Color Fundus Photography and Deep Learning Applications in Alzheimer Disease.

Objective: To report the development and performance of 2 distinct deep learning models trained exclusively on retinal color fundus photographs to classify Alzheimer disease (AD).

Patients And Methods: Two independent datasets (UK Biobank and our tertiary academic institution) of good-quality retinal photographs derived from patients with AD and controls were used to build 2 deep learning models, between April 1, 2021, and January 30, 2024. ADVAS is a U-Net-based architecture that uses retinal vessel segmentation.

Deciphering Distinct Genetic Risk Factors for FTLD-TDP Pathological Subtypes via Whole-Genome Sequencing.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration with neuronal inclusions of the TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (FTLD-TDP) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder with only a limited number of risk loci identified. We report our comprehensive genome-wide association study as part of the International FTLD-TDP Whole-Genome Sequencing Consortium, including 985 cases and 3,153 controls, and meta-analysis with the Dementia-seq cohort, compiled from 26 institutions/brain banks in the United States, Europe and Australia. We confirm as the strongest overall FTLD-TDP risk factor and identify as a novel FTLD-TDP risk factor.

Alzheimer Disease Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in a Tertiary Neurology Practice.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of Alzheimer disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in a tertiary neurology clinic setting with high frequency of non-AD cases, including normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).

Methods: There were 534 patients who underwent AD CSF biomarkers (Roche Elecsys Aβ42, p-Tau181, total-Tau) from April 1, 2020, through April 23, 2021. A behavioral neurologist blinded to CSF results assigned a clinical diagnosis retrospectively on the basis of consensus criteria, and a neuroradiologist blinded to the diagnosis and CSF studies graded brain magnetic resonance images for indicators of CSF dynamics disorders.

Parkinson's Disease Associated with G2019S LRRK2 Mutations without Lewy Body Pathology.

Background: The G2019S leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene mutation is an important and commonly found genetic determinant of Parkinson's disease (PD). The neuropathological findings associated with this mutation have thus far been varied but are most often associated with Lewy body (LB) pathology.

Objective: Describe a case of clinical Parkinson's disease with levodopa responsiveness found to have LRRK2 mutations and the absence of Lewy bodies.

Cerebral white matter rarefaction has both neurodegenerative and vascular causes and may primarily be a distal axonopathy.

Cerebral white matter rarefaction (CWMR) was considered by Binswanger and Alzheimer to be due to cerebral arteriolosclerosis. Renewed attention came with CT and MR brain imaging, and neuropathological studies finding a high rate of CWMR in Alzheimer disease (AD). The relative contributions of cerebrovascular disease and AD to CWMR are still uncertain.

Factors associated with nutrition intervention adherence: Evidence from a cluster-randomised controlled trial in Kenya.

Nutrition experts point to the importance of a multipronged approach to address high stunting rates in rural areas. This can include nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions, such as the provision of micronutrient powder, eggs, and chlorine, and nutrition training to improve feeding practices. In 2018, an agricultural nongovernmental organisation initiated a multipronged approach as part of a randomised trial.

Cognition Before and After COVID-19 Disease in Older Adults: An Exploratory Study.

Background: Older age is a major risk factor for severe COVID-19 disease which has been associated with a variety of neurologic complications, both acutely and chronically.

Objective: We sought to determine whether milder COVID-19 disease in older vulnerable individuals is also associated with cognitive and behavioral sequelae.

Methods: Neuropsychological, behavioral, and clinical outcomes before and after contracting COVID-19 disease, were compared in members of two ongoing longitudinal studies, the Arizona APOE Cohort and the national Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC).

SARS-CoV-2 Brain Regional Detection, Histopathology, Gene Expression, and Immunomodulatory Changes in Decedents with COVID-19.

Brains of 42 COVID-19 decedents and 107 non-COVID-19 controls were studied. RT-PCR screening of 16 regions from 20 COVID-19 autopsies found SARS-CoV-2 E gene viral sequences in 7 regions (2.5% of 320 samples), concentrated in 4/20 subjects (20%).

Importance of Life-Long Alerts in Electronic Medical Report Systems for Patients With Positive Antigen Screening.

Perioperative red blood cell transfusions are common. Antigen screening, performed via indirect Coombs test, is required prior to red blood cell transfusion. False-negative test results can lead to acute or delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions.

Risk factors of stunting and wasting in Somali pre-school age children: results from the 2019 Somalia micronutrient survey.

Background: Stunting and wasting in children less than 5 years of age are two key indicators of child malnutrition. Reducing their prevalence is a priority of the global public health community and for Somalia, a country suffering complex humanitarian emergencies such as drought, flooding, conflict and large-scale displacements.

Methods: Data from the nationally representative cross-sectional Somalia Micronutrient Survey (SMS 2019) on 1947 children were analyzed to assess the prevalence and potential risk factors of stunting and wasting.

Risk factors of anaemia and iron deficiency in Somali children and women: Findings from the 2019 Somalia Micronutrient Survey.

There are limited data on the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) in Somalia. To address this data gap, Somalia's 2019 micronutrient survey assessed the prevalence of anaemia and ID in children (6-59 months) and non-pregnant women of reproductive age (15-49 years). The survey also collected data on vitamin A deficiency, inflammation, malaria and other potential risk factors for anaemia and ID.

Preoperative Evaluation of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common disease of older adults. It presents a unique set of anesthetic challenges. With increasing life expectancy and the rapid growth of oldest-old patients, it is now more likely for anesthesiologists to encounter older patients with PD.

Anesthetic Considerations in Patients With Achondroplasia.

Anesthetic management of achondroplastic patients warrants special anatomical and physiological considerations due to significant variations in the airway as well as the spine in regional techniques. In this report, we present the case of a 30-year-old morbidly obese male with achondroplasia, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis, and renal osteodystrophy, who was scheduled for incision and drainage of a rectal abscess. Preoperative evaluation revealed Mallampati IV airway with a short neck and a scoliotic spine with possible atlantoaxial instability.

Altered metabolism of mothers of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a case control study.

Background: Previous research studies have demonstrated abnormalities in the metabolism of mothers of young children with autism.

Methods: Metabolic analysis was performed on blood samples from 30 mothers of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD-M) and from 29 mothers of young typically-developing children (TD-M). Targeted metabolic analysis focusing on the folate one-carbon metabolism (FOCM) and the transsulfuration pathway (TS) as well as broad metabolic analysis were performed.

Risk factors for anaemia among Ghanaian women and children vary by population group and climate zone.

Anaemia has serious effects on human health and has multifactorial aetiologies. This study aimed to determine putative risk factors for anaemia in children 6-59 months and 15- to 49-year-old non-pregnant women living in Ghana. Data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey were analysed for associations between anaemia and various anaemia risk factors.

National Prevalence of Micronutrient Deficiencies, Anaemia, Genetic Blood Disorders and Over- and Undernutrition in Omani Women of Reproductive Age and Preschool Children.

A national cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anaemia, micronutrient deficiencies, haemoglobin disorders and over- and undernutrition in children and women of reproductive age in Oman. Wasting and stunting were found in 9.3% and 11.

Hair-bearing human skin generated entirely from pluripotent stem cells.

The skin is a multilayered organ, equipped with appendages (that is, follicles and glands), that is critical for regulating body temperature and the retention of bodily fluids, guarding against external stresses and mediating the sensation of touch and pain. Reconstructing appendage-bearing skin in cultures and in bioengineered grafts is a biomedical challenge that has yet to be met. Here we report an organoid culture system that generates complex skin from human pluripotent stem cells.

Risk Factors for Anemia and Micronutrient Deficiencies among Women of Reproductive Age-The Impact of the Wheat Flour Fortification Program in Uzbekistan.

Food fortification can be effective in reducing the prevalence of anemia and micronutrient deficiencies. This study assessed risk factors for-and the impact of the wheat flour program in Uzbekistan on-anemia, and iron and folate deficiency (FD) in non-pregnant women (NPW) of reproductive age. National data were analyzed for risk factors using multivariable regression.

Household Coverage with Adequately Iodized Salt and Iodine Status of Nonpregnant and Pregnant Women in Uzbekistan.

Globally, iodine deficiency has been drastically reduced since the introduction of salt iodization programs; nonetheless, many populations remain at-risk for iodine deficiency. This study aimed to assess the iodine status among women of reproductive age in Uzbekistan and to identify factors associated with iodine deficiency, including the availability of adequately iodized salt at the household level. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted to produce region-specific estimates of the household coverage with adequately iodized salt and iodine status among women for each of the 14 regions in Uzbekistan.

Neuropsychological decline up to 20 years before incident mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Some Alzheimer's disease biomarker studies found amyloid changes 20 years or more in advance of expected symptoms, while cognitive changes lagged for more than a decade, but this apparent lag might reflect the sensitivities of the biomarker and cognitive assays used. How far in advance of incident amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) does cognition begin to decline?

Methods: Longitudinal neuropsychological study of an apolipoprotein E e4 enriched cohort of cognitively normal individuals at entry. Linear mixed models for MCI converters (n = 65) and nonconverters (n = 719) fitted for each neuropsychological measure; annual changes compared between groups before and after linear model intersections (inflection points).

Faster cognitive decline in dementia due to Alzheimer disease with clinically undiagnosed Lewy body disease.

Background: Neuropathology has demonstrated a high rate of comorbid pathology in dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (ADD). The most common major comorbidity is Lewy body disease (LBD), either as dementia with Lewy bodies (AD-DLB) or Alzheimer's disease with Lewy bodies (AD-LB), the latter representing subjects with ADD and LBD not meeting neuropathological distribution and density thresholds for DLB. Although it has been established that ADD subjects with undifferentiated LBD have a more rapid cognitive decline than those with ADD alone, it is still unknown whether AD-LB subjects, who represent the majority of LBD and approximately one-third of all those with ADD, have a different clinical course.

Genome-wide analyses as part of the international FTLD-TDP whole-genome sequencing consortium reveals novel disease risk factors and increases support for immune dysfunction in FTLD.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration with neuronal inclusions of the TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (FTLD-TDP) represents the most common pathological subtype of FTLD. We established the international FTLD-TDP whole-genome sequencing consortium to thoroughly characterize the known genetic causes of FTLD-TDP and identify novel genetic risk factors. Through the study of 1131 unrelated Caucasian patients, we estimated that C9orf72 repeat expansions and GRN loss-of-function mutations account for 25.

Neuropsychological comparison of incident MCI and prevalent MCI.

Introduction: Little empirical work has been done to examine differences between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosed in research settings with longitudinal data (incident MCI) and MCI diagnosed in clinical settings (prevalent MCI). Because Alzheimer's disease progresses over a clinicopathological continuum, we examined the cognitive differences between these two different sources of MCI patients.

Methods: We compared 52 consecutively identified patients with prevalent amnestic MCI with 53 incident amnestic MCI participants from the Arizona APOE study.

Micronutrient Deficiencies, Over- and Undernutrition, and Their Contribution to Anemia in Azerbaijani Preschool Children and Non-Pregnant Women of Reproductive Age.

Data on the nutritional situation and prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in Azerbaijan are scarce, and knowledge about anemia risk factors is needed for national and regional policymakers. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, over- and undernutrition, and to disentangle determinants of anemia in children and women in Azerbaijan. The survey generated estimates of micronutrient deficiency and growth indicators for children aged 0⁻59 months of age (6⁻59 months for blood biomarkers) and non-pregnant women 15⁻49 years of age.