BackgroundThe NeuroTrax Mindstreams computerized cognitive assessment system was designed for widespread clinical and research use in detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the capability of Mindstreams tests to discriminate elderly with MCI from those who are cognitively healthy has yet to be evaluated. Moreover, the comparability between these tests and traditional neuropsychological tests in detecting MCI has not been examined.MethodsA 2-center study was designed to assess discriminant validity of tests in the Mindstreams Mild Impairment Battery. Participants were 30 individuals diagnosed with MCI, 29 with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 39 healthy elderly. Testing was with the Mindstreams battery and traditional neuropsychological tests. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to examine the ability of Mindstreams and traditional measures to discriminate those with MCI from cognitively healthy elderly. Between-group comparisons were made (Mann-Whitney U test) between MCI and healthy elderly and between MCI and mild AD groups.ResultsMindstreams outcome parameters across multiple cognitive domains significantly discriminated among MCI and healthy elderly with considerable effect sizes (p < 0.05). Measures of memory, executive function, visual spatial skills, and verbal fluency discriminated best, and discriminability was at least comparable to that of traditional neuropsychological tests in these domains.ConclusionsMindstreams tests are effective in detecting MCI, providing a comprehensive profile of cognitive function. Further, the enhanced precision and ease of use of these computerized tests make the NeuroTrax system a valuable clinical tool in the identification of elderly at high risk for dementia.
The use of remote health care services, or telehealth, is a promising solution for providing health care to those unable to access care in person easily and thus helping to reduce health inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home orders in the United States have created an optimal situation for the use of telehealth services for non-life-threatening health care use. A retrospective cohort study was performed using Kantar's ClaritisÔ database, which links insurance claims encounters (Komodo Health) with patient-reported data (Kantar Health, National Health & Wellness Survey). Logistic regression models (odds ratios [OR], 95% confidence intervals [CI]) examined predictors of telehealth versus in-person encounters. Adults ages ‡18 years eligible for payer-complete health care encounters in both March 2019 and March 2020 were identified (n = 35,376). Telehealth use increased from 0.2% in 2019 to 1.9% in 2020. In adjusted models of respondents with ‡1 health care encounter (n = 11,614), age, marital status, geographic residence (region; urban/rural), and presence of anxiety or depression were significant predictors of telehealth compared with in-person use in March 2020. For example, adults 45-46 years versus 18-44 years were less likely to use telehealth (OR 0.684, 95% CI: 0.561-0.834), and respondents living in urban versus rural areas were more likely to use telehealth (OR 1.543, 95% CI: 1.153-2.067). Substantial increases in telehealth use were observed during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States; however, disparities existed. These inequalities represent the baseline landscape that population health management must monitor and address during this pandemic.
We compared the cognitive and language development at 4, 14, 24, 36, 54 months, and 7 years of siblings of children with autism (SIBS-A) to that of siblings of children with typical development (SIBS-TD) using growth curve analyses. At 7 years, 40% of the SIBS-A, compared to 16% of SIBS-TD, were identified with cognitive, language and/or academic difficulties, identified using direct tests and/or parental reports. This sub-group was identified as SIBS-A-broad phenotype (BP). Results indicated that early language scores (14-54 months), but not cognitive scores of SIBS-A-BP and SIBS-A-nonBP were significantly lower compared to the language scores of SIBS-TD, and that the rate of development was also significantly different, thus pinpointing language as a major area of difficulty for SIBS-A during the preschool years.
The rate of alcohol elimination is significantly associated with the ADH2 genotype of Jewish males. Evidence for variation in alcohol metabolism across ADH genotypic groups provides support for the role of physiologic protective factors in alcohol drinking and suggests that reduced drinking among Jews may be genetically as well as environmentally determined. We believe that application of the novel "Indiana clamp" enhances AER measurement accuracy, allowing for detection of hitherto undetectable differences.
Purpose To examine the association between parity and long term all-cause mortality and mortality due to specific causes in women. Methods This prospective population-based study included 40,454 mothers who gave birth in Western Jerusalem, Israel, to 125,842 children and were followed for an average of 37 years following the birth of their first child. Cox Proportional Hazards Models were used to evaluate long-term total and specific cause mortality of women by their parity. Results We found a U-shaped relationship between the number of offspring and risk of all-cause mortality in mothers. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and maternal health and obstetric conditions, higher mortality rates were observed for mothers of 1 child (HR=1.18; 95% CI 1.04–1.4), mothers of 5–9 children (HR=1.21;95%CI 1.09–1.33), and mothers of ≥10 children (HR=1.49;95%CI 1.12–1.99) as compared to mothers of 2–4 children. Mortality risk from specific causes including coronary disease, circulatory disease, and cancer were increased for multiparous women. Conclusions In this long-term follow-up study, there was an association between number of children mortality risk of mothers. These findings suggest that maternal pregnancies and post-natal characteristics as reflected by number of children may have consequences for long-term maternal health.
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