Educational interventions to improve detection and management of cognitive decline in primary care-An Italian multicenter pragmatic study.

Introduction: Timely detection of cognitive decline in primary care is essential to promote an appropriate care pathway and enhance the benefits of interventions. We present the results of a study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention addressed to Italian family physicians (FPs) to improve timely detection and management of cognitive decline.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a pre-post study in six Italian health authorities (HAs) involving 254 FPs and 3,736 patients.

Dementia-related genetic variants in an Italian population of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) is the most common form of early-onset dementia. Although three major genes have been identified as causative, the genetic contribution to the disease remains unsolved in many patients. Recent studies have identified pathogenic variants in genes representing a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in causative genes for other degenerative dementias as responsible for EOAD.

Family experience of young-onset dementia: the perspectives of spouses and children.

Objectives: Although young-onset dementia (YOD) affects the whole family system, this population is still under-represented in literature, and no progress in care provision has been made. Hence, additional evidence is necessary to understand how family and social relationships are affected by YOD and care challenges, as to provide recommendations for clinical practice and service improvement from a family perspective.

Method: Family carers were recruited via one memory clinic and the local Alzheimer's Associations in Italy.

Identification of rare genetic variants in Italian patients with dementia by targeted gene sequencing.

Genetics is intricately involved in the etiology of neurodegenerative dementias. The incidence of monogenic dementia among all neurodegenerative forms is unknown due to the lack of systematic studies and of patient/clinician access to extensive diagnostic procedures. In this study, we conducted targeted sequencing in 246 clinically heterogeneous patients, mainly with early-onset and/or familial neurodegenerative dementia, using a custom-designed next-generation sequencing panel covering 27 genes known to harbor mutations that can cause different types of dementia, in addition to the detection of C9orf72 repeat expansions.

[Health profile of a population as a predictor of health resources utilization: results of the implementation of an epidemiologic model for needs analysis].

The integration of the scientific researches in the assistance process is one of the most important challenges that is currently set to the health operators. In this paper a model for the health needs-assessment will be applied to verify if and how the prevalence of some classical risk factors for cardiovascular disease foretells mortality and hospitalisation episodes at 3 years, and if it could express the health need of that population. The "sanitary history" of 1704 subjects, enrolled in 1996 during the Brisighella Study, has been followed.

Serum lipopotein (a) levels in a large sample of subjects affected by familial combined hyperlipoproteinaemia and in general population.

Background: Serum lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is a lipidic parameter, strictly under genetic control. Lp(a) levels vary in different dyslipidaemias according to the underlying disease.

Design: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare serum Lp(a) mean levels distribution in a large familial combined hyperlipoproteinaemia (FCH) patients sample with a normolipidaemic group.