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Activin A, a cytokine belonging to the transforming growth factor-β family, has been shown to play pivotal roles in tissue remodeling after renal injury and is present in elevated levels in diabetic patients. However, the association between activin A and albuminuria remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate their association by using cross-sectional data from community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults in Taiwan. We assessed 466 participants (67% male; mean age 71 ± 13 years) from the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging study for whom data pertaining to serum activin A level and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were available. Of these, 323 (69%) had normal albuminuria, 123 (26%) had microalbuminuria, and 20 (4%) had overt albuminuria. Patients with overt albuminuria and microalbuminuria had significantly higher activin A concentrations than those in the normal albuminuria group (p < 0.001). Circulating activin A was significantly correlated with multiple risk factors, including higher systolic blood pressure and higher UACR. Univariate and multivariate results indicated that activin A level was an independent variable for albuminuria. The cutoff value of 602 pg/mL of activin A demonstrated a sensitivity of 70.6% and specificity of 75.7% (AUC 0.774) in diagnosing overt albuminuria. In conclusion, middle-aged and older adults with elevated activin A levels were associated with a higher incidence of albuminuria., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Sarcopenia is a well-recognized geriatric syndrome. We sought to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia and factors associated with it among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. Data of 731 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older were evaluated. Demographic characteristics, anthropometry, medical history, biochemistry results, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry results were collected for analysis., Results: Males had a higher rate of sarcopenia than did females and had lower values for body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, percentage of body fat, and lean body mass. Poor nutritional status as determined by the Mini Nutritional Assessment correlated positively with markers for sarcopenia. Levels of vitamin D and folic acid correlated positively with some sarcopenia markers., Conclusions: Gender differences and nutritional factors may influence the development of sarcopenia. Vitamin D is positively correlated with relative appendicular skeletal muscle mass in males with sarcopenia, and folic acid was positively correlated with gait speed in females with sarcopenia., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Reciprocal age-related impairments in physical and cognitive functioning have been termed 'cognitive frailty', which is associated with adverse health outcomes and is a potential target for preventing or delaying the onset of disability in older people. However, cognitive frailty as currently defined is challenging to diagnose. To facilitate earlier diagnosis and intervention, we conducted this study to develop and validate a simple evidence-based instrument to identify community-dwelling elders at risk of cognitive frailty., Design: Retrospective analyses of data from the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) to develop a prediction model, and from the Longitudinal Aging Study of Taipei (LAST) for external validation., Setting: Community-dwelling adults from Taipei City, New Taipei City and Yilan (I-Lan) County, Taiwan., Participants: 1271 community residents ≥65 years old, without impaired global cognition or dependency for activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living., Measurements: Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, medical history, Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Functional Autonomy Measuring System, Functional Assessment Staging Test, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, handgrip strength, 6-metre walk speed., Methods: Baseline characteristics of groups with/without cognitive frailty were analyzed and factors differing significantly in univariate analysis input to binary logistic regression to develop a cognitive frailty risk (CFR) score., Results: The prevalence of cognitive frailty was 15.8% overall; ILAS 21.4%, LAST 8.4%. Predictors of CFR comprised: age ≥75 years; female sex; waist circumference ≥90 cm (male), ≥80 cm (female); calf circumference <33 cm (male), <32 cm (female); memory deficits; and diabetes mellitus. CFR ≥5/14 had sensitivity of 70%, specificity of 60%, and predictive accuracy of 72%., Conclusions: A CFR score based on simple history-taking and anthropometric measurements integrates age, sex, cardiometabolic risk, memory deficits, sarcopenia, and nutrition, with validated predictive accuracy, and could be performed easily in community settings to identify seniors with cognitive frailty for appropriate interventions., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflict of interest

The role of serum vitamin D (Vit D) in cardiometabolic and muscle health remains unclear. The study aimed to evaluate associations of Vit D and factors of healthy aging among community-living middle-aged and older people in Taiwan. Analytic data on 1839 community-living older adults were excerpted from I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study. All participants were collected demographic characteristics, serum Vit D, functional assessment, and cardiometabolic risk factors. The prevalence of Vit D insufficiency and deficiency in this study was 50.5% and 33.6%, respectively. Among 617 participants with Vit D deficiency, 72.3% of them were women. In multivariate logistic regression, the independent risk factors of Vit D deficiency were male gender (odds ratio [OR]: 0.266; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.213-0.333; P < 0.001), higher BMI (OR: 1.036; 95% CI: 1.005-1.067; P = 0.022), high total cholesterol (OR: 1.437; 95% CI: 1.160-1.779; P = 0.001), and high triglyceride (OR: 1.865; 95% CI: 1.446-2.404; p < 0.001). In multinomial logistic regression for 3-level Vit D status analysis, similar trend was found among participants with Vit D insufficiency. Insulin resistance increased in 2.31 and 1.71-folds in Vit D deficiency and insufficiency groups. Besides, association between Vit D deficiency and osteopenia was found only in women. In conclusion, Vit D deficiency was more common in women, and associated with poorer musculoskeletal health and higher cardiovascular and metabolic risk, including higher BMI, DBP, insulin resistance, total cholesterol, and triglyceride.

The definition of cognitive frailty and its prediction for adverse outcome of community-living older adults remains controversial. This study aims to evaluate the association between cognitive frailty and all-cause mortality among community-living older adults. Data of the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) were retrieved for study. Frailty was defined by Fried's criteria, and a series of neuropsychological assessments, including the Mini-Mental State Examination, Center for Epidemiology Studies-Depression, the delayed free recall in the Chinese Version Verbal Learning Test, the Boston Naming Test, the category (animal) Verbal Fluency Test, the Taylor Complex Figure Test, the digital backward, and the Clock Drawing Test were performed. All participants received blood sampling after 10-hour overnight fast for various biochemical markers. Cognitive frailty was defined as the concomitant presence of dynapenia and cognitive declines in any domains. Overall, data of 678 participants aged 65 years and older (mean age: 73.3 ± 5.3 years) were obtained for the study. The prevalence of cognitive frailty in this study was 13.3%. People with cognitive frailty were significantly older, having higher multimorbidity burden, more likely to be women, and had less skeletal muscle mass. Adjusted for age and gender, both dynapenia without cognitive impairment (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.402; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.463-19.954; p = 0.011) and cognitive frailty (HR: 6.682; 95% CI: 1.803-26.116; p = 0.005) were significantly associated with all-cause mortality. The prevalence of cognitive frailty was 13.3% in Taiwan and was predictive for all-cause mortality. Further study is needed to explore the pathophysiology and reversibility of cognitive frailty.

Activin A and its binding protein follistatin may be crucial in glucose homeostasis, as multifunctional proteins mediating inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. However, clinical data on the activin A level in prediabetes, and the association between the circulating activin A level and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), are lacking. We aimed to investigate activin A and follistatin levels and their associations with cIMT. In total, 470 inhabitants of I-Lan county (235 men; mean age 69 ± 9 years) with measurements of serum activin A and follistatin levels were included. Patients with prediabetes and diabetes had significantly increased activin A concentrations compared with those in the normal glycemic group (both p < 0.001). A multivariable logistic regression model demonstrated that the circulating activin A level was associated with prediabetes and diabetes independently of other risk factors. Moreover, the circulating activin A levels were associated positively with cIMT in prediabetes (r s  = 0.264, p = 0.001). In conclusion, activin A level, but not follistatin, was elevated independent of demographic variables with borderline significance and was correlated positively with cIMT in prediabetes. Activin A and follistatin levels were elevated in diabetes. In addition, elevated activin A was an independent risk factor for prediabetes and diabetes.

Background: To evaluate the predictive validity of sarcopenia defined by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Sarcopenia Project among Asian older adults., Methods: Data of the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study were obtained for analysis. Overall, 1,839 community-dwelling people aged 50 years and older, capable of completing a 6-m walk, with life expectancy of more than 6 months, and not institutionalized at time of data collection were enrolled for study. Data for subjects aged 65 years and older were obtained for study. The outcome measures were all-cause mortality and a composite adverse outcome which includes hospitalizations, emergency department visits, institutionalization, and falls., Results: Data of 728 eligible elderly participants (73.4 ± 5.4 years; 52.9% males) were analyzed. The prevalence of FNIH-diagnosed sarcopenia was 9.5%: 11.9% males; 6.7% females. Participants having FNIH-defined sarcopenia were considerably older, frailer, more obese, with poorer physical performance than nonsarcopenic subjects (All p < .001); during mean follow-up of 32.9 ± 8.8 months, they also had 3.8 times higher risk of dying, independent of age, sex, multimorbidity, cognitive function, and nutritional status (hazard ratio = 3.8; 95% confidence interval = 1.26-11.45; p = .018). Moreover, sarcopenia defined by grip strength-BMI ratio (WeakBMI) showed stronger association with composite adverse outcomes than traditional handgrip strength (hazard ratio = 1.99; 95% confidence interval = 1.01-3.93; p = .047 vs hazard ratio = 1.80; 95% confidence interval = 0.89-3.62; p = .102 in fully-adjusted model)., Conclusion: Among community-dwelling older people in Taiwan, participants with FNIH-defined sarcopenia had a significantly greater risk of all-cause mortality and composite falls, emergency department visits, institutionalization, and hospitalization.

Serum uric acid level is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, whether it is an independent risk factor or not remains controversial. We analyzed the association between serum uric acid level and cardiovascular risk. In total, 973 nonhypertensive and nondiabetic participants in the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study were eligible for this study. Subjects were divided into tertiles according to uric acid levels. The 10-year cardiovascular risk was calculated using Framingham risk score (FRS). Study subjects in the highest tertile of serum uric acid level were older, more likely to be male, and had higher systolic blood pressure, body mass index, carotid artery intima-media thickness and serum triglyceride, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (all p < 0.05). Subjects in the highest tertile had significantly higher FRS (p < 0.001). After adjusting for other risk factors, serum uric acid level remained associated significantly with the FRS (p < 0.05). In binary logistic regression analysis, the serum uric acid level was an independent predictive factor for high (≥20%) FRS (odds ratio 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.10-1.68). These findings warrant attention to this cardiovascular risk factor in apparently healthy adults.

Background: Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor-β cytokine family, has been shown to regulate blood pressure through the renin-angiotensin system. However, the relationship between activin A and blood pressure remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum activin A levels are associated with blood pressure., Method: A total of 470 participants of I-Lan longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) were eligible for this study. Serum levels of activin A were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cross-sectional analyses were performed, including comparisons of demographic characteristics, hypertensive status, and activin A levels., Results: Among the study participants (50% men, mean age, 69 years), 236 (50.2%) were hypertensive and 234 (49.8%) were normotensive. Hypertensive patients had significantly higher serum activin A levels than normotensives (normotensive vs. hypertensive: 507 ± 169 vs. 554 ± 176 pg/ml, mean ± SD, P < 0.001). All subjects were divided into 3 tertiles on the basis of serum activin A levels. Increasing tertiles of activin A were associated with higher systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure (PP) (all P < 0.001). After adjusting for all the potential confounding factors, serum activin A concentration was still significantly associated with SBP (P = 0.02) and PP (P = 0.03)., Conclusions: Serum activin A level was associated with SBP and PP. Further studies are required to assess their causal relationship and the clinical relevance., (© American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2017. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com)

Aim: To evaluate the impact of living arrangements on mortality and functional decline among older patients with dementia or cognitive impairment after discharge from a geriatric evaluation and management unit (GEMU) in Taiwan., Methods: The present retrospective cohort study used data from the Veteran Affairs Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment from January 2015 to May 2016 for analysis. Data of patients aged 65 years and older with dementia or cognitive impairment at admission to the GEMU of Taipei Veterans General Hospital during the study period were retried for study. The Veteran Affairs Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment included demographic characteristics, Clinical Frailty Scale, Braden Scale, St. Thomas's Risk Assessment Tool in Falling Elderly Inpatients Scale, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics, Barthel Index, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale-5 and Mini-Nutritional Assessment - Short Form, as well as common geriatric syndromes. All patients were categorized into the home care group and institutional care group based on their living arrangement before GEMU admissions. Six-month mortality and decline in Barthel Index were defined as adverse clinical outcomes., Results: Overall, data of 395 patients were used for analysis. The baseline comparisons showed that the institutional care group was more likely to be unmarried, have lower education, lower risk of falls and less polypharmacy, but more likely to experience functional decline at follow up than the home care group. Multivariate logistic regression showed that male (OR 3.59, 95% CI 1.04-12.38, P = 0.043) and higher Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics score (OR 4.08, 95% CI 1.49-11.19, P = 0.006) were associated with mortality, whereas the institutional care group (OR 0.30, 95% 0.09-0.99, P = 0.048) and lower Braden Scale (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.94, P = 0.008) were protective against mortality. However, the institutional care group was independently associated with functional decline during the follow-up period (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.12-4.29, P = 0.022)., Conclusions: Institutional care was associated with lower 6-month mortality risk for patients with dementia or cognitive impairment after discharge from the GEMU, but this group was more likely to experience functional decline. Further prospective study is required to clarify the clinical impact of living arrangements on long-term outcomes when people with dementia or cognitive impairment are admitted to acute hospitals. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017: 17 (Suppl. 1): 44-49., (© 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Background: Association of frailty with adverse clinical outcomes has been reported in Western countries, but data from the Asian population are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiology of frailty among community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly population and to explore its association with musculoskeletal health in Taiwan., Methods: I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) data were retrieved for this study. Frailty was defined by the Fried's criteria; a comparison of demographic characteristics, physical performance, and body composition, including skeletal muscle mass and bone mineral density (BMD), as well as recent falls, history of hip fractures and the functional status of subjects with different frailty statuses were accomplished., Results: Overall, the data of 1,839 participants (mean age: 63.9±9.3 years, male 47.5%) were obtained for analysis. The prevalence of pre-frailty was 42.3% in men and 38.8% in women, whereas the prevalence of frailty was 6.9% and 6.7% in men and women, respectively. Frailty was significantly associated with older age, the male gender, larger waist circumference, lower skeletal muscle index, lower hip BMD, poorer physical function, poorer nutritional status, and poorer cognitive function. Also, frailty was significantly associated with osteoporosis (OR: 7.73, 95% CI: 5.01-11.90, p<0.001), history of hip fractures (OR: 8.66, 95% CI: 2.47-30.40, p = 0.001), and recent falls (O.R: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.35-4.76, p = 0.004)., Conclusions: Frailty and pre-frailty, in Taiwan, was closely associated with recent falls, history of hip fractures and osteoporosis among community-dwelling people 50 years of age and older. Furthermore, frailty intervention programs should take an integrated approach towards strengthening both and muscle mass, as well as prevention of falls.

Physical frailty has been recognized as a clinical syndrome resulting from declines in various physiological systems; however, the role of the central nervous system in the pathophysiology of frailty remains unclear. The I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study randomly sampled community-dwelling people aged 50 or older for a brain magnetic resonance imaging study. All participants were assessed for frailty status (robust, prefrail, and frail) based on the presence of five frailty components: slow walking speed, muscle weakness, low physical activity, exhaustion and weight loss (Fried criteria). Gray matter volume (GMV) changes associated with frailty status and individual frailty components were examined. Overall, 456 participants (64.0 ± 8.5 years, 47.6% women) were included in this study. The prefrail (n = 178, 39.0%) and frail (n = 19, 4.2%) subjects were grouped for analysis. The prefrail-frail group showed reduced GMV, compared to the robust group (n = 259, 56.8%), in the cerebellum, hippocampi, middle frontal gyri, and several other cerebral regions (corrected P < 0.05). Each frailty component was associated with GMV changes in functionally related brain areas. Hierarchical cluster analysis categorized these components into three subsets. Motor-related components, including weakness, low activity, and slowness, comprised one subset with a common cerebellar involvement. Exhaustion and weight loss were the other two subsets without cerebellar changes. To conclude, physical frailty is associated with a decreased reserve in specific brain regions, especially cerebellum. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore if the cerebellum- and noncerebellum-based frailty components reflect a distinctive future risk for developing frailty., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aim: The clinical effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) among older Chinese with dementia remains unclear, and the evidence supporting the benefits of a non-pharmacological approach on psychotic symptoms is scarce., Methods: A prospective cohort study including 104 older men with dementia living in two veterans homes in Taiwan was carried out in 2011. An organized program of music therapy, orientation training, art-cognitive activities and physical activities was carried out for the intervention group. All participants were evaluated for neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), defined daily dose of psychotropic drug use, Barthel Index, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Tinetti balance score and Tinetti gait score., Results: Overall, 104 residents were enrolled and 92 of them completed the study. The intervention group had a more significant reduction than the reference group in the overall NPI score (-2.36, P = 0.046), and in the subcategories of delusion (-0.9, P = 0.018), hallucination (-0.82, P = 0.004) and agitation (-0.91, P = 0.038). Multivariate analysis showed that the non-pharmacological intervention was associated with a favorable outcome in overall NPI score (OR 4.113, P = 0.013) and in the subcategories of hallucination (OR 14.309, P = 0.049) and agitation (OR 6.604, P = 0.037). Meanwhile, a higher baseline NPI score was also associated with a favorable outcome in overall NPI score, and in the subcategories of delusion, hallucination and agitation., Conclusion: Non-pharmacological interventions have a positive effect on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, not only in outward symptoms like agitation, but also intrinsic psychotic symptoms like hallucination and delusion, and agitation in older Chinese men with dementia., (© 2013 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Aim: Sarcopenia is a well-recognized geriatric syndrome, which is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia and its associative clinical characteristics in Taiwan., Methods: Data of the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) were retrieved for this study. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria, and comparisons of demographic characteristics, physical performance, body composition, cardiometabolic profiles and functionality indicators were carried out., Results: Overall, data of 1008 participants (mean age 65.2 ± 9.3 years, male 50.6%) were retrieved for analysis. The cut-off value of relative appendicular skeletal muscle was 7.0 kg/m(2) for men and 5.9 kg/m(2) for women. Sarcopenia was significantly related to low body mass index, smaller waist circumference, poor nutrition and poor cognition. The mean carotid intima-media thickness and cardiometabolic parameters showed no statistically significant findings., Conclusions: The present paper showed the epidemiology of sarcopenia, and the strong connection to functionality indicators. However, sarcopenia was not associated with cardiometabolic risk or carotid intima media thickness in the present study., (© 2014 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Purpose: The main aim of this study was to explore the association between skeletal muscle mass and muscle function by three different measures of bioactive testosterone, as well as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) among men and women aged 50 years and older in Taiwan to facilitate further investigations of sarcopenia and androgen profile., Methods: The data of 532 participants (mean age 64.6±9.5 years; male, 53.0%) recruited from the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study was retrieved for analysis. Appendicular muscle mass, grip strength, and walking speed were stratified into quartiles in both genders to explore their associations with different hormones measures., Results: Among three different bioactive testosterone measures, the free androgen index had significant positive association with muscle mass (p both <0.001) and muscle strength in both genders (p<0.001 in men and p=0.03 in women), whereas free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone displayed similar correlations only in the skeletal muscle mass of woman (p both <0.001) and muscle strength of men (p=0.007, p=0.002, respectively). Serum levels of DHEA-S were correlated positively with skeletal muscle mass in men (p=0.013) and women aged 65 years and older (p=0.004) and handgrip strength in both genders (p<0.001 in men and p=0.009 in women). None of the bioactive testosterone measurements was associated with walking speed, whereas DHEA-S was significantly positively correlated with gait speed in both genders (p both=0.001)., Conclusion: In conclusion, the free androgen index increased remarkably along with muscle mass and muscle strength among men and women aged 50 years and older. Moreover, DHEA-S was positively associated with muscle mass in men and older women and muscle strength in both sexes, and was also associated with aging and gait speed in both genders.

Aim: Skeletal muscle loss is a common feature of aging, and is associated with unfavorable outcomes. Although several indexes of skeletal muscle mass measurement have been developed, the most optimal index for sarcopenia diagnosis among Asian populations has remained unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and physical performance among community-dwelling people in Taiwan., Methods: Data of the I-Lan Longitudinal Aging Study (ILAS) were retrieved for study. Comparisons between demographic profiles, physical performance and skeletal muscle mass (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were carried out. Skeletal muscle mass expressed by lean body mass divided by squared height (LBM/ht(2) ), appendicular muscle mass divided by squared height (ASM/ht(2) ) and percent skeletal muscle index (SMI%) were compared between measurements of physical performance., Results: Overall, the data of 532 participants (mean age 64.6 ± 9.5 years, male 53.0%) were retrieved for analysis. Age was associated with poorer physical performance, and decreased ASM/ht(2) and LBM/ht(2) , but not SMI%. Skeletal muscle mass (SMI%) was less significantly related to slow walking speed than ASM/ht(2) in men. In women, all three muscle indexes showed no significant association between slow walking speed. In contrast, low handgrip strength was strongly associated with decreased skeletal muscle mass (measured by ASM/ht(2) and LBM/ht(2) , but not SMI%) in both men and women., Conclusions: Skeletal muscle mass was significantly associated with handgrip strength along with aging, but the association of skeletal muscle mass and walking speed was less significant. In sarcopenia diagnosis among Asian populations, ASM/ht(2) should be the most suitable index for skeletal muscle mass measurements, and physical performance should be measured universally beyond measurements of skeletal muscle mass., (© 2013 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Objective: To evaluate the risk and protective factors for functional decline of veteran home residents in Taiwan to develop disability prevention programs in long term care settings., Design: A prospective cohort study., Setting: Two veteran homes in Taiwan., Participants: A total of 1045 residents of veteran homes., Intervention: None., Measurements: Minimum data set (MDS), resident assessment protocols (RAP), MDS-COGS, Resource Utilization Group-III Activities of Daily Living scale, MDS Social engagement scale, MDS Pain scale., Results: A total of 1045 (83.0 ± 5.1 years, all men) residents completed the study, and 11.3% of them developed significant functional decline during the study period. Participants with long-term institutionalization history (odds ratio [OR] 2.966, confidence interval [CI] 1.270-6.927), underlying cerebrovascular disease (OR 4.432, CI 1.994-9.852) and dementia (OR 2.150, CI 1.029-4.504), and higher sum of RAP triggers (OR 1.366, CI 1.230-1.517) were more likely to develop functional decline, whereas those who had better social engagement were significantly protective from functional decline (OR 0.528, CI 0.399-0.697)., Conclusions: Cerebrovascular disease, dementia, higher sum of RAP triggers, and long-term institutionalization were independent risk factors for functional decline, whereas better social engagement had a protective effect on functional dependence. Further study is needed to develop an integrated disability prevention program based on the discoveries of this study., (Copyright © 2013 American Medical Directors Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of prehypertension among middle-aged and elderly people in Taiwan and to explore the evolutionary changes of blood pressure in 5-year follow-up period., Methods: In 2000, people aged over 40 participating in annual health examinations at local health stations in I-Lan County were invited to join the study. Past medical histories were reviewed, physical examinations and serial laboratory tests were performed for participants. All participants were followed in 2005 by a medical record review, telephone survey or personal visit. Subjects with prehypertension were sorted for further analysis., Results: Overall, 1053 people (mean age=64.4+/-11.4 years, 44.4% males) were enrolled in the primary cohort. The prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension was 40.4% and 35.8%, respectively. In 2005, 677 subjects (mean age: 68.8+/-10.4 years, 42.5% males) were successfully followed, which revealed a significant increase of systolic blood pressure (3.7+/-16.8 mmHg, p<0.001), but not diastolic blood pressure (0.3+/-11.5 mmHg, p=0.758) in prehypertensive subjects; however, both systolic blood pressure (14.3+/-17.4 mmHg, p<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (7.7+/-13.3 mmHg, p<0.001) were significantly increased among normotensive subjects. The cumulative incidence of prehypertensive subjects becoming hypertensive was 31.3%, and those who became hypertensive were significantly older (65.3+/-8.6 vs. 62.2+/-12.3 years, p=0.024), having higher pulse pressure in 2000 (49.6+/-10.6 vs. 45.1+/-11.6 mmHg, p=0.001), serum total cholesterol (214.3+/-31.7 vs. 204.0+/-37.2 mg/dL, p=0.020) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (141.7+/-29.2 vs. 132.7+/-34.7 mg/dL, p=0.042)., Conclusions: The prevalence of prehypertension among older Taiwanese was 35.8% and the 5-year cumulative incidence of hypertension from prehypertension was 31.3%. Older prehypertensive subjects with higher pulse pressure, higher serum total cholesterol and higher low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were more likely to become hypertensive within 5 years.