Publications by authors named "Pfanschmidt M"

Head injury and apolipoprotein E (APOE)-epsilon 4 (e4) genotype have each been associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. If APOE-e4 affects neuronal viability and branching, and if response to head injury differs in e4 patients, then the association between head injury and Alzheimer's disease may vary with the presence of the e4 allele. The authors examined this association in a case-control study conducted between 1987 and 1995 among enrollees of the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, a health maintenance organization in Seattle, Washington.

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Some dementias, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, may result from transmissible agents. To assess the possibility of a blood-borne transmissible agent in Alzheimer's disease (AD), we compared informant-reported history of blood transfusions among 326 newly recognized probable AD cases and 330 control subjects of similar age and sex, randomly selected from the same health maintenance organization population. Since risk of AD is increased in persons with apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE-e4) alleles, we examined whether the transfusion-AD relationship varies by APOE genotype.

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Research regarding the possible association between Alzheimer's disease and a history of depression has been inconclusive. Using a case-control design, we assessed the strength of the association between reported history of depression and onset of Alzheimer's disease. We enrolled probable Alzheimer's disease cases (N = 294), who were ascertained and diagnosed by our Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry, and randomly selected nondemented controls (N = 300) of similar age and gender from the same base population.

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This case-control study investigates whether history of organic solvent exposure is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study base includes about 23,000 persons aged 60 years or more from the local membership of a health maintenance organization in Seattle, Washington, who entered the study between 1987 and 1992. Probable Alzheimer's disease cases (n = 193) who had presented with new dementia symptoms were identified, enrolled, and diagnosed by our Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry following standardized criteria.

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To set a working cutoff score for the referral to diagnostic examination, we evaluated 150 consecutive patients with complaints potentially related to dementia, using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). All patients were later given a complete, standardized work-up and diagnosis as part of our Alzheimer's Disease Patient Registry protocol. Dementia diagnosis was made, consistent with accepted criteria, by consensus of the physicians and psychologist.

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Objective: To describe causes of death for patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and other dementing illnesses enrolled in a population-based Alzheimer disease patient registry (ADPR) and to describe the variation in causes by the level of cognitive impairment before death in probable AD cases.

Setting: The ADPR enrolls and diagnoses newly recognized potential dementia cases occurring in a large, stable health maintenance organization. To date, 654 cases have been enrolled and followed annually to monitor cognitive decline and verify initial diagnosis.

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Two companion post-marketing studies have evaluated the frequency of adverse events amongst patients receiving atracurium. In this first report, we describe the study methods used in both centres and the findings of the study conducted at the Group Health Co-operative of Puget Sound, U.S.

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