Biomedical subjects

B A Schmand

Publications and source records attributed to B A Schmand.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Identification of responders and reactive domains to rivastigmine in Alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE: Presently, it is unclear which patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease (AD) respond to rivastigmine and if rivastigmine acts on specific cognitive domains. The aims of this study are thus to investigate treatment effects of rivastigmine on specific cognitive domains and to find possible responsive subpopulations to rivastigmine cognitive effects. METHODS: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Cambridge Cognitive Examination (CAMCOG) were administered at baseline and after 6 months in 83 rivastigmine users and 96 historical controls, representing natural decline. Treatment effects on different subsections of the CAMCOG and in different subpopulations were investigated by linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Rivastigmine showed effectiveness on total CAMCOG (p < 0.001), CAMCOG non-memory subsection (p < 0.001) and subscales of language (p = 0.002), attention/calculation (p = 0.043), abstract thinking (p < 0.001) and perception (p = 0.031). In patients with baseline MMSE < or =19 rivastigmine showed significant and favourable effects compared to historical controls on total CAMCOG (p < 0.001) and both non-memory (p < 0.001) and memory subsections (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Rivastigmine showed primarily effectiveness on the non-memory section of the CAMCOG and patients with a baseline MMSE < or = 19 appeared to show greater responses to rivastigmine compared to patients with baseline MMSE > or = 20.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

Asking the age question in elderly populations: a reverse record check study.

In two large-scale surveys among elderly respondents we evaluated the accuracy of answers obtained to three differently formulated age questions. Respondents included 6,149 individuals aged 65-86 living in The Netherlands. Because criterion age data were available from different sources, it was possible to compare the respondent's reported age with his or her actual age. Refusal rates were low for all three questions. Both age and cognitive capabilities influenced accuracy of the answers to the age questions. The results indicated that the most accurate data were obtained with the question, "What is your date of birth?" in combination with interview date.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

Effects of adjustment on the case-finding potential of cognitive tests.

Adjustment of a cognitive test for an expected level of performance improves the discrimination between brain-diseased and healthy subjects. However, this improvement is subject to severe limitations and may be worthwhile only in clinical settings, where test results tend to be low regardless of disease status. The objective of this study was to provide an empirical demonstration of these principles, applied to the detection of dementia with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The subjects, derived from a population-based sample, consisted of 36 cases of dementia (23 diagnosed shortly after testing and 13 at follow-up 1 year later) and 301 nondemented subjects defined by a negative follow-up diagnosis. A simulated group of 179 clinically suspect normals was obtained by selecting all cases with an MMSE score below 27. Adjustment was based on the Dutch version (DART) of the National Adult Reading Test (NART), which was highly correlated (0.53) with the MMSE score of nondemented subjects. The results were in accordance with the predictions. We conclude that adjustment is unlikely to improve case finding in representative samples, but can be profitable in clinical practice, where it will be especially helpful in ruling out cerebral disease.

Adult↗