Scoring standards

Before and after treatment, the MMSE (14) was used to score the patients' memory, attention, language competence and other cognitive functions in the monotherapy and combination groups. A total of 27-30 points indicated normal cognitive functions, whereas <27 points indicated cognitive impairment. The lower the score was, the more severe the cognitive impairment was.

Before and after treatment, the Blessed-Roth Dementia Scale (BRDS) (17) was used to evaluate the patients' ability of social/daily living, cognition of common sense and character changes in the monotherapy and combination groups. A score of ≤7 points indicated no dementia, whereas a score of >7 points indicated dementia. The higher the score was, the more severe the dementia was.

Before and after treatment, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) (18) was used to score the patients' memory, language competence, ability to use, inferential capability, orientation and other abilities in the monotherapy and combination groups. The scoring system was between 0-70 points. The higher the score was, the more severe the injury was.

Before and after treatment, the AD quality of life scale (QOL-AD) (19) was used to evaluate the quality of life of patients in the 2 groups, including physical condition, energy, mood, memory and other 13 items, with a total score of 52. The higher the score, the greater the quality of life.