Dysbiosis, gut barrier dysfunction and inflammation in dementia: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is an increasing public health threat worldwide. The pathogenesis of dementia has not been fully elucidated yet. Inflammatory processes are hypothesized to play an important role as a driver for cognitive decline but the origin of inflammation is not clear. We hypothesize that disturbances in gut microbiome composition, gut barrier dysfunction, bacterial translocation and resulting inflammation are associated with cognitive dysfunction in dementia. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, a cohort of 23 patients with dementia and 18 age and sex matched controls without cognitive impairments were studied. Gut microbiome composition, gut barrier dysfunction, bacterial translocation and inflammation were assessed from stool and serum samples. Malnutrition was assessed by Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), detailed information on drug use was collected. Microbiome composition was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing, QIIME 2 and Calypso 7.14 tools. RESULTS: Dementia was associated with dysbiosis characterized by differences in beta diversity and changes in taxonomic composition. Gut permeability was increased as evidenced by increased serum diamine oxidase (DAO) levels and systemic inflammation was confirmed by increased soluble cluster of differentiation 14 levels (sCD14). BMI and statin use had the strongest impact on microbiome composition. CONCLUSION: Dementia is associated with changes in gut microbiome composition and increased biomarkers of gut permeability and inflammation. Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group as potential butyrate producer was reduced in dementia. Malnutrition and drug intake were factors, that impact on microbiome composition. Increasing butyrate producing bacteria and targeting malnutrition may be promising therapeutic targets in dementia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03167983 .

["Memory acute"-treatment concept for inpatient remobilization of acutely ill patients with dementia]. / "Memory Akut" ­ Versorgungskonzept zur stationären Remobilisation von akut erkrankten Demenzpatienten.

BACKGROUND: Acute hospitals are generally not designed for people with dementia. Behavioral issues pose the greatest challenge. This article reports on the results of a prospective controlled study designed to assess whether dementia patients benefit from a remobilization strategy in a memory clinic (IG-MA) following hospital discharge. METHODS: Between January and September 2018 patients with moderate to severe dementia discharged from hospital following acute episodes were admitted to an IG-MA for remobilization. The IG-MA unit provides specially qualified personnel and an adapted environment. Control groups were formed from the standard remobilization unit (KG1-AGR) and four care homes (KG2-PWH). RESULTS: Patients in the IG-MA (n = 22) had a worse functional status at admission according to the Barthel index (BI), the timed "up and go" test (TUG) and the Esslinger transfer scale (ETS) than patients in the KG1-AGR (n = 59). Outcomes significantly improved in both groups (IG-MA and KG1-AGR) without a clear difference between groups: IG-MA (BI from 35 to 57.8 points, TUG from 30.8 s to 23 s, ETS from 2.1 to 1.1 points) vs. KG1-AGR (BI from 44.7 to 62.4 points, TUG from 28.6 s to 20.2 s, ETS from 1.7 to 0.9 points). There were differences in cognitive ability at admission (mini mental state examination, MMSE: IG-MA 13.6 points vs. KG1-AGR 20 points). The length of stay in the IG-MA was on average 5 days longer. Early discharge was mostly the result of complications and transfer to acute hospitals in the IG-MA group (22.7%) and in the KG1-AGR group this was mostly due to care issues (27.1%). The KG2-PWH group did not show any significant functional improvements in the first 4 weeks as measured by the BI. CONCLUSION: Moderate to severely affected dementia patients with behavioral problems benefited from treatment in a specially designed remobilization unit following hospital discharge after an acute event.

Decision support aids with anthropomorphic characteristics influence trust and performance in younger and older adults.

This study examined the use of deliberately anthropomorphic automation on younger and older adults' trust, dependence and performance on a diabetes decision-making task. Research with anthropomorphic interface agents has shown mixed effects in judgments of preferences but has rarely examined effects on performance. Meanwhile, research in automation has shown some forms of anthropomorphism (e.g. etiquette) have effects on trust and dependence on automation. Participants answered diabetes questions with no-aid, a non-anthropomorphic aid or an anthropomorphised aid. Trust and dependence in the aid was measured. A minimally anthropomorphic aide primarily affected younger adults' trust in the aid. Dependence, however, for both age groups was influenced by the anthropomorphic aid. Automation that deliberately embodies person-like characteristics can influence trust and dependence on reasonably reliable automation. However, further research is necessary to better understand the specific aspects of the aid that affect different age groups. Automation that embodies human-like characteristics may be useful in situations where there is under-utilisation of reasonably reliable aids by enhancing trust and dependence in that aid. Practitioner Summary: The design of decision-support aids on consumer devices (e.g. smartphones) may influence the level of trust that users place in that system and their amount of use. This study is the first step in articulating how the design of aids may influence user's trust and use of such systems.

Positioning patient status monitors in a family waiting room.

OBJECTIVE: To determine where to place patient status displays for family members in the operating room family waiting room at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. METHODS: We calculated the percentage of seats from which wall monitors placed in hypothetical positions would be usable. We validated the usability of the new monitors by observing nonemployees' use of monitors in the waiting room 1 week before and 1 week after implementation. RESULTS: Compared to the legacy monitor, the new monitors were observed to be used from more locations within the waiting room and more people were observed to use the new monitors soon after entering the waiting room. CONCLUSIONS: Seemingly trivial decisions like where in a waiting room to place monitors can be informed by careful data collection and the consequences can observably impact communication between hospital staff and family members waiting for loved ones in surgery.

Developing a usability evaluation tool to assess the patient room bathroom.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to create an easy-to-administer and inexpensive tool that can help identify usability issues in a patient room bathroom during the design process so improvements can be made before the final product is constructed and put into operation. BACKGROUND: The bathroom is an essential part of any hospital patient room, yet it is associated with nurse dissatisfaction and patient falls. Minimal literature has examined whether the physical structure of various elements within the bathroom are efficient, safe, and satisfactory for the majority of users. Furthermore, there is a paucity of human factor guidelines for architects and designers to follow to ensure the usability of bathroom space for a wide variety of users. METHODS: The authors adapted a common technique used in software usability: the heuristic evaluation. A heuristic evaluation is a "discount" evaluation method used to quickly and efficiently evaluate the usability flaws of user interfaces. Three methods were used to provide input for the heuristic evaluation: (1) Review of existing heuristic evaluations, reported hospital bathroom problems, and safety checklists; (2) Interviews with nurses and nursing assistants; and (3) Focus groups with nurses. Analysis of the interview and focus group transcripts enabled the categorization of the types of problems nurses encounter in the patient room bathroom. These categories served as the basis for the heuristics in the heuristic evaluation tool. RESULTS: Eleven major heuristics (or categories of problems in the bathroom) were identified initially. The authors then went through several iterations of designing and refining the heuristic evaluation to form parsimonious categories and subcategories. Each of the eventual six major heuristic categories contains a general description as well as specific exemplar questions. These detailed subcategories enable an evaluator to easily gauge whether a bathroom adheres to the guideline, to write any comments about a particular issue, and to rate the severity of any problems. CONCLUSIONS: The bathroom heuristic evaluation was designed to be a discount usability evaluation tool. It can be used to assess a hospital bathroom during the design process for major usability issues, enabling necessary alterations before a final product is developed.