Publications

43 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 43

Abstract (Expand)

Background As is common in developing countries, in Ethiopia young people with disabilities (YPWD) are more likely than the general population to be illiterate, unemployed and impoverished. They often lack equal access to information and education for reasons ranging from barriers regarding physical access to services to varied special learning needs. Very little is known about knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of YPWD regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) related issues. We, therefore, aimed to assess the KAP of 426 YPWD in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2012. Data were collected by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic information, as well as information on KAP regarding SRH. Results Only 64.6 % of YPWD were aware of SRH services. Radio and TV were mentioned as the main sources of information by 62.2 % of the participants. 77.9 % had never had a discussion about SRH topics with their parents. Even though 96.7 % of the respondents had heard about HIV, 88 % had poor knowledge about ways of preventing HIV. Perception of the risk of getting infected with HIV was found to be generally low in YPWD; only 21.6 % believed that they were at risk of acquiring HIV. Conclusions Our study, in general, demonstrated that there is a lack of comprehensive knowledge, appropriate practice and favorable attitude of YPWD regarding different SRH-related issues. Our findings thus clearly indicate the need for strategies and programs to raise SRH-related awareness and to help YPWD to develop the appropriate skills and attitudes needed for a healthy reproductive life.

Authors: T. A. Kassa, T. Luck, A. Bekele, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 1st Dec 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Midlife obesity has often been associated with accelerated cognitive decline during aging. Obesity leads to changes in multiple physiological factors that could impact neuronal tissue. Numerous studies have linked obesity and higher body mass index (BMI) with differences in cognitive functions and brain structure, including total brain volume, regional gray matter volume and white matter (WM) microstructure. However, regarding to WM, the available neuroimaging studies incorporated mainly small sample sizes that yielded less conclusive results. Thus, we investigated the association of obesity, measured using BMI and waist to hip ratio (WHR), with changes in WM microstructure, as well as variance in cognitive test scores in a large cohort of community-dwelling healthy individuals older than 60 years.

Authors: Rui Zhang, L. Lampe, Frauke Beyer, Sebastian Huhn, S. K. Masouleh, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller, Markus Löffler, M. L. Schroeter

Date Published: 28th Nov 2016

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: obesity

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), i.e., the self-perceived feeling of worsening cognitive function, may be the first notable syndrome of preclinical Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. However, not all individuals with SCD progress. Stability of SCD, i.e., repeated reports of SCD, could contribute to identify individuals at risk, as stable SCD may more likely reflect the continuous neurodegenerative process of Alzheimer's and other dementias. METHODS: Cox regression analyses were used to assess the association between stability of SCD and progression to MCI and dementia in data derived from the population-based Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA75+). RESULTS: Of 453 cognitively unimpaired individuals with a mean age of 80.5 years (SD = 4.2), 139 (30.7 %) reported SCD at baseline. Over the study period (M = 4.8 years, SD = 2.2), 84 (18.5 %) individuals had stable SCD, 195 (43.1 %) unstable SCD and 174 (38.4 %) never reported SCD. Stable SCD was associated with increased risk of progression to MCI and dementia (unadjusted HR = 1.8, 95 % CI = 1.2-2.6; p < .01), whereas unstable SCD yielded a decreased progression risk (unadjusted HR = 0.5, 95 % CI = 0.4-0.7; p < .001) compared to no SCD. When adjusted for baseline cognitive functioning, progression risk in individuals with stable SCD was significantly increased in comparison to individuals with unstable SCD, but not compared to individuals without SCD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results, though preliminary, suggest that stable SCD, i.e., repeated reports of SCD, may yield an increased risk of progression to MCI and dementia compared to unstable SCD. Baseline cognitive scores, though within a normal range, seem to be a driver of progression in stable SCD. Future research is warranted to investigate whether stability could hold as a SCD research feature.

Authors: S. Roehr, A. Villringer, M. C. Angermeyer, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 4th Nov 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Abstract (Expand)

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have demonstrated that an overall high level of mental work demands decreased dementia risk. In our study, we investigated whether this effect is driven by specific mental work demands and whether it is exposure dependent. METHODS: Patients aged 75+ years were recruited from general practitioners and participated in up to seven assessment waves (every 1.5 years) of the longitudinal AgeCoDe study. Analyses of the impact of specific mental work demands on dementia risk were carried out via multivariate regression modeling (n = 2315). RESULTS: We observed a significantly lower dementia risk in individuals with a higher level of "information processing" (HR, 0.888), "pattern detection" (HR, 0.878), "mathematics" (HR, 0.878), and "creativity" (HR, 0.878). Yet, exposure-dependent effects were only significant for "information processing" and "pattern detection." DISCUSSION: Our longitudinal observations suggest that dementia risk may be reduced by some but not all types of mental work demands.

Authors: F. S. Then, T. Luck, K. Heser, A. Ernst, T. Posselt, B. Wiese, S. Mamone, C. Brettschneider, H. H. Konig, S. Weyerer, J. Werle, E. Mosch, H. Bickel, A. Fuchs, M. Pentzek, W. Maier, M. Scherer, M. Wagner, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 30th Oct 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: dementia

Abstract (Expand)

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether longitudinal stability versus instability in subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a modifying factor of the association between SCD and risk of incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. OBJECTIVE: We tested the modifying role of temporal stability of the SCD report on AD dementia risk in cognitively normal elderly individuals. METHODS: We analyzed data of 1,990 cognitively normal participants from the longitudinal AgeCoDe Study. We assessed SCD with/without associated worries both at baseline and first follow-up 18 months later. Participants were then classified either as (a) Controls (CO, with no SCD at both baseline and follow-up 1, n = 613), (b) inconsistent SCD (with SCD reported only at baseline or at follow-up 1, n = 637), (c) consistent SCD but without/or with inconsistent worries (n = 610) or (d) consistent SCD with worries (n = 130). We estimated incident AD dementia risk over up to 6 years for each group with Cox-Proportional Hazard Regression analyses adjusted for age, gender, education, ApoE4 status, and depression. RESULTS: Compared to CO, inconsistent SCD was not associated with increased risk of incident AD dementia. In contrast, risk was doubled in the group of consistent SCD without/ with inconsistent worries, and almost 4-fold in the group of consistent SCD with worries. These results could be replicated when using follow-up 1 to follow-up 2 response patterns for group definition. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that longitudinal stability versus instability is an important modifying factor of the association between SCD and AD dementia risk. Worrisome SCD that is also consistently reported over time is associated with greatly increased risk of AD dementia.

Authors: S. Wolfsgruber, L. Kleineidam, M. Wagner, E. Mosch, H. Bickel, D. Lupsilonhmann, A. Ernst, B. Wiese, S. Steinmann, H. H. Konig, C. Brettschneider, T. Luck, J. Stein, S. Weyerer, J. Werle, M. Pentzek, A. Fuchs, W. Maier, M. Scherer, S. G. Riedel-Heller, F. Jessen

Date Published: 4th Oct 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Human Diseases: dementia, Alzheimer's disease

Abstract (Expand)

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that individuals with poor social relationships have an increased risk for dementia. Dementia risk, however, can also be positively influenced by lifestyle factors. One such very important factor is high mental demands at work, in particular as the work environment affects a very long lifetime period. Thus, our objective was to investigate whether the cognitive functioning of socially isolated individuals may profit from high mental work demands. Methods: Analyses were based on n = 10,000 participants (aged 40 – 80 years) of the population-based German LIFE-Adult-Study. All participants underwent medical examinations and filled out standardized questionnaires. Cognitive functioning was assessed via the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) and the Trail-Making Test (TMT). Social relationships were assessed via the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6). The interaction between social isolation and mental demands on cognitive functioning was analyzed via multivariate regression analyses. Results: The difference in cognitive functioning between high and low mental work demand conditions was larger in socially isolated individuals (VFT: 2.7 words, TMT-B: 26 seconds) compared to socially well integrated individuals (VFT: 2.1 words, TMT-B: 9 seconds). Multivariate regression analyses – adjusted for age, gender, and education – indicated that both mental work demands as well as social relationships are significantly associated with the level of cognitive functioning (p < 0.001). Results also suggest interaction effects indicating a stronger impact of mental work demands on cognitive functioning in socially isolated individuals than in well integrated individuals. Conclusion: The findings imply that individuals with poor social relationships may particularly benefit from high mental work demands regarding their risk for dementia. The level of mental demands at work could therefore be an important target for tailored preventative approaches.

Authors: F. S. Then, M. L. Schroeter, V. Witte, C. Engel, M. Loeffler, J. Thiery, A. Villringer, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 15th Sep 2016

Publication Type: Journal article

Abstract (Expand)

Background: Previous studies have shown that individuals with poor social relationships have an increased risk for dementia. Dementia risk, however, can also be positively influenced by lifestyle factors such as high mental demands at work (in particular as the work environment affects a very long lifetime period). Thus, our objective was to investigate whether the cognitive functioning of socially isolated individuals may profit from high mental work demands. Methods: Analyses were based on n=10,000 participants (aged 40-80 years) of the population-based German LIFE-Adult-Study. All participants underwent medical examinations and filled out standardized questionnaires. Cognitive functioning was assessed via the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) and the Trail-Making Test (TMT). Social relationships were assessed via the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6). Results: The difference in cognitive func- tioning between high and low mental work demand conditions was larger in socially isolated individuals (VFT: 2.7 words, TMT-B: 26 seconds) compared to socially well integrated individuals (VFT: 2.1 words, TMT-B: 9 seconds). Multivariate regression analyses – adjusted for age, gender, and education – indicated that both mental work demands as well as social relationships are significantly asso- ciated with the level of cognitive functioning

Authors: F. S. Then, M. L. Schroeter, A. V. Witte, Christoph Engel, Markus Löffler, J. Thiery, A. Villringer, T. Luck, S. G. Riedel-Heller

Date Published: 1st Sep 2016

Publication Type: Not specified

Human Diseases: cognitive disorder

Powered by
(v.1.13.0-master)
Copyright © 2008 - 2021 The University of Manchester and HITS gGmbH
Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig

By continuing to use this site you agree to the use of cookies