Atrophy asymmetry in hippocampal subfields in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Volumetric analysis of hippocampal subfields and their asymmetry assessment recently has been useful biomarkers in neuroscience. In this study, hippocampal subfields atrophy and pattern of their asymmetry in the patient with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were evaluated. MRI images of 20 AD patients, 20 MCI patients, and 20 healthy control (HC) were selected. The volumes of hippocampal subfields were extracted automatically using Freesurfer toolkit. The subfields asymmetry index (AI) and laterality ([Formula: see text]) were also evaluated. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the subfields volume between three patient groups (age and gender as covariates). We used ANOVA (P < 0.05) test for multiple comparisons with Bonferroni's post hoc correction method. Hippocampal subfields volume in AD patients were significantly lower than HC and MCI groups (P < 0.02); however, no significant difference was observed between MCI and HC groups. The asymmetry index (AI) in some subfields was significantly different between AD and MCI, as well as between AD and HC, while there was not any significant difference between MCI groups with HC. In all three patient groups, rightward laterality ([Formula: see text]) was seen in several subfields except subiculum, presubiculum, and parasubiculum, while in AD patient, rightward lateralization slightly decrease. Hippocampal subfields asymmetry can be used as a quantitative biomarker in neurocognitive disorders. In this study, it was observed that the asymmetry index of some subfields in AD is significantly different from MCI. In AD, patient rightward laterality was less MCI an HC group.

Implications of cognitive and daily living capabilities on early type 2 diabetes management: a preliminary case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to the transition from oral agents to insulin injections in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus therapy varies among patients and is not uniformly successful, leading to suboptimal glycemic control in certain cases. This study aims to investigate the potential correlation between cognitive and daily functional capabilities and glycemic control in middle-aged to older adults (40-74 years old) diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus for less than 10 years, specifically those who have recently transitioned to insulin injections and have lower education levels within the context of a developing country. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with 30 poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (PCDM) patients recognized by HbA1c levels > 8% compared to 30 fairly controlled diabetes mellitus (FCDM) patients with HbA1c levels ≤ 8%. Basic Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-B) score of less than 27 was investigated as the exposure among two groups. Additionally, intra- and inter-battery correlations were assessed among MoCA-B and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) domains using Pearson's r. RESULTS: The primary outcomes showed no crude difference between MoCA-B scores in the two diabetic groups (p-value = 0.82). However, after adjusting for age, education, and IADL scores, cognitive decline in the less-educated younger elderly with high IADL scores demonstrated an unexpected protective effect against PCDM (p-value < 0.0001, OR 95% CI = 0-0.26). In linear regression analysis among MoCA-B and IADL scores, "delayed recall" and "orientation" domains from MoCA-B, and "managing medications" and "using the phone" from IADL were negatively associated with HbA1c levels (p-values of < 0.01, 0.043, 0.015, and 0.023, respectively). Intra- and inter-battery correlations further illustrated a strong association between MoCA-B's "orientation" with IADL's "using the phone" and "managing medications" (p-values < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Superior performance in certain cognitive domains is linked to better glycemic control. Still, since assessing cognitive domains may be timely in clinical routine, a potential rapid approach might be taken by assessing patients' instrumental abilities to use cell phone or manage medications. Future studies including a larger sample size and a broader spectrum of psychosocial factors are needed to elaborate on our findings.

Mental health literacy and COVID-19 related stress: The mediating role of healthy lifestyle in Tabriz.

Introduction: Data concerning the relationship between Mental Health Literacy (MHL) and COVID-19 stress are limited. The study explored the relationship between COVID-19-related stress, MHL, and healthy lifestyle and their components. The current study aimed to investigate the moderating role of a healthy lifestyle in the relationship between MHL and COVID-19-related stress among people referring to health complexes in Tabriz. Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, 1011 people who referred to health complexes in Tabriz were selected using cluster sampling and responded to the COVID-19 Stress Scale (CSS), Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ), and Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSQ). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. SPSS ver.19 and LISREL ver. 8.5 statistical software is used to classify, process, and analyze data and test research hypotheses. Results: The results indicated that stress caused by COVID-19 has a negative relationship with lifestyle and MHL. The relationship between lifestyle and MHL was positive, and it has the positive effect on a healthy lifestyle (with a standardized coefficient of 0.23). In addition, MHL had a negative effect on the stress related to the coronavirus (with a standard coefficient of -0.22), and the relationship between a healthy lifestyle was also negative on the stress related to the coronavirus (with a standard coefficient of -0.20). The evaluation of the hypothetical research model using fit indices showed that the hypothetical model fits the measurement model (Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.97, Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) = 0.95, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.055). All the comparative indices as well as the comparative fit index were found to be close to one and greater than 0.90. Conclusion: This study highlights that healthcare providers must develop effective preventive and therapeutic interventions to deal with COVID-19-related stress and pay attention to the issue of increasing the level of MHL during international crises taking into consideration the moderating role of a healthy lifestyle, and develop educational and treatment programs.