The journal of nutrition, health & aging
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J Nutr Health Aging · Nov 2006
Clinical characteristics and risk factors of delirium in demented and not demented elderly medical inpatients.
to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics and risk factors of delirium in elderly medical inpatients according to the presence or not of dementia. ⋯ clinical characteristics and risk factors of delirium are different in demented and not demented elderly inpatients. Patients with dementia are vulnerable to delirium at lower levels of medical acuity than non-demented patients.
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J Nutr Health Aging · Nov 2006
ReviewThe Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) review of the literature--What does it tell us?
To review the literature on the MNA to Spring 2006, we searched MEDLINE, Web of Science and Scopus, and did a manual search in J Nutr Health Aging, Clin Nutr, Eur J Clin Nutr and free online available publications. ⋯ The MNA is a screening and assessment tool with a reliable scale and clearly defined thresholds, usable by health care professionals. It should be included in the geriatric assessment and is proposed in the minimum data set for nutritional interventions.
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J Nutr Health Aging · Sep 2006
ReviewManagement of heart failure in the elderly: recommendations from the French Society of Cardiology (SFC) and the French Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SFGG).
Heart failure, a frequent disease in the elderly, has a pejorative prognosis. Clinical diagnosis is complicated by atypical or difficult-to-interpret symptoms and by the concomitant presence of other diseases, particularly cognitive impairment, neurological disorders and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Among the additional investigations, echocardiography remains underused. ⋯ Special precautions for the use of heart failure drugs are due to comorbidities and the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes related to aging. Drugs dosage increase is to be cautious and carefully monitored for adverse reactions. The therapeutic programmes in which multidisciplinary teams are involved reduce the number and duration of hospitalisations and the costs generated by the disease.
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J Nutr Health Aging · Sep 2006
ReviewEffects of nutrients (in food) on the structure and function of the nervous system: update on dietary requirements for brain. Part 1: micronutrients.
The objective of this update is to give an overview of the effects of dietary nutrients on the structure and certain functions of the brain. As any other organ, the brain is elaborated from substances present in the diet (sometimes exclusively, for vitamins, minerals, essential amino-acids and essential fatty acids, including omega- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids). However, for long it was not fully accepted that food can have an influence on brain structure, and thus on its function, including cognitive and intellectuals. ⋯ Indeed, nutrient composition and meal pattern can exert either immediate or long-term effects, beneficial or adverse. Brain diseases during aging can also be due to failure for protective mechanism, due to dietary deficiencies, for instance in anti-oxidants and nutrients (trace elements, vitamins, non essential micronutrients such as polyphenols) related with protection against free radicals. Macronutrients are presented in the accompanying paper.