Neuropsychological tests and prediction of dementia in association with the degree of carotid stenosis.

This study constitutes a cross sectional analysis of the association between cognitive impairment defined by neuropsychological tests and carotid stenosis. The main objective was to compare the results of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) with regard to the degree of carotid stenosis. The sample comprised 744 patients who underwent a carotid duplex ultrasound and cognitive function testing (by ACE-R and MMSE). A multivariable analysis of potential confounding factors was completed. The significance of the different number of positive (MMSE ≤ 27, ACE-R ≤ 88) and negative (MMSE ≥ 28, ACE-R ≥ 89) results of the neuropsychological tests was analysed with regard to the degree of carotid stenosis (50-99%). Neuropsychological test results were also compared between carotid stenosis of 50-69%, 70-89%, and 90-99%. For both the MMSE and ACE-R, a difference was observed between positive and negative test results when higher degrees of stenosis were present. However, for the ACE-R only, more severe stenosis (80-89%, 90-99%) was predominantly associated with positive test results (p-value < 0.017). The same dependence for ACE-R (although not statistically significant) was observed in the group of patients without an ischemic stroke (confounding factor). In the case of the MMSE and more severe stenosis, negative results predominated, regardless of the confounding factor. There were no statistically significant differences in test results between carotid stenosis of 50-69%, 70-89%, and 90-99%. The results suggest that for assessing the early risk of cognitive impairment in patients with carotid atherosclerosis, the ACE-R appears more suitable than the MMSE.

Psychometric Testing of the Czech Version of the Rapid Eating Assessment for Patients Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The quantitative study focuses on the psychometric properties of the Rapid Eating Assessment for Patients (REAP) tool for assessing dietary habits. The aim of the study was to validate REAP and its factor structure, reliability, and validity. REAP was used for the first in patients with hypertension. METHODS: Language validation of REAP measurements into Czech language, test, retest, and pilot testing were performed. In addition, 420 patients were investigated, and exploratory confirmation factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha and Split-half coefficients were used. RESULTS: Five models with different number of items and identified factors were created. Reliability coefficients are satisfactory. The best results were achieved through the model created for a group of patients with hypertension. There were five factors extracted and described in words: Factor F1 was named "Meat consumption," factor F2 "Inappropriate food and activities for with hypertension (WH) patients," factor F3 "Consumption of dairy and fatty foods, "factor F4 "Consumption of sweet foods," and factor F5 "Appropriate food and activities for WH patients." CONCLUSION: The REAP questionnaire is a suitable tool for clinical practice use when assessing dietary habits in patients with hypertension.