Our objective was to ascertain the nature of the associations between C-reactive protein (CRP) and cognition, and to examine how they are affected by gender and obesity. We evaluated 62 females and 63 males between 42 and 82 years of age. There were 20 lean females with a body mass index (BMI) of <25 kg/m2 and 42 overweight or obese females, with BMIs > or =25 kg/m2. There were 14 lean males and 49 with BMIs >/=25 kg/m2. CRP was associated with lower scores on cognitive tests of frontal lobe function among females and these associations were driven by the overweight/obese female group. In these data no associations between CRP and cognition were found among males. Obesity-associated inflammation is much more prominent in females and it appears to be associated with cognitive dysfunction, particularly of frontal lobe tasks.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a regulatory role in neuronal differentiation and synaptic plasticity and has been linked to glucose regulation and cognition. Associations among plasma BDNF, cognition, and insulin function were explored. Forty-one participants with impaired insulin function (IIF), ranging from insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), were matched with 41 healthy controls on gender, age, education, and IQ. Participants received complete medical, neurological, psychiatric, and neuropsychological evaluations. IIF individuals had significantly lower plasma BDNF levels than controls, particularly females, and higher BDNF levels were associated with poorer explicit memory in IIF females, suggesting that higher levels within this group may reflect the body’s efforts to respond to damage. After accounting for age, education, and HbA1c, BDNF significantly predicted 13.1%–23.5% of the variance in explicit memory in IIF women. These findings suggest that BDNF elevations within diseased groups may not always be a marker of health.

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This retrospective analysis of spatial correction of the tibia using Taylor Spatial Frames shows that CT offers an interesting potential means of quantitatively monitoring the patient's treatment. Compared with traditional techniques, modern CT scans in conjunction with image processing provide a high-resolution, spatially correct, and three-dimensional measurement system which can be used to quickly and easily assess the patient's treatment at low cost to the patient and hospital.

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