Telemonitoring in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (CHROMED). A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Rationale: Early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations using telemonitoring of physiological variables might reduce the frequency of hospitalization.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of home monitoring of lung mechanics by the forced oscillation technique and cardiac parameters in older patients with COPD and comorbidities.

Methods: This multicenter, randomized clinical trial recruited 312 patients with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease grades II to IV COPD (median age, 71 yr [interquartile range, 66-76 yr]; 49.

A Robotic Solution for Assisting People with MCI at Home: Preliminary Tests of the ENRICHME System.

Robots have the potential to support care and independence of older adults. The ENRICHME project is developing an integrated system composed of a robot, sensors and a networking care platform, aiming at assisting older adults with MCI in their home environment. This paper reports findings of the tests performed on a sample of MCI users and their caregivers, with the first version of the ENRICHME system, in a controlled environment.

Otoprotection in guinea pigs exposed to pesticides and ginkgo biloba.

Unlabelled: Pesticides are widely used in agriculture, despite the risk of hearing loss related to the exposure to their chemical components. This study looks into protective drugs to counteract the ototoxicity of pesticides.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the effect ginkgo biloba extract may have in protecting against possible cochlear damage caused by organophosphate pesticides (methamidophos).

CHRONIOUS: an open, ubiquitous and adaptive chronic disease management platform for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal insufficiency.

CHRONIOUS is an highly innovative Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) research Initiative that aspires to implement its vision for ubiquitous health and lifestyle monitoring. The 17 European project partners are strictly working together since February 2008 to realize and open platform to manage and monitor elderly patients with chronic diseases and many difficulties to reach hospital centers for routine controls. The testing activities will be done in Italy and Spain involving COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) patients, these being widespread and highly expensive in terms of social and economic costs.

Results of brainstem evoked response in patients with vestibular complaints.

Unlabelled: Otoneurological evaluations are based on tests which investigate auditory and vestibular disorders, including brainstem evoked auditory potentials and vecto-electronystagmography.

Aim: to describe the results from the otoneurological assessment of patients with vestibulocochlear complaints, normal hearing individuals and patients with hearing loss, and we will compare them to a control group.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional, retrospective, observational study, held with 56 dizzy patients assessed by means of audiometry, vecto-electronystagmography and brainstem evoked auditory potential, broken down into Group A, with 31 normal-hearing individuals and Group B with 25 hearing loss patients, compared to the control group made up of ten normal-hearing asymptomatic individuals.

Organophosphate-related ototoxicity: Description of the vestibulocochlear system ultrastructural aspects of guinea pigs.

Unlabelled: Organophosphate toxic agents are used in agriculture and are currently part of the group of toxic agents which can lead to hearing loss, in which we have solvents, metals and asphyxiation agents.

Aim: To analyze the acute ototoxic action of a group of organophosphate agents in the vestibulo-cochlear system. This is a prospective experimental study.