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Patients benefit from the presence of empathic caregivers (CGs). In this regard, empathy toward the patient is one of the clinical targets for improving patient outcomes. However, relatively little is known about the impact of patients' empathic responses on the CGs' burden. Among people living with Parkinson's disease (PwP), care partners play a major role. This study involved 28 spouse-patient couples. Empathy, stress burden, and mood disorders (such as anxiety and depression) were assessed over a 6-month period, before and after the reported intervention. Our observation points out that the improvement of patient empathy is necessary for a significant burden reduction among spouses caring for PwP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The assumption that disease specific risk factors are similar or the same in men and women may lead to incorrect primary prevention strategies. This study focused on the evaluation of gender-specific Alzheimer''s disease (AD) risk factors. In AD, female gender appears to be an important risk factor associated with the aberrant production of beta amyloid (βA) peptides. Although decreased levels in plasma DHA concentration are associated with cognitive decline in healthy elderly and Alzheimer''s patients, pre-treatment with DHA significantly reduced the survival of cortical neurons incubated with beta amyloid (βA). Hence, in the presence of an increasing amount of βA, paradoxically women – who have higher plasma levels of DHA – are more likely to develop AD. Aspirin (ASA) converts cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 into a form that generates new neuroprotective docosanoids from DHA; therefore, ASA might positively resolve the paradoxical effect of the concomitant presence of DHA and βA. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]