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The risk of herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) increases rapidly after the age of 50 years old. The incidence of herpes zoster and PHN appears to be correctly measured albeit irregularly and the immediate and long-term complications are so poorly measured that the perception of a benign disease remains entrenched among professionals and in the general population. Because acute-phase treatments are only marginally effective in reducing the severity and duration of complications, zoster vaccines have been developed over the last twenty years. The first available vaccine was a live attenuated vaccine recommended in France in 2013 in very specific age groups, and in the absence of an implementation campaign, vaccine coverage has remained less than 1%. A second vaccine that can reduce the incidence of shingles by 90%, even in the oldest age groups and that can also be used in immunosuppressed members of the population, has been recommended since March 2024 by the French Haute Autorité de santé (HAS). However, it requires two injections, two and six months apart, and side effects are frequent, although mostly local. The implementation strategy for this new vaccine will need to be complemented by awareness campaigns among both health care professionals and users if we want to reduce the incidence of shingles as we should hope.

Background: Postoperative pain delays ambulation, extends hospital stay, reduces the probability of recovery, and increases risk of long-term functional impairment. Pain management in hip fractured patients poses a challenge to the healthcare teams. Older adults are more vulnerable to opioid-associated side effect and it is primordial to minimize their exposure to opioids. Acetaminophen is associated with reduced opioid use so we need to focus on acetaminophen use in first-line analgesia., Methods: We conducted a controlled before/after study to assess the ability of an audit and feedback (A&F) intervention built with nurses to improve the quality of perioperative pain management in older patients hospitalized for hip fracture in an orthogeriatric unit (experimental group) versus a conventional orthopedic unit (no A&F intervention). The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients who received 3 g/day of acetaminophen during the three postoperative days, before and after the A&F intervention. Secondary endpoints included nurses' adherence to medical prescriptions, clinical data associated with patients and finally factors associated with intervention. The significative level was set at 0.05 for statistical analysis., Results: We studied data from 397 patients (mean age 89 years, 75% female). During the postoperative period, 16% of patients from the experimental group received 3 g/day of acetaminophen before the A&F intervention; the percentage reached 60% after the intervention. The likelihood of receiving 3 g/day of acetaminophen during the postoperative period and adhering to the medical prescription of acetaminophen were significantly increased in the experimental group as compared with the control group. The patient's functional status at discharge (assessed by Activities of Daily Living scores) was significantly better and the length of hospital stay significantly reduced after the A&F intervention., Conclusion: Our controlled before/after study showed that an A&F intervention significantly improved perioperative pain management in older adults hospitalized for hip fracture. Involving teams in continuous education programs appears crucial to improve the quality of pain management and ensure nurses' adherence to medical prescriptions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Longer life expectancy is accompanied by a higher incidence of fragility fractures of the pelvis (FFP), which has repercussions on mortality and nursing home admissions. Given the paucity of data at French healthcare facilities, we carried out a retrospective study to (1) evaluate how surgical treatment of FFP with posterior displacement (type III and IV according to Rommens and Hofmann) affects a patient's pain, functional status and ability to stay at home and (2) evaluate the postoperative complications and mortality rate., Hypothesis: Surgery for posteriorly displaced FFP will relieve pain and preserve the patient's independence., Methods: All the patients over 65 years of age who were operated on for a posterior FFP between January 2015 and August 2020 were included in this prospective, single-center study. The demographics, fracture type, details of the surgical treatment, complications and mortality were analyzed. Pain (visual analog scale, VAS), functional status (Activity of Daily Living [ADL] and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living [IADL]), mobility (Parker score) and rates of nursing home admissions were compared before the fracture, after surgery and at a mean follow-up of 28 months (minimum follow-up of 1 year)., Results: Forty-eight patients with a mean age of 75 years were included. Twenty-four of these patients (50%) had at least two comorbidities. The FFPs were either type IV (31/48; 65%) or type III (17/48; 35%). The mean VAS for pain was significantly lower on the first day postoperative (3.5 versus 4.8; p=0.02). This significant reduction continued upon discharge from the hospital (1.95; p=0.003) and persisted at the mean follow-up of 28 months (2.2; p=0.64). The complication rate was 15% (7/48) and the mortality rate at the final review was 15% (7/48). Among the surviving patients, 81% (29/36) returned to living at home. The ADL (5.1 versus 5.8; p=0.09), IADL (5.9 versus 6.9; p=0.15) and Parker score (6.8 versus 8.2; p=0.08) at the final review were not significantly different from the values before the fracture., Conclusion: This is the first French study of patients operated on for an FPP. Fixation of posteriorly displaced fractures allows surviving patients to retain their mobility. Pain relief is achieved quickly and maintained during the follow-up period. Thus, our initial hypothesis is affirmed. The complication rate is not insignificant; given the complexity of this surgery, percutaneous treatment is preferable., Level of Evidence: IV; retrospective study., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Objective: To evaluate PCT measurement in the diagnosis of bloodstream infection (BSI) in hospitalized patients aged 75+., Method: Descriptive, retrospective, monocentric study conducted in France, in patients with at least one blood culture and PCT and CRP measurements within the 24 hours before or after blood culture., Results: The mean PCT and CRP values for the 118 (15.2%) positive blood cultures were 18.90 ng/ml [95%CI: 0.007-334.7] and 153.93 mg/l [1-557], respectively. With a threshold of 0.3 ng/ml, PCT measurement had a sensitivity of 84%, a specificity of 53%, a PPV of 24%, and an NPV of 95%, making it possible to rule out BSI in 350 (45.1%) patients (α-risk=5%)., Conclusion: PCT measurement may eliminate BSI diagnosis more quickly than does blood culture reducing the inadequate and detrimental use of antibiotic therapy. A prospective study is required to validate its usefulness and confirm the cut-off value in geriatric populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests GG has received consulting fees from Thermo Fischer Scientific. Other co-authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Treating pneumonia in old patients remains challenging for clinicians. Moreover, bacterial antimicrobial resistance is a major public health threat., Objective: The PROPAGE study evaluated the interest of a strategy using serial measurements of procalcitonin (PCT) to reduce the duration of antibiotic therapy in old patients with pneumonia., Methods: PROPAGE took place from Dec.-2013 to Jun.-2016 in eight French geriatric units. It was a prospective, comparative, randomised, open-label study involving old patients (≥ 80 years) who had initiated antibiotic treatment for pneumonia in the previous 48 h. PCT was monitored in all patients and two decision-making PCT-based algorithms guided antibiotic therapy in patients from the PCT group., Results: 107 patients were randomised (PCT, n = 50; Control, n = 57). Antibiotic therapy exposure was reduced in the PCT group as compared to the Control group (median duration of antibiotic therapy, 8 vs. 10 days [rank-test, p = 0.001]; antibiotic persistence rates on Days 6 and 8, 54% and 44% vs. 91% and 72%) and no significant difference was found in recovery rate (84% vs. 89.5%; Pearson Chi² test, p = 0.402)., Conclusion: Although, the superiority of the strategy was not tested using a composite criterion combining antibiotic therapy duration and recovery rate was not tested due to the small sample size, the present study showed that monitoring associated with PCT-guided algorithm could help shorten antibiotic treatment duration in the very old patients without detrimental effects. Measuring PCT levels between Day 4 and Day 6 could be helpful when making the decision regarding antibiotic discontinuation., Trial Registration: NCT02173613. This study was first registered on 25/06/2014., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: We aimed to assess the tolerance of fentanyl pectin nasal spray (FPNS) when used to treat procedural pain caused by wound dressing or physiotherapy in patients older than 75 years with or without opioid background treatment., Design: This is a prospective monocentric, noncontrolled, nonrandomized study conducted from December 2014 to October 2017 in 2 geriatric wards (rehabilitation and acute medicine)., Setting and Participants: Fifty-seven patients were included and 314 procedures were monitored., Methods: For each patient, 6 procedures were monitored: the first 2 without specific treatment, then fentanyl was started at 100 μg with a titration over a few procedures up to 800 μg in non-opioid-naïve patients and 400 μg in opioid-naïve. Sedation and respiratory scale were monitored during the procedures. All adverse drug events occurring from inclusion to 5 days after the intervention were collected and their imputability was assessed separately by 2 pharmacovigilance experts., Results: Overall, 14.4% of the sessions with FPNS administration resulted in adverse drug events. Main adverse drug events were nausea and vomiting, somnolence, and confusion. Most of them were of mild to moderate severity. Four severe adverse events were due to accidental overdoses. No unexpected adverse event occurred. Tolerance was similar for opioid-naïve and non-opioid-naïve patients (P value = .93)., Conclusion and Implications: FPNS was overall well tolerated in geriatric patients. Given its interesting pharmacokinetics, fentanyl is a promising lead for procedural pain treatment in geriatric patients, even those who are opioid naïve., (Copyright © 2022 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multidimensional health problem and a common chronic disease. It has a substantial impact on patient quality of life and is a common cause of pain and mobility issues in older adults. The functional limitations, lack of curative treatments, and cost to society all demonstrate the need for translational and clinical research. The use of OA models in mice is important for achieving a better understanding of the disease. Models with clinical relevance are needed to achieve 2 main goals: to assess the impact of the OA disease (pain and function) and to study the efficacy of potential treatments. However, few OA models include practical strategies for functional assessment of the mice. OA signs in mice incorporate complex interrelations between pain and dysfunction. The current review provides a comprehensive compilation of mouse models of OA and animal evaluations that include static and dynamic clinical assessment of the mice, merging evaluation of pain and function by using automatic and noninvasive techniques. These new techniques allow simultaneous recording of spontaneous activity from thousands of home cages and also monitor environment conditions. Technologies such as videography and computational approaches can also be used to improve pain assessment in rodents but these new tools must first be validated experimentally. An example of a new tool is the digital ventilated cage, which is an automated home-cage monitor that records spontaneous activity in the cages.

Objective: Zoledronic acid (ZA) is an antiosteoporotic drug that has been proven to reduce mortality after a hip fracture (HF). ZA is however underused with older HF patients. One possible cause may be the high prevalence of severe renal failure and hypocalcemia which contraindicate ZA administration. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of these 2 contraindications in patients aged 75 years or older admitted into an orthogeriatric (OG) unit after a low-energy HF. The secondary objective was to assess the prevalence of situations in which ZA must be used with caution., Methods: Our retrospective descriptive monocentric study was performed in an OG unit on a cohort of elderly patients hospitalized for HF from August 2015 to August 2017. Prevalence of hypocalcemia lower than 2 mmol/L and Cockcroft creatinine clearance lower than 35 mL/min was recorded., Results: Among the 194 patients admitted for HF, 136 patients (mean age 86 ± 5.6 years; 101 women) were included. The mean length of hospital stay was 15 ± 9 days. 111 (81.5%) had no contraindications to ZA administration. More than 80% presented situations in which ZA had to be used with caution, including 25(OH)D deficiency (20%)., Conclusion: The majority of subjects aged 75 years or older admitted to hospital after an HF seem to have no contraindication for ZA administration during their immediate postoperative hospital stay. The hospitalization period after HF repair gives the opportunity to give most of them this treatment to improve their prognosis, taking into account situations in which ZA must be used with caution., (© 2022 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Gait analysis has evolved significantly during last years due to the great development of the Medical Internet of Things (MIoT) platforms that allow an easy integration of sensors (inertial, magnetic and pressure in our case) to the complex analytics required to compute, not only relevant parameters, but also meaningful indexes. In this paper, we extend a previous development based on a fully wireless pair of insoles by implementing an updated version with more reliable and user-friendly devices, smartphone app and web front-end and back-end. We also extend previous work focused on fall analysis (with the corresponding fall risk index or FRI) with the proposal of a new surgery recovery index (SRI) to account for the individual speed recovery speed that can be measured either at clinical facilities or at home in a telemedicine environment or while doing daily life activities. This new index can be personalized for different types of surgeries that affect gait such as hip, knee, etc. This paper presents the case of hip recovery and is built on top of the clinical standard SPPB test and allows obtaining quantitative parameters directly from the sensors.

Background: Patients with cognitive deficits are 3 times more likely to suffer a hip fracture than geriatric patients of the same age group without cognitive deficits. The persistence of perioperative pain following hip fracture is a risk factor for the occurrence of delirium, poor functional prognosis, and the development of secondary chronic pain. Patients with cognitive deficits receive 20 to 60% less analgesics than those without cognitive deficits. Our retrospective descriptive monocentric study was performed in an orthogeriatric unit on a cohort of elderly patients hospitalized for hip fracture. The aim of the study was to compare the quantity of strong opioids delivered in a morphine sulfate equivalent daily during the preoperative period after a hip fracture between cognitively intact patients and those with cognitive deficits., Results: Our total population of 69 patients had a median age of 90 years old, and 46% of these patients had moderate or severe cognitive deficits. During the preoperative period, the same quantity of strong opioids was administered to both groups of patients (13.1 mg/d versus 10.8 mg/d (p = 0.38)). Patients with moderate to severe cognitive deficits more often experienced delirium during their hospitalization (p < 0.01) and received more psychotropic drugs in the first 3 postoperative days (p = 0.025)., Conclusions: We reported that with standardized pain management in an orthogeriatric unit, patients aged 75 years and older received the same daily average quantity of strong opioids during the preoperative period regardless of the presence of cognitive deficits., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Older patients have a less pronounced immune response to infection, which may also influence infection biomarkers. There is currently insufficient data regarding clinical effects of procalcitonin (PCT) to guide antibiotic treatment in older patients., Objective and Design: We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis to investigate the association of age on effects of PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship regarding antibiotic use and outcome., Subjects and Methods: We had access to 9,421 individual infection patients from 28 randomized controlled trials comparing PCT-guided antibiotic therapy (intervention group) or standard care. We stratified patients according to age in four groups (<75 years [n = 7,079], 75-80 years [n = 1,034], 81-85 years [n = 803] and >85 years [n = 505]). The primary endpoint was the duration of antibiotic treatment and the secondary endpoints were 30-day mortality and length of stay., Results: Compared to control patients, mean duration of antibiotic therapy in PCT-guided patients was significantly reduced by 24, 22, 26 and 24% in the four age groups corresponding to adjusted differences in antibiotic days of -1.99 (95% confidence interval [CI] -2.36 to -1.62), -1.98 (95% CI -2.94 to -1.02), -2.20 (95% CI -3.15 to -1.25) and - 2.10 (95% CI -3.29 to -0.91) with no differences among age groups. There was no increase in the risk for mortality in any of the age groups. Effects were similar in subgroups by infection type, blood culture result and clinical setting (P interaction >0.05)., Conclusions: This large individual patient data meta-analysis confirms that, similar to younger patients, PCT-guided antibiotic treatment in older patients is associated with significantly reduced antibiotic exposures and no increase in mortality., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Over the past 30 years, the clock drawing test (CDT) has generated considerable interest due to its usefulness in the early detection of cognitive impairments, particularly those seen in neurodegenerative dementias (including Alzheimer's disease), vascular dementia, and mixed dementia. The present study aimed to determine whether the results of the "30-Point Clock Face Test" (CFT-30), a standardized version of the CDT that uses a 30-point scale, correlate with those of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)., Methods: This is a retrospective, observational study. All patients hospitalized in a Hospital-University Clinic Geriatrics Unit (Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France), from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018, were included. Patient data and scores were retrieved from hospital archives, and the results of the two tests of interest, MMSE and the CFT-30, were analyzed., Results: We included 214 patients aged ≥75 years. The mean ± SD age was 86.4 ± 5.6 years, and 68.7% were female. A strongly positive, significant correlation was seen between the CFT-30 and MMSE ( r = 0.73, P < 0.001) scores. The total scores obtained by these two tests were identical ( t = 1.22, P = 0.22)., Conclusion: CFT-30 is a good complement to the tools usually used in the investigation of cognitive impairments in older people. In addition to its metrological qualities, the standardized and normalized CFT-30 is extremely simple and very fast to use., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2021 Indian Psychiatric Society - South Zonal Branch.)

Objective: X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging (PCI) is an emerging modality that will be in the next few years available in a wider range of preclinical set-ups. In this study, we compare this imaging technique with conventional preclinical modalities in an osteoarthritis mouse model., Method: Phase contrast technique was performed on 6 post-mortem, monoiodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis knees and 6 control knees. The mice knees were then imaged using magnetic resonance imaging and conventional micro computed tomography. Examples of imaging surrogate markers are reported: local distances within the articular space, cartilage surface roughness, calcified cartilage thickness, number, volume and locations of osteophytes., Results: Thanks to PCI, we can show in 3D calcified cartilage without contrast agent by a non-invasive technique. The phase contrast images reveal more details than conventional imaging techniques, especially at smaller scales, with for instance a higher number of micro-calcifications detected (57, 314 and 329 for MRI, conventional micro-CT and phase contrast imaging respectively). Calcified cartilage thickness was measured with a significant difference (p ​< ​0.01) between the control (23.4 ​± ​17.2 ​μm) and the osteoarthritis induced animal (46.9 ​± ​19.0 ​μm)., Conclusions: X-ray phase contrast imaging outperforms the conventional imaging modalities for assessing the different tissue types (soft and hard). This new imaging modality seems to bring new relevant surrogate markers for following-up small animal models even for low-grade osteoarthritis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interests., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Acetabular fracture treatments in elderly patients are not well codified., Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine if, for active elderly patients, the clinical results after surgical treatment of displaced acetabular fractures are better than for non-operative treatment., Methods: All active patients over 60 years with a Parker score higher than 6, managed for displaced acetabular fracture between 2005 and 2014, were included in this single-center retrospective study. Clinical outcomes were compared according to the therapeutic option (operative or non-operative) and the fracture pattern (anterior fracture that requires open reduction and internal fixation or posterior fracture that requires total hip arthroplasty)., Results: Among the 82 patients with Parker score higher than 6, 44 were treated non-operatively and 38 were operated. Forty-seven had anterior fracture (AF) and 35 had posterior fracture (PF). In the AF group, the autonomy scores were better for operative than non-operative patients (p < 0.05) with a PARKER score 7.8 (7-8) versus 5.4 (1-9); ADL score 5.7 (4-6) versus 4.4 (1-6) and IADL score 7.6 (6-8) versus 4.2 (0-8). In the PF group, the autonomy scores were better for operative than non-operative patients (p < 0.05) with a PARKER score 7.3 (4-9) versus 5.6 (2-9), ADL score 5.3 (2-6) versus 4.4 (1-6) and IADL score 5.6 (2-8) versus 4.1 (1-7). Regarding clinical outcomes, the HARRIS and PMA scores were better for operative patients (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Surgical treatment in elderly patients with displaced acetabular fractures is associated with better clinical outcomes than non-operative treatment when the autonomy level is comparable.

Hip fracture (HF) is a serious complication of the elderly who have suffered a fall. Studies focused on patients over 75 years old without excluding the most vulnerable are not frequent. Before we can think about the creation of an orthogeriatric unit, we evaluated the mortality rate one year after a HF only of patients over 75 years old and we identified associated factors with mortality, functional status and living., Methods: Prospective observational study of 75 years and older hospitalized for a HF in a conventional orthopaedic unit. Surgical and geriatric data collected was: instrumental activities of daily life ADL (IADL), comorbidity (cumulative illness rating scale-geriatric (CIRS-G)), mini nutritional assessment (MNA), severity, preoperative delay. A phone assessment one year after HF was about: vital and functional status, living place., Results: The mean age of 113 patients included was 87 years (76-100). The mortality rate was 35%. It was associated with low IADL day -15 (p< 0.01), elevated CIRS-G (p< 0.01), severity (p=0.05) and malnutrition (p=0.05). Preoperative delay average was 70.7 h (+/- 59) and 48.6% had surgery within 48 hours. Among survivors and from the data available, 45% had a functional decline one year after the HF and 11% were admitted in a nursing home., Conclusion: Without any exclusion of frailty patients, the one-year mortality rate of HF of people aged 75 years and older was 35%. HF is a public health challenge due to its high prevalence, poor prognosis with considerable expense. The associated factors help to explain why geriatricians are required and support the project of creating an orthogeriatric unit. Nevertheless, geriatric care will not likely change prognosis of the most vulnerable patients but could improve the level of care.

Competing Interests: G. Gavazzi déclare des liens ponctuels (groupes de travail, interventions et prises en charge lors de congrès) avec Sanofi Pasteur-MSD, Sanofi Pasteur, Pfizer, Vifor Pharma, Astellas, BMS, Thermofisher et Novartis ainsi qu’avec le Haut Conseil de la santé publique, la Haute Autorité de santé et Santé publique France. J. Gautier et S. Drevet déclarent n’avoir aucun lien d’intérêts.

The role of Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) in arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid incorporation and phospholipid remodelling in rat uterine stromal cells (UIII cells) was studied. Incorporation of AA and DHA into UIII cell phospholipids was Ca2+-independent. Bromoenollactone (BEL), a potent inhibitor of iPLA2, reduced lysophosphatidylcholine level and AA incorporation into phospholipids by approximately 20%. DHA incorporation was not affected by BEL, indicating that the pathways for AA and DHA incorporation are partially different. In control cells, the transfer of AA occurred mainly from diacyl-glycerophosphocholine (GroPCho) to alkenylacyl-glycerophosphoethanolamine (GroPEtn) and to a lesser extent from diacyl-GroPCho to diacyl-GroPEtn. [3H]DHA was redistributed from diacyl-GroPCho and alkylacyl-GroPEtn to alkenylacyl-GroPEtn. BEL treatment inhibited completely the redistributrion of AA within diacyl-GroPCho and diacyl -GroPEtn and reduced the [3H]DHA content of diacyl-GroPEtn, indicating that a BEL-sensitive iPLA2 controls the redistribution of polyunsaturated fatty acids to diacyl-GroPEtn. In contrast the redistribution of radioactive AA and DHA to alkenylacyl-GroPEtn was almost insensitive to BEL. The analysis of substrate specificity and BEL sensitivity of iPLA2 activity indicates that UIII cells exhibit at least two isoforms of iPLA2, one of which is BEL-sensitive and quite selective of diacyl species, and another one that is insensitive to BEL and selective for alkenylacyl-GroPEtn. Taken together, these results suggest that several iPLA2 participate independently in the remodelling of UIII cell phospholipids.