to have cognitive impairment.
RESULTS: Data was available for 1144 participants, mean (SD) age = 68.57 (±7.23) years. Vision impairment was present in 143 (12.5 %) and 758 (66.3 %) had MoCA-Blind score of <19. Subjects with vision impairment were less likely to have a MoCA-Blind score of ≥19 (16.8 % vs 36.2 %, p < 0.001). Vision impairment was associated with poorer MoCA-Blind scores after adjustments for age, gender, and ethnicity (β = 2.064; 95 % CI, -1.282 to 3.320; P = 0.003). In those who had > 6 years of education attainment, vision impairment was associated with a significant reduction of cognitive function and remained so after adjustment for age and gender (β = 1.863; 95 % CI, 1.081-3.209; P = 0.025).
CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that vision impairment correlates with cognitive decline. Therefore, maintaining good vision is an important interventional strategy for preventing cognitive decline in older adults.
METHODS: We propose a Bayesian joint modelling approach to determine mortality due to cognitive impairment via repeated measures of 3MS scores trajectories over a 21-year follow-up period. Data for this study are taken from the Osteoporotic Fracture longitudinal study among women aged 65+ which started in 1986-88.
RESULTS: The standard relative risk model from the analyses with a baseline 3MS score after adjusting for all the significant covariates demonstrates that, every unit decrease in a 3MS score corresponds to a non-significant 1.059 increase risk of mortality with a 95% CI of (0.981, 1.143), while the extended model results in a significant 0.09% increased risk in mortality. The joint modelling approach found a strong association between the 3MS scores and the risk of mortality, such that, every unit decrease in 3MS scores results in a 1.135 (13%) increased risk of death via cognitive impairment with a 95% CI of (1.056, 1.215).
CONCLUSION: It has been demonstrated that a decrease in 3MS results has a significant increase risk of mortality due to cognitive impairment via joint modelling, but insignificant when considered under the standard relative risk approach.
METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study after surviving AHT in infancy. Seventeen children between 18 months and 5 years of age underwent clinical examination, developmental assessment using the Schedule of Growing Skills II (SGS II) and functional assessment using the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended Pediatric Revision (GOS-E Peds). Additional clinical information was extracted from medical records.
RESULTS: Age at assessment ranged from 19 to 53 months (median 26 months). Most (n = 14) were delayed in at least 1 domain, even without neurological or visual impairment or visible cortical injury on neuroimaging, including 8 children with favourable GOS-E Peds scores. The most affected domain was hearing and language. Delay in the manipulative domain (n = 6) was associated with visual and/or neurological impairment and greater severity of delay across multiple domains. Eleven (64.7 %) had GOS-E Peds scores indicating good recovery, with positive correlation between GOS-Peds scores and number of domains delayed (r = 0.805, p
METHODOLOGY: A systematic review, using the PRISMA guideline, was conducted on articles published between 2002 and 2023 from three electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. A manual search was conducted for the references of the included articles using Google Scholar. Included articles must be in English and were based on empirical evidence published in peer-reviewed journals and focus on the assessment of domains of social frailty in older people aged 60 or over in the Asia-Pacific (East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania).
RESULT: A total of 31 studies were included in the thematic analysis, from which 16 screening tools measuring six social domains were reviewed. The six domains were: social networks, followed by social activities, social support, financial difficulties, social roles, and socioeconomic, arranged in four categories: social resources, social needs, social behaviors (or social activities), and general resources. The six social domains predicted mortality, physical difficulties, and disability incidence. Other adverse health outcomes were also associated with these social domains, including cognitive disorders, mental illness, and nutritional disorders (n = 5 domains each), dementia (n = 4 domains), and oral frailty, hearing loss, obesity, and chronic pain (n = 3 domains each).
CONCLUSION: Overall, social frailty is a complex construct with multiple dimensions, including the frailty of social and general resources, social behaviors, and social needs, leading to several health disorders. The findings contribute to understanding the conceptual framework of social frailty in older people and its related health outcomes. Therefore, it could facilitate professionals and researchers to monitor and reduce the risks of adverse health outcomes related to each domain of social frailty, contributing to a better aging process.
OBJECTIVE: We aim to evaluate the cognitive function of obstructive sleep apnea patients by using the 'Mini Mental State Examination'.
METHODOLOGY: This was a cross sectional study to evaluate the cognitive function of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea patients with age ranged from 18 to 60 old who attended our sleep clinic. These patients were confirmed to have moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea by Type 1 polysomnography (attended full overnight study). The age, gender and ethnicity were noted and other relevant data such as weight, height, body mass index and apnea and hypopnoea index were recorded accordingly. The cognitive function was evaluated using validated Malay version of Mini Mental State Examination which measured 5 areas of cognitive functions comprising orientation, registration, attention and calculation, word recall and language abilities, and visuospatial.
RESULTS: A total of 38 patients participated in this study. All 19 patients of moderate group and 14 patients of severe group had normal cognitive function while only 5 patients in severe group had mild cognitive function impairment. There was a statistically significant difference between the moderate group and severe group on cognitive performance (p value = 0.042).
CONCLUSIONS: Severe obstructive sleep apnea patients may have impaired cognitive function. Mini Mental State Examination is useful in the screening of cognitive function of obstructive sleep apnea patients but in normal score, more sophisticated test batteries are required as it is unable to identify in 'very minimal' or 'extremely severe' cognitive dysfunction.
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
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of carbohydrates in improving cognitive function in older adults.
SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched ALOIS, the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group Specialized Register on 22 June 2010 using the terms: carbohydrates OR carbohydrate OR monosaccharides OR disaccharides OR oligosaccharides OR polysaccharides OR CARBS. ALOIS contains records from all major healthcare databases (The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS) as well as from many trial databases and grey literature sources.
SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials (RCT) that have examined the efficacy of any form of carbohydrates in normal cognition and MCI.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: One review author selected and retrieved relevant articles for further assessment. The remaining authors independently assessed whether any of the retrieved trials should be included. Disagreements were resolved by discussion.
MAIN RESULTS: There is no suitable RCT of any form of carbohydrates involving independent-living older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There are no suitable RCTs on which to base any recommendations about the use of any form of carbohydrate for enhancing cognitive performance in older adults with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment. More studies of many different carbohydrates are needed to tease out complex nutritional issues and further evaluate memory improvement.
METHODS: Sixty-one patients with mTBI (Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15) were recruited prospectively, categorized according to baseline computed tomography findings, and subjected to neuropsychological assessment at initial admission (n = 61) as well as at a 6-month follow-up (n = 30). The paired t test, Cohen's d effect size calculation, and repeated-measures analysis of variance were used to establish the differences between the 2 groups in terms of neuropsychological performance.
RESULTS: A trend toward poorer neuropsychological performance among the patients with complicated mTBI was observed during admission; however, performance in this group improved over time. In contrast, the uncomplicated mTBI group showed slower recovery, especially in tasks of memory, visuospatial processing, and executive functions, at follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that despite the broad umbrella designation of mTBI, the current classification schemes of injury severity for mild neurotrauma should be revisited. They also raise questions about the clinical relevance of both traumatic focal lesions and the absence of visible traumatic lesions on brain imaging studies in patients with milder forms of head trauma.