American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
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Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen · Sep 2013
Discriminative analysis of mild Alzheimer's disease and normal aging using volume of hippocampal subfields and hippocampal mean diffusivity: an in vivo magnetic resonance imaging study.
Studies discovered that the hippocampal subfields are differentially affected by pathological damage, and magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging parameters might be more sensitive measures of early degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) than conventional MR imaging techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of the volume of hippocampal subfields and the mean diffusivity (MD) value of hippocampus in discrimination between mild AD and normal aging. ⋯ Atrophy was present in almost all hippocampal subfields at mild AD stage. The volumes of CA1 and subiculum were of the most diagnostic significance in discrimination of mild AD, which can be improved by the combination of volume and diffusivity analysis.
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Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen · Sep 2013
Peer support for carers: a qualitative investigation of the experiences of carers and peer volunteers.
Being a carer of someone with dementia can be rewarding and also challenging. Volunteer peer support schemes for carers are being introduced, little is known about either their impact on carers and volunteers or about volunteers' and carers' experiences. This study investigated peer volunteer and carer recipient experiences of a peer support service. ⋯ Additional carer benefits included opportunities to talk freely about difficult experiences and learning how others cope. Volunteers found their role rewarding, describing satisfaction from putting their own experiences to good use. These findings highlight the isolation and exclusion experienced by current and former carers of people with dementia and draw attention to the benefits of peer support for both the groups.
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Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen · Jun 2013
Initiation of cholinesterase inhibitors in an inpatient setting.
We examined initiation of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) to determine whether ChEIs were being newly prescribed without sufficient evaluation for dementia and/or delirium and to explore whether there are differences in outcomes, such as mortality, hospital readmission rates, and duration of hospitalization, between patients newly started on ChEI and those who continued such medications prior to admission. Patients hospitalized in fiscal year 2008 and prescribed ChEI were identified. We reviewed electronic medical records. ⋯ Chart review additionally suggested possible treatment of delirium by initiation of benzodiazepines and antipsychotics in 11.4% and 22.7% of new-starts, respectively. We observed a substantive practice of initiating ChEIs in hospitalized elderly patients at risk of delirium. Although there was no difference in the 30-day mortality or readmission rates, new-starts were more likely to have a longer hospital stay than continuation patients.
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Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen · Mar 2013
ReviewThe possible role of antioxidant vitamin C in Alzheimer's disease treatment and prevention.
Oxidative stress is suggested to play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among the antioxidants, vitamin C has been regarded as the most important one in neural tissue. ⋯ However, clinical trials using antioxidants, including vitamin C, in patients with AD yielded equivocal results. The current article discusses the relevance of vitamin C in the cellular and molecular pathogenesis of AD and explores its therapeutic potential against this neurodegenerative disorder.
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Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen · Dec 2012
Clinical and functional assessment of dysautonomia and its correlation in Alzheimer's disease.
The aims were to assess dysautonomia in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), clinically and electrophysiologically, using sympathetic skin response (SSR) test and R-R interval variation (RRIV) test and to analyze the relationship between symptoms of dysautonomia and SSR/RRIV results. A tota of 54 patients with AD and 37 controls were evaluated using Autonomic Symptoms Questionnaire and SSR/RRIV test. ⋯ The SSR test was abnormal in 26%, but the RRIV test was abnormal in 97.7% of cases; there was significant difference in RRIV test results between AD and controls (R mean 8.05% and 14.6%, respectively). In AD, clinical dysautonomia occurs at a various degree, and the abnormal SSR and RRIV test results were not always related to the presence of clinical dysautonomia; this observation points that the tests could be used as a useful tool in the assessment of subclinical dysautonomia.