Health and social care of home-dwelling frail older adults in Switzerland: a mixed methods study.

Background: Home-dwelling frail older adults are often faced with multimorbidity and complex care needs, requiring health and social care systems that support frail older adults to age in place. The objective of this paper was to investigate the types of formal health and social care as well as informal care and social support used by home-dwelling frail older adults; whether they perceive their support as sufficient; and their experience with and preferences for care and support.

Methods: Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, we first conducted a secondary analysis of a subset of cross-sectional data from the ImplemeNtation of a community-baSed care Program for home dwelling senIoR citizEns (INSPIRE) population survey using descriptive analysis.

Surgical treatment of tumours and metastases of the spine by minimally invasive cavity-coblation method.

Tumours and metastases of the spine are extremely stressful for patients, especially for elderly multimorbid patients. The modern cavity/coblation method offers a very good therapeutic alternative for such patients. The goal of this article was to evaluate and present the characteristics, significance, opportunities, issues of the minimum invasive cavity/coblation method as well as the results of the treatment of 302 patients with vertebral tumours and metastases.

Treatment of tumors and metastases of the spine by minimally invasive CAVITY-coblation method (plasma field therapy).

Background: A radical surgery of spine metastases is not possible in many cases, especially by elder multi morbid patients. The modern CAVITY/coblation method offers a very good therapeutic alternative for such patients. The goal of this paper was to evaluate and present the method as well as the results of the treatment of 302 patients with vertebral tumors/metastases.

Correlation between 3D microstructural and 2D histomorphometric properties of subchondral bone with healthy and degenerative cartilage of the knee joint.

Cartilage degeneration of the knee joint is considered to be a largely mechanically driven process. We conducted a microstructural and histomorphometric analysis of subchondral bone samples of intact cartilage and in samples with early and higher- grade arthritic degeneration to compare the different states and correlate the findings with the condition of hyaline cartilage. These findings will enable us to evaluate changes in biomechanical properties of subchondral bone during the evolution of arthritic degeneration, for which bone density alone is an insufficient parameter.

Semiquantitative analysis of ECM molecules in the different cartilage layers in early and advanced osteoarthritis of the knee joint.

The study was conducted to examine the expression of collagen type I and II in the different cartilage layers in relation to other ECM molecules during the progression of early osteoarthritic degeneration in human articular cartilage (AC). Quantitative real-time (RT)-PCR and colorimetrical techniques were used for calibration of Photoshop-based image analysis in detecting such lesions. Immunohistochemistry and histology were performed with 40 cartilage tissue samples showing mild (ICRS grade 1b) respectively moderate/advanced (ICRS grade 3a or 3b) (20 each) osteoarthritis compared with 15 healthy biopsies.

Changes in content and synthesis of collagen types and proteoglycans in osteoarthritis of the knee joint and comparison of quantitative analysis with Photoshop-based image analysis.

Introduction: The different cartilage layers vary in synthesis of proteoglycan and of the distinct types of collagen with the predominant collagen Type II with its associated collagens, e.g. types IX and XI, produced by normal chondrocytes.

Effects of electroconvulsive therapy on regional cerebral blood flow measured by 99mtechnetium HMPAO SPECT.

Decreased cerebral blood flow is documented in depression. In this study, 15 patients were studied with 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT before and after a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Improvement in frontal and temporal hypoperfusion was seen only in those patients who responded to ECT.