Background
The Brain in Kidney Disease (BRINK) Study aims to identify mechanisms that contribute to increased risk of cognitive impairment (CI) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We describe the rationale, design, and methods of the study and report baseline recruitment and cognitive function results.
Study Design
Longitudinal observational cohort study of the epidemiology of CI in CKD. The primary aim is to characterize the association between (a) baseline and incident stroke, white matter disease, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), inflammation, microalbuminuria, dialysis initiation, and (b) cognitive decline over 3 years in a CKD cohort with mean eGFR < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2.
Setting & Participants
Community-dwelling participants aged 45 years or older recruited from four health systems into two groups: reduced eGFR, defined as eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (non-dialysis-dependent), and control, defined as eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2.
Predictor
eGFR group.
Outcomes
Performance on cognitive function tests and structural brain magnetic resonance imaging.
Measurements
Sequential cognitive and physical function testing, serum and urine biomarker measurement, and brain magnetic resonance images over 3 years.
Results
Of 554 participants, mean age was 69.3 years; 333, 88, and 133 had eGFR <45 (non-dialysis dependent, non-transplant), 45-<60, and ≥ 60 (controls) mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Mean eGFR in the reduced eGFR participants was 34.3 mL/min/1.73 m2. Baseline cognitive performance was significantly associated with eGFR in all domains except language. Participants with eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 performed significantly worse than those with eGFR ≥ 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 on tests of memory, processing speed, and executive function. Participants with reduced eGFR overall scored worst on the Immediate Brief Visual-Spatial Memory Test-Revised.
Limitations
Healthy cohort bias, competing risk of death versus cognitive decline.
Conclusions
Cognitive function was significantly worse in participants with eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. Future BRINK analyses will measure risk factors for cognitive decline using the longitudinal data.
Objective
This study sought to examine the effect of ziprasidone on olanzapine or clozapine associated medical morbidity such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus and impaired fasting glucose, obesity and hyperlipidemia in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
Method
This was a six-week, open label trial of ziprasidone 160 mg/day added to a stable dose of olanzapine or clozapine in twenty-one schizophrenia or schizoaffective patients with diabetes mellitus, impaired fasting glucose, or insulin resistance.
Results
Ten olanzapine-treated subjects and eleven clozapine-treated subjects were enrolled in the study. There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline for age, gender, education, ethnicity, BMI, cholesterol levels, or fasting glucose. At week six, there were no significant changes in weight, BMI, cholesterol levels, or fasting glucose. There was no significant difference in psychotic, negative or depressive symptoms. QTc significantly increased at week 2 but not at week 6.
Conclusions
The addition of 160 mg/day of ziprasidone was well tolerate but did not produce significant improvement in fasting glucose, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia or lead to weight loss in olanzapine- or clozapine-treated subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
BackgroundDeficits in cognition, social cognition, and motivation are significant predictors of poor functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Evidence of durable benefit following social cognitive training is limited. We previously reported the effects of 70 h of targeted cognitive training supplemented with social cognitive exercises (TCT + SCT) verses targeted cognitive training alone (TCT). Here, we report the effects six months after training.Methods111 participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were randomly assigned to TCT + SCT or TCT-only. Six months after training, thirty-four subjects (18 TCT + SCT, 16 TCT-only) were assessed on cognition, social cognition, reward processing, symptoms, and functioning. Intent to treat analyses was used to test the durability of gains, and the association of gains with improvements in functioning and reward processing were tested.ResultsBoth groups showed durable improvements in multiple cognitive domains, symptoms, and functional capacity. Gains in global cognition were significantly associated with gains in functional capacity. In the TCT + SCT group, participants showed durable improvements in prosody identification and reward processing, relative to the TCT-only group. Gains in reward processing in the TCT + SCT group were significantly associated with improvements in social functioning.ConclusionsBoth TCT + SCT and TCT-only result in durable improvements in cognition, symptoms, and functional capacity six months post-intervention. Supplementing TCT with social cognitive training offers greater and enduring benefits in prosody identification and reward processing. These results suggest that novel cognitive training approaches that integrate social cognitive exercises may lead to greater improvements in reward processing and functioning in individuals with schizophrenia.
Women use a common set of criteria in deciding when to arrive at the hospital during labor. Antenatal education and telephone triage interventions that incorporate the considerations of women deciding to seek or delay hospital admission in childbirth may facilitate health seeking in more advanced labor. Symptom recognition education about early labor onset and progression could reduce decisional uncertainty.
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