ABSTRACT
[This corrects the article on p. 63 in vol. 17, PMID: 24883164.].
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The assessment of fitness to drive in patients with cognitive impairment is complex. The SIMARD MD was developed to assist with assessing fitness to drive. This study compares the clinical decision made by a geriatrician regarding driving with the SIMARD MD score. METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment, who had a SIMARD MD test, were included in the sample. A retrospective chart review was completed to gather diagnosis, driving status, and cognitive and functional information. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were identified and 57 met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 77.1 years (SD 8.9). The most common diagnosis was Alzheimer's disease in 22 (38.6%) patients. The mean MMSE score was 24.9 (SD 3.34) and the mean MoCA was 19.9 (SD 3.58). The mean SIMARD MD score was 37.2 (SD 19.54). Twenty-four patients had a SIMARD MD score ≤ 30, twenty-eight between 31-70, and five scored > 70. The SIMARD MD scores did not differ significantly compared to the clinical decision (ANOVA p value = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between the SIMARD MD scores and the geriatricians' clinical decision regarding fitness to drive in persons with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
ABSTRACT
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 71 Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) collected in 12 locations in western Canada were assayed for restriction-site variation with 10 endonucleases. Five of these endonucleases revealed variant patterns, and the composite genotypes were used to develop a linear transformation series among the mtDNA genotypes. Two of the four clones had a wide distribution, while the remaining two clones were geographically restricted. The mtDNA of Columbian ground squirrels was also compared to two other species of Sciuridae: Richardson's ground squirrels (S. richardsonii) and Arctic ground squirrels (S. parryii). Calculation of divergences from fragment length and restriction-site data indicated that Arctic ground squirrels and Richardson's ground squirrels were more closely related to each other than either was to Columbian ground squirrels. The transformation series among clones within the Columbian ground squirrels was rooted using Richardson's and Arctic ground squirrels as out-groups. From these data, we conclude that the colonization by female founders of Columbian ground squirrel populations occurred after deglaciation along the eastern ranges of the Rocky Mountains, while colonies on the western ranges may have been present before extensive deglaciation occurred, having existed in refugia in northwestern Alberta.
