Ji-Hui Lu, MD
Director, Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Beijing Geriatric Hospital, Beijing, China
Summary:
Dr. Jihui Lu is the director of the Department of Old Age Psychiatry of Beijing Geriatric Hospital. She became a specialist in geriatrician in 2007, and received occupational trainings in Department of Aged Care and Rehabilitation, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital of New South Wales University in Sydney from 2008 to 2009 and in Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology of John Hopkins Hospital.
Her research mainly focuses on the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cognitive impairments and mental illness in the elderly, including occurrence and influential factors of depression in patients with Alzheimer disease, music therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease, risk factors assessment and multi-factorial intervention of delirium, Taiji exercise for Alzheimer’s disease, treatment of dementia by western medicine with Chinese medicine, correlative factors of the onset and relapse of psychological and behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease, assessment of mild cognitive impairment and so on.
Research Interests:
1.    Occurrence and influential factors of depression in patients with Alzheimer disease
The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence and the influential factors depression in patients with Alzheimer disease. Depression in of patients with Alzheimer disease was screened with Cornell scale for depression in dementia (CSDD)．We found that the prevalence of depression in patients with Alzheimer disease was 41.2%. The onset age of dementia and the fender affect the occurrence of depression.
2.    Effect of music therapy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease
The aim of this direction is to assess the effect of music therapy for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Subjects with AD were recruited into three groups randomly. By comparing the outcomes of groups receiving music therapy of singing old favorite songs, reading words of songs, and controls without special intervention, the effect of music therapy on cognitive function, behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, and ability of daily living could be explored.
3. Risk factors assessment and multi-factorial intervention to reduce prevalence and improve management of delirium in elderly inpatients
This direction is to detect elderly inpatients with risk of onset of delirium, and to give these patients multi-factorial intervention to prevent the onset and improve management of delirium. A model of delirium risk assessment was used to evaluate the risk of delirium onset. Intervention group was given multi-factorial intervention, including medicine, nursing, nutrition, pharmacology, and caregivers training. Control group accepted routine medical care. It has been found that fewer patients occurred delirium in the intervention group than control. Length of stay of the intervention group was less than control. Fewer delirious patients in the intervention group were prescribed sedatives than control, and also antipsychotic medicine. The duration of delirium was less in the intervention group than control. Fewer delirious patients in the intervention group were given physical restraint, and fewer patients died in the intervention group than control though with no statistical significance.
4. Correlative factors of the onset and relapse of psychological and behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease
This direction is to explore the characteristics and risk factors of the recurrence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in patients with AD. AD patients complaining of BPSD were followed up for 12 months after being well controlled. The severity of BPSD was measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The 10 items of NPI were categorized into three syndromes: affective impairments, psychotic symptoms and lack of control disorders. Characteristics of the recurrent BPSD were compared with those of the former onset. It has been found that Change of environment, no maintenance of antipsychotic medication, and high NPI score at the former onset are risk factors of the recurrence of BPSD. Profiles of two onsets in the same patient are not always the same. The severity of BPSD and its psychotic symptoms show a trend to ameliorate with the progress of the disease. Affective impairments appear to be consistent, while lack of control disorders may be variable.
Research Grants obtained:
7/2015-7/2018  “Effect of Mind-body Exercise (Taiji) for Patients with Early Dementia”, supported by Beijing Clinical Characteristics Project
6/2013-6/2016  “Effect of Music Therapy for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease”, supported by Beijing Clinical Characteristics Project
8/2010-12/2012  “Risk Factors Assessment and Multi-factorial Intervention to Reduce Prevalence and Improve Management of Delirium in Elderly Inpatients”, supported by the Capital Medical Development Foundation
10/2004-10/2006  “Clinical Study on Treatment of Dementia by Western Medicine with Chinese Medicine”, supported by Beijing Municipal Health Bureau
10/2007-10/2009  “Correlative factors of the onset  and  relapse  of   psychological  and   behavioral  symptoms  in  Alzheimer’s  disease”, supported by Beijing Geriatric Hospital
Awards and Honors:
1.    The Title of the Two One Five Talent Project and was funded (2014)
2.    The Title of the Talents of Beijing Health System and was funded (2012)
3.    The Winner of Third Prize in the Tenth Beijing Young Academic Speech (2009)
4.    The Title of the Three Eight Red Banner Pacesetter of Wenquan Town, Haidian District (2012)
Main Publications：
1. LV Ji-hui*, CHEN Zheng, LI Xiang, LI Wen-jie, CAI Yu, HAO Zhi-hui, JI Chang-zhen, MU Hai-yan，LI Mo，FAN Jing. Risk factors assessment and multi-factorial intervention to reduce prevalence.  Chinese Journal of Geriatrics. 2015,34（12）：1306-1309
2. Yufei Mei,1,2,† Chun Jiang,3,† You Wan,3 Jihui Lv,4 Jianping Jia,1 Xiaomin Wang,1 Xu Yang2,* and Zhiqian Tong1,*. Aging-associated formaldehyde-induced norepinephrine deficiency contributes to age-related memory decline. Aging Cell 2015, pp1–10
3. Lyu Jihui*, Gao Tian, Li mo, Xie Lijuan, Li Wenjie, Jin Weiye, Hao Zhihui, Mu Haiyan. The effect of music therapy on memory, language and psychological symptoms of patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. Chinese Journal of Neurology. 2014,47(12):831-835
4. Lu JH*. Screening Tools to Detect Cognitive impairments in Older People. Beijing Medical Journal. 2014,36（10）：842-845
5. Lu JH*, Zhou AH, Li F, Hao ZH, Li WJ, Cui ZJ, Wang WQ. Risk factors and characteristics of the recurrence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Clinical Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2013,4:115-118