Aging involves a progressive decline in physiological functions, increasing vulnerability to disorders, functional decline, and disability. Emphasizing resilience and intrinsic capacity offers a proactive framework for promoting successful aging and quality of life. This narrative review selected significant articles published within the last five years on resilience, especially physical resilience, and intrinsic capacity, along with earlier relevant works. Articles were primarily searched in English using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, employing relevant terms with Boolean operators (“AND”, “OR”). Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed conceptual, observational, and interventional studies on resilience and/or intrinsic capacity in adults over 60, published between 2020 and 2025, highlighting how the inclusion of geriatric evaluation improves health outcomes. Studies not focused on older adults, outside the date range, or non-English articles were excluded. Out of 145 references, 43 articles met the inclusion criteria. ResEvidence suggests that resilience (a dynamic response to stressors) and intrinsic capacity (baseline reserves across locomotion, vitality, cognition, sensory, and psychological domains) are interconnected, with resilience being associated with better health outcomes, a lower prevalence of chronic diseases, and greater mental health stability. Incorporating assessments of resilience and intrinsic capacity into clinical workflows could support targeted interventions; routine screening may guide personalized exercise and psychosocial plans to help prevent functional decline. Utilizing brief, validated tools (e.g., Short Physical Performance Battery, handgrip strength, Geriatric Depression Scale, brief cognitive tests, and resilience scales) can inform interventions such as physical activity, nutritional support, deprescribing, and psychosocial engagement, which may support healthier aging trajectories.

Objective: This study investigates the association between heart rate variability parameters—particularly SDNN or SDANN—and components of intrinsic capacity in older adults, including functional, nutritional, cognitive, psycho-emotional domains, and frailty. Primary outcomes assess the relationship between SDNN and SDANN and frailty status and functional performance (ADL/IADL scores, handgrip strength). Secondary outcomes assess the relationship between SDNN and SDANN and cognitive status (MMSE), nutritional status (MNA, BMI, total protein, hemoglobin, visceral fat), emotional well-being (GDS), and urinary incontinence. Methods: This prospective exploratory study included 83 patients over the age of 65, hospitalized between January and October 2024. All participants underwent cardiovascular evaluation and evaluation of intrinsic capacity (frailty status, ADL/IADL, handgrip strength, MMSE, MNA, GDS, urinary incontinence). Results: Patients were grouped by SDNN values (<128 ms vs. ≥128 ms). Those with lower SDNN had significantly lower MNA scores (p = 0.047), lower hemoglobin (ρ = 0.220, p = 0.046), and higher GDS scores (ρ = −0.219, p = 0.047), indicating poorer nutritional and emotional status. SDANN was negatively correlated with frailty scores (ρ = −0.269, p = 0.014) and positively correlated with ADL scores (ρ = 0.247, p = 0.024), suggesting better functional independence. Handgrip strength was significantly predicted by both SDNN (p = 0.002) and SDANN (p = 0.002) in univariable linear regression. Visceral fat levels were positively correlated with SDNN (ρ = 0.292, p = 0.007), though BMI was not. No significant associations were found between HRV parameters and MMSE scores or urinary incontinence. Conclusions: HRV parameters, particularly SDNN and SDANN, show modest but significant associations with intrinsic capacity components such as frailty, functional performance, nutritional status, and emotional well-being in older adults. These findings suggest that SDNN and SDANN may serve as non-invasive markers for the early identification of declines in intrinsic capacity. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to validate these preliminary results.

Hip fractures in elderly patients pose significant clinical challenges, confronting us with high morbidity and mortality rates. A comprehensive geriatric assessment plays an important role in determining prognosis as well as the indication for surgery. Aim: In this study, we aim to (1) assess frailty-based functional status in seniors with hip fractures, (2) evaluate geriatric assessment’s predictive value for postoperative recovery, and (3) analyze 1-year postoperative survival. Material and Methods: This prospective study included 60 senior patients admitted for hip fracture in the Orthopedics Department. Patients were examined using geriatric assessment instruments Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and Frailty Groningen Indicator (GFI). We recorded the sex, marital status, number of comorbidities, and number of recommended drugs. Results: In total, 65% of patients were frail pre-surgery; the proportion increased post-surgery to 86.7%; (p = 0.005). Age greater than 80 years and unmarried marital status were associated with higher frailty risk (p = 0.04; p = 0.03). Preoperatively, important predictors of frailty were mild–moderate cognitive impairment (p = 0.017), mild–moderate depression (p = 0.01), and malnutrition (p = 0.04). Postoperatively, only mild–moderate cognitive impairment (p = 0.04) and mild–moderate depression (p = 0.01) proved to be important predictors of frailty. According to the ROC curve, good predictors of postoperative frailty were shown to be preoperative frailty and the degree of polypharmacy and comorbidity. Of all parameters predictive of postoperative frailty, only the number of medications reached statistical significance (p < 0.038). The study identified a 1-year all-cause mortality rate of 42.6% in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery, with a significant association between mortality and preoperative MMSE, GDS, and MNA scores. Conclusions: Complex geriatric assessment of senior patients with hip fracture can stratify postoperative risk and predict 1-year mortality and postoperative functional recovery. Key predictors include cognitive status, depression, malnutrition, and comorbidities. Multidisciplinary care and standardized evaluation are essential for improving outcomes.

Background/Objectives: Vancomycin is a reserve antibiotic that is frequently prescribed for central venous catheter (CVC)-associated infections in hemodialysis patients. Hemodialysis patients are very fragile patients and the presence of CVCs increases the risk of sepsis. We conducted a prospective study, evaluating the needs of changes in vancomycin dosing for treatment based on the use of the new 2020 vancomycin dosing guidelines, to increase drug safety (preventing subtherapeutic or supratherapeutic doses and offering therapeutic concentrations of the drug) in a particular group of patients with sepsis caused by catheter infections and being on intermittent hemodialysis. Methods: This prospective study included patients with sepsis caused by catheter infections and being on intermittent hemodialysis, treated with vancomycin, admitted in the nephrology department and intensive care unit (ICU). Vancomycin levels were adjusted according to the 2020 vancomycin guidelines. Results: In our study, nine (45%) patients had a vancomycin AUC between 400 and 600 mcg × h/mL, five (25%) patients had a subtherapeutic AUC, and six (30%) patients had a supratherapeutic AUC. It is important to mention that in 10 (50%) of the patients included in the study, the loading and maintenance doses mentioned in the protocol were respected, but 50% of them had a supratherapeutic AUC. We observed that a supratherapeutic AUC occurred when the loading dose was 1500 mg or 2000 mg, and in one case at 1000 mg with a low BMI. Conclusions: a therapeutic level of vancomycin can often be difficult to achieve because of different reasons, mainly in hemodialysis patients.

Background and Objectives: Burnout syndrome is a major challenge among healthcare workers, affecting both mental and physical health. Although stress may influence physiological systems, this study does not directly assess biological mechanisms, and interpretations should remain associative. Stress-related associations may be reflected in body composition, but objective data are limited. This study aims to assess the associations between burnout, body composition, and quality of life in medical staff, using bioimpedance as the main tool. Material and methods: The cross-sectional study included 95 medical staff (36 resident doctors, 13 specialists/consultants, 31 nurses, 15 nursing assistants), 75.8% women, mean age 38 ± 10 years, conducted in the medical and surgical departments of Dr. C.I. Parhon Clinical Hospital, Iași, between January and March 2024. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory; quality of life was evaluated with SF-12; body composition was measured by bioimpedance (BMI, muscle mass, fat mass, bone mass, hydration, basal metabolism, metabolic age). Statistical analyses included ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman correlations. Results: Resident physicians had higher muscle, bone mass and basal metabolism, with lower adipose tissue compared to other categories (p < 0.05). Total burnout and exhaustion were positively correlated with muscle mass (r = 0.247, p = 0.016), bone mass (r = 0.219, p = 0.033), basal metabolism (r = 0.219, p = 0.033) and negatively with QoLM (r = −0.315, p = 0.002). Other body variables, including BMI, total adipose tissue, and water level, showed no significant correlations. These associations may be influenced by age, sex, and professional category and do not imply causality. Conclusions: Age, profession, and work seniority are associated with burnout and specific changes in body composition. However, these findings are correlational, and bioimpedance-derived parameters do not reflect direct biological stress mechanisms.

Insulin resistance (IR) is a well-established metabolic disorder characterized by reduced responsiveness of peripheral tissues to insulin, leading to hyperglycemia and compensatory hyperinsulinemia. Background: In older adults, IR tends to develop gradually and may remain undiagnosed for years due to the insidious nature of the condition, which often lacks overt symptoms. Non-pharmacological interventions refer to the sum of all measures taken in order to improve a certain biological determination or physical parameter and they consist of lifestyle and dietary modifications. Although insulin resistance is recognized as a central mechanism involved in the development of numerous chronic diseases associated with aging, its impact on intrinsic capacity and the mechanisms underlying this relationship are insufficiently synthesized in the literature. In this context, the present narrative review aims to integrate the current evidence on the interaction between insulin resistance and intrinsic capacity, highlighting common biological mechanisms and potential therapeutic and preventive strategies to promote healthy aging. Methods: We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases, screening the literature published between 2010 and January 2026. The search strategy included keywords and Boolean operators in order to refine the suggestions. Relevant articles, reviews, studies and guidelines were selected based on their relevance to the objective of this review. Results and Conclusions: The results of the review highlight that insulin resistance represents a central mechanism contributing to the decline in intrinsic capacity through chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and alteration of the gut microbiota. Current evidence suggests that nutritional interventions, in particular the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, can improve insulin sensitivity by modulating the microbiota and reducing systemic inflammation, with the potential to contribute to maintaining functional capacity and promoting healthy aging.