Search

Background: Accurately identifying cognitive changes in Mexican American (MA) adults using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) requires knowledge of population-based norms for the MMSE, a scale which has widespread use in research settings. Objective: To describe the distribution of MMSE scores in a large cohort of MA adults, assess the impact of MMSE requirements on their clinical trial eligibility, and explore which factors are most strongly associated with their MMSE scores. Methods: Visits between 2004–2021 in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort were analyzed. Eligible participants were ≥18 years old and of Mexican descent. MMSE distributions before and after stratification by age and years of education (YOE) were assessed, as was the proportion of trial-aged (50–85– year-old) participants with MMSE

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is defined by its involvement of the frontal and temporal lobes. It has recently become apparent, however, that it is not a single disease. Instead, multiple underlying pathologies and genetic mutations can present clinically and pathologically affecting these lobes. Diagnosis can be difficult because, in addition to its well-known cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal symptoms, FTD can also involve motor systems in multiple ways such that it can be confused with isolated motor neuron disease, Huntington’s disease, or even Parkinsonian syndromes. The goals of this chapter are to discuss the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of FTD, their neuropsychologic findings, the FTD phenotypes and how they relate to their pathologic and genetic underpinnings, and the myriad motor system findings that occur in a significant percentage of patients, and how they are associated with the different forms of FTD.

Background: Prior studies have found a reduced risk of dementia of any etiology following influenza vaccination in selected populations, including veterans and patients with serious chronic health conditions. However, the effect of influenza vaccination on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk in a general cohort of older US adults has not been characterized. Objective: To compare the risk of incident AD between patients with and without prior influenza vaccination in a large US claims database. Methods: Deidentified claims data spanning September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2019 were used. Eligible patients were free of dementia during the 6-year look-back period and≥65 years old by the start of follow-up. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was used to create flu-vaccinated and flu-unvaccinated cohorts with similar baseline demographics, medication usage, and comorbidities. Relative risk (RR) and absolute risk reduction (ARR) were estimated to assess the effect of influenza vaccination on AD risk during the 4-year follow-up. Results: From the unmatched sample of eligible patients (n = 2,356,479), PSM produced a sample of 935,887 flu–vaccinated-unvaccinated matched pairs. The matched sample was 73.7 (SD, 8.7) years of age and 56.9% female, with median follow-up of 46 (IQR, 29–48) months; 5.1% (n = 47,889) of the flu-vaccinated patients and 8.5% (n = 79,630) of the flu-unvaccinated patients developed AD during follow-up. The RR was 0.60 (95% CI, 0.59–0.61) and ARR was 0.034 (95% CI, 0.033–0.035), corresponding to a number needed to treat of 29.4. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that influenza vaccination is associated with reduced AD risk in a nationwide sample of US adults aged 65 and older.

The goal of this retrospective cohort study was to determine whether stressors related to military service, determined by a diagnosis of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) or receiving a Purple Heart (PH), are associated with an increased risk of vascular risk factors and disease, which are of great concern for veterans, who constitute a significant portion of the aging US population. The Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 16 administrative database was searched for individuals 65 years or older between October 1, 1997 to September 30, 1999 who either received a PH but did not have cPTSD (PH+/cPTSD−; n = 1499), had cPTSD without a PH (PH−/cPTSD+; n = 3593), had neither (PH−/cPTSD−; n = 5010), or had both (PH+/cPTSD+; n = 153). In comparison to the control group (PH−/cPTSD−), the PH+/cPTSD− group had increased odds ratios for incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The PH−/cPTSD+ group had increased odds ratios for prevalence of diabetes mellitus and for the incidence and prevalence of hyperlipidemia. The PH−/cPTSD+ and PH+/cPTSD− groups were associated with ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, but not independently of the other risk factors. The PH+/cPTSD+ group was associated only with an increase in the incidence and prevalence of hyperlipidemia, though this group’s much smaller sample size may limit the reliability of this finding. We conclude that certain physical and psychological stressors related to military service are associated with a greater incidence of several vascular risk factors in veterans aged 65 years or older, which in turn are associated with greater rates of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) varies a great deal cognitively regarding symptoms, test findings, the rate of progression, and neuroradiologically in terms of atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We hypothesized that an unbiased analysis of the progression of AD, regarding clinical and MRI features, will reveal a number of AD phenotypes. Our objective is to develop and use a computational method for multi-modal analysis of changes in cognitive scores and MRI volumes to test for there being multiple AD phenotypes. In this retrospective cohort study with a total of 857 subjects from the AD (n = 213), MCI (n = 322), and control (CN, n = 322) groups, we used structural MRI data and neuropsychological assessments to develop a novel computational phenotyping method that groups brain regions from MRI and subsets of neuropsychological assessments in a non-biased fashion. The phenotyping method was built based on coupled nonnegative matrix factorization (C-NMF). As a result, the computational phenotyping method found four phenotypes with different combination and progression of neuropsychologic and neuroradiologic features. Identifying distinct AD phenotypes here could help explain why only a subset of AD patients typically respond to any single treatment. This, in turn, will help us target treatments more specifically to certain responsive phenotypes.

A procedure is developed for determining all platinum-group metals (PGM) and gold (10−7 to 10−4%). It includes the autoclave digestion of samples with the transfer of metals into a hydrochloric acid medium without losing osmium and ruthenium, group 10- to 20-fold extraction preconcentration of precious metals with the removal of matrix interfering elements to a factor of 105–106, and the analysis of the group back extract of PGM and gold by ICP AES. A method is proposed for the quantitative back extraction of all PGM and gold from a group extract in two steps of consecutively washing the extract with ammonia solutions and thiourea. The procedure is tested on seven GSO samples and technological objects. It is shown that ICP MS can be used for the analysis of group back extracts of PGM and gold.

An ICP AES procedure is developed for the direct determination of all platinum-group metals (PGM) and Au in an extract based on the correlation between the main constituents of the analytical cycle. Concentrations interfering with the determination PGM and Au in the extract admissible for ICP AES were found. It was shown that the extraction system (a mixture of p-alkylaniline with oil sulfides in o-xylene or in post-xylene fractions) is compatible with ICP, ensures the 10- to 20-fold preconcentration of PGM and Au and the necessary depth of extract purification (106) of the interfering elements. The accuracy of the procedure is confirmed by results of analyses of seven certified reference samples (GSO) and the agreement with the results of the reference ETA AAS determination. The procedure was tested on raw materials and products of a copper-nickel plant for the determination of all PGM, including osmium and Au in the concentration range 10−7 to 10−4%.

A general method is proposed for the construction of a gauge-invariant canonical quantum formulation for the gauge-invariant classical theory that depends on the set of parameters. The conditions for closure of the algebra of operators, which generate quantum gauge transformations, entails constraints on the parameters of the theory. The approach described is demonstrated by the example of a closed bosonic string, interacting with a background tachyonic field. The condition of a mass shell for the tachyon is reproduced within the framework of the proposed canonical formulation.

The formation of a refractive index profile (RIP) in planar polymer structures with methyl methacrylate as the penetrant and a matrix composed of diallyl isophthalate with maleic anhydride is investigated experimentally. The effect of different factors on this process is studied: temperatures, diffusion times, diffusion boundary conditions, and ratios of the components of the system. Some data which give an idea of the optical characteristics of planar gradient-index lenses are presented.