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AD Groups (ad + groups)
Selected AbstractsBiphasic Resorbable Calcium Phosphate Ceramic for Bone Implants and Local Alendronate Delivery,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Shashwat S. Banerjee A novel biphasic calcium phosphate ceramic composed of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and calcium pyrophosphate (CP) is synthesized in order to tailor the biodegradation behavior of the ceramic. The results show that biphasic TCP/CP ceramic has a strength of 62.2,±,2.1 MPa, which is superior to single-phase TCP and CP ceramics, which show strengths of 44.3,±,3.0 and 53.0,±,4.8 MPa, respectively. In addition, biphasic TCP/CP ceramic displays a controlled strength degradation from 62.2,±,2.1 to 40.5,±,1.0 MPa in stimulated body fluid over a period of 28 d. An in vitro cell materials interaction study using human fetal osteoblast cells indicates that TCP/CP ceramic is cytocompatible. TCP/CP ceramic also show a good loading capacity for alendronate. Adsorption of alendronate (AD) on the TCP/CP surface is found to proceed via ligand exchange mechanism and the in vitro release profile of AD from TCP/CP surface is characterized by an initial fast release followed by a slow and sustained release. Strong electrostatic interactions between AD groups and surface Ca2+ ions enable the slow and sustained release of AD. These results demonstrate that the newly developed biphasic ceramic, with its controlled strength degradation and drug release, shows promise for use in orthopedic and tissue engineering applications. [source] Brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment in older Japanese: Validation of the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive AssessmentGERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2010Yoshinori Fujiwara Aim: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), developed by Dr Nasreddine (Nasreddine et al. 2005), is a brief cognitive screening tool for detecting older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We examined the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the MoCA (MoCA-J) in older Japanese subjects. Methods: Subjects were recruited from the outpatient memory clinic of Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital or community-based medical health check-ups in 2008. The MoCA-J, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the revised version of Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (HDS-R), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, and routine neuropsychological batteries were conducted on 96 older subjects. Mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) was found in 30 subjects and MCI in 30, with 36 normal controls. Results: The Cronbach's alpha of MoCA-J as an index of internal consistency was 0.74. The test,retest reliability of MoCA, using intraclass correlation coefficient between the scores at baseline survey and follow-up survey 8 weeks later was 0.88 (P < 0.001). MoCA-J score was highly correlated with MMSE (r = 0.83, P < 0.001), HDS-R (r = 0.79, P < 0.001) and CDR (r = ,0.79, P < 0.001) scores. The areas under receiver,operator curves (AUC) for predicting MCI and AD groups by the MoCA-J were 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.90,1.00) and 0.99 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), respectively. The corresponding values for MMSE and HDS-R were 0.85 (95% CI = 0.75,0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), and 0.86 (95% CI = 0.76,0.95) and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.00,1.00), respectively. Using a cut-off point of 25/26, the MoCA-J demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.0% and a specificity of 87.0% in screening MCI. Conclusion: The MoCA-J could be a useful cognitive test for screening MCI, and could be recommended in a primary clinical setting and for geriatric health screening in the community. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2010; 10: 225,232. [source] Hippocampal volume and asymmetry in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Meta-analyses of MRI studiesHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 11 2009Feng Shi Abstract Numerous studies have reported a smaller hippocampal volume in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients than in aging controls. However, in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the results are inconsistent. Moreover, the left-right asymmetry of the hippocampus receives less research attention. In this article, meta-analyses are designed to determine the extent of hippocampal atrophy in MCI and AD, and to evaluate the asymmetry pattern of the hippocampal volume in control, MCI, and AD groups. From 14 studies including 365 MCI patients and 382 controls, significant atrophy is found in both the left [Effect size (ES), 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72,1.11] and right (ES, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.57,0.98) hippocampus, which is lower than that in AD (ES, 1.60, 95% CI, 1.37,1.84, in left; ES, 1.52, 95% CI, 1.31,1.72, in right). Comparing with aging controls, the average volume reduction weighted by sample size is 12.9% and 11.1% in left and right hippocampus in MCI, and 24.2% and 23.1% in left and right hippocampus in AD, respectively. The findings show a bilateral hippocampal volume loss in MCI and the extent of atrophy is less than that in AD. By comparing the left and right hippocampal volume, a consistent left-less-than-right asymmetry pattern is found, but with different extents in control (ES, 0.39), MCI (ES, 0.56), and AD (ES, 0.30) group. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Visuospatial impairment in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease: a process analysis approachINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 5 2003Martine Simard Abstract Background Reports of differential impairments on visual-construction tasks in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are sometimes controversial, whereas visual-perceptual data are lacking. The existence of different clinical sub-groups of DLB has been hypothesized to explain the discrepancies among the cognitive results. The goal of this study was to compare the visual-perceptual performance of subjects with DLB with predominant psychosis, DLB with predominant parkinsonian features and AD. Methods This is a cross-sectional neuropsychological study with between diagnostic group comparisons. The Benton Judgement Line Orientation (BJLO) test was administered to four DLB patients with predominant psychosis (DLB-psy), four DLB subjects with predominant parkinsonian features (DLB-PD), and 13 patients with AD. An analysis of error types was applied to the results of the BJLO with QO1, QO2, QO3, QO4 (visual attention) errors, as well as VH, IQO, IQOV, and IQOH (visual-spatial perception) errors. Results A MANOVA showed significant differences between the DLB, and AD groups on the number of VH (F,=,6.049, df,=,1,19, p,=,0.024), IQOH (F,=,4.645, df,=,1,19, p,=,0.044) and QO1 (F,=,4.491, df,=,1,19, p,=,0.047) errors, but no difference on the total score of the BJLO. Another MANOVA and post hoc Student,Newman,Keuls analyses demonstrated that the DLB-psy sub-group made significantly more VH and IQOH errors than AD and the DLB-PD subjects. Conclusions Subjects with DLB and psychosis have more severe visual-perception (VH errors) impairments than subjects with DLB and predominant parkinsonian features, and AD subjects. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Influence of Antisocial and Psychopathic Traits on Decision-Making Biases in AlcoholicsALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2009Robert Miranda Jr Background:, Although decision-making processes have become a principal target of study among addiction researchers, few studies have specifically examined decision-making among individuals with alcohol dependence (AD) and findings to date are mixed. The present study examined the relationship between AD and decision-making, and tested whether different facets of antisocial and psychopathic traits explain this association. Methods:, Participants were men with AD (n = 22), AD and comorbid antisocial personality disorder (AD + ASPD; n = 17), or a history of recreational alcohol use, but no current or lifetime symptoms of a substance use disorder, conduct disorder, or ASPD (n = 21). Decision-making was tested using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Results:, Across groups, participants reported similar levels of awareness of the contingencies of the task, but the AD groups with and without ASPD had poorer IGT performance compared with controls (p < 0.05). A block-by-block analysis revealed that while AD had slow but steady improvement across the task, AD + ASPD exhibited initial improvement followed by a significant decrease in advantageous decision-making during the last 20 trials (p < 0.05). This was further confirmed via evidence that impulsive/antisocial personality traits but not psychopathic traits mediated poor IGT performance beyond ASPD diagnosis. Conclusions:, Alcohol-dependent males favored risky choices regardless of whether they met criteria for ASPD. However, decision-making deficits were more pronounced among those with ASPD, and personality traits characterized by impulsive and antisocial tendencies mediated the relationship between AD and decision-making. [source] Estimation of premorbid IQ in individuals with Alzheimer's disease using Japanese ideographic script (Kanji) compound words: Japanese version of National Adult Reading TestPSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 3 2006KEIKO MATSUOKA phd Abstract The National Adult Reading Test (NART) is widely used as a measure of premorbid IQ of the English-speaking patients with dementia. The purpose of the present study was to develop a Japanese version of the NART (JART), using 50 Japanese irregular words, all of which are Kanji (ideographic script) compound words. Reading performance based on JART and IQ as measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale,Revised (WAIS-R) was examined in a sample of 100 normal elderly (NE) persons and in 70 age-, sex-, and education-matched patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The NE group was randomly divided into the NE calculation group (n = 50) and the NE validation group (n = 50). Using the NE calculation group, a linear regression equation was obtained in which the observed full-scale IQ (FSIQ) was regressed on the reading errors of the JART. When the regressed equation computed from the NE calculation group was applied to the NE validation group, the predicted FSIQ adequately fit the observed FSIQ (R2 = 0.78). Further, independent t -tests showed that the JART-predicted IQs were not significantly different between the NE and AD groups, whereas the AD group performed worse in the observed IQs. The reading ability of Kanji compound words is well-preserved in Japanese patients with AD. The JART is a valid scale for evaluating premorbid IQ in patients with AD. [source] Comparing two programs of cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease: a pilot studyACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2002E. Farina Objectives ,,To evaluate the efficacy of two different procedures of individual cognitive training in mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Material and methods ,,Twenty-two AD patients entered the study. We compared stimulation of procedural memory (group 1) with training of partially spared cognitive functions (group 2). Assessment included: neuropsychological tests, scales, and the Functional Living Skills Assessment (FLSA), a standardized battery built to directly evaluate patients' performance in everyday life. Results ,,We observed a significant improvement for both groups after training in FLSA total score (P=0.005) and subscales. For group 1, we also found a slightly improved performance in two tests: Attentional Matrices (P=0.041), and Verbal Fluency for Letters (P=0.059). After 3 months, patients' results showed a tendency to regress to the pre-training level. Conclusion ,,Both AD groups showed a substantial improvement after training in a direct performance measure of everyday functioning. However, results at neuropsychological tests suggest that training activities of daily living (supported by procedural memory) may be more effective than stimulating `residual' cognitive functions. [source] | ||||||||||