ABSTRACT
To validate the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Greek, 44 men (M age=70.5 yr., SD=7.2) and 58 women (M age= 68.4, SD=9.2), outpatients of memory clinics, were studied. Sex differences in the item responses were evaluated. Reliability assessed as Cronbach alpha was .84, while validity was assessed by correlation of .77 with the Mini-Mental State Examination. 21 men and 20 women had moderate to severe dementia, with Mini-Mental State Examination scores <20. The results show that this Greek language version can be effectively used in Greece.
Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living/classification , Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis , Ethnicity/psychology , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Female , Geriatric Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Greece/ethnology , Humans , Male , Memory Disorders/diagnosis , Memory Disorders/psychology , Mental Status Schedule/statistics & numerical data , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , TranslationsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence implicates oxidative stress in ethanol-induced toxicity. Ethanol has been reported to be involved in oxidative damage, mostly in vitro, or in post mortem tissues, while biochemical abnormalities in the blood or serum are scanty or lacking. The aim of the present study was to examine the oxidative status of plasma proteins as markers of oxidative stress in subjects with chronic alcohol dependence (CAD). Since smoking has also been associated with oxidative stress this factor was also considered. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 71 patients with CAD and 61 healthy volunteers of comparable age were included in the study. The protein carbonyl assay was carried out in plasma, as a reliable measure of general oxidative protein damage, in these two groups. RESULTS: Increased plasma protein carbonyls (PCs) were found in patients with CAD as compared with the control group [mean values (nmollmg protein): 4.73+/-1.46 and 3.62+/-0.91 respectively, p<0.000001]. Within the control group, smokers had higher PCs than the non-smokers, however this difference was of marginal significance [mean values (nmol/mg protein): 3.93+/-1.32 and 3.47+/-0.63, respectively]. The CAD group had significantly increased PCs compared with both the smoker and the non-smoker subgroups of the controls (p<0.001 and p<0.0001, respectively). Duration of alcohol consumption, daily alcohol intake, smoke load, folic acid and vitamin B12 levels did not correlate significantly with PC levels. CONCLUSION: The above results support the evidence for systemic oxidative stress in CAD, which must be attributed mainly to alcohol consumption, while smoking may act synergistically.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/blood , Blood Proteins/drug effects , Oxidative Stress , Smoking/adverse effects , Adult , Biomarkers/metabolism , Blood Proteins/metabolism , Drug Interactions , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Heavy and chronic alcohol dependence and Alzheimer's disease may share some neuropsychological characteristics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The pattern of neuropsychological characteristics of 33 alcohol-dependent patients who reported memory disturbances were evaluated and compared to the neuropsychological performance of 38 patients with mild-stage Alzheimer's disease and 73 healthy subjects, serving as controls. Alcohol-dependent patients were examined with tools concerning the pattern of alcohol abuse and problems related to alcohol consumption. All groups completed a full battery of neuropsychological tests for the assessment of cognitive functions, such as different kinds of memory, attention, executive function etc. RESULTS: Alcohol-dependent patients fared worse compared to the control subjects in every test used. The comparison of alcohol-dependent patients versus patients with Alzheimer's disease showed that the latter are much more burdened, as far as cognition is concerned, in all aspects of memory. CONCLUSION: Alcohol-dependent patients, even if they are not demented, have mild cognitive impairment in all domains of cognition (memory and frontal functions) in comparison with controls which performed within the norms. Verbal fluency, working memory and frontal functions were impaired at the same degree in alcohol-dependent patients and in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Memory problems were more pronounced in Alzheimer's disease patients.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/psychology , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Cognition , Neuropsychological Tests , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Case-Control Studies , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau protein (tauT) is increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may be of some help in the diagnostic work-up of demented patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic aid and the additional help (over that of clinical criteria) of tauT in different clinical situations. Double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify tauT in 61 healthy controls and 241 patients with various neuropsychiatric diseases. Our results suggest that CSF tauT offers significant additional information over that of clinical criteria of AD, for the discrimination of AD from normal aging, depression, synucleinopathy, and possibly vascular dementia. However, for the differential diagnosis from frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal ganglionic degeneration, and secondary dementia, the diagnostic value is inadequate.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/epidemiology , Dementia/cerebrospinal fluid , Dementia/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/cerebrospinal fluid , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , tau Proteins/cerebrospinal fluid , Adolescent , Adult , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Parkinson Disease/cerebrospinal fluid , Parkinson Disease/epidemiology , ROC CurveABSTRACT
We studied 40 male and 37 female (M age=63 yr.) Greek alcoholic patients and an equal number of control subjects. Both groups were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Syndrome Short Test, the Verbal Fluency Test (Category & Letter), the Clock Test, and the Digit Span (Forward and Backward from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised). Alcoholic patients had statistically significant lower scores on MMSE, Verbal Fluency Test, and Digit Span, and higher scores on the Syndrome Short Test, while positive correlations were found among MMSE, Verbal Fluency Test, Clock Test, Digit Span-Backward, and age. These findings point to frontal lobe dysfunction in Greek alcoholic patients which is not different from that shown in patients from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/ethnology , Memory Disorders/diagnosis , Memory Disorders/ethnology , Neuropsychological Tests , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alcoholism/epidemiology , Female , Greece , Humans , Male , Memory Disorders/epidemiology , Middle Aged , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
We assessed the relation of anxiety and depression to smoking behavior in a sample of 80 physicians and surgeons, using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. 27 doctors were nonsmokers, 14 were former smokers, and 39 were current smokers. Current smokers showed significantly higher Anxiety and Depression scores compared to nonsmokers and former smokers, while the latter presented significantly lower Anxiety scores than nonsmokers. In current smokers, the daily quota of cigarettes was not correlated with Anxiety or Depression scores. From our results we can hypothesize that, among medical staff, smoking behavior is more anxiety-related than depression-related. In conclusion, we believe that interventions such as stress management techniques could be effective in lessening Anxiety and diminishing the need for relief searched for in smoking.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/epidemiology , Anxiety/psychology , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , Health Personnel/psychology , Health Personnel/statistics & numerical data , Smoking/epidemiology , Smoking/psychology , Tobacco Use Disorder/epidemiology , Tobacco Use Disorder/etiology , Adult , Catchment Area, Health , Female , Greece/epidemiology , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to explore a possible interplay between cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) and thyroid function tests (TFTs) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We reviewed thyroid function tests in 19 patients with AD before and after treatment (Rx) with ChEIs. Immunoradiometric assays were used for measuring serum thyrotropin, free thyroxin (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3). Significant differences were observed among FT3 levels according to the duration of therapy. Subtle variations in thyroid function tests--before and after therapy--could be possibly related to ChEIs-induced altered thyroid function.
