Detecting impaired language processing in patients with mild cognitive impairment using around-the-ear cEEgrid electrodes

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the term used to identify those individuals with subjective and objective cognitive decline but with preserved activities of daily living and an absence of dementia. Although MCI can impact functioning in different cognitive domains, most notably episodic memory, relatively little is known about the comprehension of language in MCI. In this study, we used around-the-ear electrodes (cEEGrids) to identify impairments during language comprehension in patients with MCI. In a group of 23 patients with MCI and 23 age-matched controls, language comprehension was tested in a two-word phrase paradigm. We examined the oscillatory changes following word onset as a function of lexico-semantic single-word retrieval (e.g., swrfeq vs. swift) and multiword binding processes (e.g., horse preceded by swift vs. preceded by swrfeq). Electrophysiological signatures (as measured by the cEEGrids) were significantly different between patients with MCI and controls. In controls, lexical retrieval was associated with a rebound in the alpha/beta range, and binding was associated with a post-word alpha/beta suppression. In contrast, both the single-word retrieval and multiword binding signatures were absent in the MCI group. The signatures observed using cEEGrids in controls were comparable with those signatures obtained with a full-cap EEG setup. Importantly, our findings suggest that patients with MCI have impaired electrophysiological signatures for comprehending single words and multiword phrases. Moreover, cEEGrid setups provide a noninvasive and sensitive clinical tool for detecting early impairments in language comprehension in MCI.

Maternal obstetric complications and intellectual functioning in patients with schizophrenia and their healthy siblings

Objectives

Intellectual functioning in schizophrenia has been associated with genetic vulnerability and obstetric complications.

Aims

The aim of this study was to assess:

– the incidence of complications during pregnancy, labor and delivery;

– the association of OCs with general intellectual ability in two groups: patients with schizophrenia and their healthy siblings.

Methods

Forty-two patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV and 43 their healthy siblings were included in the study and examined using MINI and WAIS-R. Their mothers were interviewed to gather data on OCs. The ‘midwife protocol’ of Parnas et al. was used to quantify the presence and entity of OCs.

Results

Asphyxia, mother's serious illness during pregnancy, premature delivery with weight < 2500 g, labor time > 48 h, infarcts in the placenta and eclampsia were statistically more frequent in schizophrenic group. OCs were more common in individuals with a family history. The two investigated groups were different in the following WAIS-R subtests: comprehension (P = 0.018), block design (P = 0.0001), digit symbol (P = 0.001), as well as in performance IQ and total IQ. In the patient group, correlations between OCs indexes and WAIS-R results include all intelligence quotients (verbal, performance, total IQ) and 5 WAIS-R subtests, while in the sibling group: verbal and total IQ and 2 subtests. The correlation between Vocabulary subtest and OCs was the strongest in both groups.

Conclusion

OCs may interact with genetic vulnerability to increase the risk of schizophrenia and have been associated with cognitive deficits in the patient group.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The evaluation of total dietary fibre content in standard hospital diets during the winter and summer seasons

The main aim of the study was to determine the total dietary fiber in standard diets for hospitalized patients in winter and summer. In the randomized trial performed in the winter of 1995/1996 and summer 1997, we assessed the dietary fiber content in 12 standard diets with AOAC method. The dietary fiber in the tested hospital diets was derived mainly from grains--average value 12.2 g/day in winter and 15.8 g/day in summer. The second group of plant products to supply fiber in the diet were vegetables. Food portions covered an average of 11.5 g dietary fiber per day in winter and 8.5 g in summer. In spite of the variety of cheap vegetables on sale, a significantly lower content of fiber was observed in summer (p < 0.05). Fruits and fruit products in hospital food contained 1.4 g/day of fiber in winter and 1.7 g/day in summer respectively. We also made a simulation, where white bread, present in every diet, was replaced by dark bread. This let us determine the degree to which the alternative food product influences the diet's composition. The results demonstrate that the replacement everyday of eaten food products may evoke significant changes in dietary fiber contents. The change induced statistically significant differences between diets containing white bread and dark bread (p < 0.001).

Nitrates and nitrites contents in whole-day's diets of men--workers of metal industry

An evaluation of nitrates and nitrites in daily diets of 239 men was performed. It was found that daily intake of these compounds did not exceed the acceptable values.

Nitrate and nitrite content in daily hospital diets during the winter season--comparison of analytical and calculation methods

A comparison of two methods: analytical and calculation on an estimation of dietary intakes of nitrate and nitrite from six different types of general hospital diets was studied. Studies were performed in the winter season of 1996-1997. It was found that the mean daily intake of nitrates was 85 mg per person in the analytical method, and 65 mg per person in the calculated method. The estimation of average dietary intakes of nitrite was adequate: 1.67 mg per person (the analytical method) and 1.18 mg per person (the calculated method). The main source of nitrates were vegetables, whereas the main source of nitrites was meat and meat-containing products. We suggest that the different methodologies, analytical and calculation methods, for measuring dietary intakes of nitrate and nitrite from diets make it possible to make direct comparisons of intakes.

The nitrate and nitrite contents in a whole day's hospital diet during the spring season

It was decided to evaluate the exposition of patients on nitrates and nitrites contained in 6 whole day's standard hospital diets taken in various days. Studies were performed in June 1995. It was found that the mean daily intake of nitrates was 311 mg and the mean intake of nitrites were 2.16 mg per patient. The main source of nitrates were vegetables (85%), whereas the main source of nitrites were meat and meat-containing products. The presented results suggest that the diets containing early vegetables (especially cabbage) may be harmful for human health.

[Spirographic studies and measurement of airflow resistance in evaluation of bronchial hyperreactivity in children with asthma]

An analysis of spirographic studies and measurement of airflow resistance in diagnosing bronchial hyperreactivity in 27 children with bronchial asthma was made. Histamine was used for provocation tests. Bronchial hyperreactivity was found in 85.2% of the studied children. The most useful for predicting existence of bronchial hyperreactivity proved to be FEV1, FEV, and PEF measurements. After histamine provocation airflow resistance rose from 0.42 kPa/l/s to 0.63 kpa/l/s. that is by 50%. Both tests spirometric and airflow resistance proved to be comparable in 70.4%. Usage of both methods allows a better chance of diagnosing bronchial hyperreactivity.