bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subjective cognitive decline and unmet care needs highest among transgender women: A comparison of subjective cognitive decline and related limitations among transgender communities in the U.S.
Authors: Cicero Ethan C. , Goodman Michael , Barnes Lisa L. , Tangpricha Vin , Flatt Jason D. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe transgender population is composed of subgroups that are diverse in gender identity (e.g., transgender women [TW], transgender men [TM], nonbinary [NB] individuals). Research investigating Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) among transgender adults is limited and no study has delineated the factors associated with the brain health of TW, TM, or NB adults. Compared to their cisgender peers, transgender adults are more likely to report subjective cognitive decline (SCD), which may be one of the first clinical manifestations of ADRD. It remains unclear if SCD prevalence and related limitations vary by transgender subgroups.Method2015‐2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, representing 39 U.S. states that assessed SCD (confusion/memory loss happening more often/getting work over previous 12 months) and self‐reported gender identity were used to examine differences in SCD prevalence and SCD‐related limitations (activities of daily/independent living) by transgender subgroups, TW (n = 442), TM (n = 298), and NB (n = 183). Age‐adjusted odds ratios (OR) along with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to investigate group differences in prevalence of SCD. Separate analyses compared SCD‐associated limitations, demographics, and health characteristics across study groups among participants reporting SCD.ResultSCD prevalence was highest among NB (21.3%), followed by TW (16.3%) and TM (14.1%). After accounting for age, subgroup differences remained; the odds of SCD were 1.6 times higher among TW compared to TM (95% CI: 1.1‐2.4, p = 0.012). Among those with SCD, TW were less likely to receive help they needed with day‐to‐day activities when compared to TM (OR = 7.9; 95% CI: 0.1–0.2, p<0.001) and NB (OR = 5.0; 95% CI: 0.1–0.4, p = 0.001); and TW were more likely to be deaf (OR = 4.2; 95% CI: 1.7‐10.1, p = 0.002) and have asthma (OR = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.4‐5.7, p = 0.005) when compared to NB adults. No other SCD‐related limitation, demographic, or health differences were found.ConclusionHealth and social inequities are not uniformly experienced across transgender subgroups, and it is important to understand how these factors uniquely impact the brain health of TW, TM, and NB adults. There is an urgent need for ADRD and cognitive aging studies in this population.
Increased apparent blood flow and volume of the choroid plexus in the Alzheimer’s Disease patients
Authors: Lu Peilin , Li Jiaxin , Zhao Li 
Published: June 2023

BackgroundRecent works suggested the association between the dysfunctional glymphatic system and Alzheimer's Disease, which shows as alternated cerebrospinal fluid production. It is believed that the choroid plexus is the major site of CSF production conventionally and the choroid plexus blood flow is related to the production rate directly. Therefore, we investigated the choroid plexus perfusion in AD patients using arterial spin labeling (ASL) and MRI retrospectively.Method21 AD patients (15 males, 76.1±5.7 years), 36 MCI patients (20 males, 72.6±7.9 years), and 88 healthy controls (40 males, 74.8±8.0 years) from the ADNI3 were included in this study. The lateral choroid plexus regions were segmented automatically based on a 3D U‐net deep learning method, which has been demonstrated with higher accuracy compared to the Freesurfer. In addition, the gray matter mask was segmented from the T1 weighted images using SPM12, and it was used to transfer the ASL and M0 images to the T1 weighted image space. Relative cerebral blood flow was quantified by first dividing the ASL image with its smoothed M0 image (a Gaussian filter with the sigma of 4 pixels), and then normalizing the mean signal of the choroid plexus region with the mean of the gray matter region. The gray matter mask was chosen as the region with a probability higher than 0.5.ResultIn the nonparametric Mann‐Whitney U test, the choroid plexus volume of the AD patients (1.58±0.40ml) was significantly larger (p = 0.036) than that of the healthy controls (1.41±0.39). In addition, the AD patients (0.85±0.30) showed significantly higher (p = 0.017) relative perfusion of the choroid plexus regions than the healthy controls (0.70±0.20).ConclusionThe enlarged volume and increased blood flow of the choroid plexus may suggest the over‐compensation of CSF production in AD patients. However, further investigation is required to separate the blood flow and CSF signal in ASL at the choroid plexus region.
Remote cognitive evaluation in aging adults: A new software implementation during COVID‐19
Authors: Johnson David K , Adesida Praise , Montenegro Esteban , Woods David 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundRemote cognitive testing is a convenient and efficient method to evaluate older adults especially because of the sanitary restrictions due to COVID 19. Our aim was to test the psychometric properties of newly developed versions of two visuospatial attention subtests, Hidden Patterns and Identical Pictures, administered by remote cognitive evaluation platform developed by Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc. We conducted testing and analysis in a sample of healthy aging adults.MethodsParticipants were recruited in East‐Bay, California; 184 aging adults completed the computerized hidden patterns test, and 160 older adults answered the identical picture test. The mean age was 70.11 years old with a range of 60 to 85 years old. Most of the participants were female (59.60%), and dementia symptoms were not reported. Participants were evaluated twice in one year at home, the software created by Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc allowed a synchronous interaction with the remote evaluator, which helped to monitor and answer any question before, during or after the evaluation.ResultDifficulty and discrimination analysis (classical test theory) was performed in R (version 4.1.0),. We estimated a Bayesian 1PL Item Response Model (IRT) for each test along with DIF testing by gender. The IRT models were calculated with the package rstan (Stan Development Team, 2020)ConclusionThe IRT models showed group differences at the items’ difficulty. The estimated reliability showed to be adequate (α > .75), and test – retest correlations were medium to high (r > .50). Correlations with age ranged from r = ‐.33 to r = .25.
Genetic architecture of plasma Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers
Authors: Bradley Joseph , Gorijala Priyanka , Schindler Suzanne E. , Sung Yun Ju , Mafimoghaddam Samira , Wang Fengxian , Cruchaga Carlos 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundCase‐control genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) have identified loci associated with risk for Alzheimer disease (AD), but they require very large sample sizes and identify variants with small effect sizes. GWAS of informative endophenotypes for disease have more power to identify novel variants and provide information about biological mechanisms. By analyzing data from 1,269 individuals, we previously identified risk variants for AD that were associated with CSF levels of tau and p‐tau, including a novel variant associated with AD risk. Recent technological developments have led to new assays in plasma for Aβ, p‐tau and NFL with high predictive power. However, no GWAS have been performed using these plasma biomarkers as quantitative trait.MethodPlasma Aβ and NFL were obtained from 882 individuals from the Knight‐ADRC, plasma Aß from 160 individuals from the Human Connectome Project, and plasma Aß, NFL, tau and p‐tau from 1,694 individuals from ADNI. GWAS and sequencing data is also available from these samples. We performed linear regression to determine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with these plasma AD biomarkers. SKAT‐O was used to perform gene‐based analyses including rare non‐synonymous variants. GCTA and LDSC was used to determine the proportion of biomarker variability explained by genetic variants. We used colocalization to determine if the loci associated with plasma biomarker levels are also associated with AD risk, onset or progression. Mendelian randomization and LDSC was used to determine the overlap in the genetic architecture of plasma AD biomarkers with other traits, including cardiovascular and inflammation‐related traits.ResultThis represents the largest GWAS for plasma AD biomarkers measured with the novel and more powerful assays. We found several genome‐wide significant hits, including APOE. Additional analyses are ongoing.ConclusionPrevious studies using CSF biomarker levels as quantitative traits identified novel genes implicated in AD risk, onset and progression. This current study using plasma biomarker levels as quantitative traits can be critical to identification of novel genes that impact AD and more accurate interpretation of plasma biomarker levels.
Direct‐care workforce training in best care practices for persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias utilizing long‐term services and supports
Authors: Dassel Kara B , Savage Kirstie , Telonidis Jacqueline , Edelman Linda S. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundApproximately 34,000 adults over the age of 65 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Utah in 2020; by 2025, this number is expected to increase 23.5%, to 42,000 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2021). As a result, the use of long‐term services and supports (LTSS) is increasing and the capacity and competencies of the workforce, families, and caregivers will need to be expanded to provide value‐based, person‐centered care (Poo & Kalipeni, 2017). The LTSS workforce is unstable due to a myriad of issues including workforce shortages and inadequate training and education, particularly in the area of dementia care (Stone, 2017).MethodTo fill this gap, an interdisciplinary team developed an online training program to increase knowledge about AD best care practices. The three hour asynchronous training program has four modules: 1) Dementia: Causes, Symptoms, and Trajectory, 2) Treatment Options for Challenging Behaviors; 3) Effective Interprofessional Care Teams, and 4) Dementia‐Focused Communication Techniques. Segments of a video case study of “Mrs. Jones”, demonstrating the skills and techniques taught in each module are interwoven. Pre‐ and post‐evaluation include demographics, Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) (Carpenter et al., 2009) and training satisfaction.ResultThus far, 526 participants have completed the entire training and post‐evaluation survey. Data demonstrate that the modules are used by a variety of professionals: Certified Nursing Assistants (18.15%), Nurses (40.26%), family caregivers (2.27%), Social Workers (1.70%), and “other” (52.74%; e.g., students, administrators). Completers “Strongly agreed” or “agreed” that the training met educational needs (89.98%), was engaging (77.69%), will improve care (89.60%), provided useful examples (89.98%), and met the stated goals (91.87%). There was a significant (t = 11.818; p<0.001) increase in ADKS scores between pre‐evaluation (mean = 12.96; S.D. = 1.71) and post‐training evaluation (mean = 13.85; S.D. = 1.41).ConclusionEvaluation results demonstrate that the online ADRD best practice in LTSS training provides useful information, improves participant’s knowledge about AD, and is well‐received by participants. Additional research is needed to evaluate the impact of AD training on resident/client outcomes in LTSS. To increase direct workforce participation in free trainings, employers should consider incentivizing staff to complete additional AD‐specific trainings.
SING, SING IAB PROJECT ‐ Family caregivers online support group of Instituto Alzheimer Brasil
Authors: Novais Ticyana Moralez da Silva , Piovezan Elizabeth S , Piovezan Mauro Roberto , Silva e Moreira Raissa Carla Paulino , Stein Angelica Miki , de Santana Beatriz Raz Franco 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe Instituto Alzheimer Brasil (IAB) is a non‐governmental organization that promotes information about Alzheimer’s disease to the community, offering support for people with dementia, caregivers, and familiars. During the covid pandemic, it was implemented an online support group via messaging app using music as an instrument for relaxation and exchange of positive experiences among family caregivers. The present study aimed to describe the SING SING IAB PROJECT and its benefits to participants.The group was created in November 2020 and the invitation was made to family caregivers who participated in our monthly online support meetings. To participate in the group, the family caregiver must rehearse a song that has some relation to their personal history, or that of their family member with Alzheimer’s, record a personal video and post it in the group (messaging application) for other participants to enjoy. These videos can be only of the caregiver, the family, or with the family member who has Alzheimer’s disease and can be recorded only with singing, accompanied by musical instruments, or karaoke. The rule to remain in the group is the confidentiality of the images, which are restricted to the group only, and the posting only of videos with musical recordings or positive comments to the videos posted. So far, we have had the participation of 62 caregivers and family members with Alzheimer’s Disease. The project has continued since November 2020, so far we have had the participation of 62 caregivers and family members with AD. 357 videos were published up to January 2022. We are collecting reports of the benefits of the group of caregivers and patients with AD. The objective was to use music as a therapeutic intervention in mental health and improve the quality of life of caregivers and family members with AD.Participants' reports refer to several benefits such as not feeling alone in caring, a welcoming and friendly environment amid so many difficulties, beneficially interfering with the quality of life of the caregiver and their family members with AD.
Incidence of cognitive, depressive and anxiety disorders in COVID‐19 patients
Authors: Kovalenko Ekaterina Аndreevna , Makhnovich Ekaterina Vladimirovna , Bogolepova Anna Nicolaevna , Alekseevna Osinovskaya Nina 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has become a serious global problem that has affected almost all aspects of modern society, especially public health. Among the significant health problems one can single out ‐ an increase in the number of people with cognitive, depressive and anxiety disorders in COVID‐19 patients. These disoders may be due to the severity of the patient’s condition during the period of COVID‐19 disease, the presence of significant events after suffering COVID‐19 or premorbid cognitive (vascular pathology or Alzheimer’s disease) and emotional status.MethodWe examined 60 patients after COVID‐19, 33 (55%) were men, at 7.34 ± 0.14 months follow‐up after hospital treatment. Mean age ‐ 59.93±1.32. Participants were completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and The Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB). Depression and anxiety were identified using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).ResultAccording to the measured MoCA, 30 (50%) of the examined patients had mild cognitive impairments, no severe cognitive impairments were detected. According to the FAB scale, 25 (41.7%) patients had moderate frontal dysfunction, no severe frontal dysfunction were detected. According to the HADS scale: anxiety was detected in 10 (16.6%) patients; depression — in 3 (5%) patients. The study found evidence that cognitive impairment was more common in patients with a low level of education, atherosclerosis of the brachiocephalic arteries, and chronic heart failure (p<0.05). Cognitive impairment and anxiety disorders were significantly more frequently recorded in older patients (p<0.05).ConclusionCOVID‐19 survivors showed a considerable prevalence of cognitive impairment. Considering the alarming impact of COVID‐19 infection on mental health, we recommend to assess cognitive and emotional status of COVID‐19 survivors for early diagnosis and treatment of cognitive and emotional disorders.
Myelin‐weighted MR Imaging in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Lim Seung‐Hyun , Lee Jiyoon , Jung Sumin , Rhee Hak Young , Park Soonchan , Cho Ah Rang , Ryu Chang‐Woo , Jahng Geon‐Ho 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundDeveloping an imaging technique to map myelin changes in the brain within a short scan time is needed due to the inability of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients to remain motionless during MRI scanning.PurposeTo investigate myelin loss in both AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients with a new myelin water mapping technique within reasonable scan time and evaluate the clinical relevance of the apparent myelin water fraction (MWF) values by assessing the relationship between decreases in myelin water and the degree of memory decline or aging.MethodIn this prospective study from March 2019 to October 2021, the participants were allocated as follows: 29 individuals were assigned to the cognitively normal (CN) elderly group (mean ± SD, 73 ± 5 years, 16 females), 32 participants were assigned to the MCI group (74 ± 5 years, 21 females), and 31 patients were assigned to the AD group (74 ± 6 years, 26 females). A 3D visualization of the short transverse relaxation time component (ViSTa)‐gradient and spin‐echo (GraSE) sequence was developed to map apparent MWF. Then, the MWF values were compared between the three participant groups, and was evaluated the relationship with the degree of memory loss.ResultA total of 92 participants were evaluated. The AD group showed a reduced apparent MWF compared to the CN and MCI groups. Moreover, the MWF was decreased with age and positively correlated with Mini‐Mental State Examination scores. The largest AUC value (0.799) was in the corpus callosum and used to classify the CN and AD groups using the apparent MWF.ConclusionThe ViSTa‐GraSE sequence can be a useful tool to map the MWF in a reasonable scan time. Combining the MWF in the corpus callosum with the detection of atrophy in the hippocampus can be valuable for group classification.FundingThe research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by Ministry of Science and ICT (No. 2020R1A2C1004749, GHJ), Republic of Korea.
Establishment of Cerebral Organoid‐like Structures from Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) to Model Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Authors: Gutierrez‐Malacara Andres‐Ivan , Silva‐Lucero Maria del Carmen , Lopez‐Toledo Gustavo , Gomez‐Virgilio Laura , Cardenas‐Aguayo Maria del Carmen 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackground3D‐cell cultures are closer to in vivo conditions than the monolayers. There are different 3D‐cell culture models, the most relevant is the Cerebral Organoids (CO) model (Lancaster et al. 2014), it can show complex processes and proved to show molecular and structural changes when modeling Alzheimer´s disease (AD), and other diseases. One of the main limitations of using this model is the requirement for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSC) or Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC) for the CO generation; because iPSC could undergo epigenetic changes during the process of reprogramming; moreover, hESC are controversial because of their ethical implications. We proposed to use DPSCs instead of iPSC or hESC to generate organoid‐like structures due to their capability to differentiate into the neuronal lineage, lack of pluripotency, and its easy access.MethodThe DPSCs were obtained by dissociating the dental pulp of a healthy 46 years old female with a colagenase‐dispase mix at 37°C, isolated and cultured. The cells phenotype was characterized by Western‐Blot, RT‐PCR and immunofluorescence. We cultured the DPSC into low‐adherence wells for 6 days in a DMEM/F12 medium + thiazovivin 50 mM, bFGF 4ng/mL, BFS 20%, Glutamax® 200x, MEM‐NEAA 1:100, 2‐mercaptoethanol 100 µm and murine LIF 10 µg/mL until cell aggregation into embryoid‐like structures. After that, neural induction was carried out.ResultWe successfully characterized DPSC phenotype by detecting pluripotential markers OCT4, Actin, NanoG, mesenchymal markers CD105, CD73, and the neuronal marker β‐III Tubulin which is always present in the DPSCs lineage, as well as the lack of hematopoietic markers CD14, CD34, and CD45. We obtained Cerebral Organoids‐like structures from de DPSCs after 35 days of the differentiation protocol and detected NeuN, MAP2, β‐III Tubulin, and tau, all neural markers that claim a neuronal phenotype.ConclusionOur results suggest a potential use of this approach to the CO generation using DPSCs instead of iPSC or hESC with the benefits of a shorter time and a less expensive protocol likewise, DPSCs could resemble the molecular aging changes. Further studies are needed to validate the use of this CO to model neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.
Microvascular Morphology MR Imaging Using Relaxation Rate Change with Gadolinium‐Based Contrast Agent in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Guo Xiao‐Yi , Kwon HyeokJung , Rhee Hak Young , Park Soonchan , Cho Ah Rang , Ryu Chang‐Woo , Jahng Geon‐Ho 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundConventional MRI techniques cannot demonstrate microvascular alterations in mild and moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Thus, the diagnosis of microvascular pathology commonly relies on postmortem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate alterations of microvascular structures in patients with AD using a 3T clinical MRI system with a commercially available contrast agent.MethodEleven patients with AD and 11 non‐AD controls were included in this cross‐sectional prospective study. R2 and R2* relaxation rate changes (∆R2 and ∆R2*) before and after a Gd‐based contrast agent injection were calculated from images obtained with a multi‐echo turbo spin‐echo sequence and multi‐echo gradient‐echo sequence to obtain microvascular index maps of blood volume fraction (BVf), mean vessel diameter (mVD), vessel size index (VSI), mean vessel density (Q), and microvessel‐weighted imaging (MvWI). Two‐sample t‐test was used to compare those values between the two groups. Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between those values and the mini‐mental state examination (MMSE) score.ResultCompared with the non‐AD group, BVf was significantly increased in the AD group at the parahippocampal gyrus (p = 0.033), gray matter area (p = 0.008), and white matter area (p = 0.010). MvWI was also significantly increased in the AD group at the hippocampus (p = 0.010), parahippocampal gyrus (p = 0.010), precuneus (p = 0.045), and globus pallidus (p = 0.008). Both mVD and VSI were only significantly decreased in the AD group at the white matter hyperintensity (WMHI) area (p = 0.045 with mVD; p = 0.033 with VSI). BVf and MvWI were significantly positively correlated with age at some areas. VSI was significantly positively correlated with MMSE at caudate (rho = 0.475/ p = 0.030) and corpus callosum (rho = 0.435/ p = 0.049).ConclusionMicrovascular index was a useful non‐invasive method to evaluate microvascular morphology alteration. The microvascular morphology of AD was manifested as vessel constriction and increasing blood volume fraction. It was associated with MMSE score.