Acceptability and feasibility of plasma phosphorylated-tau181 in two memory services.

Background: Plasma phosphorylated-tau181 (p-tau181) represents a novel blood-based biomarker of Alzheimer's disease pathology. We explored clinicians' experience of the utility of plasma p-tau181 in Camden and Islington Memory Services.

Methods: Patients were identified by their clinician as appropriate for p-tau181.

Genes related to vascular disease (APOE, VLDL-R, DCP-1) and other vascular factors in late-life depression.

Objective: The authors asked whether polymorphic variation at three genes related to vascular disease, and other vascular disease risk factors, determine late-life depression.

Methods: A group of 370 participants, representing 57% of survivors of an initial cohort of 1,083 participants in the Medical Research Council treatment trial of hypertension in older adults, had been screened for depression at baseline and were traced and genotyped for genetic analysis 11 years later. Genetic analyses were performed to establish variability at three polymorphisms related to vascular disease: APOE encoding for apolipoprotein-E, VLDL-R encoding for the VLDL cholesterol-receptor, and DCP-1 encoding for angiotensin-converter enzyme.