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University-based retirement communities (UBRCs) are a relatively recent addition to housing options for older adults. The case example of a new UBRC, Mirabella at Arizona State University (ASU), is presented within the context of Age-Friendly University (AFU) principles and New American University design aspirations. We provide an overview of the planning process, describe initial collaborations between Mirabella and research faculty, and outline areas of overlap and distinction between Mirabella's approach and other UBRCs, AFU principles, and the design aspirations of the New American University model. Empirical investigations are needed to identify key characteristics of UBRCs that facilitate university integration and how those characteristics impact individual, community, and university level outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing is an effective method to understand attitudes and beliefs on aging, but the subject matter without an explanation can be misinterpreted. We explored college students' drawings and written descriptions of the life course (N = 567). Participants drew, on average, five life phases. Most drawings included human figures, and most were alone in each life phase. Fifteen percent of the drawings were non-human representations. Some characteristics (e.g. hair changes [58%]) and contexts (e.g. birth [91%]) were present in both the drawings and descriptions. Others were only present in the drawings (e.g. alone throughout the life course [79%]) or mainly described (e.g. school/graduation [92%]). Findings highlight participants thought some associations with aging needed explanation while others warranted no explanation, thus intrinsic to aging. Our study reveals the importance of examining both drawn and written content together when using drawing as a method in aging research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe the important background of the process of changing their publishing policy and offer insight into implications for future inclusive actions. They discuss the alignment of the policies with their core values, significance of adopting an inclusive name change policy, and steps identified for inclusive publishing that should be the aim of their field.

While participatory design approaches aim to include stakeholders in all design activities, in resource-limited situations, participation is challenging. Participatory designers often make decisions dealing with the tension between the agency of stakeholder participants and the project's viability. In designing health services, care professionals have limited availability, and patients, such as low-income older adults, have limitations such as lack of transportation and lower access to specialized communication technology or broadband. Yet, it is critical to find innovative ways to engage stakeholders in the design process for services and interventions that aim to improve their health and well-being. This article explores new ways to engage stakeholders in the participatory design process in resource-limited projects. We used a case study approach focused on the design experience of a project focused on social isolation and older adults to understand the complexity of real-world participatory design. While there are tradeoffs between project viability and stakeholders' agency, stakeholders' agency is possible in resource-limited projects. However, experts must adjust and balance influence in different activities to achieve meaningful participation of all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, we argue that gerontologists should increase their engagement with anthropologists to increase transdisciplinary collaboration, fulfill the interdisciplinary promise of gerontology as a field, and to ensure the work of anthropologists is formed by, and employed in, situations where meaningful engagement with practitioners and policymakers can lead to social change. Anthropology is the study of human societies in historical, biological, and sociocultural context, comprising a holistic field of study that can contribute unique methods, approaches, and theories to the field of gerontology. Although increasing amounts of anthropological scholarship have focused on older adulthood, this critical work of anthropologists still needs to be utilized by those in positions of power to enact change. Furthermore, the work conducted by anthropologists of aging has not consistently been recognized as anthropological scholarship. Therefore, a notable gap exists between the promise of the anthropology of aging and the utilization of the field, its findings, and engagement with the broader gerontological academy. As such, the contributions of anthropology to aging scholarship and the resulting reduction in inequities in the aging experience are not always adequately recognized. By examining the history of anthropology's engagement with aging and the lifecourse, we argue for a more applied anthropological gerontology. We conclude with a call to action to ensure that anthropological gerontology is seen as a fundamental branch of scholarship, both within anthropology and gerontology, which can be used to improve the lived experiences of older adults globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the authors discuss the lessons in communication for older adult patients that were learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that could be adopted for the next pandemics. Also cited are the significant risk for death and hospitalization facing older people at least 65 years old from the pandemic, the rates of social isolation and loneliness they faced, and the need to expand research into health communication with older people.

Adult guardian ad litem programs are a necessary public service to protect adults from abuse and neglect. This article describes the development and implementation of an adult guardian ad litem program. We discuss the program's impetus, pilot testing, evaluation, and implementation of the program. Our experience highlights the vital role of diverse inter-sectoral stakeholders. Furthermore, the development process highlights the need for flexibility in program development, tension negotiation among stakeholders, and engagement of aging stakeholders in nontraditional arenas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic conditions are common and require ongoing continuous management and preventive measures. The COVID-19 pandemic may have affected the management of chronic conditions by delaying care. We sought to understand the impact of personal characteristics (i.e., age) and healthcare factors (i.e., access to a provider) on healthcare access in a sample of Americans 50 years of age or older during COVID-19. Method: Participants completed an online survey at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic - the Aging in the Time of COVID Survey. Questions focused on health status, health care access, COVID-19 fear, and social connectedness. Participants were recruited through social media advertisements, list serves, and snowball sampling. Data collection started in early April 2020 and concluded in late May 2020. Logistic regression models examined the results of two key access points: healthcare provider/doctor (n = 481) and medication (n = 765), with 56 and 93% of participants reporting access to a provider and medications, respectively. Results: Individuals with an established primary care provider were much more likely to obtain access to a healthcare provider, OR = 3.81 (95% CI: 1.69, 8.77), and to receive medication, OR = 4.48 (95% CI: 1.61, 11.48), during the time of COVID-19. In addition, access to medication was (a) higher for those who were older, OR = 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.09), had a higher income (greater than 100 k compared to less than 50 k, OR = 3.04 (95% CI: 1.11, 8.98), and (b) lower for those having caregiving responsibilities, OR = 0.41 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.78), or greater social isolation, OR = 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.98). Conclusions: Although most participants had access to medication, just over half had access to a healthcare provider when needed. Notably, health-seeking behaviors for individuals who do not have an established primary care providers as well as those who provide unpaid care, are socially isolated, and younger may require more proactive approaches to care monitoring, management, and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing the pervasiveness of negative societal attitudes toward aging and older adults is critical, as research indicates how older adults are viewed subsequently influences how they are treated. The Gerontological Literacy Network (GLN) is a multi-university collaboration established to address ingrained beliefs that underlie ageism and gerontophobia. The GLN developed a data-gathering protocol that uses drawing as a foundation to assess the gerontological literacy of college students. The protocol includes drawing what aging means, writing a paragraph describing the drawing, indicating the age at which someone is "old," and writing words associated with "old person" and "grandma/grandpa." Results from 1,609 protocols confirm that college students have negative views of aging as depicted in drawings of negative emotional states, illness, physical decline, and death. The presence of positive representations of aging (e.g., smiling) reveals the heterogeneity of perceptions and suggests the potential to achieve more accurate perceptions through educational interventions. This article provides an overview of the protocols and suggestions for future efforts related to gerontophobia and ageism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults have been identified as a high-risk population for COVID-19 by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Though well-intentioned, this nonspecific designation highlights stereotypes of older adults as frail and in need of protection, exacerbating negative age-based stereotypes that can have adverse effects on older adults' well-being. Healthcare stereotype threat (HCST) is concern about being judged by providers and receiving biased medical treatment based on stereotypes about one's identity – in this case age. Given the attention to older adults' physical vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults may be especially worried about age-based judgments from medical providers and sensitive to ageist attitudes about COVID-19. Online data collection (April 13 to May 15, 2020) with adults aged 50 and older (N = 2325, M = 63.11, SD = 7.53) examined age-based HCST. Respondents who worried that healthcare providers judged them based on age (n = 584) also reported more negative COVID-19 reactions, including perceived indifference toward older adults, young adults' lack of concern about health, and unfavorable media coverage of older adults. The results highlight the intersection of two pandemics: COVID-19 and ageism. We close with consideration of the clinical implications of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students are poised to take on important leadership roles in society, and as such, it is vital that they understand the interests and needs of people throughout the life course and that they do not harbor ageist believes that may play out in the policies they enact, the services they provide, or the products they create. Many college students have little exposure or interaction with older adults aside from family members such as grandparents, and their primary sources of knowledge of aging and older adults are various media outlets. To understand how these factors converge, college students were asked to list words they associated with "old person" and with "grandpa/grandma." Findings reveal a strong decline-focused perception of the general category of older adults as well as negative emotional terms. Perceptions of specific, more likely to be known older adults revealed more positive, healthy, and nuanced views. Implications for college teachers are highlighted, including carefully curated intergenerational service-learning opportunities. Future directions include exploring perceptions of these two categories of older adults across cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African-Americans face higher rates of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias than any other group. With cases of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias expected to double by 2050 the African-American community stands to be disproportionally affected. Recognizing the need for culturally tailored programming for caregivers and those living with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias In Our Community, Dementia Speaks was developed through a community-participatory model of engagement. While pilot results showed a non-statistically significant increase in pre/posttest knowledge a more nuanced review of the data indicates success in changing attitudes and behaviors regarding the disease among caregivers. Results provide a guide for informing future interventions and improving existing programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that a comparison of the depletion spectra of Na+n (n=2–9,11,21) clusters recorded at low temperature and optically allowed transitions determined for the stable structures using ab initio methods accounting for electron correlation allows the assignment of the cluster geometry to the measured features. Due to the large mobility of atoms in alkali metal clusters, the influence of temperature on structural and electronic properties is significant. The lowering of temperature reveals new spectroscopic features which are structure dependent. Optical response properties of small cationic Na+n clusters are characterized by rich molecularlike spectroscopic patterns, also with increasing size, and differ substantially from those found for neutral clusters. It has been clearly demonstrated that not only the number of valence electrons but its mutual interplay with the geometric properties determine optical response features. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The configuration-interaction study of the excited states of the most-stable structures of Na5, Na6, and Na7 clusters employing ab initio effective-core potential corrected by the core polarization potential predicts spectroscopic patterns which are in good agreement with the measured depletion spectra. A comparison of the transition energies and the oscillator strengths with the experimental data makes possible tentative structural assignments. Planar Na5 and Na6 structures and the three-dimensional pentagonal bipyramid for Na7 appear responsible for the recorded spectra. The full agreement between theory and experiment is present for Na6 and Na7. The measured cross sections and calculated oscillator strengths for Na5 compare better for lower transition energies than for higher ones. A many-electron description of the excited states of Na5, Na6, and Na7 yields a complete quantum molecular interpretation of the absorption spectra. From a comparison of the experimental and theoretical results the conclusion has been drawn that a transition from planarity to the three dimensionality takes place for Na7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ab initio configuration-interaction (CI) study of excited states of mixed alkali metal tetramers LiNa3 and Li2Na2 accounts for spectroscopic patterns obtained from the depletion spectra of neutral species, reproduces observed excitation energies and intensities for allowed transitions, and permits an assignment of cluster structures. For both mixed tetramers, the rhombic forms with a Li atom or atoms on the short diagonal are the most stable structures and give rise to predicted spectra in full agreement with the measured ones. The exact location of Li atoms seems to be more important in Li2Na2 than in LiNa3 since in the former case, only one isomer reproduces all features of the recorded spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reaction path for the Li4+H2 interaction has been determined allowing for the relaxation and the reconstruction of the system. For various steps along the reaction path characterized by the given values of one or two geometrical parameters the full geometry optimization of the remaining variables has been carried out in the framework of the Hartree–Fock (HF) procedure. The configuration interaction (CI) energies for the optimal HF geometries in each step have been calculated using multireference diexcited (MRD-CI) procedure. The calculated dissociation energy for the molecular hydrogen is reduced from 103.6 to 19.6 kcal/mol in the presence of Li tetrameter. During the first stage of the reaction path referred as ‘‘dissociative chemisorption’’ the geometry of the Li tetrameter does not change substantially. After dissociation of H2 the full reconstruction of the tetrameter takes place leading to a local minimum which is separated from the lowest minimum by a moderate barrier along the chosen reaction path. The stable compound has the form of deformed rhombus with two hydrogen atoms bridging two neighboring rhombus sides. The preliminary calculations using complete active space self-consistent field procedure followed by direct CI carried out for the Li6+H2 interaction in the C2v symmetry yield fairly stable three dimensional LI6H2 compound, which can be formed after passing an energy barrier of comparable size at the present level of calculation as that found for the Li4+H2 reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistate perturbation theory has been used to assign high resolution Rydberg spectra of H2 and D2 in the infrared. The theoretical model treats interactions between the H+2 ion core and the spatially extended case (d) Rydberg electron in terms of the multipole moments and polarizabilities of H+2. The long range interaction model of Sturrus, Hessels, Arcuni, and Lundeen [Phys. Rev. A 38, 135 (1988)] was refined to include terms up to r-8 in the Rydberg electron radial matrix element. Implementation of the multipole moment–polarization matrix diagonalization model was carried out at three levels: Rotation only (‘‘pure precession’’), vibrationally extended, and full multichannel. At each level the calculations were made to order r-4 (low order), r-6 ( (1)/(2) V6) and r-8 (high order). The most generally successful model was found to be the (1)/(2) V6 vibrationally extended model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared diode laser absorption spectra of portions of the 5g–4f, 6h–5g, and 8i–6h Rydberg bands of H2 and D2 have been measured at Doppler limited resolution in low pressure A. C. discharges. The spectra, arising from L uncoupled states of H2 and D2, are assigned using an ab initio polarization model supported by intensity calculations. Details of the different implementations of this polarization model are given in the preceding paper. The most useful was the single channel vibrationally extended (1)/(2) V6 model which became progressively better at higher n (and L). Results of multichannel calculations for a selected set of transitions are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Office for the Study of Aging (OSA) at the University of South Carolina was established in 1988 in conjunction with the founding of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Registry. Over the last 25 years, the Office for the Study of Aging has furthered its purpose through the development of research and programs for all of South Carolina’s aging population. Examples include the Placemat Strength Training Program, the Dementia Dialogues education program, and the South Carolina Vulnerable Adult Guardian ad Litem program. The work of the office is sustained through a unique government–university–community partnership that supports innovative work and provides direct lines for dissemination, translation, and implementation of programs. The office’s efforts have resulted in two state laws involving aging and older adults as well as recognition through awards and publications. The Office provides a partnership model that offers a dissemination and translation pipeline for programs to be developed, piloted, revised, and enacted into policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-university partnerships can lend themselves to the development of tools that encourage and promote future community health development. The electronic manual, 'Building Farmacies,' describes an approach for developing capacity and sustaining a community health center-based farmers' market that emerged through a community-university partnership. Manual development was guided by the Knowledge to Action Framework and experiences developing a multivendor, produce-only farmers' market at a community health center in rural South Carolina. The manual was created to illustrate an innovative solution for community health development. The manual was disseminated electronically through 25 listservs and interested individuals voluntarily completed a Web-based survey to access the free manual. During the 6-month dissemination period, 271 individuals downloaded the manual. Findings highlighted the value of translating community-based participatory research into user-friendly manuals to guide future intervention development and dissemination approaches, and demonstrate the need to include capacity building opportunities to support translation and adoption of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although ageing workers face specific health and safety concerns, conflicting evidence exists regarding the effects of age on workplace injury rates and workers’ compensation claims. Aims To examine injury and workers’ compensation claim rates by age and injury type in an aluminium smelter over a 9-year period. Methods Routinely collected data for workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims were retrieved for the period from 1997 to 2005. Results The study included a total of 709 workers who experienced 2281 at-work injuries and submitted 446 claims. In 1997, 16% of employees were aged 50 or over; by 2005 that proportion had more than doubled to 35%. Injury and claim rates in all age groups did not change significantly during this period. Workers younger than 30 years of age had the highest injury rates, with differences most significant for injuries other than sprains and strains. Claim rates were not significantly different across age groups. Conclusions These findings do not provide evidence to support the notion that older workers sustain more injuries and are more likely to claim compensation for their injuries. Our findings demonstrate that in this workplace, older workers were able to maintain their ability to work safely. This contrasts with the finding that younger workers had the highest injury and claim rates. While adapting to the needs of an ageing workforce, employers should not lose sight of the need to nurture a strong culture of working safely among their youngest workers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The primary aim of this secondary analysis was to compare changes in dietary intake among participants randomized to two versions of a 12-week commercial web-based weight loss program (basic or enhanced) with a waiting-list control. An additional investigation compared changes in dietary intake of successful participants (weight loss ≥5%) with those not successful. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Dietary intake was assessed at baseline and 12 weeks using a validated 120-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Adults (n=268, 60% female participants, body mass index 32.1±3.9) classified as plausible reporters of energy intake were included in the analyses. Analysis of covariance with baseline observations carried forward for drop-outs (n=38) was used. RESULTS: The basic and enhanced groups significantly increased their percentage of energy contribution from fruits and reduced energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods compared with controls (P<0.001). Successful participants (n=49) reported superior improvements in dietary intake including greater reductions in the mean daily energy intake (P<0.001), the percentage of energy from energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods (-12.0% E vs -4.3% E, P<0.001) and greater increases in the energy contribution from fruits (P<0.001), vegetables (P=0.003) and breads/cereals (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a commercial web-based weight loss program facilitated some improvements in the dietary intake. The enhanced web-based tools appeared not to have generated greater improvements in reported dietary intake, compared with the basic or control groups. Those who achieved a weight loss of ≥5% improved their dietary intake in line with the program recommendations and dietary guidelines. Further research to determine web-based components that may improve success and the reasons why programs are successful for some participants is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mars sample return (MSR) mission planning requires a high level of planetary protection in order to break the chain of contact between Mars and the terrestrial biosphere. As a focus of MSR is the search for life, it is also imperative that a minimal amount of terrestrial contamination is taken to Mars on the mission. For these reasons, spacecraft cleaning of up to Viking levels will be needed, adding to the cost and complexity of the mission. Experience gained in Mars missions in the USA and Europe including and after Viking will be used. New technologies such as sample sealing in Mars orbit are also required. The recent identification of special regions on Mars where liquid water may have been present within the recent geological past has led to a revision of planetary protection constraints for missions such as MSR which might wish to visit them. Approximately 500g (five to eight samples) are envisaged in the first MSR within the 2020s. This requires a sample receiving facility to assess the threat to the terrestrial biosphere prior to analyses of the samples by the wider scientific community. This will be operated at biohazard level 4 — the highest level. Long-term curation of returned samples has planetary protection constraints but also challenges in maintaining the pristine nature of the samples as far as possible as they are moved from the oxidizing, reactive Mars surface to Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absolute photoabsorption cross section of trimethylene oxide has been measured between threshold and 30 eV using monochromated synchrotron radiation. Below the ionization threshold the spectrum exhibits numerous sharp peaks associated with Rydberg states belonging to series converging onto the [image omitted] limit. At excitation energies above the ionization threshold at 9.680 eV intravalence transitions play a dominant role, resulting in the appearance of prominent broad bands. Ab initio multireference configuration interaction calculations have been performed to obtain excitation energies for valence electron transitions into Rydberg or virtual valence orbitals. These theoretical predictions have enabled assignments to be proposed for most of the structure due to Rydberg series converging onto the [image omitted] limit. The calculations show that configuration interaction is important in the description of some of the excited states. The photoabsorption spectrum of trimethylene oxide has been compared with those of ethylene oxide, ethylene sulphide and trimethylene sulphide to identify and characterize the principal Rydberg excitations that these related three- or four-membered ring molecules have in common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abalone are common herbivores throughout temperate and tropical waters, and yet the contribution of red and brown macroalgae to the diet of wild abalone remains unclear. In the northern hemisphere, adult abalone are considered to consume predominantly brown algae, but in the southern hemisphere abalone are thought to prefer red algae. Conventional methods such as gut content analysis and feeding trials provide some insight into diet choice, but the associated biases of these techniques create uncertainty surrounding the aforementioned variability in abalone diet. We use combined stable isotope and fatty acid analysis to determine the relative contribution of red algae, brown algae and detritus/microalgae to the diet of wild abalone in Tasmanian waters. Stable isotopes of carbon suggest that brown algae and/detritus are a more important source of carbon than red algae. Fatty acid analysis confirmed the larger contribution of brown algae to the diet of abalone, and also identified the bacterial and diatom component of detritus to be an important contributor to abalone diet. These results show combined use of chemical tracers to be a promising technique for resolving abalone diet, and challenge current perceptions regarding spatial variability in abalone diet choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to define normal ranges for vibration sense as measured by vibratory perception thresholds (VPTs) using biothesiometry. We performed biothesiometry in a community-dwelling sample of 901 people aged 55 to 85 years who did not have diabetes. We quantitated the variation between repeat measures using analysis of variance and Bland–Altman plots. We also plotted the age- and sex-specific reference ranges. We found small but statistically significant differences between repeat measures using the ascending and descending method of limits. Statistically higher vibration thresholds were noted on the right arm and leg compared with the left. Significantly higher vibration thresholds were also seen in men vs women for both lower limbs. We also defined sex-specific reference intervals (normal ranges) for biothesiometry for older persons and quantitated the increase in vibration threshold with increasing age. For reliability, it may be sufficient to obtain the average of two ascending measures separated by at least 1 min in just the right hand or right foot, since this is usually the one with the higher threshold. Although identical reference ranges can be used for men and women for the upper limb, there are significant differences in the lower limbs. The major determinant of VPT is age: we have established age-specific norms for VPT testing for adults between 55 and 85 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the procedure to start an SCF calculation of the general type from a sum of atomic electron densities, as implemented in GAMESS-UK. Although the procedure is well known for closed-shell calculations and was already suggested when the Direct SCF procedure was proposed, the general procedure is less obvious. For instance, there is no need to converge the corresponding closed-shell Hartree–Fock calculation when dealing with an open-shell species. We describe the various choices and illustrate them with test calculations, showing that the procedure is easier, and on average better, than starting from a converged minimal basis calculation and much better than using a bare nucleus Hamiltonian. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 27: 926–932, 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Underground coal-mine workers suffer noise-induced hearing loss and continue working in the industry while having varying degrees of deafness. Few studies have researched the risk to safety arising from the loss of hearing. Aims: This study is designed to investigate the possible association between hearing loss and accidents in the New South Wales underground coal-mining industry. Methods: A study was conducted, gathering data over a 10-year period from 1994 to 2003, which identified 97 cases that have had accidents and 983 controls that have had no accidents. Hearing loss levels were noted and compared in the cases and controls. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine whether the variables were significant risk factors in the occurrence of accidents. Results: Hearing loss levels in the total cohort varied from 0 to 54%. The proportion of cases with hearing loss appeared to be significantly higher in the young age group of <29 years than in the controls, but was not significantly different in the older age groups. Conclusions: This study indicates that workers who have lost up to 54% binaural high tone hearing and are older than 29 years do not appear to have an increased risk to safety when compared with workers who do not have hearing loss. However, workers in the young age group of <29 years who have high tone hearing loss may be at an increased risk of accident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: No randomized controlled trials exist to show whether varicose vein surgery improves healing of venous ulcers. In this study we investigated whether superficial venous surgery gave additional benefit to compression therapy in terms of healing rate, time to healing and quality of life of patients with venous ulcers. Methods: A total of 121 consecutive patients with venous ulceration were identified, of which 45 were unfit/unwilling to be included. The remaining 76 (aged 38-89, 39 female) were randomized to receive either four-layer bandaging (n =39) or superficial venous surgery (long and short saphenous with or without perforator surgery) and four-layer bandaging (n =37). Ulcer healing and health-related quality of life (HRQL) were assessed. Results: The healing rate was 64% (25/39) in the compression treatment group and 68% (25/37) in the surgical treatment group. This difference was not statistically significant (Pearson χ2 P=0.75). There was no significant difference between the time to ulcer healing in the two treatment groups (log rank statistic=0.69, P value=0.41): median time 83 days for surgery vs 98 days for compression. After adjusting for duration of ulcer, size of ulcer and previous deep vein thrombosis, there was still no significant difference between time to healing for the two treatment groups (adjusted hazard ratio=0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.45-1.39). There was no difference in HRQL between the two groups, using the scores of a disease-specific questionnaire (CXVUQ). Conclusions: This study suggests that for venous ulceration, superficial venous surgery gives no additional benefit to compression therapy from the point of view of healing rate and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the abstract of a study demonstrating simple venous surgery benefits healing or maintenance of healing of venous ulcers in randomized controlled trials. Co-morbidity and pattern of venous incompetence; Comparison of healing rate in conservatively-treated group versus operated group.