Medicine & Healthcare Geriatrics

A research team led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has developed a novel drug delivery system for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The researchers have engineered exosomes, extracellular vesicles released by cells, to effectively carry the bioactive compound Corynoxine-B extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine Gouteng to the brain of mice with AD. As Corynoxine-B can induce autophagy, a process that maintains the health of cells, this new drug delivery system using exosomes can improve cognitive function and movement while reducing the symptoms of AD.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers conducted a 5-year claims-based study of 655 non-frail or pre-frail older adults who were certified as having low care needs to investigate the relationship between the risk of frailty and two types of care services. The results showed that users of community-based adult care services had a 40% reduced risk of developing frailty compared to non-users. This suggests that utilizing appropriate support and services can prevent the progression of frailty.

A research group led by Associate Professor Kazuki Uemura of the Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science, Osaka Metropolitan University conducted a cross-sectional study, using GPS and accelerometers, of 133 elderly people (aged 65 or older) in Toyama Prefecture to investigate their out-of-home behavior and amounts of physical activity during 14 days. The results demonstrated that the amounts of physical activity among the participants were more strongly influenced by the number of visited places (nodes) than by out-of-home time. This suggests that diversity, not just duration, of out-of-home behavior may be important when encouraging the elderly to go out to extend their life expectancy.

In a study of 280 patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI), researchers investigated the 3-year prognostic impact of frailty evaluated by the Kihon checklist (KCL), a survey originally developed to identify elderly individuals who were at risk of requiring support within the Japanese long-term care insurance system. Results showed that the estimated 3-year mortality rate was significantly higher in individuals who ranked high on the KCL, showcasing the checklist as a simple tool to be used alongside other surgical risk scores, in identifying patients who are too frail to benefit from TAVI

Researchers are empowering the elderly in Singapore to choose their preferred treatment option when diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease.

Researchers from Osaka City University show the benefits of mixing alginic acid with calcium phosphate cement (CPC), a common bone replacement material, with in vitro and in vivo studies. The biopolymer is shown to improve the setting time and compressive strength of CPC, as well as help it acquire porosity – which allows cells to enter the defected area and grow new bone.

A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore revealed that regular tea drinkers have better organised brain regions compared to non-tea drinkers.

Vision and hearing loss are often perceived to be part of ageing, but a six-year-long national survey of 3,452 Singaporean adults over the age of 60, found that these impairments have much broader consequences for older adults.

HKUST is joining forces with Haven of Hope Christian Service to develop solutions that could improve the quality of life for the elderly and their caregivers.