Communication skills in nursing home residents with dementia : Results of a prospective intervention study over 21 months.

Background: The dementia syndrome compromises effective communication and may thus lead to social isolation, psychological distress and decreased quality of life. It is therefore of importance to maintain communication capacity in dementia as long as possible.

Material And Methods: A total of 24 professional caregivers from 8 nursing homes were assigned to train 254 of their respective colleagues using the train-the-trainer program MultiTANDEMplus.

[Psychosocial factors in the prevention of pain].

The question of pain prevention is becoming increasingly important, both in society and in science. According to the International Society for the Study of Pain, general areas for which pain prevention measures can be recommended have been defined. These approaches are mostly limited to unspecific recommendations with the aim of improving general health behaviour.

Neurocognitive Deficits and Effects of Cognitive Reserve in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background/aims: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a frequent syndrome in the older population, which involves an increased risk to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD). The latter can be modified by the cognitive reserve, which can be operationalized by the length of school education. MCI can be differentiated into four subtypes according to the cognitive domains involved: amnestic MCI, multiple-domain amnestic MCI, non-amnestic MCI and multiple-domain non-amnestic MCI.

Pharmacological properties of 2,3,3a,4,5,6-hexahydro-8-methyl-1H-pyrazino [3,2,1-j,k]carbazol hydrochloride (pirlindole), a new antidepressant.

The hydrochloride salt of 2,3,3a,4,5,6-hexahydro-8-methyl-1H-pyrazino[3,2,1-j,k]carbazol hydrochloride (pirlindole) exerts pharmacological effects typical of antidepressants. This compound antagonizes the depressant effects of reserpine and tetrabenazine and potentiates the central effects of amphetamine and l-dopa. It also enhances the head-twitch effect of 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, the effects of noradrenaline, adrenaline, serotonin, tyramine on blood pressure as well as the hypertensive and tremor activities of tryptamine.