Nazem Bassil

American University of Beirut | AUB · American University of Beirut Medical Center

Background: Verbal fluency tasks are frequently used for neuropsychological assessment in clinical practice and research. It consists of two tasks namely category and letter fluency tests. Objective: To determine normative values in category (animals, vegetables, fruits) and letter fluency [Mim () "M", Alif () "A", Baa () "B"] tasks in Arabic la...

Objectives In the absence of a simple validated instrument to screen for cognitive impairment among illiterate Lebanese older adults, the aims of this study were to validate an Arabic version of the Test of Nine Images (A-TNI93) adapted by the Working Group on Dementia at Saint Joseph University: Groupe de Travail sur les Démences de l’Univesité Sa...

Nicotine is one of the most abused substances worldwide. Just as in adolescence and adulthood, tobacco use is also problematic in the elderly. Older people are more vulnerable to smoking consequences because of the additive effects of smoke. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common health problems associated with smoking; however, other systems...

Background: The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) has not been validated in the Lebanese population and no normative data exist at the national level. Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of an Arabic version of MMSE developed by the "Groupe de Travail sur les Démences de l'Université Saint Joseph" (A-MMSE(GTD-USJ)) and to prov...

Background: Medical conditions and depen- dency levels of the elderly in the Lebanese long-term care institutions have not been described. This may undermine care commissioning and development to institutionalized elderly. Data to inform policy and practice are needed. Objective: To identify clinical diagnoses and dependency levels among elderly...

Purpose Rivastigmine transdermal patch has shown higher caregiver satisfaction and greater preference than oral formulation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. However, there is limited literature available related to caregiver preference or treatment compliance in real-world clinical settings. To date, no such data are available from Asia and th...

A randomized case control prospective method was adopted in this study in order to assess the health benefit associated with the Darfiyeh cheese, a traditional Lebanese raw goat milk cheese ripened in goat skin. 21 participants were recruited and divided into 2 groups: test group (n = 10) and control group (n = 11). Venous blood and stools were col...

In the North Africa and Middle East region, the illiteracy rates among older people are high, posing a great challenge to cognitive assessment. Validated diagnostic instruments for dementia in Arabic are lacking, hampering the development of dementia research in the region. The study aimed at validating the Arabic version of the 10/66 Dementia Rese...

Increased longevity and population ageing will increase the number of men with late-onset hypogonadism, which refers to a decrease in either of the two major functions of the testes: sperm production and testosterone production. Although there is a mild decline in spermatogenesis, testosterone production is a common condition, but often underdiagno...

Late-onset hypogonadism is a clinical and biological syndrome associated with advancing age and characterized by typical symptoms and a deficiency in serum testosterone levels. It is a common condition but often underdiagnosed and undertreated. The main symptoms of hypogonadism are reduced libido/erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass and streng...

Patients with delirium, compared with those without, are at increased risk for loss of function, longer hospital stays, and increased mortality. We studied the effect that an Acute Care of the Elderly Unit, which includes a delirium room, has on patients with delirium. Retrospective observational study. Charts of 148 patients (≥65 years) admitted t...

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative brain disease. As the disease progresses, patients and caregivers face increasing problems with medication adherence. Given its relentlessly progressive nature, newer and more effective therapies for Alzheimer's disease are needed. Memantine 10 mg twice daily is the FDA-approved regimen for the tre...

Increased longevity and population aging will increase the number of men with late-onset hypogonadism, a common condition that is often under diagnosed and under treated. The indication of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) treatment requires the presence of low testosterone level and symptoms and signs of hypogonadism. Although there is a lack...

There is a long history of hormones altering behavior and endocrinopathies playing a role in psychiatric disease. This article highlights the hormonal changes that occur with aging and the effects of these hormonal changes on the brain, concentrating not on the well-known psychiatric manifestations of endocrine diseases, but on the more subtle effe...

As a consequence of global aging, the occurrence of cognitive impair-ment and dementia is rapidly becoming a significant burden for medical care and public health systems. The worldwide prevalence of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is estimated at 24.3 million people. This number is expected to increase ~4-fold by the year 2050 unless suit...

Increased longevity and population aging will increase the number of men with late onset hypogonadism. It is a common condition, but often underdiagnosed and undertreated. The indication of testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) treatment requires the presence of low testosterone level, and symptoms and signs of hypogonadism. Although controversy r...

The mainstay of current management of patients with Alzheimer's disease involves drugs that provide symptomatic therapy. Research approaches for future therapy of Alzheimer's disease are focusing on disease modifying and/or preventive approaches. Two classes of medications have been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: t...