COVID-19 represents a threat to public health and the mental health of the aged population. Prevalence and risk factors of depression and anxiety have been reported in previous reviews in other populations; however, a systematic review on the factors associated with depression and anxiety in older adults is not currently present in the literature. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest Psychology Database, Science Direct, Cochrane Library and SciELO databases (23 February 2021). The results were obtained by entering a combination of MeSH or Emtree terms with keywords related to COVID-19, elderly, depression and anxiety in the databases. A total of 11 studies were included in the systematic review. Female gender, loneliness, poor sleep quality and poor motor function were identified as factors associated with both depression and anxiety. Aspects related to having a stable and high monthly income represent protective factors for both depression and anxiety, and exercising was described as protective for depression. This study synthesised information and analysed the main factors associated with depression and anxiety in the older population during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the cross-sectional design of most of the included studies does not allow a causal relationship between the factors analysed and depression or anxiety.

Background/Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of two upper limb neurodynamic test 1 (ULNT1) sequences for detecting carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in patients with unilateral symptoms. The standard sequence (ULNT1-STD) and a distal-to-proximal sequence (ULNT1-DIST) were investigated. A local-initiated sequence may facilitate symptoms reproduction in CTS, and comparing the affected side with the unaffected side could improve the detection of altered median nerve mechanosensitivity when symptoms are not directly reproduced. Methods: A total of 134 consecutive patients with clinically suspected unilateral CTS were recruited. Nerve conduction studies were used as a reference test. Results: When considering only symptom reproduction as the criterion for a positive test, ULNT1-STD showed a sensitivity of 0.398 and a specificity of 0.780 (positive likelihood ratio [+LR]: 1.81; negative likelihood ratio [−LR]: 0.77); whereas ULNT1-DIST demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.548 with a specificity of 0.732 (+LR: 2.04; −LR: 0.62). When a positive test was defined by symptom reproduction or inter-limb asymmetry (in range of motion or sensory response), ULNT1-STD showed an improved sensitivity of 0.613 but a reduced specificity of 0.537 (+LR: 1.32; −LR: 0.72). In comparison, ULNT1-DIST increased its sensitivity to 0.871 with a specificity of 0.683 (+LR: 2.75; −LR: 0.19). Conclusions: ULNT1-DIST offers better diagnostic accuracy for CTS compared to the ULNT1-STD sequence, especially when interlimb asymmetries in range of motion or sensory response are considered. However, side-to-side comparisons have reduced utility in cases with bilateral symptoms, limiting their application in clinical practice.