The HIV Dementia Scale: predictive power in mild dementia and HAART.

Background: HIV-associated dementia (HIV-D) is a subcortical dementia consisting of cognitive and motor symptoms that ultimately affects as many as 20% of patients with AIDS and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the use of sensitive and efficient screening tests for HIV-D continue to be needed for identifying individuals who develop this disorder.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the HIV Dementia Scale (HDS) with comprehensive neuropsychological procedures in detecting both minor cognitive and motor disorder (MCMD) and HIV-D in a population of patients with varying durations of HAART.

Long-term cognitive impact of anticholinergic medications in older adults.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether chronic use of medications with anticholinergic (AC) properties impact older adults' cognitive functioning.

Methods: Six years of cognitive test data from two groups of older adults (AC and control) were examined retrospectively (N = 592).

Results: Declines over time were found for the AC group on parts A and B of the Trail Making Test.

Identification of a novel calpain inhibitor using phage display.

Calpains are calcium- and thiol-dependent proteases that cleave a variety of intracellular substrates. Overactivation of the calpains has been implicated in a number of diseases and conditions such as ischemic stroke indicating a need for the development of calpain inhibitors. A major problem with current calpain inhibitors has been specific targeting to calpain.