Effectiveness of a self-reporting yes/no survey for dementia screening-trial in Fukui, Japan.

Background: Early intervention for dementia patients is extremely important for the prevention of dementia. However, so far, it is not clear as to what kind of screening will be useful for the early detection of dementia. Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between the results of a short self-reporting yes/no survey selected in Kihon Checklist, developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to identify older adults who are at risk of requiring support/care, and other original items developed by Dementia Prevention Team, Fukui, Japan, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, and determine the diagnostic efficacy of the self-reporting yes/no survey. Methods: Self-reporting yes/no surveys were conducted for 87,687 individuals aged ≥65 years, living in Fukui, Japan, and did not have Long-Term Care Insurance, Japan. According to the survey results, selected individuals were advised to visit a local hospital to be assessed with MMSE. Results: Individuals who could not make a call by looking up phone numbers and manage their own deposits and savings at the bank or automatic teller machine (ATM) had an increased risk of low MMSE score (≤23; odds ratio: 2.74 [1.89-3.97]; 95% confidence interval: 2.12 [1.46-3.07]). Conclusions: Self-reporting yes/no survey could effectively screen for dementia. Not being able to make a call by looking up phone numbers and not being able to manage their own deposits and savings at the bank or ATM are signs of dementia.

Reactivation of HSV-1 in the brain of patients with familial Alzheimer's disease.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has been proposed as an environmental risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease, although this issue is still in dispute. The involvement of HSV-1 in the pathogenesis of familial Alzheimer's disease, the uncommon type of Alzheimer's disease, has not been addressed yet. We investigated formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, postmortem brain tissue sections of three patients with familial Alzheimer's disease for the presence of HSV-1 DNA. The nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected the HSV-1 glycoprotein D gene in the brain of all three patients with familial Alzheimer's disease preferentially in the frontal and temporal cortices, whereas only one case out of six age-matched, non-Alzheimer's disease individuals could disclose the presence of HSV-1 gene. The PCR detected HSV-1 DNA in the frontal cortex of the two patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease. The presence of HSV-1 was associated with beta-amyloid deposition in the cerebral cortex. To clarify the localization of HSV-1 in the brain tissue of patients with familial Alzheimer's disease, the in situ hybridization of the tyramide signal amplification system was used. It detected the HSV-1-specific signals predominantly in the cytoplasm of cortical neurons in a dot-like staining fashion. In addition, high-sensitivity immunohistochemistry revealed the existence of HSV-1 antigens in the cytoplasm of cortical neurons. This report provides the first evidence of reactivation of HSV-1 in the brain of patients with familial Alzheimer's disease, associated with beta-amyloid deposition, and suggests the possible involvement of HSV-1 together with genetic factors in the pathogenesis of familial Alzheimer's disease.