Effects of a home care community-dwelling intervention on cognition, mental health, loneliness and quality of life in elder people: The VERA study.

BACKGROUND: New technologies can provide practical solutions that respond to the needs of the elderly, improving their quality of life and well-being. The aim of this research was to validate a multimodal approach based on a video call system, by comparing the scores of different clinically validated tests at baseline and at the end of the intervention. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted with 7 healthy participants aged 61 to 92 years over a 6-month period. To measure the effectiveness of the intervention, five variables were assessed: cognitive impairment, quality of life, general health, perceived loneliness, and depression. The following inventories were used as instruments to measure the aforementioned variables at baseline, mid intervention and after intervention: MEC-35 scale, Fototest, FUMAT scale, WHOQOL-BREF scale, Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale, the Spanish adaptation of the Hamilton Scale, the revised ESTE scale and the Goldberg's GHQ28 Mental Health scale. RESULT: The obtained results confirmed our hypothesis and the participants showed significant improvements after intervention in all the assessed domains except the cognitive domain, as expected. Results in FUMAT, WHOQOL-BREF, Yesavage Geriatric Depression, revised ESTE and the Goldberg's GHQ28 Mental Health scales were statistically significant (p < 0.05) and the effect sizes were large after intervention compare to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that the intervention has been effective in providing the participants with psychological and social benefits in the variables of quality of life, general health, perceived loneliness and depression. The high clinical relevance achieved from the results obtained makes the system a very suitable tool to promote the independence and well-being of people who receive community-dwelling home care.

Enhanced degradation of ciprofloxacin in water using ternary photocatalysts TiO2/SnO2/g-C3N4 under UV, visible, and solar light.

In this study, we report on the synthesis of ternary photocatalysts comprising TiO2/SnO2/g-C3N4 for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in water. SnO2 nanoparticles were synthesized via the sol-gel method, while g-C3N4 was obtained through melamine calcination. Commercial TiO2 and SnO2 nanopowders were also used. The heterojunctions were synthesized via the wet impregnation method. The photocatalysts were characterized via various techniques, including XRD, TEM, STEM, FTIR, N2 adsorption, UV-Vis DR, and hole tests. Photocatalytic degradation tests of CIP were carried out under UV, visible, and solar radiation. The P25/npA/g-C3N4 (90/10) material exhibited the best performance, achieving CIP degradation of over 97%. The synthesized materials demonstrated excellent initial adsorption of CIP, around 30%, which facilitated subsequent degradation. Notably, the CIP photocatalytic degradation tests performed under solar radiation showed a synergistic effect between the base materials and carbon nitride in highly energetic environments. These results highlight the effectiveness of ternary photocatalysts TiO2/SnO2/g-C3N4 for CIP degradation, particularly under solar radiation.

Reducing toxic element leaching in mine tailings with natural zeolite clinoptilolite.

The use of natural zeolite clinoptilolite to reduce the leaching rate of potentially toxic elements such as Cd, Pb, and Mn in soil from mine tailings was studied. Soil from the surroundings of the mine El Bote in Zacatecas, Mexico, was analyzed, and the zeolite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and nitrogen physisorption. An ammonium-exchange method for the zeolite was employed. Leaching experiments using packed columns with polluted soil and zeolite mixtures were carried out and the effect of the pH of the carrier solutions was studied. Incorporation of zeolite in the soil achieved a beneficial increase in pH, from 5.03 to 6.95. The concentration of Cd and Mn was reduced when zeolite was present in the column and the ammonium-modified zeolite with ammonia also enhanced the concentration reduction of metallic species in leachates in a range of 28 to 68%. The first-order model best fits the experimental data, suggesting that the leaching rate is controlled by concentration difference between the liquid and the soil matrix. These results demonstrate the potential for using natural zeolite clinoptilolite to reduce the leaching rate of potentially toxic elements in soil from mine tailings.

Descriptive discourse in fluent aphasia: The predictive role of attention, phonology, lexical retrieval and semantics.

AIMS: To study the relationship between cognitive and linguistic skills (as measured through standardized tasks) over spontaneous speech elicited during a picture description task. METHODS & PROCEDURES: 21 controls and 19 people with fluent aphasia matched by age and sex were evaluated using transcripts made from a picture description task coded using the CHAT format and analyzed using Computerized Language Analysis (CLAN). Indices obtained from the speech samples contained measures of lexical quantity and diversity, morphosyntactic complexity, informativeness, and speech fluency, along with different kinds of speech errors. We studied their correlations with attentional measures from Conners' Continuous Performance Test and with standardized measures of naming, pseudoword repetition and semantic non-verbal association. We further used stepwise linear regression to analyze the predictive value of standardized linguistic and cognitive skills over discursive indices. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Contrary to our initial hypothesis, there were no significant correlations between attentional scores and discourse variables in aphasic participants. Moreover, semantic association, along with naming, was the measure more related with discourse performance in people with fluent aphasia, but cognitive and linguistic standardized measures had overall little predictive power on most discourse indices. In the control group, there was a certain association of naming skills and attentional reaction time with discourse variables, but their predictive power was also low. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The current results do not support a strong relationship between basic attentional skills and performance in descriptive discourse in fluent aphasia. Although some of the standardized tasks seem to bear some relationship with spontaneous speech, there is a high amount of interindividual variability in discourse that is not captured by classical cognitive tasks routinely used in assessment. Further work on the determinants of discourse performance in aphasia and on the clinical application of discourse analysis is warranted.

Ultra-Small Silver Nanoparticles: A Sustainable Green Synthesis Approach for Antibacterial Activity.

The present study centers on the synthesis of ultra-small silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with antibacterial properties using citrus peel residues (orange, lemon, and grapefruit) as reducing and stabilizing agents, and on assessing their antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant clinical Staphylococcus aureus. The synthesized AgNPs were analyzed by various techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, SAED, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and Raman. The results demonstrate the formation of ultra-small, monodisperse, quasi-spherical AgNPs with an average particle size of 2.42 nm for AgNPs produced with mixed extracts. XRD analysis indicated that the AgNPs have a crystal size of 9.71 to 16.23 nm. The AgNPs exhibited potent inhibitory activity against resistant S. aureus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 15.625 to 62.50 ppm. The findings suggest that the ultra-small nanometer size of the AgNPs could be attributed to the synthesis method that employs ambient conditions and the presence of polyphenolic compounds from citrus peel. Consequently, AgNPs obtained through sustainable green synthesis hold significant potential in combating clinical multi-resistant bacterial strains that are challenging to treat and eradicate. This approach also contributes to the revaluation of citrus residues in the region, which is an ongoing environmental issue today.

Task Demands and Sentence Reading Comprehension among Healthy Older Adults: The Complementary Roles of Cognitive Reserve and Working Memory.

Ageing entails different functional brain changes. Education, reading experience, and leisure activities, among others, might contribute to the maintenance of cognitive performance among older adults and are conceptualised as proxies for cognitive reserve. However, ageing also conveys a depletion of working memory capacity, which adversely impacts language comprehension. This study investigated how cognitive reserve proxies and working memory jointly predict the performance of healthy older adults in a sentence reading comprehension task, and how their predictive value changes depending on sentence structure and task demands. Cognitively healthy older adults (n = 120) completed a sentence-picture verification task under two conditions: concurrent viewing of the sentence and picture or their sequential presentation, thereby imposing greater demands on working memory. They also completed a questionnaire on cognitive reserve proxies as well as a verbal working memory test. The sentence structure was manipulated by altering the canonical word order and modifying the amount of propositional information. While the cognitive reserve was the main predictor in the concurrent condition, the predictive role of working memory increased under the sequential presentation, particularly for complex sentences. These findings highlight the complementary roles played by cognitive reserve and working memory in the reading comprehension of older adults.

A Systematic Review of Normative Data for Verbal Fluency Test in Different Languages.

Verbal fluency tests are easy and quick to use in neuropsychological assessments, so they have been counted among the most classical tools in this context. To date, several normative data for verbal fluency tests have been provided in different languages and countries. A systematic review was carried out with studies that provide normative data for verbal fluency tests. Studies were collected from Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. 183 studies were retrieved from the database search, of which 73 finally met the inclusion criteria. An analysis of the risk of bias regarding samples selection/characterization and procedure/results reports is conducted for each article. Finally, a full description of the normative data characteristics, considering country and language, verbal fluency task characteristics (type of task) and sample characteristics (number of subjects, gender, age, education) is included. The current systematic review provides an overview and analysis of internationally published normative data that might help clinicians in their search for valid and useful norms on verbal fluency tasks, as well as updated information about qualitative aspects of the different options currently available.

Flood Mitigation in Urban Areas through Deep Aquifer Recharge: The Case of the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara.

The Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (MAG) experiences water shortage and overexploitation of aquifers. In addition, it suffers from seasonal flooding that is channeled towards inadequate sanitary drainage, creating a strong negative environmental impact. These problems are rooted in the waterproofing of the urban surface. Many cities around the world have used deep injection wells to recover aquifers and remove surface waters. Certain geohydrological conditions are required for the implementation of these deep injection wells, deeper than 30 m, such as significant surface runoff, acceptable water quality for infiltration, considerable depth in the phreatic levels, and good subsoil permeability. All of these conditions exist in the MAG or could be achieved without significant investment. An assessment is presented exploring the viability for a solution based on this technology, as a strategy to recover aquifers and reduce flooding. The first step was to identify, through map algebra, a micro-basin suitable for this technology. Then, mean runoff volumes were obtained and a stratigraphic profile was carried out based on 19 standard penetration tests (SPT). With these data, a numerical simulation of deep injection wells of different dimensions was performed, providing recommendations for a solution based on these calculations. The results show that both problems can be solved with this relatively simple and cheap technology supporting public health.

Neuropsychological networks in cognitively healthy older adults and dementia patients.

Neuropsychological tests have commonly been used to determine the organization of cognitive functions by identifying latent variables. In contrast, an approach which has seldom been employed is network analysis. We characterize the network structure of a set of representative neuropsychological test scores in cognitively healthy older adults and MCI and dementia patients using network analysis. We employed the neuropsychological battery from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center which included healthy controls (n = 7623), mild cognitive impairment patients (n = 5981) and dementia patients (n = 2040), defined according to the Clinical Dementia Rating. The results showed that, according to several network analysis measures, the most central cognitive function is executive function followed by attention, language, and memory. At the test level, the most central test was the Trail Making Test B, which measures cognitive flexibility. Importantly, these results and most other network measures, such as the community organization and graph representation, were similar across the three diagnostic groups. Therefore, network analysis can help to establish a ranking of cognitive functions and tests based on network centrality and suggests that this organization is preserved in dementia. Central nodes might be particularly relevant both from a theoretical and clinical point of view, as they are more associated with other nodes, and their disruption is likely to have a larger effect on the overall network than peripheral nodes. The present analysis may provide a proof of principle for the application of network analysis to cognitive data.

Preserved semantic categorical organization in mild cognitive impairment: A network analysis of verbal fluency.

The decline in semantic verbal fluency as we age may originate from both semantic memory degradation and executive function deficits. We investigated to what extent semantic memory is organized into categories in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (n = 81) and healthy controls (n = 83). We obtained the semantic networks automatically from the probability of co-occurrence of words in a verbal fluency test and characterized them with graph-theory tools. We found that the degree of categorical organization was similar for both diagnostic groups, but there was a higher tendency to transition to other categories during word production in the patient group. These results suggest that the semantic network is preserved in mild cognitive impairment, but also that the existing associations are exploited less efficiently during long-term memory search, possibly because of deficits in executive function.

Emotional distraction in working memory: Bayesian-based evidence of the equivalent effect of positive and neutral interference.

Evidence has shown that negative distracting stimuli are most difficult to control when we are focused in a relevant task, while positive and neutral distractors might be equally overcome. Still, recent meta-analytic evidence has pointed out that differences in the ability to cope with positive or neutral distractors may be difficult to detect in healthy people and in laboratory sets. Here we re-analyse memory performance in four already published working memory experiments in which affective and non-affective distractors were used. We focused on the positive versus neutral contrast, which did not reveal differences in the original analysis, with the aim of quantifying evidence for the null hypothesis using a Bayesian approach. Bayes factor (BF) estimates show substantial evidence in favour to the absence of differences in three out of four datasets. Further, BF aggregated from the four studies shows stronger evidence for the null hypothesis. Results from this analysis show that WM performance after positive and neutral interference can be considered equivalent, suggesting that positive distractors can be overcome to the same extent as neutral ones.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of trans-Cinnamic Acid for Highly Efficient Removal of Copper from Aqueous Solution.

trans-Cinnamic acid was synthesized under microwave irradiation, and it was used for the removal of copper, a toxic metal found in industrial wastewater, from synthetic polluted aqueous solutions. Copper removal is more favorable at pH 5 and was enhanced by increasing the copper initial concentration, reaching a maximum uptake capacity of 389.5 mg/g, which is higher than those reported in the literature. Temperature exhibited a negligible effect on the removal of copper by trans-cinnamic acid. The isotherm equilibrium uptake data were found to be described by the Langmuir model. In addition, the study of the removal kinetics shows that the uptake of copper by trans-cinnamic acid follows pseudo-first order kinetics, and equilibrium is attained at approximately 30 min. Based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy studies, a copper-cinnamic acid complex [Cu(CA)2] is formed during the removal process. The reusability of this coordination compound was investigated using HCl, HNO3, and NaOH 0.1 M as desorption eluents; HCl was capable of completely desorbing copper from [Cu(CA)2], and trans-cinnamic acid was recovered as the trans-isomer. Alternatively, the [Cu(CA)2] was used to remove octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane from gaseous streams for biogas purification, obtaining an adsorption capacity of 3.37 mg/g. These promising results demonstrate the feasibility of copper removal by trans-cinnamic acid because of its high uptake capacity and potential reusability.

The differential effect of background music on memory for verbal and visuospatial information.

Background music is a part of our everyday activities. Considerable evidence suggests that listening to music while performing cognitive tasks may negatively influence performance. However, other studies have shown that it can benefit memory when the music played during the encoding of information is also provided during the retrieval of that information, in the so-called context dependent memory effect. Since controversial results may be attributed to the nature of the material to be memorized, the aim of the present study is to compare the potential effect of consistent background music on the immediate and long-term recall of verbal and visuospatial information. Experiment 1 showed that instrumental background music does not benefit nor decrease recall of a list of unrelated words, both at the immediate and the 48-hours-delayed tests. By contrast, Experiment 2 revealed that the same background music can impair immediate and therefore long-term memory for visuospatial information. Results are interpreted in terms of competition for neurocognitive resources, with tasks mostly relying on the same brain hemisphere competing for a limited set of resources. Hence, background music might impair visuospatial memory to a greater extent than verbal memory, in the context of limited capacity cognitive system. In conclusion, the nature of the material to be learnt must be considered to fully understand the effect of background music on memory.

Dehydration of fructose over thiol- and sulfonic- modified alumina in a continuous reactor for 5-HMF production: Study of catalyst stability by NMR.

In the present study, the synthesis of an organic group-modified alumina by the sol-gel method is proposed. This material has shown to have an enhanced catalytic performance with grafted organic groups and showed an improved stability. The prepared material has shown to have several O - H groups and an enhanced surface acidity. The alumina acidity was improved by incorporating thiol groups by grafting method, which promotes the tautomerization of fructose to its furanose form. Furthermore, the grafting of sulfonic groups catalyzes its dehydration. The modified alumina was thermally treated up to 200 °C to improve the functional groups stability. After, this modified material was packed into a continuous reactor system, designed and built by this group, to obtain 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) from fructose dissolved in a single-phase solution of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and H2O (4:1 w/w). The catalytic activity of this material was evaluated by the reaction of fructose dehydration at different reaction temperatures (60, 70, 80 and 90 °C). Fructose conversion and selectivity toward 5-HMF were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), obtaining 95% and 73% respectively for the highest temperature. The catalyst showed an efficient stability after 24 hours in continuous flow at 70 °C. The loss of sulfur content was 15%, but the fructose conversion yield and the selectivity to 5-HMF after 24 hours of continuous reaction did not undergo significant changes (less than 5%). The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests confirmed the presence of the thiol and sulfonic groups before and after 24 hours of reaction, as well as the conservation of the same structure, demonstrating the efficient catalytic performance of the material. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Also, before and after use by utilizing elemental analysis and   1 H - 13 C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CPMAS) and dynamic-nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced   1 H - 13 C and   1 H - 29 Si CPMAS as well as directly excited   29 Si magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR methods in solid-state.

Tracking the effect of emotional distraction in working memory brain networks: Evidence from an MEG study.

The active maintenance of information in visual working memory (WM) is known to rely on the sustained activity over functional networks including frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal cortices. Previous studies have described interference-based disturbances in the functional coupling between prefrontal and posterior cortices, and that such disturbances can be restored for a successful WM performance after the presentation of the interfering stimulus. However, very few studies have applied functional connectivity measures to the analysis of the brain dynamics involved in overriding emotional distraction, and all of them have limited their analysis to the particular connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. In this study, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to characterize the mutual information-based functional connectivity dynamics among regions of interest located over the prefrontal, the parietal, the temporal, and the occipital cortex. Our results show that the detection of emotional distraction at early latencies (50-150 ms) induces a reduction of functional connectivity involving parietal and temporal cortices that are part of the frontoposterior WM network, while functional coupling among prefrontal areas and between them and posterior cortices is strengthened during the detection of emotional distractors. Later in the processing of the distractor (250-350 and 360-460 ms), the frontoposterior coupling is reestablished for a successful performance, while the orbitofrontal and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex become strongly connected to posterior cortices as a mechanism to cope with emotional distractors.

APOE ε4 Modulation of Training Outcomes in Several Cognitive Domains in a Sample of Cognitively Intact Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Most research points to the ɛ4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene as the most recognizable genetic risk factor associated with Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. It has been also suggested that the APOEɛ4 allele has a negative influence on cognitive functioning, which begins long before cognitive impairment becomes manifest. However, still, little is known about the APOEɛ4 interaction with cognitive intervention programs. OBJECTIVE: The main goal of this study was to explore whether there was a differential APOE genotype modulation effect after cognitive training in different domains, such as language comprehension, executive functions, and memory. Contrary to other studies, hippocampal volume was controlled for. METHODS: Fifty older adults (65+ years; 30 women and 20 men) participated in a multi-domain cognitive training that involved 30 sessions taking place over 12 weeks. Half of the participants were APOEɛ4 carriers. The control group was matched in age, gender, normalized hippocampal volume, cognitive reserve, Mini-Mental State Examination score, and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Version. RESULTS: The study revealed that there were consistent treatment benefits in complex sentence comprehension (noncanonical sentences and sentences with two propositions), a domain that was not directly trained, but only in the A POEɛ4 noncarrier group. CONCLUSION: Genetic profile modulates training outcomes in sentence comprehension.

Executive functions and linguistic performance in SCD older adults and healthy controls.

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) might represent the preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease. Given the interest to characterize it, the present study explores (1) if there are differences in lexical retrieval (LexR) and sentence comprehension (SComp) between SCD and matched controls, and (2) the predictive value of demographic variables and executive functions in relation to LexR and SComp in each group. A sample of 135 participants voluntarily took part in this study (66 with SCD). They all completed the Trail Making, the Stroop, the Boston Naming, and the ECCO-Senior tests, as well as verbal fluency tasks (VF). Results show that (1) groups differ in LexR and in inhibition efficiency, and (2) VF is explained by years of formal education, particularly in the control group; SComp in the most complex items seems to rely in different strategies, related to flexibility in controls and to inhibition efficiency in SCD patients.

Interference Impacts Working Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a transitional stage between healthy aging and dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease (AD). The most common cognitive impairment of MCI includes episodic memory loss and difficulties in working memory (WM). Interference can deplete WM, and an optimal WM performance requires an effective control of attentional resources between the memoranda and the incoming stimuli. Difficulties in handling interference lead to forgetting. However, the interplay between interference and WM in MCI is not well-understood and needs further investigation. The current study investigated the effect of interference during a WM task in 20 MCIs and 20 healthy elder volunteers. Participants performed a delayed match-to-sample paradigm which consisted in two interference conditions, distraction and interruption, and one control condition without any interference. Results evidenced a disproportionate impact of interference on the WM performance of MCIs, mainly in the presence of interruption. These findings demonstrate that interference, and more precisely interruption, is an important proxy for memory-related deficits in MCI. Thus, the current findings reveal novel evidence regarding the causes of WM forgetting in MCI patients, associated with difficulties in the mechanisms of attentional control.

Early detection and late cognitive control of emotional distraction by the prefrontal cortex.

Unpleasant emotional distraction can impair the retention of non-emotional information in working memory (WM). Research links the prefrontal cortex with the successful control of such biologically relevant distractors, although the temporal changes in this brain mechanism remain unexplored. We use magnetoencephalography to investigate the temporal dynamics of the cognitive control of both unpleasant and pleasant distraction, in the millisecond (ms) scale. Behavioral results demonstrate that pleasant events do not affect WM maintenance more than neutral ones. Neuroimaging results show that prefrontal cortices are recruited for the rapid detection of emotional distraction, at early latencies of the processing (70-130 ms). Later in the processing (360-450 ms), the dorsolateral, the medial and the orbital sections of the prefrontal cortex mediate the effective control of emotional distraction. In accordance with the behavioral performance, pleasant distractors do not require higher prefrontal activity than neutral ones. These findings extend our knowledge about the brain mechanisms of coping with emotional distraction in WM. In particular, they show for the first time that overriding the attentional capture triggered by emotional distractors, while maintaining task-relevant elements in mind, is based on the early detection of such linked-to-survival information and on its later cognitive control by the prefrontal cortex.

Emotional interference-based forgetting in short-term memory. Cognitive inhibition of pleasant but not unpleasant biologically relevant distractors.

Emotional stimuli automatically recruit attentional resources. Although this usually brings more adaptive responses, it may suppose a disadvantage when emotional information is task-irrelevant and should be ignored. Previous studies have shown how emotional stimuli with a negative content exert a greater interference than neutral stimuli during a concurrent working memory (WM) task. However, the impact of positively valenced stimuli as interference has not been addressed to date. In three experiments and one re-analysis we explore the impact of pleasant and unpleasant emotional distractors during WM maintenance. The results suggest that our cognitive control can cope with the interference posed by pleasant distractors as well as with the interference posed by neutral stimuli. However, unpleasant distractors are harder to control in the context of WM maintenance. As unpleasant stimuli usually convey relevant information that we should not to ignore, our executive control seems to be less able to reallocate cognitive resources after unpleasant distraction.