Alzheimers disease (AD), commonly known as senile dementia, is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction and behavioral impairment. Initially presenting as memory decline, it gradually worsens and can lead to loss of ability to perform activities of daily living, significantly impacting the quality of life of patients and their families.
Data shows that China has become the country with the highest number of Alzheimers disease patients globally, with nearly 10 million patients. It is predicted that by 2050, the number of Alzheimers disease patients in China will range from 27.65 million to 91.94 million. As Alzheimers disease currently has no cure, early diagnosis and prevention are crucial.
Research indicates that the content of AD7c-NTP in urine can directly reflect the severity of the patients condition. Chen Xinping, Director of the Hospitals Laboratory Department, explained that AD7C-NTP is a molecular marker with high sensitivity and specificity. When brain neurons are damaged or diseased, it is released into body fluids and metabolized into urine. Through urine testing, the risk of Alzheimers disease can be accurately assessed.
Chen Xinping stated that traditional methods for detecting Alzheimers disease are relatively expensive, and their technical accuracy is limited, making it easy to miss early diagnoses. However, urine AD7C-NTP testing can detect pathological changes in a more timely and intuitive manner, with the advantages of being safe, non-invasive, convenient for sampling, and affordable. It can be performed regularly and is more easily accepted by patients compared to other testing methods. Moreover, the dry fluorescence detection method used in this test is rapid, sensitive, and has a short testing time, making it one of the relatively cost-effective Alzheimers disease detection methods currently available on the market.
Director Chen Xinping (center) guiding the inspection project (reference image)
Chen Xinping suggested that individuals aged 45 and above, those with an immediate family history of dementia, elderly people living alone with limited social interaction, individuals with unhealthy lifestyle habits, those with a history of head injury, and those experiencing memory decline or speech impairment should undergo relevant examinations regularly every year. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent oneself or family members from suffering from Alzheimers disease.
The Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine
The Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, representing the flagship discipline of our hospital, adheres to the hospital motto of "virtue, excellence, cooperation, and innovation." It comprehensively implements the development strategy of "valuing quality, strengthening talent, and advancing openness," striving to construct a distinctive, provincially leading, and populace-satisfying research-oriented discipline.
The total area of the departments laboratories is approximately 1,275 square meters, with a total investment in equipment of around 30 million yuan. More than 90% of the equipment is top-tier brands of international standards. The department has implemented over 200 series of project. In addition to conducting routine biochemical testing, tumor marker detection, thyroid function testing, endocrine hormone testing, infectious disease testing, and cervical cancer screening, the department closely follows new trends in the industry, consistently at the forefront of precision oncology testing, actively engaging in projects conducive to early tumor screening.
Under the leadership of Director Chen Xinping, a leading figure in the field, the Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine has obtained ISO15189 accreditation for medical laboratories. It collaborates with the Hainan Tropical Tumor Research Institute for joint development, focusing on clinical diagnostic work. It has achieved numerous innovative research results in areas such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, breast cancer, the pathogenesis of cervical cancer, molecular diagnosis and treatment of thalassemia, and the basic and clinical transformation of stem cells. Department members have led and participated in multiple projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, publishing over 20 SCI papers with the highest impact factor reaching 24. In 2022, the department took the lead in applying and was approved as the Hainan Province Cancer Digital Therapy Clinical Trial Center. In 2023, it was awarded the second prize of the Hainan Province Science and Technology Progress Award.
By Huang Fei, Wang Xiaona