The transfer of skills from cognitive and physical training to activities of daily living:a randomised controlled study

Ageing is associated with the deterioration of all cognitive functions, including attention, memory and psychomotor speed. It has not yet been clearly confirmed whether the effects of cognitive and physical interventions can improve activities of daily living (ADL). This study compared the effectiveness of cognitive and physical training on cognitive functions and the transfer to ADL. Eighty older people with mild cognitive impairment (mean age 67.07 +/- 4.3 years) were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 40) and a control group (n = 40). Data were collected in an outpatient psychiatric clinic in a randomised controlled trial. Primary outcome measures included the following: cognitive functions were evaluated using the mini mental state examination, the AVLT-Auditory verbal learning test, the Stroop test, the TMT-trail making test, the DRT-disjunctive reaction time and the NHPT-nine hole peg test. Secondary outcome measure was the Bristol activities of daily living scale. The experimental group underwent a CogniPlus and physical training; consisting of 20 training sessions over 10 weeks. Both groups went through 30 min of daily physical training for 10 weeks. After the training, significant differences in favour of the experimental group were found in almost all the tests. In memory (AVLT) (p ae 0.0001, effect size (ES) eta (2) = 0.218. In reduction of the response time on attention tasks (Stroop tasks) (p ae 0.006, ES = 0.092-0.115). In lower error rates in all tests: Stroop tasks, DRT, TMT, NHPT (p ae 0.02-0.001, ES = 0.062-0.176). In ADL (p ae 0.0001, ES = 0.176). The combined cognitive and physical training had better efficacy for most cognitive functions and for ADL when compared with the physical training only

Psychological distress in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea:The role of hostility and coping self-efficacy

We aimed to assess whether hostility and coping self-efficacy are associated with psychological distress in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. Furthermore, we examined whether coping self-efficacy mediates the association between hostility and psychological distress. We included 150 obstructive sleep apnoea patients (Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index > 5; 68% male; mean age: 48.9 +/- 9.5 years). Regression models showed that hostility and poor coping self-efficacy were strongly associated with psychological distress in obstructive sleep apnoea patients. All assessed coping self-efficacy dimensions mediated the association between hostility and psychological distress. Coping self-efficacy for stopping unpleasant emotions and thoughts showed the strongest association with a lower level of psychological distress

Quality of life of obstructive sleep apnoea patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure treatment:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Previous studies have shown conflicting results on the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on quality of life (QoL) in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of CPAP on QoL in OSA patients compared to sham CPAP, placebo pills, and conservative treatment. Methods: Studies were identified via Web of Knowledge, PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, EMBASE, OpenGrey, and the Cochrane Library. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Results: Meta-analysis of 13 randomised controlled trials showed no significant differences in overall and psychological QoL comparing values of CPAP treated patients with controls; however, physical QoL improved. CPAP significantly affected the overall QoL in studies with controls receiving sham CPAP, parallel design, low risk of bias, and mild OSA patients. Conclusion: CPAP treatment may help to improve physical symptoms of OSA, whereas impaired psychological QoL still cannot be alleviated

Self-reported health problems and patients’ preferences for non--pharmacological interventions in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective: There is promising evidence for the positive impact of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) such as physiotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in patients with a chronic disease. To facili-tate the implementation of evidence-based NPIs, a first step is to understand patients’ self-reported health problems (SRHPs) and their preferences for NPIs. This study aimed to explore patients’ SRHPs and interests in NPIs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing biological treatment. Methods: We included 183 RA patients (80.9% females; mean age 55.6 ± 13.5 years) from the rheumatology outpatient department in Kosice, Slovakia. Open questions about SRHP and NPI preference, along with sociodemographic (age, gender, education, employment status, area where patient live) and environmental characteristics (home internet connection, distance from home to hospital, and companion on hospital visits) were collected through a telephone interview. Clinical characteristics of patients (HAQ-DI, DAS28, duration of disease and biologic therapy) were obtained from their medical records. Results: Physical health problems were reported by 63.9% of patients, and combined physical and mental health problems by an additional 33.3%. Patients with multiple SRHPs (χ2 = 9.091, p &lt; 0.01) and Internet users (χ2 = 14.380, p &lt; 0.001) were more likely to be interested in NPIs. We found no significant associations between a preference for a certain type of NPI and sociodemographic, clinical, or environmental characteristics. Conclusions: The majority of RA patients were open to NPIs as a new kind of additional treatment. Our results could benefit practice by helping to tailor interventions based on the patients’ most im-portant SRHPs.</p

Self-Rated Health After Kidney Transplantation and Change in Graft Function

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between self-rated health (SRH) in patients after kidney transplantation (KT) as well as graft function over time. METHODS: The sample consisted of 42 patients who were examined in the 3rd month (T1) and the 12th month after KT (T2). Sociodemographic data and data on glomerular function (GF) (Cockroft-Gault) were collected. Patients completed the SF-36 questionnaire measuring SRH. Linear regression was used to identify predictors of SRH at T2. Age, gender, change in GF, and SRH at Ti were set as the independent variables. RESULTS: SRH and GE improved slightly over time. The first model, consisting of age, gender, SRH at Ti, and GE at T2, explained 49.9% of the variance in SRH at T2; GE at T2 did not significantly contribute to the model. The second model, consisting of age (beta = -0.26, 95% Cl 1.087;-0.035, p CONCLUSIONS: Although SRH after transplantation is not associated with absolute levels of GE, there is a significant association with the change in GE over time