Nurses' perspectives on whether medical aid in dying should be accessible to incompetent patients with dementia: findings from a survey conducted in Quebec, Canada.

We conducted a survey in a random sample of 514 Quebec nurses caring for the elderly to assess their attitudes towards extending medical aid in dying to incompetent patients and to explore associated factors. Attitudes were measured using clinical vignettes featuring a hypothetical patient with Alzheimer disease. Vignettes varied according to the stage of the disease (advanced or terminal) and the presence or absence of a written request. Of the 291 respondents, 83.5% agreed with the current legislation that allows physicians to administer aid in dying to competent patients who are at the end of life and suffer unbearably. A similar proportion (83%, p = 0.871) were in favor of extending medical aid in dying to incompetent patients who are at the terminal stage of Alzheimer disease, show signs of distress, and have made a written request before losing capacity.

[Provision of palliative care for people with advanced dementia]. / Palliativversorgung von Menschen mit fortgeschrittener Demenz.

As a result of a literature-based expert process, this review provides an overview about the principles of palliative care for people with advanced dementia that are relevant for clinical practice. In particular, the indications, impact and aims of palliative care for advanced dementia are described. Life-prolonging measures and management of symptoms at the end of life are discussed. Furthermore, the overview focuses on the legal basis of decision making.

[Evaluation of a family booklet on comfort care in dementia by professional and family caregivers]. / Een handreiking voor familieleden over palliatieve zorg bij dementie: evaluatie door zorgverleners en familieleden.

Families of nursing home residents with dementia are usually involved in care and treatment decisions. To this end, family needs to be informed on the course of the dementia and possible palliative care. Based on a Canadian booklet, we developed an adapted version for use in the Netherlands. Elderly care physicians (n = 30), nurses (n = 38), and bereaved families (n = 59) evaluated the booklet and possible implementation strategies. All respondents confirmed that in general, there is a need of an information brochure on comfort care and end-of-life issues for families. Most (93%) families believed they would have found the booklet useful when received earlier. Compared to the physicians, nurses more frequently found the booklet useful to most or all families (p = 0.04). Acceptance, as measured on an 8-item scale, was highest among families and lowest among physicians. Overall usefulness was often perceived as high (means 7.9 to 8.3; scale range 0-10; SD 0.9 to 1.4) and did not differ across groups of respondents (p = 0.29). All respondents agreed that professional caregivers should have a role in providing the booklet. Additionally, half (53%; no difference across groups) favoured availability of the booklet through families' own initiative; some already before admission. In conclusion, there is a high need for written information on palliative care. The booklet is highly appreciated. A further improved version may support professional and family caregivers in practice.

Age-related impairment of p56lck and ZAP-70 activities in human T lymphocytes activated through the TcR/CD3 complex.

Cellular immune responses decrease with aging. Lymphocytes of aged individuals do not perform as well as cells from young subjects in a number of in vitro assays including cell proliferation, cytokine production, and protection against apoptosis. Here, we have tested the hypothesis that a decrease in T cell responses in tymphocytes from elderly subjects could parallel a decrease in the activity of protein tyrosine kinases (PTK) associated with signal transduction in T lymphocytes. We report that anti-CD3-triggered T lymphocyte proliferation was significantly decreased in T lymphocytes from elderly subjects, but the decrease was not due to an alteration of the percentage or mean fluorescence intensities of CD3, CD4, and CD45. Of significance, the activities of p56lck and ZAP-70 in vitro were significantly decreased in T lymphocytes from elderly subjects compared to young individuals. However, the level of expression of the two kinases did not change with aging. The activity of p59fyn did not show changes with aging, suggesting that p59fyn did not compensate for the decreased activity of p56lck. We also found that the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of the adaptor protein p95vav was similar in activated T lymphocytes from elderly and young subjects. Our results suggest that the altered cellular immune responses observed in T lymphocytes with aging may be the result, at least in part, of an alteration in early events associated with signal transduction through the TcR/CD3 complex that translates into decreased activities of p56lck and ZAP-70. Impairment in the activities of these twokey components of T cell signaling may contribute to reduced immune functions associated with aging.

The rotator cuff-deficient arthritic shoulder: diagnosis and surgical management.

The symptomatic rotator cuff-deficient, arthritic glenohumeral joint poses a complex problem for the orthopaedic surgeon. Surgical management can be facilitated by classifying the disorder in one of three diagnostic categories: (1) rotator cuff-tear arthropathy, (2) rheumatoid arthritic shoulder with cuff deficiency, or (3) degenerative arthritic (osteoarthritic) shoulder with cuff deficiency. If it is not possible to repair the cuff defect, surgical management may include prosthetic arthroplasty, with the recognition that only limited goals are attainable, particularly with respect to strength and active motion. Glenohumeral arthrodesis is a salvage procedure when other surgical measures have failed. Arthrodesis is also indicated in patients with deltoid muscle deficiency. Humeral hemiarthroplasty avoids the complications of glenoid loosening and is an attractive alternative to arthrodesis, resection arthroplasty, and total shoulder arthroplasty. The functionally intact coracoacromial arch should be preserved to reduce the risk of anterosuperior subluxation. Care should be taken not to "overstuff" the gleno-humeral joint with a prosthetic component. In cases of significant internal rotation contracture, subscapularis lengthening is necessary to restore anterior and posterior rotator cuff balance. If the less stringent criteria of Neer's "limited goals" rehabilitation are followed, approximately 80% to 90% of patients treated with humeral hemiarthroplasty can have satisfactory results.

An evaluation of home visiting of patients by physicians in geriatric medicine.

The practice of preadmission home visiting of patients referred to geriatric medicine units has in recent years been criticised as being unnecessary on the grounds that if there is no waiting list there is no need for allocation of priority for admission; as being wasteful of doctors' time; as being resented by general practitioners; and as failing to provide adequate clinical information. The geriatric medicine department at the City Hospital with no waiting list for patients referred by general practitioners has retained home visits for most referrals because of the advantages in terms of acceptability to general practitioners (98-100%); the quantity and quality of information obtained; the usefulness of this information in deciding appropriate management and in planning discharge from hospital; and the provision of a unique teaching opportunity, which is highly valued by students and teachers alike.

[Treatment of depression in the elderly. The use of psychostimulants]. / Le traitement de la dépression chez les personnes âgées. L'utilité des psychostimulants.

Classical treatment of depression in the elderly is often complicated by side effects and delayed therapeutic effect. After reviewing the literature and their clinical experiences, the authors suggest several acceptable indications for the use of psychostimulants in the elderly, especially when the depression is associated with a serious physical illness.

Quantification of mechanoreceptors in the canine anterior cruciate ligament.

Ten canine anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs) were harvested while preserving their bony attachments. Specimens were stained using a modified gold chloride technique, divided into thirds, and serially sliced at 0.5 microns. The slides were viewed to count the mechanoreceptors present. The average numbers of receptors found were: proximal 67, middle 43, and distal 18 (ANOVA: P < 0.001). The statistical test (Sheffé) revealed that the proximal third contained a greater mean number of receptors (S = 3.8). No significant difference was found between the number of receptors in the middle and distal thirds (S = 0.85).

Revision surgery after failed subacromial decompression.

The purpose of this study was to assess the results of revision subacromial decompression and identify clinical and psychological factors that influence its outcome. Thirty-five patients with intact rotator cuffs who underwent surgery for recurrent stage II impingement were studied at a mean follow-up time of 43 months post-surgery. Twenty-seven patients were satisfied with their surgery. The UCLA Scoring System rated 18 of 35 with good/excellent results and 17 of 35 poor/fair results, 22 patients had worker's compensation injuries, which correlated with poor outcome (P=0.0067). Patients with concomitant brachial plexopathy and/or compressive neuropathies were associated with unsatisfactory results (P=0.02).

Tissue-specific GATA factors are transcriptional effectors of the small GTPase RhoA.

Rho-like GTPases play a pivotal role in the orchestration of changes in the actin cytoskeleton in response to receptor stimulation, and have been implicated in transcriptional activation, cell growth regulation, and oncogenic transformation. Recently, a role for RhoA in the regulation of cardiac contractility and hypertrophic cardiomyocyte growth has been suggested but the mechanisms underlying RhoA function in the heart remain undefined. We now report that transcription factor GATA-4, a key regulator of cardiac genes, is a nuclear mediator of RhoA signaling and is involved in the control of sarcomere assembly in cardiomyocytes. Both RhoA and GATA-4 are essential for sarcomeric reorganization in response to hypertrophic growth stimuli and overexpression of either protein is sufficient to induce sarcomeric reorganization. Consistent with convergence of RhoA and GATA signaling, RhoA potentiates the transcriptional activity of GATA-4 via a p38 MAPK-dependent pathway that phosphorylates GATA-4 activation domains and GATA binding sites mediate RhoA activation of target cardiac promoters. Moreover, a dominant-negative GATA-4 protein abolishes RhoA-induced sarcomere reorganization. The identification of transcription factor GATA-4 as a RhoA mediator in sarcomere reorganization and cardiac gene regulation provides a link between RhoA effects on transcription and cell remodeling.

Characterization of a specific binding site for angiotensin II in chicken liver.

We have characterized a specific binding site for angiotensin II (AngII) in chicken liver membranes. Pseudo-equilibrium studies at 22 degrees C for 30 min have shown that this binding site recognizes AngII with a high affinity (pKD of 8.13 +/- 0.21). The binding sites are saturable and relatively abundant (maximal binding capacity varies from 0.318 to 0.88 pmol/mg of protein). Nonequilibrium kinetic analyses at 22 degrees C revealed a calculated kinetic pKD of 8.77 +/- 0.20. The binding site is pharmacologically distinct from the classic AngII receptors AT1 and AT2. Competitive binding studies with chicken liver membranes demonstrated the following rank order of effectiveness: AngII (human; Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe) > AngI(Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu) > AngIII(Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe) > AngIV (Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe) > Ang(1-7) (Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro) > PD123319 (1-[4(dimethylamino)3-methylphenyl] methyl-5-(diphenylacetyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-imidazo [4,5-c]pyridine-6-carboxylic acid) > DuP753 (2-n-butyl-4-chloro-5 hydroxymethyl-1-[(2'-1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl)methyl] imidazole. This atypical AngII binding site (chicken AT) was sensitive to increasing concentrations of DTT and Mn2+. The structure-activity relationship on position 1 of AngII showed that the primary N-terminal amine was essential for binding affinity ([Asp1]AngII > [Suc1]AngII > or = [Sar1]AngII), but modifications of the side chain in position 1 had less influence on the affinity ([Gly1]AngII > [Cys1]AngII approximately [aminoisobutyryl1]AngII approximately [Ser1]AngII > > > [Sar1]AngII). The presence of substantial quantities of this binding site in chicken liver membranes suggests the possibility that the chicken AT may play an important, yet unrecognized, role in the renin-angiotensin system.