www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2013009/article/11864-eng.htm

Abstract:

This paper asks how the demographic and epidemiologic transitions of the past century and a half have influenced patterns of survival and health in aging populations. We hypothesize that survival improvements at younger ages may yield an older population with a more heterogeneous health profile relative to previous cohorts with higher early-life mortality. To test this hypothesis, we develop a theoretical and statistical rationale for a frailty model designed to examine changes in the composition of successive aging cohorts. The model incorporates a cohort-specific frailty indicator into an equation describing the mortality hazard trajectory across the full lifespan, and its parameters are estimated using life table data for cohorts born 1885-1919. The findings indicate that more recent cohorts are more homogeneous with respect to the timing of mortality than earlier ones – but also less selected, as death culls fewer individuals in early life. We argue that due to ongoing survival improvements, delayed mortality selection has shifted disparities into later life, where they manifest in increasing mortality variability and growing heterogeneity in health.

www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/cdewp/2013-10.pdf

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0066452

B. “Longitudinal Assessment of Amyloid Pathology in Transgenic ArcA{beta} Mice Using Multi-Parametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging,” by Jan Klohs, Igna Wojtyna Politano, Andreas Deistung, Joanes Grandjean, Anna Drewek, Marco Dominietto, Ruth Keist, Ferdinand Schweser, Jurgen R. Reichenbach, Roger M. Nitsch, Irene Knuesel, and Markus Rudin (PLoS ONE 8(6): e66097. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066097, XML, HTML, and .pdf format, 12p.).

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0066097

C. “Outcomes of a Geriatric Liaison Intervention to Prevent the Development of Postoperative Delirium in Frail Elderly Cancer Patients: Report on a Multicentre, Randomized, Controlled Trial,” by Liesbeth Hempenius, Joris P. J. Slaets, Dieneke van Asselt, Geertruida H. de Bock, Theo Wiggers, and Barbara L. van Leeuwen (PLoS ONE 8(6): e64834. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064834, XML, HTML, and .pdf format, 11p.).

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0064834

Abstract:

Recent studies on the demand for long-term care emphasised the role of frailty as a specific precursor of disability besides chronic diseases. Frailty is defined as vulnerable health status resulting from the reduction of individuals’ reserve capacity. This medical concept is brought here in an economic framework in order to investigate the role social policies may play in preventing disability or maintaining life quality of people in a disablement process.

Using four waves of panel data from the Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a frailty index is created as a count measure for five physiologic criteria (Fried model) for respondents aged 50+ in 10 European countries, between 2004 and 2011.

The longitudinal dimension is explored in two ways. First, differences in frailty dynamics over a seven-year-time period are analysed through variables that are relevant for social policy (income maintenance, housing adaptation, and prevention of social isolation) in a panel model for count data with fixed effects. Second, the individual fixed effects are decomposed by means of a random effects model with Mundlak specification. SHARE additional retrospective data on life history (SHARELIFE) are then used to investigate differences in frailty levels.

The results reveal the presence of various sources of social inequalities over the life-course. Social Protection Systems thus appear to play a major role in accompanying, preventing or reducing the frailty process. Several policy implications are suggested.

www.irdes.fr/EspaceAnglais/Publications/WorkingPapers/DT52SocioEconomicDeterminantsFrailty.pdf

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056250

B. “The Effects of Aging on Conflict Detection,” by Giuliana Lucci, Marika Berchicci, Donatella Spinelli, Francesco Taddei, and Francesco Di Russo (PLoS ONE 8(2): e56566. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056566, XML, HTML, and .pdf format, 14p.).

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056566

C. “Motor Matters: Tackling Heterogeneity of Parkinson’s Disease in Functional MRI Studies,” by Stefan Holiga, Karsten Mueller, Harald E. Moller, Tomas Sieger, Matthias L. Schroeter, Josef Vymazal, Evzen Ruzicka, and Robert Jech (PLoS ONE 8(2): e56133. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056133, XML, HTML, and .pdf format, 7p.).

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056133

D. “Accelerated Cell Aging in Female APOE-{epsilon}4 Carriers: Implications for Hormone Therapy Use,” by Emily G. Jacobs, Candyce Kroenke, Jue Lin, Elissa S. Epel, Heather A. Kenna, Elizabeth H. Blackburn, and Natalie L. Rasgon (PLoS ONE 8(2): e54713. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054713, XML, HTML, and .pdf format, 7p.).

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0054713

E. “Increased Tau Phosphorylation and Tau Truncation, and Decreased Synaptophysin Levels in Mutant BRI2/Tau Transgenic Mice,” by Holly J. Garringer, Jill Murrell, Neeraja Sammeta, Anita Gnezda, Bernardino Ghetti, and Ruben Vidal ( PLoS ONE 8(2): e56426. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056426, XML, HTML, and .pdf format, 11p.).

www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0056426

Abstract:

Recent studies on the demand for long-term care emphasised the role of frailty as a specific precursor of disability besides chronic diseases. Frailty is defined as vulnerable health status resulting from the reduction of individuals’ reserve capacity. This medical concept is brought here in an economic framework in order to investigate the role social policies may play in preventing disability or maintaining life quality of people in a disablement process.

Using four waves of panel data from the Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a frailty index is created as a count measure for five physiologic criteria (Fried model) for respondents aged 50+ in 10 European countries, between 2004 and 2011.

The longitudinal dimension is explored in two ways. First, differences in frailty dynamics over a seven-year-time period are analysed through variables that are relevant for social policy (income maintenance, housing adaptation, and prevention of social isolation) in a panel model for count data with fixed effects. Second, the individual fixed effects are decomposed by means of a random effects model with Mundlak specification. SHARE additional retrospective data on life history (SHARELIFE) are then used to investigate differences in frailty levels.

The results reveal the presence of various sources of social inequalities over the life-course. Social Protection Systems thus appear to play a major role in accompanying, preventing or reducing the frailty process. Several policy implications are suggested.

www.irdes.fr/EspaceAnglais/Publications/WorkingPapers/DT52SocioEconomicDeterminantsFrailty.pdf