The objective of this study was to investigate changes in physical activity (PA) between January (before the COVID-19 epidemic) and April (during the COVID-19 epidemic) 2020 in community-dwelling ...older adults in Japan.
Cross-sectional online survey.
From April 23 to 27, 2020, an online survey was completed by 1,600 community-dwelling older adults in Japan.
We assessed the frailty status using the Kihon checklist, and other demographics and asked questions regarding PA at two time points: January and April 2020. We defined the total PA time (minutes) per week based on activity frequency and time.
The study participants' mean age, proportion of women, and prevalence of frailty were 74.0±5.6 years, 50% (n=800), and 24.3% (n=388), respectively. We found a significant decrease in total PA time in April 2020 (median interquartile range (IQR), 180 0 to 420) when compared to January 2020 (median IQR, 245 90 to 480) (P<0.001). We also performed a subgroup analysis according to the frailty category; total PA time significantly decreased in April 2020 when compared to January 2020 for all frailty categories (P<0.001).
In conclusion, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the total PA time in April 2020 significantly decreased compared to that in January 2020 in older adults. This finding may lead to a higher incidence of disability in the near future in older people.
Objectives
The objective of this study was to investigate changes in physical activity (PA) between January (before the COVID-19 epidemic) and April (during the COVID-19 epidemic) 2020 in ...community-dwelling older adults in Japan.
Design
Cross-sectional online survey.
Setting and Subjects
From April 23 to 27, 2020, an online survey was completed by 1,600 community-dwelling older adults in Japan.
Methods
We assessed the frailty status using the Kihon checklist, and other demographics and asked questions regarding PA at two time points: January and April 2020. We defined the total PA time (minutes) per week based on activity frequency and time.
Results
The study participants’ mean age, proportion of women, and prevalence of frailty were 74.0±5.6 years, 50% (n=800), and 24.3% (n=388), respectively. We found a significant decrease in total PA time in April 2020 (median interquartile range (IQR), 180 0 to 420) when compared to January 2020 (median IQR, 245 90 to 480) (P<0.001). We also performed a subgroup analysis according to the frailty category; total PA time significantly decreased in April 2020 when compared to January 2020 for all frailty categories (P<0.001).
Conclusion
In conclusion, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the total PA time in April 2020 significantly decreased compared to that in January 2020 in older adults. This finding may lead to a higher incidence of disability in the near future in older people.
Objectives
The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity (PA) and the incidence of frailty among initially non-frail older adults in ...Japan.
Design
A follow-up online survey.
Setting and Subjects
Among the 1,600 baseline online survey participants, 388 adults were already frail, and 275 older adults did not respond to the follow-up survey. Thus, the final number of participants in this study was 937 (follow-up rate: 77.3%).
Methods
We assessed the total PA time at four time points according to the COVID-19 waves in Japan: January 2020 (before the pandemic), April 2020 (during the first wave), August 2020 (during the second wave), and January 2021 (during the third wave). We then investigated the incidence of frailty during a one-year follow-up period (during the pandemic).
Results
The total PA time during the first, second, and third waves of the pandemic decreased from the pre-pandemic PA time by 33.3%, 28.3%, and 40.0%, respectively. In particular, the total PA time of older adults who were living alone and socially inactive decreased significantly: 42.9% (first wave), 50.0% (second wave), and 61.9% (third wave) less than before the pandemic, respectively. Additionally, they were at a significantly higher risk of incident frailty than those who were not living alone and were socially active (adjusted odds ratio: 2.04 95% confidence interval: 1.01–4.10).
Conclusion
Our findings suggest that older adults who live alone and are socially inactive are more likely to experience incident frailty/disability due to decreased PA during the pandemic. Understanding this mechanism may be crucial for maintaining the health status of older adults.
Aim
Phase angle (PhA) can be determined through bioelectrical impedance analysis and is a unique variable for skeletal muscle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between PhA ...and muscle mass/quality in older adults. In addition, we attempted to determine the cutoff value of PhA for poor muscle function.
Methods
Community-dwelling Japanese older men (n=285, 81.1±7.1 years) and women (n=724, 80.4±6.8 years) participated in this study and were classified into four groups based on the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (normal, presarcopenia, dynapenia, and sarcopenia). We measured PhA using bioelectrical impedance analysis, muscle quantity and quality indicators using ultrasonography, muscle strength, and physical performance and compared them in four groups. We also tried to determine the cutoff value of PhA for poor muscle function.
Results
We found a significant difference in PhA among the four groups in men (P<0.05), and the dynapenia (3.61±0.75°) and sarcopenia groups (3.40±0.74°) showed significantly lower values than the normal group (4.50±0.86°) (P<0.05), but not the presarcopenia group (4.12±0.85°). In women, a significant difference was also observed among the four groups (P<0.05), and the dynapenia (3.41±0.65°) and sarcopenia groups (3.31±0.66°) showed significantly lower measures than the normal group (4.14±0.71°) (P<0.05), but not the presarcopenia group (4.07±0.51°). The receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis indicated the best cutoff value of PhA (men: 4.05°, women: 3.55°) to discriminate sarcopenia and dynapenia from normal and presarcopenia.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that PhA is a useful indicator for muscle function.
Background
Although several previous studies have found benefits for amino acid supplementation in terms of muscle function, the role of plasma amino acid concentrations on sarcopenia are not well ...addressed yet.
Objective
The aim of this study was to compare the amino acid concentrations at each stage of sarcopenia (normal, pre-sarcopenia, dynapenia, and sarcopenia) in community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Setting and Subjects: Community-dwelling older Japanese women (n=232, 79.4±7.0 years) participated in this study.
Measurements
We measured plasma amino acid concentrations, 5-m walking speed, grip strength, and skeletal muscle mass using a bioelectrical impedance data acquisition system and compared them among participants at each stage of sarcopenia.
Results
The proportions of normal, pre-sarcopenia, dynapenia, and sarcopenia patients were 40.5% (n=94), 12.1% (n=28), 26.3% (n=61), and 21.1% (n=49), respectively. Significant differences were observed for concentrations of leucine, branched-chain amino acid (BCAAs), and essential amino acid (EAAs) among the four groups (p<0.05), and the dynapenia and sarcopenia groups showed significantly lower concentrations of leucine than the normal group (p<0.05).
Conclusions
This study indicated a positive relationship between plasma leucine, BCAA and EAA concentrations and muscle function. A longitudinal study is needed to determine the causal relationship between leucine/BCAA concentrations and muscle function.
•We diagnosed rib fractures by palpation, computed tomography, and thoracic necropsy.•For 163 symptomatic calves delivered from Holstein-Friesian dams on farms in Japan, 11.0% (18) showed rib ...fractures by palpation.•Four of five calves that were scanned or necropsied presented with pneumonia despite not having tracheal stenosis.•Rib fractures decreased sale prices at a livestock market and longevity.
Cranial rib fractures during dystocia and the ensuing callus formations in calves often cause tracheal stenosis. Rib fractures may affect the lung since ribs tend to fracture above the costochondral junction during delivery. Considering that calving assistance rates for dystocia are high, calves with fractured ribs may develop respiratory disease which results in economic loss. The objective of this study was to elucidate the contribution of rib fractures to economic loss through respiratory disease in calves. Of 163 sick calves delivered from Holstein-Friesian dams included in this study, a total of 18 rib fractured calves was found, giving an incidence of rib fracture in sick calves of 11.0%. There were significant differences in incidence by the rib involved, indicating the 2nd to 7th ribs tend to break. Many of the rib fractured calves showed dyspnea and pyrexia. In this study, four of five scanned or necropsied calves had pneumonia lesions despite the fact that these four calves did not have tracheal stenosis. Rib fractured calves sold at below market value with a median difference from average sale price of minus 64,861 yen. Survival analysis indicated an overall association between rib fracture and time to death. In this study, we demonstrated that rib fractures happened most frequently in the 2nd to 7th ribs, and these cases tended to cause pneumonia, which decreased sale prices and longevity. Farmers should work to reduce risks and rates of dystocia so as to lessen economic loss and poor welfare in calves due to rib fractures.
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Abstract Objective To demonstrate the relationship between short physical performance battery (SPPB) and sarcopenia, and to determine the cut-off point for sarcopenia using SPPB scores in older ...cardiac inpatients. Methods This cross-sectional study included 74 older cardiac inpatients (mean age 78.2 years; 43.2% women). We evaluated the presence of sarcopenia and the SPPB before hospital discharge. We defined sarcopenia using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia-suggested diagnostic algorithm. The SPPB scores were categorised into three groups (0–6, 7–9, and 10–12). Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the relationships between various SPPB categories and the presence of sarcopenia using univariate and multivariate analyses. The cut-off point of SPPB score for determining sarcopenia was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Results The presence of sarcopenia in the 0–6, 7–9, and 10–12 of SPPB score groups were 87.5%, 78.6%, and 17.3%, respectively. After adjustments for conditions of cardiac diseases, the OR (95% CI) in reference to the patients with scores of 10–12 were 22.16 (1.53–321.45) in the patients with scores of 7–9, and 141.04 (1.90–10,481.96) in the patients with scores of 0–6. The cut-off point of SPPB score for determining sarcopenia was 9.5 (sensitivity, 0.92; specificity, 0.67; area under the curve, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74–0.94; P < 0.01). Conclusions The SPPB score was significantly associated with sarcopenia. Additionally, the cut-off point of SPPB score for determining sarcopenia was 9/10 in older cardiac inpatients.
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