Reducing hospital bed use by frail older people: results from a systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: Numerous studies have been conducted in developed countries to evaluate the impact of interventions designed to reduce hospital admissions or length of stay (LOS) amongst frail older people. In this study, we have undertaken a systematic review of the recent international literature (2007-present) to help improve our understanding about the impact of these interventions.

Methods: WE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED THE FOLLOWING DATABASES: PubMed/Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, BioMed Central and Kings Fund library.

Advances in spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.

Objectives:   To assess the evidence and available literature on the clinical, pathogenetic, prognostic and therapeutic aspects of intracerebral haemorrhage.

Methods:   The most important manuscripts and reviews on the subject were considered. Information was collected from Medline, Embase & National Library of Medicine over the last 40 years up to Oct 2011.

Freezing of gait in older people: associated conditions, clinical aspects, assessment and treatment.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling condition in older people. It is common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other parkinsonian syndromes. The assessment of this condition poses challenges due to its episodic and transient nature and its frequent association with cognitive impairment.

Malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.

'Malignant MCA infarction' is the term used to describe rapid neurological deterioration due to the effects of space occupying cerebral oedema following middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory stroke. Early neurological decline and symptoms such as headache and vomiting should alert the clinician to this syndrome, supported by radiological evidence of cerebral oedema and mass effect in the context of large hemispheric infarction. The prognosis is generally poor, and death usually occurs as a result of transtentorial herniation and brainstem compression.

Drug induced parkinsonism: a common cause of parkinsonism in older people.

Drug induced parkinsonism is the second most common cause of parkinsonism in older people after idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Risk factors for developing drug induced parkinsonism include: older age; female gender; dose and duration of treatment; type of agent used; cognitive impairment; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); tardive dyskinesia; and pre-existing extrapyramidal disorder. In most patients parkinsonism is reversible upon stopping the offending drug, though it may take several months to resolve fully and in some patients it may even persist.