bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Phenothiazines to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Litke Rachel , Huang Bik Tzu , Gonzalez Damian , Rampanana Martine , Grimaldi Nicholas , Mobbs Charles 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Current treatments of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are largely ineffective and do not address underlying pathophysiological processes. The model organism C. elegans has been successfully used to discover compounds to treat human diseases, some now in clinical trials. To develop novel drugs and explore pathways to treat AD, we took on a forward pharmacological approach with a C. elegans model for AD, completed with studies to expand results to lifespan as well as healthspan. We screened 2560 drugs from the Microsource Spectrum library for their ability to delay proteotoxicity (indicated by paralysis) in an Abeta transgenic C. elegans muscle model of AD (CL2006) in liquid medium. Among the most protective drugs were phenothiazines, which are orally active and cross the blood-brain barrier, desirable properties of drugs to treat AD. 80 phenothiazines congeners were further assessed; 60% were protective in CL2006 worms. 9/20 tested phenothiazines increased lifespan in N2 worms and 2/3 phenothiazines tested promoted significantly higher pharyngeal pumping rates compared with control till day 10 of adulthood in N2 worms. 2 of the drugs were protective in the C. elegans neuronal model of AD. This phenotypic screening approach led to the discovery of potential drugs to treat AD. These phenothiazines protect against Abeta toxicity, and assessment of efficacy to protect against other forms of proteotoxicity are ongoing. These studies suggest the utility of C. elegans to discover drugs to treat human diseases. Future studies will assess molecular mechanisms mediating the protective effects of these compounds.
Developing Information Technologies to Promote Dementia e-Friendly Communities for COVID-19 and Beyond
Authors: Ruggiano Nicole , Luo Yan , Hurd Amy , Lawlor Kristen , Anderson Monica , Jiang Zhe , Gray Jeff 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
People living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers often face barriers to education, support, and services that can improve their health and quality of life. Information technology (IT) has been suggested as a solution to overcoming such barriers, though the development of evidence-based IT for dementia care is still developing. This project gathered stakeholder (e.g., providers, caregivers) perspectives on the development of a proposed IT solution to support community asset mapping that would allow families to self-assess their dementia-related service needs, educate them about available services, and link them with services they need in their community. This proposed IT would create a dementia resource database that relies on crowdsourced data from community stakeholders as well as relevant data mined from existing sources (e.g., CMS certified nursing home data). As part of the planning process, this project conducted qualitative interviews with providers and caregivers in four metro areas in Alabama and their surrounding rural communities to learn more about the content and features that stakeholders perceive as being most effective for the proposed technology. Stakeholders also discussed their experience of utilizing IT solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote access and continuum of care when barriers to service intensified. Thematic findings provide detail on: 1) motivating factors among stakeholders to contribute crowdsourced data that support community members affected by dementia; 2) potential barriers to implementing IT for dementia support, based on experiences with IT use during COVID-19; and 3) how stakeholders envision IT to better connect community members with needed services.
Online Health Information Wants of Caregivers for Persons With Dementia in Social Media
Authors: Tang Alison , Kwak Jung , Xie Bo , Xiao Lu , Lahiri Sucheta , Flynn Olivia , Murugadass Avinav 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Family caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs) use social media to obtain and share health information. Yet relatively little is known about the types of information that these caregivers share. We address this gap by analyzing caregivers’ posts (N = 401) in two subreddits, r/Alzheimers and r/dementia, which represent two subgroups on the social media platform Reddit. Our research questions were as follows: (1) What are these caregivers’ main purposes in posting? (2) What types of health information do the caregivers exchange online? (3) What are the characteristics of online posts that receive the caregivers’ greatest attention? Content and correlational analyses revealed that over half of users (57%) posted regarding specific types of health information that they desired to seek and share, whereas the remaining users posted information for sharing only. The health information most commonly posted fell into the following three categories: psychosocial health information, information about patients’ daily care, and characteristics of health conditions. The more health information types that a post contained, the greater the number of people who participated in the subreddit discussions. Further research should examine how social media meet PWD caregivers’ needs for information support.
Are Drugs that Cause Dysbiosis Longitudinally Associated with Cognitive Scores, Cognitive Impairment, & Dementia?
Authors: Resciniti Nicholas , C. Lohman Matthew , McLain Alexander , Merchant Anwar , Friedman and Daniela 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Recent research has examined how the microbiome may influence cognitive outcomes; however, there is a paucity of research understanding how medication associated with dysbiosis may be associated with cognitive changes. This study used data from the Health and Retirement Study and the Prescription Drug Study subset for adults 51 and older (n=3,898). Continuous (0-27) and categorical (cognitively normal=12-27; cognitive impairment=7-11; and dementia=0-6) cognitive outcomes were used. Prescriptions utilized were proton pump inhibitors, antibiotics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines, and a summed dose-response measure. Linear mixed models (LMM) and generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used for continuous and binary outcomes. For the LMM model, the main effect for those taking one medication was insignificant; however, the interaction with time showed a significant decrease over time (β: -0.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.14, 0.01). The mean cognitive score was lower for those taking two or more medications (β: -1.48; 95% CI: -2.70, -0.25), although the interaction with time was insignificant. GLMM results showed those taking two or medications had odds that are 612% larger (odds ratio (OR): 7.12; 95% CI: 3.03, 16.71) of going from cognitively healthy to dementia but the interaction with time showed decreased odds over time (OR: 0.92; 95% CI 0.86, 0.97). For cognitive impairment, those who took two or more medications had odds that were 45% larger (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.00) of going from cognitively healthy to cognitively impaired. This study indicated a dose-response aspect to taking medications on cognitive outcomes.
Caregiver Singing Intervention: do Emotions and Resistance differ between Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s?
Authors: Hammar Lena , Engström Gabriella , Swall Anna 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Persons with dementia in residential care commonly express resistance of aggressiveness. Caregivers Singing (CS) - when caregivers sing for or together with persons with dementia during caring, has shown to reduce these expressions and increase communication and cooperation. Previous studies of CS have included both persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and persons with Vascular dementia (VD), but no studies have been done focusing on possible differences regarding these diagnoses. As disabilities and symptoms differ between these diagnoses, the emotions and expressions, such as resistance may differ regarding response to CS. This polit study aims to describe emotions and resistiveness to care among persons with vascular or Alzheimer’s disease. Participants were five persons with AD and five persons with VD living at two different nursing homes. Video observations (VIO) occurred with them and their caregivers during morning care situations four times without CS and four times with CS. In all, 80 VIOs were rated using the Observed Emotion Rating Scale and the Resistiveness to Care Scale. These were then analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results revealed that for both persons with AD and VD, the positive emotion pleasure were never observed without CS while with CS it increased for both groups. In contrast to the positive emotion effect of CS, the negative emotions and resistiveness decreased more for persons with VD than for persons with AD. For persons with VD, the number of observations without anger increased, while observation without anger or anxiety/fear for persons with AD remind the same.
Longitudinal Association of Fall risk for Community Dwelling Elderly with and without ADRD
Authors: Tyagi Pallavi 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Falls amongst elderly with ADRD and are a major cause of functional impairment and increased mortality. The primary purpose of this study was to examine if fall status of community dwelling elderly residents with and without ADRD differs over a four year period and additionally does receipt of rehabilitation in any year modifies this association. National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data from 2015-2018 was used and sample consisted of participants age 65 and older who were community dwellers. Baseline characteristics of individuals in ADRD (n= 264) and non-ADRD group (n=2,971) was compared using chi square statistic. A generalized estimating equation model (multivariate logistic regression) was used to estimate odds ratio of falls in the two groups, adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical conditions that are predictors of fall risk. At baseline, ADRD group comprised of older, frail individuals who reported increased use of assistive device (AD) and presence of depression. Those in the non-ADRD group at baseline had significantly decreased odds for falls however no statistically significant change was observed for fall status over four years in the two groups (non-ADRD vs ADRD) and this association was not modified by receipt of rehabilitation. Those who used AD, had depression and received rehabilitation had increased odds for falls however no differences were found for those who lived alone and were frail. Future studies should examine the bi-directional interplay between falls and rehabilitation in elderly with ADRD with inclusion of other predictors of fall risk to study their unique characteristics.
Lung Function and Dementia Risk in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study
Authors: Shrestha Srishti , Zhu Xiaoqian , London Stephanie , Sullivan Kevin , Lutsey Pamela , Windham B Gwen , Griswold Michael , Mosley Thomas 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Poor lung function has been linked with adverse neurocognitive outcomes including dementia, but evidence from well-designed prospective studies is limited. We therefore examined the association between lung function, as measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), and dementia risk in 12,688 participants of the ARIC study, a prospective study of adults aged 46-70 years (at index visit, mean age =57y, 45% male, 76% White) from four US communities. Lung function was assessed in 1991-1992 (index visit, 76% normal, 16% obstructive, and 8% restrictive lung function), and dementia was ascertained through 2019 via in-person assessments, telephone interviews, and medical record surveillance, with adjudication of dementia with all in-person exams. A total of 2452 developed dementia over 30 years of follow-up. We used Cox proportional hazards model to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for potential confounders (socio-demographics, behavioral factors, cardiovascular risk factors, APOE ε4). Higher FEV1 and FVC were associated with reduced dementia risk [(HR: 0.86, 95%CI: 0.78-0.98, per 1L increase in FEV1) and (HR: 0.86, 95%CI: 0.80-0.93 per 1L increase in FVC)]. Compared to normal lung function, restrictive disease was associated with elevated dementia risk [(HR: 1.19, 95%CI: 1.01-1.41), n=168 dementia cases]; HR for obstructive disease, though modestly elevated (1.09, 95%CI: 0.96-1.24, n=713 dementia cases), was not statistically significant. Our findings of decreased dementia risk with better lung function may have important implications in reducing burden of dementia that is attributable to environmental exposures and associated lung function impairment.
Risk Factors of Sleep Disturbance in Older Adults With Dementia: An Actigraphy-Based Validation Study
Authors: Shin Jinhee , Cho Eunhee , Kang Bada , Kim Sujin , Hwang Sinwoo , Kwon Eunji , Heo Seok-Jae 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Sleep disturbance is a common and significant symptom experienced by older adults with dementia. Early detection and timely treatment of sleep disturbance are critical to prevent adverse consequences including decreased quality of life for persons with dementia and increased caregiver burden. While direct observations and sleep diaries are often unreliable, actigraphy is a cost-effective method in measuring sleep problems in older adults with dementia and provides reliable and rich sleep data. Therefore, this study aimed to examine sleep disturbance objectively measured by actigraphy and its risk factors in community-dwelling older adults with dementia in Korea. This is a prospective study consisting of a two-wave dataset. The model was fitted using Wave 1 data (n=151) and then validated using Wave 2 data (n=59). Independent variables were demographics, cognitive and physical function, depressive symptoms, physical activity level, and neuropsychiatric symptoms measured by Neuropsychiatric Inventory(NPI), and clinical factors including dementia type, sedative use, and comorbidities. Sleep disturbance was defined as less than six nighttime sleep hours and sleep efficacy less than 75%. Using the Youden’s Index, the sample was dichotomized into sleep disturbance group (n=83) and sound sleep group (n=68). The results of the generalized linear mixed model showed that the risk factors for sleep disturbance included vascular dementia, age, step count, and having three neuropsychiatric symptoms (i.e., delusions, depression, and disinhibition). Individuals with dementia at risk for sleep disturbance should be identified to prioritize early prevention strategies and individualized interventions. Particularly, management of delusion, depression, disinhibition is critical in preventing disturbed sleep.
Impact of COVID-19 on Older Employees of a Large State University: Findings From a Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Chen Zhao , Sokan Amanda 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Burgeoning research on the effects of COVID-19 and university experiences in the U.S. tends to focus on transmission of COVID-19 virus or student-related consequences of COVID-19. However, none to our knowledge examine the effects on older university employees. Universities employ a higher percentage of older adults with diverse job responsibilities and socioeconomic status, presenting a unique closed community for understanding the pandemic’s consequences for older adults. Our aims are to: 1) understand older university employees’ concerns related to COVID-19, 2) develop intervention strategies to mitigate the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of older employees, and 3) test the interventions within the target population to help reduce stress and promote wellbeing. Using a community participatory approach, we sought input from employees aged 50 and older at the University of Arizona. Mixed methods were used to collect qualitative (six focus groups; N= 24) and quantitative (online survey; N=1030) data. We conducted and evaluated a set of interventions (i.e., virtual Tai Chi and Qigong, walking exercises, and meditation) using focus group feedback, process evaluation, and outcome assessment with validated questionnaires on sleep quality, mindfulness and psychological wellbeing. Findings show that a significant percentage of older employees worried about getting COVID-19 and had experienced undesirable changes in sleep quality, weight, and physical activity, and concerns about caregiving; however, we also observed psychological resilience in this population. The study highlights the importance of developing immediate and effective programs for promoting health and wellbeing for older employees during the pandemic.
Measurement of Centre of Pressure Using the Wii Balance Board in Older Adults with Simulated Visual Impairment
Authors: Petersen Berkley , Murphy Caitlin , Johnson Aaron , Li Karen 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Postural stability is a complex skill dependent upon the coordination of motor, sensory and cognitive systems. The purpose of this project was therefore to explore how older adults’ balance performance is impacted by increased cognitive load, hearing loss, and simulated vision loss. Twenty-eight older adults between the ages of 50 and 93 years (M = 73.86, SD = 10.43) were tested. Participants underwent standard sensory acuity and cognitive functioning tests. The balance trials varied as a function of cognitive load and visual challenge resulting in five conditions: (1) eyes closed, (2) normal vision clear goggles (NV) (3) simulated low vision (20/80) goggles (LV) (4) LV and math task, (5) NV and math task. Postural stability was assessed with three key center of pressure parameters: total path length (TPL), anterior-posterior amplitude (APA) and medial-lateral amplitude (MLA). A mixed-model ANOVA using hearing acuity as a covariate revealed significant effects of complexity in sway amplitude: (APA: p &lt; .017; MLA: p &lt; .020), while TPL approached significance (p &lt; .074). T-tests revealed significant (p &lt; .05) decreases in balance performance across all 3 centre of pressure parameters when comparing single task NV to dual-task NV, NV vs. eyes closed and single task NV vs. LV dual-task. There were significant positive correlations between hearing acuity and balance (MLA) under single task NV (r = .491) and LV conditions (r = .497). Results suggest the attentional demands from increased cognitive load and sensory loss lead to decreases in older adults’ single- and dual-task balance performance.
Co-Design Of Technology Driven Self-Management With Older Adults: An International Approach
Authors: Saney Danielle , Pollini Alessandro , Suijkerbuijk Sandra , Krijger Regina , Astell Arlene 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
There has been an emergence in technology applications (apps) aimed at addressing needs amongst older adults and persons with cognitive impairment (PwCI). Despite the ubiquity of these apps, utilization is low, primarily due to a lack of involvement of PwCI and the perception that these apps have little motivational value. Engaging PwCI in creative processes such as co-design could lead to the creation of apps that better meets the needs of this population. The current study applies a user-centered, participatory approach to involve PwCI in the design of a new self-management and coaching app, RESILIEN-T. Co-design workshops were held with 12 PwCI across Italy, Netherlands and Canada; structured as four modules: (1) introduction and expectation setting, (2) user analysis, (3) storytelling, and (4) collaborative design. Based on interviews with PwCI, stories of individuals which reflect the target population were created (personas) and the solutions to the needs of these personas were discussed. Information about participant’s interests, computer proficiency and self-rated cognitive decline were collected. Participants were asked to try 10 existing apps and provided feedback on the design, usability and functionality. Lastly, participants were shown a prototype for RESILIEN-T and provided feedback based on the personas that they helped create. Co-design activities revealed that personalization is crucial for adherence. Aspects of physical and social activity, nutrition and cognition were most important to participants. Participants found many apps that are recommended for older adults do not appear age appropriate and seem condescending. These findings were common across PwCI from various nations.
Social participation and attitude towards gerontechnology: The moderating role of frailty status
Authors: Lee Ka Yeon , Lee Sun Ah , Joo Susanna , Kim YoonMyung , Lim Yun Mook , Jun Hey Jung 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine whether frailty status moderates the association between social participation and attitude towards using gerontechnology. The sample was Korean older adults without cognitive impairment (N = 310, aged 66-90, 51% women) who completed an online survey. The attitude towards using gerontechnology was measured with two questions from the Senior Technology Acceptance Model (Chen & Chan, 2014), asking whether using technology is a good idea and whether they like the idea of using technology. Social participation was assessed by asking whether the participants engage in social or community activities on a scale of 1–10. Frailty status was determined based on the Korean Groningen Frailty Indicator (K-GFI). Covariates were age, gender, marital status, employment status, education level, and household income. Results from regression analyses showed significant interaction between frailty status and social participation on attitude towards using gerontechnology. Specifically, social participation was associated with positive attitude towards using gerontechnology among non-frail older adults. This association was not significant among frail older adults. Our findings suggest that the relationship between social participation and attitude towards using gerontechnology might differ by physical health status. Among older adults who are physically healthy and actively participate in social activities, the attitude towards using gerontechnology might be more positive due to greater exposure to new technology-related information. Future studies need to address alternative ways to enhance technology-friendliness among older adults with poor physical health.