Slowly progressive dementia caused by MAPT R406W mutations: longitudinal report on a new kindred and systematic review.

Background: The MAPT c.1216C > T (p.Arg406Trp; R406W) mutation is a known cause of frontotemporal dementia with Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 tau with Alzheimer's disease-like clinical features.

A long-term longitudinal follow-up of depressed patients treated with ECT with special focus on development of dementia.

Background: In this study, the long term effects of ECT on patients with depression were investigated through repeated rCBF and EEG measures as well as clinical characteristics over several years. The aim of the investigation was to establish an association with the eventual development of dementia.

Method: A cohort of forty-nine patients (21 men and 28 women) with a mean age of 61 years underwent ECT.

Rapid Optical Cavity PCR.

Recent outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases, such as Ebola and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, have motivated the research for accurate, rapid diagnostics that can be administered at the point of care. Nucleic acid biomarkers for these diseases can be amplified and quantified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In order to solve the problems of conventional PCR--speed, uniform heating and cooling, and massive metal heating blocks--an innovative optofluidic cavity PCR method using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is accomplished.

Psychotic symptoms in frontotemporal dementia: a diagnostic dilemma?

Background: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) constitutes a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders associated with degeneration of, predominantly, the frontal and temporal lobes. The clinical heterogeneity is evident, and early diagnosis is a challenge. The primary objectives were to characterize psychotic symptoms, initial clinical diagnoses and family history in neuropathologically verified FTD-patients and to analyze possible correlations with different neuropathological findings.

CYP2B6 genotype, but not rifampicin-based anti-TB cotreatments, explains variability in long-term efavirenz plasma exposure.

Aim: We investigated the effects of rifampicin-based anti-TB treatment on plasma efavirenz exposure and the implications of CYP2B6 genotype.

Patients & Methods: Antiretroviral therapy-naive Ugandan HIV patients without (n = 157) or with TB coinfection (n = 106) were enrolled and treated with efavirenz-based highly active antiretroviral therapy alone or with rifampicin-based anti-TB therapy, respectively. Efavirenz plasma concentration was determined on day 3 and weeks 1, 2, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 and 32.

Somatic complaints in frontotemporal dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is associated with a broad spectrum of clinical characteristics. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of unexplained somatic complaints in neuropathologically verified FTD. We also examined whether the somatic presentations correlated with protein pathology or regional brain pathology and if the patients with these somatic features showed more depressive traits.

A long-term follow-up of clinical response and regional cerebral blood flow changes in depressed patients treated with ECT.

Background: Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most potent therapy. We investigated the clinical response and regional cerebral blood flow changes in depressed in patients treated with (ECT) in a repeated longitudinal study.

Method: Forty-nine patients (21 men and 28 women) with a mean age 61 years underwent ECT.

Frontotemporal dementia with a C9ORF72 expansion in a Swedish family: clinical and neuropathological characteristics.

Background: In 2011 the C9ORF72 repeat expansion was identified as the most frequent genetic mutation underlying FTD and ALS. The main aim of this study was to investigate clinical characteristics in a large C9ORF72-positive FTD family, and to compare these with the neuropathological findings.

Methods: The clinical records of 12 related FTD patients were thoroughly evaluated.

Benefits of extra-pair mating may depend on environmental conditions-an experimental study in the blue tit ().

Extra-pair mating constitutes a relatively common reproductive strategy in many socially monogamous bird species. This strategy may considerably improve reproductive success of males, but female benefits from extra-pair matings still remain unclear and empirical evidence is scarce. This may be because genetic benefits of extra-pair mating are not always revealed.

Elevated plasma homocysteine level in vascular dementia reflects the vascular disease process.

Background: Patients with vascular dementia (VaD) exhibit particularly elevated levels of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) compared to patients with other psychogeriatric diseases.

Methods: We investigated the main determinants (age, renal impairment, cobalamin/folate status and presence of extracerebral vascular disease) of plasma tHcy in 525 patients with VaD. Furthermore, 270 patients with depression were used as a reference group to reveal the potential specificity of elevated plasma tHcy in patients with VaD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adult psychiatry. A 20-year register study.

Objective: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly recognized in adults. This study aimed to assess trends in diagnostic practice, diagnostic delay and comorbidity regarding ADHD and ASD in adult psychiatric patients.

Methods: Individuals with diagnosed ADHD or ASD were identified in an adult psychiatry register comprising 56,462 patients.

History of depression prior to Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia verified post-mortem.

The aim of this study was to analyze the medical history, with regards to previous remote depression, in patients with neuropathologically verified Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia (VaD) and mixed AD/VaD. The 201 patients included (115 AD, 44 VaD and 42 mixed AD/VaD) had been referred to the Psychogeriatric/Psychiatric Department, Lund University Hospital, for psychogeriatric investigation and were followed-up with clinical records and detailed information on psychiatric history prior to the onset of dementia. Depression was considered to exist when the patient had consulted a psychiatrist or physician and had been diagnosed with a "depressive episode" or "depression" and when anti-depressants and/or other specific treatments had been prescribed.

Elevated plasma homocysteine level is not primarily related to Alzheimer's disease.

Background: A moderate elevation of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is considered a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: We have investigated the main determinants (age, renal impairment, cobalamin/folate status and the presence of vascular disease) of plasma tHcy in 326 patients with AD, and also in 281 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), since about half of these patients develop AD during the first 5 years.

Results: Elevated plasma tHcy in patients with AD could mainly be attributed to cobalamin/folate deficiency or renal impairment.

Publications on dementia in Medline 1974-2009: a quantitative bibliometric study.

Object: The aim is to describe the development of the scientific literature on dementia.

Methods: We present a quantitative, bibliometric study of the literature on dementia, based on Medline, covering 36 years (1974-2009). Two samples of references to dementia papers were retrieved: The main sample based on the MeSH term Dementia holds more than 88,500 references.

Familial Lund frontotemporal dementia caused by C9ORF72 hexanucleotide expansion.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) as an important clinical entity was rediscovered in Lund and Manchester in the early 1990s. Here we show that the large Lund pedigree with behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia previously described with this disorder has an expansion in the recently described C9ORF72 locus on chromosome 9.

The use of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic Peptide to evaluate vascular disease in elderly patients with mental illness.

Background: Serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is regarded as a sensitive marker of cardiovascular disease. Vascular disease plays an important role in cognitive impairment.

Method: In 447 elderly patients with mental illness, serum NT-proBNP level and the presence or absence of vascular disease according to the medical record were used to categorize patients in different subgroups of vascular disease.

Survival in a large elderly population of patients with dementia and other forms of psychogeriatric diseases.

Background: Dementia and other psychogeriatric diseases in elderly patients bring an increased risk of death. Better knowledge of prognosis in elderly patients affected by dementia or mental illness should be of great importance in order to improve care plans and assist in medical decisions.

Methods: We have investigated the survival time in 2,112 patients with dementia and other forms of psychogeriatric diseases, enrolled during 1990 to 2005 and followed up until 2009, and the influence of diagnoses, plasma homocysteine level, presence of vascular disease and renal impairment.

C-reactive protein level is decreased in patients with Alzheimer's disease and related to cognitive function and survival time.

Background: Previous studies have observed decreased serum CRP levels in patients with established Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to controls or other diagnostic groups of elderly patients with mental illness.

Methods: We have investigated the relation between CRP level and the severity of AD as assessed by cognitive function, brain imaging and survival time.

Results: Patients with AD showed overall lower CRP levels than other patients with mental illness, but elevated CRP levels in these patients were associated with lower cognitive function and shorter survival time.

The birth and early evolution of the frontotemporal dementia (FTD) concept.

An historical overview of the development of the concept of frontotemporal dementia is presented, regarding the last 30 years, using as a backbone the conferences held on this theme, with a start in 1986 in Lund, Sweden. Since then, a dramatic increase in research activities and publications has rapidly expanded our knowledge in this field, a step necessary for the ultimate goal to find an effective treatment of this devastating disorder.

Plasma homocysteine, brain imaging and cognition in older patients with mental illness.

Background: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in older patients with mental illness, and patients with vascular disease have higher plasma tHcy concentration than patients without vascular disease. Plasma tHcy has been reported to be associated with cognitive functions. The mechanism by which plasma tHcy may influence cognitive functions is not clear.

A factor analytic approach to symptom patterns in dementia.

Previous publications have shown a high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of three short clinical rating scales for Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and vascular dementia (VaD) validated against neuropathological (NP) diagnoses. In this study, the aim was to perform an exploratory factor analysis of the items in these clinical rating scales. The study included 190 patients with postmortem diagnoses of AD (n = 74), VaD (n = 33), mixed AD/VaD (n = 31), or FTD (n = 52).

Plasma homocysteine and cognition in elderly patients with dementia or other psychogeriatric diseases.

Background: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in elderly patients with mental illness, and patients with vascular disease have higher plasma tHcy concentrations than patients without vascular disease. Increasing evidence indicates that vascular risk factors play a role in the development of cognitive impairment.

Method: We have investigated the relation between plasma tHcy, its determinants and cognition, measured as MMSE, in 448 consecutively enrolled patients with dementia or other psychogeriatric diseases.

The clinical use of N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide in elderly patients with mental illness.

Background: Serum N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is regarded as a marker of vascular disease and has previously been shown to exhibit an increased frequency of pathological values in elderly patients with mental illness with vascular disease compared to patients without vascular disease. Vascular disease plays an important role in cognitive impairment in elderly patients with mental illness.

Method: We have investigated the relation between NT-proBNP, vascular disease and cognition in consecutively enrolled elderly patients with mental illness.

Plasma homocysteine--a marker of vascular disease in elderly patients with mental illness.

Background: Total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) concentration is elevated in elderly patients with mental illness, and patients with vascular disease have higher plasma tHcy concentration than patients without vascular disease.

Method: We investigated the influence of cobalamin/folate status and renal function on the association between plasma tHcy levels and vascular disease.

Results: There was a similar degree of significant difference in plasma tHcy levels between patients with and without vascular disease in all enrolled patients and in a group of patients where all those with signs of cobalamin/folate deficiency and/or impaired renal function had been excluded.