J Formos Med Assoc
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The application of the checkbox for identifying patients with traits of both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma proposed by the 2015 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)/Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) recommendations has not been well studied although such identification is important in clinical practice. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and features of COPD coexistent with asthma traits diagnosed based on the 2015 GINA/GOLD strategies, and explore the gap between guidelines and routine practice in the diagnosis and pharmacological management of such condition in a COPD cohort. ⋯ We found that measuring circulatory eosinophil and total IgE levels may raise clinicians' awareness of the presence of traits of asthma in the management of COPD.
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Hypertension is a risk factor of incident diabetes. In 2017, the ACC/AHA updated the definition of hypertension to above 130/80 mmHg, while the 2018 ESC/ESH guideline and the JNC7 criteria remained the cutoff of 140/90 mmHg. This study was aimed to investigate how different cutoffs of hypertension affect the association of hypertension to incident diabetes and the progression of insulin resistance. ⋯ Hypertension by both criteria is associated with incident diabetes and accelerated progression of insulin resistance, and the associations are attenuated by the 2017 ACC/AHA criteria.
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Observational Study
Identification and management of contraindicated drug-drug interactions through pharmaceutical care programs: Experience in direct-acting antivirals therapy.
To investigate the impact of pharmaceutical care programs for the management of contraindicated drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) therapy. ⋯ The implementation of pharmaceutical care programs in DAA therapy provides a favorable outcome and substantial cost avoidance.
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Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the most common causes of peptic ulcer disease among children. This study is aimed to investigate the eradication rate of 14-day sequential therapy and the antibiotic resistance of H. pylori in children. ⋯ In treatment-naïve children with H. pylori infection, 14-day sequential therapy is superior to triple therapy, and achieve a high eradication rate (above 90%) in an area of high clarithromycin resistance.
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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.