A revised index of manufacturing capacity

Industrial capacity ; Manufacturing industries

The Federal Reserve-MIT economic model

Econometric models ; Monetary policy

The channels of monetary policy

Econometric models ; Monetary policy

Determinants of cerebral white matter lesions: A longitudinal population based MRI study

W hite matter lesions are frequently found on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging scans of elderly non-demented and demented people. l-4 The pathogenesis of white matter lesions is largely unknown. However age and high diastolic and systolic blood pressure levels and indicators of atherosclerosis have consistently been reported as risk factors for white matter lesions, regardless of their location.2-s Many other, especially vascular, risk factors have been associated with white matter lesions, but these relations were mostly not consistent throughout studies. There is growing evidence that white matter lesions play an important role in the development of cognitive decline and dementia.4 .6 -8 The white matter can be distinguished into two separate anatomical regions, namely the peri ventricular white matter (a strip of white matter adjacent to the lateral ventricles) and the subcortical white matter (the white mattcr just underneath the gray matter). Only a few studies have distinguished between these two locations and have reported on their determinants separately.9,10 Yet it may be that different risk factors underlie white matter lesions at different locations, or that lesions in different locations may have different cognitive consequences

White Matter Microstructural Damage on Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

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How Do We Treat Children with Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome and Is the Biopsychosocial Model Also Being Applied? A Scoping Review

Background: Evidence-based guidelines for managing anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES) in children are absent. The primary aim of this review was to scrutinize the evidence supporting currently used treatment interventions. In accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for managing chronic pain in children, these patients and their families and caregivers should be treated within the context of the biopsychosocial model; pain should not be treated purely as a biomedical problem. Therefore, our second aim was to evaluate whether these interventions are applied within the context of the biopsychosocial model, utilizing an inter- or multidisciplinary approach. Materials and Methods: A scoping review of the literature was conducted to explore treatment strategies for ACNES in children. To ensure a comprehensive overview of published literature on this topic, the search was not restricted based on study type. Two reviewers independently assessed titles and abstracts. After excluding records unrelated to children, full texts were screened for inclusion. Any discrepancies in judgement were resolved through discussion with a third reviewer. Results: Out of 35 relevant titles, 22 were included in this review. Only 4 articles provided information on long-term outcomes. The overall quality of the review was deemed low. The majority of reports did not address treatment or education within the psychological and social domains. A structural qualitative analysis was not feasible due to the substantial heterogeneity of the data. Conclusion: The evidence supporting current treatment strategies in children with ACNES is of low quality. More research is needed to establish an evidence-based treatment algorithm for patients with this challenging pain problem. In line with the WHO recommendation, greater emphasis should be placed on a biopsychosocial approach. The ultimate goal should be the development of a generic treatment algorithm outlining an approach to ACNES applicable to all professionals involved.</p

Apathy, but not depression, predicts all-cause dementia in cerebral small vessel disease

Objective: To determine whether apathy or depression predicts all-cause dementia in small vessel disease (SVD) patients. Methods: Analyses used two prospective cohort studies of SVD: St. George’s Cognition and Neuroimaging in Stroke (SCANS; n=121) and Radboud University Nijmegen Diffusion Tensor and Magnetic Resonance Cohort (RUN DMC; n=352). Multivariate Cox regressions were used to predict dementia using baseline apathy and depression scores in both datasets. Change in apathy and depression was used to predict dementia in a subset of 104 participants with longitudinal data from SCANS. All models were controlled for age, education and cognitive function. Results: Baseline apathy scores predicted dementia in SCANS (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.11, p=0.024) and RUN DMC (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.09, p=0.007). Increasing apathy was associated with dementia in SCANS (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.17, p=0.017). In contrast, baseline depression and change in depression did not predict dementia in either dataset. Including apathy in predictive models of dementia improved model fit. Conclusions: Apathy, but not depression, may be a prodromal symptom of dementia in SVD, and may be useful in identifying at-risk individuals