Association between medical resources and the proportion of oldest-old in the Chinese population

The potential association between medical resources and the proportion of oldest-old(90 years of age and above)in the Chinese population was examined,and we found that the higher proportion of oldest-old was associated with the higher number of beds in hospitals and health centers.

The effects of application of an ancient type of acupuncture needle on increase in urination of hospitalized oldest-old people

The di-zhen (DZ) is an ancient type of acupuncture needle with a history dating back to more than 2000 years. Unlike modern acupuncture needles, the DZ is not inserted subcutaneously and is considered to be safe for common use, even at the bedside of terminally ill patients. In this case study, DZ application was selected and applied 14 times on a 92-year-old patient who had suffered severe oliguria along with administration of diuretics. Urine volume increased 12 out of 14 times following DZ treatment;however, the other two times it was ineffective. To investigate the reason and the differences in effective/ineffective DZ application, two internal conditions (effective vs ineffective) were compared by analyzing daily nursing reports (vital signs such as blood pressure, urine volume and body temperature) and weekly clinical data (including renal, liver and immune function, urea nitrogen, creatinine, ALT, AST, the ratio and number of leukocytes, erythrocytes). DZ application increased urine volume via a transient modification of the autonomic nervous system when internal homeostasis was maintained. Aging populations, who often have several diseases and medications, are rapidly increasing in developed countries. Therefore, the study and application of DZ may contribute to a reduction in medical costs, which have been rapidly and heavily expanding recently.

Association between thyroid hormone levels and frailty in the community-dwelling oldest-old: a cross-sectional study

Background:Changes in thyroid hormone levels are commonly recognized characters among the elderly,which were reported to potentially influence incident frailty.Therefore,we examined the cross-sectional associations of thyroid hormones(THs)with frailty as well as the five components characterizing frailty(fatigue,resistance,ambulation,number ofillnesses,and loss of weight)among the oldest-old.Methods:Four hundred and eighty-seven community-dwelling oldest-old from a local community in Haidian District,Beijing,participated in our recruitment campaign between April 2019 and May 2020.The primary outcomes were a definitive diagnosis of frailty according to the FRAIL scale(Fatigue,Resistance,Ambulation,Illnesses,Loss of weight)and a positive score for each frailty subdomain.Demographic information(age,sex,marital status,and educational status),comorbidities,and details on the participants lifestyles were recorded.Serum THs including free triodothyronin(fT3),triiodothyronine(T3),free thyroxine(fT4),and thyroxine(T4)and thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)levels were also measured at the beginning of our study.Logistic regressions were conducted to screen for potential risk factors for frailty and its subdomains.Results:Among the total 487 subjects at enrollment,60(12.23%)of them were diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism and 110(22.59%)of the total population scored positive for frailty.Logistic regression analyses adjusted for all potential confounders,showed that frailty was significantly associated with the serum TSH concentration(odds ratio[OR]:1.06),fT3 concentration(OR:0.54),and subclinical hypothyroidism score(OR:2.18).The association between fT4 and frailty was absent in our observational study.The fT3/fT4 ratio characterizing peripheral hormone conversion was also tested to be correlated with frailty.Conclusion:Subclinical hypothyroidism,higher TSH level,lower fT3 level,and decreased fT3/fT4 ratio were all associated with frailty assessed by the FRAIL scale among the community-dwelling oldest-old,suggesting a relevant role of thyroid function in aging.Future longitudinal studies are warranted to determine the casual relationship between thyroid dysfunction and frailty in the oldest-old.