Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and associated dementia patient numbers continue to increase globally with associated economic costs to healthcare systems. Of note is the increase in numbers in lower and middle-income count...Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and associated dementia patient numbers continue to increase globally with associated economic costs to healthcare systems. Of note is the increase in numbers in lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, which already face challenges with their health budgets from communicable and non-communicable diseases. Ghana, an SSA country, faces the problem of healthcare budgetary difficulties and the additional impact of AD as a consequence of increasing population strata of old aged persons (OAPs) due to the demographic transition effect. This article uses examples of known patients’ illness courses to give a perspective on the lived experience of patients with dementia (PWD) in Ghana, living amongst a populace with a culture of stigmatization of PWD, and a relatively fragile public mental health system (PMHS) for those with mental illness, including AD. The lived experience of AD patients is characterised by stigmatisation, discrimination, non-inclusiveness, diminished dignity and human rights abuses in the face of their mental disability, and eventually death. This article is an advocacy article giving voice to the voiceless and all persons suffering from AD and other dementias in Ghana, whilst pleading for a call to action from healthcare professionals and responsible state agencies.展开更多
Over 55 million people globally live with Alzheimer’s disease(AD)or related dementias(ADRD)and the number is expected to double every twenty years.Unt i l recent l y,onl y symptomatic treatments were available to pat...Over 55 million people globally live with Alzheimer’s disease(AD)or related dementias(ADRD)and the number is expected to double every twenty years.Unt i l recent l y,onl y symptomatic treatments were available to patients with AD,including acetylcholine esterase inhibitors,of which the last one,galantamine,was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA)in 2001.展开更多
Aim: The objective of this research is to highlight the effectiveness of physical exercise and music therapy in older patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Patients with a mild level of AD were included in...Aim: The objective of this research is to highlight the effectiveness of physical exercise and music therapy in older patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Patients with a mild level of AD were included in this study, divided into the therapy group (TG;N = 30, aged 68 ± 3.2 years) and the control group (CG;N=30, aged 65 ± 2.6 years). The therapy group was enrolled in an exercise-training program (walking, resistance and balance exercises) combined with musical therapy for 10 weeks (three sessions of 60 minutes per week). The Control group was instructed to follow their daily rhythm of life (e.g., rest, reading) under the same conditions. The intervention program was enrolled under the supervision of;one psychologist;a neurologist;two music therapists, and two physiotherapists, all belonging to the same hospital unit. After 10 weeks of participation in the combined program, cognitive parameters were improved in the therapy group measured with the Behavior Pathology in Alzheimer Disease (BEHAVE-AD), (p < 0.05) for activity disturbance, diurnal rhythm disturbances, anxieties and phobias, affective disturbance. The percentage range of improvements is 1.07% to 2.96%. Results: Our results demonstrate that physical exercise combined with music therapy improves cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusions: Physical exercise and music therapy are beneficial combined treatments for improving life quality in older patients. This approach may be useful to help patients with a mild level of Alzheimer’s disease improve their behavioral and psychological parameters.展开更多
Background The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease(AD)comorbid with depression is common.However,the mechanisms of AD with depression remain unclear.Aims To investigate the regional alterations of brain activity of ...Background The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease(AD)comorbid with depression is common.However,the mechanisms of AD with depression remain unclear.Aims To investigate the regional alterations of brain activity of AD with depression in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI).Methods 154 patients with AD who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from October 2014 to October 2016.According to whether the core symptoms of depression were present,patients were divided into two groups,22 patients with AD with depression(AD-D)and 52 patients with AD without depression(AD-nD).The amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(ALFF)was compared between two groups by performing independent-samples f-test.Results Compared with the AD-D group,increased ALFF values in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus,left middle frontal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus were observed in the AD-nD group.The brain activity in the AD-nD group in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus,left middle frontal gyrus and the left inferior frontal gyrus was higher than the AD-D group.Conclusions Resting-state brain functional alterations may be closely bound up with the pathophysiologic features of patients with AD with depressive symptoms.展开更多
A CLASSICAL HISTOPATHOLOGICAL HALLMARK Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease afflicting over 30 million patients worldwide.The typical symptoms of AD include memory loss and impairmen...A CLASSICAL HISTOPATHOLOGICAL HALLMARK Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease afflicting over 30 million patients worldwide.The typical symptoms of AD include memory loss and impairment of cognitive function,and currently,there is no available approach to cure the disease.The projected fast increase of the senior population is a growing burden for the international society in terms of both medical cost and patient care.展开更多
文摘Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and associated dementia patient numbers continue to increase globally with associated economic costs to healthcare systems. Of note is the increase in numbers in lower and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, which already face challenges with their health budgets from communicable and non-communicable diseases. Ghana, an SSA country, faces the problem of healthcare budgetary difficulties and the additional impact of AD as a consequence of increasing population strata of old aged persons (OAPs) due to the demographic transition effect. This article uses examples of known patients’ illness courses to give a perspective on the lived experience of patients with dementia (PWD) in Ghana, living amongst a populace with a culture of stigmatization of PWD, and a relatively fragile public mental health system (PMHS) for those with mental illness, including AD. The lived experience of AD patients is characterised by stigmatisation, discrimination, non-inclusiveness, diminished dignity and human rights abuses in the face of their mental disability, and eventually death. This article is an advocacy article giving voice to the voiceless and all persons suffering from AD and other dementias in Ghana, whilst pleading for a call to action from healthcare professionals and responsible state agencies.
基金supported by NIH grants RF1NS126406 and R21NS130326by a generous gift from the Binder Foundation (to GB)
文摘Over 55 million people globally live with Alzheimer’s disease(AD)or related dementias(ADRD)and the number is expected to double every twenty years.Unt i l recent l y,onl y symptomatic treatments were available to patients with AD,including acetylcholine esterase inhibitors,of which the last one,galantamine,was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA)in 2001.
文摘Aim: The objective of this research is to highlight the effectiveness of physical exercise and music therapy in older patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Patients with a mild level of AD were included in this study, divided into the therapy group (TG;N = 30, aged 68 ± 3.2 years) and the control group (CG;N=30, aged 65 ± 2.6 years). The therapy group was enrolled in an exercise-training program (walking, resistance and balance exercises) combined with musical therapy for 10 weeks (three sessions of 60 minutes per week). The Control group was instructed to follow their daily rhythm of life (e.g., rest, reading) under the same conditions. The intervention program was enrolled under the supervision of;one psychologist;a neurologist;two music therapists, and two physiotherapists, all belonging to the same hospital unit. After 10 weeks of participation in the combined program, cognitive parameters were improved in the therapy group measured with the Behavior Pathology in Alzheimer Disease (BEHAVE-AD), (p < 0.05) for activity disturbance, diurnal rhythm disturbances, anxieties and phobias, affective disturbance. The percentage range of improvements is 1.07% to 2.96%. Results: Our results demonstrate that physical exercise combined with music therapy improves cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Conclusions: Physical exercise and music therapy are beneficial combined treatments for improving life quality in older patients. This approach may be useful to help patients with a mild level of Alzheimer’s disease improve their behavioral and psychological parameters.
基金This study was funded by Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province(2014C33126)Public Welfare Technology Research and Social Development Projects(2014-)+3 种基金This study is also funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81201057)Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau Project(20124109)Chinese Medical Association,Psychiatry-Servier Youth Research Fund,Shanghai Mental Health Center international cooperation project(2013-)Shanghai Municipal Center for Mental Health Clinical Research Program.This study is funded by Key Research Project of Zhejiang TCM Science and Technology Plan of China(2018ZZ010).
文摘Background The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease(AD)comorbid with depression is common.However,the mechanisms of AD with depression remain unclear.Aims To investigate the regional alterations of brain activity of AD with depression in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI).Methods 154 patients with AD who met the inclusion criteria were recruited from the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from October 2014 to October 2016.According to whether the core symptoms of depression were present,patients were divided into two groups,22 patients with AD with depression(AD-D)and 52 patients with AD without depression(AD-nD).The amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(ALFF)was compared between two groups by performing independent-samples f-test.Results Compared with the AD-D group,increased ALFF values in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus,left middle frontal gyrus and left inferior frontal gyrus were observed in the AD-nD group.The brain activity in the AD-nD group in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus,left middle frontal gyrus and the left inferior frontal gyrus was higher than the AD-D group.Conclusions Resting-state brain functional alterations may be closely bound up with the pathophysiologic features of patients with AD with depressive symptoms.
基金This work was supported by research grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30870474)and SRF for ROCS,SEM.
文摘A CLASSICAL HISTOPATHOLOGICAL HALLMARK Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease afflicting over 30 million patients worldwide.The typical symptoms of AD include memory loss and impairment of cognitive function,and currently,there is no available approach to cure the disease.The projected fast increase of the senior population is a growing burden for the international society in terms of both medical cost and patient care.
