RESUMEN
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of ethnic minorities again. Health inequity within ethnic minorities has been explained by factors such as higher prevalence of underlying disease, restricted access to care, and lower vaccination rates. In this study, we investigated the effect of cultural tailoring of communicators and media outlets, respectively, on vaccine willingness in an influenza vaccination campaign in the Netherlands. A total of 1226 participants were recruited from two culturally non-tailored media outlets (Dutch newspaper and Facebook), and one media outlet tailored to a large community in the Netherlands with Indian ancestry. The participants from all three media outlets were randomly exposed to a vaccination awareness video delivered by a physician with an Indian or Dutch background, followed by an online survey. Cultural tailoring compared to cultural non-tailoring of communicators showed no difference in improvement of vaccine willingness (13.9% vs. 20.7% increment, respectively, p = 0.083). However, the media outlet tailored to the community with Indian ancestry, resulted in a higher improvement of vaccine willingness compared to non-tailored media outlets (46.7% vs. 14.7% increment, respectively, p < 0.001, unadjusted OR = 5.096). These results suggest that cultural tailoring of media outlets may be critical to effectively reach out to ethnic minorities to help optimize vaccination rates and improve general health.
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COVID-19 , Vacunas contra la Influenza , Gripe Humana , Humanos , Gripe Humana/epidemiología , Gripe Humana/prevención & control , Pandemias/prevención & control , Programas de Inmunización , VacunaciónRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Because of the expected increase in the number of people with dementia, and the associated social and economic costs, there is an urgent need to develop effective and cost-effective care for people with dementia and their caregivers. The intervention proposed here combines two approaches to caregiver support that have shown to be effective in empowering caregivers, i.e., multiple components for caregiver support and actively engaging caregivers to involve the person with dementia in activities at home. The aim is to investigate whether the intervention is effective in improving quality of life in the caregiver and the person with dementia. A further aim will be to investigate whether this intervention can improve caregivers' feeling of competence, experience of caregiving, and mood. METHODS: The study design is a pragmatic, cluster randomised controlled trial with cost-effectiveness analysis. The study participants are informal caregivers and home-living persons with dementia for whom they care, recruited in various regions in the Netherlands. The trial will compare outcomes in two groups of participants: 85 dyads who receive the intervention, and 85 dyads who receive care as usual. The intervention is a caregiver support training that is manual based and consists of 6 group sessions over 2 months. Training takes place in small groups of caregivers led by a health care professional presented at dementia day care centres. Randomisation occurs at the level of the day care centre. Participants are assessed on the outcome measures at baseline, prior to the intervention, and at 3 and 6 months after baseline. DISCUSSION: The study will provide insight into effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an intervention that has not previously been evaluated or implemented in the Netherlands. The intervention potentially adds to the effective support options for informal caregivers of people with dementia without greatly increasing the workload for health- or social care professionals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered at the Dutch Trial Register at NTR6643 ; August 22nd, 2017.
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Cuidadores , Demencia , Actividades Cotidianas , Análisis Costo-Beneficio , Humanos , Calidad de Vida , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como AsuntoRESUMEN
Previous research has shown an association between cognitive control deficits and problematic behavior such as antisocial behavior and substance use, but little is known about the predictive value of cognitive control for treatment outcome. The current study tests whether selected markers of baseline cognitive control predict (1) treatment completion of a day treatment program involving a combination of approaches for multiproblem young adults and (2) daytime activities a year after the start of treatment, over and above psychological, social, and criminal characteristics. We assessed individual, neurobiological, and neurobehavioral measures, including functional brain activity during an inhibition task and two electroencephalographic measures of error processing in 127 male multiproblem young adults (age 18-27 years). We performed two hierarchical regression models to test the predictive power of cognitive control for treatment completion and daytime activities at follow-up. The overall models did not significantly predict treatment completion or daytime activities at follow-up. However, activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during response inhibition, years of regular alcohol use, internalizing problems, and ethnicity were all significant individual predictors of daytime activity at follow-up. In conclusion, cognitive control could not predict treatment completion or daytime activities a year after the start of treatment over and above individual characteristics. However, results indicate a direct association between brain activity during response inhibition and participation in daytime activities, such as work or school, after treatment. As adequate baseline inhibitory control is associated with a positive outcome at follow-up, this suggests interventions targeting cognitive control might result in better outcomes at follow-up.
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Síntomas Conductuales/fisiopatología , Síntomas Conductuales/terapia , Electroencefalografía , Función Ejecutiva/fisiología , Neuroimagen Funcional , Giro del Cíngulo/fisiología , Inhibición Psicológica , Evaluación de Resultado en la Atención de Salud , Desempeño Psicomotor/fisiología , Adolescente , Adulto , Síntomas Conductuales/etnología , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Psicoterapia , Instituciones Académicas , Trabajo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Potential moderators such as exercise intensity or apolipoprotein-E4 (ApoE4) carriership may determine the magnitude of exercise effects on physical and cognitive functions in patients with dementia (PwD). We determined the effects of a 24-week aerobic and strength training program with a low- and high-intensity phase on physical and cognitive function. METHODS: In an assessor-blinded randomized trial, 91 PwD (all-cause dementia, recruited from daycare and residential care facilities, age 82.3 ± 7.0 years, 59 women, Mini-Mental State Examination 20.2 ± 4.4) were allocated to the exercise or control group. In the exercise group, PwD participated in a walking and lower limb strength training program with 12 weeks low- and 12 weeks high-intensity training offered three times/week. Attention-matched control participants performed flexibility exercises and recreational activities. We assessed adherence, compliance, and exercise intensity for each session. We assessed physical (endurance, gait speed, mobility, balance, leg strength) and cognitive (verbal memory, visual memory, executive function, inhibitory control, psychomotor speed) functions with performance-based tests at baseline and after 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 weeks (follow-up). ApoE4 carriership was determined post-intervention. RESULTS: Sixty-nine PwD were analyzed. Their mean attendance was ~ 60% during the study period. There were no significant effects of the exercise vs. control intervention on endurance, mobility, balance, and leg strength in favor of the exercise group (Cohen's d = 0.13-0.18). Gait speed significantly improved with ~ 0.05 m/s after the high-intensity phase for exercise participants (Cohen's d = 0.41) but declined at follow-up. There were no significant effects of the exercise vs. control intervention on any of the cognitive measures (Cohen's d ~ - 0.04). ApoE4 carriership did not significantly moderate exercise effects on physical or cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise was superior to control activities for gait speed in our sample of PwD. However, the training effect provided no protection for mobility loss after detraining (follow-up). There were no beneficial effects of the exercise vs. control group on cognitive function. Exercise intensity moderated the effects of exercise on gait speed. ApoE4 carriership moderated the effect of exercise on global cognition only (trend level). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register, NTR5035. Registered on 2 March 2015.
Asunto(s)
Cognición , Demencia , Terapia por Ejercicio , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Demencia/terapia , Ejercicio Físico , Femenino , Humanos , Países BajosRESUMEN
Atrophy of the medial temporal lobe of the brain is key to memory function and memory complaints in old age. While age and some morbidities are major risk factors for medial temporal lobe atrophy, individual differences remain, and mechanisms are insufficiently known. The largest combined neuroimaging and whole genome study to date indicates that medial temporal lobe volume is most associated with common polymorphisms in the GRIN2B gene that encodes for the 2B subunit (NR2B) of the NMDA receptor. Because sleep disruption induces a selective loss of NR2B from hippocampal synaptic membranes in rodents, and because of several other reports on medial temporal lobe sensitivity to sleep disruption, we hypothesized a contribution of the typical age-related increase in sleep-wake rhythm fragmentation to medial temporal lobe atrophy. Magnetic resonance imaging and actigraphy in 138 aged individuals showed that individual differences in sleep-wake rhythm fragmentation accounted for more (19%) of the variance in medial temporal lobe atrophy than age did (15%), or any of a list of health and brain structural indicators. The findings suggest a role of sleep-wake rhythm fragmentation in age-related medial temporal lobe atrophy, that might in part be prevented or reversible.
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Envejecimiento , Trastornos Cronobiológicos , Privación de Sueño , Lóbulo Temporal , Actigrafía , Anciano , Envejecimiento/patología , Envejecimiento/fisiología , Atrofia/diagnóstico por imagen , Atrofia/patología , Trastornos Cronobiológicos/patología , Trastornos Cronobiológicos/fisiopatología , Femenino , Humanos , Individualidad , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Privación de Sueño/patología , Privación de Sueño/fisiopatología , Lóbulo Temporal/diagnóstico por imagen , Lóbulo Temporal/patologíaRESUMEN
There is evidence that psychiatric patients with psychotic or manic disorders who are incarcerated suffer from the same symptoms as psychiatric patients who are treated in the community. There are also indications that their symptoms might be more severe. The aim of this study was to examine the severity of psychotic and manic symptoms, as well as to collect information about the emotional functioning of patients admitted to a prison psychiatric ward. Incarcerated patients with a diagnosis of psychotic or a manic disorder were examined with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Expanded (BPRS-E). With the scores of 140 assessments, a symptom profile was created using the domains of the BPRS-E. This profile was compared with the clinical profile of three nonincarcerated patient groups described in literature with a diagnosis in the same spectrum. We found high scores on positive and manic psychotic symptoms and hostility, and low scores on guilt, depression, and negative symptoms. High scores on manic and psychotic symptoms are often accompanied by violent behavior. Low scores on guilt, depression, and negative symptoms could be indicative of externalizing coping skills. These characteristics could complicate treatment in the community and warrant further research along with clinical consideration.
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Trastornos Psicóticos Afectivos/diagnóstico , Prisioneros/psicología , Trastornos Psicóticos/diagnóstico , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Adulto , Trastornos Psicóticos Afectivos/psicología , Trastorno Bipolar/diagnóstico , Escalas de Valoración Psiquiátrica Breve , Depresión/diagnóstico , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Prisiones , Trastornos Psicóticos/psicología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Detection of intellectual disability (ID) in the penitentiary system is important for the following reasons: (a) to provide assistance to people with ID in understanding their legal rights and court proceedings; (b) to facilitate rehabilitation programs tailored to ID patients, which improves the enhancement of their quality of life and reduces their risk of reoffending; and (c) to provide a reliable estimate of the risk of offence recidivism. It requires a short assessment instrument that provides a reliable estimation of a person's intellectual functioning at the earliest possible stage of this process. The aim of this systematic review is (a) to provide an overview of recent short assessment instruments that provide a full-scale IQ score in adult prison populations and (b) to achieve a quality measurement of the validation studies regarding these instruments to determine which tests are most feasible in this target population. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement is used to ensure reliability. The Satz-Mögel, an item-reduction short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, shows the highest correlation with the golden standard and is described to be most reliable. Nevertheless, when it comes to applicability in prison populations, the shorter and less verbal Quick Test can be preferred over others. Without affecting these conclusions, major limitations emerge from the present systematic review, which give rise to several important recommendations for further research.
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Pruebas de Inteligencia , Prisioneros/psicología , Humanos , Discapacidad IntelectualRESUMEN
PURPOSE: The Drug Burden Index (DBI) is a tool to quantify the anticholinergic and sedative load of drugs. Establishing functional correlates of the DBI could optimize drug prescribing in patients with dementia. In this cross-sectional study, we determined the relationship between DBI and cognitive and physical functions in a sample of patients with dementia. METHODS: Using performance-based tests, we measured physical and cognitive functions in 140 nursing home patients aged over 70 with all-cause dementia. We also determined anticholinergic DBI (AChDBI) and sedative DBI (SDBI) separately and in combination as total drug burden (TDB). RESULTS: Nearly one half of patients (48%) used at least one DBI-contributing drug. In 33% of the patients, drug burden was moderate (0 < TDB < 1) whereas in 15%, drug burden was high (TDB ≥ 1). Multivariate models yielded no associations between TDB, AChDBI, and SDBI, and physical or cognitive function (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A lack of association between drug burden and physical or cognitive function in this sample of patients with dementia could imply that drug prescribing is more optimal for patients with dementia compared with healthy older populations. However, such an interpretation of the data warrants scrutiny as several dementia-related factors may confound the results of the study.
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Actividades Cotidianas , Inhibidores de la Colinesterasa/administración & dosificación , Cognición , Demencia/tratamiento farmacológico , Demencia/fisiopatología , Hipnóticos y Sedantes/administración & dosificación , Pacientes Internos , Casas de Salud , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Estudios Transversales , Demencia/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether implementation of a stepwise multidisciplinary intervention ('STA OP!' ['STAND UP!']) is effective in reducing behavioural problems and depressive symptoms in nursing home residents with advanced dementia. DESIGN: Cluster randomised controlled trial. METHOD: We implemented the STA OP! protocol on the intervention units by training the entire multidisciplinary team. This team was trained in all 6 steps of the protocol during five 3-hour sessions. Professionals working on the control unit received training on general technical nursing skills, dementia management and pain, but then without the stepwise component. All elderly care physicians were given additional training in pain management in patients with dementia, based on the guidelines on pain in vulnerable older people. Measurements were taken at baseline, and after 3 and 6 months. We used longitudinal 'multilevel' techniques to correct for clustering of data (e.g. at unit level) for statistical analysis (Dutch Trial Register: NTR1967). RESULTS: A total of 288 residents with dementia were included, from 12 nursing homes (21 units): 148 in the intervention group in 11 units and 140 in the control group in 10 units. On the units where the STA OP! protocol was used there was a significant decline in agitation, neuropsychiatric symptoms and depression compared with the control units at 6 months. Furthermore, use of anti-depressive medication was significantly lower on the intervention units (odds ratio: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.10-0.98). CONCLUSION: This cluster RCT revealed that the stepwise multidisciplinary intervention STA OP! is effective in reducing behavioural problems and use of psycho-pharmaceuticals in nursing home residents with dementia.
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Demencia/psicología , Demencia/terapia , Problema de Conducta/psicología , Anciano , Análisis por Conglomerados , Depresión/diagnóstico , Depresión/etiología , Depresión/terapia , Humanos , Casas de Salud , Manejo del Dolor , Agitación Psicomotora/etiología , Agitación Psicomotora/terapia , PsicoterapiaRESUMEN
In sports, fast and accurate execution of movements is required. It has been shown that implicitly learned movements might be less vulnerable than explicitly learned movements to stressful and fast changing circumstances that exist at the elite sports level. The present study provides insight in explicit and implicit motor learning in youth soccer players with different expertise levels. Twenty-seven youth elite soccer players and 25 non-elite soccer players (aged 10-12) performed a serial reaction time task (SRTT). In the SRTT, one of the sequences must be learned explicitly, the other was implicitly learned. No main effect of group was found for implicit and explicit learning on mean reaction time (MRT) and accuracy. However, for MRT, an interaction was found between learning condition, learning phase and group. Analyses showed no group effects for the explicit learning condition, but youth elite soccer players showed better learning in the implicit learning condition. In particular, during implicit motor learning youth elite soccer showed faster MRTs in the early learning phase and earlier reached asymptote performance in terms of MRT. Present findings may be important for sports because children with superior implicit learning abilities in early learning phases may be able to learn more (durable) motor skills in a shorter time period as compared to other children.
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Logro , Rendimiento Atlético , Aprendizaje , Destreza Motora , Tiempo de Reacción , Fútbol/psicología , Atletas/psicología , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Análisis y Desempeño de TareasRESUMEN
Non-pharmacological therapies, such as physical activity interventions, are an appealing alternative or add-on to current pharmacological treatment of cognitive symptoms in patients with dementia. In this meta-analysis, we investigated the effect of physical activity interventions on cognitive function in dementia patients, by synthesizing data from 802 patients included in 18 randomized control trials that applied a physical activity intervention with cognitive function as an outcome measure. Post-intervention standardized mean difference (SMD) scores were computed for each study, and combined into pooled effect sizes using random effects meta-analysis. The primary analysis yielded a positive overall effect of physical activity interventions on cognitive function (SMD[95% confidence interval]=0.42[0.23;0.62], p<.01). Secondary analyses revealed that physical activity interventions were equally beneficial in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD, SMD=0.38[0.09;0.66], p<.01) and in patients with AD or a non-AD dementia diagnosis (SMD=0.47[0.14;0.80], p<.01). Combined (i.e. aerobic and non-aerobic) exercise interventions (SMD=0.59[0.32;0.86], p<.01) and aerobic-only exercise interventions (SMD=0.41[0.05;0.76], p<.05) had a positive effect on cognition, while this association was absent for non-aerobic exercise interventions (SMD=-0.10[-0.38;0.19], p=.51). Finally, we found that interventions offered at both high frequency (SMD=0.33[0.03;0.63], p<.05) and at low frequency (SMD=0.64[0.39;0.89], p<.01) had a positive effect on cognitive function. This meta-analysis suggests that physical activity interventions positively influence cognitive function in patients with dementia. This beneficial effect was independent of the clinical diagnosis and the frequency of the intervention, and was driven by interventions that included aerobic exercise.
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Cognición , Demencia/terapia , Actividad Motora , Demencia/psicología , Humanos , Ensayos Clínicos Controlados Aleatorios como AsuntoRESUMEN
Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients' automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects), rather than an internal focus (on movement execution). Thirty-nine individuals with chronic, unilateral stroke performed a one-leg-stepping task with both legs in single- and dual-task conditions. Attentional focus was manipulated with instructions. Motor performance (movement speed), movement automaticity (fluency of movement), and dual-task performance (dual-task costs) were assessed. The effects of focus on movement speed, single- and dual-task movement fluency, and dual-task costs were analysed with generalized estimating equations. Results showed that, overall, single-task performance was unaffected by focus (p = .341). Regarding movement fluency, no main effects of focus were found in single- or dual-task conditions (p's ≥ .13). However, focus by leg interactions suggested that an external focus reduced movement fluency of the paretic leg compared to an internal focus (single-task conditions: p = .068; dual-task conditions: p = .084). An external focus also tended to result in inferior dual-task performance (ß = -2.38, p = .065). Finally, a near-significant interaction (ß = 2.36, p = .055) suggested that dual-task performance was more constrained by patients' attentional capacity in external focus conditions. We conclude that, compared to an internal focus, an external focus did not result in more automated movements in chronic stroke patients. Contrary to expectations, trends were found for enhanced automaticity with an internal focus. These findings might be due to patients' strong preference to use an internal focus in daily life. Future work needs to establish the more permanent effects of learning with different attentional foci on re-automating motor control after stroke.
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Atención/fisiología , Movimiento/fisiología , Accidente Cerebrovascular/psicología , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Desempeño Psicomotor/fisiología , Accidente Cerebrovascular/fisiopatología , Análisis y Desempeño de TareasRESUMEN
Masticatory performance has been positively associated with cognitive ability in both animals and healthy humans. We hypothesised that there would also be a positive correlation between masticatory performance and cognition in older persons suffering from dementia. Older persons suffering from dementia (n = 114) and receiving institutionalised care were studied in a cross-sectional design. The assessments included masticatory performance, which was measured objectively with a two-colour gum mixing ability test, and cognition, which was assessed with a multidomain neuropsychological test battery. Significant relationships were observed between masticatory performance and general cognition and between masticatory performance and verbal fluency. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the correlation with general cognition was influenced by the scores for dependency in activities of daily living. The association between verbal fluency and masticatory performance was not significantly affected by secondary variables. An unexpected limitation of this study was the high dropout rate for the mixing ability test. The clinical implications of these findings are profound; care professionals should endeavour to maintain and stimulate mastication in older persons with dementia in an attempt to preserve cognition.
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Cognición/fisiología , Demencia/fisiopatología , Masticación/fisiología , Conducta Verbal/fisiología , Actividades Cotidianas , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Goma de Mascar , Color , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Pruebas NeuropsicológicasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Physical performances and cognition are positively related in cognitively healthy people. The aim of this study was to examine whether physical performances are related to specific cognitive functioning in older people with mild to severe cognitive impairment. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 134 people with a mild to severe cognitive impairment (mean age 82 years). Multiple linear regression was performed, after controlling for covariates and the level of global cognition, with the performances on mobility, strength, aerobic fitness, and balance as predictors and working memory and episodic memory as dependent variables. RESULTS: The full models explain 49-57% of the variance in working memory and 40-43% of episodic memory. Strength, aerobic fitness, and balance are significantly associated with working memory, explaining 3-7% of its variance, irrespective of the severity of the cognitive impairment. Physical performance is not related to episodic memory in older people with mild to severe cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Physical performance is associated with working memory in older people with cognitive impairment. Future studies should investigate whether physical exercise for increased physical performance can improve cognitive functioning. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NTR1482.
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Trastornos del Conocimiento/fisiopatología , Memoria Episódica , Aptitud Física , Desempeño Psicomotor , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Índice de Severidad de la EnfermedadRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Despite the beneficial effect of cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction, a rehabilitation program to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and influence secondary prevention has not been implemented for ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and feasibility of a post-stroke care including an exercise program after minor ischemic stroke or TIA. METHODS: In a randomised controlled trial, 20 patients with a recent minor stroke or TIA without cardiac contraindications were randomly assigned to one of the two interventions; post-stroke care without exercise or post-stroke care with exercise. Patients were evaluated at baseline, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Eighteen patients completed the intervention. In none of the patients cardiopulmonary contraindications for the maximal exercise test and exercise program were found. No cardiovascular events occurred during the maximal exercise tests and exercise program. After one year, significantly more patients in the post-stroke care with exercise group achieved the composite endpoint of optimal medical therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Post-stroke care including an exercise program is safe and feasible in the acute phase after minor stroke or TIA and might be a way to increase effectiveness of secondary stroke prevention. We are currently conducting a larger trial to validate these results.
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Terapia por Ejercicio , Ataque Isquémico Transitorio/rehabilitación , Aptitud Física , Prevención Secundaria/métodos , Rehabilitación de Accidente Cerebrovascular , Anciano , Prueba de Esfuerzo , Estudios de Factibilidad , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Motivación , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Patients with transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or stroke are at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. Currently, there is no known effective strategy to prevent this cognitive decline. Increasing evidence exists that physical exercise is beneficial for cognitive function. However, in patients with TIA or stroke who are at risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, only a few trials have been conducted. In this study, we aim to investigate whether a physical exercise programme (MoveIT) can prevent cognitive decline in patients in the acute phase after a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A single-blinded randomised controlled trial will be conducted to investigate the effect of an aerobic exercise programme on cognition compared with usual care. 120 adult patients with a TIA or minor ischaemic stroke less than 1 month ago will be randomly allocated to an exercise programme consisting of a 12-week aerobic exercise programme and regular follow-up visits to a specialised physiotherapist during the period of 1 year or to usual care. Outcome measures will be assessed at the baseline, and at the 1-year and 2-year follow-up. The primary outcome is cognitive functioning measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and with additional neuropsychological tests. Secondary outcomes include maximal exercise capacity, self-reported physical activity and measures of secondary prevention. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study received ethical approval from the VU University Amsterdam Ethics committee (2011/383). The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. We will also disseminate the main results to our participants in a letter. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The Nederlands Trial Register NTR3884.
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Trastornos del Conocimiento/prevención & control , Terapia por Ejercicio/métodos , Ataque Isquémico Transitorio/complicaciones , Accidente Cerebrovascular/complicaciones , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Prevención Secundaria/métodos , Método Simple CiegoRESUMEN
People with intellectual disabilities are at high risk for pain and have communication difficulties. Facial and numeric scales for self-report may aid pain identification. It was examined whether the comprehension of a facial affective scale and a numeric scale for pain in adults with Down syndrome (DS) varies with presentation format. Adults with DS were included (N=106, mild to severe ID, mean age 37 years), both with (N=57) and without (N=49) physical conditions that may cause pain or discomfort. The Facial Affect Scale (FAS) and a numeric rating scale (NRS) were compared. One subgroup of participants (N=50) had to choose the two items within each format to indicate 'least pain' and 'most pain'. The other subgroup of participants (N=56) had to order three faces of the FAS from 'least pain' to 'most pain', and to answer questions about the magnitude of numbers for the NRS. Comprehension percentages were compared between two subgroups. More participants understood the FAS than the NRS, irrespective of the presentation format. The comprehension percentage for the FAS did not differ between the least-most extremities format and the ordering/magnitude format. In contrast, comprehension percentages for the NRS differed significantly between the least-most extremities format (61%) and the ordering/magnitude format (32%). The inclusion of ordering and magnitude in a presentation format is essential to assess thorough comprehension of facial and numeric scales for self-reported pain. The use of this format does not influence the number of adults with DS who pass the comprehension test for the FAS, but reduces the number of adults with DS who pass the comprehension test for the NRS.
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Afecto , Comprensión , Síndrome de Down/complicaciones , Expresión Facial , Dimensión del Dolor/métodos , Dolor/complicaciones , Dolor/diagnóstico , Acetaminofén/uso terapéutico , Adulto , Analgésicos no Narcóticos/uso terapéutico , Antiinflamatorios no Esteroideos/uso terapéutico , Cognición , Diclofenaco/uso terapéutico , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Dolor/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Many techniques are available to assess masticatory performance, but not all are appropriate for every population. A proxy suitable for elderly persons suffering from dementia was lacking, and a two-colour chewing gum mixing ability test was investigated for this purpose. A fully automated digital analysis algorithm was applied to a mixing ability test using two-coloured gum samples in a stepwise increased number of chewing cycles protocol (Experiment 1: n = 14; seven men, 19-63 years), a test-retest assessment (Experiment 2: n = 10; four men, 20-49 years) and compared to an established wax cubes mixing ability test (Experiment 3: n = 13; 0 men, 21-31 years). Data were analysed with repeated measures anova (Experiment 1), the calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC; Experiment 2) and Spearman's rho correlation coefficient (Experiment 3). The method was sensitive to increasing numbers of chewing cycles (F5,65 = 57·270, P = 0·000) and reliable in the test-retest (ICC value of 0·714, P = 0·004). There was no significant correlation between the two-coloured gum test and the wax cubes test. The two-coloured gum mixing ability test was able to adequately assess masticatory function and is recommended for use in a population of elderly persons with dementia.
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Algoritmos , Goma de Mascar/normas , Masticación/fisiología , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Color , Demencia/complicaciones , Femenino , Humanos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The American College of Sports Medicine prescribes regular performance of at least moderate-intensity physical activity for healthy aging. This study examined whether 1 session of 30 min of chair-assisted exercises for the elderly meets this intensity criterion. METHOD: This cross-sectional study included 47 cognitively healthy volunteers (mean age 84 years). During the performance of 30 min of chair-assisted exercises the authors determined oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production, heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). These measures were expressed as a percentage of the estimated maximal VO2 (VO2max) and the estimated maximal HR (HRmax) and estimated as metabolic equivalent units (METs). RESULTS: Participants performed chair-assisted exercises at 61.0% ± 14.7% of VO2max, 67.6% ± 11.3% HRmax, 3.9 ± 0.9 METs, and 13.1 ± 2.1 RPE. CONCLUSIONS: The intensity of these chair-assisted exercises is at least moderate for older adults, which is necessary for healthy aging.
Asunto(s)
Envejecimiento/fisiología , Ejercicio Físico/fisiología , Esfuerzo Físico/fisiología , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Dióxido de Carbono/metabolismo , Estudios Transversales , Metabolismo Energético , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Consumo de Oxígeno/fisiología , Postura/fisiología , Estadísticas no ParamétricasRESUMEN
The goal of this literature review has been to investigate the relationship between mastication and cognition, with a special focus on ageing and dementia, and its possible underlying mechanisms. Since the relationship between mastication and cognition is not yet firmly established, and is investigated in the context of a number of different disciplines, a comprehensive overview will contribute to our knowledge. The results of animal and human experimental studies suggest a causal relationship between mastication and cognition. Furthermore, correlations exist between mastication and activities of daily living and nutritional status. These findings have compelling implications for the development of prevention strategies by which medical and nursing staff may optimize their care for the frail and elderly, suffering from dementia.