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November 2013

 

 

News

 

Exercise among Older Adults may Decrease Injuries Related to Falls

The authors of a recent review published in British Medical Journal sought to "determine whether, and to what extent, fall prevention exercise interventions for older community dwelling people are effective in preventing different types of fall-related injuries." The authors searched PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE for "fall prevention exercise interventions targeting older (>60 years) community-dwelling people and providing quantitative data on injury causing falls, serious falls, or fall related fractures." The authors found "17 trials involving 4305 participants were eligible for review." The study results indicate that "exercise programs designed to prevent falls in older adults also seem to prevent injuries caused by falls, including the most severe ones."

 

Full Story

 

The Use of Senior Centers to Address Pain among Older Adults

A recent study featured in Pain Management Nursing examined "the types of pain-relevant programs offered by senior centers and whether the programs varied by clients' race/ethnicity status and center size." The authors conducted a telephone survey in which respondents were "presented with a list of 15 programs and the option to choose "other" and asked (1) whether the program was offered and, if so, how often; (2) if they believed the programs had value for seniors with pain; and (3) whether the classes were advertised as a means of achieving pain relief." The authors found that the most common programs were exercise, dance, walking clubs, yoga, and Tai Chi classes. The study results indicate that "future research should determine optimal strategies for engaging older adults in these programs in the senior center setting."

 

Full Story

 

Pain Variability Among Older Adults

A recent study published in the Journal of Aging Health sought to determine whether "depression, cognition, functional status, health, and pain severity were predictors of day-to-day pain variability among older adults in long-term care settings." The study consisted of 77 older adults aged 68 years and older who were assessed for pain severity and variability over a 30-day period.  The study results indicate that global depression and pain severity are predictors of pain variability and that greater baseline depression and pain severity predicted higher pain variability. The authors found that "pain variability may give insight into older adults' experiences with both pain and depression, and may essentially improve quality of care and quality of life."

 


Hand Osteoarthritis among Community Dwelling Older Adults

The authors of a recent study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage examined the population prevalence, risk factor profiles, and clinical characteristics of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis (OA) among older adults. The study enrolled 1076 community-dwelling adults with hand osteoarthritis symptoms (mean age 64.7 years) who were assessed for hand pain and disability using the Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index (AUSCAN). The authors found that "the possible association with hypertension and metabolic syndrome suggest further studies may help disentangle the role of metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in the development and progression of hand OA."

 

Full Story
 

 Upcoming Events

The following list includes upcoming seminars, meetings, and conferences that  focus on aging, pain, or general research methods

November Work-in-Progress Seminar   

TRIPLL will host a Work in Progress (WIP) seminar on November 13, 2013. To participate, contact Marcus Warmington at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like to participate in future WIPs.  

  

Cornell University's Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL) is hosting a webinar series on pain management, pain care & pain disparities. For more info please click here. To register please email [email protected]. The schedule is as follows (all times are EST):

 

January 27 | 3-4PM: Improvements in Pain Management through Appreciation of Nocioceptive Pathways & Analgesic Mechanism of Action, Joseph Shega, MD; Director of HPM Research, University of Chicago Medical Center

February 24 | 3-4PM: Quality Pain Care for Older Adults: Progress & Future Directions, Keela Herr, PhD, RN; Co-Director, John A. Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence, University of Iowa College of Nursing

March 24 | 3-4PM: Management of Osteoarthritis in Older Adults: The Rheumatologist's Perspective, Una Makris, MD; Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center

April 28 | 3-4PM: The Problem & Consequences of Multisite Pain in Older Adults, Suzanne Leveille, PhD; PhD Program Director and Professor, Department of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Department of Nursing

May 26 | 3-4PM: Identifying the Continuum of Contextual Factors Contributing to Pain Disparities, Tamara Baker, PhD;

Associate Professor, School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida College of Behavioral & Community Sciences

June 23 | 2-3PM:Treating Chronic Refractory Pain in Older Adults: What are the issues? Cary Reid, MD, PhD; Director of TRIPLL, Irving Sherwood Wright Associate Professor and Director of the Office of Geriatric Research in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College

 

Movement & Meditation to Ease Chronic Pain When living with pain, it is easy to find yourself avoiding daily activities, opting to stay still and avoiding unnecessary movement. Unfortunately, not moving your muscles and joints often leads to more pain. Let's get moving! Join us for this gentle class that will utilize the movements of yoga and stretching in addition to breathing awareness and meditation to help ease stiffness, aches and pains. 
For more information: www.hss.edu/pped or (212) 606-1613.  

  

The Faculty Development Collaborative Program in Geriatrics

is a training program designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of health professions faculty in inter-professional teaching, leadership, project development and program implementation in geriatrics. This course will prepare health professions faculty from multiple disciplines to utilize contemporary evidence-based educational strategies, inter-professional team approaches, and innovative evaluation processes in teaching collaborative patient- centered care.

    

 

  

Funding Opportunities

 

Pain-Related Funding

 

 

Pain in Aging (R01)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-10-282 

"This FOA encourages Research Project Grant (R01) applications from institutions/organizations that propose to study pain from an aging perspective, including studies of older populations, studies of age differences and age-related changes in pain processes and experiences, and studies of pain treatment and management in older adults. This FOA particularly encourages studies on 1) mechanisms and predictors of pain experience in aging, 2) development and evaluation of pain assessment tools for older adults or older model organisms, and 3) development and evaluation of pain management strategies in older adults, with particular attention to the challenges associated with treating pain in patients with multiple morbidities. Studies may address a variety of approaches and outcomes including biological (i.e., genetic, molecular, neurobiological), clinical, behavioral, psychological, and social factors.  Both animal models (especially aged animals) and human subjects are appropriate for this FOA."    

 

To Register 

 

Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Grants in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R21)
Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAR-10-282
"This FOA, issued by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) of the National Institutes of Health, encourages exploratory/developmental clinical research related to the prevention or treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, conditions, and/or injuries. The Pilot and Feasibility Clinical Research Grants Program is designed to allow initiation of exploratory, short-term clinical studies, so that new ideas may be investigated without stringent requirements for preliminary data. The short-term studies should focus on research questions that are likely to gather critical preliminary data in support of a future, planned clinical trial.  They can include testing new or prevention strategies, a new intervention, or unique combinations of therapies.  A high priority is the use of such studies to help stimulate the translation of promising research developments from the laboratory into clinical practice."

To Register 

 

Mayday Fund of New York
"The Mayday Fund is dedicated to alleviating the incidence, degree, and consequence of human physical pain.

The Mayday Fund's current grant-making targets are projects that result in clinical interventions to reduce the toll of physical pain, pediatric pain, pain in non-verbal populations, and pain in the context of emergency medicine. Mayday will also continue to be proactive in its commitment to promote networking between veterinary and human medicine, especially in an effort to inform measurements of pain in non-verbal populations. Finally, the trustees of the Mayday Fund wish to be nimble enough to respond as special opportunities present themselves. Grants are made only to public charities and educational institutions officially recognized as such by the IRS. The Mayday Fund concentrates its activities in the United States. On occasion, grants have been made to Canadian organizations when the project has an effect that reaches beyond Canada. Grants cannot be made to individuals."

 

Applications are continuous and no specified due date is applied.

 

 

Age-Related Funding

 

American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Research Grants

"AFAR provides up to $100,000 for a one- to two-year award to junior faculty (M.D.s and Ph.D.s) to conduct research that will serve as the basis for longer term research efforts. AFAR-supported investigators study a broad range of biomedical and clinical topics including the causes of cellular senescence, the role of estrogen in the development of osteoporosis, the genetic factors associated with Alzheimer's disease, the effects of nutrition and exercise on the aging process, and much more. Since 1981, over 680 AFAR Research Grants have been awarded. Up to 10 awards will be given in 2013. Please note: The tentative deadline for applications for the 2014 awards is December 16, 2013; please check back in fall 2013 for updated application materials."

 

Click here  for application guidelines.

 

The Julie Martin Mid-Career Award in Aging Research

"This program encourages outstanding mid-career scientists whose research has the potential for high payoff in advancing our understanding of basic aging. Up to two four-year awards of $550,000 will be awarded. Please note: The tentative deadline for applications for the 2014 awards is December 16, 2013; please check back in fall 2013 for updated application materials."

Eligibility Criteria

  • The applicant must be an Associate Professor who was promoted to that position (with or without tenure) after December 1, 2009.
  • Scientists not previously engaged in aging research, but whose research could lead to novel approaches in aging are eligible.
  • Scientists already engaged in aging research but whose proposed research is a new high-risk direction of investigation with a potential high payoff in our understanding of basic aging processes, are also eligible.
  • The proposed research must be conducted at any type of not-for-profit setting in the United States. Individuals who are employees in the NIH Intramural program are not eligible.
  • Recipients, past or present, of the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award in Aging are not eligible to apply for this award.

Click here for more details.


Translational Research at the Aging/Cancer Interface (TRACI) (R01)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-12-136

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages translational research proposals in the overlapping areas of human aging and cancer, linking basic and clinical research relevant to the care of older cancer patients through both bench-to-bedside and bedside-to-bench approaches. Ultimately, information from the research supported by this initiative should improve the health and well-being of elderly patients at risk for, or diagnosed with, cancer and decrease the functional impairment and morbidity associated with cancer in this population.    

 

T1 Translational Research:  Novel interventions for prevention and treatment of age-related conditions (R21)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PAS-11-280

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) encourages exploratory/developmental R21 research projects to accelerate the pace of development of novel therapeutics involving biologics, pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for preventing and treating key health issues affecting the elderly.   For the purposes of this FOA, T1 translational research on aging is defined as the application of basic and clinical biomedical findings towards the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment of age-related pathologies. For projects proposing basic research that is being conducted in animal models, the potential to treat a clinical age-related pathology must be clearly stated in the proposal.  Direct relevance of the data to a clinical aging condition must be established and clearly stated in the application.


Translational Research to Help Older Adults Maintain their Health and Independence in the Community (R01)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-11-123

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Administration on Aging (AoA) invite applications using the R01 award mechanism for translational research that moves evidence-based research findings towards the development of new interventions, programs, policies, practices, and tools that can be used by community-based organizations to help elderly individuals remain healthy and independent, and living in their own homes and communities.  The goal of this FOA is to support translational research involving collaborations between academic research centers and community-based organizations with expertise serving the elderly (such as city and state health departments, city/town leadership councils, and Area Agencies on Aging) that will enhance our understanding of practical tools, techniques, programs and policies that communities across the nation can use to more effectively respond to needs of their aging populations.

 

Mechanism Mediating Osteoarthritis in Aging
Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-12-018
"This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) invites applications on research employing genetically defined and modified mouse models, other animal models such as dogs and monkeys or archived human joint tissues to explore the biological mechanisms underlying osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is a significant problem in the elderly population, and a major contributor to mobility limitations that are endemic in this population and, therefore, is an important element in the research missions of NIA and NIAMS. Inflammatory processes are evident in advanced stages of osteoarthritis, and are likely to be major contributors to the chronic pain that is the most common symptom of the condition.  However, for the purpose of this announcement, osteoarthritis is distinguished from other joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in which inflammation arising from autoimmunity is the primary cause of tissue damage. The root causes of joint degeneration in osteoarthritis remain unclear. Research efforts in the past have focused primarily on the more advanced stages of osteoarthritis, but relatively little is understood about the initial changes triggering disease etiology and early progression.  This FOA is intended to encourage and accelerate the characterization of new or underutilized models and the testing of hypotheses that will lead to an improved understanding of the mechanisms mediating osteoarthritic progression."

 To Register

Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on Multidisciplinary Studies in HIV/AIDS and Aging (R03)
Notice Number: NOT-AG-12-004
"The National Institute on Aging (NIA) announces a trans-NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on Multidisciplinary Studies in HIV/AIDS and Aging. This FOA will encourage applications proposing to study HIV infection, HIV-associated conditions, HIV treatment, or biobehavioral or social factors associated with HIV/AIDS in the context of aging and/or in older adults. The research areas encouraged in this FOA are based, in part, on the recommendations of the Working Group on HIV and Aging convened by the NIH Office of AIDS Research. These areas include, but are not limited, to the following:
*    Cellular and molecular mechanisms of HIV in aging
*    Biomarkers or clinical indices of HIV-associated pathology
*    HIV-Associated Non-AIDS (HANA) conditions / Co-morbidities
*    HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND)
*    Intervention studies (prevention or treatment)
*    Frailty/Vulnerability
*    Social, behavioral, and mental health studies
The FOA is expected to be published in Spring 2012 with non-standard receipt dates beginning in Summer 2012. Multiple other NIH Institutes and Centers are expected to participate."

Please direct all inquiries to
:
Basil Eldadah, MD, PhD
Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology
National Institute on Aging
7201 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 3C307
Bethesda, MD 20892
Phone: 301-496-6761
Email:[email protected]

Network and Infrastructure Support for Development of Interdisciplinary Aging Research (R24)

Program Announcement (PA) Number: PA-12-064
"The purpose of this FOA is to provide network and infrastructure support to foster development of novel interdisciplinary research approaches on important topics in aging research. This FOA will use the NIH Resource-Related Research Project (R24) mechanism to facilitate research networks that will advance specific scientific goals through activities such as meetings, conferences, small scale pilots, short term training opportunities, and visiting scholar programs, and dissemination activities to encourage growth and development in these interdisciplinary areas."

 To Register

National Science Foundation funding grant "General & Age-Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE)"
"The General & Age Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program supports research that will lead to the development of new technologies, devices, or software for persons with disabilities.  Research may be supported that is directed to the characterization, restoration, and/or substitution of human functional ability or cognition, or to the interaction of persons with disabilities and their environment.  Areas of particular recent interest are disability-related research in neuroscience/neuroengineering and rehabilitation robotics.  Emphasis is placed on significant advancement of fundamental engineering and scientific knowledge and not on incremental improvements.  Proposals should advance discovery or innovation beyond the frontiers of current knowledge in disability-related research.  Applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Director Ted Conway at [email protected], or call (703) 292-7091, prior to submitting a proposal."


 To Register 

 

The New Investigator Awards in Alzheimer's Disease
"Funded by The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation and The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation, the major goal of this partnership program is to support important research in areas in which more scientific investigation is needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The program will also serve to encourage junior investigators in the United States and Israel to pursue research and academic careers in the neurosciences, and Alzheimer's disease in particular. Projects in basic and translational research related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) that are clinically relevant, will be considered. Projects that focus on healthy brain aging are also considered. For one of the awards, priority may be given to an investigator with a research interest related to healthy brain aging. Areas of research could for example include learning and memory, nutrition, exercise, cardiovascular risk factors, as they relate to the brain and the aging process. The applicant must be an independent investigator with assigned independent space as assigned by the departmental chair or equivalent official, and must be within the first ten years of receiving a doctoral degree by July 1, 2011. Exceptions to the ten year rule may be requested for unusual circumstances by emailing an NIH-style bio-sketch to AFAR at [email protected] .The proposed research must be conducted at any type of not-for-profit setting in the United States or Israel."

  

To Register 

 

 

 


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The Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL) is an NIA funded Edward R. Roybal center with a focus on persistent pain due to both cancer and non-cancer related causes. TRIPLL is a collaboration between investigators at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell-Ithaca, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Visiting Nurse Service of New York and Council of Senior Centers & Services of NYC, Inc.

 

For more information on TRIPLL please contact Marcus Warmington at [email protected]