[Literature and medicine: dementia]. / Literatur und Medizin: die Demenz.

Due to demographic change, dementia and related illnesses have become more apparent in our everyday lives. This is also apparent in the many books dealing with this illness and with the outlook facing those affected in the world of the supposedly healthy. This article looks at selected authors and what motivated them to make dementia the subject of a literary story and deals with the question about whether literature can contribute toward a better medical understanding of dementia and help us to deal better with those suffering from this illness.

Spleen peptides (Polyerga) inhibit development of artificial lung metastases of murine mammary carcinoma and increase efficiency of chemotherapy in mice.

There are numerous attempts to find novel anticancer drugs or to improve therapeutic protocols based on application of chemotherapeutic agents and immunomodulators (biological response modifiers, cytokines, various plant or bacterial products). Among the preparations that have beneficial effects for the cancer bearing organism are preparations of spleen peptides (Polyerga). Hence, we analyzed if treatment with spleen oligopeptides GP-1 (active substance for the manufacture of Polyerga ampoules' solution injected as 0.5 microgram/kg every second day) if given alone or combined with chemotherapy (Endoxan 50 mg/kg single i.p. dose) of mice bearing artificial lung metastases of mammary carcinoma will have an impact on the metastases count and survival of the animals. The results obtained have shown that chemotherapy reduced metastases count and increased survival of the tumor bearing mice, while the use of GP-1 alone did not affect metastases development. However, combined GP-1 treatment and chemotherapy were more efficient in prevention of the metastases development than chemotherapy alone. Thus, in mice treated with GP-1 and Endoxan, the average metastases count was four times lower than in the mice treated by chemotherapy only, while 2/12 animals were without tumor nodules in the lungs. Finally, all the animals treated by chemotherapy alone died until the 42nd day after tumor transplantation, while at the same time, only 5/10 animals died receiving combined therapy. Thus, these results give an experimental support for the use of the spleen peptides in biotherapy (or combined therapy) of cancer.

[Sociological aspects of social activities of inhabitants of homes for the aged (author's transl)]. / Soziologische Aspekte der gesellschaftlichen Aktivität von Feierabendheimbewohnern.

This scientific work tells results after researching important aspects of individualities of persons living in homes for aged people; it informs about their social activities and shows the degree of coherence between these activities and the social-statistical dates--age, sex, duration of staying in the home, duration of staying along before their reception in the home, the number of years they did professional work and the contents of this work. So male and female inhabitants are active in like manner and you can notice no falling of their social activities with rising age. In spite of the time the present inhabitants had been alone before they came to the home of aged people and regardless of the time they spent already there the social activities of those inhabitants are more distinct, whose former professional work was of a higher content.

[Management of young and middle-aged psychiatric patients in general nursing homes]. / Zur Betreuung psychisch Kranker jüngeren und mittleren Alters in allgemeinen Pflegeeinrichtungen.

The author discusses the international tendency of increasing admission of psychic sick persons of young and medium age to general nursing centres. He modifies the aim of the care for these patients in these centres and points out the specialties of intercourse with that social group (specific behaviour, therapeutic techniques). There are discussed open problems such as cooperation with special psychiatric clinics, possible forming of general nursing centres, quantitative and qualitative stabilization of the members of the staff and scientific questions connect with concentration psychic sick persons in general nursing centres.

[Ethical aspects of the complex management of elderly humans needing help and care]. / Ethische Aspekte der komplexen Betreuung älterer hilfs- und pflegebedürftiger Menschen.

Alone the high number of collaborators and citizens in the homes for old age people in the GDR force to discuss these as an ethical questions. This is the idea of the author. Determined qualitative characteristics of these number (for example: polarity of the structure of age of the citizens, qualification of the collaborators) intensify the contour so far earlier not clear moral problems. The scientific-technical revolution leads to rapid changes of labour contents in the gerontology. For the collaborator in this medical part and also for needing care old age people leads this to consequences; it is accompany with the search for obligatory recommendations for an other form of action and higher responsibility of individuums. For example such problems are discussed: the dialectic association of activity and inactivity of needing care old age people, the relation between energy and personality of old age people, change of relations between doctor-nurse-citizen or the higher responsibility of the doctor of the houses for old age people in connection with so-called "Triage".

[How do we deal with the mentally retarded in nursing homes?]. / Wie halten wir es im Pflegeheim mit dem geistig Retardierten?

The author casts a retrospective glance on move recent results of research, which shook unbalanced structure of the construction of "mental retardation". He discusses some problems of rehabilitation of mentally retarded people in nursing homes (several years of hospitalisation, different degrees of impairment, scarce contacts to networks outside nursing homes). He comprises the pros and cons of popular ideology of rehabilitation and goes into details of social support of mentally retarded people. The author recapitulates, that work with mentally retarded people finds itself in an unbalanced situation between obstructive (complex care with conventional methods) and advanced forces (as to the rehabilitation of the education of patients).

[On measuring of factors influencing the complex need for cultural entertainments of the inhabitants in geriatric nursing homes (3rd information) (author's transl)]. / Zur Messung von Einflussgrössen auf das komplexe Bedürfnis nach kulturellen Veranstaltungen bei Bewohnern geriatrischer Pflegestationen (3. Mitt.).

In our 2. information on the investigation of the need for cultural entertainments of inhabitants in geriatric nursing homes we tested the influence of the factors age, sex, kind of work and during of stay in the geriatric nursing home singly and successively for each single indicator of this complex need. In this 3. information the influence of this four factors was investigated in these contradictory dependency on the indicators under synchronous consideration of their contradictory dependency. The contradictory dependency of the factors was presented by typisation (cluster analysis). As a result of the cluster analysis same classes arose--similar disposed inhabitants belong to same classes. The average coinage in this classes was obtained and differences were analysed by statistical methods multidimensional analysis of variance and analysis of discriminance).

[The measurement of factors influencing on complex needs of the inhibitants in geriatric nursing homes for cultural entertainment (author's transl)]. / Zur Messung von Einflussgrössen auf das komplexe Bedürfnis nach kulturellen Veranstaltungen bei Bewohnern geriatrischer Pflegestationen.

The paper investigates the question if the factors age, sex, kind of work and during of stay in the geriatric nursing home influence the indicators selected showing the development of the needs of cultural entertainments of the inhibitants of these home. The data have been obtained by way of interviews covering 60 inhibitants. For solving this problem we have used (1) the analysis of variance and (2) the H-Test, combined with the Dunn-Test. For none of the indicators selected to reflect the need for cultural entertainment have we been able to prove statistically on influence by the factors age, sex, kind of work and during of stay. This statement is not valid for the combination: during of stay and striving for special knowledge obtained from cultural entertainments (about problems of life in the geriatric nursing home). The special test (Dunn-test) explains the chance age-factor influencing the indicators striving for increasing the general knowledge and striving for special knowledge obtained from cultural entertainments. We can recognize a similar tendency in regard to the influence of the factor during of stay on the indicator striving on the part of inhibitants for been confronted with the problems of their environment.

[The critical life event "admission to a retirement and nursing home" and the problem of self help]. / Das kritische Lebensereignis "Aufnahme in ein Feierabend- und Pflegeheim" und das Problem der Selbsthilfe.

By showing us the admission of seniors to a home for aged people the authors have given a topical example for the explanation that social self-help plays an important role for mastering this problematic situation. The for-life capability of the individual to manage the appearance of living-problems very consciously, the authors remark, represents the new quality of aged peoples self-help in socialism. They refer to the comprehensive possibilities for aged people to develop their personal active potencies and self confidence in a home for aged people. Individual unfolding that depends on the sociable conditions is mainly discussed in two parts of interrogation: What form and idea of aged people does the society have? How do the seniors think about the specific sociable function of homes for aged people? The direct importance of the individual conditions of self-help is emphasized by giving notes which refers to the age, sex, social status and state of health of the aged people in the homes for aged people of today.

[Group specific peculiarities in the need for cultural entertainments for residents of nursing homes for the aged]. / Zu gruppenspezifischen Besonderheiten des Bedürfnisses nach kulturellen Veranstaltungen bei Bewohnern geriatrischer Pflegestationen.

For the leading of the complex care as all social process the exact notice of need-structure among aged people important. The investigation of the complex need for cultural entertainments among inhabitants of geriatric nursing stations shows group-specific particularities, so that by taking cultural measures the didactiv principle is to be demanded to offer differentiated entertainments concerning the contents with different intentions. In our institution the complex need for cultural intertainments is satisfied by the real cultural offer with the exception of the indicators "moral-educational aspiration--special knowledge--compensation!" The existing difference must be used as a motiv power for increasing the cultural living standard. At a defined moment not all eventual and entitled aspects of the explored need can be satisfied, but the cultural measures must be set in relation to the objective [corrected] functions of a geriatric nursing station and to the orientation of action among the inhibitants.

[The record book of a general nursing station--a reflection of daily interventions?]. / Das Berichtsbuch der allgemeinen Pflegestation--ein Spiegelbild der alltäglichen Intervention?

There were analyzed report books of three nursing stations to win starting points for a milieu therapeutical reform. The methodical inventory included the analysis of the contents as well as rules of functional-communicating linguistic description. The qualitative analysis showed that most texts should be classified as texts of the class 'inform'. The members of the staff fall back upon the emotional report in problematical daily situations. The quantitative analysis of the dates showed the tendency for describing live at the nursing stations in the report books with routine notes. In cases the text included a statement there was dominating the medical-careful contents. Social stiking behavior of the inhabitants is more documented as an observation of there global rights and duties or individual and/or social useful activities. An improvement of this situation is possible if the state of affairs is not only told but based too and if the consequences are fixed. The script-approach by SCHANK and ABELSON should be tested for it's usefulness to improve the reports. Isolate requirements must be embed in a general conscions processing of social informations.

[Age and sexuality from the point of view of inhabitants of homes for the aged geriatric nursing homes (author's transl)]. / Alter und Sexaulität in der Sicht von Feierabend- und Pflegeheimbewohnern (1).

This work handles about the need of erotic relations by older and old inhabitants in homes of age and geriatric nursing homes, asks for their imaginations at loveful and tender demonstrations in age, for which characteristics they attach great importance at the election of a new partner. The investigation has the character of a niveau analysis - before we investigate the laws of phenomena, their change and development of phenomena must be known. The potential unity of all inhabitants presents in the open cited central questions groupspecific specialities, their possible differentiation remains reserved for a later information. The concentration of the different results lets perceive that inhabitants in homes of age and geriatric nursing homes loveful and tender actions in age answer slightly in affirmative, that each 5. inhabitant expects sexual readiness from a new partner, that two third of all inhabitants mean sexual relations in age and home contribute to well-being and were expressions of their succeeded integration in the society.

[Quality of medical information on admission to a nursing home]. / Zur Qualität ärztlicher Informationen bei Aufnahme in ein Krankenpflegeheim.

In this paper one aspect of social relation in health and social service is investigated by means of documentation analysis: the quality of medical information on admission to a nursing home. In 6% of all cases (n = 120) the nursing home received detailed data on the diagnosis and therapy, the status praesens and on the clinical symptoms, on the social and psychological situation of the aged person in need of care and his/her clinical parameters. With 6% the basic data (name, date of birth, diagnosis) were incomplete. With 66.7% the data were available on the day of admission. There was no dependence on age, sex and stage of care of the person in need of care. The data were less extensive if the person in need of care was referred to from an out-patient department and inquiries could not be made with him/her or his/her relatives/acquaintances. An improvement of this situation is possible if the cooperation between hitherto attending doctor, the care institution of the municipal district for aged people and the nursing home is coordinated better.

[Age and sexuality from the point of view of inhibitants of homes for the aged and geriatric nursing homes (author's transl)]. / Alter und Sexualität in der Sicht von Feierabend- und Pflegeheimbewohnern (2).

The paper is on the problem whether or not are the groupspecific particularities--produced by analyzing the reaction of elder and old inhabitants of homes for the aged to loveful and tender demonstrations at age and the desired characteristics by choosing a new partner corresponding with the social differentiation consisting of the social characteristics: age, sex, personal status, contents of work, length of residence in the home of aged and physical mobility. It is to be said that the value orientations of inhabitants of homes for the aged in loveful and tender demonstrations at age contain the whole range of the social differentiation without clear attachment. No type of the social differentiation of inhabitants of homes for the aged and geriatric nursing homes tends to a certain type of choosing a partner. There was no evidence for a well defined connection between social differentiation and attitude to sexuality at age and in the home of aged.

[Age and sexuality from the viewpoint of the inmates of homes for the aged and nursing homes]. / Alter und Sexualität in der Sicht von Feierabend- und Pflegeheimbewohnern (3).

This work refers to the former informations. It expands the hitherto existing way of investigation by the use of unifactoral , univariate and multifactoral , univariate models of factor efficacy. The medium coinage of all indicators of the investigated need lets percept significant differences in the groups of age, sex, personal status, time of being in homes and content of work. So, young groups of age expect from the new partner a greater readiness for intimate contacts. Female home inhabitants are sensitive for emotional relations between each other, male inhabitants are stronger interested in sexual aspects. The importance of these relations is increasing by higher content of work. The application of multifactoral , univariate models divides the settled efficacy of the elected characteristics for the person of inhabitant into main and interaction effects. The results let percept deep relations of factor efficacy between these characteristics at elected indicators of the central questions. At the end there is given a summed view of the results of all three articles.

[Circulating immune complexes and age]. / Zirkulierende Immunkomplexe und Alter.

The circulating immune complexes were quantitatively determined by PEG-precipitation in the serum samples of 413 from the clinical point of view healthy persons subdivided into several age groups. In comparison with the other age groups the age group of 0-15 years showed the lowest immune complex values (mean = 3.14 +/- 0.96 mg protein/ml) with a significant higher distribution (p = 5%). Significant differences between the persons of the age of 16-30, 31-45 and 46-60 years were not traceable. The average values of the circulating immune complexes amounted to 3.82 +/- 0.75, 3.9 +/- 0.67 respectively 3.91 +/- 0.38 mg protein/ml. In comparison with these three age groups the circulating immune complexes showed with an average value of 3.62 +/- 0.75 mg protein/ml a falling tendency for the persons more than 60 years old. There existed a statistical significant difference (p = 5%) for the persons of the age of 31-45 years. A sexual dependence of the immune complexes could not be found within the age groups. Autoantibodies (ANF, anti-dsDNA antibodies) were traceable in the serum of 23 (24.7%) of the persons more than 60 years old. The comparison of the sera with and without autoantibodies didn't show any significant difference with regard to the immune complexes.

[Immunity reaction in old age (author's transl)]. / Zum Immunitätsverhalten im Alter. 1. Mitteilung: Ergebnisse der Tetanus-Antitoxinbestimmung in Seren von Menschen im höheren Lebensalter nach aktiver Immunisierung mit einem Tetanus-Adsorbat-impfstoff.

It was found that 61 per cent of ageing persons (average age 73 years) had no protective concentrations of tetanus antitoxin in their serums. After active immunization with a vaccine (tetanus toxoid) the increase of the tetanus antitoxin concentration was slower and lower in old age compared to the young age.

[Reaction of immunity in the age. 3rd information: frequency of antinuclear factors and of DNA-antibodies in old age (author's transl)]. / "Zum Immunitätsverhalten im Alter". 3. Mitt.: "Zur Häufigkeit von antinukleären Faktoren und der DNS-Antikörper im höheren Lebensalter".

In serums from persons in old age were more antinuclear factors, the DNA-antibodies were increased compared to the serums in young age.

[Immunity reaction in old age (author's transl)]. / Zum Immunitätsverhalten im Alter. 2. Mitteilung: Zur zellvermittelten Immunität bei Menschen im höheren Lebensalter nach aktiver Immunisierung mit einem Tetanus-Adsorbatimpfstoff.

In 20 persons in old age and in 20 young persons the immunization with 0,5 ml of a vaccine (tetanus toxoid) was performed. The cell--immediated immunity of lymphocytes of these probands were investigated on the 0,7 21. and 28. day by lymphocyte-transformation test and E-rosette test. The boostering followed after 21 days with the same dose of the vaccine. It was found that the spontaneous transformation rate in T-lymphocytes in old age compared to the young age was duplicated. The stimulation with PHA (Phytämagglutinin) showed no significant differences while the specific cellular reactivity of the T-cells in old age is delayed and reduced compared to the T-cells in young age.