La Conselleria de Salut ha reconocido este lunes el importante aumento que experimentaron en el 2011 las listas de espera quirúrgicas a consecuencia de los drásticos recortes económicos impuestos por la Generalitat. "Con toda seguridad, se alargarán esas listas", afirmó Francesc Sancho, director general de Estratègia i Coordinació en Salut, en alusión a la evolución de ese registro, del que rehusó ofrecer datos.
Las listas de espera quirúrgicas han crecido el 45% con el recorte
Sancho enfatizó que los gestores de Salut se sienten "bastante satisfechos" con los tiempos de espera que están aplicando a las enfermedades urgentes, unas dolencias que, en principio y según ha reiterado el conseller Boi Ruiz, no están sujetas a ninguna demora. "No nos preocupa que aumenten las listas de espera para operarse de juanetes, circuncisión o vasectomía --dijo Sancho--. Nos preocuparía que se incrementaran las demoras para operarse de un cáncer. Estamos contentos con nuestra gestión".
-82.000 personas esperando
La intervención de Sancho es consecuencia de la información que este lunes publica EL PERIÓDICO, que cifra en un 45% el aumento de las listas de espera quirúrgicas desde que se iniciarion los recortes. Más de 82.000 personas aguardan cita para ser intervenidas de una enfermedad no urgente, 25.000 más que hace un año.
**Publicado en "EL PERIODICO DE CATALUNYA"
14 February 2012
New cases of rare genetic disorder identified
Scientists at the University of Liverpool, working with international partners, have shown a rare genetic disease, that causes crippling osteoarthritis in the spine and major joints, is far more prevalent worldwide than previously thought. Researchers have identified more than 100 new cases of the disease, called alkaptonuria (AKU) in a small community in Vellore, India, bringing the total number of patients there to 130. Approximately 40 patients have been found in a village in Southern Jordan, but previously the disease had been unknown to healthcare workers in the region. There were only four known cases in the UK in 2003, but this has since risen to more than 80 patients across the country.
Research findings suggest that more work is needed to raise the profile of the disease in countries around the world so that it can be correctly identified by medics. It is thought to affect one in 250,000 people worldwide, but many remain undiagnosed or mis-diagnosed as osteoarthritis.
Scientists at Liverpool are bringing international researchers together as part of the AKU Society to establish a global network that will help further understanding of the condition within communities and healthcare practices. The AKU Society was established in Liverpool in 2003 and supports patients diagnosed with the disease.
Patients being treated for AKU do not have enough of the enzyme, homogentisic acid oxidase, which causes acid to build up in the body. Some of this acid is eliminated in the urine, but the remainder is deposited in body tissue where it is toxic. As a result, a black pigment, called ochronosis, forms and binds to bone, cartilage and skin. This can cause erosion of the cartilage and patients often have to undergo joint replacement surgery.
Dr Lakshminarayan Ranganath, researcher at the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease and clinician at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: "AKU was the first genetic disease to be identified by scientists. It was described in 1902 by an English physician, but more than 100 years later there is still no cure for the disease. A drug candidate has recently been identified and is awaiting clinical trials to see if it could be used to treat AKU patients. We want to identify as many people with the condition as possible to ensure these important trials go ahead.
"Recent findings in India and Jordan show us that this disease is more prevalent than current statistics suggest and we urgently need to get research out into healthcare practices around the world so that cases can be identified and diagnosed correctly. We want to expand our international links as well as promote PhD opportunities to young researchers looking to progress our knowledge of the disease.
Professor James Gallagher, AKU researcher at the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, said: "We are currently working to understand why the black pigment that attaches itself to joint cartilage only attaches to certain areas, whilst other sections of cartilage remain pigment-free. If we can understand the mechanisms of how the pigment binds in the body then we may be able to prevent the disease developing."
Isaac Jebaraj, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, said: "My work is focused on a Romani Community in South India, where we have identified approximately 100 cases of AKU. It is important for us to reach these communities as traditionally they do not attend hospitals for aliments, preferring to use herbs and oils instead. As such we anticipate that there are many more people in India with this condition that have yet to be diagnosed with the condition.
"We have now treated many of the community with anti-inflammatory drugs and some have had surgery for joint replacement. To ensure that potential new treatments reach these communities, it is important that scientists work together to progress with drug trials."
**Source: University of Liverpool
Research findings suggest that more work is needed to raise the profile of the disease in countries around the world so that it can be correctly identified by medics. It is thought to affect one in 250,000 people worldwide, but many remain undiagnosed or mis-diagnosed as osteoarthritis.
Scientists at Liverpool are bringing international researchers together as part of the AKU Society to establish a global network that will help further understanding of the condition within communities and healthcare practices. The AKU Society was established in Liverpool in 2003 and supports patients diagnosed with the disease.
Patients being treated for AKU do not have enough of the enzyme, homogentisic acid oxidase, which causes acid to build up in the body. Some of this acid is eliminated in the urine, but the remainder is deposited in body tissue where it is toxic. As a result, a black pigment, called ochronosis, forms and binds to bone, cartilage and skin. This can cause erosion of the cartilage and patients often have to undergo joint replacement surgery.
Dr Lakshminarayan Ranganath, researcher at the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease and clinician at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: "AKU was the first genetic disease to be identified by scientists. It was described in 1902 by an English physician, but more than 100 years later there is still no cure for the disease. A drug candidate has recently been identified and is awaiting clinical trials to see if it could be used to treat AKU patients. We want to identify as many people with the condition as possible to ensure these important trials go ahead.
"Recent findings in India and Jordan show us that this disease is more prevalent than current statistics suggest and we urgently need to get research out into healthcare practices around the world so that cases can be identified and diagnosed correctly. We want to expand our international links as well as promote PhD opportunities to young researchers looking to progress our knowledge of the disease.
Professor James Gallagher, AKU researcher at the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, said: "We are currently working to understand why the black pigment that attaches itself to joint cartilage only attaches to certain areas, whilst other sections of cartilage remain pigment-free. If we can understand the mechanisms of how the pigment binds in the body then we may be able to prevent the disease developing."
Isaac Jebaraj, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, said: "My work is focused on a Romani Community in South India, where we have identified approximately 100 cases of AKU. It is important for us to reach these communities as traditionally they do not attend hospitals for aliments, preferring to use herbs and oils instead. As such we anticipate that there are many more people in India with this condition that have yet to be diagnosed with the condition.
"We have now treated many of the community with anti-inflammatory drugs and some have had surgery for joint replacement. To ensure that potential new treatments reach these communities, it is important that scientists work together to progress with drug trials."
**Source: University of Liverpool
Expertos salen en defensa de la píldora poscoital
Volver a la venta de la píldora poscoital con receta puede dificultar su acceso a las mujeres. La Sociedad Española de Contracepción (SEC) y la Federación Española de Contracepción (FEC) han expresado este lunes su oposición a que cambie la fórmula de dispensación de este fármaco, que se vende sin prescripción médica en las farmacias desde hace dos años y medio, ante el anuncio del Ministerio de Sanidad de revisar esta medida. “Limitar su venta impondría barreras a su uso”, reclama Ezequiel Pérez Campo, presidente de la SEC.
La ministra de Sanidad, Ana Mato, pidió hace unos días a un grupo de expertos que analice los efectos de este fármaco anticonceptivo de emergencia y su uso. “Tememos que ese informe esté sesgado. Desde el punto de vista sanitario es un tratamiento efectivo y seguro. En su tiempo de venta libre ha funcionado bien y no se han reportado efectos adversos. ¿Por qué cambiar algo que funciona?”, dice Campos.
Los expertos temen que la vuelta a la receta devuelva también las desigualdades entre comunidades para conseguir este fármaco, del que se dispensan unas 700.000 unidades al año. Hasta septiembre de 2009 solo los centros de planificación de Andalucía, Cantabria, y del Ayuntamiento de Madrid dispensaban gratis este método para evitar embarazos no deseados. En otras regiones, conseguir la receta no era fácil: no todos los lugares tienen servicios de planificación y algunos centros de salud cierran los fines de semana.
El Partido Popular siempre se ha mostrado en contra de la venta sin receta de este fármaco. Votó en contra de la medida y en 2010 impulsó una propuesta en el Senado en la que reclamaba la vuelta a la receta. Y el partido ahora en el Gobierno no ha sido el único que ha desaprobado la venta libre de este fármaco. La medida tampoco satisface a la Organización Médica Colegial (OMC). Es a esta organización, a la Sociedad Española de Ginecología y Obstetricia (Sego) —que también prefiere una “contracepción reglada”— y a la Agencia Española del Medicamento, a quienes ha encargado Mato el informe.
Para Isabel Serrano, presidenta de la Federación Española de Planificación Familiar, no hay justificación para volver a la venta con receta. “Si fuera acompañada de medidas para desarrollar una amplia red de servicios de planificación no nos opondríamos, pero es una medida aislada destinada a devolver las barreras a su acceso. No hay discusión sobre la seguridad de la píldora poscoital. La bibliografía internacional avala que es un fármaco muy seguro”, dice. De hecho, Serrano recuerda que en casi todos los países de Europa se vende sin receta. La Organización Mundial de la Salud, además, aconseja su uso como anticonceptivo de emergencia. “Facilitar su acceso no aumenta las conductas sexuales de riesgo”, dicen.
La libre dispensación tampoco provoca que se abuse de este fármaco, según los expertos. Es cierto que su venta se ha incrementado —un 83% en 2010, según datos de IMS—, pero ese aumento responde a que las píldoras que antes se dispensaban por otros canales —centros de planificación, hospitales...— ahora se venden en farmacias. Un estudio reciente de la SEC muestra que solo el 0,4% de las mujeres de 14 a 50 años tomó este fármaco más de una vez en 12 meses.
Mientras se elabora el informe, la OMC ha propuesto que este anticonceptivo de emergencia sea dispensado de forma gratuita por el personal sanitario en los centros de salud.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
La ministra de Sanidad, Ana Mato, pidió hace unos días a un grupo de expertos que analice los efectos de este fármaco anticonceptivo de emergencia y su uso. “Tememos que ese informe esté sesgado. Desde el punto de vista sanitario es un tratamiento efectivo y seguro. En su tiempo de venta libre ha funcionado bien y no se han reportado efectos adversos. ¿Por qué cambiar algo que funciona?”, dice Campos.
Los expertos temen que la vuelta a la receta devuelva también las desigualdades entre comunidades para conseguir este fármaco, del que se dispensan unas 700.000 unidades al año. Hasta septiembre de 2009 solo los centros de planificación de Andalucía, Cantabria, y del Ayuntamiento de Madrid dispensaban gratis este método para evitar embarazos no deseados. En otras regiones, conseguir la receta no era fácil: no todos los lugares tienen servicios de planificación y algunos centros de salud cierran los fines de semana.
El Partido Popular siempre se ha mostrado en contra de la venta sin receta de este fármaco. Votó en contra de la medida y en 2010 impulsó una propuesta en el Senado en la que reclamaba la vuelta a la receta. Y el partido ahora en el Gobierno no ha sido el único que ha desaprobado la venta libre de este fármaco. La medida tampoco satisface a la Organización Médica Colegial (OMC). Es a esta organización, a la Sociedad Española de Ginecología y Obstetricia (Sego) —que también prefiere una “contracepción reglada”— y a la Agencia Española del Medicamento, a quienes ha encargado Mato el informe.
Para Isabel Serrano, presidenta de la Federación Española de Planificación Familiar, no hay justificación para volver a la venta con receta. “Si fuera acompañada de medidas para desarrollar una amplia red de servicios de planificación no nos opondríamos, pero es una medida aislada destinada a devolver las barreras a su acceso. No hay discusión sobre la seguridad de la píldora poscoital. La bibliografía internacional avala que es un fármaco muy seguro”, dice. De hecho, Serrano recuerda que en casi todos los países de Europa se vende sin receta. La Organización Mundial de la Salud, además, aconseja su uso como anticonceptivo de emergencia. “Facilitar su acceso no aumenta las conductas sexuales de riesgo”, dicen.
La libre dispensación tampoco provoca que se abuse de este fármaco, según los expertos. Es cierto que su venta se ha incrementado —un 83% en 2010, según datos de IMS—, pero ese aumento responde a que las píldoras que antes se dispensaban por otros canales —centros de planificación, hospitales...— ahora se venden en farmacias. Un estudio reciente de la SEC muestra que solo el 0,4% de las mujeres de 14 a 50 años tomó este fármaco más de una vez en 12 meses.
Mientras se elabora el informe, la OMC ha propuesto que este anticonceptivo de emergencia sea dispensado de forma gratuita por el personal sanitario en los centros de salud.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
Study finds association between air pollution and cognitive decline in women
A large, prospective study led by a researcher at Rush University Medical Center indicates that chronic exposure to particulate air pollution may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults. The results of the study will be published in the Feb. 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In the study, women who were exposed to higher levels of ambient particulate matter (PM) over the long term experienced more decline in their cognitive functioning over a four-year period. Higher levels of long-term exposure to both coarse PM (PM2.5-10) and fine PM (PM2.5) were associated with significantly faster cognitive decline.
PM air pollution consists of small particles suspended in the air. Particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which is 1/30th the width of human hair, are called fine PM and particles larger than 2.5-10 microns is called coarse PM.
These associations were present at levels of PM exposure typical in many areas of the United States.
There are few recent studies that analyze air pollution and cognitive function in older adults, but this is the first study to examine change in cognitive function over a period of time and whether exposure to the size of particulate matter is important.
Jennifer Weuve, MPH., ScD, assistant professor of the Rush Institute of Healthy Aging and the principal investigator of the study, along with her colleagues, evaluated air pollution, both coarse and fine, in relation to cognitive decline in older women using a study population from the Nurses' Health Study Cognitive Cohort, which included 19,409 U.S. women ages 70 to 81 for a 14-year period going back as far as 1988.
"Our study explored chronic exposure to particulate air pollution in relation to decline in cognitive functioning among older women," said Weuve. "Very is little known about the role of particulate matter exposure and its association with cognitive decline."
Exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with cardiovascular risk, which itself may play a role in causing or accelerating cognitive decline.
"Unlike other factors that may be involved in dementia such as diet and physical activity, air pollution is something we can intervene on as a society at large through policy, regulation and technology," said Weuve.
"Therefore, if our findings are confirmed in other research, air pollution reduction is a potential means for reducing the future population burden of age-related cognitive decline, and eventually, dementia," said Weuve.
**Source: Rush University Medical Center
PM air pollution consists of small particles suspended in the air. Particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which is 1/30th the width of human hair, are called fine PM and particles larger than 2.5-10 microns is called coarse PM.
These associations were present at levels of PM exposure typical in many areas of the United States.
There are few recent studies that analyze air pollution and cognitive function in older adults, but this is the first study to examine change in cognitive function over a period of time and whether exposure to the size of particulate matter is important.
Jennifer Weuve, MPH., ScD, assistant professor of the Rush Institute of Healthy Aging and the principal investigator of the study, along with her colleagues, evaluated air pollution, both coarse and fine, in relation to cognitive decline in older women using a study population from the Nurses' Health Study Cognitive Cohort, which included 19,409 U.S. women ages 70 to 81 for a 14-year period going back as far as 1988.
"Our study explored chronic exposure to particulate air pollution in relation to decline in cognitive functioning among older women," said Weuve. "Very is little known about the role of particulate matter exposure and its association with cognitive decline."
Exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with cardiovascular risk, which itself may play a role in causing or accelerating cognitive decline.
"Unlike other factors that may be involved in dementia such as diet and physical activity, air pollution is something we can intervene on as a society at large through policy, regulation and technology," said Weuve.
"Therefore, if our findings are confirmed in other research, air pollution reduction is a potential means for reducing the future population burden of age-related cognitive decline, and eventually, dementia," said Weuve.
**Source: Rush University Medical Center
Hearing aid gap: Millions who could benefit remain untreated
Though an estimated 26.7 million Americans age 50 and older have hearing loss, only about one in seven uses a hearing aid, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins researchers. The finding adds clarity to less rigorous estimates by device manufacturers and demonstrates how widespread undertreatment of hearing loss is in the United States, the study investigators say.
"Understanding current rates of hearing loss treatment is important, as evidence is beginning to surface that hearing loss is associated with poorer cognitive functioning and the risk of dementia," says study senior investigator, otologist and epidemiologist Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D. "Previous studies that have attempted to estimate hearing aid use have relied on industry marketing data or focused on specific groups that don't represent a true sample of the United States population," adds Lin, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the university's Bloomberg School of Public Health.
To address the data gap, Lin and Wade Chien, M.D., also an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, used data from the 1999-2006 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a research program that has periodically gathered health information from thousands of Americans since 1971. During those cycles, participants answered questions about whether they used a hearing aid and had their hearing tested.
Their new findings, to be published in the Archives of Internal Medicine online Feb. 13, showed that only about one in seven individuals age 50 or older -- 14 percent -- use hearing aids. Although hearing aid use rose with age, ranging from 4.3 percent in individuals 50 to 59 years old to 22.1 percent in those 80 and older. Overall, another 23 million could possibly benefit from using the devices, says Lin.
Lin says many with hearing loss likely avoid their use, in part, because health insurance often does not cover the costs and because people do not receive the needed rehabilitative training to learn how to integrate the devices into their daily lives. But another major reason, he says, is that people often consider hearing loss inevitable and of minor concern.
"There's still a perception among the public and many medical professionals that hearing loss is an inconsequential part of the aging process and you can't do anything about it," says Lin. "We want to turn that idea around."
Lin and his colleagues currently are leading a study to investigate the effects of hearing aids and cochlear implants on the social, memory and thinking abilities of older adults.
Funding support for this study was provided by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
**Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
"Understanding current rates of hearing loss treatment is important, as evidence is beginning to surface that hearing loss is associated with poorer cognitive functioning and the risk of dementia," says study senior investigator, otologist and epidemiologist Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D. "Previous studies that have attempted to estimate hearing aid use have relied on industry marketing data or focused on specific groups that don't represent a true sample of the United States population," adds Lin, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the university's Bloomberg School of Public Health.
To address the data gap, Lin and Wade Chien, M.D., also an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, used data from the 1999-2006 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a research program that has periodically gathered health information from thousands of Americans since 1971. During those cycles, participants answered questions about whether they used a hearing aid and had their hearing tested.
Their new findings, to be published in the Archives of Internal Medicine online Feb. 13, showed that only about one in seven individuals age 50 or older -- 14 percent -- use hearing aids. Although hearing aid use rose with age, ranging from 4.3 percent in individuals 50 to 59 years old to 22.1 percent in those 80 and older. Overall, another 23 million could possibly benefit from using the devices, says Lin.
Lin says many with hearing loss likely avoid their use, in part, because health insurance often does not cover the costs and because people do not receive the needed rehabilitative training to learn how to integrate the devices into their daily lives. But another major reason, he says, is that people often consider hearing loss inevitable and of minor concern.
"There's still a perception among the public and many medical professionals that hearing loss is an inconsequential part of the aging process and you can't do anything about it," says Lin. "We want to turn that idea around."
Lin and his colleagues currently are leading a study to investigate the effects of hearing aids and cochlear implants on the social, memory and thinking abilities of older adults.
Funding support for this study was provided by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
**Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
El empleo de un marcador químico y el PET ayudan a ver los daños cerebrales
El envejecimiento de la población lleva aparejado un aumento considerable de los casos de demencia. Según los últimos datos, alrededor del 20% de los mayores de 65 años padecen ya cierto deterioro cognitivo -un rasgo que aumenta el riesgo de sufrir enfermedades como el Alzheimer- y se espera que las cifras continúen avanzando en los próximos años.
Esta prevalencia del problema ha hecho que, entre otras líneas de investigación, en los últimos tiempos se haya avanzado en el desarrollo de distintas técnicas para 'adelantarse' a los daños.
Aunque los ensayos aún están lejos de averiguar cómo se puede frenar la enfermedad, sí se han alcanzado resultados prometedores a la hora de identificar a los enfermos potenciales, tal y como demuestra una investigación que se publica esta semana en la revista 'Archives of Neurology'.
Los autores de este trabajo, de la Universidad de California (EEUU), han desarrollado una técnica basada en la tomografía por emisión de positrones (PET) que permite predecir el deterioro cognitivo en un periodo que, de momento, alcanza los dos años.
Esta prevalencia del problema ha hecho que, entre otras líneas de investigación, en los últimos tiempos se haya avanzado en el desarrollo de distintas técnicas para 'adelantarse' a los daños.
Aunque los ensayos aún están lejos de averiguar cómo se puede frenar la enfermedad, sí se han alcanzado resultados prometedores a la hora de identificar a los enfermos potenciales, tal y como demuestra una investigación que se publica esta semana en la revista 'Archives of Neurology'.
Los autores de este trabajo, de la Universidad de California (EEUU), han desarrollado una técnica basada en la tomografía por emisión de positrones (PET) que permite predecir el deterioro cognitivo en un periodo que, de momento, alcanza los dos años.
-La investigación
En primer lugar, estos investigadores idearon un marcador químico -denominado FDDNP- capaz de 'adherirse' a los acúmulos de proteína TAU y de beta-amiloide característicos de los cerebros de las personas con demencia que puede 'visualizarse' desde el exterior a través de un PET.
Partiendo de la hipótesis de que esta herramienta podría ser muy útil para detectar cambios dañinos en el cerebro antes de aparecieran los primeros síntomas, los científicos iniciaron una investigación con 43 voluntarios cuya edad rondaba los 64 años y que no presentaban signos de demencia (21 de ellos sí padecían un deterioro cognitivo leve).
Periódicamente, cada participante se sometió a una tomografía por emisión de positrones en las que se había utilizado el marcador FDDNP y, además, a varias pruebas para evaluar su capacidad cognitiva. El seguimiento duró una media de dos años.
Al final del estudio, los investigadores comprobaron que los participantes que iban sumando cada vez más acúmulos dañinos en su cerebro también presentaban un peor patrón cognitivo. Principalmente, las áreas más afectadas eran las áreas del cerebro relacionadas con el razonamiento, la memoria y las emociones.
Además, también descubrieron que aquellos individuos con una mayor presencia inicial del marcador FDDNP tenían más riesgo de presentar síntomas clínicos de problemas de demencia al cabo del tiempo.
"Los valores [de este marcador] sirvieron para predecir un deterioro cognitivo en el futuro", señalan en la revista médica los investigadores, quienes ya han avanzado que el próximo paso en su investigación será intentar replicar los resultados en una muestra más grande y con un seguimiento más prolongado.
De momento, confían en que su investigación pueda servir para abrir nuevos caminos en la lucha contra las enfermedades neurodegenerativas. "Podría ser útil no sólo para predecir un daño cognitivo futuro o para identificar a los individuos que más podrían beneficiarse de posibles tratamientos preventivos, sino también para evaluar la efectividad de dichos tratamientos o para acelerar el descubrimiento de nuevos fármacos", concluyen.
En primer lugar, estos investigadores idearon un marcador químico -denominado FDDNP- capaz de 'adherirse' a los acúmulos de proteína TAU y de beta-amiloide característicos de los cerebros de las personas con demencia que puede 'visualizarse' desde el exterior a través de un PET.
Partiendo de la hipótesis de que esta herramienta podría ser muy útil para detectar cambios dañinos en el cerebro antes de aparecieran los primeros síntomas, los científicos iniciaron una investigación con 43 voluntarios cuya edad rondaba los 64 años y que no presentaban signos de demencia (21 de ellos sí padecían un deterioro cognitivo leve).
Periódicamente, cada participante se sometió a una tomografía por emisión de positrones en las que se había utilizado el marcador FDDNP y, además, a varias pruebas para evaluar su capacidad cognitiva. El seguimiento duró una media de dos años.
Al final del estudio, los investigadores comprobaron que los participantes que iban sumando cada vez más acúmulos dañinos en su cerebro también presentaban un peor patrón cognitivo. Principalmente, las áreas más afectadas eran las áreas del cerebro relacionadas con el razonamiento, la memoria y las emociones.
Además, también descubrieron que aquellos individuos con una mayor presencia inicial del marcador FDDNP tenían más riesgo de presentar síntomas clínicos de problemas de demencia al cabo del tiempo.
"Los valores [de este marcador] sirvieron para predecir un deterioro cognitivo en el futuro", señalan en la revista médica los investigadores, quienes ya han avanzado que el próximo paso en su investigación será intentar replicar los resultados en una muestra más grande y con un seguimiento más prolongado.
De momento, confían en que su investigación pueda servir para abrir nuevos caminos en la lucha contra las enfermedades neurodegenerativas. "Podría ser útil no sólo para predecir un daño cognitivo futuro o para identificar a los individuos que más podrían beneficiarse de posibles tratamientos preventivos, sino también para evaluar la efectividad de dichos tratamientos o para acelerar el descubrimiento de nuevos fármacos", concluyen.
**Publicado en "EL MUNDO"
UCLA brain-imaging technique predicts who will suffer cognitive decline over time
Cognitive loss and brain degeneration currently affect millions of adults, and the number will increase, given the population of aging baby boomers. Today, nearly 20 percent of people age 65 or older suffer from mild cognitive impairment and 10 percent have dementia. UCLA scientists previously developed a brain-imaging tool to help assess the neurological changes associated with these conditions. The UCLA team now reports in the February issue of the journal Archives of Neurology that the brain-scan technique effectively tracked and predicted cognitive decline over a two-year period.
The team has created a chemical marker called FDDNP that binds to both plaque and tangle deposits -- the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease -- which can then be viewed using a positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan, providing a "window into the brain." Using this method, researchers are able to pinpoint where in the brain these abnormal protein deposits are accumulating.
"We are finding that this may be a useful neuro-imaging marker that can detect changes early, before symptoms appear, and it may be helpful in tracking changes in the brain over time," said study author Dr. Gary Small, UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging and a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.
Small noted that FDDNP-PET scanning is the only available brain-imaging technique that can assess tau tangles. Autopsy findings have found that tangles correlate with Alzheimer's disease progression much better than do plaques.
For the study, researchers performed brain scans and cognitive assessments on the subjects at baseline and then again two years later. The study involved 43 volunteer paricipants, with an average age of 64, who did not have dementia. At the start of the study, approximately half (22) of the participants had normal aging and the other half (21) had mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, a condition that increases a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers found that for both groups, increases in FDDNP binding in the frontal, posterior cingulate and global areas of the brain at the two-year follow-up correlated with progression of cognitive decline. These areas of the brain are involved in decision-making, complex reasoning, memory and emotions. Higher initial baseline FDDNP binding in both subject groups was associated with a decline in cognitive functioning in areas such as language and attention at the two-year follow-up.
"We found that increases in FDDNP binding in key brain areas correlated with increases in clinical symptoms over time," said study author Dr. Jorge R. Barrio, who holds UCLA's Plott Chair in Gerentology and is a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Initial binding levels were also predictive of future cognitive decline."
Among the subjects with mild cognitive impairment, the level of initial binding in the frontal and parietal areas of the brain provided the greatest accuracy in identifying those who developed Alzheimer's disease after two years. Of the 21 subjects with MCI, six were diagnosed with Alzheimer's at follow-up, and these six subjects had higher initial frontal and parietal binding values than the other subjects in the MCI group.
In the normal aging subjects, three developed mild cognitive impairment after two years. Two of these three participants had had the highest baseline binding values in the temporal, parietal and frontal brain regions among this group.
Researchers said the next step in research will involve a longer duration of follow-up with larger samples of subjects. In addition, the team is using this brain-imaging technique in clinical trials to help track novel therapeutics for brain aging, such as curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric spice.
The team has created a chemical marker called FDDNP that binds to both plaque and tangle deposits -- the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease -- which can then be viewed using a positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan, providing a "window into the brain." Using this method, researchers are able to pinpoint where in the brain these abnormal protein deposits are accumulating.
"We are finding that this may be a useful neuro-imaging marker that can detect changes early, before symptoms appear, and it may be helpful in tracking changes in the brain over time," said study author Dr. Gary Small, UCLA's Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging and a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA.
Small noted that FDDNP-PET scanning is the only available brain-imaging technique that can assess tau tangles. Autopsy findings have found that tangles correlate with Alzheimer's disease progression much better than do plaques.
For the study, researchers performed brain scans and cognitive assessments on the subjects at baseline and then again two years later. The study involved 43 volunteer paricipants, with an average age of 64, who did not have dementia. At the start of the study, approximately half (22) of the participants had normal aging and the other half (21) had mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, a condition that increases a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers found that for both groups, increases in FDDNP binding in the frontal, posterior cingulate and global areas of the brain at the two-year follow-up correlated with progression of cognitive decline. These areas of the brain are involved in decision-making, complex reasoning, memory and emotions. Higher initial baseline FDDNP binding in both subject groups was associated with a decline in cognitive functioning in areas such as language and attention at the two-year follow-up.
"We found that increases in FDDNP binding in key brain areas correlated with increases in clinical symptoms over time," said study author Dr. Jorge R. Barrio, who holds UCLA's Plott Chair in Gerentology and is a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Initial binding levels were also predictive of future cognitive decline."
Among the subjects with mild cognitive impairment, the level of initial binding in the frontal and parietal areas of the brain provided the greatest accuracy in identifying those who developed Alzheimer's disease after two years. Of the 21 subjects with MCI, six were diagnosed with Alzheimer's at follow-up, and these six subjects had higher initial frontal and parietal binding values than the other subjects in the MCI group.
In the normal aging subjects, three developed mild cognitive impairment after two years. Two of these three participants had had the highest baseline binding values in the temporal, parietal and frontal brain regions among this group.
Researchers said the next step in research will involve a longer duration of follow-up with larger samples of subjects. In addition, the team is using this brain-imaging technique in clinical trials to help track novel therapeutics for brain aging, such as curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric spice.
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