Narrativity and Memory Analysis in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative illness with frequency of occurrence increasing with old age. If memory impairment setting progressively is here an element associated upfront, other neurocognitive troubles are also associated, for example, language impairment which can degenerate into aphasia. Aim of the study. To evaluate semantic and textual impairment in AD. Methods. Populations studied concerned 151 AD patients in consultation at Brest University Hospital. Certain sociodemographic data (sex, age, cultural levels) were collected as well as results from neuropsychological tests: (Folstein-MMSE;Dubois’s 5-word test;fluencies, Dubois’ s frontal test battery;Cornell’s scale for depression;Barbizet’s test, “The Lion’s tale”, for textual analysis. Demented patients were composed of 102 females and 49 males of average age 80.3 ± 6.91. All the tests, including the number of items memorized latterly in the Barbizet’s test are impaired all the more by Folstein’s test being altered. The formal fluency on demented patients is less impaired than the semantic lexical fluency test (scored respectively 5.74 ± 1. 09 versus 4.41 ± 2. 19;t = 5.60, p < 0.01). The studied demented cohort shows more intrusions (n = 36) than inversions in the delayed Lion’s tale, whether for items or for episodes in which they occur (n = 19). The regressive PLS analysis shows that for the explanation of the overall scores to do with “The lion’s tale”, calculated later, only attainment of formal fluency has any notable influence (Regression coefficient CR = 0.224) or, more accessorily, the cultural level (CR = 0.12). Conclusions: Attainment of category fluency and patient culture levels has effects on narrativity.

Multiplexed detection and differentiation of bacterial enzymes and bacteria by color-encoded sensor hydrogels

We report on the fabrication and characterization of color-encoded chitosan hydrogels for the rapid,sensitive and specific detection of bacterial enzymes as well as the selective detection of a set of tested bacteria through characteristic enzyme reactions.These patterned sensor hydrogels are functionalized with three different colorimetric enzyme substrates affording the multiplexed detection and differentiation ofα-glucosidase,β-galactosidase andβ-glucuronidase.The limits of detection of the hydrogels for an observation time of 60 min using a conventional microplate reader correspond to concentrations of 0.2,3.4 and 4.5 nM of these enzymes,respectively.Based on their different enzyme expression patterns,Staphylococcus aureus strain RN4220,methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)strain N315,both producingα-glucosidase,but notβ-glucuronidase andβ-galactosidase,Escherichia coli strain DH5α,producingβ-glucuronidase andα-glucosidase,but notβ-galactosidase,and the enterohemorrhagic E.coli(EHEC)strain E32511,producingβ-galactosidase,but none of the other two enzymes,can be reliably and rapidly distinguished from each other.These results confirm the applicability of enzyme sensing hydrogels for the detection and discrimination of specific enzymes to facilitate differentiation of bacterial strains.Patterned hydrogels thus possess the potential to be further refined as detection units of a multiplexed format to identify certain bacteria for future application in point-of-care microbiological diagnostics in food safety and medical settings.