Intervention to improve social and family support for caregivers of dependent patients: ICIAS study protocol.

Background: Despite the existence of formal professional support services, informal support (mainly family members) continues to be the main source of eldercare, especially for those who are dependent or disabled. Professionals on the primary health care are the ideal choice to educate, provide psychological support, and help to mobilize social resources available to the informal caregiver.Controversy remains concerning the efficiency of multiple interventions, taking a holistic approach to both the patient and caregiver, and optimum utilization of the available community resources.

Nurse-driven training courses: impact on implementation of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

Background: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) predicts cardiovascular risk and identifies white-coat and masked hypertension, efficacy of treatment and the circadian cycle of hypertensive patients.

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of ABPM implementation thoughtout a nurse-driven training program.

Materials And Methodology: Twenty eight professionals were involved in the study carried out in the primary care center of the metropolitan area of Barcelona that serves 34,289 inhabitants.

Neurocognitive deficits and personality traits among euthymic patients with mood disorders in late life.

Background: Previous studies revealed that acute depressive episodes are associated with both cognitive deficits and modified personality patterns in late life. Whether or not these psychological changes are present after remission remains a matter of debate. To date, no study provided concomitant assessment of cognition and psychological functions in this particular clinical setting.

Volumetric MRI changes, cognition and personality traits in old age depression.

Background: The presence of cognitive and structural deficits in euthymic elderly depressed patients remains a matter of debate. Integrative aetiological models assessing concomitantly these parameters as well as markers of psychological vulnerability such as persistent personality traits, are still lacking for this age group.

Methods: Cross-sectional comparisons of 38 elderly remitted patients with early-onset depression (EOD) and 62 healthy controls included detailed neuropsychological assessment, estimates of brain volumes in limbic areas and white matter hyperintensities, as well as evaluation of the Five-Factor personality dimensions.