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Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a negative effect on employment status. Objective To present the preliminary results of a special questionnaire designed to collect employment information on patients with MS. Methods The questionnaire on the impact of MS on employment status was completed by 63 patients. Fatigue, cognition, and depression were also evaluated, and 33 healthy participants were recruited as a control group. Results Regarding the patients’ employment status, we found rates of 31.7% of fulltime employment, 28.6% of part-time employment, 7.9% of unemployment due to MS, 4.8% of housewives, 1.6% retirement due to age, 15.9% of retirement due to disability, 7.9% of medical leave due to MS, and 1.6% of medical leave for other reasons. The rate of unemployment among the patients was significantly higher compared with that of the control group. Out of 38 working patients, 31% had been absent from work for the previous 3 months due to MS, and 50% had to make changes in their work to remain employed. Out of the 19 unemployed patients, 78% said that walking difficulties were the cause of unemployment, while 52% thought cognitive impairment was the cause. Conclusions The questionnaire provides a record of the employment status of patients with MS and describes the impact on work from their point of view. Resumo Antecedentes A esclerose múltipla (EM) tem um efeito negativo na situação laboral. Objetivo Apresentar os resultados preliminares de um questionário elaborado para coletar informações sobre a situação laboral de pacientes com EM. Métodos O questionário sobre o impacto da EM na situação laboral foi preenchido por 63 pacientes. Fadiga, cognição e depressão também foram avaliadas, e 33 pacientes saudáveis foram incluídos como grupo controle. Resultados Quanto à situação laboral dos pacientes, foram encontradas taxas de 31,7% de emprego em tempo integral, 28,6% de emprego em meio período, 7,9% de desemprego por EM, 4,8% de donas de casa, 1,6% aposentadoria por idade, 15,9% de aposentadoria por invalidez, 7,9% por licença médica por EM, e 1,6% de licença médica por outros motivos. A taxa de desemprego entre os pacientes foi significativamente mais alta em comparação coma do grupo controle. Dos 38 pacientes empregados, 31% tiveram que se afastar do trabalho nos 3 meses anteriores por causa da EM, e 50% tiveram que fazer mudanças em seu trabalho para permanecer empregado. Dos 19 pacientes desempregados, 78% mencionaram que as dificuldades de locomoção foram a causa do desemprego, enquanto 52% reportaram que a deterioração cognitiva foi a causa. Conclusões Este questionário fornece um registro da situação laboral dos pacientes com EM e descreve o seu impacto no emprego do ponto de vista deles.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of reproductive aging on executive functions. We assessed executive functions in three groups of healthy women in the premenopausal (n = 45, mean age = 30.89, SD = 10.5), perimenopausal (n = 31, mean age = 50.06, SD = 3.6) and postmenopausal (n = 24, mean age = 63.39, SD = 6.5) phase. No differences between groups were observed in working memory, verbal fluency, inhibitory control, planning, and cognitive flexibility. However, when the analyses were repeated with participants with occupations with lower intellectual demands, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women performed worse than premenopausal women in semantic verbal fluency. This study provides important evidence to understand the effects of reproductive aging on cognitive performance in healthy women. Our findings indicate that cognitive reserve-related factors may be important to understand the differences in executive functions associated with reproductive aging.

prospective memory is the ability to remember to perform actions in the future. Currently there is no consensus about the relationship between prospective memory and emotional processing.The aim of this work is to determine the influence of the emotional valence of prospective memory signals on prospective recall in patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.37 patients with multiple sclerosis and 32 healthy volunteers were recruited. An experimental test was made where the concurrent task consisted in a 2-back working memory activity and the prospective component consisted of remembering to press a key on the computer when an image of positive, negative or neutral emotional content appears on the screen.An intra-group comparison was made between the memory of emotional and neutral stimuli, and it was obtained that the differences are significant in both groups in favor of the recall of stimuli with neutral valence (Z = -3.39, p = .001 for the control group and Z = -2.63, p = .008 for multiple sclerosis).The results indicate that emotionally neutral target stimuli benefits prospective memory in normal people and in multiple sclerosis patients. The limitations of the implemented method are discussed.

It is estimated that population aging will continue to rise over the next few years, increasing cases of cognitive impairment. This requires having short, reliable and low-cost tests aimed at the early detection of cognitive disorders. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a widely used test that allows an initial screening of cognitive disorders. Regarding this test, there is no normative data for the Rosario Metropolitan Area, Argentina, in elderly subjects.Obtain normative values for the MMSE test (language Spanish rioplatense version) in inhabitants of the Rosario Metropolitan Area, with ages 50 years and older.The MMSE was administered to 1126 subjects in the context of a campaign to prevent cognitive impairment. When applying the exclusion criteria, the sample was reduced to 824 subjects.Schooling and age influence the performance of the test, while gender had no incidence. The means and standard deviations are reported according to levels of schooling and age ranges.These norms indicate an unprecedented local frame of reference for the purpose of researching cognitive disorders in subjects 50 years of age and older.

Rare coding variants in TREM2, PLCG2, and ABI3 were recently associated with the susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Caucasians. Frequencies and AD-associated effects of variants differ across ethnicities. To start filling the gap on AD genetics in South America and assess the impact of these variants across ethnicity, we studied these variants in Argentinian population in association with ancestry. TREM2 (rs143332484 and rs75932628), PLCG2 (rs72824905), and ABI3 (rs616338) were genotyped in 419 AD cases and 486 controls. Meta-analysis with European population was performed. Ancestry was estimated from genome-wide genotyping results. All variants show similar frequencies and odds ratios to those previously reported. Their association with AD reach statistical significance by meta-analysis. Although the Argentinian population is an admixture, variant carriers presented mainly Caucasian ancestry. Rare coding variants in TREM2, PLCG2, and ABI3 also modulate susceptibility to AD in populations from Argentina, and they may have a European heritage., International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (to M.C.D.); Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PBIT/09 2013, PICT2015-0285 and PICT-2016-4647 to L.M.; PICT-2014-1537 to M.C.D.)