Integrating Clinical and Air Quality Data to Improve Prediction of COPD Exacerbations.

Several studies have found associations between air pollution and respiratory disease outcomes. However, there is minimal prognostic research exploring whether integrating air quality into clinical prediction models can improve accuracy and utility. In this study, we built models using both logistic regression and random forests to determine the benefits of including air quality data with meteorological and clinical data in prediction of COPD exacerbations requiring medical care.

Level of agreement of occupational titles between persons with traumatic brain injury and their informants.

Background: Returning to work is one of the most important goals cited by individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, they may have difficulty evoking past work history. The ability to recall work history is integral to the rehabilitation process of return to work.

Factors associated with self-reported arthritis 7 to 24 years after a traumatic brain injury.

The purpose of this study was to profile characteristics of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who self-reported arthritis 7 to 24 yr. post-injury. Pre- and post-injury socio-demographic factors, injury-related factors, and postinjury standardized assessments measuring health, activity, and participation outcomes were assessed in a retrospective cohort study of 274 participants.

Preventive health practices and behavioral risk factors in women surviving traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects millions globally and is considered a universal public health concern. Our study addresses a considerable knowledge gap about the health of female survivors of TBI. Using a retrospective cohort study design, we examined behavioral risk factors, access to health screenings, and primary care services among women with a history of moderate to severe TBI.

Gender differences in self reported long term outcomes following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

Background: The majority of research on health outcomes after a traumatic brain injury is focused on male participants. Information examining gender differences in health outcomes post traumatic brain injury is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in symptoms reported after a traumatic brain injury and to examine the degree to which these symptoms are problematic in daily functioning.

Prescription medication use in persons many years following traumatic brain injury.

Background: This research study examined the prevalence of prescription medication use in persons many years following moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting And Subjects: Consecutive records were examined of persons with moderate-to-severe TBI who were discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania from 1973-1989.

Predictors of postacute mortality following traumatic brain injury in a seriously injured population.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a primary cause of injury mortality in developed countries but less is known about the impact of TBI on postacute mortality in large study populations. This study investigates the rate and predictors of postacute mortality (1-9 years after the initial injury) of severely injured persons with TBI in the Province of Ontario from April 1, 1993 to March 31, 1995.

Method: Cases were identified (n = 2,721) from the Ontario Trauma Registry Comprehensive Data Set based on lead trauma hospitals in the province which also provided data on predictors.

Prediction of long-term occupational performance outcomes for adults after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: To examine predictors of long-term occupational performance outcomes for adults after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Method: This study involved analysis of data from a retrospective cohort of adults (N = 306) with moderate to severe TBI discharged from a Pennsylvania rehabilitation treatment facility. Extensive pre-injury sociodemographic, injury-severity, post-injury personal (cognitive, physical, affective), post-injury environmental (social, institutional, physical), and post-injury occupational performance (participation in self-care, productivity, leisure activities) data were gathered from hospital records and using in-person interviews.

Depressive symptoms and cognitive decline in late life: a prospective epidemiological study.

Context: Depression is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. It is less clear whether depression contributes to further cognitive decline over time, independently of incipient dementia.

Objective: To examine the relationship between depressive symptoms and subsequent cognitive decline in a cohort of nondemented older adults, some of whom remained dementia free during follow-up and others in whom incident dementia eventually developed.

Long-term survival following traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: The study used a retrospective cohort design to establish long-term mortality rates and predictors of mortality for persons after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Method: Consecutive records of persons with moderate to severe TBI who were discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the years 1974-1984, 1988 and 1989 were reviewed.

Results: Six hundred and forty-two eligible individuals were identified and mortality was ascertained up to 24 years post injury.

Preclinical Alzheimer disease: neuropsychological test performance 1.5 to 8 years prior to onset.

Objective: To determine if individuals ultimately diagnosed with Alzheimer disease (AD) exhibited evidence of cognitive impairment on neuropsychological tests administered between 1.5 years and 8.1 years before dementia onset.

Aging with traumatic brain injury: long-term health conditions.

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in young adults, older adults over the age of 75 are also at high risk for TBI. As even mild injury can lead to disabling consequences, the long-term consequences of TBI need to be better understood, especially as the survival rate has increased dramatically in the last few decades. This research examined the prevalence of long-term health conditions after TBI.

Long-term outcomes after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: This research examined the long-term outcomes of rehabilitation patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting And Subjects: We examined consecutive records of persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury who were discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1989.

Tracking cognitive functioning over time: ten-year longitudinal data from a community-based study.

Over 10 years, a community-based sample age 65> or = years, with a starting cohort size of 1,206, was assessed biennially with the Mini-Mental State Exam; the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease battery; Immediate and Delayed Recall of a Story; Verbal Fluency for P and S, Fruits and Animals; Clock Drawing; Temporal Orientation; and Trail Making tests. We report distributions of scores over time, at each wave, in (a) all individuals who were assessed at that wave, whether or not they participated in all waves, and (b) the Survivor subgroup of 425 participants who completed all tests at all 5 waves. Scores and factor structures remained remarkably stable over the study period.

Speed and capacity of language processing test: normative data from an older American community-dwelling sample.

This study presents normative data for the Speed and Capacity of Language Processing (SCOLP) testfrom an older American sample. The SCOLP comprises 2 subtests: Spot-the-Word, a lexical decision task, providing an estimate of premorbid intelligence, and Speed of Comprehension, providing a measure of information processing speed. Slowed performance may resultfrom normal aging, brain damage (e.

Sensitivity and specificity of cognitive and functional screening instruments for dementia: the Indo-U.S. Dementia Epidemiology Study.

There is a shortage of adequate screening instruments for dementia in poorly educated populations and non-English-speaking groups. An epidemiological survey was conducted in a population-based, largely illiterate, sample of 5,126 individuals aged 55 and older in 28 villages in the rural community of Ballabgarh in northern India. All participants were administered a general mental status test, the Hindi Mental State Examination (HMSE), and a brief battery of neuropsychological tests.

A minimal exonuclease domain of WRN forms a hexamer on DNA and possesses both 3'- 5' exonuclease and 5'-protruding strand endonuclease activities.

Werner syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by a premature aging phenotype, genomic instability, and a dramatically increased incidence of cancer and heart disease. Mutations in a single gene encoding a 1432-amino acid helicase/exonuclease (hWRN) have been shown to be responsible for the development of this disease. We have cloned, overexpressed, and purified a minimal, 171-amino acid fragment of hWRN that functions as an exonuclease.

Cognitive correlates of human brain aging: a quantitative magnetic resonance imaging investigation.

The relations between age-related changes in brain structure and neuropsychological test performance in 320 elderly nonclinical volunteers (ages 66-90) were examined by using quantitative MRI data and measures of attention, information processing speed, language, memory, and visuospatial ability. Final path analyses revealed significant brain-behavior relationships for two of the six cognitive measures: the Trail Making Test part B and visual delayed memory. Poorer performance on Trails B was associated with smaller cerebral hemisphere volumes and larger volumes of peripheral CSF, lateral ventricles, and third ventricle.

Patterns of cognitive decline in presymptomatic Alzheimer disease: a prospective community study.

Background: Specific patterns of decline over time were evaluated across a spectrum of cognitive measures in presymptomatic Alzheimer disease (AD) within a community sample.

Methods: A total of 551 individuals completed a battery of standard cognitive tests 3.5 and 1.

Factors associated with perceived quality of life many years after traumatic brain injury.

Objectives: To explore factors associated with perceived quality of life (QOL) 8 to 24 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: Two hundred seventy-five individuals who sustained moderate to severe TBI who were discharged from a rehabilitation hospital participated in this study.

A novel single-molecule study to determine protein--protein association constants.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is traditionally used as an imaging technique to gain qualitative information for a biological system. We have successfully used the imaging capabilities of the AFM to determine protein-protein association constants. We have developed a method to measure the molecular weight of a protein based on its volume determined from AFM images.

Normative data on the Boston Naming Test and two equivalent 30-item short forms.

Because of the significance of the Boston Naming Test (BNT) in the differential diagnosis of the dementias, especially Alzheimer's disease, adequate norms from community-dwelling elderly individuals are essential. The present study describes the development of two new empirically derived equivalent short forms (30 items each) of the test. Normative data for the total BNT and the two equivalent 30-item halves based on item difficulty are presented using the performance of 314 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and over.

Cognitive tests that best discriminate between presymptomatic AD and those who remain nondemented.

Objective: To identify the most accurate cognitive measures in discriminating between individuals with presymptomatic AD and individuals who remained nondemented.

Methods: During a 10-year prospective community study, 120 nondemented subjects completed a battery of standard cognitive tests and clinically manifested AD 1.5 years later.

Cognitive test performance and presence of subclinical cardiovascular disease in the cardiovascular health study.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between performance on a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests and the presence of clinical, subclinical or no cardiovascular disease in an elderly community-dwelling population. The results confirm previous reports of significant associations of age, education and gender with test performance. When performance was examined controlling for these variables, significant associations of disease group were seen with five measures emphasizing speed of performance; Parts A and B of the Trail Making Test, the WAIS-R Digit Symbol and Block Design subtests and category verbal fluency.

Clients' perspectives on problems many years after traumatic brain injury.

This study investigated the types of self-reported main problems that persons report many years following a traumatic brain injury. This preliminary study is part of a large ongoing study of disability and handicap in adults following traumatic brain injury. As part of an extensive interview, subjects were asked an open-ended question regarding their current main problems which they thought resulted from their traumatic brain injury.