Technical improvement of the Detia Degesch Phosphine Tolerance Test Kit: Presentation

Phosphine is the most important commonly used fumigant for the control of stored product insects in warehouses and processing facilities globally. However, the improper and extensive use has led to reduced susceptibility to phosphine for several insect species and strains in many parts of the world. To evaluate and quantify this phenomenon, Detia Degesch developed the Detia Degesch Phosphine Tolerance Test Kit (DDPTTK) more than 10 years ago. The use of DDPTTK is based on the exposure of the insects on a high concentration of phosphine (e.g. 3000 ppm) for short exposure periods (e.g. 8-15 min). This kit can be used on site by the fumigation and food industry, and can provide immediate results on the tolerance status of the insect strains that are to be treated. So far, the instructions of DDPTTK refer only to a six insect species. In this work, data for the expansion of knowledge about other species is provided, in order to broaden the spectrum of cases where the kit can be used. Moreover, certain improvements for the use of the kit are introduced, i.e. practical recommendations on the procedure and safety instructions.Phosphine is the most important commonly used fumigant for the control of stored product insects in warehouses and processing facilities globally. However, the improper and extensive use has led to reduced susceptibility to phosphine for several insect species and strains in many parts of the world. To evaluate and quantify this phenomenon, Detia Degesch developed the Detia Degesch Phosphine Tolerance Test Kit (DDPTTK) more than 10 years ago. The use of DDPTTK is based on the exposure of the insects on a high concentration of phosphine (e.g. 3000 ppm) for short exposure periods (e.g. 8-15 min). This kit can be used on site by the fumigation and food industry, and can provide immediate results on the tolerance status of the insect strains that are to be treated. So far, the instructions of DDPTTK refer only to a six insect species. In this work, data for the expansion of knowledge about other species is provided, in order to broaden the spectrum of cases where the kit can be used. Moreover, certain improvements for the use of the kit are introduced, i.e. practical recommendations on the procedure and safety instructions

Assessing test anxiety and resilience among Greek adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of school year’s extension due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) by addressing test anxiety and by studying the coping strategies adolescents used to overcome it. For the majority of the adolescents the final exams can be a powerful source of stress, since the entrance examinations are required for admission into higher education and further reflect the transition to adulthood. The sample consisted of 67 High School students and the data collection was conducted online due to the imposed measures by the Greek government. Results showed normal or average levels of test anxiety with low self-esteem and fear of a family member contracting the virus identified as significant predictors. Students who participated in the research pointed teachers as the main source of pressure in school exams. Gender differences regarding social media engagement and online video gaming were also detected. Resilience was equally as high among genders [t(63) = 858, p =.324] and the correlation between test anxiety and resilience did not produce a statistically significant result (r = -.178, p = .155)

Language performance as a prognostic factor for developing alzheimer's clinical syndrome and mild cognitive impairment: results from the population-based HELIAD cohort

Abstract Objectives: There is limited research on the prognostic value of language tasks regarding mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s clinical syndrome (ACS) development in the cognitively normal (CN) elderly, as well as MCI to ACS conversion. Methods: Participants were drawn from the population-based Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet (HELIAD) cohort. Language performance was evaluated via verbal fluency [semantic (SVF) and phonemic (PVF)], confrontation naming [Boston Naming Test short form (BNTsf)], verbal comprehension, and repetition tasks. An additional language index was estimated using both verbal fluency tasks: SVF-PVF discrepancy. Cox proportional hazards analyses adjusted for important sociodemographic parameters (age, sex, education, main occupation, and socioeconomic status) and global cognitive status [Mini Mental State Examination score (MMSE)] were performed. Results: A total of 959 CN and 118 MCI older (&gt;64 years) individuals had follow-up investigations after a mean of ∼3 years. Regarding the CN group, each standard deviation increase in the composite language score reduced the risk of ACS and MCI by 49% (8–72%) and 32% (8–50%), respectively; better SVF and BNTsf performance were also independently associated with reduced risk of ACS and MCI. On the other hand, using the smaller MCI participant set, no language measurement was related to the risk of MCI to ACS conversion. Conclusions: Impaired language performance is associated with elevated risk of ACS and MCI development. Better SVF and BNTsf performance are associated with reduced risk of ACS and MCI in CN individuals, independent of age, sex, education, main occupation, socioeconomic status, and MMSE scores at baseline. </jats:sec

Comparison of Resistance and Chair Yoga Training on Subjective Sleep Quality in MCI Women

Background: Self-rated sleep disorders are common in older adults, resulting in various health problems. Two types of exercise are suggested as an affordable and accessible non-pharmacological treatment and are being compared and discussed. Objectives: This randomized, controlled, 12-week trial investigates the effects of different types of exercise (resistance vs chair yoga training) on subjective sleep quality, in women with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methods: In order to measure cognitive function, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used. Forty nine participants enrolled in the study were randomized to a resistance training program (n=16), or a chair yoga program (n=15), or a control group (n=18). All participants engaged in cognitive activities. Results: At baseline, PSQI scores for CYG, RTG and CG (8.2±5.1, 6.1±4.3, 7.4±4.1, respectively) and MMSE (28.3±1.4, 27.8±1.2, 28.0±2.3, respectively) did not differ statistically between the three groups (F2,46= 1.993, p= 0.143). After the intervention, a significant improvement in PSQI total score was noted in resistance training group (t=2.335, df15, p=0.03). Conclusions: There were no significant differences between groups before and after test for the PSQI subscale scores (sleep onset latency (h), time spent in bed before sleep (min), morning waking up (h) and sleep duration (h)). No significant difference was found in PSQI subscales scores within each group. This study proposes that resistance training is an effective treatment approach to improve sleep quality in women with mild cognitive impairment

Sleep and subjective cognitive decline in cognitively healthy elderly: Results from two cohorts

Subjective cognitive decline may reflect a dementia prodrome or modifiable risk factor such as sleep disturbance. What is the association between sleep and subjective cognitive decline? Cross-sectional design, from two studies of older adults: the WHICAP in the USA and the HELIAD in Greece. A total of 1,576 WHICAP and 1,456 HELIAD participants, without mild cognitive impairment, dementia or severe depression/anxiety, were included. Participants were mostly women, with 12 (WHICAP) and 8 (HELIAD) mean years of education. Sleep problems were estimated using the Sleep Scale from the Medical Outcomes Study. Subjective cognitive decline was assessed using a structured complaint questionnaire that queries for subjective memory and other cognitive symptoms. Multinomial or logistic regression models were used to examine whether sleep problems were associated with complaints about general cognition, memory, naming, orientation and calculations. Age, sex, education, sleep medication, use of medications affecting cognition, co-morbidities, depression and anxiety were used as co-variates. Objective cognition was also estimated by summarizing neuropsychological performance into composite z-scores. Sleep problems were associated with two or more complaints: WHICAP: β = 1.93 (95% confidence interval: 1.59–2.34), p ≤ .0001; HELIAD: β = 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.20–1.83), p ≤ .0001. Sleep problems were associated with complaints in all the cognitive subcategories, except orientation for the WHICAP. The associations were noted regardless of objective cognition. At any given level of objective cognition, sleep disturbance is accompanied by subjective cognitive impairment. The replicability in two ethnically, genetically and culturally different cohorts adds validity to our results. The results have implications for the correlates, and potential aetiology of subjective cognitive decline, which should be considered in the assessment and treatment of older adults with cognitive complaints

Pilot study of the Greek Interventional Geriatric Initiative to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability in individuals with subjective cognitive decline: paving the way towards brain health clinics in Greece

The pilot phase of the Greek Interventional Geriatric Initiative to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (GINGER) aims to assess the feasibility of a multi-level dementia risk reduction intervention in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) over a six-month period. The study design incorporates a comprehensive set of trans-disciplinary assessments and interventions in multiple centers across Greece. Individuals 55 years or older with subjective cognitive complaints who do not fulfill criteria for either mild cognitive impairment or dementia are screened for dementia risk factors in the following domains: nutrition, physical activities, vision and hearing, vascular and metabolic parameters, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and insomnia. All GINGER participants receive a cognitive empowerment intervention. Using a precision medicine approach, they receive up to three additional domain-specific interventions based on their individual risk factor profiles. Changes in cognition, dementia risk factors, quality of life and other measures compared to baseline are assessed at three- and six months after the initiation of the intervention. The GINGER protocol was designed and is run by a multi-disciplinary team of dieticians, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and physiotherapists, while computer scientists oversee data management. The objectives of this pilot phase are (i) evaluation of the protocol’s feasibility, (ii) assessment of intervention effects on the individual risk domains targeted by the interventions, (iii) estimation of the overall effects of the intervention on cognitive function, dementia risk and quality of life. The GINGER findings will provide a solid foundation for paving the way towards a network of evidence-based brain health clinics in Greece

Common variants in Alzheimer’s disease and risk stratification by polygenic risk scores

Funder: Funder: Fundación bancaria ‘La Caixa’ Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: Grifols SA Number: LCF/PR/PR16/51110003 Funder: European Union/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Number: 115975 Funder: JPco-fuND FP-829-029 Number: 733051061Genetic discoveries of Alzheimer's disease are the drivers of our understanding, and together with polygenetic risk stratification can contribute towards planning of feasible and efficient preventive and curative clinical trials. We first perform a large genetic association study by merging all available case-control datasets and by-proxy study results (discovery n = 409,435 and validation size n = 58,190). Here, we add six variants associated with Alzheimer's disease risk (near APP, CHRNE, PRKD3/NDUFAF7, PLCG2 and two exonic variants in the SHARPIN gene). Assessment of the polygenic risk score and stratifying by APOE reveal a 4 to 5.5 years difference in median age at onset of Alzheimer's disease patients in APOE ɛ4 carriers. Because of this study, the underlying mechanisms of APP can be studied to refine the amyloid cascade and the polygenic risk score provides a tool to select individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease

Machine learning in Alzheimer’s disease genetics

: Traditional statistical approaches have advanced our understanding of the genetics of complex diseases, yet are limited to linear additive models. Here we applied machine learning (ML) to genome-wide data from 41,686 individuals in the largest European consortium on Alzheimer's disease (AD) to investigate the effectiveness of various ML algorithms in replicating known findings, discovering novel loci, and predicting individuals at risk. We utilised Gradient Boosting Machines (GBMs), biological pathway-informed Neural Networks (NNs), and Model-based Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MB-MDR) models. ML approaches successfully captured all genome-wide significant genetic variants identified in the training set and 22% of associations from larger meta-analyses. They highlight 6 novel loci which replicate in an external dataset, including variants which map to ARHGAP25, LY6H, COG7, SOD1 and ZNF597. They further identify novel association in AP4E1, refining the genetic landscape of the known SPPL2A locus. Our results demonstrate that machine learning methods can achieve predictive performance comparable to classical approaches in genetic epidemiology and have the potential to uncover novel loci that remain undetected by traditional GWAS. These insights provide a complementary avenue for advancing the understanding of AD genetics

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele