Objective To discuss the clinical features of behavioral and psychological symptoms of demen-tia(BPSD)and the relation between different sub-clinical syndromes and cognition. Methods One hundred and sixteen dementia patients were assessed with neuropsychiatric inventory and mini-mental state examination (MMSE)and made factor analysis according to DSM-IV-R. Results Twelve common behavioral and psychological symptoms could be further divided into five sub-syndromes,including disinhibition behavior,psychosis,agitation, emotion and apathy factors. MMSE total score and years of education entered regression equation of apathy factor (P<0.05). Conclusion BPSD can be divided into five factors and apathy factor are related with cognitive function.

OBJECTIVEAlpha-2 macroglobulin (alpha2M) is a proteinase inhibitor found in association with senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Also alpha2M has been implicated in several pathophysiological processes in AD. In view of the recent contradictory reports on the relationship between AD and a common polymorphism I1000V in A2M gene, the present authors studied a relatively large sample, determined the genotype of the I1000V polymorphism in A2M gene in sporadic AD patients and age-matched controls with normal cognition, and examined the possible association of the polymorphism with AD.

METHODSGenotypes of A2M and apolipoprotein E (apoE) were detected by polymerase chain reaction combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism in 257 patients and 242 controls in Guangzhou, and 112 patients and 113 controls in Chengdu.

RESULTSThe 1000Val allele frequencies in the merged AD and control groups were 7.7% and 8.7%, respectively. The differences of allelic and genotypic frequencies between the patients and control subjects were not statistically significant, even after stratification by apoE epsilon4 status or by age-of-onset of the disease.

CONCLUSIONThe results of this study revealed no association between the I1000V polymorphism of A2M and Chinese sporadic AD in Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease ; ethnology ; genetics ; Apolipoproteins E ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; alpha-Macroglobulins ; genetics