Cognitive impairment and health outcomes in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cognitive impairment is prevalent in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but its effects on health outcomes remain unclear. While cognitive impairment can affect self-management, its role in CKD has been insufficiently explored. This systematic review aimed to examine the association between cognitive impairment and health outcomes or self-management ability among persons with CKD.

Prevalence and progress of underdiagnosis of probable dementia: a repeated cross-sectional study in 19 European countries.

Background: Underdiagnosis of dementia remains a significant public health challenge in Europe, with nearly half of those meeting clinical criteria not receiving a formal diagnosis. Recent healthcare initiatives have aimed to improve diagnostic processes, but the extent of progress varies across countries.

Methods: We analyzed data of 10,402 participants from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) across 19 countries from 2011-2015 to 2015-2019.

Medicine Optimisation and Deprescribing Intervention Outcomes for Older People with Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review.

Background: Polypharmacy is common amongst older people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), increasing the risk of medication-related harm. Medicine optimisation and deprescribing to reduce polypharmacy is considered feasible, safe and can lead to improved health. However, for those living with dementia or MCI, this can be challenging.

Temporal trends in population attributable fractions of modifiable risk factors for dementia: a time-series study of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2004-2019).

Background: Interest in modifiable risk factors (MRFs) for dementia is high, given the personal, social, and economic impact of the disorder, especially in ageing societies such as the United Kingdom. Exploring the population attributable fraction (PAF) of dementia attributable to MRFs and how this may have changed over time remains unclear. Unravelling the temporal dynamics of MRFs is crucial for informing the development of evidence-based and effective public health policies.

Placebo effects in randomized trials of pharmacological and neurostimulation interventions for mental disorders: An umbrella review.

There is a growing literature exploring the placebo response within specific mental disorders, but no overarching quantitative synthesis of this research has analyzed evidence across mental disorders. We carried out an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of biological treatments (pharmacotherapy or neurostimulation) for mental disorders. We explored whether placebo effect size differs across distinct disorders, and the correlates of increased placebo effects.

Placebo effects in mental health disorders: protocol for an umbrella review.

Introduction: Given the high prevalence of mental health disorders and their significant socioeconomic burden, there is a need to develop improved treatments, and to evaluate them through placebo-controlled trials. However, the magnitude of the placebo response in randomised controlled trials to test medications may be substantial, affecting their interpretation. Therefore, improved understanding of the patient, trial and mental disorder factors that influence placebo responses would inform clinical trial design to better detect active treatment effects.

T Lymphocytes and Their Potential Role in Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative cause of dementia. People with DLB have an inferior prognosis compared to Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the diseases overlap in their neuropathology and clinical syndrome. It is imperative that we enhance our understanding of the aetiology and pathogenesis of DLB.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma with metastasis to the prostatic urethra and bladder.

Metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma to the urinary bladder is extremely rare and aggressive. We discuss here the case of an 83-year-old male with history of esophageal adenocarcinoma treated with chemoradiation therapy and esophagectomy who presented with gross hematuria and lower urinary tract symptoms. Pathology of the bladder tumor after transurethral resection demonstrated invasive adenocarcinoma of both the bladder and the prostatic urethra consistent with metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The Impact of Social Isolation Due to COVID-19 on Symptom Progression in People With Dementia: Findings of the SOLITUDE Study.

Background: People with dementia (PWD) are vulnerable to abrupt changes to daily routines. The lockdown enforced on the 23rd of March 2020 in the UK to contain the expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic limited opportunities for PWD to access healthcare services and socialise. The SOLITUDE study explored the potential long-term effects of lockdown on PWD's symptoms and carers' burden.

The impact of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with dementia and caregivers.

Objective: Social distancing to limit COVID-19 transmission has led to extensive lifestyle changes, including for people with dementia (PWD). The aim of this study, therefore, was to assess the impact of lockdown on the mental health of PWD and their carers.

Methods: Forty-five carers of PWD completed a telephone interview during the baseline assessment of the SOLITUDE study to gather information on life conditions and changes in symptoms of PWD during lockdown.

Inflammation in dementia with Lewy bodies.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative cause of dementia, behind Alzheimer's disease (AD). The profile of inflammation in AD has been extensively researched in recent years, with evidence that chronic peripheral inflammation in midlife increases the risk of late-onset AD, and data supporting inflammation being associated with disease progression. In contrast, our understanding of the role of inflammation in DLB is less developed.

Voiding cystourethrogram: Who gets a cyclic study and does it matter?

Background: Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) images the urethra and bladder during both bladder filling and emptying, as well as the ureters and kidneys when vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is present. Given the variation in VCUG technique and reporting, the American Academy of Pediatrics Sections on Urology and Radiology published a joint standardized VCUG protocol in 2016, which included the recommendation of at least 2 voiding cycles to identify intermittent VUR and/or ureteral ectopia.

Study Design: VCUG were assessed for adherence to performance of cyclic study.

Implementation of treatment escalation plans in an old age psychiatry inpatient hospital.

A treatment escalation plan (TEP) enables timely and appropriate decision making in the management of deteriorating patients. The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated the widespread use of TEPs in acute care settings throughout the National Health Service (NHS) to facilitate safe and effective decision making. TEP proformas have not been developed for the inpatient psychiatric setting.

Refractory catatonia in old age: a case report.

Background: Catatonia is a clinical syndrome characterized by psychomotor disruption, which often goes undiagnosed. Most reports have focused on interventions and outcomes for catatonia in younger people and those with schizophrenia. The clinical characteristics and course of catatonia in old age are poorly understood.

Peripheral immunophenotype in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease: an observational clinical study.

Background: Inflammation plays a key role in the aetiology and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the immunophenotype of the second most common neurodegenerative cause of dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), remains unclear. To date there have been no studies examining peripheral inflammation in DLB using multiplex immunoassay and flow cytometry concomitantly.

Neuroinflammation in dementia with Lewy bodies: a human post-mortem study.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative cause of dementia, behind Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is now established that cerebral inflammation has a key role in the aetiology and progression of AD, but this has yet to be confirmed in DLB. We aimed to determine the neuroinflammatory profile in the cerebral cortex of a large cohort of DLB cases.

Psychological stress, cognitive decline and the development of dementia in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

To determine the relationship between psychological stress with cognitive outcomes in a multi-centre longitudinal study of people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) we assessed three parameters of psychological stress (Recent Life Changes Questionnaire (RLCQ); the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and salivary cortisol) and their relationship with rates of cognitive decline over an 18 month follow up period and conversion to dementia over a 5.5 year period. In 133 aMCI and 68 cognitively intact participants the PSS score was higher in the aMCI compared with control group but neither the RLCQ scores nor salivary cortisol measures were different between groups.

Identification and Validation of Radiographic Enhancement for Reliable Differentiation of CD117(+) Benign Renal Oncocytoma and Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma.

The diagnostic differential for CD117/KIT(+) oncocytic renal tumor biopsies is limited to benign renal oncocytoma versus chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC); however, further differentiation is often challenging and requires surgical resection. We investigated clinical variables that might improve preoperative differentiation of CD117(+) renal oncocytoma versus ChRCC to avoid the need for benign tumor resection. A total of 124 nephrectomy patients from a single institute with 133 renal oncocytoma or ChRCC tumors were studied.

What do we know about the inflammasome in humans?

The inflammasome complex is part of the innate immune system, which serves to protect the host against harm from pathogens and damaged cells. It is a term first proposed by Tschopp's group in 2002, with numerous original research articles and reviews published on the topic since. There have been many types of inflammasome identified, but all result in the common pathway of activation of caspases and interleukin 1β along with possible cell death called pyroptosis.

Effect of amyloid-β (Aβ) immunization on hyperphosphorylated tau: a potential role for glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β.

Aims: Active amyloid-β (Aβ) immunotherapy in Alzheimer's disease (AD) induces removal of Aβ and phosphorylated tau (ptau). Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β is a kinase, responsible for phosphorylation of tau, activation of which can be induced by phosphorylated double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (pPKR). Using a post-mortem cohort of immunized AD cases, we investigated the effect of Aβ immunization on GSK-3β expression and pPKR.

Effect of active Aβ immunotherapy on neurons in human Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid β peptide (Aβ) immunization of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients has been reported to induce amyloid plaque removal, but with little impact on cognitive decline. We have explored the consequences of Aβ immunotherapy on neurons in post mortem brain tissue. Eleven immunized (AN1792, Elan Pharmaceuticals) AD patients were compared to 28 non-immunized AD cases.

Eicosanoid profiling in an orthotopic model of lung cancer progression by mass spectrometry demonstrates selective production of leukotrienes by inflammatory cells of the microenvironment.

Eicosanoids are bioactive lipid mediators derived from arachidonic acid(1) (AA), which is released by cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). AA is metabolized through three major pathways, cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LO) and cytochrome P450, to produce a family of eicosanoids, which individually have been shown to have pro- or anti-tumorigenic activities in cancer. However, cancer progression likely depends on complex changes in multiple eicosanoids produced by cancer cells and by tumor microenvironment and a systematic examination of the spectrum of eicosanoids in cancer has not been performed.

Activation of PPARγ in myeloid cells promotes lung cancer progression and metastasis.

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) inhibits growth of cancer cells including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinically, use of thiazolidinediones, which are pharmacological activators of PPARγ is associated with a lower risk of developing lung cancer. However, the role of this pathway in lung cancer metastasis has not been examined well.

Lysyl oxidase contributes to mechanotransduction-mediated regulation of transforming growth factor-β signaling in breast cancer cells.

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) regulates all stages of mammary gland development, including the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and the suppression of tumorigenesis in mammary epithelial cells (MECs). Interestingly, mammary tumorigenesis converts TGF-β from a tumor suppressor to a tumor promoter through molecular mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. Changes in integrin signaling and tissue compliance promote the acquisition of malignant phenotypes in MECs in part through the activity of lysyl oxidase (LOX), which regulates desmoplastic reactions and metastasis.

Depletion of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in bone marrow-derived macrophages protects against lung cancer progression and metastasis.

Cancer progression and metastasis involves interactions between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME). We reported that mice deficient for cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)-KO) are protected against the development of lung tumors. The goal of this study was to examine the role of cPLA(2) in the TME.