Application of high-field magnetic resonance imaging in Parkinson's disease.

The present study aimed to observe the structural changes of the extracorticospinal tract in Parkinson's disease (PD) using susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) magnetic resonance (MR) scans. The association of DTI parameters and brain-iron accumulation with PD was examined and imaging signs useful in the diagnosis of PD were explored. The study included 30 patients with PD and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls who underwent routine MR, SWI and DTI scans.

A novel method for evaluating brain function and microstructural changes in Parkinson's disease.

In this study, microstructural brain damage in Parkinson's disease patients was examined using diffusion tensor imaging and tract-based spatial statistics. The analyses revealed the presence of neuronal damage in the substantia nigra and putamen in the Parkinson's disease patients. Moreover, disease symptoms worsened with increasing damage to the substantia nigra, confirming that the substantia nigra and basal ganglia are the main structures affected in Parkinson's disease.

[Prevalence, detection, management, and control of hypertension in the population of Mongolian and Han nationalities with age ≥ 55 years in a pastoral area of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region].

Objective: To know about the status of hypertension among Mongolian and Han aged older than 55 years living in pastoral area of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Methods: Stratified sampling method was adopted and 9146 people aged 55 years or older were selected, blood pressure measurement and related information were collected, prevalence, awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension were analyzed.

Results: The hypertension crude prevalence rate of Mongolian and Han subjects was 54.

[A prevalence study on mild cognitive impairment among the elderly populations of Mongolian and Han nationalities in a pastoral area of Inner Mongolia].

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics and distribution of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly populations from Mongolian and Han nationalities living in the pastoral areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.

Methods: According to the MCI clinical diagnostic criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th revised edition (DSM-IV) by American Psychiatric Association, the individuals under study were at the age of 55 or over, with Mongolian or Han ethnicities and living in the pastoral area of Inner Mongolia.

Results: The crude MCI morbidity rates of Mongolian and Han of the study populations in the pastoral area of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China was 19.