Review of systematic reviews about the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions to improve sleep quality in insomnia.

Background  Insomnia is a very common condition in various populations. Non-pharmacological interventions might offer (safe) alternatives for hypnotics. Aim  To evaluate the evidence for efficacy from systematic reviews about non-pharmacological interventions to improve sleep quality in insomnia by a systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Meaning in life as an important component of functioning in old age.

The purpose was to locate different measures of meaning in life in a multidimensional space of functioning in old age. Fifty-five persons born in 1910 and 1914 participated in laboratory tests, a medical examination, and interviews over a three-year period from 1994 to 1997. Measures of meaning in life included a sense of meaning in life, a sense of coherence, and four indices derived from a life-line drawing (linearity, trend, mean level in the past, and mean level in the future).

Meaning in life in three samples of elderly persons with high cognitive functioning.

The study examined the relationships between meaning in life and cognitive functioning in three elderly samples. The participants in Sample I were 78 persons aged 82-87, in Sample II 182 persons aged 83-92, and in Sample III 299 persons aged 65-69. The samples took part in interviews and cognitive tests in 1996-1997.

Mammographic screening after the age of 65 years: evidence for a reduction in breast cancer mortality.

We evaluated whether regular mammographic screening of women aged 65 years or older affected breast cancer mortality. In Nijmegen, a population-based screening program for breast cancer was started in 1975, with biennial mammography for women aged 35-64 years. Since 1977, elderly women have also been participating.