BackgroundPatients with hypertension (HTN) reportedly have a higher risk of developing dementia. However, it remains unclear if use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the most common form of complementary and alternative medicine, can help lower the risk of dementia for these patients. So the aim of the study was to investigate the effects of TCM on dementia risk among patients with hypertension.MethodsThis longitudinal cohort study used the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to identify 143,382 newly diagnosed hypertension patients aged 20–90 years who received treatment between 1998 and 2007. Among them, 52,365 (36.52%) had received TCM after the onset of hypertension (TCM users), and the remaining 91,017 patients (63.48%) were designated as a control group (non-TCM users). All enrollees were followed until the end of 2012 to record the incidence of dementia. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to compute the hazard ratio (HR) of dementia in patients who received TCM.ResultsDuring the 15-year follow-up, 3933 TCM users and 10,316 non-TCM users developed dementia, representing an incidence rate of 8.41 and 11.55%, respectively, per 1000 person-years. TCM users had a significantly reduced risk of dementia compared to non-TCM users (adjusted HR = 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.74–0.81). The predominant effect was observed among those treated with TCM longer than 180 days (adjusted HR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.62–0.69). Among the commonly used TCM products, Tian-Ma-Gou-Teng-Yin, Dan-Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae), Chuan-Niu-Xi (Radix Cyathulae), Ge-Gen (Radix Puerariae), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, and Jue-Ming-Zi (Semen Cassiae) were significantly associated with a lower risk of dementia.ConclusionsResults from this population-based study support the effects of TCM on reducing dementia risk, which may provide a reference for dementia prevention strategies.
This paper conducts the thermal analysis of magnetic fluid with superparamagnetic nanoparticles subjected to an alternating magnetic field. Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) provides a potential method for cancer treatment, which has fewer side effects than chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Superparamagnetic nanoparticles dispersed in water are suitable for safe application of MFH. A well-defined hyperthermia should only kill the cancer cells without injuring neighbouring normal tissue. A key factor for hyperthermia is to correctly control the alternating magnetic field-induced temperature of the magnetic fluid in the tumour. Therefore, this study develops a thermal transport model combined with a linear response theory of magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) heat dissipation to analyze the effects of parameters on temperatures in the magnetic fluid with superparamagnetic nanoparticles subjected to an alternating magnetic field. The results predicted by this model are compared with the available experimental data and show that the rise rates of temperature with time and temperatures along the radial direction are enhanced by the increase of MNP concentrations in magnetic fluid, the amplitude of magnetic field strength, frequency, and magnetization.
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