Differential diagnosis of depression and Alzheimer's disease with the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R).

Background: One of the usual problems psychologists and clinicians face in clinical practice is differential diagnostics of Alzheimer's disease and depression. It has been reported that the ACE and ACE-R could discriminate the cognitive dysfunctions due to depression from that due to dementia, although this is not uniform in all studies. The current study aimed to evaluate the utility of the ACE-R to differentiate late-life onset depression (with severe episode) from mild-moderate Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

Digit ratio (2D:4D) in Lithuania once and now: testing for sex differences, relations with eye and hair color, and a possible secular change.

The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic somatic trait and has been proposed as a biomarker for the organizational, i.e., permanent, effects of prenatal testosterone on the human brain.

Improvement in asthma endpoints when aiming for total control: salmeterol/fluticasone propionate versus fluticasone propionate alone.

Aims: To investigate the magnitude of change in morning peak expiratory flow (PEF), asthma symptoms, and rescue beta2-agonist use, when the aim of treatment is to achieve guideline-defined control.

Methods: This was a protocol-defined analysis of data from the previously-reported one-year, stratified, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group GOAL study comparing the use of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate with fluticasone propionate alone in achieving guideline-defined control; this analysis assessed the magnitude of change in single specific endpoints which were amalgamated into the composite measure of control used in the primary GOAL analysis.

Results: Across all strata, improvements were seen for each outcome at 52 weeks as compared to baseline: mean morning PEF, 58.

Clinical benefits with oseltamivir in treating influenza in adult populations : results of a pooled and subgroup analysis.

Background: Influenza is a potentially life-threatening illness that affects approximately 10% of the population annually, with resulting personal misery and societal disruption. Oseltamivir is a novel influenza treatment that has been extensively investigated. We describe a series of retrospective analyses investigating various measures of clinical efficacy across different populations of influenza-infected patients enrolled in studies of oseltamivir (Tamiflu((R))) that were conducted within the clinical development programme.

Rosiglitazone/metformin fixed-dose combination compared with uptitrated metformin alone in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study.

Background: Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) that involves uptitration of monotherapy to the maximum dose has been associated with delays in achieving glycemic control and an increased number of adverse events (AEs). Studies have reported the benefits of adding a thiazolidinedione to metformin (MET), but none has compared the effect of adding a thiazolidinedione to MET versus increasing the daily dose of MET to 3 g.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the benefits of fixed-dose combination rosiglitazone and MET (RSG/MET) compared with high-dose MET monotherapy in patients with type 2 DM.

[Consensus on asthma diagnosis and treatment in children and adults].

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that is a growing problem of public health. The current consensus is based on the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and other guidelines for asthma, and adapted for Lithuania. This Consensus provides physicians with recommendations for asthma management in children and adults.

[Isolation and some properties of polynucleotide phosphorylase from E. coli].

A new method for isolation of polynucleotide phosphorylase from E. coli, including ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration has been developed. The method results in 300-fold purification of the enzyme, which being devoid of nuclease and phosphatase activities can further be utilized for oligonucleotide synthesis.

[Relationship between recognition asymmetry and the interval between the stimuli of a dichoptic complex].

Recognition of optic stimuli (contour drawings, words and word combinations) was studied in conditions of binocular, monocular and dichoptic presentation. The interval between stimuli of the dichoptic complex (ISI) was: 0, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 400, 600, and 1000 ms. In all the cases "the effect of the right eye" was revealed.

[A study of the phases of audiovisual interaction].

A study was made of the dependence of errors in recognizing visual and discriminating acoustic stimuli and of the reaction time (RT), on the duration of intersignal intervals (ISI) (10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 400, 600 and 1000 msec). With longer ISI a decrease in RT has been found, particularly pronounced in responses to the second stimuli of the pair. RT to the visual (acoustic) stimulus increases not only when an acoustic (photic) signal is present in the complex, but also in the case of its anticipation.