J Formos Med Assoc
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Emergency air medical transport (EAMT) of patients in remote areas with neurological emergencies to higher-level facilities is an integral part of the regionalized healthcare system. EAMT is safe and feasible for head injuries. Debates persist on the high cost, safety, and risk of EAMT, thereby calling for alternatives. ⋯ Incorporating RNSD with EAMT is a plausible alternative to EAMT with a significant decrease in EAMT and decreased 90-day mortality in patients with ICH compared with non-neurosurgical care with EAMT. Despite a 34% decrease in 90-day mortality after RNSD, patient characteristics such as disease severity, age, and sex still dictated patient outcomes.
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Rituximab is effective in treating pemphigus both as the first-line treatment and as an add-on treatment for refractory disease. A high rate of relapse among patients receiving rituximab means that maintenance therapy is frequently required. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the use of azathioprine as maintenance therapy for patients receiving rituximab and to investigate the efficacy and safety of one or multiple cycles of rituximab treatment. ⋯ This study provides an insight that azathioprine could serve as a good choice of maintenance therapy for patients receiving rituximab. The efficacy and safety of rituximab remain favorable even with repeated administration.
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Mitochondrial assembly receptor (MasR), a receptor of angiotensin-(1-7), plays an important role in the anti-cancer effect of the peptide hormone. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the crucial role of angiotensin-(1-7)/MasR axis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients who received curative esophagectomy. ⋯ Low expression of MasR may be associated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients receiving curative esophagectomy. Further cohort study with larger population, or a prospective study is warranted to validate this finding.
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The aims of the study were to examine the role of mental health in peoples' attitude toward same-sex marriage in Taiwan, as well as the moderating effects of gender, age, and sexual orientation on the association between mental health and attitude toward same-sex marriage. ⋯ Our findings suggest that poor mental health was significantly associated with opposition to same-sex marriage. This relationship is more pronounced among older and heterosexual people.
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Double-lumen endotracheal tubes and bronchial blockers are the two lung separation devices most commonly used for lung resection. The preference and outcomes of choosing different lung separation devices have not been discussed in the literature. ⋯ The use of bronchial blockers is increasing as the experience of anaesthesiologists increases. Although double-lumen endotracheal tubes remain the principal choice for lung separation in Taiwan, clinical outcomes of the bronchial blocker group were not inferior to those of the double-lumen endotracheal tube group.