[Discriminatory validity and association of the mini-mental test (MMSE) and the memory alteration test (M@T) with a neuropsychological battery in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease].

Aims: To establish the discriminatory validity of the mini-mental test (MMSE) and the memory alteration test (M@T) for the diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), and also to study the association between the results obtained in screening tests, a neuropsychological battery and a functional questionnaire in healthy persons and in patients with aMCI and AD.

Subjects And Methods: We evaluated 27 normal controls, 27 patients with aMCI and 35 patients with AD using the MMSE and a memory screening test, the M@T, a neuropsychological battery and a questionnaire on functional activities of daily living. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the relations between the scores on the M@T and the MMSE and the neuropsychological tests.

[Invasive revascularization strategy in non-ST-segment acute coronary syndromes. The debate continues].

Revascularization strategy in the setting of non-ST-segment acute coronary syndromes remains a controversy. Evidence obtained from clinical trials, generally performed in selected patients, reveals heterogeneous and insufficient results when a routine invasive revascularization strategy and a conservative one are compared. The conflicting results among trials are due to differences in: a) baseline characteristics; b) methodology and protocols applied and; c) objectives and outcomes definitions.

[Preclinical atherosclerosis in a group of young subjects with type 1 diabetes from a Mediterranean area].

Background And Objective: Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and presence of atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated in a cross-sectional study performed in a group of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) subjects from a Mediterranean area without additional cardiovascular risk factors. These results were compared to those obtained from a reference population.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-two patients with T1D (age 34.

Electroconvulsive therapy in early adolescents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Electroconvulsive therapy is scarcely used in adolescents with diagnoses of schizophrenia, although it has been reported as an effective and safe treatment in the previous literature. We present 3 cases of early adolescent patients with schizophrenia who were treated with electroconvulsive therapy without adverse effects.

The memory alteration test (M@T) discriminates between subjective memory complaints, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

This work aimed at establishing the memory alteration test (M@T), which is a memory screening test, capable for discriminating between subjects with subjective memory complaints (SMC) (without objective memory impairment) and patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (A-MCI) and with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discriminative validity was assessed in a sample of 37 subjects with SMC, 50 patients with A-MCI according to the Petersen-criteria, and 66 patients with mild AD (global deterioration scale: 4 stage) according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. M@T mean scores were significantly different among groups: 39.

Cannabis use and age of diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Background And Objectives: Observational studies have reported earlier onset of psychosis in schizophrenic patients with a history of cannabis use. Earlier age of onset of schizophrenia has been associated with a poorer outcome. We aimed to examine whether cannabis use determined an earlier onset of schizophrenia in a sample of first episode patients, in an area with one of Europe's highest rates of cannabis use.

Voxel based morphometry features and follow-up of amnestic patients at high risk for Alzheimer's disease conversion.

Objective: Neuroimaging techniques are able to mark distinct structural and metabolic changes in patients at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The objectives of the study were to compare regional grey matter density in prodromal Alzheimer's disease (Prd-AD), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), mild AD patients and healthy aged controls, to study prospectively their clinical and neuropsychological evolution and to evaluate the accuracy of proposed Prd-AD criteria to detect AD conversion.

Methods: Twenty-seven controls, 16 aMCI, 32 Prd-AD and 34 probable mild AD were included.

[Posterior cortical atrophy. Its neuropsychological profile and differences from typical Alzheimer's disease].

Introduction: The term 'posterior cortical atrophy' (PCA) refers to a neurodegenerative syndrome that is characterised by progressive alteration of the higher visual-perceptual and/or visual-spatial functions, which often presents Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Aim: To describe the value of neuropsychological tests in the differential diagnosis of patients with PCA versus patients with typical AD.

Subjects And Methods: The sample was made up of four patients with PCA, four patients with initial typical AD with no significant differences in the degree of cognitive impairment according to the Minimental State Examination and seven cognitively healthy controls.

G2019S LRRK2 mutation causing Parkinson's disease without Lewy bodies.

The G2019S leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 gene (LRRK2) mutation has been identified in a significant proportion of familial and sporadic cases of Parkinson's disease (PD). Until now, information on the neuropathological changes associated with the G2019S LRRK2 mutation has been sparse. We report a 77-year-old patient who presented with a 14 year history of PD but, unexpectedly, histopathological examination disclosed mild neuronal loss in the substantia nigra without α-synuclein, tau or ubiquitin cytoplasmic inclusions.

Glycaemic profile characteristics and frequency of impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia in subjects with T1D and repeated hypoglycaemic events.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the frequency of hypoglycaemia unawareness and the continuous glucose profile in a group of subjects with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) with repeated non-severe/severe hypoglycaemia. Twenty patients (aged 35.2 +/- 7.

Prognostic value of brain natriuretic peptide in acute heart failure: mortality and hospital readmission.

The prognostic value of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurement in patients with acute heart failure is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the BNP level and mortality and readmission for acute heart failure. We studied 569 consecutive patients who were admitted with a diagnosis of acute heart failure.

[Diabetes and pancreas transplantation].

Kidney disease is a severe and frequent complication in diabetes. In the terminal phase, treatment requires dialysis and, if possible, kidney transplantation. Provided that there are no contraindications, simultaneous kidney/pancreas transplantation is currently considered the treatment of choice in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and terminal kidney disease.

Chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps: the role of generic and specific questionnaires on assessing its impact on patient's quality of life.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) including nasal polyps is a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa that, despite differing hypotheses of its cause, remains poorly understood. Primary symptoms are nasal blockage, loss of smell, rhinorrhea, and facial pain or pressure. Chronic rhinosinusitis causes significant physical symptoms, has a negative impact on quality of life (QoL), and can substantially impair daily functioning.

Cyclooxygenases and the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis.

Cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes catalyze the rate-limiting steps in prostaglandin synthesis. Prostaglandins have an important role in several physiological processes such as maintenance of gastrointestinal integrity and pathological processes such as inflammation and neoplasia. Several mechanisms have been proposed for the development of chronic rhinosinusitis, but the common final pathway seems to be an integrated process involving the mucosal epithelium, matrix, and inflammatory cells and mediators.

[Psychological impact of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease].

Introduction: The communication of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may represent important emotional distress for the patient and his/her caregiver. This present work aimed to investigate if the disclosure of the diagnosis generates any emotional or psychological impact on the patient or his/her caregiver.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-three consecutive AD patients (NINCDS/ADRDA criteria) and their main caregivers were evaluated before and after the diagnosis disclosure.

Antileukotrienes in rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis.

Nasal polyposis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal and paranasal sinus mucosa that, despite different hypotheses of its cause, remains poorly understood. The management of nasal polyposis has been the topic of countless frequent controversial debates for many decades. International guidelines generally suggest that first-line treatment should be based on a medical approach with mainly nasal and oral corticosteroids.

Screening for the LRRK2 G2019S and codon-1441 mutations in a pathological series of parkinsonian syndromes and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

Background: The neuropathology associated with LRRK2 mutations is heterogeneous but Lewy body (LB) type pathology is the most common substrate encountered. While the prevalence of LRRK2 mutations has been extensively studied in Parkinson's disease (PD), limited information is available on the frequency of LRRK2 mutations in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and in other pathological conditions associated with these mutations, such as non-specific nigral degeneration without LB, tau-immunopositive neurofibrillary tangle pathology, and ubiquitin-positive neuronal inclusions resembling those observed in a subtype of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-U).

Objective: To further investigate the neuropathology associated with LRRK2 mutations.

Acoustic voice analysis in different phonetic contexts after larynx radiotherapy for T1 vocal cord carcinoma.

Introduction: Radiotherapy for early vocal cord carcinoma affects quality of voice. Nevertheless, most patients refer to having a high satisfaction level with their voice. The few acoustic studies on quality of voice have been performed only in prolonged vowel production, which is not a usual speech situation.

Cognitive functions after only one ECT session: a controlled study.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of one electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) session on learning, attention, and frontal and visuospatial functions. Twenty-four psychiatric patients receiving maintenance ECT participated in the study. The 12 patients in the experimental group were assessed before and 90 min after the ECT session.

Phenotype changes at the onset of type 1 diabetes in young adults from a mediterranean area throughout the last decade.

The Accelerator hypothesis postulates that Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and Type 2 Diabetes are mostly the same disorder. Till now, the data testing the hypothesis and the importance of BMI and insulin resistance in the development of T1D comes almost exclusively from childhood. Our study aimed to investigate changes in clinical and metabolic characteristics of young adults at diagnosis of T1D during the last decade in a Mediterranean area.

Naming is associated with left temporal pole metabolite levels in neurodegenerative diseases.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between performance in language tests and levels of brain metabolites in two selected left temporal lobe regions.

Methods: Ninety-five subjects were included: 26 controls, 30 amnestic mild cognitive impairment subjects, 27 Alzheimer's disease and 12 frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients. Language was assessed by a naming test: Boston Naming Test (BNT) and by a semantic verbal fluency test.

Normative data for the Boston Naming Test and the Pyramids and Palm Trees Test in the elderly Spanish population.

The objective of this study was to obtain normative data for naming and semantic memory (SM) tests in the elderly Spanish population. A total of 121 Spanish-speaking senior citizens were assessed with the Boston Naming Test (BNT). Of these, 79 were assessed with the Semantic Fluency Test (Sem-Flu) and 72 with the Pyramids and Palm Trees Test (PPT).

Efficacy of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in Type 1 diabetes: a 2-year perspective using the established criteria for funding from a National Health Service.

Aim: To determine the 2-year efficacy of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) following the current established criteria for funding of a National Health Service.

Methods: Longitudinal, prospective, observational unicentre study. Included in the study were 153 Type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects, previously treated with multiple daily injections (MDI) of insulin, in whom CSII was started in accordance with the criteria for reimbursement of the Catalan National Health Service.

Cortical brain metabolism as measured by proton spectroscopy is related to memory performance in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Aims: To investigate the relationship between verbal memory performance and brain metabolism as determined by proton spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) in selected cortical brain regions. To characterize metabolite abnormalities across the continuum of degenerative disease from mild impairment to dementia.

Methods: 27 controls, 27 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients and 35 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.

[Perception Digital Test (PDT) for the assessment of incipient visual disorder in initial Alzheimer's disease].

Introduction: Visual perception disorders are frequent in degenerative diseases with posterior cerebral lobe involvement, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The main aim of this study is to create a Perception Digital Test (PDT) based on the treatment of digital photographs, and to present normative values in the elderly Spanish population. The second objective is to validate the test in a group of patients with mild AD, stage 4 in the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) (AD-4).