Objectives
There is little evidence in the literature about the relationship between frailty and falls in older adults. Our objective was to explore the relationship between frailty and falls, and to ...analyze the effect factors (e.g., gender, different frailty assessment tools, areas, level of national economic development, and year of publication) of the association between frailty and falls among older adults.
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Setting and Participants
Cohort studies that evaluated the association between frailty and falls in the older adults were included. We excluded any literature outside of cohort studies.
Methods
We did a systematic literature search of English databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and SciElO, as well as the Chinese databases CNKI, WANFANG, and VIP from 2001 until October 2022. The eligible studies were evaluated for potential bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Study selection, data extraction and assessment of study quality were each conducted by two investigators. In Stata/MP 17.0 software, we calculated pooled estimates of the prevalence of falls by using a random-effects model, Subgroup analysis was conducted based on gender, different frailty assessment tools, areas, level of economic development, and year of publication. The results are presented using a forest plot.
Results
Twenty-nine studies were included in this meta-analysis and a total of 1,093,270 participants aged 65 years and above were enrolled. Among the older adults, frailty was significantly associated with a higher risk for falls, compared with those without frailty (combined RR-relative risk = 1.48, 95% CI-confidence interval: 1.27–1.73, I
2
=98.9%). In addition, the results of subgroup analysis indicated that men had a higher risk for falls than women among the older adults with frailty (RR 1.94, 95% CI: 1.18–3.2 versus RR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.24–1.67). Subgroup analysis by different frailty assessment tools revealed an increased risk of falls in older adults with frailty when assessed using the Frailty Phenotype (combined RR 1.32, 95%CI: 1.17–1.48), FRAIL score (combined RR 1.82, 95%CI: 1.36–2.43), and Study of Osteoporotic Fractures index (combined RR 1.54, 95%CI: 1.10–2.16). Furthermore, subgroup analysis by areas and level of national economic development found the highest fall risk in Oceania (combined RR 2.35, 95%CI: 2.28–2.43) and the lowest in Europe (combined RR 1.20, 95%CI: 1.05–1.38). Developed countries exhibited a lower fall risk compared to developing countries (combined RR 1.44, 95%CI: 1.21–1.71). Analysis by year of publication showed the highest fall risk between 2013–2019 (combined RR 1.79, 95%CI: 1.45–2.20) and the lowest between 2001–2013 (combined RR 1.21, 95%CI: 1.13–1.29).
Conclusion
Frailty represents a significant risk factor for falls in older adults, with the degree of risk varying according to the different frailty assessment tools employed, and notably highest when using the FRAIL scale. Additionally, factors such as gender, areas, level of national economic development, and healthcare managers’ understanding of frailty may all impact the correlation between frailty and falls. Thus, it’s imperative to select suitable frailty diagnostic tools tailored to the specific characteristics of the population in question. This, in turn, facilitates the accurate identification of frailty in older adults and informs the development of appropriate preventive and therapeutic strategies to mitigate fall risk.
Summary
This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the associations between osteocalcin (Ocn) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). It was revealed that both total Ocn ...and undercarboxylated Ocn (unOcn) were negatively related with FPG and HbA1c, and the association of unOcn with FPG was more pronounced in men.
Introduction
The aim of this study was to investigate the strength of associations between Ocn and FPG and HbA1c using a meta-analysis approach.
Methods
A search was carried out using the databases of PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane library from 2007 to 2014 to identify related studies. A pooled effect size with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) was derived.
Results
The meta-analysis included 39 studies involving 23,381 participants. The overall correlation was −0.16 (95 % CI, −0.19 to −0.14) between total Ocn (tOcn) and FPG and −0.15 (95 % CI, −0.20 to −0.11) between undercarboxylated Ocn (unOcn) and FPG. In the analysis of the association between Ocn and HbA1c, the pooled correlation was −0.16 (95 % CI, −0.18 to −0.14) for tOcn and −0.16 (95 % CI, −0.23 to −0.08) for unOcn. The magnitude of the correlation between unOcn and FPG is significantly higher in men than in women (
r
= −0.18, 95 % CI, −0.21 to −0.14;
r
= −0.09, 95 % CI, −0. 13 to −0.05, respectively;
P
for interaction < 0.05). Similar trend was also found between unOcn and HbA1c but without significance (for men,
r
= −0.19, 95 % CI, −0.24 to −0.14; for women,
r
= −0.09, 95 % CI, −0.22 to 0.04, respectively;
P
for interaction > 0.05). No indication of significant publication bias was found in any method.
Conclusions
This meta-analysis demonstrated that both unOcn and tOcn were similarly and negatively correlated with FPG and HbA1c in humans. The negative correlations between unOcn and glucose metabolism appear to be more pronounced in men than in women.
The influence of glassy states and highly viscous solution phases on the timescale of aerosol particle equilibration with water vapour is examined. In particular, the kinetics of mass transfer of ...water between the condensed and gas phases has been studied for sucrose solution droplets under conditions above and below the glass transition relative humidity (RH). Above the glass transition, sucrose droplets are shown to equilibrate on a timescale comparable to the change in RH. Below the glass transition, the timescale for mass transfer is shown to be extremely slow, with particles remaining in a state of disequilibrium even after timescales of more than 10 000 s. A phenomenological approach for quantifying the time response of particle size is used to illustrate the influence of the glassy aerosol state on the kinetics of mass transfer of water: the time is estimated for the droplet to reach the halfway point from an initial state towards a disequilibrium state at which the rate of size change decreases below 1 nm every 10 000 s. This half-time increases above 1000 s once the particle can be assumed to have formed a glass. The measurements are shown to be consistent with kinetic simulations of the slow diffusion of water within the particle bulk. When increasing the RH from below to above the glass transition, a particle can return to equilibrium with the gas phase on a timescale of 10's to 100's of seconds, once again forming a solution droplet. This is considerably shorter than the timescale for the size change of the particle when glassy and suggests that the dissolution of the glassy core can proceed rapidly, at least at room temperature. Similar behaviour in the slowing of the mass transfer rate below the glass transition RH is observed for binary aqueous raffinose solution droplets. Mixed component droplets of sucrose/sodium chloride/water also show slow equilibration at low RH, illustrating the importance of understanding the role of the bulk solution viscosity on the rate of mass transfer with the gas phase, even under conditions that may not lead to the formation of a glass.
The effect of long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of extruded Mg–Y–Zn alloys with compositions of Mg98.5Y1Zn0.5, Mg95.5Y3Zn1.5 and ...Mg92.5Y5Zn2.5 (at%), was systematically investigated. The LPSO phases were aligned along the extrusion direction (ED) in the as-extruded Mg–Y–Zn alloys, and significantly enhanced the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) process during the hot extrusion. With the increase of LPSO phase, the degree of DRX process of Mg alloy was more completed, the growth of the DRXed grains resulted in the grain coarsening, and the following phenomena were also observed that the conventional basal fiber texture was remarkably weakened, a novel texture component of 〈0001〉//ED appeared in the Mg alloys with higher volume fraction of LPSO phase. The microhardness and tensile yield stress (TYS) of Mg–Y–Zn alloy was improved by LPSO phase, but the ductility was degraded. The strengthening effect of LPSO phase was dominant over that from the grain refinement and texture.
Mg and its alloys generally exhibit the poor corrosion and wear resistances, which greatly limits their industrial applications. Inspired from an ordered layered structure within natural nacre, the ...homogeneous reduced graphene oxide/poly (vinyl alcohol) (RGO/PVA) coating is successfully fabricated on Mg alloy surface in the current study, through a facile spin-assisted layer-by-layer assembly (SA-LBL) technology. The hybrid hydrogen/covalent bond networks form between PVA chains and RGO sheets, resulting in a compact lamellar “bricks-and-mortar” structure. The microstructure of hybrid coating is strongly influenced by the cross-linking effect of PVA molecule, whose suitable content is beneficial to generating the densely stacked lamellar coating with excellent binding strength and reduced intrinsic defects, which can significantly improve its corrosion resistance. And the water molecules can hardly diffuse into the hybrid coating, leading to a long-term stability of samples in aqueous solution, ethanol and N, N-dimethylformamide. Besides, the high hardness and good lubricant effect of RGO sheets confer the hybrid coatings outstanding wear-resistant properties. Therefore, the bio-inspired RGO coating with a certain amount of PVA allows it to have a superior barrier effect and maintain the lubrication, which can provide an integrated protection for the corrosion and wear behaviors of Mg alloy.
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Poor corrosion and wear resistances of Mg alloys have severely restricted their extensive applications. Here we report a comparative study of bioinspired graphene oxide(GO)/reduced graphene oxide ...(rGO)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films with nacre-like architectures on Mg alloys, via a facile reduction process. GO-PVA film remarkably deteriorates the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy, with an increased corrosion rate of 3.657 × 10−5 from 2.038 × 10−5 A/cm2, due to its loose microstructure and typical cathodic reaction. In contrast, the removal of oxygen-containing groups by chemical reduction leads to a recovery of conjugated structure and reduces the intrinsic capillaries, and the corrosion rate of rGO-PVA film is 18 times lower than that of GO-PVA film, through hindering the galvanic corrosion and weakening the cathodic reaction. Additionally, the wear rate of Mg alloys protected by GO/rGO-PVA films remarkably decreases by 98.6% and 98.2%, respectively. The chemical reduction effectively decreases the cluster-stacked structure on the surface of the GO-PVA film and restricts its exfoliation behavior, which promotes the puckering effect and results in a slightly enhanced wear behavior of the rGO-PVA film. The current study demonstrates a potential prospect of the bioinspired graphene-based film, which is beneficial to achieving the integrated anti-corrosive/wearable performances of metallic materials.
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A highly pathogenic pig disease emerged in China in 2006, which was characterized by prolonged high fever, red discoloration of the body, and blue ears associated with high mortality. Porcine ...reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was isolated as the single most prominent virus in the samples collected from affected pigs. The full-length genomic sequence of the virus revealed two distinct deletions in the non-structural protein 2 (NSP2) in comparison to all previously reported North American genotype PRRSV. Through extensive surveys in 14 different provinces, 56 additional PRRSV isolates were obtained from affected farms. All of the isolates were found to contain identical deletions in NSP2. To confirm the etiology, eight 60-day-old PRRSV-free pigs were divided into two groups and the test group was intranasally infected at a titer of 2 x 10⁵.⁰ tissue culture infectious dose 50 per pig. The inoculated pigs all died at 7, 8, 12, 16, or 21 days post-inoculation with their clinical and pathological findings similar to those in the field. The viruses recovered from dead pigs were identical to the inoculated virus in NSP2 and GP5 genes. Our study shows that the recently emerged PRRSV in China is characterized by two discontiguous deletions in NSP2 and is the cause for the current epizootics in China.
TEA domain (TEAD) transcription factors are key components of the Hippo-YAP1 signaling pathway, but their functional role and regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to comprehensively ...explore the expression pattern and functional role of TEAD family in gastric carcinogenesis and investigate its regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs). The mRNA and protein expression of TEAD family were examined by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot. Their functional roles were determined by in vitro and in vivo studies. The clinicopathological association of TEAD4 in gastric cancer (GC) was studied using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray. The prediction of miRNAs, which potentially target TEAD1/4, was performed by TargetScan and miRDB. The regulation of TEAD1/4 by miRNAs was confirmed by qRT-PCR, western blot and luciferase assays. TEAD1/4 were overexpressed in GC cell lines and primary GC tissues. Knockdown of TEAD1/4 induced a significant anticancer effect in vitro and in vivo. TEAD1 was confirmed to be a direct target of miR-377-3p and miR-4269, while TEAD4 was negatively regulated by miR-1343-3p and miR-4269. Among them, miR-4269 was the most effective inhibitor of TEAD1/4. Ectopic expression of these miRNAs substantiated their tumor-suppressive effects. In primary GC tumors, downregulation of miR-4269 was associated with poor disease-specific survival and showed a negative correlation with TEAD4. TEAD1 and TEAD4 are oncogenic factors, whose aberrant activation are, in part, mediated by the silence of miR-377-3p, miR-1343-3p and miR-4269. For the first time, the nuclear accumulated TEAD4 and downregulated miR-4269 are proposed to serve as novel prognostic biomarkers in GC.
EIF5A2, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A2, is associated with several human cancers. In this study, we investigated the role of EIF5A2 in the metastatic potential of localised invasive ...bladder cancer (BC) and its underlying molecular mechanisms were explored.
The expression pattern of EIF5A2 in localised invasive BC was determined by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the function of EIF5A2 in BC and its underlying mechanisms were elucidated with a series of in vitro and in vivo assays.
Overexpression of EIF5A2 was an independent predictor for poor metastasis-free survival of localised invasive BC patients treated with radical cystectomy. Knockdown of EIF5A2 inhibited BC cell migratory and invasive capacities in vitro and metastatic potential in vivo and reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), whereas overexpression of EIF5A2 promoted BC cells motility and invasiveness in vitro and metastatic potential in vivo and induced EMT. In addition, we found that EIF5A2 might activate TGF-β1 expression to induce EMT and drive aggressiveness in BC cells. EIF5A2 stabilized STAT3 and stimulated nuclear localisation of STAT3, which resulted in increasing enrichment of STAT3 onto TGF-β1 promoter to enhance the transcription of TGF-β1.
EIF5A2 overexpression predicts tumour metastatic potential in patients with localised invasive BC treated with radical cystectomy. Furthermore, EIF5A2 elevated TGF-β1 expression through STAT3 to induce EMT and promotes aggressiveness in BC.
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