The two hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are amyloid plaques, composed of the small amyloid-b (Ab) peptide, and neurofibrillary tangles, comprised aggregates of the microtubule binding protein, tau. The molecular linkage between these two lesions, however, remains unknown. Based on human and mouse studies, it is clear that the development of Ab pathology can trigger tau pathology, either directly or indirectly. However, it remains to be established if the interaction between Ab and tau is bidirectional and whether the modulation of tau will influence Ab pathology. To address this question, we used the 3xTg-AD mouse model, which is characterized by the age-dependent buildup of both plaques and tangles. Here we show that genetically augmenting tau levels and hyperphosphorylation in the 3xTg-AD mice has no effect on the onset and progression of Ab pathology. These data suggest that the link between Ab and tau is predominantly if not exclusively unidirectional, which is consistent with the Ab cascade hypothesis and may explain why tauopathy-only disorders are devoid of any Ab pathology.

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BackgroundEvidence from several studies show poor guideline adherence to COPD treatment, but no such study has been undertaken in Norway. The objectives of this study, was to estimate and compare the guideline adherence to COPD treatment in general population-based and hospital-recruited COPD patients, and find possible predictors of guideline adherence.MethodsFrom the prospective, observational EconCOPD-study, we analysed guideline adherence for 90 population-based COPD cases compared to 245 hospital-recruited COPD patients. Overall guideline adherence was defined as correct pharmacological treatment, and influenza vaccination the preceding year, and having received smoking cessation advice. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with the dichotomous outcome overall guideline adherence adjusting for relevant variables.ResultsThe overall guideline adherence for population-based COPD cases was 6.7%, significantly lower than the 29.8% overall guideline-adherence amongst hospital-recruited COPD patients. Adherence to pharmacological treatment guidelines was 10.0 and 35.5%, for the two recruitment sources, respectively. GOLD-stage 3 to 4 was associated with significantly better guideline adherence compared to GOLD-stage 2 (OR (95% CI) 18.9 (8.37,42.7)). The unadjusted difference between the two recruitment sources was completely explained by degree of airflow obstruction.ConclusionOverall guideline adherence was very low for both recruitment sources. We call for increased attention from authorities and healthcare personnel to improve the quality of care given to this patient group.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12890-018-0756-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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