Medications and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease: Cohort cluster analysis of 15,428 patients.

Background: Medications for comorbid conditions may affect cognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: To explore the association between common medications and cognition, measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination.

Methods: Cohort study including persons with AD from the Swedish Registry for Cognitive/Dementia Disorders (SveDem).

Statins and cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's and mixed dementia: a longitudinal registry-based cohort study.

Background: Disturbances in brain cholesterol homeostasis may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lipid-lowering medications could interfere with neurodegenerative processes in AD through cholesterol metabolism or other mechanisms.

Objective: To explore the association between the use of lipid-lowering medications and cognitive decline over time in a cohort of patients with AD or mixed dementia with indication for lipid-lowering treatment.

Statins, Risk of Death and Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Dementia: A Registry-Based Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Survival in patients with dementia is variable. Statins are a cornerstone of cardiovascular prevention. However, the effect of statins on mortality and risk for stroke in patients with dementia is not clear.

Regional coordinators: a new teaching opportunity in family medicine training.

Background: A new project on education in family medicine training was implemented last year in Slovenia by establishing regional coordinators in the specialist training programme. They are responsible for conducting regular small-group meetings with family medicine trainees. This study wanted to explore the attitudes and opinions of regional coordinators and family medicine trainees concerning this new method.

First report of an outbreak of pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6A.

Five patients in a geropsychiatric unit of a psychiatric hospital became abruptly ill with pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6A. Four other residents were colonized with the same serotype, which has previously not been reported in association with pneumonia outbreaks. Furthermore, serotype 6A is not included in all vaccine types, which may be important for the choice of vaccine in some settings.