Metric properties of the mini‐mental Parkinson and SCOPA‐COG scales for rating cognitive deterioration in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that causes cognitive impairment and dementia in ～30% of patients. Objective: Compare metric qualities of Mini‐Mental Parkinson (MMP) and scales for outcomes in Parkinson's disease‐cognition (SCOPA‐COG) with respect to their relative reliability, validity and ability to predict symptoms (mobility, quality of life, social repercussions, and mood) in PD patients. Outpatients (n=123, 78 males/45 females) diagnosed with PD were included in the study. A multilevel (hierarchical) modeling analysis was performed along with tests of reliability and validity to ascertain which of the two models better predicts symptoms related to PD. Results: The MMP differed significantly between patients with Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stages 1, 2 or versus 4/5 (grouped together). The SCOPA‐COG showed differences only between patients in H&Y stages 2 versus 4/5. Both scales were dependent on educational background and age. The SCOPA‐COG had a higher coefficient of variation (0.303) than the MMP (0.184), indicating that it was the more discriminative of the two. Conclusions: The SCOPA‐COG has some advantages over the MMP, the most important being a greater discriminative ability. Multilevel hierarchical analysis clarified the necessity of stratifying the PD population according to educational background, years of illness, and H&Y stage when using these scales. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society     

The Danish National Register of assisted reproductive technology: content and research potentials

European Journal of Epidemiology - The Danish National Register of assisted reproductive technology (ART) was initially established in 1994. The register comprises complete information on all ART...     

Leptin upregulates aquaporin 9 expression in human placenta in vitro

Aquaporins are integral membrane proteins that have permeability functions in many tissues. Aquaporin 9 may transport not only water but also small molecules, such as glycerol, monocarboxylates, purines and pyrimidines. Aquaporin 9 is expressed in syncytiotrophoblast of human term placenta, and it may contribute to the embryonic/fetal growth and survival. We have previously found that Aquaporin 9 expression levels seem to be increased in placenta from gestational diabetes. Since leptin plasma levels and leptin expression are increased in placenta from gestational diabetes, we aimed to study the possible role of leptin on Aquaporin 9 expression in human placenta in vitro. The present work shows that leptin produces a dose-dependent increase of Aquaporin 9 expression, resulting in an increase in Aquaporin-9 protein in human trophoblast explants.     

The benefits of a palliative care network: a case study in Quebec, Canada

This article aims to present the beneficial effects associated with the local implementation of an integrated network in palliative care, as perceived by diverse constituency groups. A case study was conducted in the province of Quebec, Canada, using individual (n=16) and group (n=16) interviews, with a total of 106 participants (i.e. managers and formal and informal caregivers). From a content analysis, two categories of beneficial effects emerged: those associated with professional practice and those with patient services. The most important effects of this organisational initiative were found to be the recognition of the palliative care domain necessitating specialized competencies, an improved interdisciplinary collaboration, and more efficient circulation of information between care settings, as well as improved accessibility, continuity and quality of care and services to patients at the end of life.     

Metabolic Fate of [14C]Cefamandole, a Parenteral Cephalosporin Antibiotic, in Rats and Dogs

The biotransformation of the parenterally effective cephalosporin antibiotic cefamandole nafate (I) has been studied in rats and dogs. After rapid in vivo hydrolysis of the nafate pharmaceutical form to cefamandole (II), the antibiotic was found to be very resistant to metabolic degradation in both species. In dogs, cefamandole escaped metabolism and was eliminated as unaltered antibiotic almost exclusively by renal excretion. In rats, cefamandole was somewhat labile to metabolism; however, a major portion of the administered antibiotic was eliminated unchanged principally by renal excretion.     

Is Obesity at Individual and National Level Associated With Lower Age at Menarche? Evidence From 34 Countries in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study

PurposeA unique standardized international data set from adolescent girls in 34 countries in Europe and North America participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study (HBSC) is used to investigate the contribution of body mass index (BMI) at individual and country level to cross-national differences in age at menarche.MethodsTwo independent nationally representative survey data sets from 15-year-olds (n = 27,878, in 34 countries, year = 2005/2006) and 11-year-olds (n = 18,101, in 29 countries, year = 2001/2002) were analyzed. The survey instrument is a self-report questionnaire. Median age at menarche and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Kaplan–Meier analysis. Hierarchical models were used to assess the relationship between BMI and age at menarche (months). “Country-level obesity” was measured by prevalence of overweight/obesity (%) in each country.ResultsCountry-level median age at menarche ranged between 12 years and 5 months and 13 years and 5 months. Country-level prevalence of overweight among 15-year-old girls ranged from 4% to 28%. Age at menarche was inversely associated with individual BMI (unstandardized regression coefficient beta = ?1.01; 95% CI, ?1.09 to ?.94) and country-level aggregate overweight at age 11 (unstandardized regression coefficient beta = ?.25; 95% CI, ?.43 to ?.08). Individual- and country-level measures of BMI account for 40% of the country-level variance in age at menarche.ConclusionsThe findings add to the evidence that obesity in childhood is a risk factor for early puberty in girls and accounts for much of the cross-national variation in age at menarche. Future HBSC surveys can track this relationship in the wake of the obesity “epidemic.”