Presbycusis and the Aging of Eye Movement: Common Attention Mechanisms

Presbycusis, physiological age-related hearing loss, is a major health problem because it is the most common cause of hearing impairment, and its impact will grow in the coming years with the aging population. Besides auditory consequences, the literature recently found an association between hearing loss and cognitive decline over the last two decades, emphasizing the importance of the early detection of presbycusis. However, the current hearing tests are not sufficient to detect presbycusis in some cases. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of this association are still under discussion, calling for a new field of research on that topic. In that context, this study investigates for the first time the interaction between presbycusis, eye movement latency and Stroop scores for a normal aging population. Hearing abilities, eye movement latency and the Stroop Victoria test were measured for 69 elderly (mean 66.7 ± 8.4) and 30 young (mean 25.3 ± 2.7) participants. The results indicated a significant relationship between saccade latency and speech audiometry in the silence score, independently from age. These promising results suggest common attentional mechanisms between speech processing and saccade latency. The results are discussed regarding the relationship between hearing and cognition, and regarding the perspective of expanding new tools for presbycusis diagnosis.

Neurofilament light chain concentration in an aging population

Background Neurofilament light chain (NF-L) concentration is recognized to be modified in neurological diseases and traumatic brain injuries, but studies in the normal aging population are lacking. It is, therefore, urgent to identify influencing factors of NF-L concentration in the aging population. Method We assessed NF-L concentration in sera of a large cohort of 409 community-dwelling adults aged over 65 years. We studied the association between NF-L and various physiological factors but also with self-reported comorbidities or life-style habits. Results We showed that NF-L concentration in serum was tightly associated with cystatin C concentration (r = 0.501, p < 0.0001) and consequently, to the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r = − 0.492; p < 0.0001). Additionally, NF-L concentration was dependent on age and body mass index (BMI) but not sex. Among the self-reported comorbidities, subjects who reported neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases or history of fracture had higher NF-L concentration in univariate analysis, whereas it was only the case for subjects who reported neurological disorders in the multivariate analysis. NF-L concentration was also increased when Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was decreased (≤ 25 points) but not when geriatric depression score (GDS) was increased (> 5 points) in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Finally, we are providing reference ranges by age categories for subjects with or without altered renal function. Conclusion NF-L concentration in the aging population is not driven by the increasing number of comorbidities or depression. Yet, NF-L blood concentration is dependent on kidney function and NF-L interpretation in patients suffering from renal failure should be taken with caution.

The Complex Interplay of Inflammation, Metabolism, Epigenetics, and Sex in Calcific Disease of the Aortic Valve

Calcification of the aortic valve is one of the most rapidly increasing pathologies in the aging population worldwide. Traditionally associated to cardiovascular risk conditions, this pathology is still relatively unaddressed on a molecular/cellular standpoint and there are no available treatments to retard its progression unless valve substitution. In this review, we will describe some of the most involved inflammatory players, the metabolic changes that may be responsible of epigenetic modifications and the gender-related differences in the onset of the disease. A better understanding of these aspects and their integration into a unique pathophysiology context is relevant to improve current therapies and patients management.

Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer and Multimorbidity Interactions: Clinical Implications

Background: With the aging population, the frequency of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and other morbid conditions are increasing dramatically. In addition, one disease may affect the other leading to a vicious cycle. Summary: With aging, the function of organs and systems of the human body decline including the autoimmune system resulting in a diminished response to various pathogens and a chronic inflammatory process; these changes, in addition to other risk factors, contributes to the development of multiple morbid conditions including CVD and cancer. Multimorbidity in the elderly has become the rule rather than the exception today. Further, this association between CVD and cancer, at least partially, is explained by both diseases sharing common risk factors and from accelerated vascular aging due to cancer and its associated therapies. Multiple studies have shown that the incidence of cancer is much higher in patients with CVD compared to the general population. These associations among CVD, cancer and their connection to systems of the human body provide an opportunity for novel therapies. Development of new drugs should be addressed to focus on multiple systems and not just only to one disease. Further, collecting information from registries and processing large amounts of data using artificial intelligence may assist the clinician when treating an individual patient in the future. Key messages: As the aging population increases, CVD, cancer and multimorbidity will continue to constitute a major health problem in the years to come. The physician who is taking care of such a patient, in addition to knowledge, requires clinical wisdom, clinical experience and common sense in order to apply the continuous evolving knowledge to the individual patient.

Tingkat Pendidikan Dengan Fungsi Kognitif Pada Lansia Dalam Periode Aging Population

Indonesia mulai memasuki periode aging population, dimana terdapat peningkatan umur harapan hidup yang diikuti dengan peningkatan jumlah pada lansia. Permasalahan memasuki lansia yaitu penurunan daya ingat, hal tersebut juga menjadi masalah utama pada pedagang lansia di pasar Banyuwangi yaitu mudah lupa atau ketidakmampuan dalam mengingat secara detail ketika ada pesanan dari konsumen, sehingga pedagang mengungkapkan konsumen merasa kurang puas dan tidak kembali lagi untuk melakukan transaksi jual beli dan lebih memilih pada penjual yang lebih muda. Dengan itu penelitian ini dilakukan bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran tingkat pendidikan dengan penurunan fungsi kognitif pada pedagang lansia di pasar Banyuwangi. Penelitian ini termasuk penelitian deskriptif dengan desain cross sectional, kemudian analisis data primer hasil pengisian kuesioner, observasi, dan wawancara. Kuisioner yang digunakan yaitu SPMSQ (Short Portable Memory Short Quisionnare). Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah para pedagang di Pasar Banyuwangi Jawa Timur yang berjumlah 20 orang. Teknik pengambilan sampel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini nonprobability sampling yaitu memilih teknik sampling incidental. Hasil yang didapatkan yaitu sebanyak 85% pedagang lansia normal dan 15% mengalami gangguan fungsi kognitif ringan dengan nilai signifikansi sebesar 0,024. Hal tersebut menjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan antara tingkat pendidikan dengan gangguan fungsi kognitif pada kategori lansia di pasar Banyuwangi Jawa Timur. Sehingga dari penelitian ini dapat dijadikan sebagai pengambilan keputusan dalam membuat program kesehatan pada lansia untuk tetap hidup mandiri dan meningkatkan produktifitas.