On Psychological Continuity and Dementia

This letter responds to the article “On the Authority of Advance Euthanasia Directives for People with Severe Dementia: Reflections on a Dutch Case,” by Henri Wijsbek and Thomas Nys, in the September-October 2022 issue of the Hastings Center Report.     

Altered speech-related cortical network in frontotemporal dementia

BackgroundIn healthy subjects (HS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) demonstrated an increase in motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes during specific linguistic tasks. This finding indicates functional connections between speech-related cortical areas and the dominant primary motor cortex (M1).ObjectiveTo investigate M1 function with TMS and the speech-related cortical network with neuroimaging measures in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), including the non-fluent variant of primary progressive aphasia (nfv-PPA) and the behavioral variant of FTD (bv-FTD).MethodsM1 excitability changes during specific linguistc tasks were examined using TMS in 24 patients (15 with nfv-PPA and 9 with bv-FTD) and in 18 age-matched HS. In the same patients neuroimaging was used to assess changes in specific white matter (WM) bundles and grey matter (GM) regions involved in language processing, with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM).ResultsDuring the linguistic task, M1 excitability increased in HS, whereas in FTD patients it did not. M1 excitability changes were comparable in nfv-PPA and bv-FTD. DTI revealed decreased fractional anisotropy in the superior and inferior longitudinal and uncinate fasciculi. Moreover, VBM disclosed GM volume loss in the left frontal operculum though not in the parietal operculum or precentral gyrus. Furthermore, WM and GM changes were comparable in nfv-PPA and bv-FTD. There was no correlation between neurophysiological and neuroimaging changes in FTD. Atrophy in the left frontal operculum correlated with linguistic dysfunction, assessed by semantic and phonemic fluency tests.ConclusionWe provide converging neurophysiological and neuroimaging evidence of abnormal speech-related cortical network activation in FTD.     

甘肃省和政县农村老年性白内障防盲项目的卫生经济学评价研究

目的 对2014-2016年在甘肃省和政县开展的白内障综合防盲干预项目进行卫生经济学评价。设计 横断面调查。 研究对象 甘肃省和政县2014-2016年老年性白内障手术前407例患者及术后半年109例患者。方法 对所有调查对象进行卫生经济学问卷调查。通过净效益法、成本效益分析法和成本效果分析法评价项目产生的经济效益和总成本。主要指标 直接成本、间接成本、直接经济效益、间接经济效益、总成本、总效益、净效益、成本效益比、成本效果比。结果 2014-2016年项目期间甘肃省和政县白内障所致总体疾病经济负担为2142.28万元。白内障手术产生的总效益为3398424.98元，总成本为2939125.20元，净效益为459299.78元，效益成本比为1.16:1。项目每投入1万元可降低50岁以上白内障患者导致的0.027%的致盲率和0.164%致残率；项目每降低1%的50岁以上白内障患者的盲率，需投入36.47万元；每降低1%50岁以上白内障患者的残率，需投入6.11万元。结论 在甘肃省和政县开展的老年性白内障防盲综合干预项目具有较好的产出回报比和较高的防盲技术效率。（眼科，2020，29： 298-303）     

奥拉西坦联合肌电生物反馈疗法治疗血管性痴呆疗效观察

目的:探讨奥拉西坦联合肌电生物反馈疗法治疗血管性痴呆(VD)的临床效果。方法:随机将2017年1月~2017年6月某院收治的104例VD患者随机分为A、B两组(A=52,B=52)。两组患者均给予奥拉西坦治疗,B组加用肌电生物反馈疗法,对比两组患者治疗前后MMSE、ADL和SF-36评分。结果:治疗后B组患者MMS、ADL和SF-36评分均高于A组(P<0.05)。结论:奥拉西坦联合肌电生物反馈疗法治疗可有效改善VD智力水平、自主生活能力和生活质量,具有较高的临床推广价值。     

“治未病”思想在老年高血压病防治中的应用探讨

老年高血压病以肾气亏虚为主要病机,具有特殊的发病基础、临床症状、传变规律和预后。以"治未病"思想为指导,在老年高血压病发生、发展、预后的各个阶段进行提前干预,有利于扶助正气,增强抗病能力,延缓病情进展。具体而言,未病之时,应通过调整生活方式、服用中药保养和培补肾气,做到未病先防。已病之时,既病防变,阴阳俱虚者,治以补益肾气,方选肾气丸加减;肾阴虚者,治以滋阴补肾,方选左归丸合天麻钩藤饮加减;肾阳虚者,治以温补肾阳,方选右归丸加减。疾病初愈之时,继续以中药补肾虚、调气血,同时避免六淫邪气与情志内伤对机体的损害,以防疾病复发。     

Effect of group reminiscence therapy on depression and perceived meaning of life of veterans diagnosed with dementia at veteran homes

ABSTRACT

Most senior veterans who live in veteran homes in Taiwan have few interpersonal relationships. Aging is often accompanied by solitude and illness, which causes senior veterans to doubt the meaning of life and to lose confidence in the value of life. This study tested the effectiveness of a group reminiscence therapy protocol on the depression and meaning of life among elderly institutionalized veterans. A quasi-experimental design was applied. A convenience sample of older adults was drawn from two veteran homes in southern Taiwan. Participants were assigned to intervention or control groups based on the veterans' homes they attended. The participants in the intervention group carried out group reminiscence therapy for 8 weeks in addition to their daily activities. The participants in the comparison group maintained their daily activities. Both groups were evaluated using the GDS-SF and MLS scale including two aspects of depression mood and meaning of life in weeks 1 and 8. The overall life satisfaction increased significantly over time for the intervention group compared to the comparison group from week 1 to week 8. The group reminiscence therapy programs showed promising effects in improving the depression and meaning of life of older veterans living in veteran homes.