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Background and Objectives: Prior investigations have not considered whether poor vision biases cognitive testing. However, such research is vital given increasing evidence that vision impairment (VI) may be an important modifiable risk factor for dementia, particularly in low- and middle-income settings where the prevalence of VI is high. Research Design and Methods: This study employed data from 3 784 participants in Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India-Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI-DAD) who underwent both visual acuity and cognitive function testing. We used multiple indicators and multiple causes models to assess differential item functioning (DIF; eg, bias) in cognitive testing by objectively measured distance and near VI. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the association between VI and cognitive factor scores before and after DIF adjustment. Analyses were performed for general cognition and separate cognitive domains, corresponding to memory, language/fluency, executive functioning, and visuospatial performance. Models were adjusted for demographic, health, and socioeconomic covariates. Results: Participants in our sample were 60 and older. Most participants with VI were 60-69 years old (59.6%) and 50.8% were female. Individuals experiencing both distance and near VI tended to be older, have lower educational attainment, be married, reside in rural settings, and belong to lower consumption and BMI categories. Both distance and near VI were associated with poorer cognition before and after DIF-adjustment. Differences between DIF-unadjusted and -adjusted scores were small compared to the standard error of measurement, indicating no evidence of meaningful measurement differences by VI. Discussion and Implications: In well-conducted large-scale surveys, bias in cognitive testing due to VI is likely minimal. Findings strengthen previous evidence on the association between VI and dementia by showing that such associations are unlikely to be attributable to vision-related measurement error in the assessment of cognitive functioning.

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The cognitive deterioration of politicians is a critical emerging issue. As professions including law and medicine develop and implement cognitive assessments, their insights may inform the proper strategy within politics. The aging, lifetime-appointed judiciary raises legal and administrative questions of such assessments, while testing of older physicians experiencing cognitive decline provides real-life examples of implementation. In politics, cognitive assessment must contend with the field's unique challenges, also taking context-dependent interpretations of cognitive-neuropsychological status into account. These perspectives, from legal and medical experts, political scientists, and officeholders, can contribute toward an equitable, functioning, and non-discriminatory system of assessing cognition that educates the public and enables politicians to maintain their public responsibilities. With proper implementation and sufficient public knowledge, we believe cognitive assessments for politicians, particularly political candidates, can be valuable for maintaining properly functioning governance. We offer recommendations on the development, implementation, and execution of such assessments, grappling with their democratic and legal implications.

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BACKGROUND: Appropriate cognitive performance is vital for a firefighter, but many occupational factors can negatively affect it. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the correlation between job stress, burnout, and cognitive performance in firefighters. METHODS: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in three fire stations in Iran in 2023 with 61 participants, including 34 firefighters in the exposed group and 27 office workers in the control group. After ensuring the confidentiality of the obtained information and completing the demographic information checklist, Job stress and burnout levels were measured using standardized questionnaires, and cognitive functions were assessed using two computerized tests: Stroop and continuous performance. RESULTS: The mean age and work experience of firefighters were 33.29±9.44 and 10.42±3.51 years, respectively. The firefighters' job stress and burnout levels were, on average, 163.12±9.18 and 88.89±4.28, respectively, significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The results of the Pearson correlation test revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.719) between job stress and burnout. Pearson correlation coefficient (r = -0.512-0.757), yielded from psychological tests, demonstrated that firefighters' job stress and burnout had moderate to strong associations with certain indicators of Stroop and continuous performance tests. CONCLUSION: According to the obtained results, it is recommended to take fundamental measures to reduce occupational stress and burnout of firefighters as a factor affecting cognitive performance.

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OBJECTIVE: To establish whether physical fitness and cognitive self-perceptions act as mediators in the link between global fitness and cognitive performance measured objectively in adolescents. We also compared differences across sex. METHODS: A total of 1296 adolescents (50 % girls) from grades 5 to 8 (ages 10-14) participated in this cross-sectional study. The ALPHA-fitness test battery assessed physical fitness, comprising cardiorespiratory, speed-agility, and muscular fitness components. We used the 1-5-point International Fitness Scale for physical fitness self-perception, and the 1-10 scale for cognitive performance self-perception. Objective cognitive performance was assessed using a neurocognitive battery consisting of eight tasks. Using principal component analysis, these tasks were grouped into three domains: attention, working memory, and problem solving. We examined three serial mediation models adjusted for sex, standardized body mass index, maturation, and school vulnerability index. RESULTS: Physical fitness and cognitive self-perceptions mediated the effects on attention (B = .0027, CI = .0011 to .0047), memory (B = .0025; CI = .0003 to .0055 and B = .0035; CI = .0009 to .0063), and problem-solving (B = -.0137; CI = -.0231 to -.0052 and B = .0072; CI = .0043 to .0106). By sex, boys showed mediation in all domains, while girls only showed mediation in problem-solving. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' perceptions play a crucial and positive mediating role in linking objective measures of physical fitness to cognitive performance outcomes, particularly when self-perceptions of physical fitness and cognition are considered together. Therefore, educating families and school/health environments about the importance of adolescent perceptions, while fostering self-awareness and reinforcing their capabilities, is essential.

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Olfactory functioning involves multiple cognitive processes and the coordinated actions of various neural systems. Any disruption at any stage of this process may result in olfactory dysfunction, which is consequently widely used to predict the onset and progression of diseases, such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Although the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully unraveled, apparent changes were observed in olfactory brain areas form patients who suffer from AD by means of medical imaging and electroencephalography (EEG). Olfactory dysfunction holds significant promise in detecting AD during the preclinical stage preceding mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Owing to the strong specificity, olfactory tests are prevalently applied for screening in community cohorts. And combining olfactory tests with other biomarkers may further establish an optimal model for AD prediction in studies of specific olfactory dysfunctions and improve the sensitivity and specificity of early AD diagnosis.

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Ionic imbalances and sodium channel dysfunction, well-known sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI), promote functional impairment in affected subjects. Therefore, non-invasive measurement of sodium concentrations using 23Na MRI has the potential to detect clinically relevant injury and predict persistent symptoms. Recently, we reported diffusely lower apparent total sodium concentrations (aTSC) in mild TBI patients compared to controls, as well as correlations between lower aTSC and worse clinical outcomes. The main goal of this study was to determine whether these aTSC findings, and their changes over time, predict outcomes at 3- and 12-month from injury. Twenty-seven patients previously studied with 23Na MRI and outcome measures at 22 ± 10 days (average ± standard deviation) after injury (visit-1, v1) were contacted at 3- (visit-2, v2) and 12-month after injury (visit-3, v3) to complete the Rivermead post-concussion symptoms questionnaire (RPQ), the extended Glasgow outcome scale (GOSE), and the brief test of adult cognition by telephone (BTACT). Follow-up 1H and 23Na MRI were additionally scheduled at v2. Linear regression was used to calculate aTSC in global grey and white matters. Six hypotheses were tested in relation to the serial changes in outcome measures and in aTSC, and in relation to the cross-sectional and serial relationships between aTSC and outcome. Twenty patients contributed data at v2 and fifteen at v3. Total RPQ and composite BTACT z-scores differed significantly for v2 and v3 in comparison to v1 (each P < 0.01), reflecting longitudinally reduced symptomatology and improved performance on cognitive testing. No associations between aTSC and outcome were observed at v2. Previously lower grey and white matter aTSC normalized at v2 in comparison to controls, in line with a statistically detectable longitudinal increase in grey matter aTSC between v1 and v2 (P = 0.0004). aTSC values at v1 predicted a subset of future BTACT subtest scores, but not future RPQ scores nor GOSE-defined recovery status. Similarly, aTSC rates of change correlated with BTACT rates of change, but not with those of RPQ. Tissue aTSC, previously shown to be diffusely decreased compared to controls at v1, was no longer reduced by v2, suggesting normalization of the sodium ionic equilibrium. These changes were accompanied by marked improvement in outcome. The results support the notion that early aTSC from 23Na MRI predicts future BTACT, but not RPQ scores, nor future GOSE status.

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PURPOSE: It is not clear whether cognitive functions are impaired in young patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study aims to detect whether or not there is cognitive impairment and cerebral changes in young patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: All 50 patients with ACS who were treated with primary PCI were eligible for this prospective study. All participants had normal cognitive function before ACS. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to quantify changes in brain white and gray matter. Cognitive functions (CFs) were evaluated by seven cognitive tests. Patients were categorized by MRI findings and test scores were compared from the first day to after the first month. RESULTS: We determined 25 patients with impaired CFs on the first day. After the first month, we identified 18 patients with transient impaired CFs. No structural difference was observed between impaired CF and normal CF. While 25 patients had a score of 1 according to Fazekas, 10 patients had a score of 1 according to MTLA. While the mean Stroop test completion time and Stroop test error rate scores were significantly higher on the first day than after the first month in the Fazekas+ group (p = 0.003, p < 0.001, respectively), other cognitive test scores-except clock drawing test, digital span forwards, and backwards-were significantly lower on the first day compared to after the first month in the Fazekas+ group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ACS have transient impairment in cognitive functions. Acute coronary syndrome is not associated with structural changes in the brain.

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Objectives: Our study investigated the inverse relationship between cognitive decline (CD) and the presence of documented atrial fibrillation (AFib), ischemic stroke, heart failure, lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and diabetes mellitus. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study between December 2016 and November 2019. A total of 469 patients were enrolled who underwent cognitive evaluation with three cognitive tests (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-MOCA, Mini-Mental State Examination-MMSE, and General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition-GPCOG). We used the standard cut-off values, and the optimal thresholds were obtained from the receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: The standard cut-off level of the MOCA (<26 points) was associated with the presence of AFib (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.11-3.01) and the optimal cut-off level with <23 points with ischemic stroke (OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.47-4.74; p = 0.0011). The optimal cut-off value of the MMSE (<28 points) was associated with the presence of ischemic stroke (OR: 3.07, 95% CI: 1.56-6.07; p = 0.0012), AFib (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.05-2.60; p = 0.0287), and peripheral artery disease (OR: 2.72, 95% CI: 1.38-5.36; p = 0.0039). GPCOG < 8 points were associated with ischemic stroke (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.14-4.14; p = 0.0176) and heart failure (OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.01-2.21; p = 0.0430). Conclusions: Our research highlighted the broader utility of cognitive assessment. The MOCA and MMSE scores proved to be associated with documented AFib. Higher cognitive test results than the standard threshold for CD of the MMSE, GPCOG, and lower MOCA scores represented risk factors for the presence of previous ischemic stroke.

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BACKGROUND: Oral semaglutide in older subjects with type 2 diabetes was as effective as in younger subjects, according to phase 3 clinical trials. However, its efficacy can be limited in very aged population, due to the presence of impaired cognitive function and the complex instructions for its use. Here, we investigated its efficacy and safety by further age bracket in older subjects in real-world. METHODS: We retrospectively studied subjects > 65 years of age with type 2 diabetes who started oral semaglutide treatment. The primary outcome was the change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over 6 months. Adverse events and cognitive function were evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and the Hasegawa Dementia Rating Scale-revised (HDS-R). The achievement rate of glycemic targets was evaluated based on the age, health status of subjects and their use of anti-diabetic agents which can cause hypoglycemia, with additional analysis between two subgroups; early (65-74) versus late (≥ 75) older. Furthermore, we evaluated the relationships between their improvements in HbA1c and the baseline characteristics of the subjects, including their cognitive function and insulin secretory capacity. RESULTS: We studied the efficacy of the drug in 24 subjects. Their HbA1c and body weight significantly decreased (- 13.1 ± 7.5 mmol/mol and - 3.0 ± 2.4 kg, respectively; P < 0.01). Although cognitive function was lower in the late older group (r = -0.57, P < 0.01), changes in HbA1c showed no difference between the two subgroups (P = 0.66) and it correlated with the insulin secretory capacity rather than cognitive function (r = -0.49, P < 0.05). Glycemic targets were more likely to be achieved (P < 0.01), but HbA1c excessively decreased in late older subjects who were also using insulin or an insulin secretagogue. The frequency of adverse events was similar to that in the clinical trial, whereas discontinuation of medication were more frequent among the late older subjects (Early; n = 2, Late; n = 4). CONCLUSIONS: Oral semaglutide improves the glycemic control of older subjects, but it might be a risk for potential hypoglycemia and discontinuation because of adverse events in subjects of ≥ 75 years. Attention should be paid to insulin secretory capacity and concomitant medications rather than concern about adherence.

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Objective: The aging population in developing countries demands parallel improvements in brain health assessment services to mitigate stigma, promote healthy aging, and diagnose cognitive impairments including dementia in primary health care (PHC) facilities. The lack of culturally appropriate cognitive assessment tools in PHC facilities delays early detection. This study aims to culturally adapt a brief digital cognitive assessment tool for PHC professionals in Southeast Nigeria. Method: A total of 30 participants (15 healthcare workers HCW and 15 community members) were selected to be culturally representative of the community. We completed focus groups and pilot testing to evaluate and refine the Brain Health Assessment (BHA) a subset of tools from the Tablet-based Cognitive Assessment Tool (TabCAT) known to be sensitive to cognitive impairment in other settings. We examined BHA subtests across local languages (Pidgin and Igbo) spoken at two geriatric clinics in Anambra State Southeast Nigeria. Results: Following structured approaches in focus groups, adaptations were made to the Favorites (memory) and Line Length (visuospatial) subtests based on their input. Participants found the new adaptations to have good construct validity for the region. Conclusions: The BHA subtests showed content validity for future work needed to validate the tool for detecting early cognitive changes associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in PHC settings. The use of culturally adapted and concise digital cognitive assessment tools relevant to healthcare professionals in Southeast Nigeria's PHCs is advocated.

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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine student perceptions versus actual level of test anxiety, as measured by the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale-2 (CTAS-2), and student and faculty perceptions of test anxiety with regard to prevalence, impact, ease of treatment, and importance in pharmacy education. METHODS: Two independent Qualtrics questionnaires were distributed via email to all students and faculty in the professional pharmacy program (years 1-4) at the University of Mississippi. The first questionnaire evaluated pharmacy students' perceptions of test anxiety and self-awareness of personal test anxiety. The second questionnaire evaluated faculty members' perceptions of student test anxiety. The questionnaires had 50 and 21 questions, respectively, and were developed from validated, reliable questionnaires used in Cognitive Test Anxiety (CTA) research. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 123 students and 19 faculty. Overall, 46 % of students had a self-perception of "high test anxiety", with 28 % having a CTAS-2 score that correlated to severe test anxiety. A majority of faculty respondents (84 %) believed severe test anxiety affects 30 % or less of pharmacy students and may be associated with poor academic performance. CONCLUSION: Student pharmacists' self-perception of test anxiety and perception of difficulty mitigating test anxiety may be overestimated. Overall, faculty accurately estimated the degree of test anxiety, felt confident in being able to help students, and believed it should receive attention from both faculty and the university.

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BACKGROUND: Early detection of cognitive impairment or dementia is essential to reduce the incidence of severe neurodegenerative diseases. However, currently available diagnostic tools for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia are time-consuming, expensive, or not widely accessible. Hence, exploring more effective methods to assist clinicians in detecting MCI is necessary. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to explore the feasibility and efficiency of assessing MCI through movement kinetics under tablet-based "drawing and dragging" tasks. METHODS: We iteratively designed "drawing and dragging" tasks by conducting symposiums, programming, and interviews with stakeholders (neurologists, nurses, engineers, patients with MCI, healthy older adults, and caregivers). Subsequently, stroke patterns and movement kinetics were evaluated in healthy control and MCI groups by comparing 5 categories of features related to hand motor function (ie, time, stroke, frequency, score, and sequence). Finally, user experience with the overall cognitive screening system was investigated using structured questionnaires and unstructured interviews, and their suggestions were recorded. RESULTS: The "drawing and dragging" tasks can detect MCI effectively, with an average accuracy of 85% (SD 2%). Using statistical comparison of movement kinetics, we discovered that the time- and score-based features are the most effective among all the features. Specifically, compared with the healthy control group, the MCI group showed a significant increase in the time they took for the hand to switch from one stroke to the next, with longer drawing times, slow dragging, and lower scores. In addition, patients with MCI had poorer decision-making strategies and visual perception of drawing sequence features, as evidenced by adding auxiliary information and losing more local details in the drawing. Feedback from user experience indicates that our system is user-friendly and facilitates screening for deficits in self-perception. CONCLUSIONS: The tablet-based MCI detection system quantitatively assesses hand motor function in older adults and further elucidates the cognitive and behavioral decline phenomenon in patients with MCI. This innovative approach serves to identify and measure digital biomarkers associated with MCI or Alzheimer dementia, enabling the monitoring of changes in patients' executive function and visual perceptual abilities as the disease advances.

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Background: The current cognitive tests have been developed based on and standardized against Western constructs and normative data. With older people of minority ethnic background increasing across Western countries, there is a need for cognitive screening tests to address factors which influence performance bias and timely diagnostic dementia accuracy. The diagnostic accuracy in translated and culturally adapted cognitive screening tests and their impact on test performance in diverse populations have not been well addressed to date. Objective: This review aims to highlight considerations relating to the adaptation processes, language, cultural influences, impact of immigration, and level of education to assess for dementia in non-Western and/or non-English speaking populations. Methods: We conducted a systematic search for studies addressing the effects of translation and cultural adaptations of cognitive screening tests (developed in a Western context) upon their diagnostic accuracy and test performance across diverse populations. Four electronic databases and manual searches were conducted, using a predefined search strategy. A narrative synthesis of findings was conducted. Results: Search strategy yielded 2,890 articles, and seventeen studies (4,463 participants) met the inclusion criteria. There was variability in the sensitivity and specificity of cognitive tests, irrespective of whether they were translated only, culturally adapted only, or both. Cognitive test performance was affected by education, linguistic ability, and aspects of acculturation. Conclusions: We highlight the importance of translating and culturally adapting tests that have been developed in the Western context. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution as results varied due to the broad selection of included cognitive tests.

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Objective: Replicated evidence shows a weak or non-significant correlation between different methods of evaluating executive functions (EF). The current study investigates the association between rating scales and cognitive tests of EF in a sample of children with ADHD and executive dysfunction. Method: The sample included 139 children (aged 6-13) diagnosed with ADHD and executive dysfunctions. The children completed subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Children's Organizational Skills Scale (COSS). Analysis: Pairwise Spearman correlations were calculated between the composite and separate subscales of cognitive tests and rating scales. In secondary analyses, pairwise Spearman correlations were conducted between all composite scales and subscales, stratified by child sex and child ADHD subtype. Results: The correlation analyses between composite scores yielded no significant correlations. The results when comparing CANTAB TO and BRIEF GE are r=-.095, p=.289, and r=.042, p=.643 when comparing CANTAB TO and COSS TO. The analyses between all composite scales and subscales found one significant negative correlation (r=-.25, p<.01). There are significant cross-method differences when stratified by the ADHD-Inattentive subtype, showing significant negative correlations (moderate) between CANTAB and BRIEF composite (r=-.355, p=.014) and subscales. Discussion: It is possible that the different methods measure different underlying constructs of EF. It may be relevant to consider the effects of responder bias and differences in ecological validity in both measurement methods. Conclusion: The results found no significant correlations. The expectation in research and clinical settings should not be to find the same results when comparing data from cognitive tests and rating scales. Future research might explore novel approaches to EF testing with a higher level of ecological validity, and designing EF rating scales that capture EF behaviors more so than EF cognition.

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BACKGROUND: Quantitative determination of the correlation between cognitive ability and functional biomarkers in the older brain is essential. To identify biomarkers associated with cognitive performance in the older, this study combined an index model specific for resting-state functional connectivity (FC) with a supervised machine learning method. METHODS: Performance scores on conventional cognitive test scores and resting-state functional MRI data were obtained for 98 healthy older individuals and 90 healthy youth from two public databases. Based on the test scores, the older cohort was categorized into two groups: excellent and poor. A resting-state FC scores model (rs-FCSM) was constructed for each older individual to determine the relative differences in FC among brain regions compared with that in the youth cohort. Brain areas sensitive to test scores could then be identified using this model. To suggest the effectiveness of constructed model, the scores of these brain areas were used as feature matrix inputs for training an extreme learning machine. classification accuracy (CA) was then tested in separate groups and validated by N-fold cross-validation. RESULTS: This learning study could effectively classify the cognitive status of healthy older individuals according to the model scores of frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and parietal lobe with a mean accuracy of 86.67%, which is higher than that achieved using conventional correlation analysis. CONCLUSION: This classification study of the rs-FCSM may facilitate early detection of age-related cognitive decline as well as help reveal the underlying pathological mechanisms.

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BACKGROUND: The risk of dementia is increased in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Despite the plethora of in-person cognitive tests, those that can be administered over the phone are lacking. We hypothesized that a home-based cognitive test (HCT) using phone calls would be feasible and useful in non-demented elderly. We aimed to assess feasibility and validity of a new HCT as an optional cognitive monitoring tool without visiting hospitals. METHODS: Our study was conducted in a prospective design during 24 weeks. We developed a new HCT consisting of 20 questions (score range 0-30). Participants with MCI (n = 38) were consecutively enrolled and underwent regular HCTs during 24 weeks. Associations between HCT scores and in-person cognitive scores and Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers were evaluated. In addition, HCT scores in MCI participants were cross-sectionally compared with age-matched cognitively normal (n = 30) and mild AD dementia (n = 17) participants for discriminative ability of the HCT. RESULTS: HCT had good intra-class reliability (test-retest Cronbach's alpha 0.839). HCT scores were correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), verbal memory delayed recall, and Stroop test scores but not associated with AD biomarkers. HCT scores significantly differed among cognitively normal, MCI, and mild dementia participants, indicating its discriminative ability. Finally, 32 MCI participants completed follow-up evaluations, and 8 progressed to dementia. Baseline HCT scores in dementia progressors were lower than those in non-progressors (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The feasibility and usefulness of the HCT were demonstrated in elderly subjects with MCI. HCT could be an alternative option to monitor cognitive decline in early stages without dementia.

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Both P3b and the inspection time (IT) are related with intelligence, yet the P3b correlates of IT are not well understood. This event-related potential study addressed this question by asking participants (N = 28) to perform an IT task. There were three IT conditions with different levels of discriminative stimulus duration, i.e., 33 ms, 67 ms, and 100 ms, and a control condition with no target presentation (0 ms condition). We also measured participants' processing speed with four Elementary Cognitive Tests (ECTs), including a Simple Reaction Time task (SRT), two Choice Reaction Time tasks (CRTs), and a Pattern Discrimination task (PD). Results revealed that an increase in P3b latency with longer duration of the discriminative stimulus. Moreover, the P3b latency was negatively correlated with the accuracy of the IT task in the 33 ms condition, but not evident in the 67 and 100 ms conditions. Furthermore, the P3b latency of the 33 ms condition was positively correlated with the RT of the SRT, but not related with the RTs of CRTs or PD. A significant main effect of duration on the amplitude of P1 was also found. We conclude that the present study provides the neurophysiological correlates of the IT task, and those who are able to accurately perceive and process very briefly presented stimuli have a higher speed of information process, reflected by the P3b latency, yet this relationship is more obvious in the most difficult condition. Combined, our results suggest that P3b is related with the closure of a perceptual epoch to form the neural representation of a stimulus, in support of the "context closure" hypothesis.

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Introduction This study focuses on the cognitive testing and piloting of the Bangla version of the Washington Group Short Set Questionnaire on Functioning among adolescent girls and women with disabilities in selected sub-districts of Bangladesh. The Washington Group on Disability Statistics developed the questionnaire as a tool to assess the functioning and disability status of individuals. The adaptation of this questionnaire to Bangla is crucial for capturing accurate data on the experiences of adolescent girls and women with disabilities in Bangladesh. Materials and methods The research employs a two-phase approach, starting with cognitive testing to ensure the linguistic and cultural relevance of the translated questionnaire. This phase involves engaging with a sample of the target population to assess the comprehension, clarity, and appropriateness of the questions. Subsequently, a pilot study was conducted in selected sub-districts to evaluate the feasibility and validity of the Bangla version of the Washington Group Short Set Questionnaire on Functioning in real-world settings. Both of the tests were conducted in March 2023. Results There were different types of participants with different types of disabilities. Information processing, meaning, understanding the questions, thinking, and answering speed or time were different between groups, even though they were different from person to person. The initial assessments indicate strong consistency in responses. Participants demonstrated a favorable response rate, indicating potential effectiveness for broader implementation. Conclusion The current study aims to contribute to disability data collection methodologies, particularly in the context of adolescent girls and women in Bangladesh. The research seeks to empower policymakers, researchers, and advocacy groups with a robust instrument of disability screening. Researchers and clinicians may rely on our accurate and validated Washington Group Short Set Questionnaire on Functioning translation into Bangla when working with adolescent girls and women with disabilities.

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BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, poses a significant global burden. Diagnosis typically involves invasive and costly methods like neuroimaging or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker testing of phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and amyloid-ß42/40 (Aß42/40). Such procedures are especially impractical in resource-constrained regions, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Blood-based biomarker testing may provide a more accessible screening opportunity. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine if AD-related blood-based biomarkers are associated with cognitive test performance in the Congolese population, where limited research has been conducted. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of 81 Congolese individuals, cognitive assessments (Alzheimer's Questionnaire (AQ) and Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSID)) distinguished dementia cases from controls. Blood draws were taken to assess p-tau 181 and Aß42/40 biomarkers. Relationships between the biomarkers and cognitive performance were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: Lower plasma Aß42/40 was significantly associated with lower CSID scores and higher AQ scores, indicative of AD (p < 0.001). These relationships were observed in healthy controls (CSID p = 0.01, AQ p = 0.03), but not in dementia cases. However, p-tau 181 did not exhibit significant associations with either measure. Factors such as age, sex, education, presence of APOEɛ4 allele, did not alter these relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding relationships between AD-related screening tests and blood biomarkers is a step towards utilization of blood-based biomarker tests as a screening tool for AD, especially in resource-limited regions. Further research should be conducted to evaluate blood biomarker test efficacy in larger samples and other populations.

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Research on achievement emotions and behaviors has routinely demonstrated connections to student performance. This study approaches the work from a perspective of greater integration of multiple variables and examines potential nonlinear relationships among intolerance of uncertainty, cognitive test anxiety, academic self-handicapping, and student performance. Using structured equations modeling and generalized additive modeling, our results confirm better predictions of student performance when using both multivariate and curvilinear analyses. Optimal prediction of GPA was achieved when considering all three variables in conjunction through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the analyses demonstrated that intolerance of uncertainty tended to activate learners' cognitive test anxiety, which increased the potential of engaging in academic self-handicapping, resulting in lower levels of GPA. The results are consistent with process models of test anxiety that identify the critical role of learners' appraisals of evaluative stressors as well as the coping strategies employed when stressors are activated. Finally, curvilinear analyses confirmed that student GPA was related to academic self-handicapping and cognitive test anxiety in complex ways but largely demonstrated that as the levels of self-handicapping and/or cognitive test anxiety increased, performance declined. However, the degree of severity in reduced GPA was most severe for learners with elevations in both.