Publications by authors named "Crocco E"

Background: The early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is crucial for providing treatment before further decline. Cognitive challenge tests such as the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L™) can identify individuals at highest risk for cognitive deterioration. Performance on elements of the LASSI-L, particularly proactive interference, correlate with the presence of critical Alzheimer's Disease (AD) biomarkers.

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Background: Semantic intrusion errors (SIEs) are both sensitive and specific to PET amyloid-β (Aβ) burden in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Objective: Plasma Aβ biomarkers including the Aβ42/40 ratio using mass spectrometry are expected to become increasingly valuable in clinical settings. Plasma biomarkers are more clinically informative if linked to cognitive deficits that are salient to Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Proactive Semantic Interference (PSI) and failure to recover from PSI (frPSI), are novel constructs assessed by the LASSI-L. These measures are sensitive to cognitive changes in early Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and preclinical AD determined by A load using PET. The goal of this study was to compare a new computerized version of the LASSI-L (LASSI-Brief Computerized) to the standard paper-and-pencil version of the test.

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Introduction: Commercially available plasma p-tau217 biomarker tests are not well studied in ethnically diverse samples.

Methods: We evaluated associations between ALZPath plasma p-tau217 and amyloid-beta positron emission tomography (Aβ-PET) in Hispanic/Latino (88% of Cuban or South American ancestry) and non-Hispanic/Latino older adults. One- and two-cutoff ranges were derived and evaluated to assess agreement with Aβ-PET.

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During the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), neurodegenerative changes can be identified by measuring volumetric loss in AD-prone brain regions on MRI. Cognitive assessments that are sensitive enough to measure the early brain-behavior manifestations of AD and that correlate with biomarkers of neurodegeneration are needed to identify and monitor individuals at risk for dementia. Weak sensitivity to early cognitive change has been a major limitation of traditional cognitive assessments.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study looked at how a type of memory problem called proactive semantic interference (frPSI) can help predict if older adults with mild memory issues (amnesic Mild Cognitive Impairment, or aMCI) will progress to dementia.
  • Researchers studied 89 older people with aMCI using brain scans and other tests over about 26 months to see how many developed dementia.
  • They found that people with more mistakes when answering questions related to memory (frPSI) were more likely to get dementia faster, suggesting that frPSI could help identify those at higher risk.
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Background: Melasma is a chronic dermatosis that impacts the patient's quality of life and can present considerable challenges in terms of effective treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of 5% cysteamine combined with 4% nicotinamide in female subjects with melasma.

Methods: This single-center, single-arm, prospective, open-label study evaluated patients with melasma using a combination cream of 5% cysteamine and 4% nicotinamide in a progressive regimen (60 min in the first month, 120 min in the second month, and 180 min in the third month).

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Background: There is ample evidence in animal models that lithium increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) with supporting evidence in human studies. Little is known, however, about the effects of lithium on BDNF in Alzheimer's Dementia (AD). In one study of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment, serum BDNF increased after treatment with lithium.

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Introduction: Semantic intrusion errors (SI) have distinguished between those with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) who are amyloid positive (A+) versus negative (A-) on positron emission tomography (PET).

Method: This study examines the association between SI and plasma - based biomarkers. One hundred and twenty-eight participants received SiMoA derived measures of plasma pTau-181, ratio of two amyloid-β peptide fragments (Aβ42/Aβ40), Neurofilament Light protein (NfL), Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), ApoE genotyping, and amyloid PET imaging.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study addresses the issue of limited ancestral diversity in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which makes it hard to find genetic risk variants in non-European ancestry groups, focusing on Alzheimer's Disease (AD).
  • - Researchers analyzed a multi-ancestry GWAS dataset within the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) involving individuals from various ancestries, identifying 13 shared risk loci and 3 ancestry-specific loci, highlighting the benefits of diverse samples.
  • - The findings underscore the importance of including underrepresented populations in genetic research, suggesting that even smaller sample sizes can lead to the discovery of novel genetic variants related to AD and implicating specific biological pathways like amyloid regulation and neuronal development.
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Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility, efficiency, and predictive factors of therapeutic success of Vibration, Diuresis and Inversion (VDI) therapy for the removal of upper urinary tract stones.

Methods: It is a retrospective, single-center study at the CHU - La Conception, Marseille, France including all patients treated with VDI from 2013 to 2018. VDI was indicated for stones <6mm in first-line treatment or for residual fragments <6mm after ureteroscopy, PCNL, microPCNL.

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Objective: To study the evolutionary aspects of stress urinary incontinence and urinary incontinence by urgency after HoLEP through a series of 200 consecutive cases of the same surgeon then to seek secondarily the predictive factors of occurrence in the service of urology of the Hospital Center of Martigues.

Patients And Methods: This was a monocentric, retrospective, descriptive and analytical study conducted in the urology department of the Martigues Hospital. All patients who were treated with HoLEP for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) between September 2017 and March 2021 were included in the study.

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Background: Susceptibility to proactive semantic interference (PSI) and the inability to ameliorate these difficulties with one additional learning trial have repeatedly been implicated as early features of incipient Alzheimer's disease (AD). Unfortunately, persistent failure to recover from PSI (frPSI) after repeated learning trials, are not captured by existing memory measures, or been examined in pre-mild cognitive impairment (PreMCI).

Objective: A novel Cognitive Stress Test (CST) was employed to measure the impact of PSI, initial failure to recover from PSI and persistent effects of PSI, despite multiple learning trials of the new to-be-remembered material (pfrPSI).

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There is a pressing need to develop measures that are sensitive to the earliest subtle cognitive changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) to improve early detection and track disease progression. The Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales of Semantic Interference (LASSI-L) has been shown to successfully discriminate between cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to correlate with total and regional brain amyloid load. The present study investigated how the LASSI-L scores change over time among three distinct diagnostic groups.

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Introduction: Among persons with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), intrusion errors on subscales that measure proactive semantic interference (PSI) may be among the earliest behavioral markers of elevated Alzheimer's disease brain pathology. While there has been considerable cross-sectional work in the area, it is presently unknown whether semantic intrusion errors are predictive of progression of cognitive impairment in aMCI or PreMCI (not cognitively normal but not meeting full criteria for MCI).

Methods: This study examined the extent to which the percentage of semantic intrusion errors (PIE) based on total responses on a novel cognitive stress test, the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L), could predict clinical/cognitive outcomes over an average 26-month period in older adults initially diagnosed with aMCI, PreMCI, and normal cognition.

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Introduction: There is increasing evidence that susceptibility to proactive semantic interference (PSI) and the failure to recover from PSI (frPSI) as evidenced by intrusion errors may be early cognitive markers of both preclinical and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: One hundred forty-five participants were administered extensive clinical and neuropsychological evaluations including the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L), a sensitive cognitive stress test measuring PSI and frPSI. Participants also underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and amyloid positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging.

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Background: A case series suggested efficacy for lithium to treat agitation in dementia, but no placebo-controlled trials have been conducted.

Objectives: To evaluate low-dose lithium treatment of agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Method: In a four-site trial, patients with AD and agitation/aggression score ≥4 on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were randomized, double-blind, to lithium carbonate 150-600 mg daily or placebo for 12 weeks.

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted the need for a teleneuropsychology protocol for the cognitive assessment of older adults, who are at increased risk for both COVID-19 and dementia. Prior recommendations for teleneuropsychological assessment did not consider many of the unique challenges posed by COVID-19. The field is still in need of clear guidelines and standards of care for the assessment of older adults under the current circumstances.

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Background: Difficulties in inhibition and self-monitoring are early features of incipient Alzheimer's disease and may manifest as susceptibility to proactive semantic interference. However, due to limitations of traditional memory assessment paradigms, recovery from interference effects following repeated learning opportunities has not been explored.

Objective: This study employed a novel computerized list learning test consisting of repeated learning trials to assess recovery from proactive and retroactive semantic interference.

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Background: The Loewenstein Acevedo Scales of Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) is a novel and increasingly employed instrument that has outperformed widely used cognitive measures as an early correlate of elevated brain amyloid and neurodegeneration in prodromal Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The LASSI-L has distinguished those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and high amyloid load from aMCI attributable to other non-AD conditions. The authors designed and implemented a web-based brief computerized version of the instrument, the LASSI-BC, to improve standardized administration, facilitate scoring accuracy, real-time data entry, and increase the accessibility of the measure.

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Objective: To examine the direct and indirect effects of age, APOE ϵ4 genotype, amyloid positivity, and volumetric reductions in AD-prone brain regions as it relates to semantic intrusion errors reflecting proactive semantic interference (PSI) and the failure to recover from proactive semantic interference (frPSI) on the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales of Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L), a cognitive stress test that has been consistently more predictive of preclinical and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD) than traditional list-learning tests.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: 1Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center baseline study.

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Background: The Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) is an increasingly utilized cognitive stress test designed to identify early cognitive changes associated with incipient neurodegenerative disease.

Objective: To examine previously derived cut-points for cognitively unimpaired older adults that were suggestive of performance impairment on multiple subscales of the LASSI-L. These cut-points were applied to a new sample of older adults who were cognitive healthy controls (HC: n = 26) and those on the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum from early stage mild cognitive impairment (EMCI: n = 28), late stage MCI (LMCI: n = 18) to mild AD (AD: n = 27).

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Background: Excessive androgenesis in the skin promotes sebaceous hyperproduction which is the onset of acne vulgaris pathogenesis. Free fatty acids and lipid accumulation in the glandular infundibulum culminates in microbiota imbalance, triggering inflammatory response and follicular hyperkeratinization.

Aims: The purpose of this work was to present an alternative cosmetic treatment for acne skin care, focusing on the prevention of sebaceous gland dysregulation.

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