Utilization of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine among patients with Alzheimer's disease in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Large-scale studies of utilization of medical services among patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are lacking. We aimed to investigate the usage of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among these patients in Taiwan. METHODS: We analyzed one million samples from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Patients (n = 1814) newly diagnosed with AD in 2001-2010 were divided into TCM users (n = 528) and non-TCM users (n = 1286). RESULTS: Compared with non-TCM users, TCM users were younger, had a higher female:male ratio and higher utilization rate of Western medicine. The median interval between diagnosis and the first TCM consultation was 7.92 months. Donepezil and rivastigmine were commonly prescribed medications. Chinese herbal medicine was the most popular treatment among TCM users. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the specific usage patterns of TCM and non-TCM medical services among patients with AD. The information could be used for improving the healthcare of patients with AD.

Lung deposits of lipiodol in normal and cirrhotic rats.

The distribution of Lipiodol in the liver and lungs following arterial or portal injection was studied in normal (n = 55) and cirrhotic rats (n = 20). Using magnified xeroradiography and radioisotope labeled tracers, it was found that Lipiodol was deposited mainly in the liver and lung after either arterial or portal administration. In control rats after arterial injection, deposits in the lung peaked after 2 hours and gradually declined over 48 hours; whereas after portal injection, the deposit steadily increased for 48 hours. Twenty-five percent of cirrhotic rats demonstrated a Lipiodol-induced military pattern in the lung. An increased number of portosystemic shunts in cirrhotic rats was also noted. These results suggest that cirrhosis of the liver may be a potential risk factor for developing pulmonary complications after Lipiodol administration.

Report of a pilot study of intra-arterial injection of I-131 lipiodol for the treatment of hepatoma.

This pilot study in 10 hepatoma patients investigated the feasibility of using selective targeting of radioisotope (I-131) lipiodol in the treatment of hepatoma patients. Lipiodol is a contrast medium that selectively goes to hepatoma and remains there for a long period as compared with that in normal liver and other tissues. Lipiodol was labelled with I-131 and infused into the hepatoma via the hepatic artery. Selective targeting of I-131 to hepatoma was demonstrated with a radiation dose ratio (hepatoma to normal liver) of up to 25 to 1. The biodistribution data of I-131-lipiodol in this study also confirmed the selective targeting of the radioisotope (I-131) to the hepatoma. Tumor radiation dose up to 26,000 rads can be delivered by this method. The treatment results were encouraging. About 70% of hepatoma patients had response to the treatment with reduction of alpha-fetoprotein and decrease of hepatoma sizes. The overall median survival was 9 months (range 2-17 months). This treatment was simple, safe, effective, non-expensive and well tolerated by all patients without major side effects. The optimal dose, schedule, duration of this treatment are still under investigation.