Showing papers by "Erasmus University Rotterdam published in 1991"
TL;DR: A fragile X site-induced breakpoint cluster region that exhibits length variation in fragile X chromosomes is identified and localization of the brain-expressed FMR-1 gene to this EcoRI fragment suggests the involvement of this gene in the phenotypic expression of the fragile X syndrome.
3,290 citations
TL;DR: The risk of expansion during oogenesis to the full mutation associated with mental retardation increases with the number of repeats, and this variation in risk accounts for the Sherman paradox.
2,040 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that only two methods--the slope index of inequality and the concentration index--are likely to present an accurate picture of socioeconomic inequalities in health.
1,597 citations
TL;DR: FMR-1 mRNA was absent in the majority of male fragile X patients, suggesting a close involvement of this gene in development of the syndrome, and the methylation status of the BssHII site at the CpG island was studied.
1,397 citations
TL;DR: The theory that happiness is relative is based on three postulates: (1) happiness results from comparison, (2) standards of comparison adjust, and (3) standard of comparison are arbitrary constructs as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The theory that happiness is relative is based on three postulates: (1) happiness results from comparison, (2) standards of comparison adjust, (3) standards of comparison are arbitrary constructs. On the basis of these postulates the theory predicts: (a) happiness does not depend on real quality of life, (b) changes in living-conditions to the good or the bad have only a shortlived effect on happiness, (c) people are happier after hard times, (d) people are typically neutral about their life. Together these inferences imply that happiness is both an evasive and an inconsequential matter, which is at odds with corebeliefs in present-day welfare society. Recent investigations on happiness (in the sense of life-satisfaction) claim support for this old theory. Happiness is reported to be as high in poor countries as it is in rich countries (Easterlin), no less among paralyzed accident victims than it is among lottery winners (Brickman) and unrelated to stable livingconditions (Inglehart and Rabier). These sensational claims are inspected but found to be untrue. It is shown that: (a) people tend to be unhappy under adverse conditions such as poverty, war and isolation, (b) improvement or deterioration of at least some conditions does effect happiness lastingly, (c) earlier hardship does not favour later happiness, (d) people are typically positive about their life rather than neutral. It is argued that the theory happiness-is-relative mixes up ‘overall happiness’ with contentment’. Contentment is indeed largely a matter of comparing life-as-it-is to standards of how-life-should-be. Yet overall hapiness does not entirely depend on comparison. The overall evaluation of life depends also on how one feels affectively and hedonic level of affect draws on its turn on the gratification of basic bio-psychological needs. Contrary to acquired ‘standards’ of comparison these innate ‘needs’ do not adjust to any and all conditions: they mark in fact the limits of human adaptability. To the extend that it depends on need-gratification, happiness is not relative.
1,304 citations
TL;DR: The Rotterdam Elderly Study as discussed by the authors investigated determinants of disease occurrence and progression in the elderly in order to contribute to the understanding of the etiology of geriatric illnesses and to lead to specific recommendations for intervention.
Abstract: In this paper the Rotterdam Elderly Study is presented. The aim of the study is to investigate determinants of disease occurrence and progression in the elderly. In addition to contributing to our understanding of the etiology of geriatric illnesses, the study is expected to lead to specific recommendations for intervention. The study focuses on causally related determinants of major diseases in the elderly. Fields of interest for the Rotterdam Elderly Study are conditions which interfere the most with the quality of life for the elderly. The aims of the Rotterdam Elderly Study are: (1) To investigate, by means of epidemiologic, clinical and basic research, the determinants of diseases in order to assess their etiologic significance. (2) To investigate potentially modifiable determinants in order to be able to develop preventive strategies by providing specific recommendations for intervention studies. The Rotterdam Elderly Study focuses on four primary areas of research: neurogeriatric diseases, cardiovascular diseases, locomotor diseases and ophthalmologic diseases. It is a prospective follow-up study, in which determinants of disease and determinants of progression of disease will be investigated in the total population of 55 years or over of the district of Ommoord in Rotterdam. It is anticipated that about 10,000 people will participate in the study and they will be examined in the period of 1991 to 1995.
1,147 citations
TL;DR: Experimental studies show that chronic administration of somatostatin analogs causes growth inhibition of a number of (transplantable) tumors in animals, including chondrosarcomas, pancreatic, prostatic, breast, and pituitary cancers.
Abstract: I. Introduction LONG-term therapy with somatostatin analogs has been reported to result in the control of hormonal hypersecretion, in improvement of symptomatology, and in tumor shrinkage in patients with acromegaly, endocrine pancreatic tumors, and metastatic carcinoids. One of these somatostatin analogs, octreotide, has been approved for clinical use in most countries, including the United States. It is a well-tolerated, but expensive drug. Experimental studies show that chronic administration of somatostatin analogs causes growth inhibition of a number of (transplantable) tumors in animals, including chondrosarcomas, pancreatic, prostatic, breast, and pituitary cancers. Somatostatin receptors have been demonstrated on a variety of human tumors by classical biochemical binding techniques, as well as by in vitro autoradiography. These tumors include those with amine precursor uptake and decarboxylation (APUD) characteristics (pituitary tumors, endocrine pancreatic tumors, carcinoids, paragangliomas, smal...
806 citations
TL;DR: An additional score (MRC‐sumscore), reflecting muscle strength in general, is developed, easily assessed and more sensitive than the functional score when patients are bedridden or artificially ventilated.
Abstract: In studies of Guillain-Barre syndrome, functional deficit is usually assessed according to a functional scale consisting of several categories. The level of interobserver agreement in this scoring method is not known; furthermore, this method seems to be insensitive when applied to bedridden and artificially ventilated patients. We have developed an additional score (MRC-sumscore), reflecting muscle strength in general. Both scoring methods, tested in Guillain-Barre patients, have an almost perfect interobserver agreement. For the functional score kappa = 0.85, and for the MRC-sumscore r2 = 0.96. The MRC-sumscore is easily assessed and more sensitive than the functional score when patients are bedridden or artificially ventilated.
715 citations
TL;DR: Early occlusion remains an important limitation of this coronary-artery stent and even when the early effects are beneficial, there are frequently late occlusions or restenosis.
Abstract: BACKGROUND. The placement of stents in coronary arteries after coronary angioplasty has been investigated as a way of treating abrupt coronary-artery occlusion related to the angioplasty and of reducing the late intimal hyperplasia responsible for gradual restenosis of the dilated lesion. METHODS. From March 1986 to January 1988, we implanted 117 self-expanding, stainless-steel endovascular stents (Wallstent) in the native coronary arteries (94 stents) or saphenous-vein bypass grafts (23 stents) of 105 patients. Angiograms were obtained immediately before and after placement of the stent and at follow-up at least one month later (unless symptoms required angiography sooner). The mortality after one year was 7.6 percent (8 patients). Follow-up angiograms (after a mean [+/- SD] of 5.7 +/- 4.4 months) were obtained in 95 patients with 105 stents and were analyzed quantitatively by a computer-assisted system of cardiovascular angiographic analysis. The 10 patients without follow-up angiograms included 4 who died. RESULTS. Complete occlusion occurred in 27 stents in 25 patients (24 percent); 21 occlusions were documented within the first 14 days after implantation. Overall, immediately after placement of the stent there was a significant increase in the minimal luminal diameter and a significant decrease in the percentage of the diameter with stenosis (changing from a mean [+/- SD] of 1.88 +/- 0.43 to 2.48 +/- 0.51 mm and from 37 +/- 12 to 21 +/- 10 percent, respectively; P less than 0.0001). Later, however, there was a significant decrease in the minimal luminal diameter and a significant increase in the stenosis of the segment with the stent (1.68 +/- 1.78 mm and 48 +/- 34 percent at follow-up). Significant restenosis, as indicated by a reduction of 0.72 mm in the minimal luminal diameter or by an increase in the percentage of stenosis to greater than or equal to 50 percent, occurred in 32 percent and 14 percent of patent stents, respectively. CONCLUSIONS. Early occlusion remains an important limitation of this coronary-artery stent. Even when the early effects are beneficial, there are frequently late occlusions or restenosis. The place of this form of treatment for coronary artery disease remains to be determined.
715 citations
TL;DR: Age- and gender-specific estimates of the prevalence of dementia in Europe and differences in prevalence across countries were pooled and re-analysed original data of prevalence studies of dementia carried out in some European countries between 1980 and 1990.
Abstract: To obtain age- and gender-specific estimates of the prevalence of dementia in Europe and to study differences in prevalence across countries, we pooled and re-analysed original data of prevalence studies of dementia carried out in some European countries between 1980 and 1990. The study followed these steps: census of existing datasets, collection of data in a standardized format, selection of datasets suitable for comparison, comparison of age and gender patterns. From the 23 datasets of European surveys considered, 12 were selected for comparison. Only population-based studies in which dementia was defined by DSM-III or equivalent criteria and in which all subjects were examined personally were included. Studies in which institutionalized subjects were not investigated were excluded. Age- and gender-specific prevalences were compared within and across studies and overall prevalences were computed. Although prevalence estimates differed across studies, the general age- and gender-distribution was similar for all studies. The overall European prevalences for the five-year age groups from 60 to 94 years, were 1.0, 1.4, 4.1, 5.7, 13.0, 21.6 and 32.2%, respectively. In subjects under 75 years the prevalence of dementia was slightly higher in men than in women; in those aged 75 years or over the prevalence was higher in women. The prevalence figures nearly doubled with every five years of increase in age.
695 citations
TL;DR: This article presents the first results of the Dutch nationwide study on euthanasia and other medical decisions concerning the end of life (MDEL) and concludes that these decisions are common medical practice and should get more attention in research, teaching, and public debate.
TL;DR: Data indicate that in patients without intraventricular conduction defects and cardiac dysfunction, QTc prolongation measured from the standard electrocardiogram is a risk factor for sudden death independent of age, history of myocardial infarction, heart rate, and drug use.
Abstract: BACKGROUND QTc prolongation has been implicated as a risk factor for sudden death; however, a controversy exists over its significance. METHODS AND RESULTS In the Rotterdam QT Project, 6,693 consecutive patients who underwent 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography were followed up for 2 years; of these, 245 patients died suddenly. A standard 12-lead electrocardiogram and clinical data at the time of 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography were collected for all patients who died suddenly and for a random sample of 467 patients from the study cohort. In all patients without an intraventricular conduction defect (176 patients who died suddenly and 390 patients from the sample), QT interval duration was measured in leads I, II, and III and corrected for heart rate with Bazett's formula (QTc). In patients without evidence of cardiac dysfunction (history of symptoms of pump failure or an ejection fraction less than 40%), QTc of more than 440 msec was associated with a 2.3 times higher risk for sudden death compared with a QTc of 440 msec or less (95% confidence interval: 1.4, 3.9). In contrast, in patients with evidence of cardiac dysfunction, the relative risk of QTc prolongation was 1.0 (0.5, 1.9). Adjustment for age, gender, history of myocardial infarction, heart rate, and the use of drugs did not alter these relative risks. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that in patients without intraventricular conduction defects and cardiac dysfunction, QTc prolongation measured from the standard electrocardiogram is a risk factor for sudden death independent of age, history of myocardial infarction, heart rate, and drug use. In patients with cardiac dysfunction, QTc duration is not related to the risk for sudden death.
TL;DR: The data indicate that the clearance of postprandial lipoproteins in normolipidemic CAD patients as selected in the present study is delayed as compared with that of controls without coronary atherosclerosis and suggest that postpr andial lipiproteins may play a role in the etiology of their disease.
Abstract: A delayed clearance of postprandial lipoproteins from the plasma may play a role in the etiology of premature coronary atherosclerosis. To address this hypothesis, we studied chylomicron (remnant) metabolism in two groups of 20 selected normolipidemic men aged 35-65 years, a group of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, and a matched control group with documented minimal coronary atherosclerosis. Subjects received an oral fat load supplemented with cholesterol and retinyl palmitate. Plasma samples obtained during the next 24-hour period were analyzed for total as well as d less than 1.019 g/ml and d greater than 1.019 g/ml triacylglycerol, cholesterol, and retinyl ester concentrations. Although both groups of patients responded identically in terms of the appearance of gut-derived lipids in the plasma, CAD patients showed a marked delay in the clearance of retinyl esters as well as in the normalization of plasma triacylglycerol concentrations. Postheparin plasma hepatic lipase activity was significantly lower in the CAD group. Apolipoprotein E phenotype measurements did not reveal marked differences in frequency between both groups. The frequency distribution was not unusual in comparison with the normal Dutch population. The magnitude of the postprandial responses of triacylglycerol and retinyl esters was correlated positively with the fasting levels of plasma triacylglycerol and negatively with high density lipoprotein subfraction 2 cholesterol concentrations. These data indicate that the clearance of postprandial lipoproteins in normolipidemic CAD patients as selected in the present study is delayed as compared with that of controls without coronary atherosclerosis and suggest that postprandial lipoproteins may play a role in the etiology of their disease.
TL;DR: A series of human androgen receptor (AR) deletion mutants was constructed to study the relationship between the structural domains and their different functions in the AR protein, indicating that in the absence of hormone this domain displays an inhibitory function.
Abstract: A series of human androgen receptor (AR) deletion mutants was constructed to study the relationship between the structural domains and their different functions in the AR protein. Human AR mutants were expressed in COS-1 and HeLa cells to investigate hormone binding, transcriptional activation, and subcellular localization. The wild-type human AR (AR 1910) was expressed as a 110- to 112-kDa doublet, as revealed on immunoblots. All mutant AR proteins also migrated as doublets, except for one. This AR has a deletion from amino acid residues 51-211 and migrated as a single protein band, possibly due to altered posttranslational modification. The AR steroid-binding domain is encoded by approximately 250 amino acid residues in the Cterminal end. Deletions in this domain as well as truncation of the last 12 C-terminal amino acid residues abolished hormone binding. Cotransfection studies in HeLa cells showed that transcriptional activation of an androgen-regulated reporter gene construct was induced by the wildtype human AR. Mutational analysis revealed two regions in the N-terminal part, encoded by amino acid residues 51-211 and 244-360, to be essential for this transcriptional activation. Deletion of the hormone-binding domain yielded a constitutively active AR protein, indicating that in the absence of hormone this domain displays an inhibitory function. In the presence of its ligand, the wild-type AR was located in the cell nucleus. In the absence of androgens the receptor was mainly nuclear, but cytoplasmic localization was observed as well. In contrast, an AR deletion mutant lacking part of the DNAbinding domain and part of the hinge region was exclusively cytoplasmic in the absence of hormone. This mutant AR lacks a region that is highly conserved among steroid receptors and homologous to the simian virus-40 large T-antigen- and nucleoplas
TL;DR: It is suggested that CD8 is necessary for the maturation and positive selection of class I MHCrestricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes but is not required on any of the intermediate thymocyte populations during the development of functional class II MHC restricted helper T cells.
TL;DR: Findings provide strong evidence for transcription regulation of the PA gene by androgens via the sequence AGAACAgcaAGTGCT.
Abstract: Expression of prostate-specific antigen (PA) mRNA was tested at various time periods after incubation of the human prostate tumor cell line LNCaP with the synthetic androgen R1881. Androgen-stimulated expression was observed within 6 h after addition of R1881 to the cells. Run-on experiments with nuclei isolated from LNCaP cells showed that expression of the PA gene could be regulated by R1881 on the level of transcription. DNase I footprints of the promoter region of the PA gene (-320 to +12) with nuclear protein extracts from LNCaP cells showed at least four protected regions. The protected areas include the TATA-box, a GC-box sequence, and a sequence AGAACAgcaAGTGCT at position -170 to -156, which closely resembles the reverse complement of the consensus sequence GGTACAnnnTGTTCT for binding of the glucocorticoid receptor and the progesterone receptor. Fragments of the PA promoter region were cloned in front of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene and cotransfected with an androgen receptor expression plasmid into COS cells in a transient expression assay. CAT activity of COS cells grown in the presence of 1 nM R1881 was compared to untreated controls. A 110-fold induction of CAT activity was found if a -1600 to +12 PA promoter fragment was used in the construct. By further deletion mapping of the PA promoter a minimal region (-320 to -155) was identified as being essential for androgen-regulated gene expression. Mutation of the sequence AGAACAgcaAGTGCT (at -170 to -156) to AAAAAAgcaAGTGCT almost completely abolished androgen inducibility of the reporter gene constructs. One or more copies of the sequence AGAACAgcaAGTGCT cloned in front of a thymidine kinase promoter-CAT reporter gene confers androgen regulation to the reporter gene. These findings provide strong evidence for transcription regulation of the PA gene by androgens via the sequence AGAACAgcaAGTGCT. Interestingly, in addition to the AGAACAgcaAGTGCT element, an upstream region (-539 to -320) is needed for optimal androgen inducibility of the PA promoter.
TL;DR: In 13 of the 17 examined tumours over 80% of the tumour cells were AR‐positive, 3 tumours showed a considerable heterogeneity in AR expression and in I tumour almost all tumours seemed to be AR‐negative, contrasting with the view that androgen ablation induces a preferential outgrowth of receptor‐negative tumours.
Abstract: Despite the initial androgen-dependent growth of most human prostate cancers, eventually all prostate cancers become androgen-independent at varying intervals after androgen ablation or anti-androgen therapy. In order to gain more insight into the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in this process, AR and prostate-specific antigen (PA) expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in prostatic tumour tissues from patients who developed urinary flow obstruction between 4 and 107 months after onset of treatment. AR expression was evaluated with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) specific for the N-terminal domain of the human AR. To substantiate the progressive tumour growth, proliferative activity was assessed immunohistochemically by staining with MAb Ki-67. Ki-67-defined tumour-growth fractions varied from 0.8-64.7%. In 13 of the 17 examined tumours over 80% of the tumour cells were AR-positive, 3 tumours showed a considerable heterogeneity in AR expression and in 1 tumour almost all tumour cells seemed to be AR-negative. Two-thirds of the examined tumours contained variable proportions of PA-positive tumour areas. These observations contrast with the view that androgen ablation induces a preferential outgrowth of receptor-negative tumour cells.
TL;DR: The cellular localization of the human androgen receptor was visualized immunohistochemically using a mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb) F39.4, directed against a fragment of the N-terminal domain of the androgens receptor.
Abstract: The cellular localization of the human androgen receptor was visualized immunohistochemically using a mouse monoclonal antibody (MAb) F39.4, directed against a fragment of the N-terminal domain of the androgen receptor. The nuclear immunoreactivity of various human tissues with F39.4 was generally consistent with earlier biochemical and autoradiographic data. However, previously suggested androgen receptor expression in thyroid, pancreatic, gastrointestinal, and bladder tissues was not confirmed immunohistochemically. Stratified squamous epithelia of vagina and cervix showed selective immunostaining of the basal cell layer, whereas in the preputial epithelium the intensity of immunoreactivity decreased gradually with maturation. In contrast, glandular epithelia of the sweat glands, male accessory sex organs, and female breast showed nearly exclusive F39.4 staining of the inner cylindric layer. In the testis, Sertoli cells, peritubular myoid cells, and interstitial cells were immunoreactive with MAb F39.4. Expression of the androgen receptor by smooth muscle tissue was largely confined to the male reproductive organs. The specificity and sensitivity of this simple and rapidly performed immunohistochemical technique in the detection of the human androgen receptor at the cellular and subcellular level makes it worthwhile to study tissue androgen receptor expression by immunohistochemistry in physiological and pathological states.
TL;DR: It is concluded that neuropeptide release is triggered by small elevations in the Ca2+ concentration in the bulk cytoplasm, whereas secretion of amino acids requires higher elevations, as produced in the vicinity of Ca2- channels.
TL;DR: In this article, a single-step labeling procedure was used to detect somatostatin receptor-positive human tumors using radioiodinated analogues of sostatin, both in vitro and in vivo.
TL;DR: Acute coronary artery occlusion during PTCA is often unpredictable, but its frequency is higher in patients with unstable angina, multivessel disease, and complex lesions, which is associated with a high mortality and morbidity.
Abstract: BACKGROUNDAcute coronary artery occlusion after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) continues to remain a serious complication despite significant improvement in operator performance and technological advancements. This retrospective study was performed to ascertain the frequency, predictive variables, management, and outcome of acute coronary artery occlusion.METHODS AND RESULTSThe study was based on data from 1,423 consecutive patients who underwent an elective coronary angioplasty between January 1986 and December 1988. Acute coronary artery occlusion occurred in 104 patients (7.3%). Acute occlusion developed during the dilatation procedure in 80 patients (5.6%) and within 24 hours after the procedure in 24 patients (1.7%). Four clinical and 14 angiographic variables predictive for acute coronary artery occlusion were analyzed in these 104 patients with a complicated procedure and were compared with those in 104 representative patients with successful attempts. Multivariate analysis f...
TL;DR: This correlation study validates the CAFC system as a clonal assay facilitation both the quantitative assessment of a series of subsets in the hematopoietic stem cell hierarchy and the study of single long-term repopulating cells in vitro.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors distinguish two dimensions of the utility concept: the first dimension is the behavioral dimension, described by indifference curves in a commodity space, and the second dimension, the welfare dimension, i.e., the cardinal utility levels corresponding to indifference curves.
TL;DR: The behaviour of gas bubbles and gas encapsulated spheres as echographic contrast agents is reviewed and the analysis of their velocity of sound, back-scatter intensity, second harmonic emission and resonant frequency opens up new perspectives in the development of contrast agents for echocardiographic research with potential clinical applications.
TL;DR: In this paper, the first heuristics capable of solving multilevel lotsizing problems with capacity constraints on more than one level have been presented, and they can be easily extended to solve a variety of problems.
TL;DR: Genetic complementation experiments reveal that H HR6A as well as HHR6B can carry out the DNA repair and mutagenesis functions of RAD6 in S. cerevisiae rad6 delta mutants.
Abstract: The RAD6 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) that is required for DNA repair, damage-induced mutagenesis, and sporulation. We have cloned the two human RAD6 homologs, designated HHR6A and HHR6B. The two 152-amino acid human proteins share 95% sequence identity with each other and approximately 70% and approximately 85% overall identity with the homologs from yeasts (S. cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe) and Drosophila melanogaster, respectively. Neither of the human RAD6 homologs possess the acidic C-terminal sequence present in the S. cerevisiae RAD6 protein. Genetic complementation experiments reveal that HHR6A as well as HHR6B can carry out the DNA repair and mutagenesis functions of RAD6 in S. cerevisiae rad6 delta mutants.
TL;DR: The polymerase chain reaction was used to look for the BCR-ABL rearrangement in stored samples from a selected group of 314 German ALL patients and transcripts were found in 77 of 179 adults and were restricted to those with B-precursor leukaemias.
TL;DR: It is concluded that none of the methods used to date is particularly well equipped to provide unbiassed estimates of the extent of inequity and Le Grand's (1978) approach is likely to point towards inequity favouring the rich even when none exists.
TL;DR: Variability of all hemodynamic variables was much lower in untreated than in treated patients, and the effects of treatment on hemodynamics was evaluated.
Abstract: Reported central hemodynamics obtained with a Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery thermodilution catheter in preeclamptic patients show marked disparity, which has been interpreted to indicate a variable hemodynamic expression of the disease. However, the variability also may be due, at least in part, to the pharmacological treatment that most of the women studied received during Swan-Ganz measurements. To evaluate the effects of treatment on hemodynamics, we compared the results of Swan-Ganz measurements in 87 preeclamptic women who had received no treatment at all with those obtained in 47 preeclamptic women who had received various drugs and intravenous fluids. Control values were obtained in 10 normotensive pregnant volunteers. Measurements were performed between 25 and 34 weeks of gestation. The median (range) cardiac index in the untreated patients of 3.3 (2.0-5.3) l.min-1.m-2 was significantly lower than that in the treated patients of 4.3 (2.4-7.6) l.min-1.m-2 and in the normotensive pregnant women of 4.2 (3.5-4.6) l.min-1.m-2. The systemic vascular resistance index in the untreated group of 3,003 (1,771-5,225) dyne.sec.cm-5.m2 was significantly higher than that of 2,212 (1,057-3,688) in the treated and of 1,560 (1,430-2,019) dyne.sec.cm-5.m2 in the normotensive control group. The median (range) pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in the untreated group was 7 (-1-20) mm Hg and did not differ from that of 7 (0-25) mm Hg in the treated group. Variability of all hemodynamic variables was much lower in untreated than in treated patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TL;DR: History of depression was found to be associated with AD, although the effect was confined to late onset cases, and no association was found with the three major life events considered in the pooled analysis: death of spouse, death of a child and divorce.
Abstract: Data from case-control studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) were pooled to examine the possible roles of history of depression, anti-depressant treatment and adverse life events as risk factors. History of depression was found to be associated with AD, although the effect was confined to late onset cases. The association held for episodes of depression more than 10 years before AD onset, as well as for episodes occurring within a decade of onset. No association was found with anti-depressant treatment. However, data were only available from two studies, limiting the power of the analysis. Also, no association was found with the three major life events considered in the pooled analysis: death of spouse, death of a child and divorce.