Correlation between depression and burden observed in informal caregivers of people suffering from dementia with time spent on caregiving and dementia severity

[Abstract] OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to compare data on the examined population of informal caregivers of people suffering from dementia with previous studies, as well as to assess the correlation between (i) depression determined on the basis of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and (ii) caregiver burden measured by means of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale and some chosen parameters, such as total time devoted to caregiving, time of caregiving in hours per week and level of dementia severity measured by Global Deterioration Scale. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 41 informal caregivers of people suffering from dementia from different backgrounds were evaluated using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Demographic data about the time devoted to caregiving and the number of hours spend on caregiving weekly were gathered. The type of dementia and its stage were registered using the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS). With the aid of the Statistica StatSoft program, mutual correlations between the parameters were measured. The study was conducted within the framework of AAL UnderstAID – a platform that supports and helps to understand and assist caregivers in the care of a relative with dementia. The international project is co-founded by the Joint Programme Ambient Assisted Living (Grant code: ESR-aal 2012 5 107). RESULTS: No significant correlations between the level of depression severity evaluated in caregivers and the total time of taking care of a demented person or time of caregiving in hours per week were observed. Similarly, no significant correlation between depression severity level and dementia severity level measured on the GDS scale were noted. There was also no significant correlation between Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale scores and the above-mentioned parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The level of depression among caregivers do not depend on socio-demographic factors

Happiness and health behaviours in Chilean college students: A cross-sectional survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Happiness has been associated with a range of favourable health outcomes through two pathways: its relationship with favourable biological responses to stress and with healthy lifestyles and prudent health behaviours. There are a substantial number of cross-cultural studies about happiness, but none of them has studied the association of happiness with perceived stress and health behaviours in Latin American samples. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between general happiness and these variables in a Latin American sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a survey to examine the status of 3461 students aged between 17 and 24 years old (mean age = 19.89; SD = 1.73) who attended University of Santiago de Chile during 2009. The healthy behaviours indexes assessed were the frequency of daily physical exercise, fruits/vegetables intake, breakfast and lunch intake, smoking, alcohol and other drugs consumption. We also included the assessment of perceived stress and Body Mass Index. All of them were evaluated using a self-report questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses showed that being female and younger was related to a higher happiness, as well as that people self-reporting daily physical activity, having lunch and fruits and vegetables each day had a higher likelihood (OR between 1.33 and 1.40) of being classified as "very happy". Those who informed felt stressed in normal circumstances and during tests situations showed a lower likelihood (0.73 and 0.82, respectively) of being considered "very happy". Regarding drug consumption, taking tranquilizers under prescription was negative related to "subjective happiness" (OR = 0.62), whereas smoking was positive associated (OR = 1.20).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study mainly support the relationship between happiness and health outcomes through the two pathways previously mentioned. They also underscore the importance of that some healthy behaviours and person's cognitive appraisal of stress are integrated into their lifestyle for college students. Additionally, highlight the importance of taking into account these variables in the design of strategies to promote health education in university setting.</p

Czy chrom obniża poziom glukozy we krwi dzieci z epilepsją?

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder. It affects 50 million people worldwide, over half of which are children. Many children who suffer from epilepsy are also affected by metabolic disorders, characterized by obesity as well as intolerance and deficient transport of glucose. Recently, many researchers have indicated chromium (+3) as an essential trace mineral which probably plays an important role in metabolism of glucose and insulin. There are no data about chromium alterations in the body of epileptic patients. The purpose of this study was to find possible correlation between chromium (+3) concentration and the glucose level in children with epilepsy. Material and methods: Twenty-three untreated epileptic children with idiopathic generalized tonic-clonic seizures (9 girls and 14 boys) aged 13.4±2.7 years and 25 healthy children (sex-age-matched) served as a control were recruited to this study. The chromium blood and serum concentrations were determined as well as serum glucose level. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between epileptic and healthy children in the mean chromium (+3) blood concentration as well as according to sex in both analyzed groups of children. The mean serum chromium concentration in epileptic children was significantly lower than in healthy subjects generally (p<0.001), as well as in boys group (p<0.001) and girls (p<0.001). Although, the negative statistically significant correlation between serum glucose and chromium concentrations was found in epileptic children (p<0.01), we have not found so associations in whole blood and in healthy children. Conclusions: Our research has shown that during epilepsy the concentration of serum chromium was lower than in healthy subjects what was associated with glucose abnormalities. These preliminary results suggest that the detail research on the chromium in epilepsy are necessary

The effect of different forms of food deprivation on calcium and magnesium concentrations in the serum, brain and femoral bone of female Wistar rats

Hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia in patients with eating disorders are poorly identified, same as in animal models of these diseases. The purpose of the present study was to assess the concentration of calcium and magnesium in the serum, brain tissue and femoral bone of food restricted female Wistar rats. Material and Methods: 48 rats (8-weeks old, 199 ± 18 g) were divided into 6 groups (n = 8): the control group (C) were fed ad libitum, with measurements of daily intake, as a baseline for the amount of intake calculation for the other groups. The remaining five were testing groups: R50 – received half a portion of the diet eaten by C. The other groups were fed with a 100% of the diet eaten by C, but in a different model of food restriction: RI-IV – one-four day/s feeding, followed by one-four day/s starvation, throughout the eight weeks of the experiment. After wet mineralization of tissues, the calcium and magnesium concentrations were measured via the AAS method. Results: The calcium concentrations in serum and brain were unchanged, while the concentration of calcium in bone samples was significantly higher in food deprived rats compared to control groups rats. The influence of different models of food deprivation was observed in magnesium concentrations in the tissues studied. Generally, the levels of this mineral were significantly lower in all tissues in rats exposed to starvation than in control. Conclusions: The results of the current study suggest that although the amount of food intake was similar in all starvation models, food deprivation affects the management of calcium and magnesium in different ways. The competitiveness between these minerals, under food restriction, probably works to the benefit of calcium. This may lead to increased hypomagnesaemia and its subsequent implications

Dysfunctions associated with dementia and their treatment

[u]International UnderstAID project shows[/u] the role of physiotherapist in patients with dementia as divided into two branches: helping to resolve the physical problems and solving the problems related to dementia. The role of physiotherapist in dementia treatment may be divided into two branches: helping to resolve the physical problems and solving the problems related to dementia. The physical problems consider such aspects as musculoskeletal disorders, mobility dysfunction and pain. Referring to musculoskeletal problems, the interventions of physical therapists should included whole-body progressive resistance exercise training, strengthening, “range-of-motion” and stretching exercises and transfer training. Mobility disorders are associated with physical symptoms such as: rigidity, balance problem, shuffling gait. Decreased mobility can be based on unrelieved pain. These are some crucial scales which are designed to detected the pain. For instance, The Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, massage or exercises can be provide to reduce the pain in patients with dementia. Physiotherapy in dementia treatment influences not only physical functions but also the maintenance or progression of cognitive abilities of demented elderly subject