Mini-Mental State Examination Test Research Articles

491 Anticholinergic cognitive burden score in a cohort of nursing home patients; an observational study.

Abstract Introduction Anticholinergic medications are commonly prescribed to older patients, particularly nursing home patients. Anticholinergic burden caused by these medications increases the risk of cognitive impairment, falls, delirium and increased mortality in this patient cohort. There are several published tools available to assess the impact of anticholinergic burden on patient negative outcomes (e.g. falls, cognitive impairment, hospitalisation, mortality). The Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) scale is a validated tool which calculates a patient’s total anticholinergic medication score, to allow an estimation of cognitive burden (1). Aim The aim of this study was to describe the anticholinergic cognitive burden of medications in a cohort of nursing home patients using the ACB scale. Methods An observational study was conducted which involved screening patients’ pharmacy dispensing records for three nursing homes. All nursing homes which the pharmacy provides services for were sent an information leaflet and invited to participate, three agreed, with Directors of Nursing and General Practitioners providing consent. Medications contributing to Anticholinergic cognitive burden were recorded in Microsoft Excel by the researcher and patients total ACB score was calculated (1). A sample of 20% of patient scores was independently checked by another researcher for accuracy. Patients’ comorbidity data and cognitive function measure (Mini Mental State Examination or Mental Test Score) was recorded from their nursing home records by the researcher. Long-term nursing home patients ≥65-years-old were eligible for inclusion. Descriptive analysis was conducted. Results In total, the medications of 254 patients were assessed using the ACB score (63.4% female, mean age 83.5 ±7.79 -years-old). Of these, 195/254 (76.8%) were prescribed at least one anticholinergic medication. There were 132/254 (51.9%) patients with a total ACB score of ≥3 which is clinically significant and increases the risk of negative outcomes. The three most commonly prescribed anticholinergics were quetiapine (82/254, 32.3%), olanzapine (32/254, 12.6%) and furosemide (31/254, 12.2%). Of the patients with an ACB score ≥3, 58/132 (49.9%) had dementia and 63/132 had hypertension (47.7%). Conclusion This study highlights the high prevalence of anticholinergic medication prescribing in an Irish nursing home population. This is high in comparison with other European and international studies where lower ACB scores in nursing home populations have been recorded (2). The study was limited as it was only conducted in three nursing homes, a larger study may identify different prescribing patterns and ACB scores. Further work in pharmacy practice to include the ACB score as part of patients’ medication reviews is recommended. Collaboration with nursing home prescribers and nurses to increase awareness of anticholinergic medication risks and review is vital. Reductions in ACB scores would reduce the risk of falls, cognitive impairment and harm to these patients.

The prevalence of sarcopenic obesity and its relationship with type 2 diabetes in a nursing home.

Diabetes mellitus (DM), sarcopenia, and sarcopenic obesity (SO) in the elderly were related to frailty, morbidity, and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of diabetes mellitus to the prevalence of SO in a nursing home residents. This cross-sectional study included 397 old-aged (≥65 years) nursing home residents dwelling in Darulaceze Directorate Kayısdagı Campus of Istanbul. Exclusion criteria included <65 years of age, residing for less than a month, acute medical problems, and severe cognitive impairment (mini-mental state examination test score ≤10). Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, nutritional status, and handgrip strength were evaluated for each participant. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) II criteria and obesity was defined with body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2. SO was the concomitant existence of sarcopenia and obesity together. Mean age of the participants was 77.95±7.94 (65-101) years (n=397). The prevalence of probable sarcopenia was significantly higher in non-obese patients when compared to obese (48.1% vs. 29.3%, p=0.014), which was similar after the exclusion of malnourished residents. In DM patients (n=63), the prevalence of obesity, probable sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity were 30.2%, 42.2%, and 13.3%, which were 20.4%, 43.2%, and 6.5% in non-DM residents, respectively. Although they did not reach statistical significance, obesity and sarcopenic obesity were more prevalent among diabetic patients in a nursing home.

Psychophysiology and Cognitive Functioning in Elderly: The Skin Conductance as a Reliable Marker of Memorization and Rememorization Capability

Objectives. The aim of the study is to assess the role of physiological activation in favoring the benefits of a series of sessions of reminiscence therapy (RT). Methods. Seven healthy elders (age: 87.7 ± 4.6) were recruited. A Psychophysiological Stress Profile (in three phases: baseline, stress, recovery) has been recorded in order to register the skin conductance (level and response, SCL-SCR). During the stress condition the Mini-Mental State Examination and Semantic Fluency Test were administered. The cognitive functioning was reassessed after seven sessions of RT. Results. On the basis of the SCR value (during stress condition), two groups have been made: high responders (HRs) and low responders (LRs). At baseline, HRs significantly differ in SCR (stress phase) and MMSE total score. After the RT, the same group reported higher scores in memory recall and lexical access. Discussion. A relation between physiological arousal and cognitive performance has been confirmed.

Effect of including a dietary supplement of raisins, a food rich in polyphenols, on cognitive function in healthy older adults; a study protocol for a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundPolyphenols have been shown to be effective against many chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, the consumption of raisins, being a food rich in polyphenols, has been attributed with neuroprotective benefits. Therefore, our main objective is to evaluate the effect of including 50 g of raisins in the diet daily for 6 months, on the improvement of cognitive performance, cardiovascular risk factors and markers of inflammation in a population of older adults without cognitive impairment.MethodsDesign and intervention: This study will be a randomized controlled clinical trial of two parallel groups. Each subject included in the study will be randomly assigned to one of two study groups: control group (no supplement), intervention group (50 g of raisins daily during 6 months).Study population: The participants will be selected by consecutive sampling in the Primary Care consultations of urban health centers in Salamanca and Zamora (Spain), taking into account the selection criteria.Study variables: Two visits will be made, baseline and at 6 months. Cognitive performance will be evaluated (Mini-Mental State Examination test, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, verbal fluency and montreal cognitive assessment (Moca)). It will also be analyzed the level of physical activity, quality of life, activities of daily living, energy and nutritional composition of the diet, body composition, blood pressure, heart rate, markers of inflammation and other laboratory tests of clinical relevance (glycaemia, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides). In addition, sociodemographic data, personal and family history, medication use and alcohol and tobacco consumption will be collected.DiscussionIn this project, it is intended to contribute to minimize the problems derived from cognitive deterioration in older people.Trial registrationClincalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04966455 Registration date: July 1, 2021.

Enhanced Carotid Plaque Echolucency Is Associated with Reduced Cognitive Performance in Elderly Patients with Atherosclerotic Disease Independently on Metabolic Profile.

Vulnerable carotid atherosclerotic plaques are related to an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in advanced age. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the echogenicity of carotid plaques and cognitive performance in patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaques. We enrolled 113 patients aged 65 years or more (72.4 ± 5.9 years) who underwent carotid duplex ultrasound to evaluate plaque echogenicity by grey-scale median (GSM) and neuropsychological tests to assess cognitive function. The GSM values at baseline were inversely correlated with the number of seconds required to complete Trail Makin Test (TMT) A (rho: -0.442; p < 0.0001), TMT B (rho: -0.460; p < 0.0001) and TMT B-A (rho: -0.333; p < 0.0001) and directly correlated with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) score (rho: 0.217; p = 0.021 and rho: 0.375; p < 0.0001, respectively) and the composite cognitive z-score (rho: 0.464; p < 0.0001). After a mean period of 3.5 ± 0.5 years, 55 patients were reevaluated according to the same baseline study protocol. Patients with baseline GSM value higher than the median value of 29 did not show any significant variation in the z-score. Instead, those with GSM ≤ 29 showed a significant worsening of z-score (-1.2; p = 0.0258). In conclusion, this study demonstrates the existence of an inverse relationship between the echolucency of carotid plaques and cognitive function in elderly patients with atherosclerotic carotid disease. These data suggest that the assessment of plaque echogenicity if used appropriately, might aid in identifying subjects at increased risk for cognitive dysfunction.

Relationship between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cognitive Decline in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.

In the last decade, increasing evidence has emerged linking alterations in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression with the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Because of the important role of BDNF in cognition and its association with AD pathogenesis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential difference in plasma BDNF concentrations between subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; N = 209) and AD patients (N = 295) and to determine the possible association between BDNF plasma levels and the degree of cognitive decline in these individuals. The results showed a significantly higher (p < 0.001) concentration of plasma BDNF in subjects with AD (1.16; 0.13-21.34) compared with individuals with MCI (0.68; 0.02-19.14). The results of the present study additionally indicated a negative correlation between cognitive functions and BDNF plasma concentrations, suggesting higher BDNF levels in subjects with more pronounced cognitive decline. The correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between BDNF plasma levels and both Mini-Mental State Examination (p < 0.001) and Clock Drawing test (p < 0.001) scores. In conclusion, the results of our study point towards elevated plasma BDNF levels in AD patients compared with MCI subjects, which may be due to the body's attempt to counteract the early and middle stages of neurodegeneration.

Assessing subjective cognitive decline in older adults attending primary health care centers: what question should be asked?

ABSTRACT Introduction Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) refers to a self-perceived experience of decreased cognitive function without objective signs of cognitive impairment in neuropsychological tests or daily living activities. Despite the abundance of instruments addressing SCD, there is no consensus on the methods to be used. Our study is founded on 11 questions selected due to their recurrence in most instruments. The objective was to determine which one of these questions could be used as a simple screening tool. Methods 189 participants aged 65 and over selected from Primary Care centers in Santiago de Chile responded to these 11 questions and were evaluated with the MiniMental State Examination (MMSE), the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT), the Pfeffer functional scale, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). An Item ResponseTheory (IRT) method was performed to assess the contribution of each of the 11 questions to the SCD latent trait and its discrimination ability. Results Based on the results of the exploratory factor analysis showing very high/low saturation of several questions on the factors, and the high residual correlation between some questions, the IRT methods led to select one question (“Do you feel like your memory has become worse?”) which revealed to be the most contributive and discriminant. Participants who answered yes had a higher GDS score. There was no association with MMSE, FCSRT, and Pfeffer scores. Conclusion The question “Do you feel like your memory has become worse?” may be a good proxy of SCD and could be included in routine medical checkups.

Brain network mechanism on cognitive control task in the elderly with brain aging: A functional near infrared spectroscopy study.

To study the brain network mechanism of cognitive control in the elderly with brain aging. 21 normal young people and 20 elderly people were included in this study. Mini-mental State Examination and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) synchronous judgment test (including forward tests and reverse judgment tests) were performed on all subjects. To observe and compare differences in brain region activation and brain functional connectivity between subjects and forward and reverse trials by recording functional connectivity (FC) in different task paradigms and calculating bilateral prefrontal and primary motor cortical (PMC) areas. In the forward and reverse judgment tests, the reaction time of the elderly group was significantly longer than the young group (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the correct rate. In the homologous regions of interest (ROI) data, the FC of PMC and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the elderly group was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the heterologous ROI data, except for left primary motor cortex (LPMC)-left prefrontal cortex (LPFC), the other PMC and PFC of the elderly group were significantly lower than the young group (P < 0.05) while processing the forward judgment test. However, the heterologous ROI data of LPMC-right prefrontal cortex (RPFC), LPMC-LPFC and RPFC-LPFC in the elderly group were significantly lower than the young group (P < 0.05) while processing the reverse judgment test. The results suggest that brain aging affected degeneration of whole brain function, which reduce the speed of information processing and form a brain network functional connection mode different from that of young people.

Prediction of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease after on­pump coronary artery bypass grafting

Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of death world­wide. On­pump coronary artery bypass grafting and cardioplegia remains the gold standard for the treatment of multivessel coronary disease. However, this method of surgical treatment has a number of perioperative complications, the most common of which is post­operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD).Aim. To develop a mathematical model for predicting the binary outcome "presence/absence of POCD deterioration" using Mini­Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) for timely prevention of cognitive impairment in the early postoperative period.Material and methods. The study included 180 patients with coronary artery disease with stable angina who underwent on­pump coronary artery bypass grafting. The patients’ age [Me (Q25­-Q75)] was 62 [56­-67] years. After the operation, all patients were divided into 2 groups: 108 patients without POCD and 72 patients with cognitive deficit of various severity. The study was conducted in three stages: stage I — 2 days before surgery; stage II — during the operation; stage III — 7 days after the operation. Assessment of cognitive status using FAB, MMSE tests was carried out at stages I and III. At the second stage, biochemical parameters were assessed: in arterial blood — lactate and hemoglobin levels, in venous blood — pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2, mm Hg) and partial pressure of oxygen (pO2, mm Hg), as well as the duration of operation, cardiopulmonary bypass and myocardial anoxia. Discriminant analysis was used to develop a mathematical model for predicting a binary outcome.Results. Two groups of the most informative indicators were identified that were included in prediction algorithms for binary outcomes "presence/absence of negative dynamics of POCD" for MMSE and FAB. Group 1 included perioperative MMSE values, atrial fibrillation before surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass time and pO2. Group 2 included cardiopulmonary bypass time and intraoperative venous pH. Conclusion. Mathematical models have been developed for predicting the binary outcome "presence/absence of POCD deterioration" ac­cording to the MMSE and FAB cognitive tests, which make it possible to assess the possibility of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. The proposed algorithms are implemented using spreadsheets and a computer program.

Relationship between Butyrylcholinesterase Activity and Cognitive Ability in Workers Exposed to Chlorpyrifos

Background. The use of Chlorpyrifos leads to a public, environmental, and occupational health problem associated with adverse effects in the exposed population, generating alterations mainly in the central nervous system, such as cognitive function. This study aimed to estimate the association between butyrylcholinesterase activity (BChE) and cognitive ability in workers exposed to chlorpyrifos. Methods. We designed a cross-sectional study, where we measured BChE in serum samples as an indicator of exposure to chlorpyrifos. The cognitive ability was assessed by the mean score of the Peruvian version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We also used a questionary to collect demographic and occupational information. Results. We evaluated 120 farmers with a predominance of males (92%) and a mean age of 32.1 ± 9.0 years. We found most of the workers in fumigation activities (84%). The mean BChE was 6144.7 ± 2355.0 U/L, and 46% presented inhibition enzyme (&lt;5500 U/L). The median MMSE score was 28 (interquartile range: 26.5–31.5; 6% showed an alteration in cognitive ability (score &lt; 24)). The MMSE test found a significant association between BChE inhibition and MMSE score (β: −0.071, 95%CI: −0.108 to −0.025). Conclusion. In this study, 45.8% of workers exposed to chlorpyriphos presented BChE inhibition. The BChE inhibition is significantly associated with the MMSE score in workers exposed to chlorpyrifos.

Abstract 44: Plasma Sphingolipids in Relation to Cognitive Decline and Incident Dementia

Introduction: Sphingolipids are fundamental components of brain structure and function. They are located in the myelin sheath insulating neuronal axons and in the cell membranes of neurons, astrocytes, and microglia involved in signal transduction. Although circulating sphingolipid profiles reflect clinical neurodegeneration, few prospective studies have investigated their utility as pre-clinical risk markers in community-based cohorts. For heart disease and diabetes, themselves risk factors for dementia, associations with sphingolipids differed across species and the length of the saturated fatty acid carried. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that plasma levels of sphingolipid species containing palmitic acid (16:0) would be positively associated with incident dementia risk and cognitive decline, while those with arachidic acid (20:0), behenic acid (22:0), and lignoceric acid (24:0) would be associated with lower risk. Methods: We measured 18 sphingolipid species in plasma samples from 4612 participants of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) (mean age 76.2 years; 40% male; and 25% APOE ε4 allele carriers). Cognitive decline was assessed across 6 years using annual 100-point modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) and Digital Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) scores. A total of 3088 non-demented participants were enrolled in the CHS Cognition Study and followed with adjudication for dementia. To correct the analyses for multiple comparisons, we applied a false discovery rate (FDR) correction and used a significance threshold of 0.05. Results: Higher baseline levels of lactosylceramide-24:0 (LacCer-24) were associated with a faster 6-year cognitive decline (time x sphingolipid interaction p=0.04 for 3MSE and 0.03 for DSST). Conversely, higher baseline plasma levels of hexosylceramide -16:0 (HexCer-16) and sphingomyelin-22:0 (SM-22) were associated with slower cognitive decline measured with DSST (time x sphingolipid interaction p=0.02 for HexCer and p=0.05 for SM-22). During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, we identified 366 incident dementia cases. In proportional Cox regression analyses, higher plasma levels of ceramide-16:0 (Cer-16) were positively associated with incident dementia upon adjustment for demographics, lifestyle factors, medical history, C-reactive protein, and lipids [hazard ratio per SD: 1.18 (95% CI, 1.06; 1.31)]. Conclusions: In older adults without dementia, higher plasma levels of Cer-16, a species previously associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality, were associated with higher risk of clinical dementia as we hypothesized. LacCer-24 was associated with faster, and HexCer-16 and SM-22 with slower, cognitive decline, but these species were not statistically associated with dementia risk. These novel and inconsistent findings will need to be replicated in other longitudinal studies.

Potential overestimation of cognitive impairment due to hearing loss: Impact of test modalities on cognitive test scores.

Hearing impairment in older adults may affect cognitive function and increase the risk of dementia. Most cognitive tests are delivered auditorily, and individuals with hearing loss may fail to hear verbal instructions. Greater listening difficulty and fatigue in acoustic conditions may impact test performance. This study aimed to examine the effect of decreased audibility on cognitive screening test performance in older adults. Older adults (n = 63) with different levels of hearing loss completed a standard auditory Mini-Mental State Examination test and a written version of the test. Individuals with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss (41-70 dB) performed significantly better on the written (24.34 ± 4.90) than on the standard test (22.55 ± 6.25), whereas scores were not impacted for mild hearing loss (less than 40 dB). Hearing evaluations should be included in cognitive assessment, and test performance should be carefully interpreted in individuals with hearing loss to avoid overestimating cognitive decline.

Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia

Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia

Effect of Cognitive-emotional Rehabilitation on Cognitive Function and Memory of Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury

Background and Aims Today, traumatic brain injury and defects in cognitive functions and memory are the most frequent problems after brain injury. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of emotional and cognitive rehabilitation on cognitive performance and memory in patients with traumatized brain injury. Methods This study is an applied study in terms of purpose and experimental in terms of collecting information method. Considering purposive sampling and random selection of samples, we used the randomized block experiment with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. We used the emotional cognitive rehabilitation protocol based on Gross model (2002) and Nejati cognitive rehabilitation to train emotional and cognitive rehabilitation (2017). The study's statistical population included all brain-injured patients with cognitive defects and memory problems referred to Neurology Clinic, Shahid Motahari Hospital, and Razmehr Psychiatric Clinic, Shiraz City, Iran, from June 22, 2019, to January 20, 2020. This study consisted of 3 groups (2 experimental and 1 control group) at three levels (mild, moderate, and severe patients). The study participants were 45 patients selected after a brief mental examination with a mini-mental state examination test. Results Cognitive rehabilitation significantly (P&lt;0.001) increased the brain-injured patients' cognitive performance. Also, emotional and cognitive rehabilitation significantly (P&lt;0.001) affected the brain-injured patients' cognitive performance. Finally, cognitive rehabilitation significantly (P&lt;0.001) increased the brain-injured patients' memory performance. Conclusion It seems that through delivering necessary training and education regarding effective interpersonal skills, computer drills, practices at home, and so on, emotional and cognitive rehabilitation helps the brain injured people to properly manage emotions, effectively establish interpersonal communication, and lighten the load of negative emotions, and consequently memory gets improved will less stress. In fact, emotional and cognitive rehabilitation is a complete collection of training for regulating emotions and enhancing and growing memory. Thus, emotional and cognitive rehabilitation's significant effect on memory enhancement is logical and acceptable. In conclusion, this protocol effectively improves brain-injured people's cognitive performance.

Post-operative cognitive dysfunction in patients following gastrointestinal endoscopic treatment

We aimed to explore the changes in post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after gastrointestinal endoscopic treatment using detailed neuropsychological assessments. Patients hospitalized for gastrointestinal endoscopic polypectomy were recruited for neuropsychological evaluations, which included the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, Digit Span Test (DST), Trail Making Task (TMT), Verbal Fluency Test, Clock Drawing Test, and Stroop test. Cognitive assessments were performed twice: one day before and 24 h after treatment. Healthy control subjects participated in the neuropsychological assessment during the same intervals. Detailed cognitive assessments were performed for 40 patients and 60 control subjects. Based on the Z scores, the incidence of POCD 24 h after gastrointestinal endoscopic treatment was 20%. Patients with POCD had significant impairment in the post-operative MMSE, forward DST, TMT, and Stroop interference effect correct count tests (all p < 0.05). Our preliminary results showed that patients were not fully recovered, and 20% had impairment in multiple cognitive assessments 24 h after a gastrointestinal endoscopy. As attention was affected, safety while discharging those patients should be a concern.

A Study on the Effect of Traditional Chinese Exercise Combined With Rhythm Training on the Intervention of Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

To examine the effect of combination exercise program on cognitive function of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and identify biomarkers associated with improvement of cognitive functions. Subjects were 42 older adults (ages, 60-80years) with MCI. The subjects were randomly classified to traditional Chinese exercise combined with rhythm training group (TCE + RTG, n = 14), walking group (WG, n = 14), and control group (CG, n = 14), according to their level of MMSE scores. These groups exercised for 60minutes at 1 session, 3 sessions a week for 12weeks. The intervention program was conducted under multitask conditions to stimulate attention and memory, and the control group attended 3 education classes. Measurements were administered before, after the 6-week, and after the 12-week intervention period; Measurements: The Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL), and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), along with the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences among the 3 groups and between the 3 testing times (pre-test vs middle-test vs post-test). (1) The TCE + RTG showed significant improvement in the MMSE, MoCA, SDMT, and ADL scale test results (P < .01) and HAMD-17 scale test results (P < .05). The WG also showed significant improvement in the MMSE, MoCA, and HAMD-17 scale test results (P < .05) and the ADL scale test results (P < .01). While there was no significant change in the CG after the intervention. (2) The TCE + RTG and WG showed positive improvement in peripheral blood BDNF levels, while the CG showed a decrease in these test results. There were significant differences between the TCE + RTG and CG before and after the intervention. The results suggested that a TCE + RT is beneficial for improving memory and maintaining general cognitive function and peripheral blood BDNF levels in older adults with MCI. Peripheral blood BDNF levels may predict improvement of cognitive functions in older adults with MCI. Further studies are required to determine the positive effects of TCE + RT on cognitive function in older adults with MCI. Trial Registration: ChiCTR2200058545, Registered 10 April 2022.

Postoperative Assessment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients Undergoing Transurethral resection of the Prostate under Spinal Anaesthesia: A Prospective Cohort Study

Introduction: Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD) is a common disorder following surgery that threatens the quality of patients’ lives. POCD is closely associated with perioperative factors such as age, physical state, surgery duration, anaesthesia method, intraoperative hypotension, and infection. Among these factors, age is the only long-term risk factor for POCD. The relationship between anaesthesia depth and the incidence of POCD is debatable. Aim: To assess POCD in patients undergoing Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) and to examine the association between the duration of surgery and serum sodium levels with cognitive dysfunction. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Anesthesiology, PES Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India, from January 2020 to June 2021. The study included 100 patients aged over 60 years who were scheduled for TURP surgery under Spinal Anaesthesia. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test was performed in the preoperative holding area, and the results were recorded. A decline in cognitive function was defined as a loss of 2 or more points on the MMSE test compared to the preoperative value. Serum sodium levels and MMSE scores were measured before surgery. Serum sodium levels and MMSE scores were also recorded after the 1st hour and 6th hour postoperatively. The data were entered into MS Excel 2007 and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: In the present study, out of 100 subjects, the majority of patients (33%) belonged to the age group of 66-70 years, and most of the study subjects (79%) were classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) II status, followed by ASA III status. The mean age of the study participants was 69.3 years. The mean duration of surgery was 45.6 minutes. A statistically significant difference (p&lt;0.05) was observed when comparing the mean serum sodium levels before surgery (138.1±1.5 mmol/L) with those at the 1st hour postoperatively (135.9±1.6 mmol/L) and 6th hour postoperatively (134.4±1.4 mmol/L). The mean MMSE score before surgery and at the 1st hour and 6th hour postoperatively was the same (27.6±0.8), and there was no statistically significant difference between them. The MMSE score did not vary with the serum sodium levels, and this difference was not statistically significant (p&gt;0.05). Conclusion: In the present study, patients undergoing TURP procedures under spinal anaesthesia did not exhibit any POCD, despite a considerable drop in serum sodium levels. It is worth noting that all patients were asymptomatic.

Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients Who Receive Different Durations of Hemodialysis: An Arterial Spin Labeling MRI Study.

This study aimed to determine the changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in patients who received different durations of hemodialysis (HD) using arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging. The study included 46 patients who received HD and 24 demographically similar healthy controls (HCs). Patients who received HD were divided into three subgroups based on its duration: HD-1 (n=15, dialysis duration ≤24 months), HD-2 (n=16, dialysis duration >24 and ≤72 months), and HD-3 (n=15, dialysis duration ≥73 months). All subjects completed the Mini Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment tests, and the patients who received HD underwent laboratory tests. Group-level differences in the global and regional CBFs between patients who received HD and HCs were assessed. Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the associations among CBF, clinical variables, and cognitive function. Compared with HCs, global and regional CBFs were significantly increased in the HD-1 and HD-2 groups (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the HD-3 group (p>0.05). However, compared with the HD-1 group, the HD-3 group had significantly decreased global and regional CBFs (p<0.05). The cognitive function was worse in patients who received long-term HD than in HCs. Increased dialysis duration and hemoglobin level were predictive risk factors for decreased CBF in patients who received long-term HD. Patients who received long-term HD with normal CBF had worse cognitive function, which may be related to increased dialysis duration.

AlzDiagnostics: A Mobile Alzheimer's Diagnosis Solution

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that progressively affects cognitive function and which is the leading cause of dementia. Early diagnosis of AD is critical as it allows for timely intervention, and improves the individual's quality of life, having the potential to reduce the burden of the disease on individuals, families, and society. This study presents AlzDiagnostics, a mobile application whose primary goal is to offer a user-friendly tool for the early diagnosis of AD, integrating established clinical tools, state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, and multiple diagnostic approaches. Furthermore, the application seeks to assess the effectiveness and accuracy of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test, machine learning models trained on MRI images, as well as ones trained on clinical data, evaluating their contributions to enhance early diagnosis. Choosing the best classification models for the diagnosis module involved the conduct of numerous classification experiments on an extensive MRI dataset obtained from Kaggle, which consisted of 6400 MRI images from different sources including websites, hospitals, and public repositories. These experiments encompassed the exploration of various parameter configurations, leading to the identification of a top-performing model that exhibited an accuracy rate of 98%. Additionally, extensive experiments were conducted on clinical data retrieved from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset, which comprised entries from 2425 patients. By incorporating features such as gender, marital status, education, race, and MMSE scores, a second machine learning model was developed, yielding an accuracy level of 76%.

The effect of using adjuvant aromatase inhibitors on cognitive functions in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are effective treatment options for both early-stage and advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Because of AIs are used long term in adjuvant therapy, side effects are also very important. It is considered that AIs may affect cognitive functions by decreasing the level of estrogen in the brain. The purpose of our study is that evaluate the relationship between duration of treatment and cognitive functions in patients with breast cancer who use AIs in adjuvant therapy. Two-hundred patients diagnosed with breast cancer who were treated with AIs as adjuvant treatment were included. The patients were surveyed for demographic characteristics. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMT) tests were performed to evaluate patients' cognitive functions. The total scores of the tests and the orientation, short-time memory, visuospatial functions, attention, language, executive functions which are the MoCA subscales were evaluated separately. Patients were grouped as 0-6, 6-12, 12-24, 24-36, 36, and more months according to the duration of AIs using time. The total MoCA and SMMT scores were affected by factors such as age, education level, and employment status. There was no relationship between duration of treatment and cognitive functions in patients with breast cancer who use AIs in adjuvant therapy (P > 0.05). In addition, no statistically relationship was found in the evaluation of MoCA subscales (P > 0.05). Prolonged adjuvant treatment with AIs does not affect cognitive functions in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients.