Facilitators, Challenges, and Messaging Strategies for Hispanic/Latino Populations Participating in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Clinical Research: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Holly A. Massett ◽  
Alexandra K. Mitchell ◽  
Leah Alley ◽  
Elizabeth Simoneau ◽  
Panne Burke ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) disproportionally affect Hispanic and Latino populations, yet Hispanics/Latinos are substantially underrepresented in AD/ADRD clinical research. Diverse inclusion in trials is an ethical and scientific imperative, as underrepresentation reduces the ability to generalize study findings and treatments across populations most affected by a disease. This paper presents findings from a narrative literature review (N = 210) of the current landscape of Hispanic/Latino participation in clinical research, including the challenges, facilitators, and communication channels to conduct culturally appropriate outreach efforts to increase awareness and participation of Hispanics/Latinos in AD/ADRD clinical research studies. Many challenges identified were systemic in nature: lack of culturally relevant resources; staffing that do not represent participants’ cultures/language; eligibility criteria that disproportionately excludes Hispanics/Latinos; and too few studies available in Hispanic/Latino communities. The paper also details facilitators and messaging strategies to improve engagement and interest among Hispanics/Latinos in AD/ADRD research, starting with approaches that recognize and address the heterogeneity of the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and then, tailor outreach activities and programs to address their diverse needs and circumstances. The needs identified in this article represent longstanding failures to improve engagement and interest among Hispanics/Latinos in AD/ADRD research; we discuss how the field can move forward learning from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Author(s):  
Keng Yoon Yeong ◽  
Christine Law

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that has affected millions of people worldwide. However, currently there is no treatment to cure the disease. The AD drugs available in the market only manage the disease symptomatically and the effects are usually short-term. Thus, there is a need to look at alternatives AD therapies. Mid-life hypertension has not only been recognised as a risk factor for AD, but its relation with AD has also been well established. Thus, antihypertensives are postulated to be beneficial in managing AD. This literature review aims to shed some light on the potential of repurposing antihypertensives to treat AD, considering recent updates. Four classes of antihypertensives, as well as their potential limitations and future prospects in being utilised as AD therapeutics are discussed in this review.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 902-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malihe Nourollahpour Shiadeh ◽  
Elena Cassinerio ◽  
Maryam Modarres ◽  
Armin Zareiyan ◽  
Zeinab Hamzehgardeshi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 174077452110344
Author(s):  
Michelle M Nuño ◽  
Joshua D Grill ◽  
Daniel L Gillen ◽  

Background/Aims: The focus of Alzheimer’s disease studies has shifted to earlier disease stages, including mild cognitive impairment. Biomarker inclusion criteria are often incorporated into mild cognitive impairment clinical trials to identify individuals with “prodromal Alzheimer’s disease” to ensure appropriate drug targets and enrich for participants likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease dementia. The use of these eligibility criteria may affect study power. Methods: We investigated outcome variability and study power in the setting of proof-of-concept prodromal Alzheimer’s disease trials that incorporate cerebrospinal fluid levels of total tau (t-tau) and phosphorylated (p-tau) as primary outcomes and how differing biomarker inclusion criteria affect power. We used data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative to model trial scenarios and to estimate the variance and within-subject correlation of total and phosphorylated tau. These estimates were then used to investigate the differences in study power for trials considering these two surrogate outcomes. Results: Patient characteristics were similar for all eligibility criteria. The lowest outcome variance and highest within-subject correlation were obtained when phosphorylated tau was used as an eligibility criterion, compared to amyloid beta or total tau, regardless of whether total tau or phosphorylated tau were used as primary outcomes. Power increased when eligibility criteria were broadened to allow for enrollment of subjects with either low amyloid beta or high phosphorylated tau. Conclusion: Specific biomarker inclusion criteria may impact statistical power in trials using total tau or phosphorylated tau as the primary outcome. In concert with other important considerations such as treatment target and population of clinical interest, these results may have implications to the integrity and efficiency of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease trial designs.


Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Costas S. Constantinou ◽  
Andrew Timothy Ng ◽  
Chase Beverley Becker ◽  
Parmida Enayati Zadeh ◽  
Alexia Papageorgiou

This paper presents the results of a narrative literature review on the use of interpreters in medical education. A careful search strategy was based on keywords and inclusion and exclusion criteria, and used the databases PubMed, Medline Ovid, Google Scholar, Scopus, CINAHL, and EBSCO. The search strategy resulted in 20 articles, which reflected the research aim and were reviewed on the basis of an interpretive approach. They were then critically appraised in accordance with the “critical assessment skills programme” guidelines. Results showed that the use of interpreters in medical education as part of the curriculum is scarce, but students have been trained in how to work with interpreters when interviewing patients to fully develop their skills. The study highlights the importance of integrating the use of interpreters in medical curricula, proposes a framework for achieving this, and suggests pertinent research questions for enriching cultural competence.


Author(s):  
Sahar Mihandoust ◽  
Rutali Joshi ◽  
Anjali Joseph ◽  
Kapil Chalil Madathil ◽  
Cheryl J. Dye ◽  
...  

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