Josep Lluís Carrasco | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Canine cognitive deficit correlates with diffuse plaque maturation and S100beta (-) astrocytosis but not with insulin cerebrospinal fluid level.

Like humans, canines develop with aging beta-amyloid (Abeta) plaques and a progressive cognitive deficit on tasks similar to those used in diagnosis and follow-up of Alzheimer's disease. Owing to that, dogs are quite unique to investigate the early events taking place in the diffuse Abeta plaque maturation and its relationship with cognitive deficit. The aim of the present investigation was to study the link between the diffuse Abeta plaque maturation and the astro- and microglial reactivity. The involvement of insulin and beta-subunit of S100 protein (S100beta) overexpression in the process was also investigated. Abeta plaques were measured and counted in prefrontal cortex of 16 pet dogs of different breeds, weight and sex, classified as control and with a light or severe cognitive deficit. A correlation between canine graded cognitive deficit, diffuse plaque maturation, and S100beta (-) astrocytosis, but not with cerebrospinal fluid insulin level, was found that may reflect the very early events of Abeta deposition in Alzheimer's disease.

Aging↗

PubMed2004

[Statistical approaches to evaluate agreement].

Reliability and agreement of measurement methods is a fundamental issue in health sciences which is not usually borne in mind. In this document the connotations of using measurement methods with error and the switchability among measurements from methods which disagree are highlighted. These implications are illustrated through examples showing up the confounding effect that measurement error can produce. Throughout the document several procedures to assess agreement and to identify the error sources are suggested. These procedures are classified according to the sort of data, quantitative or qualitative data, as well as the way of agreement is assessed, in an aggregate way by means a values or in a disaggregate way analysing separately the error sources. By means of these procedures is showed that frequently used approaches to assess agreement as the averages comparison, the correlation coefficient or the regression model appear as insufficient or inadequate approaches.

Bias↗