SMC was associated with poorer objective memory performance even after controlling the effect of depression and demographic data, but SMC did not predict faster cognitive decline or dementia over 3 years.

The prevalence rates of PD in Kinmen were much higher than those reported from mainland China, but slightly lower than those reported from more developed countries. The present findings suggest that, instead of genetic factors, differences in case-ascertainment, life expectancy, and the length of survival with PD may be more important contributors to the variations in observed PD prevalence rates.

We evaluated 109 Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in three ways: using a standardized psychiatric interview for depression and anxiety, using standardized neurological evaluation for motor disability, and using cognitive assessment for cognitive impairment. Six of the 109 patients who had dementia and another two afflicted with organic delusional disorder were excluded from further analysis. The remaining 101 PD patients were divided into the following three groups according to the DSM-III-R criteria: major depressive disorder (n = 18), other depressive disorders (n = 25) including dysthymic disorder and depressive disorder not otherwise specified, and no depression (n = 58). The frequency of major depressive disorder of the 109 PD patients was 16.5%, and the frequency of major and other depressive disorders, taken together, was 42.2%. Using the percentage points measured on the Schwab & England Activities of Daily Living Scale as the dependent variable to fit a multivariate regression model, we found the lower score significantly correlated with the diagnosis of depressive disorder and higher score of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, in addition to motor disability and disease severity of PD. Given the high frequency of depression and the significant correlation between depression and performance in daily functional activites, we believe that an evaluation of PD patients for coexisting depression is necessary for a better therapeutic outcome.

No abstract

We conducted an epidemiological study of several neurological disorders among the Chinese aged 50 years or older on the islet of Kinmen. All participants were interviewed and examined by neurologists. From the targeted population of 5,061 individuals, 3,915 (77.4%) of them completed the evaluations. Among the 4,087 individuals with whom face-to-face contact was made, the refusal rate was 4.2%. The disorders of interest were dementia, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, and migraine. Among the 3,915 participants, 366 cases were found with 1 or more of the surveyed neurological disorders on the prevalence day, August 1, 1993, yielding a prevalence of 93.5/1,000. The purpose of this study, the general methodology, and some overall findings are presented in this communication in order to provide a common background for detailed findings on each disorder to be reported separately.

Self-assembly in micro-and nanofluidic devices has been the focus of much attention in recent years. This is not only due to their advantages of self-assembling with fine temporal and spatial control in addition to continuous processing that is not easily accessible in conventional batch procedures, but they have evolved to become indispensable tools to localize and assimilate micro-and nanocomponents into numerous applications, such as bioelectronics, drug delivery, photonics, novel microelectronic architectures, building blocks for tissue engineering and metamaterials, and nanomedicine. This review aims to focus on the most recent advancements and characteristic investigations on the self-assembly of micro-and nanoscopic objects in micro-and nanofluidic devices. Emphasis is placed on the salient aspects of this technology in terms of the types of micro-and nanomaterials being assembled, the principles and methodologies, as well as their novel applications.

No abstract

Conventional pick-and-place technology platform in handling microscale component assembly processes has technical limitations in terms of capacity, efficiency, and accuracy. The fluidic self-assembly (FSA) approach employs a lubricant fluid carrying micropart flows over a target wafer patterned with binding sites, which results in part-substrate attachment. This technique transports microparts from one location to another with orientation control and parallel sorting. The present study demonstrates a FSA approach for fast, economic, and precise handling of microscale parts with square (few are in rectangular) shapes. The microparts fabricated from silicon-oxide wafers and ranging in size from 350×350×170μm3to1000×1000×440μm3 aligned and filled to designated sites in the substrate under water. The effects of micropart sizes and lubricants on the FSA processes are compared. This study provides a fundamental analysis for achieving and optimizing the self-alignment. The polymer or solder adhesion force of the square-patterned micropart immobilized at the larger binding sites were estimated to be 117±15μN and 510±50μN, respectively, which results in higher assembly yield of up to 100% for these samples.