Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major causative agent of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The rapid progress in the development of direct-acting antivirals has greatly elevated the cure rate to ≥95% in recent years. However, the high cost of treatment is not affordable to patients in some countries, necessitating the development of less expensive treatment. ⋯ Our results may aid the development of a new combination therapy useful for patients with HCV who are intolerant or refractory to the currently available medications, including pegylated interferon and direct-acting antiviral agents.
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Taiwan's NHI Administration proposed a nationwide postacute care-cerebral vascular disease (PAC-CVD) program, which transfers stroke patients at postacute phase in medical centers to community hospitals. Its aim is mainly to prevent a prolonged stay in medical centers, which usually results in higher medical costs. The present study evaluated the 3-months functional outcomes of stroke patients receiving PAC-CVD. ⋯ About one-third of patients with mRS 3 to 4 recovered well in 3-months after stroke in both PAC-CVD and regular rehabilitation groups. Our results showed that PAC-CVD program can significantly decrease functional decline after acute stroke.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of leg length discrepancy in geriatric patients with early failure of bipolar hemiarthroplasty and to identify related failure patterns and risk factors. ⋯ Increased leg length was significantly associated with early acetabular failure after bipolar hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fracture among geriatric patients. It is critical to avoid increase in leg length after bipolar hemiarthroplasty.
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Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most frequent complication in patients who have spinal cord injury (SCI). The occurrence rate of UTI in this type of hospitalized patients was correlated to seasonality, age, and gender. ⋯ The mean occurrence rate of UTI in hospitalized SCI patients was 11.3%; it was higher in males, in patients aged ≥65 years, and in the summer. Therefore, physicians should pay attention to the occurrence of UTI in aged male patients with SCI, especially in the summer.
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Since Taiwan's national health insurance system provides residents with easy and affordable access to clinical acupuncture treatment, this study sought to analyze trends in the publication of acupuncture-related research in Taiwan from 1988 to 2017, using a bibliometric method. ⋯ The China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan, was the most active educational institution in Taiwan in terms of acupuncture-related research. Professor Lin Jaung-Geng was the leading acupuncture-related researcher, having the most publications, citations, and the highest h-index value. These results provided a context for analyzing the strengths of the existing research and informing prospective strategies for further studies.