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Original Data Collection Questionnaires. (PDF 1507 kb)

9 páginas, 6 figuras, 1 tabla -- PAGS nros. 390-398, Alterations in cell cycle progression seem to be associated with neuronal death in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We previously reported disturbances in the control of cell survival/death fate in immortalized lymphocytes from AD patients. These cell cycle dysfunction and impaired apoptosis were considered systemic manifestations of AD disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether these abnormalities are characteristic of AD, or they may be seen in other neurodegenerative disorders such ALS. Our results indicate that alterations in signaling molecules, Akt and ERK1/2, and in the cyclin-dependent kinase complex inhibitors (CDKis) p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 are detectable in lymphoblasts from AD patients, but not in ALS patients, suggesting that these variables may be considered for the development of biomarkers of AD. However, lymphocytes from ALS patients do not represent a useful model to study cell cycle-related events associated with neurodegeneration of motoneurons, This work has been supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (SAF2007-62405) and Fundación Rodríguez Pascual. NE holds a fellowship of the JAE predoctoral program of the CSIC

Background Our aim was to assess the diagnostic agreement among the neurologists in the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain 2 (NEDICES-2) study; these neurologists were assigning diagnoses of essential tremor (ET) vs. no ET. Methods Clinical histories and standardized video‐taped neurological examinations of 26 individuals (11 ET, seven Parkinson's disease, three diagnostically unclear, four normal, one with a tremor disorder other than ET) were provided to seven consultant neurologists, six neurology residents, and five neurology research fellows (18 neurologists total). For each of the 26 individuals, neurologists were asked to assign a diagnosis of "ET" or "no ET" using diagnostic criteria proposed by the Movement Disorders Society (MDS). Inter-rater agreement was assessed both with percent concordance and non-weighted Κ statistics. Results Overall Κ was 0.61 (substantial agreement), with no differences between consultant neurologists (Κ = 0.60), neurology residents (Κ = 0.61), and neurology research fellows (Κ = 0.66) in subgroup analyses. Subanalyses of agreement only among those 15 subjects with a previous diagnosis of ET (11 patients) and those with a previous diagnosis of being normal (four individuals) showed an overall Κ of 0.51 (moderate agreement). Discussion In a population-based epidemiological study, substantial agreement was demonstrated for the diagnosis of ET among neurologists of different levels of expertise. However, agreement was lower than that previously reported using the Washington Heights-Inwood Genetic Study of Essential Tremor criteria, and a head-to-head comparison is needed to assess which is the tool of choice in epidemiological research in ET.

Background The Neurological Disorders in Central Spain, second survey (NEDICES-2) is a population-based, closed-cohort study that will include over 8000 subjects aged ≥55 years. It will also include a biobank. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate all major aspects of the NEDICES-2 (methods, database, screening instruments, and questionnaires, as well as interexpert rating of the neurological diagnoses) in each one of the planned areas (all of them in central Spain) and to test the possibility of obtaining biological samples from each participant. Methods A selection of patients and participants of the planned NEDICES-2 underwent face-to-face interviews including a comprehensive questionnaire on demographics, current medications, medical conditions, and lifestyle habits. Biological samples (blood, saliva, urine, and hair) were also obtained. Furthermore, every participant was examined by a neurologist. Results In this pilot study, 567 study participants were enrolled (196 from hospitals and 371 from primary care physician lists). Of these 567, 310 completed all study procedures (questionnaires and the neurological evaluation). The study was time-consuming for several primary care physicians. Hence, a few primary care physicians from some areas refused to participate, which led to a reconfiguration of study areas. In addition, the central biobank needed to be supplemented by the biobanks of local Spanish National Health System hospitals. Conclusions Population-based epidemiological surveys, such as the NEDICES-2, require a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of all aspects of a future field study (population selection, methods and instruments to be used, neurological diagnosis agreement, and data collection)., Our thanks to all collaborators in this feasibility pilot study, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Biomedical Research Networking Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), and the two hospital computer experts (Victoria Garcia Baquero and Teresa Garcia Morales), who created the website (http://nedices2.ciberned.com/estudio-de-salud-nedices-2/). We would also like to thank Miss Jennifer Gates for the editing and proofreading of the manuscript.