• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.411-416
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to identify pathogenic microorganisms in the oral cavity of Alzheimer's dementia patients and recognize the necessity and importance of oral prevention management. Methods: The participants comprised 40 dementia patients aged 60 years or older and general patients who were using nursing care facilities in Gwangju from February to July 2017. Samples were collected with Eazyperio products for oral pathogenic microbial testing. Eighteen types of bacteria could be detected by analyzing Multiplex-Quantity Real Time polymerase chain reaction at a genetic testing agency. Results: The study comprised more women than men. Most participants were in their 80s. Statistically significant differences were observed in some oral pathogenic microorganisms. Conclusions: Pathogenic microorganisms could more easily proliferate in the oral cavities of Alzheimer's dementia patients than they could among general elderly participants due to a lack of awareness of oral hygiene and prevention management. To improve this, it is considered necessary to deploy oral health care professionals.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.506-514
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• 2023

Dementia has become one of the most important diseases threatening human health. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) have the highest incidence rates among the types of dementia, but until now, therapeutic methods have been limited. Panax ginseng has been used in China for thousands of years to treat dementia, and modern medical studies have found that it contains multiple active components, such as ginsenosides, polysaccharides, amino acids, volatile oils and polyacetylenes, many of which have therapeutic effects in treating AD and VaD. Studies have found that ginsenosides have multitarget therapeutic effects in treating dementia, such as regulation of synaptic plasticity and the cholinergic system, inhibition of Aβ aggravation and tau hyperphosphorylation, anti-neuroinflammation, anti-oxidation effects and anti-apoptosis effects. Other active components of Panax ginseng, such as gintonin, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides and ginseng proteins, also have therapeutic effects on AD and VaD. The effectiveness of ginseng-containing Chinese medicine compounds has also been confirmed by clinical and basic investigations in treating AD and VaD. In this review, we summarized the potential therapeutic effects and related mechanisms of Panax ginseng in treating AD and VaD to provide some examples for further studies.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2008

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to find brain regions in which gray matter volume was reduced and to show the capability of voxel-based morphpmetry(VBM) analysis for lateralizing clinically significant brain regions in dementia of Alzheimer's type patients compared to healthy group. Methods : MR T1-weighted images of the 20 dementia of Alzheimer's type patients were compared with those of the 20 normal controls. Images were transformed to standard MNI space. In order to observe gray matter volume change. Gray matter was smoothed with a Gaussian kernel. After these preprocessing, statistical analysis was performed using statistical parametric mapping software(SPM2). Results : Gray matter volume was significantly reduced in the bilateral parahippocampal gyri, Lt. anterior cingulate gyrus, Lt. posterior cingulate gyrus, bilateral superior temporal gyri Lt. middle temporal gyrus, Lt. superior, bilateral middle, Rt. anterior frontal gyri and Rt. precuneus in dementia of Alzheimer's type patient group. Conclusions : These VBM results confirm previous findings of temporal lobe and limbic lobe atrophic changes in dementia of Alzheimer's type, and suggest that these abnormalities may be confined to specific sites within that lobe, rather than showing a widespread distribution.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.98-106
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• 2005

Objectives:Donepezil is a widely used drug for the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD). The aim of the present study was to clarify the efficacy and the characteristics of responders to donepezil. Methods:Patients with probable AD(n=80;75.7 years) and small vessel dementia(SVD)(n=18;77.8 years) who received donepezil were retrospectively analyzed using Alzheimer's registry, and three questions were asked:1) Does donepezil therapy improves cognitive symptoms in patients with dementia? 2) If donepezil improves cognitive symptoms, which items of the K-MMSE are improved? 3) What are the characteristics of responder to donepezil medication? Results:1) After donepezil medication, cognitive function measured by the K-MMSE was significantly improved in both types of dementia(AD and SVD), However, statistical differences were not found between these groups. 2) In a clinical trial of donepezil, the patients performed better than before mediation on K-MMSE items assessing orientation, recall, construction, concentration, calculation. 3) In AD, the K-MMSE score before medication was closely related with response of donepezil. Conclusion:This study suggests that donepezil improves various cognitive functions in both types of dementia, and the responsive group had significantly lower K-MMSE scores than the non-responsive group before medication.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.148-152
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• 2002

This study is to develop the Alzheimers disease (AD) detection and analysis system using event-related potential (ERP) of AD patients. We recorded ERP in an auditory oddball paradigm in mild AD (n=25), severe AD (n=12), age-matched normal aged controls (n=17), and young controls (n=7). The amplitude and latency of target P300 components were compared among 4 groups. The relationship between P300 measures and neuro psychological test (K-DRS) scores were evaluated by correlations. The latency of P300 was prolonged in AD and the effects were correlated with the severity of dementia. The P300 amplitude was not affected significantly in AD. Theres no difference between normal aged group and young group. These results suggest that the P300 component is specifically affected by Alzheimer type dementia.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.102-111
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• 2007

Dementia is a major burden for many countries including South Korea, where life expectancy is continuously growing and the proportion of aged people is rapidly growing. Neurodegenerative disorders, such as, Alzheimer disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, Huntington disease, can cause dementia, and cerebrovascular disease also can cause dementia. Depression or hypothyroidism also can cause cognitive deficits, but they are reversible by management of underlying cause unlike the forementioned dementias. Therefore these are called pseudodementia. We are entering an era of dementia care that will be based upon the identification of potentially modifiable risk factors and early disease markers, and the application of new drugs postpone progression of dementias or target specific proteins that cause dementia. Efficient pharmacologic treatment of dementia needs not only to distinguish underlying causes of dementia but also to be installed as soon as possible. Therefore, differential diagnosis and early diagnosis of dementia are utmost importance. F-18 FDG PET is useful for clarifying dementing diseases and is also useful for early detection of the diseases. Purpose of this article is to review the current value of FDG PET for dementing diseases including differential diagnosis of dementia and prediction of evolving dementia.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.453-469
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• 2001

This study attempted to analyze the contents of the research papers concerning the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer-type dementia presented in the magazine of Chinese Medicine published in China over the period between 1998 and 2000. As a result, the following conclusion was drawn: 1. The Chinese medical category of Alzheimer-type dementia includes amnesia, dementia, stupidity, depression symptom complex, insanity and the like and uses the as the criterion for diagnosis and treatment effect evaluation. 2. The clinical symptoms of Alzheimer-type dementia include lowered intelligence, deterioration of memory, understanding and judgemental power, retardation of the reaction, emotional changes, character changes, behavioral changes and the like and are divided into mild, medium and serious according to the degree of symptom. 3. From the perspective of Bon-Heo-Pyo-Shil(state of deficient vital essence and excessive pestilential vapor), the pattern of Byun-Sung(identification) is divided into deficiency symptom complex, excessive symptom complex and indiscernible fullness and emptiness. The deficiency symptom complex includes deficiency of the liver and kidney, deficiency of essence of the kidney, deficiency of the reservoir of marrow and the like. The excessive symptom complex includes internally blocked stagnant blood, blocking of the passageway due to turbid phlegm, blood stasis due to stagnation of chi, and the like. The indiscernible fullness and emptiness symptom complex includes the deficiency of essence of kidney, blocking of the passageway due to stagnant phlegm, blood stasis due to the deficiency of kidney, blood stasis due to the deficiency of heart and the like. 4. The therapeutics and' prescription of Alzheimer-type dementia include the following: Bo-Shin-Ik-Su-Tang for tonifying the kidney, replenishing the marrow and plugging the essence; Ki-Guk-Ji-Hwang-Hwan-Ga-mi for reinforcing the vital essence of the liver and kidney; Kwi-Bi-Tang-Hap-Yang-Shim-Tang for invigorating the functioning of the spleen and nourishing the heart; Hyel-Bu-Chuk-Eo-Tang-Ga-Mi for activating the blood and resolving the stagnancy of the blood; Bo-Yang-Hwan-Oh-Tang for replenishing chi, activating the blood and resolving the stagnancy of the blood; Beoh-Kwang-Mong-Sung-Tang for invigorating the functioning of the spleen, replenishing the kidney, resolving the phlegm and enlivening the brain; n-Dam-Tang-Ga-Mi for invigorating the functioning of the spleen, replenishing chi, and removing the phlegm and unclogging the passageway); Se-Shim-Tang-Ga-Mi for removing the stagnancy of the liver and resolving the phlegm; and the like. 5. The research papers on, the medication cases of Alzheimer-type dementia understand the pathology of Alzheimer-type dementia from a consistent perspective. They view the pathology of Alzheimer-type dementia as the disease of Bon-Heo-Pyo-Shil(state of deficient vital essence and excessive pestilential vapor) with the combination of the deficiency of essence of the kidney, the deficiency of the brain marrow, blood stasis and blocked phlegm and the like and recommend the prescription of using Bo and Sa simultaneously for treating Alzheimer-type dementia. 6. The research papers on the medication cases of Alzheimer-type dementia reported that the use of creative prescriptions such as Si-Sam-Hang-Ji-Tang, Ji-Yung-Tang, Ka-Mi-Yunh-Ji-Hwan, Ja-Sin-Hwal-Hyel-Tang, Kal-Chang-Ik-Ji-Tang, Ho-Su-Bok-Ji-Tang, Kun-Noe-Ok-Ji-Hap-Je and the like led to the average high efficacy of 85.5%.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2014

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment(LOTCA) and Activities of Daily Living(ADL) by CogPack program in elderly with Alzheimer's dementia. Method : The subjects of this study, elderly diagnosed with Alzheimer's dementia, 8 patients were picked up, who were agreed with this research. Cognitive training for 6 weeks, which consisted of 3 times per week, 30 min of memory, attention and performance with cogpack program. Cognitive and ADL measured by LOTCA and FIM. The SPSS Ver. 14.0 statistical program was used for data processing. The significance level for statistical inspection was set as 0.05. Result : In comparison of LOTCA was significantly correlated in the pre and post test but FIM was not significantly correlated in the pre and post test. Conclusion : Therefore, the CogPack program is useful to improve the LOTCA in elderly with Alzheimer's dementia.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.sup1
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• pp.166-171
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• 2008

PET of the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose is increasingly used to support the clinical diagnosis in the examination of patients with suspected major neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. $^{18}F-FDG$ PET has been reported to have high diagnostic performance, especially, very high sensitivity in the diagnosis and clinical assessment of therapeutic efficacy. According to clinical research data hitherto, $^{18}F-FDG$ PET is expected to be an effective diagnostic tool in early and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Since 2004, Medicare covers $^{18}F-FDG$ PET scans for the differential diagnosis of fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) under specific requirements; or, its use in a CMS approved practical clinical trial focused on the utility of $^{18}F-FDG$ PET in the diagnosis or treatment of dementing neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.137-149
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• 2010

Objectives : The aim of this study was to describe the clinical aspects in dementia outpatients who visited oriental neuropsychiatry clinic and to analyze the efficacy of herbal medicine. Methods: We analysed medical records of dementia outpatients who visited oriental neuropsychiatry clinic of K medical center from August. 2000 to July, 2010 and matched our criteria. Results: Ninety-two subjects were selected for analysis and consisted of 77.3% dementia of Alzheimer type. 13.0% vascular dementia. and 9.8% mixed type of dementia. Herbal medicine prescribed mainly were Jowjseungchung-tang(Tiaowejshengqing-tang). Kunneo-tang(Jjannao-tang) and Chenwangbosim-dan(Tianwangbuxin-dan) for dementia of Alzheimer type, and Sunghyangjungki-san(Xjngxjangzhengqi-san) and Upung-dan (Yufeng-dan) for vascular dementia. Scores of K-DRS were not changed for some subs cales and decreased but less than natural decline of Alzheimer disease. Score on the Memory subscale in group of Kunneo-tang(Jjannao-tang) increased significantly. Conclusions : These results suggest that the herbal medicine may be effective for dementia. More prospective studies are needed to assess the efficacy and prognosis of herbal medicine for dementia. Clinical guideline is needed for systematic data accumulation.