190 research outputs found
Condizionamenti funzionali e costruttivi nel progetto di recupero di edifici in zona sismica: il caso di villa Lamonica in Puglia
No full textCurrent epidemiology of mild cognitive impairment and other predementia syndromes2
No full textA variety of clinically-defined predementia syndromes, with differing diagnostic criteria and nomenclature, have been proposed to describe nondisabling symptomatic cognitive deficits arising in elderly persons. Incidence and prevalence of different predementia syndromes vary as a result of different diagnostic criteria, sampling, and assessment procedures. The incidence rates of all predementia syndromes increase with age and are higher in subjects with less education; but age, educational background, and gender are not consistently related to prevalence rates. There is particular interest in "Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)" because this predementia syndrome is thought to be a prodromal phase of Alzheimer disease (AD). Several studies have suggested that most patients who meet MCI criteria will progress to AD, but rates of conversion to AD and dementia vary widely among studies. Furthermore, MCI definition is less consistent in population-based studies than clinical studies, in which progression to AD is also more consistent. To clarify the sources of discrepant findings in the literature, this review summarizes existing epidemiological studies of the defined clinical predementia syndromes and their progression to dementia
Relation of lipoprotein(a) as coronary risk factor to type 2 diabetes mellitus and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients > or =65 years of age (The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging).
No full textHigh levels of serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] have been associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), but this association apparently is not confirmed in elderly people. We evaluated the interactions of Lp(a) with lipid and nonlipid CAD risk factors in a sample of subjects enrolled in the prevalence survey (1992 to 1993) of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA). The entire population consisted of 5,632 elderly people, aged 65 to 84 years, randomly selected in 8 Italian municipalities. The present cross-sectional study included 400 free-living elderly subjects (74 6 years) from the randomized cohort of Casamassima (Bari, Southern Italy) (n 704). The results showed that in the elderly population, high serum Lp(a) is a CAD risk
factor dependent on type 2 diabetes mellitus and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. In particular, the combined effect of high Lp(a) (>20 mg/dl) and high LDL cholesterol (>3.63 mmol/L [>140 mg/dl]), increases coronary risk by 2.75 (95% confidence interval 7.70 to 0.99); finally, the effect of Lp(a) >20 mg/dl and LDL cholesterol >3.63 mmol/L (>140 mg/dl), combined with type 2 diabetes mellitus, increases risk of CAD by 6.65 (95% confidence interval 35.40 to 1.25). In the elderly, elevated Lp(a) levels appear not to be an independent predictor of CAD, but this lipoprotein is a risk factor only in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and elevated LDL cholestero
Genetics of late-onset Alzheimer's disease: vascular risk and beta-amyloid metabolism
No full textProgress in clinical and basic research of Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggested theoretical models of possible pathogenetic mechanisms, with a primary role of the genetic factors that have been implicated in AD. These can be divided into two main categories. First, the three genes in which mutations are known to result in early onset autosomal dominant familial AD (presenilins 1 and 2, and amyloid beta protein precursor [APP]): well characterized but that account for only a small proportion of AD cases. Secondly, late onset, sporadic AD is more common and evidence suggests that there is a genetic component to this type of disease. A number of genetic risk factors have been implicated that might increase the risk of developing sporadic disease: particularly, apolipoprotein E (apo E) polymorphism and many others suggested by linkage studies [α-macroglobulin, low density receptor protein (LRP1), bleomycin hydrolase], with a precise role in β-amyloid metabolism and deposition. Many of these are controversial and studies have shown conflicting results, but apoE polymorphism seems to be only one of the possible genetic factors suggested to play a role in the multifactoral pathogenesis of AD. Regional and ethnic differences may affect the strenght of association between apoE ε4 allele and the disease, and we reported evidences of the decreasing frequency of ε4 allele in AD patients and centenarians from Northern to Southern European regions. Finally, several genetic risk factors of vascular origin (angiotensin converting enzyme, methyltetrahydropholate-reductase, and NOS3 gene polymorphisms) have been implicated in the development of both vascular dementia and AD with conflicting results
Disability in the elderly: Epidemiology and risk factors [La disabilità nell'anziano: Epidemiologia efattori di rischio]
No full textRelation of lipoprotein(a) as coronary risk factor to type 2 diabetes mellitus and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients > or =65 years of age (The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging).
No full textSelective attention skills in differentiating between Alzheimer's disease and normal aging.
No full textWe determined the reliability and validity of a cancellation test of symbols (Symbol Cancellation Test [SCT]), designed to assess visual selective attention deficits in the elderly, on 34 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients from Bari University Hospital Center, Bari, Italy, and 232 nondemented elderly subjects, aged 68 to 87 years, from the second prevalence survey (1995 through 1996) of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (Casamassima, Bari, Italy). To assess convergent and discriminant validity, the Digit Cancellation Test (DCT), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Babcock Story Recall Test (BSRT) were administered. Finally, discriminant accuracy of SCT between AD patients and nondemented elderly subjects was assessed. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability for P1 and P2 was excellent for both AD patients and the normal population, with a high degree of internal consistency. The SCT was significantly correlated with the DCT (0.67), MMSE (0.60), and BSRT (0.33). The classification accuracies of overall performance on the SCT for subjects with and without AD were 0.62 and 0.91, respectively. The SCT is a valid and reliable test to assess selective attention in elderly subjects, in whom dementing illness must be diagnosed and clinically distinct from age-related cognitive decline
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