Genome-wide association study of language performance in Alzheimer's disease.

Language impairment is common in prodromal stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and progresses over time. However, the genetic architecture underlying language performance is poorly understood. To identify novel genetic variants associated with language performance, we analyzed brain MRI and performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a composite measure of language performance from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI; n=1560).

Use of Analgesics (Opioids and Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) and Dementia-Related Neuropathology in a Community-Based Autopsy Cohort.

Background: Opioids may influence the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Some studies have observed AD pathology in the brains of opioid abusers. No study has examined the association between prescription opioid use and dementia-related neuropathologic changes.

Validity assessment of the PROMIS fatigue domain among people living with HIV.

Purpose: To evaluate psychometric characteristics and cross-sectional and longitudinal validity of the 7-item PROMIS Fatigue Short Form and additional fatigue items among people living with HIV (PLWH) in a nationally distributed network of clinics collecting patient reported data at the time of routine clinical care.

Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal fatigue data were collected from September 2012 through April 2013 across clinics participating in the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS). We analyzed data regarding psychometric characteristics including simulated computerized adaptive testing and differential item functioning, and regarding associations with clinical characteristics.

Fine-mapping of the human leukocyte antigen locus as a risk factor for Alzheimer disease: A case-control study.

Background: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive disorder that affects cognitive function. There is increasing support for the role of neuroinflammation and aberrant immune regulation in the pathophysiology of AD. The immunoregulatory human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex has been linked to susceptibility for a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including AD; however, studies to date have failed to consistently identify a risk HLA haplotype for AD.

Susceptibility to neurofibrillary tangles: role of the PTPRD locus and limited pleiotropy with other neuropathologies.

Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions, are defined by a pathological hallmark: neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). NFT accumulation is thought to be closely linked to cognitive decline in AD. Here, we perform a genome-wide association study for NFT pathologic burden and report the association of the PTPRD locus (rs560380, P=3.

The presumed ginkgophyte has seed-bearing structures resembling those of Peltaspermales and Umkomasiales.

The origins of the five groups of living seed plants, including the single relictual species , are poorly understood, in large part because of very imperfect knowledge of extinct seed plant diversity. Here we describe well-preserved material from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia of the previously enigmatic Mesozoic seed plant reproductive structure , which has been presumed to be a ginkgophyte. Abundant new material shows that is a seed-bearing cupule that was borne on a stalk at the tip of a short shoot.

Palaeobotanical redux: revisiting the age of the angiosperms.

Angiosperms (flowering plants) are the most diverse of all major lineages of land plants and the dominant autotrophs in most terrestrial ecosystems. Their evolutionary and ecological appearance is therefore of considerable interest and has significant implications for understanding patterns of diversification in other lineages, including insects and other animals. More than half a century ago, influential reviews showed that while angiosperms are richly represented in sediments of Late Cretaceous and younger ages, there are no reliable records of angiosperms from pre-Cretaceous rocks.

Systems biology approach to late-onset Alzheimer's disease genome-wide association study identifies novel candidate genes validated using brain expression data and Caenorhabditis elegans experiments.

Introduction: We sought to determine whether a systems biology approach may identify novel late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) loci.

Methods: We performed gene-wide association analyses and integrated results with human protein-protein interaction data using network analyses. We performed functional validation on novel genes using a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans Aβ proteotoxicity model and evaluated novel genes using brain expression data from people with LOAD and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change, Lewy body disease, and vascular brain injury in clinic- and community-based samples.

We examined the relationships between Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change (ADNC), Lewy body disease (LBD), and vascular brain injury (VBI) in 2 large autopsy samples. Because findings may differ between study populations, data came from U.S.

Impact of home visit capacity on genetic association studies of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Findings for genetic correlates of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in studies that rely solely on clinic visits may differ from those with capacity to follow participants unable to attend clinic visits.

Methods: We evaluated previously identified LOAD-risk single nucleotide variants in the prospective Adult Changes in Thought study, comparing hazard ratios (HRs) estimated using the full data set of both in-home and clinic visits (n = 1697) to HRs estimated using only data that were obtained from clinic visits (n = 1308). Models were adjusted for age, sex, principal components to account for ancestry, and additional health indicators.

Human Striatal Dopaminergic and Regional Serotonergic Synaptic Degeneration with Lewy Body Disease and Inheritance of APOE ε4.

Cognitive impairment in older individuals is a complex trait that in population-based studies most commonly derives from an individually varying mixture of Alzheimer disease, Lewy body disease, and vascular brain injury. We investigated the molecular composition of synaptic particles from three sources: consecutive rapid autopsy brains from the Adult Changes in Thought Study, a population-based cohort; four aged nonhuman primate brains optimally processed for molecular investigation; and targeted replacement transgenic mice homozygous for APOE ε4. Our major goal was to characterize the molecular composition of human synaptic particles in regions of striatum and prefrontal cortex.

Transethnic genome-wide scan identifies novel Alzheimer's disease loci.

Introduction: Genetic loci for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been identified in whites of European ancestry, but the genetic architecture of AD among other populations is less understood.

Methods: We conducted a transethnic genome-wide association study (GWAS) for late-onset AD in Stage 1 sample including whites of European Ancestry, African-Americans, Japanese, and Israeli-Arabs assembled by the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium. Suggestive results from Stage 1 from novel loci were followed up using summarized results in the International Genomics Alzheimer's Project GWAS dataset.

Relating Older Workers' Injuries to the Mismatch Between Physical Ability and Job Demands.

Objective: We examined the association between job demand and occupational injury among older workers.

Methods: Participants were workers aged 50+ enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study, 2010 to 2014. Participants reported physical ability within three domains: physical effort, stooping/kneeling/crouching, and lifting.

Associations Between At-Risk Alcohol Use, Substance Use, and Smoking with Lipohypertrophy and Lipoatrophy Among Patients Living with HIV.

Objective: To examine associations between lipohypertrophy and lipoatrophy and illicit drug use, smoking, and at-risk alcohol use among a large diverse cohort of persons living with HIV (PLWH) in clinical care.

Methods: 7,931 PLWH at six sites across the United States completed 21,279 clinical assessments, including lipohypertrophy and lipoatrophy, drug/alcohol use, physical activity level, and smoking. Lipohypertrophy and lipoatrophy were measured using the FRAM body morphology instrument and associations were assessed with generalized estimating equations.

Surgical Oncology Nursing: Looking Back, Looking Forward.

Objective: To provide a historical perspective in the development of oncology nursing and surgical oncology as critical components of today's health care system.

Data Sources: Review of the literature and Web sites of key organizations.

Conclusion: The evolution of surgical oncology nursing has traversed a historical journey from that of a niche subspecialty of nursing that had very little scientific underpinning, to a highly sophisticated discipline within a very short time.

Perioperative Inotrope Therapy and Atrial Fibrillation Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: Evidence of a Racial Disparity.

Background And Objective: Following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, mortality rates are significantly higher among black patients who experience postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF). Perioperative inotropic therapy (PINOT) was associated with POAF in previous reports, but the extent to which race influences this association is unknown. In the present study, the relationship between PINOT, race, and POAF was examined in patients undergoing CABG surgery.

Types of Myocardial Infarction Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Individuals in the United States.

Importance: The Second Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) divides MIs into different types. Type 1 MIs result spontaneously from instability of atherosclerotic plaque, whereas type 2 MIs occur in the setting of a mismatch between oxygen demand and supply, as with severe hypotension. Type 2 MIs are uncommon in the general population, but their frequency in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals is unknown.

The emergence of core eudicots: new floral evidence from the earliest Late Cretaceous.

Eudicots, the most diverse of the three major clades of living angiosperms, are first recognized in the latest Barremian-earliest Aptian. All Early Cretaceous forms appear to be related to species-poor lineages that diverged before the rise of core eudicots, which today comprise more than 70% of angiosperm species. Here, we report the discovery of a well-preserved flower, Caliciflora mauldinensis, from the earliest Late Cretaceous, with unequivocal core eudicot features, including five sepals, five petals and two whorls of stamens borne on the rim of a floral cup containing three free carpels.

A Consensus-Driven Agenda for Emergency Medicine Firearm Injury Prevention Research.

Study Objective: To identify critical emergency medicine-focused firearm injury research questions and develop an evidence-based research agenda.

Methods: National content experts were recruited to a technical advisory group for the American College of Emergency Physicians Research Committee. Nominal group technique was used to identify research questions by consensus.

Co-calibration of two self-reported measures of adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is an important determinant of clinical success assessed in many HIV studies. Harmonizing adherence data from studies that use different measures is difficult without a co-calibration equation to convert between validated instruments. Our purpose was to co-calibrate two commonly used adherence measures: the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) questionnaire and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Comparing Variability, Severity, and Persistence of Depressive Symptoms as Predictors of Future Stroke Risk.

Objective: Numerous studies show that depressive symptoms measured at a single assessment predict greater future stroke risk. Longer-term symptom patterns, such as variability across repeated measures or worst symptom level, might better reflect adverse aspects of depression than a single measurement. This prospective study compared five approaches to operationalizing depressive symptoms at annual assessments as predictors of stroke incidence.

Self-Healing and Self-Care for Nurses.

The potential effects of self-care techniques to increase nurses' effectiveness and influence positive patient care outcomes have often been underestimated. Today, nurses experience increased stress as a result of more work hours and greater patient loads. Research studies demonstrate the value to an organization and to individuals of educating nurses about self-care.

Two novel loci, COBL and SLC10A2, for Alzheimer's disease in African Americans.

Introduction: African Americans' (AAs) late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) genetic risk profile is incompletely understood. Including clinical covariates in genetic analyses using informed conditioning might improve study power.

Methods: We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in AAs employing informed conditioning in 1825 LOAD cases and 3784 cognitively normal controls.

A Comparison of Adherence Timeframes Using Missed Dose Items and Their Associations with Viral Load in Routine Clinical Care: Is Longer Better?

Questions remain regarding optimal timeframes for asking about adherence in clinical care. We compared 4-, 7-, 14-, 30-, and 60-day timeframe missed dose items with viral load levels among 1099 patients on antiretroviral therapy in routine care. We conducted logistic and linear regression analyses examining associations between different timeframes and viral load using Bayesian model averaging (BMA).