Safety of phosphatidylserine containing omega-3 fatty acids in non-demented elderly: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial followed by an open-label extension.

Background: Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a naturally occurring phospholipid present in the inner leaflet of mammalian plasma membranes. Administration of PS extracted from bovine cortex (BC-PS), which contains high levels of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) attached to its backbone, resulted in positive effects on brain functions such as learning and memory. Recently, a novel marine-sourced PS with omega-3 LC-PUFA attached to its backbone was developed (PS-DHA).

Is vascular cognitive impairment a useful concept?

Dementia and milder degrees of cognitive impairment are common in older age. Many causes of dementia have been described, which can be broadly divided into primary neurodegenerative, such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia or dementia with Lewy bodies, and those in which brain changes are secondary to trauma, stroke or infection. This dichotomous separation is conceptually sound.

Parkinson's disease: before the motor symptoms and beyond.

The understanding of the biology of Parkinson's disease (PD) has advanced rapidly over the past 3 decades. In particular, the early pathological changes described by Braak et al. and the awareness of extensive and clinically relevant premotor manifestations are of diagnostic and therapeutic importance.

Is dementia preventable?

Dementia is an important public health problem of increasing magnitude. At present, available therapies provide only minor and temporary relief, and attempts to find a cure have so far failed. Epidemiological studies have identified risk factors for dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Depression and dementia.

Depression and cognitive impairment are both common conditions in old age, and frequently occur together. However, accurate figures of the co-occurrence are not available. The inter-relationship between the two clinical entities is still complex and not well understood.

2nd World congress on controversies in neurology.

Controversies in Neurology (CONy) is an international congress dedicated to debates in several areas of neurology. Its second annual meeting was held in Athens, Greece, in October 2008, with an attendance of over 1200 participants. Several debates were held between opposing leaders in the fields of multiple sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia, epilepsy and headache.

TranspoGene and microTranspoGene: transposed elements influence on the transcriptome of seven vertebrates and invertebrates.

Transposed elements (TEs) are mobile genetic sequences. During the evolution of eukaryotes TEs were inserted into active protein-coding genes, affecting gene structure, expression and splicing patterns, and protein sequences. Genomic insertions of TEs also led to creation and expression of new functional non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs.

The prevention of the dementia epidemic.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered to be the most common dementing disorder. The understanding of this disorder has greatly advanced over the past few years, and new therapeutic options have been developed. Another disorder, vascular dementia (VaD), is a syndrome with multiple etiologies operating through a variety of different mechanisms.

Transient ventricular fibrillation and myosin heavy chain isoform profile.

The present paper deals with spontaneous ventricular defibrillation in mammals and the possibility to facilitate its occurrence. Clinical and experimental evidence suggest that in the majority of cases, ventricular fibrillation (VF) is permanent, requiring defibrillation by electric shock. However, a growing number of reports show that VF can terminate spontaneously in various mammals, including human beings.

Rotigotine transdermal system for perioperative administration.

We present a series of patients participating in clinical trials with the rotigotine transdermal system. All patients were scheduled for surgery with general anaesthesia unrelated to the trial procedure or to rotigotine. Perioperative administration of rotigotine appeared to be feasible and efficacious.

Management of sleep problems in Parkinson's disease.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently complain of sleep problems. These can be due to several factors, and the approach to their management depends on careful consideration of the various possible factors in each case. 1.

Dementia with Lewy bodies.

Advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) is frequently associated with dementia. The pathogenesis of this dementia is complex, related to deficiency of several biogenic amines and cortical Lewy body deposition, as well as co-existent age-related brain changes, both of the Alzheimer type and vascular. However, degeneration of the cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert may have an important contribution to the cognitive decline.

A phase II study of Imatinib for advanced adenoid cystic carcinoma of head and neck salivary glands.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands is characterized by a poor response to chemotherapy. Most cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma express the c-kit protein. Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) inhibits several protein-tyrosine kinases, including c-kit.

The effect of aprotinin in a model of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock.

Background: Aprotinin has been shown to promote clot formation through its antifibrinolytic activity, by inhibiting the plasmin-induced complement activation and by protecting the platelets adhesive surface receptors. It has been successfully used in cardiac and liver transplantation surgery.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of aprotinin in a model of uncontrolled intra-abdominal bleeding as a basis for its potential use in trauma patients.

Rehabilitation of West Nile Fever (WNF) encephalitis in elderly.

In the summer of 2000, an outbreak of WNF affected Israel. Thirty-two elderly patients were admitted to Meir Hospital. WNF encephalitis may result in residual functional damage.

The underdiagnosis of the vascular contribution to dementia.

The existence of vascular dementia (VaD) was first identified by Marie, who described the etat lacunaire, and by Binswanger, who identified white matter lesions in the brain subcortical areas. Alois Alzheimer, when defining the disease now bearing his name, did so in a patient with a presenile onset. The majority of demented elderly people were then believed to have cerebral arteriosclerosis underlying their cognitive decline.

The effects of weight loss on renal function in patients with severe obesity.

Severe obesity is associated with increased renal plasma flow (RPF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The aim of the present study was to examine whether weight loss may reverse glomerular dysfunction in obese subjects without overt renal disease. Renal glomerular function was studied in eight subjects with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] 48.

Mixed dementia--the most common cause of dementia.

The existence of vascular dementia (VaD) was first identified by Marie, who described the etat lacunaire, and by Binswanger, who identified white matter lesions. The role of cortical lesions, while clear to clinicians, was highlighted only later by the pathological studies of Tomlinson and the clinical demonstrations of Hachinski et al., who have defined multi-infarct dementia.

Vascular dementia among elderly Arabs in Wadi Ara.

Dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two major subtypes of dementia. In our epidemiological study of DAT in an Arab community in Wadi Ara, Israel, we found a high prevalence of late onset DAT. Illiteracy, smoking, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension are very frequent in Wadi Ara.

The complex nosological concept of vascular dementia.

The existence of vascular dementia (VaD) was first identified by Marie, who described the etat lacunaire, and by Binswanger, who identified white matter lesions in demented individuals. The role of cortical lesions, while clear to clinicians, was highlighted only later by the pathological studies of Tomlinson and the clinical demonstrations of Hachinski et al., who have defined multi-infarct dementia.

Effect of increased dialysate volume on peritoneal surface area among peritoneal dialysis patients.

Large dialysate volumes are often required to increase solute clearance for peritoneal dialysis patients. The resulting increase in solute clearance might be attributable to an increased plasma-to-dialysate concentration gradient and/or to an increased effective peritoneal surface area. One of the factors affecting the latter is the peritoneal surface area in contact with dialysate (PSA-CD).