Implanting a chip into the brain can help people with Parkinson’s disease control symptoms associated with the disease and improve their quality of life, a doctor said yesterday after tracking a patient with such a treatment for a decade.
The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), was in his prime when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two decades ago. Even after taking drugs for nearly a decade, his condition continued to deteriorate and he decided to accept the implant to control his illness.
Lin Hsin-jung, superintendent at China Medical University Beigang Hospital, said the body of a person with Parkinson’s disease is like a vehicle which has brakes that are too strong and hampers free movement.
Implanting the chip into the patient’s brain will stimulate a safe and effective electric current that will mitigate the “brakes phenomenon,” Lin said.
Tseng’s symptoms began to show when he was only 37. In the beginning, his limbs would shake involuntarily. He was advised to take drugs regularly, but after more than eight years, he had to increase dosage and the side effects disturbed his sleep. He developed hallucinations and vomited sometimes. His weight dropped to 50kg.
After the deep brain stimulation surgery, he has cut his drugs, limb shaking, body rigidness and other symptoms. He could even work and tour around with his wife and he is now happier than before.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, and the disease is more common among the elderly.
Taiwan has 40,000 people with Parkinson’s disease.
Most are given drugs in the initial stage, but there are commonly side effects after taking the drugs for many years, Lin said.
He said that about 600 Parkinson’s disease patients have received deep brain stimulation in the country.
Although the medical equipment to conduct such surgery is expensive, he said the quality of life of patients has greatly improved and they cut the cost of hiring caretakers.
“In this light, the surgery is economically more efficient than simply giving patients medicines,” Lin said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
RSS