[Dementia-friendly hospital wards : Expert recommendations for planning and design]. / Demenzsensible Krankenhausstationen : Expertenempfehlungen zu Planung und Gestaltung.

BACKGROUND: Hospitals face great challenges in the necessity of providing care for the rising number of elderly patients with dementia. The adaptation of the spatial environment represents an important component to improve the care situation of patients with dementia. For more than 30 years research results from long-term care have provided evidence on the therapeutic effect of numerous architectural features on people with dementia. Due to specific medical and organizational requirements in hospitals, the transferability of these findings is, however, limited. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An interdisciplinary workshop with experts from the fields of medicine, nursing, gerontology, self-help and architecture was conducted in July 2015. Based on existing research findings and experiences from pilot projects, the spatial requirements for dementia-friendly hospital wards were collated, suggested solutions were discussed from different perspectives and finally design recommendations were derived. RESULTS: The article gives a first comprehensive overview of architectural measures that are required for the design of dementia-friendly hospital wards. The recommendations provided range from architectural criteria, such as the size and spatial structure of hospital wards, to interior design elements, including orientation and navigation aids and the use of light and colors. Furthermore, information about the planning process are given.

Alterations in peripheral blood lymphocyte cytokine expression in obesity.

Obesity is characterized by alterations in immune and inflammatory function. In order to evaluate the potential role of cytokine expression by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in obesity-associated inflammation, we studied serum protein levels and mRNA levels in PBMC of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and IL-1Ra in nine lean and 10 obese subjects. Serum IL-1beta was undetectable, IL-1Ra serum levels were elevated, serum levels of TNF-alpha were decreased and serum levels of IL-6 were similar in obese subjects compared to lean subjects, while transcript levels of IL-6, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha, but not IL-1Ra, were decreased in PBMC from obese subjects. PBMC from obese subjects did, however, up-regulate cytokine expression in response to leptin. Thus, obesity-associated changes in IL-1Ra serum levels and IL-6 mRNA levels were not correlated with changes in cognate mRNA and serum levels, respectively, while TNF-alpha serum levels and PBMC mRNA levels were both decreased in obese patients. While immune alterations in obesity are manifest in peripheral blood lymphocytes, the general lack of correlation between altered serum levels and altered PBMC gene expression suggests that PBMC may not be the source of aberrant serum cytokine levels in obesity.

[Psychotherapeutic group work with psychiatric patients--a clinical study (author's transl)]. / Psychotherapeutische Gruppenarbeit mit psychiatrischen Patienten - eine klinische Studie.

This study investigates the effects of a highly structurized therapy programme made up of different elements of psychotherapy and sociotherapy, conducted in 42 inpatients of a psychiatric hospital. Random testing of the patients was differentiated in respect of the diagnosis of a psychosis, neurosis and disturbed personality. Whereas clearly positive effects were seen in the group of neurotics (measured by means of the Freiburg Personality Inventory test before and after the therapy programme), this did not seem to apply to the group of psychotics. This group, too, included the majority of patients who discontinued participation in the programme.

[Post-traumatic stress disorder and delusions. A case report]. / Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung und Wahnentwicklung. Ein Fallbeispiel.

The present paper initially discusses the possible transitions existing between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and delusional disorder. With respect to the latter, the main focus is on the psychopathological concept of the so-called sensitive delusion of reference. A patient who developed a delusional disorder secondary to PTSD, which had been precipitated by his involvement in a serious auto accident, is then described. The details of this case seem to lend some support to the hypothesis of a clinical continuum provided that the "trauma" found in PTSD, on the one hand, and the "crucial experience" associated with the sensitive delusion of reference, on the other, positively correlate with the presence of prominent sensitive traits of personality.