Olfactory memory is impaired in a triple transgenic model of Alzheimer disease

Olfactory memory dysfunctions were investigated in the triple-transgenic murine model of Alzheimer's disease (3× Tg-AD). In the social transmission of food preference test, 3× Tg-AD mice presented severe deficits in odor-based memory, without gross changes in general odor-ability. Aβ and tau immunoreactivity was not observed in the primary processing regions for odor, the olfactory bulbs (OBs), whereas marked immunostaining was present in the piriform, entorhinal, and orbitofrontal cortex, as well as in the hippocampus. Our results suggest that the impairment in olfactory-based information processing might arise from degenerative mechanisms mostly affecting higher cortical regions and limbic areas, such as the hippocampus.     

A randomized, open-label, comparative crossover handling trial between two durable pens in patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus

Background

This open-label, randomized, comparative crossover usability study investigated preference between durable insulin pens, NovoPen® 4 and NovoPen 3, among patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes.

Methods

In a timed test, 82 current NovoPen 3 users (mean age, 48.5 years) assessed intuitiveness of NovoPen 4. After timed training, this group and 34 insulin-naïve patients (mean age, 61.8 years) were randomized to a handling evaluation of NovoPen 4 followed by NovoPen 3, or vice versa, in which participants made three injections into a foam cushion. A device-specific questionnaire was filled out for each pen. A third questionnaire asked participants to compare pens.

Results

Current NovoPen 3 users completed the intuitive assessment of NovoPen 4 in an average time of 1.94 min (range, 0.57–4.98 min). The training of insulin-naïve patients occurred in slightly less time with NovoPen 4 than with NovoPen 3 but did not reach significance (9.9 versus 11.5 min; p = .32). Survey responses showed that both groups had less difficulty and were more confident in handling NovoPen 4 than NovoPen 3; 96.3% of the NovoPen 3 users and 100% of the insulin-naïve group preferred to use NovoPen 4 (p < .0001).

Conclusion

Patients currently using NovoPen 3 or who were insulin naïve expressed a preference for NovoPen 4 in this study, reporting it to be simpler to learn and easier to use than NovoPen 3. NovoPen 4 may help facilitate insulin therapy among newly diagnosed patients and potentially improve adherence and treatment satisfaction among current NovoPen 3 users.     

Patients With Schizophrenia Demonstrate Inconsistent Preference Judgments for Affective and Nonaffective Stimuli

Previous studies have typically found that individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) report levels of emotional experience that are similar to controls (CN) when asked to view a single evocative stimulus and make an absolute judgment of stimulus “value.” However, value is rarely assigned in absolute terms in real-life situations, where one alternative or experience is often evaluated alongside others, and value judgments are made in relative terms. In the current study, we examined performance on a preference task that requires individuals to differentiate between the relative values of different stimuli. In this task, subjects were presented with many pairs of moderately positive stimuli and asked to indicate which stimulus they preferred in each pair. Resulting data indicated the rank order of preference across stimuli and the consistency of their transitive mapping (ie, if A > B and B > C, then A should be > C). Individuals with SZ (n = 38) were both less consistent in their rankings of stimuli and more likely to have larger magnitudes of discrepant responses than control subjects (n = 27). Furthermore, CN showed clear differentiation between different valence categories of stimuli (ie, highly positive > mildly positive > mildly negative > highly negative); while individuals with SZ showed the same general pattern of results but with less differentiation between the valence levels. These data suggest that individuals with SZ are impaired in developing or maintaining nuanced representations of the different attributes of a stimulus, thus making stimuli of similar general value easily confusable.     

Sugar consumption and preference among Mexican, Chinese, and Nigerian immigrants to Texas

This pilot study investigated the relationship between sugar consumption/ preference and the length of residence in the U.S. among certain immigrant groups. The study sample consisted of 213 volunteers from community organizations and church groups, of Nigerian (45%), Mexican (31%), and Chinese (24%) descent. Data were collected on demographics, sugar consumption/preference (24-hour dietary recall), and oral health status. The age of respondents varied from 18 to 93 years with a mean age of 37.0 ± 11.7 years. The mean length of residence was 9.2 ± 7.2 years, and the mean sugar consumption was 122.4 ± 114.6 g/day. Immigrants from Mexico and Nigeria reported consuming more servings of sweets per day than the Chinese (p= .006); Mexican immigrants had the highest level of sugar preference (p= .001). No significant differences were observed between the length of residence and either sugar consumption or sugar preference. Greater availability of sugar and sweet snacks does not always result in increased sugar consumption or sugar preference.     

疏肝解郁方对大鼠吗啡条件性位置偏爱期间前额叶皮质和伏核中GluR1、GluR2蛋白表达变化的影响

目的 研究吗啡条件性位置偏爱期间疏肝解郁方对大鼠前额叶皮质和伏核中谷氨酸受体1(GluR1)、谷氨酸受体2(GluR2)蛋白表达的影响.方法 采用Western blot实验方法定量检测GluR1和GluR2蛋白表达的变化.结果 与正常对照组比较,吗啡模型组GluR1和GluR2的蛋白表达均明显升高(P<0.01).与...     

A double-blind, randomized, multicenter, Italian study of frovatriptan versus rizatriptan for the acute treatment of migraine

The objective of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with acute treatment of migraine with frovatriptan or rizatriptan by preference questionnaire. 148 subjects with a history of migraine with or without aura (IHS 2004 criteria), with at least one migraine attack per month in the preceding 6 months, were enrolled and randomized to frovatriptan 2.5 mg or rizatriptan 10 mg treating 1–3 attacks. The study had a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, with treatment periods lasting <3 months. At the end of the study, patients assigned preference to one of the treatments using a questionnaire with a score from 0 to 5 (primary endpoint). Secondary endpoints were pain-free and pain relief episodes at 2 h, and recurrent and sustained pain-free episodes within 48 h. 104 of the 125 patients (83%, intention-to-treat population) expressed a preference for a triptan. The average preference score was not significantly different between frovatriptan (2.9 ± 1.3) and rizatriptan (3.2 ± 1.1). The rates of pain-free (33% frovatriptan vs. 39% rizatriptan) and pain relief (55 vs. 62%) episodes at 2 h were not significantly different between the two treatments. The rate of recurrent episodes was significantly (p < 0.001) lower under frovatriptan (21 vs. 43% rizatriptan). No significant differences were observed in sustained pain-free episodes (26% frovatriptan vs. 22% rizatriptan). The number of patients with adverse events was not significantly different between rizatriptan (34) and frovatriptan (25, p = NS). The results suggest that frovatriptan has a similar efficacy to rizatriptan, but a more prolonged duration of action.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10194-010-0243-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Shared decision making in medicine: The influence of situational treatment factors

Objective

Although shared decision making (SDM) has become increasingly important in bioethical discussions and clinical practice, it is not clear in which treatment situations SDM is suitable. We address this question by investigating social norms on the appropriateness of SDM in different situations.

Methods

We conducted qualitative expert interviews with patients, general practitioners, and health administration and research professionals.

Results

SDM was considered to be most important in severe illness and chronic condition. Furthermore, SDM was indicated to be required if there is more than one therapeutic option, especially if it is not clear which option is best. Interviewees classified end-of-life decisions and decisions about prevention as those that primarily should be made by informed patients. On the other hand a paternalistic decision was considered most appropriate in emergency situations and when the patient does not want to participate in decision making.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that multiple situational factors and their interactions must be considered regarding the scope of SDM in medical consultation.

Practice implications

Research addressing this question will help physicians adjust their consultation style and allow implementations of SDM and decision aids to be tailored more appropriately to complex treatment situations.     

Validity and Reliability of the Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire among Chinese College Students

The rising prevalence of physical inactivity is in all age groups (e.g., in college students) a major public health issue as not meeting the recommended minimum amount of regular physical activity is linked to adverse health events. Vice versa, there is mounting evidence that achieving the recommended amount of regular physical activity is a vital element to prevent chronic diseases, but there is often an insufficient adherence to planned and structured forms of physical activity (i.e., physical exercises). In this context, there is a large body of evidence indicating that exercise adherence is, among other factors, influenced by exercise-related affective responses. The Preference for and Tolerance of the Intensity of Exercise Questionnaire (PRETIE-Q) has been developed to measure these affective responses (e.g., to specific exercise intensities). So far, no validated Chinese version of the PRETIE-Q has been available in the literature. To address this gap in literature, the present study developed and validated a Chinese version of the PRETIE-Q in a large sample of Chinese college students. Data from a total of 1117 college students were collected for analyses concerning factorial validity and construct validity. The re-test reliability was established using a sample of 150 randomly selected participants. In addition, the level of regular physical activity (PA), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and resilience were used to examine possible links with two domains (preference and tolerance) of the PRETIE-Q. Our results showed that a Chinese version of the PRETIE-Q has a good fit and reliability (Cronbach’s α of 0.72 to 0.85 for preference and tolerance, respectively; ICC: r = 0.72 of preference and r = 0.67 of tolerance; fit indices: χ² = 21.612, df = 19, p > 0.05, TLI = 0.997, CFI = 0.998, RMSEA = 0.016, SRMR = 0.024). Secondly, positive associations of intensity-tolerance with PA, CRF, and resilience were observed. In summary, this study indicates that the Chinese version of the PRETIE-Q has sound psychometric properties and can be used in Chinese college students. The adapted version of the PRETIE-Q paves the way for further research on exercise-related affective responses in Chinese-speaking samples, although the generalizability of our findings needs to be established for other cohorts such as adolescents and older people with and without chronic diseases.     

Implementing and evaluating shared decision making in oncology practice

Answer questions and earn CME/CNE Engaging individuals with cancer in decision making about their treatments has received increased attention; shared decision making (SDM) has become a hallmark of patient‐centered care. Although physicians indicate substantial interest in SDM, implementing SDM in cancer care is often complex; high levels of uncertainty may exist, and health care providers must help patients understand the potential risks versus benefits of different treatment options. However, patients who are more engaged in their health care decision making are more likely to experience confidence in and satisfaction with treatment decisions and increased trust in their providers. To implement SDM in oncology practice, physicians and other health care providers need to understand the components of SDM and the approaches to supporting and facilitating this process as part of cancer care. This review summarizes recent information regarding patient and physician factors that influence SDM for cancer care, outcomes resulting from successful SDM, and strategies for implementing SDM in oncology practice. We present a conceptual model illustrating the components of SDM in cancer care and provide recommendations for facilitating SDM in oncology practice. CA Cancer J Clin 2014;64:377–388. © 2014 American Cancer Society .     

Taking a different perspective: Mindset influences neural regions that represent value and choice

Most choices are complex and can be considered from a number of different perspectives. For example, someone choosing a snack may have taste, health, cost or any number of factors at the forefront of their mind. Although previous research has examined neural systems related to value and choice, very little is known about how mindset influences these systems. In the current study, participants were primed with Health or Taste while they made decisions about snack foods. Some neural regions showed consistent associations with value and choice across Health or Taste mindsets. Regardless of mindset, medial orbitofrontal cortex (MOFC) tracked value in terms of taste, regions in left lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) tracked value in terms of health, and MOFC and dorsal anterior cingulate were associated with choice. However, activity in other neural regions was modulated by the mindset manipulation. When primed with Taste, rostral anterior cingulate tracked value in terms of taste whereas left amygdala and left putamen were associated with choice. When primed with Health, right LPFC and posterior MOFC tracked value in terms of health. The findings contribute to the neural research on decision-making by demonstrating that changing perspectives can modulate value- and choice-related neural activity.