Current Alzheimer research
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Anti-amyloid-β (Aβ) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are currently in development for treating Alzheimer's disease. ⋯ This model is useful for comparing target engagement profiles of different anti-Aβ therapies and demonstrates that 60 mg/kg crenezumab yields a significant increase in Aβ engagement compared with lower doses of solanezumab, supporting the selection of 60 mg/kg crenezumab for phase 3 studies. The model also provides evidence that the delivery of sufficient quantities of mAb to brain interstitial fluid is a limiting step with respect to the magnitude of soluble Aβ oligomer neutralization.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Folic Acid and Vitamin B12, Alone and in Combination on Cognitive Function and Inflammatory Factors in the Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Single-blind Experimental Design.
Folate and vitamin B12 are well-known as essential nutrients that play key roles in the normal functions of the brain. Inflammatory processes play at least some role in the pathology of AD. Effective nutritional intervention approaches for improving cognitive deficits that reduce the peripheral inflammatory cytokine levels have garnered special attention. ⋯ The combination of oral folic acid plus vitamin B12 in MCI elderly for six months can significantly improve cognitive performance and reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines in human peripheral blood. The combination of folic acid and vitamin B12 was significantly superior to either folic acid or vitamin B12 alone.
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There is an increasing interest on Cognitive Impairment (CI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but evidence is conflicting regarding the association between CI and glycemic control. ⋯ The present study demonstrates a high prevalence of CI in patients with T2DM among the elderly population of rural China. Glycemic control, including HbA1c and exposure to severe hypoglycemia, affected cognitive function in patients with T2DM.
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The analysis of the facial expression of pain promises to be one of the most sensitive tools for the detection of pain in patients with moderate to severe forms of dementia, who can no longer self-report pain. Fine-grain analysis using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is possible in research but not feasible for clinical use at the moment because it is too time and effort consuming. Studies using the FACS showed either enhanced facial responses or no alterations of facial activity during pain in patients with cognitive impairment. ⋯ Despite this agreement, the content of these face items is very different, ranging from anatomically-based descriptions to inference of internal states. Recent studies let the anatomical orientation appear more promising. Automated video systems for the detection of pain in patients with dementia may lead to ground-breaking improvements of pain care in the future.
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Review Meta Analysis
Cerebral Microinfarcts and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis.
To systematically review the relationship between the cerebral microinfarcts and dementia. ⋯ These results suggest that cerebral microinfarcts are significantly associated with dementia. Whether cerebral microinfarcts are associated with AD needs to be further investigated.