J Formos Med Assoc
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While nocturia has been proposed to be related to various systemic diseases and even mortality, there has been little information of the impact of nocturia in other aspects of physical and mental well-being. We evaluated the impact of nocturia on quality of life (QoL), mental health, work limitation, and health-care seeking behavior. ⋯ Nocturia significantly affects QoL, work productivity, and mental well-being. However, healthcare utilization remains low and warrants increased awareness and education in the patients, caregivers and physicians.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of FAST and Stroke-112: A randomized study in Taiwan.
FAST and Stroke-112 are two campaigns to reduce the emergency room arrival time of stroke patients. No study has compared the effectiveness of these campaigns. This study aimed to compare recalling capacity of people in these two campaigns. ⋯ We found no difference in recall ability between the 2 campaigns. Education level was associated with recallability of FAST, and age and stroke history were associated with recallability of Stroke-112.
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Case Reports
Molecular diagnosis and therapy for Plasmodium ovale infection of a returned traveler from East Africa.
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites that are mainly transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The average annual number of malaria cases was less than ten in Taiwan in the last five years. Most of the cases were caused by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum, and were primarily diagnosed in travelers who returned from Southeast Asia and Africa. Here, we report the first case of Plasmodium ovale infection within five years that was confirmed by peripheral blood smear examination and molecular identification in a 25-year-old Asian female patient who returned from Uganda.
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To investigate the clinical characteristics of intraocular lymphoma and to evaluate two protocols of intravitreal methotrexate injection. ⋯ Intravitreal methotrexate is an effective and repeatable treatment for intraocular lymphoma. A new protocol with reduced frequency of intravitreal injections as shown in this study could potentially produce similar results without a worse prognosis, along with a decrease in the incidence of keratitis.
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The present study was designed to evaluate the local cardiology infrastructure and services for heart failure (HF) care in Taiwan hospitals and to compare the HF care with the hospitals in European countries. ⋯ Our analysis clearly demonstrated discrepancies in cardiology subspecialties and CRT/ICD accessibilities between European countries and Taiwan. Variations in HF-focused services and facilities plus HF-directed medications have demonstrated significant differences among Taiwanese hospitals with or without HF care team.