Validation of the Addenbrooke's cognitive examination for detecting early Alzheimer's disease and mild vascular dementia in a German population.

We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the German version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE) in identifying early Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild vascular dementia (VaD) in comparison with the conventional Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The study refers to 50 patients with mild dementia of AD, 26 patients with mild dementia of vascular etiology and to 54 cognitively normal subjects. The ACE and MMSE were validated against an expert diagnosis based on a comprehensive diagnostic workup. Statistical analysis was performed using the receiver operator characteristics method. The optimal cut-off score for the ACE for detecting dementia in patients with early AD was 85/86, which had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 86%. The optimal cut-off for the ACE for the identification of dementia in patients with mild VaD was also 85/86 and it had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 100%. The kappa values imply a substantial agreement between the diagnoses made by the ACE and the MMSE. The German version of the ACE is a short and practical but accurate test battery for the identification of AD and VaD, assessing a broad range of cognitive functions and providing a wide profile of cognitive functions/dysfunctions.

[Status of detecting bronchial cancer in the Newbrandenburg district]. / Erfassungssituation des Bronchialkarzinoms im Bezirk Neubrandenburg.

All 489 cases of bronchogenic carcinoma reported during the years 1982 and 1983 in the county of Neubrandenburg were analysed and compared with an analogous examination of the period from 1962 to 1969. In spite of a considerable shortening of delay between first symptoms and final diagnosis there was a shift to a greater proportion of more advanced tumor stages III and IV. Consequently, the rate of patients in whom resection could be performed, decreased. In general, patients detected by mass x-ray examinations are in an earlier stage. The analysis of clinical symptoms showed that especially in cases with obstructive pneumonia a careful examination is mandatory to early diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma with central localization.

[Results of combined blind pleural biopsy and cytology in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusions]. / Ergebnisse der kombinierten Pleurablindbiopsie und Zytologie bei der Differentialdiagnose von Pleuraergüssen.

In 80 patients with pleural effusion of uncleared aetiology cytological, bacteriological and chemical examinations of punctate were combined with blind pleural biopsy. Malignant pleural diseases were verified via pleural biopsy in 48% and in combination with pleural biopsy and cytology in 93% of the cases. About one third of the tuberculosis pleural effusions could be diagnosed histologically. Blind pleural biopsy can be recommended as a method of low risk in differential diagnosis of pleural effusions.