Current Aging Science - Volume 18, Issue 3, 2025

Weakness and fatigue in the elderly present major health challenges, highlighting the need for prompt diagnosis and accurate identification of their causes in emergency departments. This study aimed to investigate the final diagnoses of elderly patients presenting with symptoms of weakness and fatigue in the emergency department.

This cross-sectional study surveyed 200 elderly individuals (aged ≥60) with complaints of weakness and fatigue at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Jiroft, Kerman, Iran, in 2023. The collected data were extracted from patients' medical records using a checklist, and data analysis was performed using SPSS 22 software, employing both descriptive and inferential statistical methods at a significance level of p < 0.05.

The mean age of the patients was 78.2 years, with 56% of the patients being female. During hospitalization, 7.5% of the patients died, with 53.33% of these being men. Underlying heart diseases were present in 13.5% of the patients, with 55.6% of those being women. High blood pressure was prevalent in 81% of the patients.

Infectious diseases were the most common final diagnosis, accounting for 27% of cases, followed by cardiovascular diseases at 18.5%. Among patients with infectious diseases, 85.5% had high blood pressure.

The results indicate that weakness and fatigue in elderly patients may signal serious underlying conditions. Additionally, the strong link between high blood pressure and infectious diseases underscores the importance of closely monitoring the overall health of these patients.

Recently, there has been a significant evolution in our understanding of the molecular pathways causing the genesis and progression of cancer via the inter-individual variations. Thus, one-size-fits-all methods for cancer treatment have been replaced by precision oncology (PO) targeting individual cancer symptoms, offering increased effectiveness, and decreased safety concerns and cost load.

The identification of novel actionable indications, rapid, precise, and comprehensive detection of complex phenotypes in every individual, pioneering clinical trial projects with enhanced response feedback, and widespread availability of innovative targeted anticancer management for every patient are vital for the effective implementation of next-generation precision oncology. Additionally, the emergence of precision medicine has altered the perspective of oncologic biomarkers, drug discovery, drug development, and, improvements for cancer patients.

This paper narratively reviewed to identify actionable abnormalities, Genomic profiling of tumors employing clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) from both tumor tissues and liquid biopsies along with the multi-omics strategies as the key component of PO.

Our increasing information on tumor biology, specifically microenvironment and heterogeneity-associated data, would improve our understanding of the resistance of targeted drugs and specific mechanisms of action, as well as help enhance existing metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treatment strategies.

Collectively, this paper indicated the current and innovative strategies for prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of various cancer types based on PO overview with a groundbreaking emphasis on CRC suggesting the integrations of multi-omics, highlighting Genomics, and utilizing AL and ML algorithms with targeted therapies. Notably, these findings can help improve the life-span and ageing of the predisposed people.

Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder that can be characterized by seizures and can be caused by abnormal electrical impulses in the brain. Various genetic, environmental, age-related, and lifestyle factors are associated with its pathogenesis, which causes neuronal cells to degenerate over time.

Epilepsy often results from an imbalance between excitatory neurotransmitters, such as glutamate, and inhibitory neurotransmitters, such as GABA. Abnormalities in glutamate receptors like N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) can lead to excessive neuronal excitation, while dysfunctions in GABA receptors can result in insufficient inhibition, both of which can provoke seizures. Additionally, a variety of receptors and pathways like NF-κB, DAPK, Trκb, COX-2, etc. are associated with the expression of epilepsy. This disorder often faces various limitations in treatment with current anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), such as drug resistance, adverse effects, and high costs. In context, flavonoids exhibit significant neuroprotective properties in epilepsy through various mechanisms such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects, neurotransmitter systems, and receptor modulation.

Flavonoids communicate with different signaling pathways and adjust their activities, prompting valuable neuroprotective impacts. Essential flavonoids such as quercetin, rutin, apigenin, luteolin, genistein, fisetin, chrysin, vitexin, naringin, baicalin, catechin, morin, hesperetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, silibinin, wogonin, etc. have shown promising results in channel regulation, reduced oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, and neuronal excitability in experimental models of epilepsy. Given their inherent neuroprotective properties and ability to modulate multiple pathways involved in epilepsy, flavonoids hold considerable promise as multitargeted, accessible, and low-cost alternatives to conventional AEDs. Although there are challenges with target specificity and bioavailability, innovative approaches such as nanotechnology and chemical modifications are being developed to enhance these aspects.

Focusing on the mechanisms of action and neuroprotective benefits the paper highlights the promising role of flavonoids and flavonoid-based nanotherapeutics as a beneficial addition to epilepsy treatment strategies.

Stair navigation is physically demanding for individuals with knee osteoarthritis and may result in movement asymmetries that can be quantified using kinetic analysis and force-time parameters. Thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine if kinetic force-time parameter asymmetries are present in individuals with knee osteoarthritis and associated with functional outcomes.

Forty-six older male veterans (61.6 ± 5.6 years) participated. More and less involved legs were defined using the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) scale and self-reported pain. Kinetics were measured with the Neurocom^® Step Up and Over test and quantified with the lift-up index, impact index, movement time, and stair-stepping smoothness. Smoothness was calculated from the level of intermittency in acceleration and deceleration during the concentric and eccentric test movements.

Smoothness was the only force-time parameter to demonstrate an asymmetry. Greater smoothness values were observed for the less-involved leg (p<0.001, 95% CI: 1.22 to 3.64, d=1.17) and were positively associated with gait speed (more-involved: r=0.47, p<0.01; less-involved: r=0.53, p<0.01), Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Symptom (more-involved: r=0.31, p<0.05; less-involved: r=0.39, p<0.01) and activities of daily living (more-involved: r=0.32, p<0.05; less-involved: r=0.39, p<0.05) subscales, and isokinetic knee extension strength (more-involved: r=0.31, p<0.05; less-involved: r=0.42, p<0.01).

Stair-stepping smoothness was diminished in the more involved leg and was associated with worse gait speed, patient-reported outcomes, and knee strength. This observation may reflect compromised motor control associated with decreased strength and greater disease severity in the more-involved leg.

Telomere length has been investigated as a biomarker of biological aging and is associated with several diseases, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors.

This study aimed to verify whether food insecurity is associated with shorter telomere length in older people.

This is a cross-sectional study carried out in a municipality in the interior of Brazil, with a sample of 440 older people from the community. For telomere length analysis, a blood sample was obtained from each participant, followed by real-time qPCR, and sociodemographic and health information was collected through interviews. Food security/insecurity was measured using the reduced version of the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression were performed to analyze the factors associated with shorter telomere length, adopting a significance level of 5%.

We found that food insecurity was significantly associated with shorter telomere length, regardless of age group, skin color, tabagism, physical activity, milk and dairy consumption, living arrangement, and basic activities of daily life.

The findings show the importance of ensuring full access to adequate nutrition for the older population, who are physiologically and socially vulnerable.