Quality of information regarding abnormal uterine bleeding available online.

Introduction: The Internet and electronic devices with Internet access allow for a greater fluidity of information and speed of communication, especially in the field of health. Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) affects approximately 3-30% of women and can negatively impact their health and quality of life. Information regarding AUB that is available on the Internet may not be clear or accurate, rendering it difficult to understand and likely to result in delayed medical evaluation, which subsequently leads to worsening of the AUB.

Increased N200 and P300 latencies in cognitively impaired elderly carrying ApoE ε-4 allele.

Objective: To compare the results of neuropsychological tests, evoked potentials N200 and P300 and polymorphisms of ApoE and BDNF rs6265 between patients with normal cognition and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's dementia (AD).

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of elderly individuals with normal cognition and those with MCI and AD, who were submitted to evoked potential tests (N200 and P300) by means of hearing stimuli based on the auditory oddball paradigm. Genotyping was obtained by using the real-time PCR technique.

Association between DCHS2 gene and mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease in an elderly Brazilian sample.

Objectives: In 2012, Kamboh and colleagues published a genome-wide association study that identified the DCHS2 gene (rs1466662 T/A) influencing the age at onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to investigate if there is association between the DCHS2 gene and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and AD in a sample of the Brazilian population.

Methods: 143 controls, 79 aMCI and 299 AD patients were selected and submitted to the same protocol of tests.

Specific cognitive functions and depressive symptoms as predictors of activities of daily living in older adults with heterogeneous cognitive backgrounds.

Cognitive functioning influences activities of daily living (ADL). However, studies reporting the association between ADL and neuropsychological performance show inconsistent results regarding what specific cognitive domains are related to each specific functional domains. Additionally, whether depressive symptoms are associated with a worse functional performance in older adults is still under explored.

The GAB2 and BDNF polymorphisms and the risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease in an elderly Brazilian sample.

Background: Evidences suggest that GAB2 and BDNF genes may be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We aimed to investigate the GAB2 rs2373115 and BDNF rs6265 polymorphisms and the risk of AD in a Brazilian sample.

Methods: 269 AD patients and 114 controls were genotyped with Real-time PCR.

Elderly patients attended in emergency health services in Brazil: a study for victims of falls and traffic accidents.

The article aims to describe the profile of elderly victims of falls and traffic accidents from the data of the Surveillance Survey of Violence and Accidents (VIVA). The VIVA Survey was conducted in the emergency health-services of the Unified Health System in the capitals of Brazil in 2011. The sample of elderly by type of accident was subjected to the two-step cluster procedure.

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of Pfeffer's Functional Activities Questionnaire.

Pfeffer's Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) is one of the most commonly employed tools in studies on pathological cognitive aging. Despite the different versions of the questionnaire translated for use in clinical practice, few studies have analyzed the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the FAQ (P-FAQ). Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyze the P-FAQ with regard to internal consistency, factorial structure and associations with demographic factors (age, sex, and schooling), depressive symptoms, cognitive measures and other measures of functionality.

Impaired generation of new subcategories and switching in a semantic verbal fluency test in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

The semantic verbal fluency task is broadly used in the neuropsychological assessment of elderly subjects. Even some studies have identified differences in verbal fluency clustering and switching measures between subjects with normal aging and a clinical condition such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease, the results are not always consistent. This study aimed to compare clustering and switching measures of an animal's semantic verbal fluency task among normal controls (NC, n = 25), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI; n = 25), amnestic multiple domain Mild Cognitive Impairment (a+mdMCI; n = 25) and Alzheimer's disease (AD; n = 25) Brazilian subjects.

Development, validity, and reliability of the General Activities of Daily Living Scale: a multidimensional measure of activities of daily living for older people.

Objective: To propose and evaluate the psychometric properties of a multidimensional measure of activities of daily living (ADLs) based on the Katz and Lawton indices for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: In this study, 85 patients with MCI and 93 with AD, stratified by age (≤ 74 years, > 74 years), completed the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale, and their caregivers completed scales for ADLs. Construct validity (factor analysis), reliability (internal consistency), and criterion-related validity (receiver operating characteristic analysis and logistic regression) were assessed.

Clinical applicability and cutoff values for an unstructured neuropsychological assessment protocol for older adults with low formal education.

Background And Objectives: The neuropsychological exam plays a central role in the assessment of elderly patients with cognitive complaints. It is particularly relevant to differentiate patients with mild dementia from those subjects with mild cognitive impairment. Formal education is a critical factor in neuropsychological performance; however, there are few studies that evaluated the psychometric properties, especially criterion related validity, neuropsychological tests for patients with low formal education.

Genetic variant of AKT1 and AKTIP associated with late-onset depression in a Brazilian population.

Objectives: Examine the association between polymorphisms in the AKT1 and AKTIP genes and late-onset depression (LOD). Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric diseases. LOD is a disorder that starts after 65 years old.

The Stick Design Test on the assessment of older adults with low formal education: evidences of construct, criterion-related and ecological validity.

Background: The assessment of visuospatial abilities is usually performed by drawing tasks. In patients with very low formal education, the use of these tasks might be biased by their cultural background. The Stick Design Test was developed for the assessment of this population.

Cholinesterase inhibitors modulate autonomic function in patients with Alzheimer´s disease and mixed dementia.

Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), the mainstay treatment for dementia, have systemic actions that can affect cardiovascular and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Thirty-nine patients with Alzheimer´s disease or mixed dementia underwent a comprehensive clinical evaluation, prior to and during ChEIs therapy, including orthostatic challenge, electrocardiogram (EKG) and heart rate variability (HRV) spectral analysis through Holter recordings. ChEIs therapy determined a decrease in supine diastolic blood pressure (BP) and in both diastolic and systolic BP in orthostatic position (79.

Good rate of clinical response to cholinesterase inhibitors in mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease after three months of treatment: An open-label study.

Unlabelled: Life expectancy in Brazil has increased markedly over the last 30 years. Hence, age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), warrant special attention due to their high prevalence in the elderly. Pharmacologic treatment of AD is based on cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) and memantine, leading to modest clinical benefits both in the short and long-term.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase genetic variant associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease in a Brazilian population.

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase(COMT) gene and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a Brazilian population. The case-control method was used to study the association between AD and genetic variants of COMT. Six tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in the COMT gene were genotyped by RT-PCR.

Disease-specific expression of the serotonin-receptor 5-HT(2C) in natural killer cells in Alzheimer's dementia.

Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is a degenerative brain disorder characterized mainly by cholinergic failure, but other neuro-transmitters are also deficient especially at late stages of the disease. Misfolded β-amyloid peptide has been identified as a causative agent, however inflammatory changes also play a pivotal role. Even though the most prominent pathology is seen in the cognitive functions, specific abnormalities of the central nervous system (CNS) are also reflected in the periphery, particularly in the immune responses of the body.

Ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene reduce oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokines in mononuclear cells of Alzheimer's disease patients.

Objectives: The in vitro effect of a vitamin complex in generating and reducing oxidative species in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) and plasma of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy subjects (HS) was evaluated.

Methods: Two concentrations of a vitamin complex ([A] and [20A]) with ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene were incubated with either mononuclear cells or plasma. The generation of oxidizing species was measured in a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay and the reducing response by the MTT dye reduction assay.

The Tower of London Test: different scoring criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

The Tower of London (TOL) is used for evaluating planning skills, which is a component of the executive functions. Different versions and scoring criteria were developed for this task, and some of them present with different psychometrical properties. This study aimed to evaluate two specific scoring methods of the TOL in diagnosing Mild Cognitive Impairment and probable Alzheimer's disease.

Factors influencing possible delay in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease: Findings from a tertiary Public University Hospital.

Unlabelled: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by impairment in memory and autonomy, causing excessive pressure on family and an overburdened health care system. Early diagnosis, with the appropriate treatment, is important to reduce the pattern of disease progression.

Objective: The study sought to identify the most probable causes of delay in diagnosis.

Association between tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene and late-onset depression.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between polymorphisms (SNP) in the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) gene and late-onset depression (LOD) in the Brazilian population.

Methods: We genotyped 8 tag SNPs in the TPH2 gene in 84 outpatients with LOD and 79 individuals belonging to the comparison group to investigate an association between the TPH2 gene and LOD.

Results: Our findings suggested an association between tag SNP rs4565946 heterozygous C/T (p = 0.