Search

Background/Aims: Proverb interpretation is assumed to reflect executive functions. We hypothesized that proverb interpretation is impaired in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) diagnosed as single-domain impairment by common neuropsychological testing. Methods: We compared performance in a proverb interpretation test in single-domain aMCI patients and patients with early Alzheimer’s disease (EAD). Results: The groups with aMCI and EAD performed significantly worse than healthy controls. Both patient groups gave concrete answers with a similar frequency. However, patients with EAD tended to give senseless answers more frequently. Conclusions: Our data suggest that in patients diagnosed as single-domain aMCI, deterioration of executive functions is detectable with subtle and appropriate neuropsychological testing. Implementation of these procedures may improve the early prediction of AD.

Single biopsies of human gastric mucosa from controls and different groups of patients were used for enzymatic cell isolation by pronase and collagenase and subsequent count of parietal and nonparieta

Adenylate cyclase (AC) in response to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and histamine was studied in morphologically different biopsy specimens from human gastric mucosa. The activities of the enzyme were log-normally distributed and did not differ between males and females. PGE2 activated AC in a concentration-dependent manner in normal gastric mucosa (n = 57), chronic superficial gastritis (GI, 18), chronic gastritis with beginning atrophy (GII, 10), chronic atrophic gastritis (GIII, 24), gastric ulcer (GU, 39), duodenal ulcer (DU, 32), and biopsies of patients operated according to Billroth II (BII, 20) and was most efficacious in GIII and BII. Histamine, which was studied in normal gastric mucosa (n = 27), DU (n = 20), GU (n = 13), and BII (n = 18), stimulated AC most efficaciously and potently in DU, was less effective in normal gastric mucosa and GU, and had no effect at all in BII. Cimetidine treatment of DU patients did not change the PGE2 action, while the degree of stimulation by histamine was reduced. The data indicate characteristic differences of the PGE2- and histamine-sensitive AC in the mucosal samples of these patients.