[ALEE-AO: epidemiologic and economic atlas of hospital activities in Lombardy].

This paper describes the main characteristics of a data processing system that is available through the Internet and that is used to process epidemiological and economic data, predominantly from a geographical viewpoint, starting from the hospital discharge abstracts of the Lombardy Region. Technical aspects of the system are briefly reviewed, including epidemiological-statistical aspects (incidence, prevalence, variety of diagnoses, indicators, controlling for statistical variability, etc.) and aspects relating to information systems (hardware platform, software environment, Internet access and security problems, original database, etc).

Motor score of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale as a good predictor of Lewy body-associated neuronal loss in the substantia nigra.

Background: How well the motor symptoms assessed by the motor section of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS3) reflect the neuronal loss observed in the substantia nigra is not known.

Objective: To study the relationships among the motor symptoms assessed by the UPDRS3, Lewy body-associated neuronal loss in the substantia nigra, and duration of disease.

Design: Longitudinal, prospective, clinicopathological study.

Risk factors for deep vein thrombosis in inpatients aged 65 and older: a case-control multicenter study.

Objectives: To identify independent risk factors of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in geriatric inpatients and to define high-risk patients likely to benefit from preventive treatment.

Design: Hospital-based case-control multicenter study with prospective data collection.

Settings: Geriatric university hospitals with long-, intermediate-, and short-term care facilities.

[Neuropathology of the cerebral vessels of centenarians].

Neuropathological study of brain and brain vessels was performed in two series of 12 and 20 centenarians, focusing on the prevalence of small vessel lesions, infarction, Alzheimer's changes and mental status. These are discussed as a function of vascular risk factors. In the first series (12 cases), there was no correlation between the severity of small vessel lesions: hyalinosis (12/12), mineralisation (10/12), amyloid angiopathy (9/12), vascular risk factors (high blood pressure or diabetes), Alzheimer's lesions.

[Epidemiology and management of suspected pneumonia in nursing home residents].

Objective: We conducted a descriptive epidemiology study to examine the conditions of management of infectious lung disease in institutionalized elderly populations (population profile, diagnostic and therapeutic modalities) and to analyze the general and mental consequences in terms of independence (impact of the infectious event on the subject's life style).

Patients And Methods: A pragmatic survey was conducted by a multicentric observatory composed of 573 general practitioners, practicing in nursing homes. The series included 1790 patients aged over 70 years and residing in nursing homes who developed infectious lung disease over a 10-month period.