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The present data support the notion that lithium has disease-modifying properties with potential clinical implications in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on cognition, quality of life, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.METHOD:The present study was a single-blind, controlled study that was conducted at a university-based day-hospital memory facility. The study included 25 Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers and involved a 12-week stimulation and psychoeducational program. The comparison group consisted of 16 Alzheimer's patients in waiting lists for future intervention.INTERVENTION:Group sessions were provided by a multiprofessional team and included memory training, computer-assisted cognitive stimulation, expressive activities (painting, verbal expression, writing), physiotherapy, and physical training. Treatment was administered twice a week during 6.5-h gatherings.MEASUREMENTS:The assessment battery comprised the following tests: Mini-Mental State Examination, Short Cognitive Test, Quality of Life in Alzheimer's disease, Neuropsychiatric Inventory, and Geriatric Depression Scale. Test scores were evaluated at baseline and the end of the study by raters who were blinded to the group assignments.RESULTS:Measurements of global cognitive function and performance on attention tasks indicated that patients in the experimental group remained stable, whereas controls displayed mild but significant worsening. The intervention was associated with reduced depression symptoms for patients and caregivers and decreased neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's subjects. The treatment was also beneficial for the patients' quality of life.CONCLUSION:This multimodal rehabilitation program was associated with cognitive stability and significant improvements in the quality of life for Alzheimer's patients. We also observed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms and caregiver burden. These results support the notion that structured nonpharmacological interventions can yield adjunct and clinically relevant benefits in dementia treatment.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for delirium in the elderly during the post-operative period of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).Methods: A total of 220 inpatients submitted to CABG were evaluated prior to and after surgery. In order to investigate the possible risk factors, data were collected from pre-intra- and post-operative periods.Instruments: The patients were assessed using the Mini-mental State Examination and to the Geriatric Depression Scale. The diagnosis of delirium was determined according to DSM-IV criteria.Results: Delirium was detected in 74 (33.6%) patients. Increasing age, blood urea level, cardio-thoracic index, hypertension, smoking habits, blood replacement during bypass, atrial fibrillation (AF), pneumonia and blood balance in the post-operative period were the risk factors for delirium selected by the logistic regression analysis. No specific factor associated with the CABG (perfusion pressure, number of grafts) was correlated with an increased risk for delirium post-operatively. The length of stay was twice as long in the delirious group (p<0,001).Conclusions: Delirium in the elderly after CABG is a multifactorial disorder. Nine factors taken together can identify patients at great risk for delirium. No specific factor associated with bypass procedure could be identified as a risk factor for delirium. The control of the risk factors should bring a decrease in delirium morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To describe the incidence, risk factors and clinical features (subtypes) of delirium during the postoperative period after hip fracture surgery in elderly patients. Design: Prospective study. Methods: Thirty-four consecutive patients (9 men and 25 women) were included in this study between June 16 to July 14, 2003. All patients underwent surgery for a fractured neck of femur and were pre- and postoperatively cared for at a combined geriatric/orthopedic ward. Assessment: The diagnosis of delirium was based on the criteria of the DSM-IV and the Confusion Assessment Method Scale. Subtypes of delirium were classified according to the criteria proposed by Lipowski: hyperactive-hyperalert (or agitated), hypoactive-hypoalert (somnolent) and mixed delirium. Results: Fifty-five percent (n = 19) of the 34 patients developed delirium after surgery. The development of delirium was associated with the medication midazolam taken perioperatively. Nine (47%) of the delirious patients had a hyperactive type of delirium; 5 (26%) developed a hypoactive delirium, and 5 (26%) had a mixed type. We did not find any association among subtypes of delirium and clinical features. Conclusions: Delirium is a common complication in the postoperative period of elderly patients treated for hip fractures. The use of midazolam in the perioperative period increased the risk of developing postoperative delirium. Thehyperactive type of delirium was the most common subtype of delirium.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01055392.

No conflict of interest to declare.

INTRODUÇÃO: A osteoartrose de joelho (OAJ) é uma das patologias que mais afetam o aparelho locomotor e interferem de forma considerável nas atividades da vida diária, acometendo os indivíduos em faixa etária variável e em diversos graus e níveis de dor articular. OBJETIVOS: Por causa da importância da articulação do joelho nas atividades locomotoras, os pacientes com osteoartrose de joelho sofrem com a limitação de movimento e rigidez articular. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o efeito da estimulação elétrica nervosa transcutânea (TENS) nível sensório para tratamento de dor em pacientes com diagnóstico de osteoartrose de joelho, utilizando escalas de avaliação de dor. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados 10 pacientes com diagnóstico de osteoartrose de joelho, utilizando uma modalidade fisioterapêutica, a eletroterapia, especificamente a (TENS), com parâmetros de 80 Hz e 140 µs, com um total de 10 sessões, 30 minutos para cada sessão, o período total de tratamento compreendeu 4 semanas. Nesse total de 10 sessões, cada paciente foi entrevistado com um questionário na 1ª sessão, na 5ª e na 10ª sessão. Os formulários utilizados foram questionário da dor McGill - Melzack, escala Analógica visual da dor, escala numérica com expressão facial de sofrimento. RESULTADOS: O resultado com a TENS nível sensório para efeito de analgesia mostra que as diferenças foram estatisticamente significativas (p < 0,05) para escala Analógica visual da dor e o Questionário da Dor McGill. CONCLUSÃO: Nossos resultados sugerem que a TENS nível sensório reduz a dor e melhora a funcionalidade do joelho.