ApoE4 and late onset depression in Indian population.

Objective: ApoE4 is a 'risk factor' for cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's dementia, and Late Onset Depression (LOD) is a forerunner of dementia. There is thus a need to study the association between ApoE4 allele and LOD.

Method: The study assessed the frequency of ApoE4 allele in 31 cases of LOD above the age of 50 years and 31 matched controls.

A prognostic model predicting recovery of walking independence of elderly patients after hip-fracture surgery. An experiment in a rehabilitation unit in Northern Italy.

Unlabelled: A score for identifying post-hip-fracture surgery patients at various levels (high, medium, and low) of risk for unsuccessful recovery of pre-fracture walking ability was developed. Three hundred ninety-eight HF patients were enrolled in the study. The score significantly and independently predicted failure to walk independently at discharge, failure to walk independently after 12 months, and death after 12 months.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in an elderly patient with severe Alzheimer's disease: a case report.

We report on an 80-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease who presented with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. As usual for this condition, our patient showed clinical symptoms of chest pain, electrocardiographic changes, elevated myocardial markers, and transient left ventricular apical ballooning in the absence of significant coronary artery disease. Because Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is frequently associated with emotional stress, which triggers an increase in circulating catecholamines, our case suggests that this event should not be neglected in Alzheimer's disease patients and promotes the adoption of a "prosthetic" approach for individuals with dementia.

The complex relationship between depression and dementia.

Dementia and depression are mental health problems that are commonly encountered in neuropsychiatric practice in the elderly. Approximately, half of the patients with late-onset depression have cognitive impairment. The prevalence of depression in dementias has been reported to be between 9 and 68%.

Is there a familial overlap between dementia and other psychiatric disorders?

Background: Cognitive and psychiatric features are important components of dementia. Early onset dementia (EOD) has been found to be associated with a greater genetic basis. If this is the case, EOD could have genetic association with psychiatric illnesses, given the presence of more behavioral disturbances in this condition.

A comparison between two co-managed geriatric programmes for hip fractured elderly patients.

Background And Aims: Hip fracture in older people is an event associated with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. In this study we compared the clinical outcomes of two groups of orthogeriatric patients in an orthogeriatric care (OC) programme. The OC course, developed into the GeriatricWard, starts from the Emergency Department (OC-1, n=174) or from the Orthopaedic Department after surgery (OC-2, n=87).

Overview of Chinese research on senile dementia in mainland China.

Studies of senile dementia (SD) on the Chinese mainland, done over the decades, have furthered the understanding of its epidemiology, basic and clinical medical aspects, and effects on health economics, to name a few areas. There are 6-7 million Chinese people with SD, with an incidence of 5-7% of people over 65 years of age. In this group, Alzheimer's accounts for 50-60% of SD.

Evaluation of operative risk in elderly patients undergoing aortic valve replacement: the predictive value of operative risk scores.

Objectives: An increasing number of elderly patients develop aortic valve disease requiring surgery. Operative risk scores are currently used to identify patients at high operative risk who may benefit from interventional treatment options. The aim of this study was to analyze the predictive value of these risk scores in geriatric patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

Falls in aged people of the Chinese mainland: epidemiology, risk factors and clinical strategies.

Falls are a common and serious problem for aged people, causing an enormous amount of morbidity, mortality and burden to both the immediate family and the society in terms of healthcare utilization and costs. In the Chinese mainland, epidemiological data indicates a predilection for single falls, with women more at risk than men. A variety of risk factors such as weakness, unsteady gait, mental confusion and use of certain medications are associated with falls in the elderly.

Does functional change predict the course of improvement in geriatric inpatient rehabilitation?

Objective: The evaluation of rehabilitation success as measured by different tools is becoming increasingly important in terms of time and money allocation. We wanted to know whether functional change in the first week predicts subsequent improvement in a geriatric inpatient rehabilitation clinic.

Design: Observational longitudinal study.

Cerebral infratentorial large B-cell lymphoma presenting as Parkinsonism.

Though rare, primary intracranial tumors can present with Parkinsonian symptoms, and diagnosis can be delayed unless there is a high index of suspicion. We herein present an 81-year-old man who was seen in our neurology clinic due to acute onset of unsteady gait and altered consciousness. Parkinsonism was initially diagnosed because of the typical manifestations.

Is Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE) undertreated in patients affected by dementia?

A 80-year-old woman with a history of severe degenerative dementia, with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), COPD and hypertension, was admitted to our hospital (Geriatric Unit, University Hospital of Parma) for an acute change in her cognitive status, with stupor status. The clinical question was: "What is the cause of this rapid worsening of cognitive and mental condition in a demented patient?" A diagnosis of Non-Convulsive Status Epilecticus (NCSE), defined by behavioral or cognitive changes from a patient's baseline state of functioning, with seizure activity on EEG, should be considered when patients with severe dementia are admitted to hospital. It is sufficient for the diagnosis of NCSE to be suspected and not strictly confirmed to start preliminary treatment with an antiepileptic drug.

Serial position effect in a free recall task: differences between probable dementia of Alzheimer type (PDAT), vascular (VaD) and mixed etiology dementia (MED).

Here we report an investigation on the serial position effect (SPE) in elderly patients with early dementia due to different etiologies. The Rey's 15 words test has been used to evaluate whether different types of dementia show different patterns of immediate and delayed recall and of learning process. Ninety-four patients were recruited from the Geriatric Clinic of Padua.

A retrospective pilot study on the development of cognitive, behavioral and functional disorders in a sample of patients with early dementia of Alzheimer type.

This pilot study retrospectively analyzes the evolution of cognitive-behavioral symptoms and functional autonomy in a sample of patients with early diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). One hundred patients with early mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were considered and submitted to a multidimensional evaluation: the 53% presented probable AD. These 53 subjects were evaluated for cognitive performance by using the mini mental examination (MMSE), behavioral functions by the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI) and functional dependence by the activities of daily living (ADL) and the instrumental ADL (IADL) scales at basal time and after 6-12 months.

Standard treatment of female patients with breast cancer decreases substantially for women aged 70 years and older: a German clinical cohort study.

Background: Standard treatment of patients with breast cancer decreases with age and older persons are mostly excluded from clinical trials. We hypothesized that non-adherence to treatment guidelines occurs for women aged > or =70 years and changes overall survival (OAS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 1922 women aged > or =50 years with histologically confirmed invasive breast cancer treated at the University of Ulm from 1992 to 2005.

Standardized care plans in Swedish health care: their quality and the extent to which they are used.

Objectives: To investigate the quality of standardized care plans and the extent to which they are used within Swedish in-hospital somatic care. Further, to examine the quality of the knowledge summaries on which existing standardized care plans were supposed to be based.

Design: Submitted documents were reviewed with study-specific protocols.

Applicability of 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale to detect depression in elderly medical outpatients.

Elder depressives approach physicians for their medical problems, but the detection of their depression is poor. This study aimed to explore the screening for depressive symptoms using a 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in medical clinics. The study was carried out in outpatient setting of geriatric clinic of tertiary care hospital using the Hindi version of GDS-15.

Human neural precursor cells continue to proliferate and exhibit low cell death after transplantation to the injured rat spinal cord.

During the last decade, the interest in stem and progenitor cells, and their applications in spinal cord injuries have steadily increased. However, little is known about proliferation and cell death mechanisms in these cells after transplantation to the spinal cord. The aim of the present project was to study cell turn-over, i.

Prevalence of chronic diseases risk factors among persons attending six administrative courses in the Army Training Command area in 2006.

Background: The chronic diseases prevalence tends to increase worldwide and the risk factors are identified and reduced.

Objective: To survey the prevalence of chronic diseases risk factors among persons attending 6 administrative courses in the Army Training Command area in 2006 and compare with results of the former study.

Material And Method: All persons attending the 6 courses were asked to answer the questionnaires.

Personality and health in middle age as predictors for well-being and health in old age.

In research literature, the question to what extent specific personality traits and health functioning in midlife can predict physical and psychological well-being in old age is still discussed controversially. The present study aims to shed light on this issue by using data from the Basel Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Structural equation modelling was performed in order to test the relation between personality dimensions, namely, self-preoccupation and emotional reactivity, as well as cardiovascular functioning (blood pressure) and medication intake (tranquilizer use) in middle age on psychological and physical well-being and health as assessed in old age 24 years later.

The effect of smoking in midlife on health-related quality of life in old age: a 26-year prospective study.

Background: Smoking shortens life expectancy by 7 to 10 years. However, it is unclear whether the enhanced longevity of nonsmokers produces increased disability and decreased quality of life during these extra final years. This study evaluates the long-term effect of smoking in midlife on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in old age.

Improvement of blood glucose control and insulin sensitivity during a long-term (60 weeks) randomized study with amino acid dietary supplements in elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

A decrease in lean muscular mass causes sarcopenia, a disease frequently found in the elderly population. The reduction of muscle mass may be responsible for reduced insulin sensitivity and decreased glucose uptake, thus increasing the risk for hyperglycemia and insulin-resistance syndrome in elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We therefore wanted to determine the effect of a special mixture of oral amino acids (AAs) on elderly subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Nutritional supplements with oral amino acid mixtures increases whole-body lean mass and insulin sensitivity in elderly subjects with sarcopenia.

Decreases in whole-body lean mass can cause sarcopenia, a disease frequently found in the elderly. This condition is frequently associated with frailty and disability in aging as well as the onset and progression of several geriatric syndromes. Sarcopenia therefore must be managed with multidimensional approaches that include physical training, nutritional support, and metabolic and anabolic treatment.