The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Nov 2004
Comparative StudyIn-vivo imaging of Alzheimer disease beta-amyloid with [11C]SB-13 PET.
In-vivo imaging of beta-amyloid plaques (Abeta) may improve both early detection of Alzheimer disease (AD) and efficacy assessment of new treatments for AD. The authors' aim was to develop a novel Abeta-specific positron-emission tomography (PET) tracer. ⋯ [11C]SB-13 is an effective PET tracer for fibrillar Abeta imaging in vivo, with similar performance as [11C]PIB. Future research directions include evaluation of tracer in larger AD patient samples and in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment, evaluation of arterial input function, and comparison with other tracers, such as [18F]FDG as they relate to cognitive functioning.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Nov 2004
Cognitive impairment in elderly medical inpatients: detection and associated six-month outcomes.
The authors examined the relationship of cognitive impairment at hospital admission to 6-month outcome (hospital readmission, nursing home admission, and death) in a cohort of elderly medical inpatients. ⋯ In these elderly medical inpatients, cognitive impairment was frequent, rarely detected, and associated with nursing home admission during follow-up. Although this association was stronger in those with detected impairment, these results support the view that acute hospitalization presents an opportunity to better detect cognitive impairment in elderly patients and target further interventions to prevent adverse outcomes such as nursing home admission.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2004
Assessment of mood state in dementia by use of the visual analog mood scales (VAMS).
The assessment of mood states in individuals with dementia is a challenging yet clinically useful task. The purpose of the present study was to examine the validity of the Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) in individuals with dementia. ⋯ These results provide evidence for the validity of the VAMS in patients with dementia.
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Sep 2004
ReviewEnd-of-life care: issues relevant to the geriatric psychiatrist.
Most deaths in the United States occur in the context of chronic diseases in later life and are too often accompanied by potentially remediable emotional or physical suffering. Geriatric psychiatrists and other mental health professionals can contribute meaningfully to the provision of optimal care during the final phases of life. This review provides an overview of end-of-life care, focusing on issues most relevant to the geriatric psychiatrist. ⋯ The author also notes the relevance of such end-of-life-care considerations to patients with dementia. Geriatric psychiatrists' skills across these multiple domains are of particular usefulness. Through such clinical skills and the application of empirical research tools to the many unanswered questions in the care of dying patients, geriatric psychiatry can make increasingly valuable and visible contributions to improving quality of life for people suffering from life-threatening illnesses.