Abstract
Healthcare-acquired infections (HCAI) represent a major health problem worldwide. Stroke and dementia are considered risk factors for HCAI. Preliminary data suggest that use of antipsychotic ...drugs also increase the risk for HCAI. Here, we performed a retrospective study aimed at investigating the major risk and protective factors for HCAI in a cohort of elderly subjects hospitalized at an Italian tertiary Neurology Clinics. We included all patients with age ≥ 65 years hospitalized at Neurology Clinics of National Institute on Ageing, Ancona, Italy from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2021. For each patient, the following data were collected: age, sex, use of medical devices, comorbidities, use of antipsychotic medications, development of HCAI. We included 1543 patients (41.4% males; median age 85 years 80–89). According to multivariable analysis, age, stroke, duration of urinary catheter placement (for all
p
< 0.001) and midline placement (
p
= 0.035) resulted to be risk factors for HCAI, Diabetes resulted to be a protective factor for pneumonia (
p
= 0.041), while dementia and nasogastric tube were risks factor for this condition (p = 0.022 and
p
< 0.001, respectively). Urinary catheter was a risk factor for urinary tract infections (
p
< 0.001). Duration of placement of vascular catheters and use of antipsychotic drugs resulted to significantly increase the risk for bloodstream infections. Stroke, age and use of medical devices were confirmed to be risk factors for HCAI. Antipsychotic drugs resulted to increase risk for bloodstream infections. Further prospective studies will be needed to confirm these findings.
(1) Background: The RESILIEN-T system addresses the need for innovative solutions to support self-management in older people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Despite the increasing prevalence of ...dementia and MCI, there is a lack of tailored solutions for these individuals. The RESILIEN-T system aims to empower and engage people with cognitive decline by providing a modular platform for self-management and coaching services. (2) Methods: Italian data collected for the RESILIEN-T project involved 62 older participants randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Data were collected through questionnaires and user interactions with the system over a three-month period. (3) Results: Quantitative outcomes showed no significant differences between the intervention and control groups, except for an improvement in perceived memory capability in the intervention group. The usability assessment indicated a high level of acceptance of the RESILIEN-T system. (4) Discussions: Although no significant improvements were observed in most quantitative measures, the high user engagement and acceptance suggest the potential effectiveness of the RESILIEN-T system. Future improvements could involve integrating smart objects and interactive virtual agents. Overall, RESILIEN-T represents a promising step toward empowering individuals with cognitive impairment in their self-management and decision-making processes.
Plant-derived polyphenols exhibit beneficial effects on physiological and pathological processes, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, mainly because of their antioxidant activity. ...Apples are highly enriched in these compounds, mainly in their peel. The Tuscia Red (TR) apple variety exhibits the peculiar characteristic of depositing high quantities of polyphenols in the pulp, the edible part of the fruit. Since polyphenols, as any natural product, cannot be considered a panacea per se, in this paper, we propose to assess the biological effects of TR flesh extracts, in comparison with two commercial varieties, in a model system, the insect Drosophila melanogaster, largely recognized as a reliable system to test the in vivo effects of natural and synthetic compounds. We performed a comparative, qualitative and quantitative analysis of the polyphenol compositions of the three cultivars and found that TR flesh shows the highest content of polyphenols, and markedly, anthocyanins. Then, we focused on their effects on a panel of physiological, morphometrical, cellular and behavioral phenotypes in wild-type D. melanogaster. We found that all the apple polyphenol extracts showed dose-dependent effects on most of the phenotypes we considered. Remarkably, all the varieties induced a strong relenting of the cell division rate.
The objective of our study was to demonstrate that living with a person affected by mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease can lead to an increased perception of the caregiver’s burden using the ...Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI). The sample consisted of 153 dyads, caregiver–patient. At baseline, a greater perception of the caregiver’s burden was observed in the live-in caregivers. A further increase in the total burden of the live-in caregivers was noticed at the 6-month follow-up. More specifically, with the inclusion of correction factors such as the caregiver’s age and the CBI subscales at baseline, the social and emotional burden becomes statistically significant (P < .001). The present paper confirms our hypothesis that live-in caregivers perceive a greater burden than nonlive-in, and this difference increases further after 6 months. The difference in involvement between live-in and nonlive-in caregivers could be the foundation to tailor more specific interventions.
The objective of our study was to describe the burden of a sample of 208 live-in/non-live-in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We analyzed the statistical correlation between ...Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and the live-in/non-live-in caregiver status, and between the ‘‘objective burden,’’ the cognitive deterioration, functional ability, and psychic and behavioral disorders. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), the live-in groups of caregivers were compared to each subscale and to the total CBI. Living with a patient causes a bigger burden associated to the ‘‘developmental and physical burden,’’ which is affected more by the functional impairment than by the cognitive-behavioral aspect. Understanding the aspects of this burden in the initial-intermediate phase of the disease and being able to monitor it over time could contribute to improving the interventions already in place, which affect burden, stress, and quality of life of caregivers and their sick family members.
The Basel II capital accord and the recent crises have fostered the debate over the financial stability of the aggregate banking sector. Because loan losses are an important factor for banking ...stability, this paper aims to gauge the impact of real and financial fragility on default losses of Italian banks. To this end the ratio of non‐performing loans to total loans is regressed on the business cycle and indebtedness. In addition, to capture the joint effect of real and financial fragility, the analysis considers an interaction term, which to our knowledge has never been applied before to Italian default data. Based on the interaction model, results show that the actual impact of financial fragility on default losses depends not only on the business cycle phase but also on the firm's size, whereby in adverse economic conditions, small firms are more significantly affected by financial fragility.
Neuropsychological modifications and acclimatization processes at over 8000 without auxiliary oxygen were investigated in two climbers, evaluating attentive abilities and matching their performances.
...During rest in base-camp (4800 m), at other three Resorts - Resort I (5800 m), Resort II (6400 m), Resort III (7200 m) -, and four months after the return at low altitude, were administered: Temporal Orientation Test (TOT), Trail Making Test (TMT), Animal Naming (AN), Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), Arithmetical Judgment Test (AJT), and Drawing Test (DT). Results. At TOT and at AJT, both the climbers demonstrated scores at higher normal levels (Eq = 4) in all the Resorts in which they were performed. They showed an impairment at AN test, especially at Resort III, showing sensitivity of animal naming to hypoxia. At the DT, human figures were reduced in their dimensions and details, as consequence of the tendency to self closure and introversion that occurs at higher altitudes.
Neuropsychological functions concerning verbal fluency showed sensitivity to hypoxia, especially at higher altitudes. TMT demonstrated that attentive ability can be preserved if acclimatization is good. Sensitivity to hypoxia and acclimatization processes showed a significant subjective variability.
The results of this study show that exposure to high altitude produces some significant neuropsychological changes.
The Basel II capital accord has fostered the debate over the financial stability of the aggregate banking sector. There is a large empirical literature focused on the effects of macroeconomic ...disturbances on the banking system. Specifically, loan losses are an important factor for the banking stability and a stream of research in this field aims to identify explanatory variables for this critical indicator. This paper focuses on Italian banks data over the period 1990-2007 and investigates the relationship between the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans, the business cycle and firms' indebtedness so as to test the impact of both real and financial fragility on banks' default losses. We use a regression model with an interaction term representing the joint effect of real and financial fragility, which to our knowledge has never been applied before to Italian default data. The results show that the impact of financial fragility on default losses is enhanced by adverse economic conditions.
The Basel II capital accord has fostered the debate over the financial stability of the aggregate banking sector. There is a large empirical literature focused on the effects of macroeconomic ...disturbances on the banking system. Specifically, loan losses are an important factor for the banking stability and a stream of research in this field aims to identify explanatory variables for this critical indicator. This paper focuses on Italian banks data over the period 1990-2007 and investigates the relationship between the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans, the business cycle and firms' indebtedness so as to test the impact of both real and financial fragility on banks' default losses. We use a regression model with an interaction term representing the joint effect of real and financial fragility, which to our knowledge has never been applied before to Italian default data. The results show that the impact of financial fragility on default losses is enhanced by adverse economic conditions.
