Developing Topics.

Background: Late-life exposure to PM is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias. Accelerated brain aging associated with PM exposure likely takes place at preclinical stage. In Feb.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Chronic exposure to stress, quantified by allostatic load (AL), has been postulated as a cause of structural brain changes in the context of dementia. White matter hyperintensities (WMH), detected in MRI FLAIR, are a common brain abnormality representing small vessel disease or degenerative changes in the brain. Here, we studied differences in tract-specific WMH volume across three risk levels of AL in Chilean subjects with cognitive complaint, to explore links between chronic stress exposure and prodromal steps of dementia.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Cognitive Reserve (CR) refers to the brain's ability to maintain optimal cognitive function despite damage or pathology. The neural implementation of CR is a major research focus, and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) has emerged as a promising imaging correlate of CR. We assessed RSFC as a function of two different proxy measures of CR and further assessed the impact of these brain networks on longitudinal cognitive performance in a sample of cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by early changes in brain structure and cognitive function before the age of onset. This study investigated whether the genetic load for clinical AD and AD pathology predicts AD-related brain and cognitive changes over a 3-year period, targeting the preclinical phase in cognitively unimpaired (CU) middle-aged individuals.

Method: The sample of the study was defined by 429 CU middle-aged participants at risk of AD from the ALFA+ nested cohort with available information on genetics, brain imaging markers and cognitive data [Table 1].

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Amyloid-ß (Aß) pathology affects resting state functional connectivity (RSFC), even in cognitively unimpaired (CU) individuals. However, the impact of such an aberrant RSFC on cognitive decline is yet to be determined. Moreover, most prior research focused on fibrillary Aß deposition to predict RSFC, while early Aß dysmetabolism as reflected by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations has received less attention.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: The driving mechanisms of structural brain alterations in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not well understood. Previous heterogeneous findings in preclinical AD, including subtle atrophy and also increased grey matter (GM) volume, underscore the need for further exploration. This study uses an extensive fluid biomarkers panel to identify pathological drivers behind longitudinal GM changes in cognitively unimpaired (CU) adults.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Diffusion MRI (dMRI) metrics of brain microstructure offer valuable insight into Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology; recent reports have identified dMRI metrics that (1) tightly link with CSF or PET measures of amyloid and tau burden; and (2) mediate the relationship between CSF markers of AD and delayed logical memory performance, commonly impaired in early AD [1,2]. To better localize white matter tract disruption in AD, our BUndle ANalytic (BUAN) [3] tractometry pipeline allows principled use of statistical methods to map factors affecting microstructural metrics along the 3D length of the brain's fiber tracts. Here, we extended BUAN to pool data from multiple scanning protocols/sites - using a new harmonized tractometry approach, based on ComBat [4,5], a widely-used harmonization method modeling variations in multi-site datasets due to site- and scanner-specific effects.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Fluid biomarkers provide a convenient way to predict AD pathophysiology. However, few studies have focused on determining associations with tau neurofibrillary tangle pathology in the early preclinical AD continuum, relevant to prevention strategies.

Methods: Ninety-nine cognitively unimpaired individuals from the ALFA+ cohort with valid 18F-RO-948 and 18F-flutemetamol PET, T1-weighted MRI, cognition, CSF, and plasma biomarkers were included.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: We present the results of a task-based fMRI study in early Alzheimer's disease(mild cognitive impairment, MCI and mild Alzheimer's disease, AD) using a novel-fMRI memory paradigm suitable for use in patients with significant cognitive impairment having difficulties with remembering complex instructions.

Method: The study samples comprised 65 patients with early AD(MCI n = 42; 21 males; mild AD n = 23; 16 males) and 26(14 males) elderly cognitively healthy control(eCHC) participants. The incidental encoding phase of the paradigm(7 minutes) comprised 110 trials of common objects(55 living and 55 non-living trials which included 4 objects repeated 6 times each and 1 object repeated 5 times) while the intentional retrieval phase of the paradigm(7 minutes) comprised 55 trials of the 5 objects encoded during the previous phase(repeated 11 times each), and 55 new objects.

Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium.

Background: Normative models (NM) of brain metrics based on large, diverse populations offer novel strategies to detect individual brain abnormalities. To create an age-dependent statistical model of brain microstructure over the human lifespan, we built the largest multi-site NM of white matter (WM) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics based on 54,591 subjects. We used state-of-the-art tools to adjust for site-dependent effects.

Drug Development.

Background: Seizures in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are increasingly recognized to occur and can increase cognitive decline and reduce survival compared to unaffected age-matched peers (Lyou et al. 2018). Administration of antiseizure medicines (ASMs) to AD patients with epileptiform activity may improve cognition (Vossel et al.

Drug Development.

Background: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, characterized by a decrease in cognitive and behavioral functions of patients. Between the multiple potential disease-modifying therapeutics for AD, we have monoclonal antibodies as aducanumab, lecanemab, and donanemab. Recent results from the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ trial, highlighted donanemab as a promising monoantibodies treatment of early symptomatic AD.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) encompasses a wide range of symptoms and signs associated with a progressive decline in cognitive functions, which adversely affect the quality of life and autonomy of patients. Indigenous communities have been found to have a higher prevalence of CI and dementia. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the prevalence of CI in ethnically diverse populations, such as the Wayuu indigenous community.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The prevalence of dementia in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), is projected to triple by 2050. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is widely used for cognitive evaluation, but its uniform application in LAC is questionable, especially due to cultural and linguistic diversity of the Spanish-speaking LAC countries.

Method: A systematic literature search was conducted across seven databases, supplemented by a comprehensive review using Google Scholar to identify relevant grey literature.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: In 2020, we developed LABPSI, a cognitive stimulation web lab. Usability analysis in MCI and healthy participants have already been studied, and currently, we performed it with acquired brain injuries (ABI) participants, as they can rehabilitate their cognitive symptoms and prevent the progression to dementia. Usability can be considered the ease of use of a certain product for a specific aim by a particular population.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Following a diagnosis of dementia, the patient experiences changes that mainly affect his cognitive behavior. Various behavioral therapies are currently being explored to reduce these symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life.

Method: Flow chart RESULT: In the context of the emotional impact associated with the diagnosis of dementia, the search for interventions to mitigate emotional and social deterioration in patients has intensified.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive changes in behavior, executive function, or language. In Latin America, persons with FTD are underrecognized or diagnosed late. There is a lack of knowledge about the experiences have on families.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: The use of technology in elderly population has increased in the past years due to COVID-19. Therefore it is relevant to identify the factors that contribute and limit the effective use of technology by older people. In particular, digital skills have shown to be relevant to determine the attitude toward the use of technology and consequently to have an effect on usage behavior.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: Advances in the development of e-health applications enhance the availability of preventive tools and the adherence to certain treatments in old age (Roberts et al., 2015; Granath et al., 2023).

Technology and Dementia Preconference.

Amerindian (AI) populations are substantially underrepresented in AD genetic studies. The Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), a global genetic initiative established by the National Institute of Aging (NIA) is supporting regional initiatives in Latin America and its admixed population. Latin America is the largest recently admixed population, with variable Native American, European, and African ancestry proportions, as result of successive settlements and new massive migrations.

Statin therapy in ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation: Efficacy and safety outcomes.

Introduction: The efficacy and safety of statins for secondary prevention in patients who have experienced a cardioembolic stroke are not well-defined. However, previous observational data reported hyperlipidemia as a risk factor for both ischemic and bleeding complications in patients with AF and previous stroke. Based on these premises, we conducted a sub-analysis of the RAF and RAF-NOAC studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of statins in secondary prevention in patients with acute ischemic stroke and AF.

Efficacy of myo-inositol and zinc on insulin resistance in a paediatric population with obesity.

Aim: To assess the efficacy of the combined administration of myo-inositol and zinc, a mineral involved in the insulin pathway, in paediatric obesity with insulin resistance on HOMA-IR, glucose-insulin metabolism, and lipid profile.

Materials And Methods: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study conducted in North Italy. Fifty-six patients (10-18 years, Tanner stage ≥3) with obesity and insulin resistance were randomized to myo-inositol (2000 mg), zinc gluconate (5 mg), and galactooligosaccharides (GOS) from plant-based origin (1000 mg) (TRT) or placebo (PLC) containing only GOS from plant-based origin (1000 mg).

Differences in association between hypoalbuminaemia and mortality among younger versus older patients on haemodialysis.

Background: Ageing often affects biomarker production. Yet, clinical/optimal thresholds to guide clinical decisions do not consider this. Serum albumin decreases with age, but hypoalbuminaemia is defined as serum albumin <4.

Quantifying capacity of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Zimbabwe.

Objectives: To evaluate the otolaryngology surgical capacity in Harare, Zimbabwe by analyzing procedural volumes across four hospitals, one private and three public, from 2019 to 2022.

Methods: A retrospective review of hand-written surgical case logs was conducted at Harare Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Institute (HEENT), Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH), Sally Mugabe Children's Hospital (SMCH), and Sally Mugabe Adult's Hospital (SMAH). Patient age and surgical intervention for all otolaryngology surgeries performed in the operating room from 2019 to 2022 were recorded.

Statistical methods to adjust for the effects on intervention compliance in randomized clinical trials where precision treatment rules are being developed.

Background: Heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTEs) can occur because of either differential treatment compliance or differential treatment effectiveness. This distinction is important, as it has action implications, but it is unclear how to distinguish these two possibilities statistically in precision treatment analysis given that compliance is not observed until after randomization. We review available statistical methods and illustrate a recommended method in secondary analysis in a trial focused on HTE.