Biomedical subjects

Chiou-Lian Lai

Publications and source records attributed to Chiou-Lian Lai.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Relationship between event-related potentials and frontal-subcortical dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been determined to be due to the interruption of frontal-subcortical neural circuits. To evaluate which kind of frontal-subcortical dysfunction may be present and the relationship of this dysfunction with P300 in PD patients, non-demented PD patients and controls were rendered for comprehensive Frontal Test Battery and P300 assessments. PD patients manifested significantly with frontal dysfunction and revealed a good correlation between P300 and executive dysfunction. We conclude that PD patients may manifest with cognitive impairment related to frontal dysfunction, and P300 may be an indicator reflecting the evolution of dysexecutive syndrome.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Ischemic stroke following multiple traumas in a child: a case report.

Stroke is an uncommon disorder in children but an increasingly recognized cause of disability. Acute stroke may be attributable to trauma, but this topic is seldom discussed. In limited reports, most ischemic strokes following trauma were detected after a considerable delay. Early recognition of stroke following trauma might reduce secondary neurologic complications. We report a case of posterior cerebral artery area infarct following multiple traumas in a child. A comprehensive etiologic survey was undertaken and discussed. Although the definite pathogenesis is still unclear, adequate, individualized, and uncomplicated management can significantly affect the outcome.

Brain Infarction↗

PubMed2006

Cut-off values of blessed dementia rating scale and its clinical application in elderly Taiwanese.

Although the Blessed Dementia Rating Scale (BDRS), a clinical screening instrument, has been applied extensively, no suitable cut-off values and clinical application have been proposed, particularly in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the precursor of dementia. The BDRS, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) were administrated in people aged 65 years and above, who were enrolled from southern Taiwan with multistep stratified random sampling and followed-up for 2 years. All subjects (total number = 3,027), with new onset of MCI (defined as CDR = 0.5) in the first year and dementia (defined as CDR > or = 1) in the second and third years were subjected to statistical analysis. In distinguishing normal from MCI, except in the literate group aged 65-74 years, MMSE was superior to BDRS, with cut-off values of 1 in both literate groups aged 65-74 years and > or = 75 years, and 1.5 and 2 in less educated groups aged 65-74 and > or = 75 years, respectively. In distinguishing MCI from dementia, BDRS had cut-off values of 2.5 in both literate groups aged 65-74 and > or = 75 years, and 2.5 and 3 in less educated groups aged 65-74 and > or = 75 years, respectively. These values were better than those for MMSE in all groups. BDRS might be considered as a better tool than MMSE to screen for MCI and dementia in the increasing proportion of literate elderly aged 65-74 years in the aging population.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Cognitive dysfunction after acute lacunar infarct.

Vascular dementia and vascular cognitive impairment have attracted more attention recently due to their association with increased risk of death and institutionalization. The purpose of the present study was to detect and identify the characteristics of cognitive impairments during the early stage of lacunar stroke. The subjects consisted of 23 consecutive first-ever acute lacunar infarction patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Taiwan, from November 2001 to October 2002. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) were used to evaluate stroke severity and cognitive function, and assessments were performed by a neurologist and psychologist, within 10 days of stroke onset. Of the 23 patients, 21 (91.3%) had CASI scores below their respective cutoff values and all patients had cognitive impairment in at least one cognitive domain in CASI. There were no significant correlations between CASI abnormality (below the cutoff value) and patient age, education, or the interval from stroke onset. Recent memory impairment was the most often impaired cognitive domain on CASI (19 patients, 82.6%). There were significant correlations between recent memory and "attention or concentration"(correlation coefficient, 0.52; p < 0.05), and "abstraction and judgment" (correlation coefficient, 0.44; p < 0.05). The correlations between recent memory and other domains were not significant. It was concluded that cognitive impairment after acute lacunar infarct is quite common and recent memory is the most often impaired cognitive domain. This may have been caused by the location of the specific lesion as well as by the impairment in "attention or concentration" or "abstraction and judgment".

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2004

Riboflavin-responsive glutaric aciduria type II with recurrent pancreatitis.

A 22-year-old woman had suffered from several episodes of acute pancreatitis since the age of 11. Other than exercise intolerance since early childhood, her psychomotor development was normal. At age 21, she experienced two episodes of generalized muscle weakness including acute respiratory failure and hepatomegaly. Liver biopsy indicated fatty metamorphosis, and muscle biopsy revealed vacuolar myopathy with lipid accumulation. Biochemical investigations demonstrated elevated serum creatine kinase and elevated 2-hydroxylglutaric, pyruvic, ethylmalonic, hippuric, adipic, and seburic acids in urinary organic acid analysis. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of glutaric aciduria type II. Although acute pancreatitis in glutaric aciduria type II has been reported previously, this is the first reported case of recurrent pancreatitis occurring in glutaric aciduria type II. We treated the patient with l-carnitine and riboflavin. As of the latest follow-up 2.5 years later, the patient has had no further episodes of muscle weakness or pancreatitis. We suggested analyzing urine organic acid when lipid storage myopathy is suspected.

Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in ischemic cerebrovascular diseases and vascular dementia patients in Taiwan.

This study aims to clarify the association between apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE) polymorphism, ischemic cerebrovascular diseases (ICVD) and vascular dementia (VaD) in Taiwan Chinese. 277 patients with ICVD, 49 patients with probable VaD and 112 controls were recruited for this study. Distributions of ApoE epsilon4 carriers and allele frequencies were 28.5 and 14.5% for patients with ICVD, 20.4 and 10.2% for patients with VaD, whereas these values were 22.9 and 11.6% for controls. Distributions of ApoE epsilon2 carriers and allele frequencies were 10.1 and 5.2% for ICVD patients, 6.1 and 3.1% for VaD patients, but 12.5 and 8.0% for controls. There were no differences between ICVD patients and controls, or VaD patients and controls in their epsilon4 carriers. Those patients aged 65 and under, carrying the epsilon2 allele, had a lower risk of developing ICVD and VaD than did their counterparts. These findings suggest that ApoE epsilon4 plays no significant role in the development of ICVD and VaD, but that ApoE epsilon2 has a protective effect with regard to the development of ICVD and VaD for Taiwan Chinese below the age of 65.

Aged↗