Sirtuin (SIRT) pathway has a crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The present study evaluated the alterations in serum sirtuin1 (SIRT1) concentration in healthy individuals (young and old) and patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Blood samples were collected from 40 AD and 9 MCI patients as cases and 22 young healthy adults and 22 healthy elderly individuals as controls. Serum SIRT1 was estimated by Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), Western Blot and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). A significant (p<0.0001) decline in SIRT1 concentration was observed in patients with AD (2.27±0.46 ng/µl) and MCI (3.64±0.15 ng/µl) compared to healthy elderly individuals (4.82±0.4 ng/µl). The serum SIRT1 concentration in healthy elderly was also significantly lower (p<0.0001) compared to young healthy controls (8.16±0.87 ng/µl). This study, first of its kind, has demonstrated, decline in serum concentration of SIRT1 in healthy individuals as they age. In patients with AD and MCI the decline was even more pronounced, which provides an opportunity to develop this protein as a predictive marker of AD in early stages with suitable cut off values.

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is one of those significant concerns faced by older individuals. Though it is predominantly self-reported, it is not an event that should be overlooked, considering its significant association with cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and so on. This makes it imperative to find ways to manage the event to enhance the cognitive performance of older adults and/or suppress the rate at which cognitive decline results in impairment. While multiple interventions have been used for SCD, multi-component non-pharmacological interventions are beginning to gain more attention among researchers. This is due to how such interventions have effectively contributed to improved cognitive performance across different outcome domains. Against this backdrop, this literature review has been conducted to explore the different multi-component non-pharmacological interventions utilized in managing SCD. Papers from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO were retrieved, with relevant data being extracted on the subject matter to address the objective of this review.

Dementia is a major health problem in advancing age with no definitive treatment. Occupational therapy interventions are recognized strategies in treatment of dementia. Quality of life (QOL) assessment has been reliably used as an objective index of an individual’s well being pertaining to interventions in dementia. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to study the effects of a novel occupational therapy program in improving QOL of subjects having mild to moderate dementia.

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in social communication, social interactions, and repetitive behaviors. The earlier the diagnosis, the sooner the intervention therapy can begin, thus, making early diagnosis an important research goal. Technological innovations have tremendous potential to assist with early diagnosis and improve intervention programs. There is a limited understanding of the Wearable Technologies (WTs) currently available for autistic individuals, and how they measure functioning in this population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to identify advancement in wearable technologies used to monitor behavioral and physiological responses in the intervention of children with ASD. METHODS: A literature search was performed for English language articles and conference papers indexed in Science direct, PubMed, Web of science, Google scholar, ERIC, ProQuest and Cochrane in last five years (2017–2021), resulting in eighteen studies being reviewed. RESULTS: Wearable technology present a potential solution that can support and complement existing interventions. WTs measured a range of physiological and behavioural functions to objectively measure stereotypical motor movements, social function, communication, and emotion regulation in autistic youth in the context of a range of environments and activities. CONCLUSIONS: Advancement in technology that include behavioral and physiological response monitoring with wearable sensors provide the opportunity to acquire new understanding of the internal components of observable behavior of children with ASD. This could lead to better individualization of treatment and greater treatment effectiveness.