Ophthalmic surgeries on post mortem porcine eyes with picosecond ultrashort laser pulses.

Purpose: This work demonstrates significant advantages in ophthalmic surgeries through the use of picosecond ultrashort laser pulses instead of state-of-the-art nanosecond laser pulses. These ultrashort lasers shall serve as universal tools more effectively combining advantages of high precision, low impact and economic advantages compared to existing instruments. Methods: As samples, we used post-mortem porcine eyes on which we performed the experiments with both picosecond and nanosecond lasers. Performed surgeries were laser iridotomy, (post-) cataract treatment/capsulotomy and selective laser-trabeculoplasty. Pulse widths were between 12 ps and 220 ns with pulse energies between 30 µJ and 10 mJ at 532 nm and 1,064 nm. Additionally, we investigated accompanying shock waves, cavitation bubbles, and heat effects during the ablation processes. Results: For all surgeries, significant differences were observed between picosecond and nanosecond pulses: It was possible to scale the pulse energy down to 10 of microjoules rather than requiring millijoules, and resulting tissue ablations are much more precise, more deterministic and less frayed. The shock wave and cavitation bubble investigation revealed major differences in pressure between picosecond pulses (0.25 MPa, 50 µJ) and nanosecond pulses (37 MPa, 5 mJ). The heat input during ablation could be lowered by two orders of magnitude. Conclusion: Picosecond ultrashort laser pulses show substantial benefits for several ophthalmic surgeries, with regard to ablation precision, shock wave generation and heat input. They are better than state-of-the-art ophthalmic nanosecond lasers in all aspects tested.

[Safe discontinuation of psychotropic drugs in older people? : New evidence and practical approach]. / Sicheres Absetzen von Psychopharmaka bei älteren Menschen? : Neue Evidenz und praktisches Vorgehen.

BACKGROUND: Many older patients are permanently prescribed one or more psychotropic drugs for treatment of symptoms, such as behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and insomnia. They therefore contribute to the risk of polypharmacy. Recently, deprescribing studies have been published in order to clarify if inadequate medications can be safely discontinued. This mini-review summarizes the study results and derives practical recommendations for routine use. METHOD: A literature search was carried out in PubMed for clinical studies on deprescribing in association with psychotropic substances. RESULTS: After removal of duplications, 12 heterogeneous clinical studies were identified and reduction of psychotropic substances could be successfully achieved in 8 studies. In four of these studies psychological, behavioral and functional endpoints were reported. Criteria for successful deprescribing of sedatives were in particular motivation, information and sufficient cooperation of the patients and for antipsychotic drugs in people with dementia, the sustainable establishment of nonpharmaceutical treatment strategies. Deprescribing was not attempted in cases of a history of severe chronic mental illness and in cases of severe behavioral symptoms in dementia. Evidence for antidepressants was not sufficient to extract practical recommendations. CONCLUSION: Safe deprescribing of antipsychotic drugs in patients with dementia is justified if non-pharmacological treatment options are sustainably implemented, and for sedative drugs in well-informed, highly motivated and cooperative patients.

[Safe discontinuation of psychotropic drugs in older people? : New evidence and practical approach]. / Sicheres Absetzen von Psychopharmaka bei älteren Menschen? : Neue Evidenz und praktisches Vorgehen.

BACKGROUND: Many older patients are permanently prescribed one or more psychotropic drugs for treatment of symptoms, such as behavioral and psychological symptoms in dementia, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and insomnia. They therefore contribute to the risk of polypharmacy. Recently, deprescribing studies have been published in order to clarify if inadequate medications can be safely discontinued. This mini-review summarizes the study results and derives practical recommendations for routine use. METHOD: A literature search was carried out in PubMed for clinical studies on deprescribing in association with psychotropic substances. RESULTS: After removal of duplications, 12 heterogeneous clinical studies were identified and reduction of psychotropic substances could be successfully achieved in 8 studies. In four of these studies psychological, behavioral and functional endpoints were reported. Criteria for successful deprescribing of sedatives were in particular motivation, information and sufficient cooperation of the patients and for antipsychotic drugs in people with dementia, the sustainable establishment of nonpharmaceutical treatment strategies. Deprescribing was not attempted in cases of a history of severe chronic mental illness and in cases of severe behavioral symptoms in dementia. Evidence for antidepressants was not sufficient to extract practical recommendations. CONCLUSION: Safe deprescribing of antipsychotic drugs in patients with dementia is justified if non-pharmacological treatment options are sustainably implemented, and for sedative drugs in well-informed, highly motivated and cooperative patients.

Massage and touch-based therapy : Clinical evidence, neurobiology and applications in older patients with psychiatric symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Massage and touch-based treatment are popular despite limited evidence from high quality clinical trials. This article reviews the rationale and evidence of treating older patients with psychiatric symptoms by touch-based therapy. METHODS: Narrative literature review, based on Medline search with the following key words: massage, social touch, affective touch, clinical trial, meta-analysis. Citations of identified articles were searched for additional relevant studies. RESULTS: Evidence from clinical trials in adult patients with mainly chronic disorders of the musculoskeletal system suggests that massage therapy results in significant short-term improvement of symptoms; however, treatment effects appear not to be sustained. In addition, conclusions are difficult to draw owing to very heterogeneous study interventions, difficulties with definition of control conditions and treatment outcomes. There appears to be better evidence for improvement of psychological variables and subjective symptoms, such as pain and quality of life. A neuronal system of affective and social touch has been identified with specific afferents from C­fibre coupled low threshold mechanoreceptors projecting into the insular cortex and the limbic system. This system may also mediate effects of massage in adult patients. Positive clinical trials for depressive symptoms of dementia and for behavioral symptoms of advanced dementia are available with encouraging results. CONCLUSION: The neuronal system of social and affective touch suggests a potential mechanism of action of touch-based interventions in geriatric psychiatry. In addition, it provides a rationale for applying and designing novel touch-based treatment strategies as adjunctive treatment for psychiatric disorders of old age.

[Outpatient care for the old and very old]. / Ambulante Versorgung älterer und hochaltriger Patienten.

BACKGROUND: Outpatient treatment of elderly patients is the responsibility of the family doctor. In addition to general practitioner care, there are some regionally different models that are currently not established and evaluated in Germany. The investigation presented here aims to contribute to the profiling of outpatient geriatric care in the future. METHOD: A full survey on the attitude and acceptance of general practitioners towards outpatient geriatrics and a geriatric focus practice was carried out. At the same time, referral and advisory events were systematically recorded and compared. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A geriatric focus practice can complement primary care. It is well accepted by many family doctors if there is a transparent exchange, pilot function and basic family doctor activities remain with the family doctor and he is relieved of the burden on complex patients.

[Special care units for patients with cognitive impairment : Results of a nationwide survey in geriatric hospitals in Germany]. / Spezialstationen für Patienten mit kognitiver Einschränkung : Ergebnisse einer Umfrage in Kliniken für Geriatrie in Deutschland.

BACKGROUND: A large number of older acutely ill patients with cognitive impairment are treated in geriatric care units. Since 1990 some geriatric departments in Germany have established special care units (SCU) for this patient population. In 2010 the first inventory of SCUs in Germany was carried out, which was not based on a nationwide systematic survey. OBJECTIVE: Nationwide systematic survey of SCUs for patients with cognitive impairment in geriatric institutions in Germany. METHODS: An online questionnaire (SurveyMonkey®, San Mateo, CA, USA) was sent to all heads of geriatric departments that provide advanced education in geriatric medicine of at least 12 months as registered by the German Society for Geriatric Medicine (DGG). RESULTS: The questionnaire was sent to 495 geriatric institutions of which 161 answered (response rate 32.5%). Additionally, 13 institutions answered through a weblink sent in a newsletter by the DGG. In 2017 a total of 42 SCUs existed with a mean size of 13.5 ± 4.7 beds. A further 15 hospitals plan to install an SCU in the near future, 5 probably in 2018. In four geriatric departments an existing SCU was closed down. All SCUs implemented special architectural, structural and personnel measures as recommended by the position paper of the DGG. The few conducted evaluations indicated beneficial results for mobility and disruptive behavior. CONCLUSION: In recent years the number of SCUs has increased considerably. A methodologically sound evaluation with respect to patient-related outcomes including follow-up and cost-effectiveness is lacking and should be carried out in the near future.

[Somatic risks in elderly people with severe psychiatric illnesses]. / Somatische Risiken bei alt gewordenen Menschen mit schweren psychiatrischen Erkrankungen.

BACKGROUND: Aged patients with severe mental illness (SMI) suffer from a high risk for functional impairment and a high load of somatic comorbidities. Until now, there has been a lack of systematic studies on this patient population in later life. This review summarizes the most significant somatic comorbidities and discusses the consequences for the medical care of this elderly group of patients. METHODS: A selective narrative review based on PubMed research and observations in clinical practice. RESULTS: Life expectancy is shortened by approximately 10 years in patients with SMI. The main reasons are somatic comorbidities, particularly lung and respiratory tract disorders, metabolic syndrome with its subsequent cardiovascular complications, in addition to osteoporosis and fractures with a complicated clinical course. Although life expectancy is shortened, the number of geriatric patients with SMI is increasing and requires special attention to be given to out-patient psychosocial care, self-management of somatic diseases, and to age-appropriate continuation of psychiatric treatment. CONCLUSION: The life expectancy of patients with SMI is reduced because of their typically somatic comorbidity, but they are reaching increasingly advanced ages as a consequence of improved treatment possibilities. They often require special attention in their diagnostic work-up and support in the management of their treatment. Collaborative care linking medical geriatric and geronto-psychiatric treatment facilities is helpful in the the interdisciplinary therapy required.

AIDE-Acute Illness and Depression in Elderly Patients. Cognitive Behavioral Group Psychotherapy in Geriatric Patients With Comorbid Depression: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Comorbid depression is highly prevalent in geriatric patients and associated with functional loss, frequent hospital re-admissions, and a higher mortality rate. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) has shown to be effective in older depressive patients living in the community. To date, CBT has not been applied to older patients with acute physical illness and comorbid depression. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of CBT in depressed geriatric patients, hospitalized for acute somatic illness. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with waiting list control group. SETTING: Postdischarge intervention in a geriatric day clinic; follow-up evaluations at the patients' homes. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 155 randomized patients, hospitalized for acute somatic illness, aged 82 ± 6 years and suffering from depression [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores >7]. Exclusion criteria were dementia, delirium, and terminal state of medical illness. INTERVENTION: Fifteen, weekly group sessions based on a CBT manual. Commencement of psychotherapy immediately after discharge in the intervention group and a 4-month waiting list interval with usual care in the control group. MEASUREMENTS: HADS depression total score after 4 months. Secondary endpoints were functional, cognitive, psychosocial and physical status, resource utilization, caregiver burden, and amount of contact with physician. RESULTS: The intervention group improved significantly in depression scores (HADS baseline 18.8; after 4 months 11.4), whereas the control group deteriorated (HADS baseline 18.1; after 4 months 21.6). Significant improvement in the intervention group, but not in the control group, was observed for most secondary outcome parameters such as the Barthel and Karnofsky indexes. Intervention effects were less pronounced in patients with cognitive impairment or acute fractures. CONCLUSIONS: CBT is feasible and highly effective in geriatric patients. The benefits extend beyond effective recovery and include improvement in physical and functional parameters. Early diagnosis, good access to psychotherapy, and early intervention could improve care for depressive older patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.germanctr.de German Trial Register DRKS 00004728.

Asymptomatic and yet C. difficile-toxin positive? Prevalence and risk factors of carriers of toxigenic Clostridium difficile among geriatric in-patients.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) are the most frequent cause of diarrhoea in hospitals. Geriatric patients are more often affected by the condition, by a relapse and complications. Therefore, a crucial question is how often colonization with toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains occurs in elderly patients without diarrhoea and whether there is a "risk pattern" of colonized patients that can be defined by geriatric assessment. Furthermore, the probability for those asymptomatic carriers to develop a symptomatic infection over time has not been sufficiently explored. METHODS: We performed a cohort study design to assess the association of clinical variables with Clostridium difficile colonization. The first stool sample of 262 consecutive asymptomatic patients admitted to a geriatric unit was tested for toxigenic Clostridium difficile using PCR (GeneXpert, Cepheid). A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) including Barthel Index, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and hand grip-strength was performed. In addition, Charlson Comorbidity Index, body mass index, number and length of previous hospital stays, previous treatment with antibiotics, institutionalization, primary diagnoses and medication were recorded and evaluated as possible risk factors of colonization by means of binary logistic regression. Secondly, we explored the association of C. difficile colonization with subsequent development of CDI during hospital stay. RESULTS: At admission, 43 (16.4%) patients tested positive for toxin B by PCR. Seven (16.3%) of these colonized patients developed clinical CDI during hospital stay, compared to one out of 219 patients with negative or invalid PCR testing (Odds ratio 12,3; Fisher's exact test: p = 0.000). Overall, 7 out of 8 (87.5%) CDI patients had been colonized at admission. Risk factors of colonization with C. difficile were a history of CDI, previous antibiotic treatment and hospital stays. The parameters of the CGA were not significantly associated with colonization. CONCLUSION: Colonization with toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains occurs frequently in asymptomatic patients admitted to a geriatric unit. Previous CDI, antibiotic exposure and hospital stay, but not clinical variables such as CGA, are the main factors associated with asymptomatic Clostridium difficile carriage. Colonization is a crucial risk factor for subsequent development of symptomatic CDI.

The Association of Hyponatremia, Risk of Confusional State, and Mortality.

BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia and delirium are frequent problems in older hospitalized patients. Although confusional states are considered to be a possible complication of hyponatremia, there has been no systematic study to date of the precise prevalence of delirium among patients with hyponatremia and its effect on long-term outcomes. METHODS: In a 13-month period in 2009/2010, all patients with a serum sodium level less than or equal to 130 mmol/L (the hyponatremia group) in a cohort of hospitalized older patients were studied and compared to a normonatremic control group of patients who were matched for age, sex, and diagnosis group. The prevalence of delirium was determined by two-stage examination. Inhospital mortality, mortality six months after initial examination, and functional status were prospectively analyzed. RESULTS: 179 patients were identified whose serum sodium level was less than or equal to 130 mmol/L (7.9% of all treated patients), of whom 141 were included in the hyponatremia group. The mean age of the participants was 83 (range, 63-102), and 84% were women. Patients with hyponatremia suffered more often from delirium (22.7% versus 8.5%; p = 0.002) and had a higher inhospital mortality (10.6% versus 2.1%; p = 0.005). The mortality six months after initial examination was 31.9% versus 22.7% (p = 0.080). 59.7% of patients in the hyponatremia group and 49% in the control group (p = 0.146) needed a higher level of chronic care after discharge than they had needed before the hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Hyponatremia in hospitalized older patients is associated with a higher likelihood of delirium and an elevated in-hospital mortality.

Sub-20-ps pulses from a passively Q-switched microchip laser at 1 MHz repetition rate.

We present a 50 µm Nd3+:YVO4 microchip laser that is passively Q-switched by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. To reduce handling problems caused by the small crystal dimensions, the 50 µm Nd3+:YVO4 crystal is optically bonded to an undoped YVO4 crystal of a length of about 500 µm. By using a saturable absorber mirror with an effective modulation depth of >10% the system is able to deliver 16 ps pulses at a repetition rate of up to 1.0 MHz. The average laser power is 16 mW at 1064 nm. To our knowledge these are the shortest Q-switched pulses ever reported from a solid-state laser. The limits in terms of pulse width, repetition rate, output power, and system stability are discussed. Additionally, continuous-wave behavior is analyzed. Experimental data is compared with the simulation results of the coupled rate equations.

Leptin plasma concentrations increase during antidepressant treatment with amitriptyline and mirtazapine, but not paroxetine and venlafaxine: leptin resistance mediated by antihistaminergic activity?

Treatment with several psychopharmacological agents has been associated with increased leptin plasma concentrations. We measured leptin plasma concentrations in 76 adult depressed patients after a 6-day washout phase and again after 35 days of treatment with amitriptyline or paroxetine, as well as in 73 depressed patients after 28 days of treatment with either mirtazapine or venlafaxine. Leptin plasma concentrations increased during treatment with amitriptyline and mirtazapine, even after controlling for increased body mass index and irrespective of response to treatment [14.5 (13.8) vs 20.3 (18.7) ng/mL, and 12.2 (15.8) vs 14.4 (16.5) ng/mL in the 2 cohorts, respectively]. In contrast, paroxetine and venlafaxine treatment was not associated with changes in leptin plasma concentrations [14.8 (12.0) vs 13.6 (10.6); 15.9 (17.3) vs 13.5 (14.6) ng/mL] nor with weight gain. We conclude that treatment with amitriptyline or mirtazapine is associated with an increase in leptin secretion beyond change in weight. Thus, high leptin levels apparently are ineffective in the control of weight gain, indicating leptin resistance. Leptin resistance may be mediated by an antihistaminergic effect on hypothalamic nuclei integrating signals relevant for energy balance.