Empirical antibiotic therapy (ABT) of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in the elderly: application of artificial neural network (ANN). Preliminary results.

LRTI are among the most common diseases in developed countries, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), one of the most frequent conditions. Their treatment in general practice is often unsuccessful and this increases hospital admissions. We know, bacterial infections in the elderly show a higher morbidity and mortality, either for more severe symptoms, than in younger adults, or because the causing agent often remains unknown.

Self-administrated test based on the Marigliano-Cacciafesta Polypathological Scale (MCPS), as a screening tool for early identification of frailty in the elderly: a cohort study.

The aim of our study was to screen people of advanced age for "frailty", and illnesses, in order to prevent future disabilities through interventions made globally and individually to these patients. Applying the items such as those of the Marigliano-Cacciafesta Polypathological Scale (MCPS), we utilized a completely multi-dimensional evaluation. We have elaborated a series of simple and comprehensive questions enabling all participants to answer independently and easily.

Exaggerated morning blood pressure surge and cardiovascular events. A 5-year longitudinal study in normotensive and well-controlled hypertensive elderly.

Cardiovascular events (CE) occur most frequently in the morning hours in hypertensive subjects. We studied the association between the morning blood pressure (BP) surge and CE in prognosis of 10 normotensive and 32 well-controlled hypertensive elderly, in whom ambulatory BP monitoring was performed and who were followed prospectively for 5 years. The morning surge (MS) of BP was calculated as mean systolic BP during 2h after awakening--mean systolic BP during 1h that included the lowest sleep BP.