Use of technology by people with dementia and informal carers during COVID-19: A cross-country comparison.

Objectives: Considering the adverse outcomes of COVID-19, it is essential to provide adequate support and care for people with dementia and informal carers. Technology can reduce the distress associated with social distancing rules and the decreased access to in-person services. This study aimed to explore the use of technology and its perceived effects across different settings and countries.

Comparison of dynamic susceptibility contrast enhanced MR and FDG-PET brain studies in patients with Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare Dynamic Susceptibility Contrast Enhanced MRI (DSC-MRI) and PET with [18F]flurodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI).

Methods: Twenty-seven age-and sex-matched patients with AD, 39 with aMCI and 16 controls underwent brain DSC-MRI followed by FDG-PET. Values of relative Cerebral Blood Volume (rCBV) and rCBV z-scores from frontal, temporal, parietal and PCG cortices were correlated with the rate of glucose metabolism from PET.

A qualitative 5-country comparison of the perceived impacts of COVID-19 on people living with dementia and unpaid carers.

Background: Emerging evidence shows an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with dementia and informal carers, without any evidence-based global comparison to date. The aim of this international study was to explore and compare the perceived impact of COVID-19 and associated public health restrictions on the lives of people living with dementia and informal carers and access to dementia care across five countries.

Methods: Informal carers and people living with dementia who were residing in the community in the UK, Australia, Italy, India, and Poland were interviewed remotely between April and December 2020.

The Experiences of People with Dementia and Informal Carers Related to the Closure of Social and Medical Services in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Qualitative Study.

Older people with dementia are particularly at risk of COVID-19; however, relatively little is known about the indirect impact of the pandemic on the lives of those living with, and/or caring for someone with, dementia. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of people with dementia and informal carers during the closure of available social and medical services in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with people with dementia ( = 5) and informal carers ( = 21) was performed between June and August 2020 after the first wave of COVID-19 in Poland.

The improvement of cognitive deficits after whole-body cryotherapy - A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) - a repetitive, short-term exposure to extremely low temperatures - may become an effective early intervention for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). It is a heterogeneous group of symptoms associated with cognitive dysfunction which is estimated to transform into dementia in 50% cases.

Study Design: The prospective randomised double-blind sham-controlled study aimed to determine the efficacy of WBC on cognitive functioning and biological mechanisms.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the population with dementia. Recommendations under the auspices of the Polish Psychiatric Association.

SARS-CoV-2 poses a particular risk to the elderly and people with many comorbidities. In the case of people with dementia, the compliance with sanitary recommendations and the necessary physical isolation can have far-reaching negative consequences in terms of limiting the continuation of tailored care, support and treatment. The recommendations related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic must take into account not only the medical consequences of lack of access to medical care, but also their long-term effects and the disease progression in accordance with the concept of social health.

Needs of Older People Attending Day Care Centres in Poland.

Introduction: Day care centres (DCC) aim to support older adults living in their own homes by providing a variety of activities to promote the independence of those people and reduce the caregiver's burden. In Poland, there are no standards for providing this form of care. The provided care is delivered by different organisations, and there is a lack of quality control in the majority of places.

Efficacy of the Whole-Body Cryotherapy as Add-on Therapy to Pharmacological Treatment of Depression-A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Accumulating evidence indicates the effectiveness of cryogenic temperature interventions in rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and chronic low back pain. The application of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) in psychiatric aspects of medicine was also noted. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms explaining the beneficial effect of WBC on mood disorders remain unclear.

The Improvement of Memory Deficits after Whole-Body Cryotherapy - The First Report.

Background: Mild Cognitive Impairments (MCI) and dementia are still incurable. The Whole-Body Cryotherapy (WBC) - short, cyclic exposure to extremely low temperatures - has proven anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. It can also induce hormonal, lipid and neural changes.

Type 3 Diabetes Mellitus: A Novel Implication of Alzheimers Disease.

The brain of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) showed the evidence of reduced expression of insulin and neuronal insulin receptors, as compared with those of age-matched controls. This event gradually and certainly leads to a breakdown of the entire insulin-signaling pathway, which manifests insulin resistance. This in turn affects brain metabolism and cognitive functions, which are the bestdocumented abnormalities in AD.

Late-life Depression and Alzheimer Disease: A Potential Synergy of the Underlying Mechanisms.

A number of biological and clinical characteristics typical of late life depression (LLD) have been suggested by recent research findings. The close association of LLD with cognitive impairment is now well documented and evidenced. However, it is still not clear whether it is depression that leads to cognitive decline, and in more severe cases, to dementia.

Evaluation of the posterior cingulate region with FDG-PET and advanced MR techniques in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment: comparison of the methods.

Background: The posterior cingulate region is an area of the earliest pathological changes in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). The utility of FDG-PET imaging in dementia is already well established.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare FDG-PET with advanced MR measurements: MR spectroscopy (MRS), perfusion weighted imaging (PWI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) within the posterior cingulate region in patients with aMCI.

Quantitative evaluation of changes in the selected white matter tracts using diffusion tensor imaging in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

This study evaluated the damage to the extensive range of white matter tracts in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Thirty-four patients with AD (mean age 71.5 yrs, MMSE 17.

Multimodal imaging in diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment: value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, perfusion, and diffusion tensor imaging of the posterior cingulate region.

The purpose of this study was to assess metabolic, perfusion, and microstructural changes within the posterior cingulate area in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) using advanced MR techniques such as: spectroscopy (MRS), perfusion weighted imaging (PWI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Thirty patients with AD (mean age 71.5 y, MMSE 18), 23 with aMCI (mean age 66 y, MMSE 27.

Assessment of degradation of the selected projectile, commissural and association brain fibers in patients with Alzheimer's disease on diffusion tensor MR imaging.

Background: Pathological examinations and the increasingly popular diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) show that in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the pathology involves not only the cortical and hippocampal structures, but also the white matter of the brain. DTI is a well recognized technique for evaluation of the integrity of white matter fibers. The aim of this study was to assess with the use of DTI some selected brain tracts in patients with AD, as well as to analyze the severity and distribution of the identified changes.

[Infection or allergic reaction to carbamazepine? Diagnostic complications].

The paper presents the case report of a patient diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, treated with carbamazepine. During the treatment symptoms of the infection of upper respiratory tract appeared, which evolved to allergic symptoms and then to morbilli-like and mumps-like symptoms. The patient was hospitalized due to this disorder for two weeks, in the beginning on an isolation ward and then was diagnosed and treated on a dermatological ward.

Does perfusion CT enable differentiating Alzheimer's disease from vascular dementia and mixed dementia? A preliminary report.

Unlabelled: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of perfusion CT (pCT) in differentiating Alzheimer's disease (AD) from vascular dementia (VaD) and mixed dementia (MixD). pCT was performed in 41 patients (mean age, 68.3 years): 24 with AD, 8 with VaD, and 9 with MixD.

[Course of the EDEN study by using participants' flow sheets].

Unlabelled: The development of science allows us to take up new investigative challenges. Interpretations of results can be difficult if there is no adequate and complete information about investigative methods applied, course of trial and statistical analyses. The CONSORT group proposed a standardized diagram facilitating an accurate presentation of the randomised trial.

[Characteristics of psychiatric day hospitals in Poland--results of a questionnaire survey].

Aim: The survey was aimed at describing the characteristics and therapeutic means offered and the organizational structure of Polish day hospitals for adults as well the as characteristics of patients treated there. It was part of a wider international project carried out within a 5 EC Framework Program and focused on evaluation of costs and effectiveness of day hospital treatment when set against conventional stationary treatment in different European health care systems.

Method: Data concerning the year 2000 were gathered using a self-designed questionnaire sent to respondents by post.

[Presentation of the cost-effectiveness technique questionnaire--the possibility of the Polish adaptation].

An increase of interest of cost-effectiveness begins from 1999 when act about general insurance was in force. The same situation was observed a few years ago in Europe. It was the reason why created and standardized questionnaire: European Service of Mapping Schedule--(ESMS)--for describing mental health system, European Socio--Demographic Schedule--(ESDS)--for presentation sociodemographic situation, The International Classification of Mental Health Care--(ICMHC)--questionnaire used to assess therapeutic process and Client Service Receipt Inventory--(CSRI)--for estimate cost-effectiveness.

["European Service Mapping Schedule" (ESMS)--instrument used to describe the structure of mental health care].

There is many changes in psychiatric service last years. In deinstitutionalization process arising new diversified and wide integrated psychiatric services. Traditional names lose significance for example: open or stationary care.

[Evaluation of prevalence of emotional low self esteem and neurosis in Poland in 1996].

The paper presents psychiatric problems included in national, health interview survey, recommended by the WHO, carried out by the Central Statistical Office in Poland in 1996. Authors are going to estimate the prevalence of a bad frame of mind and neurosis among Polish adult people and try to appoint the relationships between psychiatric disorders and gender and place of residence. We estimated results in 49 provinces.

[An estimate of family doctor's knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of depression and anxiety disorders].

Depression is more widespread than hypertension. Nevertheless, physicians specialized in family medicine did not have knowledge necessary to diagnose and treat depression and anxiety disorders. Only six persons out of fifty five who filled in the questionnaire could recognize depression correctly (ICD-10 criteria).

[Frame of mind among Polish population in research carried out by the Central Statistical Office: initial analysis].

The authors are going to estimate the prevalence poor frame of mind and neurosis among Polish adult people, and try to appoint the relationships between psychiatric disorders and gender, age, civil status, education and maintenance. The questionnaire contains questions about quality of sleep, possibility to fix one's attention on acting, inner tension, self-confidence. Almost 1/4 of women and 18% of men have poor frame of mind.