Our aim was to identify any relationship between religiosity and the progression of cognitive impairment and behavioral disorders in mild-moderate Alzheimer’s disease,
and any relationship between the patient’s religiosity and the stress in caregivers.
Materials and Methods: 64 patients with Alzheimer’s disease were analyzed at baseline and 12 months later using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Behavioral Religiosity Scale (BRS) and the Francis Short Scale (FSS). Caregivers were also questioned on the patient’s functional abilities (ADL, IADL), the behavioral disturbances (NPI), and on their stress (NPI-D, CBI). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to BRS: a score of <24 meant no or low religiosity (LR), while a score of >= www.selleckchem.com/products/BafilomycinA1.html 24 meant moderate or high
religiosity (HR).
Findings: LR patients had worsened more markedly https://www.selleckchem.com/products/bay80-6946.html after 12 months in their total cognitive and behavioral test scores. Stress was also significantly higher in the caregivers of the LR group. Global BRS and FSS scores correlated significantly with variations after 1 year in the MMSE (r: 0.50), NPI (r:-0.51), NPI-D (r:-0.55) and CBI (r:-0.62). A low religiosity coincided with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, considered as a 3-point decrease in MMSE score (OR 6.7, CI: 1.8-24.7).
Interpretation: Higher levels of religiosity in Alzheimer’s dementia seem to correlate with a slower cognitive and behavioral decline, with a corresponding significant reduction of the caregiver’s burden.”
“We show that electronic coupling in quantum dot solids can
be controlled thermomechanically. The amount and nature of interstitial material controls the shrinkage of the solids upon cooling and thereby the distances as well as electronic coupling between the constituting semiconductor nanocrystals. Using photoluminescence and transmission electron microscopy at variable temperatures we apply this concept to single nanowires and densely packed XAV 939 nanocrystals. We tune the band gap emission and realize both temperature-induced red- and blueshifts. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3443581]“
“Purpose: To evaluate the increase in cardiac x-ray computed tomographic (CT) research and the relative contributions of radiologists and cardiologists.
Materials and Methods: This observational study of public data was exempt from institutional review board approval. The National Library of Medicine MEDLINE database was searched for articles published between 1996 and 2006 in which CT was used to acquire images of the heart. The date and journal of publication, authors’ specialty and country, and article type were recorded. Trends were evaluated by using regression analysis, with P <= .05 indicating a significant difference.
Results: A total of 1270 articles were identified.