Cognitive Profile and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in the older adults population and their specific impact on their cognitive profiles still requires further research. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was carried out to describe the presence of CVRFs and their association with cognitive performance in a sample of older adults (65-85 years old) with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Participants (n = 185) were divided into three groups concerning their cardiovascular risk level determined by the presence of different CVRFs, including Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. The primary outcome measures were the participant's scores in the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial data were collected. Non-parametrical statistical analyses and effect sizes were calculated. Findings revealed that a greater presence of CVRFs was not associated with a worse overall cognitive performance. High-risk patients were more likely to have significantly worse performance in the attentional domain compared to medium-risk (p = 0.029, r = 0.42) and compared to low-risk (p = 0.041, r = 0.35), specifically in the digits repetition subtest (p = 0.042). T2D alone was the CVRF associated with cognitive differences (p = 0.037, r = 0.32), possibly mediated by the duration of the condition. Consequently, a higher presence of CVRFs did not lead to a worse overall cognitive performance. However, high-risk individuals were more likely to experience cognitive impairment, particularly in the attentional domain. T2D played a significant role in these cognitive profile differences, possibly influenced by its duration.

Psychometric validation of the MIND Youth Questionnaire (MY-Q) to assess quality of life in Spanish patients with type 1 diabetes between 12 and 25 years old.

AIM: Validate in Spanish the Monitoring Individual Needs in Diabetes Youth Questionnaire (MY-Q), a multi-dimensional self-report HRQoL questionnaire designed for paediatric diabetes care. DESIGN AND METHODS: After translation, 209 patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, between 12 and 25 years old were assessed. The patients belonged to 12 hospitals in Spain. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis including one-factor up to seven-factor solutions were tested. The three-factor solution (Negative Impact of Diabetes, Empowerment and Control of Diabetes and Worries) was the most parsimonious model with adequate fit: χ2(723)=568.856 (p<0.001), CFI=0.913, RMSEA=0.072 [0.064, 0.080], SRMR=0.075. The three-factor solution and the grouping of the items followed a clear rationale. Cronbach's alpha was 0.816 for Negative Impact, 0.700 for Empowerment and Control and 0.795 for Worries. The study of the relationship between the MY-Q dimensions and socio-demographics variables show a relationship between age and the MY-Q: F(6,410)=10.873 (p<0.001), η2=0.137. Participants younger than 14 years old showed greater scores on Empowerment and Control when compared to participants between 14 and 17 years old (p=0.021); statistically significant differences were found for the participants 18 years old or older, who showed lower levels of Worries than the younger patients. Concurrent validity found that the dimension of Negative Impact of Diabetes was positively related to WHO-5, and the PedsQL Diabetes Module. CONCLUSION: The Spanish version of the MY-Q to measure HRQoL in patients with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 12 and 25, has adequate psychometric properties and conceptual and semantic equivalence with the original version in Dutch.

Usefulness of Eye Fixation Assessment for Identifying Type 2 Diabetic Subjects at Risk of Dementia.

Type 2 diabetic (T2D) subjects have a significantly higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia than age-matched non-diabetic individuals. However, the accurate evaluation of cognitive status is based on complex neuropsychological tests, which makes their incorporation into the current standard of care for the T2D population infeasible. Given that the ability to maintain visual gaze on a single location (fixation) is hampered in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the aim of the present study was: (1) To assess whether the evaluation of gaze fixation during fundus-driven microperimetry correlated with cognitive status in T2D subjects; (2) to examine whether the addition of fixational parameters to the assessment of retinal sensitivity increased the predictive value of retinal microperimetry in identifying T2D subjects with MCI. For this purpose, fixation parameters and retinal sensitivity were compared in three age-matched groups of T2D subjects: normocognitive (n = 34), MCI (n = 33), and AD (n = 33). Our results showed that fixation is significantly more unstable in MCI subjects than normocognitive subjects, and even more altered in those affected by AD (ANOVA; p < 0.01). Moreover, adding fixation parameters to retinal sensitivity significantly increases the predictive value in identifying those subjects with MCI: ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) Area 0.68 with retinal sensitivity alone vs. ROC Area 0.86 when parameters of fixation are added to retinal sensitivity (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our results suggest that fixational eye movement parameters assessed by fundus-microperimetry represent a new tool for identifying T2D subjects at risk of dementia.