Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program for urinary tract infections in long-term care facilities: a cluster-controlled intervention study.

Background: Widespread inappropriate use of antimicrobial substances drives resistance development worldwide. In long-term care facilities (LTCF), antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications. More than one third of antimicrobial agents prescribed in LTCFs are for urinary tract infections (UTI).

[Prevention of dementia].

With increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of dementia is increasing worldwide. Dementia is among the greatest challenges for healthcare and social systems of the future. Approximately 40% of newly diagnosed cases of dementia are associated with risk factors that can potentially be influenced by preventive measures.

Sustained Increase in Very Low Influenza Vaccination Coverage in Residents and Healthcare Workers of Long-Term Care Facilities in Austria after Educational Interventions.

Residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are particularly at risk for influenza infections. We aimed to improve influenza vaccination coverage among residents and healthcare workers (HCWs) in four LTCFs by implementing educational programs and enhanced vaccination services. We compared vaccination coverage before and after the interventions (2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons).

[Prevention of dementia].

With increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of dementia is increasing worldwide. Dementia is among the greatest challenges for healthcare and social systems of the future. Approximately 40% of newly diagnosed cases of dementia are associated with risk factors that can potentially be influenced by preventive measures.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Geriatric assessment is a multidimensional and interdisciplinarily deployed diagnostic process to evaluate functional capacities and impairments in geriatric patients. The results of geriatric assessment are the basis for planning of therapeutic interventions in the multidisciplinary geriatrics team. Geriatric assessment adds essential information to the state-of-the-art diagnostic tests, such as physical examination, laboratory tests, or imaging techniques, to acquire a holistic picture about health and functional problems and needs of geriatric patients.

Analysis of COVID-19 outbreaks in 3 long-term care facilities in Graz, Austria.

Background: Nursing homes and long-term care facilities (LTCF) caring for elderly and chronically ill residents are at high risk to experience severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks. We report an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in 3 LTCFs of the Geriatric Health Centres of Graz, Austria lasting from March 22 to April 14, 2020.

Aim: The objectives of our study were: (1) to elucidate contributing factors and transmission pathways of SARS-CoV-2, (2) to analyze symptoms of COVID-19 in the residents and health care workers.

Prospective Surveillance of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Residents in Four Long-Term Care Facilities in Graz, Austria.

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) are a common cause for residents' mortality and morbidity associated with a significant socio-economic burden. Data on HCAIs in Austrian long-term care facilities are scare. Therefore, we evaluated the incidence rate of HCAIs per 1000 resident days in four LTC facilities in Graz, Austria, characterized the spectrum of HCAIs and the use of antimicrobial substances.

Dysbiosis, gut barrier dysfunction and inflammation in dementia: a pilot study.

Background: Dementia is an increasing public health threat worldwide. The pathogenesis of dementia has not been fully elucidated yet. Inflammatory processes are hypothesized to play an important role as a driver for cognitive decline but the origin of inflammation is not clear.

Diabetes Management According to Health Status in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Staying in Geriatric Care Facilities.

Background: About 25% of adults >70 years suffer from type 2 diabetes. Due to the heterogeneity of the geriatric population, guidelines emphasize the need to individualize glycemic goals and simplify treatment strategies with the main focus of avoiding hypoglycemia. The aim of this study was to assess glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes in geriatric care facilities based on their individual health status.

Low prevalence of Clostridium difficile colonization in patients in long-term care facilities in Graz, Austria: A point-prevalence study.

Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic colonization by C. difficile in stool of residents in four long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Graz, Austria and to identify factors associated with colonization.

Methods: We conducted a point-prevalence study in March 2018.

["Memory acute"-treatment concept for inpatient remobilization of acutely ill patients with dementia].

Background: Acute hospitals are generally not designed for people with dementia. Behavioral issues pose the greatest challenge. This article reports on the results of a prospective controlled study designed to assess whether dementia patients benefit from a remobilization strategy in a memory clinic (IG-MA) following hospital discharge.

Optimizing medical care for geriatric patients in Austria: defining a top five list of "Choosing Wisely" recommendations using the Delphi technique.

Purpose: Inappropriate use of diagnostic and therapeutic medical procedures is common and potentially harmful for older patients. The Austrian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology defined a consensus of five recommendations to avoid overuse of medical interventions and to improve care of geriatric patients.

Methods: From an initial pool of 147 reliable recommendations, 20 were chosen by a structured selection process for inclusion in a Delphi process to define a list of five top recommendations for geriatric medicine.

Towards using fNIRS recordings of mental arithmetic for the detection of residual cognitive activity in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC).

Background: Recently, fNIRS has been proposed as a promising approach for awareness detection, and a possible method to establish basic communication in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC).

Aim: Using fNIRS, the present study evaluated the applicability of auditory presented mental-arithmetic tasks in this respect.

Methods: We investigated the applicability of active attention to serial subtractions for awareness detection in ten healthy controls (HC, 21-32 y/o), by comparing the measured patterns to patterns induced by self-performance of the same task.

Effects of an enhanced iron dense foods offering in the daily meals served in geriatric institutions on measures of iron deficiency anemia.

Background: Iron deficiency is one of the most common causes of anemia in geriatric patients. Although the oral iron intake is often inadequate, the potential of iron dense foods in the daily meals of geriatric institutions is rarely considered. To test during a 1- year span whether an improved frequency of iron dense foods in the daily meals has an impact on the oral iron intake, the hemoglobin concentration and anemia prevalence of institutionalized geriatric patients.

MRSA prevalence rates detected in a tertiary care hospital in Austria and successful treatment of MRSA positive patients applying a decontamination regime with octenidine.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decontamination regimens predominantly use chlorhexidine bathing in combination with mupirocin nasal ointment. However, resistances in Staphylococcus aureus strains are increasingly common and there is a need of alternative, safe and feasible protocols. This interventional cohort study performed at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Graz, Austria, aimed to (1) determine MRSA prevalence at different body sites and (2) assess the efficacy of the decontamination using octenidine-based leave-on products added to existing robust infection control measures.

Low prevalence of colonization with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria in long-term care facilities in Graz, Austria.

Background: Residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are increasingly found to be an important reservoir of multidrug-resistant gram-negative (MRGN) bacteria.

Aims: We aimed to determine colonization by MRGN bacteria over 6 months in LTCFs and geriatric wards in Graz, Austria, and to evaluate risk factors for such colonization.

Methods: During August 2015, we conducted a point-prevalence survey at LTCFs and geriatric wards of the Geriatric Health Centers of the City of Graz.

Colonization of long term care facility patients with MDR-Gram-negatives during an outbreak.

Background: We aimed to determine the prevalence of colonization by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria including ESBL-producing enterobacteriaceae, carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, and at two wards caring long term for patients with disorder of consciousness at the Geriatric Health Centers Graz, Austria. During our study we detected two outbreaks.

Methods: In August 2015, we conducted a point-prevalence study.

Evaluation of induced and evoked changes in EEG during selective attention to verbal stimuli.

Background: Two challenges need to be addressed before bringing non-motor mental tasks for brain-computer interface (BCI) control to persons in a minimally conscious state (MCS), who can be behaviorally unresponsive even when proven to be consciously aware: first, keeping the cognitive demands as low as possible so that they could be fulfilled by persons with MCS. Second, increasing the control of experimental protocol (i.e.

An exploratory intervention study suggests clinical benefits of training in chronic stroke to be paralleled by changes in brain activity using repeated fMRI.

Purpose: Previous studies demonstrated changes in sensorimotor network activation over time after stroke that have been interpreted as partly compensatory. Locomotor and balance trainings may improve both mobility and cognition even in chronic stroke and thereby impact on cerebral activation patterns. We here aimed at testing these assumptions in an exploratory study to inform subsequent larger intervention studies.

Improved concept and first results of an auditory single-switch BCI for the future use in disorders of consciousness patients.

A promising approach to establish basic communication for disorders of consciousness (DOC) patients, is the application of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems, especially the use of single-switch BCIs (ssBCIs). Recently we proposed the concept of a novel auditory ssBCI paradigm and presented first classification results. In this study we report on the evaluation of four different modifications of the original paradigm with the intention to increase the suitability.

TP53 Mutational Status and Prediction of Benefit from Adjuvant 5-Fluorouracil in Stage III Colon Cancer Patients.

We investigated the hypothesis that the varying treatment efficacy of adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in stage III colon cancer is linked to the TP53 mutational status. ABCSG-90 was a prospective randomized trial in which effect of adjuvant 5FU was studied in stage III colon cancer patients. Tumor material of 70% of these patients (389/572) was available for analysis of the biomarker TP53 using a TP53-gene-specific Sanger sequencing protocol.

Detection of mental imagery and attempted movements in patients with disorders of consciousness using EEG.

Further development of an EEG based communication device for patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) could benefit from addressing the following gaps in knowledge-first, an evaluation of different types of motor imagery; second, an evaluation of passive feet movement as a mean of an initial classifier setup; and third, rapid delivery of biased feedback. To that end we investigated whether complex and/or familiar mental imagery, passive, and attempted feet movement can be reliably detected in patients with DoC using EEG recordings, aiming to provide them with a means of communication. Six patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) took part in this study.

The predictive value of serum soluble E-cadherin levels in breast cancer patients undergoing preoperative systemic chemotherapy.

Objectives: To date, no reliable markers are available to predict response to or to assess prognosis after preoperative systemic chemotherapy (PST) in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Previous studies demonstrated that elevated levels of soluble E-cadherin (sE-cadherin), a product of proteolytic cleavage of cell surface E-cadherin, are associated with higher risk for metastatic disease and poor prognosis in various tumor types. We, therefore, hypothesized that serum sE-cadherin levels measured before PST may correlate with pathological response.

[Mobile geriatric consultant services for rest homes. Study of the effects of consultations by internal medicine specialists in the medical care of rest home residents].

Background: Hospital admissions are frequent among long-term residents of nursing homes and can result in detrimental complications affecting the patients' somatic, psychological, and cognitive status. In this prospective controlled study, we investigated the effects of a mobile geriatric consultant service (GECO) offered by specialists in internal medicine on frequency of hospitalizations in nursing home residents.

Methods: During a 10-month observation period, residents in a control nursing home received medical attendance by general practitioners as is common in Austrian nursing homes.

IL-7, IL-18, MCP-1, MIP1-β, and OPG as biomarkers for pain treatment response in patients with cancer.

Background: Pain is one of the most common symptoms in patients suffering from advanced cancer and receiving palliative care and is often responsible for a poor quality of life. To date, there exists no published correlation between biological, measurable biomarkers and pain intensity.

Objectives: The primary objective was to search and identify pain-associated cytokines (biomarkers) correlating with changes in numeric rating scale (NRS) pain scores in patients with cancer before and after pain treatment.