| 1. |
- Dalerum, Fredrik, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of phylogenetic associations on environmental and temporal niche partitioning among sympatric mammals
- 2024
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Ingår i: Basic and Applied Ecology. - 1439-1791 .- 1618-0089. ; 74, s. 98-107
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mammals have evolved to occupy spatial and temporal niches in order to optimize resource utilization and minimize predation risk or competition. Subsequently, niche partitioning may be influenced by phylogenetic associations, which could have substantial consequences for ecosystem structure and function. We use the output from occupancy models based on camera trapping data to construct a tri-partite network describing the environmental and temporal partitioning of activity among twelve sympatric mammals in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. We further evaluate if there were any effects of phylogenetic associations on the contributions of species to the properties of this spatio-temporal network. The Apennines form a pristine region in central Italy with a relatively intact Mediterranean mammal fauna. The mammal community in our study consisted of species ranging in size from 300 gs to over 200 kg, and included herbivores, omnivores and predators. There was limited structuring of the network describing environmental and temporal niche use. Furthermore, we did not find any phylogenetic signal in species contributions to network structures, and phylogenetic relatedness among species was not associated with their similarities in environmental or spatial niche use. However, animals appeared to have partitioned environmental niches more than temporal ones, suggesting that spatial variation in resource availability may have been more important than temporal avoidance of predation risk or competition in shaping activity within this mammal community. Our study highlights the need to evaluate under which conditions evolutionary history is influencing contemporary ecological processes.
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| 2. |
- Giovannini, Silvia, et al.
(författare)
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Polypharmacy in Home Care in Europe : Cross-Sectional Data from the IBenC Study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Drugs & Aging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1170-229X .- 1179-1969. ; 35:2, s. 145-152
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Home care (HC) patients are characterized by a high level of complexity, which is reflected by the prevalence of multimorbidity and the correlated high drug consumption. This study assesses prevalence and factors associated with polypharmacy in a sample of HC patients in Europe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis on 1873 HC patients from six European countries participating in the Identifying best practices for care-dependent elderly by Benchmarking Costs and outcomes of community care (IBenC) project. Data were collected using the interResident Assessment Instrument (interRAI) instrument for HC. Polypharmacy status was categorized into three groups: non-polypharmacy (0-4 drugs), polypharmacy (5-9 drugs), and excessive polypharmacy (C10 drugs). Multinomial logistic regressions were used to identify variables associated with polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy. Results Polypharmacy was observed in 730 (39.0%) HC patients and excessive polypharmacy in 433 (23.1%). As compared with non-polypharmacy, excessive polypharmacy was directly associated with chronic disease but also with female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-2.13), pain (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.15-1.98), dyspnea (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.01-1.89), and falls (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.01-2.40). An inverse association with excessive polypharmacy was shown for age (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.56-0.83). Conclusions Polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy are common among HC patients in Europe. Factors associated with polypharmacy status include not only co-morbidity but also specific symptoms and age.
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| 3. |
- Liperoti, Rosa, et al.
(författare)
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Association between frailty and ischemic heart disease : a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMC Geriatrics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2318. ; 21:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Frailty is increasingly reported among older adults with cardiovascular diseases and it has been demonstrated to increase negative health outcomes and mortality. To date, no systematic review of the evidence is available regarding the association between frailty and ischemic heart disease (IHD). We performed a systematic review of literature and a meta-analysis to assess the association between frailty and IHD.Methods: We selected all the studies that provided information on the association between frailty and IHD, regardless of the study setting, study design, or definition of IHD and frailty. PubMed, Web of Science and Embase were searched for relevant papers. Studies that adopted the Fried definition for frailty were included in the meta-analyses. For each measure of interest (proportions and estimates of associations), a meta-analysis was performed if at least three studies used the same definition of frailty. Pooled estimates were obtained through random effect models and Mantel-Haenszel weighting.Results: Thirty-seven studies were included. Of these, 22 adopted the Fried criteria to define frailty and provided estimates of prevalence and therefore they were included in meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence of IHD in frail individuals was 17% (95% Confidence Interval [95%CI] 11-23%) and the pooled prevalence of frailty in individuals with IHD was 19% (95% CI 15-24%). The prevalence of frailty among IHD patients ranged from 4 to 61%. Insufficient data were found to assess longitudinal association between frailty and IHD.Conclusions: Frailty is quite common in older persons with IHD. The identification of frailty among older adults with IHD should be considered relevant to provide individualized strategies of cardiovascular prevention and care. Further research should specifically explore the association between frailty and IHD and investigate the potential common biological ground.
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| 4. |
- Vetrano, Davide Liborio, et al.
(författare)
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EAssociation of Polypharmacy With 1-Year Trajectories of Cognitive and Physical Function in Nursing Home Residents : Results From a Multicenter European Study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. - : Elsevier BV. - 1525-8610 .- 1538-9375. ; 19:8, s. 710-713
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To test the association between polypharmacy and 1-year change in physical and cognitive function among nursing home (NH) residents. Design: Longitudinal multicenter cohort study based on data from the Services and Health for Elderly in Long TERm care (SHELTER) study. Setting: NH in Europe (n 1/4 50) and Israel (n 1/4 7). Participants: 3234 NH older residents. Measurements: Participants were assessed through the interRAI long-term care facility instrument. Polypharmacy was defined as the concurrent use of 5 to 9 drugs and excessive polypharmacy as the use of >= 10 drugs. Cognitive function was assessed through the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS). Functional status was evaluated through the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Hierarchy scale. The change in CPS and ADL score, based on repeated assessments, was the outcome, and their association with polypharmacy was modeled via linear mixed models. The interaction between polypharmacy and time was reported [ beta and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs)]. Results: A total of 1630 (50%) residents presented with polypharmacy and 781 (24%) excessive polypharmacy. After adjusting for potential confounders, residents on polypharmacy (beta 0.10, 95% CI 0.010.20) and those on excessive polypharmacy (beta 0.13, 95% CI 0.01-0.24) had a significantly higher decline in CPS score compared to those using < 5 drugs. No statistically (P >.05) significant change according to polypharmacy status was shown for ADL score. Conclusions: Polypharmacy is highly prevalent among older NH residents and, over 1 year, it is associated with worsening cognitive function but not functional decline.
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| 5. |
- Vetrano, Davide L., et al.
(författare)
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Health determinants and survival in nursing home residents in Europe : Results from the SHELTER study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Maturitas. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-5122 .- 1873-4111. ; 107, s. 19-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The care processes directed towards institutionalized older people needs to be tailored on goals and priorities that are relevant for this specific population. The aim of the present study was (a) to describe the distribution of selected health determinants in a sample of institutionalized older adults, and (b) to investigate the impact on survival of such measures. Design: Multicentre longitudinal cohort-study. Setting: 57 nursing homes (NH) in 7 EU countries (Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands) and 1 non-EU country (Israel). Participants: 3036 NH residents participating in the Services and Health for Elderly in Long TERm care (SHELTER) study. Measurements: We described the distribution of 8 health determinants (smoking habit, alcohol use, body mass index [BMI], physical activity, social participation, family visits, vaccination, and preventive visits) and their impact on 1-year mortality. Results: During the one-year follow up, 611 (20%) participants died. Overweight (HR 0.79; 95% C.I. 0.64-0.97) and obesity (HR 0.64; 95% C.I. 0.48-0.87) resulted associated with lower mortality then normal weight. Similarly, physical activity (HR 0.67; 95% C.I. 0.54-0.83), social activities (HR 0.63; 95% C.I. 0.51-0.78), influenza vaccination (HR 0.66; 95% C.I. 0.55-0.80) and pneumococcal vaccination (HR 0.76 95% C.I. 0.63-0.93) were associated with lower mortality. Conversely, underweight (HR 1.28; 95% C.I. 1.03-1.60) and frequent family visits (HR 1.75; 95% C.I. 1.27-2.42) were associated with higher mortality. Conclusions: Health determinants in older NH residents depart from those usually accounted for in younger and fitter populations. Ad hoc studies are warranted in order to describe other relevant aspects of health in frail older adults, with special attention on those institutionalized, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of care and life.
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