Alcohol and stress exposure across the lifespan are key risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline.

Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) are an increasing threat to global health initiatives. Efforts to prevent the development of ADRD require understanding behaviors that increase and decrease risk of neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, in addition to uncovering the underlying biological mechanisms behind these effects. Stress exposure and alcohol consumption have both been associated with increased risk for ADRD in human populations.

Depression Mediates the Association Between Occupational Complexity and Late-Life Cognition in Hispanics.

There is a dearth of research in Latin America regarding risk and protective factors affecting older adults' cognition. This study aimed to investigate the factors mediating the association between occupational complexity and late-life cognition and daily function in a sample of Hispanic older adults. Participants ( = 588) aged 65 years and older underwent clinical, functional, and cognitive assessments.

Performance of a Point of Care Test for Detecting IgM and IgG Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 and Seroprevalence in Blood Donors and Health Care Workers in Panama.

Novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiologic agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has reached 28 million cases worldwide in 1 year. The serological detection of antibodies against the virus will play a pivotal role in complementing molecular tests to improve diagnostic accuracy, contact tracing, vaccine efficacy testing, and seroprevalence surveillance. Here, we aimed first to evaluate a lateral flow assay's ability to identify specific IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and second, to report the seroprevalence estimates of these antibodies among health care workers and healthy volunteer blood donors in Panama.

Critical Review of the Alzheimer's Disease Non-Transgenic Models: Can They Contribute to Disease Treatment?

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing neurodegenerative disease without effective treatments or therapies. Despite the use of different approaches and an extensive variety of genetic amyloid based models, therapeutic strategies remain elusive. AD is characterized by three main pathological hallmarks that include amyloid-β plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammatory processes; however, many other pathological mechanisms have been described in the literature.

Apolipoprotein ɛ4 Affects Multiple Domains of Neuropsychological Functioning in a Sample of Elderly Hispanics.

Apolipoprotein ɛ4 allele (APOEɛ4) is the strongest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), but inconsistencies have arisen in studies with Hispanics. The objective of this study was to explore APOEɛ4 expression and cognitive function in a sample of Panamanian older adults, including healthy controls, mild cognitive impairment, and AD. Participants with at least one copy of APOEɛ4 had a significantly lower performance in global cognition, verbal memory, executive functions, visuospatial abilities, regardless of diagnosis.