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Shu-Yu Tai,1– 3 Jingyi Wu,4 Lukas Jyuhn-Hsiarn Lee,5 Tsung-Hsueh Lu4 1Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan; 2Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan; 3Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan; 4Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 5National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, Zhuna, TaiwanCorrespondence: Tsung-Hsueh LuDepartment of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Dah Hsueh Road, East District, Tainan, 701, TaiwanTel +886-6-2353535 ext. 5567Fax +886-6-2359033Email robertlu@mail.ncku.edu.twPurpose: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is associated with past exposure to asbestos and the latency period ranged from 20 to 40 years. Asbestos consumption reached a peak in the 1980s in Taiwan, and the MM mortality is expected to increase since 2000s. However, no specific code for MM was available before the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), which was launched in 2008 in Taiwan. We examined how MM was coded in mortality data in Taiwan during the years when the ICD, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) was used.Patients and Methods: Double-coded mortality data (each death coded according to both ICD-10 and ICD-9 codes) for the period 2002– 2008 were obtained for analysis. Detection rates (similar to sensitivity) and confirmation rates (similar to positive predictive value) for various potential proxy ICD-9 codes for MM were calculated.Results: For 113 deaths, for which the underlying cause of death was ICD-10 code C45 (MM), 14 corresponding ICD-9 codes were used. Four ICD-9 codes constituted 77% (87/113) of all MM deaths. The detection rate for code 199 (malignant neoplasm [MN] without specification of site) was 37% (42/113), th

Shu-Yu Tai,1–4 Chia-Ling Hsu,5 Shu-Wan Huang,5 Tzu-Chiao Ma,6,7 Wen-Chien Hsieh,8,9 Yuan-Han Yang5,7,10,11 1Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 2Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 3Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 4Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 5Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 6Graduate Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, 7Mentality Protection Center, Fo Guang Shan Compassion Foundation, 8Department of Social Work, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 9Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kaohsiung Medical University, 10Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 11Department of and Master’s Program in Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan Objective: This pilot study investigated the effects of multiple training modalities on cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, caregivers’ burden, and quality of life in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Patients and methods: This intervention study was conducted in 24 patients with AD aged ≥65 years with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 0.5–1. The patients were assigned to receive multiple training modalities (1 hour for each training: Tai Chi, calligraphy, and drawing) over a 6-week period in either the experimental group (n=14) or the comparison group (n=10). A series of neuropsychological tests – namely the Traditional Chinese version Mini-Mental Status Examination, Cognitive Assessment Screening Instrument (CASI), Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Neuropsyc

Shu-Yu Tai,1,2 Ling-Chun Wang,3 Yuan-Han Yang3–61Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, 2Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 3Mentality Protection Center, Fo Guang Shan Compassion Foundation, 4Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 5Department of Master’s Program in Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 6Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City, TaiwanObjective: To identify the effect of music intervention on cognitive function and depression status of residents in senior citizen apartments based on the existing evidence regarding music therapy.Methods: An experimental study was conducted from November 2008 to December 2009. Sixty healthy senior apartment residents over 65 years of age were recruited and separated into two groups. According to their opinion, 41 took part in the music intervention group and 19 in the comparison group. The music intervention involved Buddhist hymns. The short-term effects were evaluated based on the measurement of cognitive function and depression level using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Geriatric Depression Scale-short form (GDS-SF) at the baseline, 1 month, and 4 months.Results: The means of the initial and the 1-month MMSE and GDS-SF scores did not differ between the two groups. The 4-month MMSE score significantly declined compared with the initial level in the comparison group, whereas no significant change was observed in the experimental group. Moreover, the 4-month GDS-SF score significantly improved in both groups compared with the initial level.Conclusion: Music intervention may postpone cognitive decline in healthy residents preferring Buddhist hymns in the senior citizen apartments in 4 months follow-up, and inte