Higher disappearance rate of anti-HBs in Taiwanese freshers neonatally vaccinated with recombinant yeast hepatitis B vaccine.

Background & Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the long-term efficacy of infant recombinant yeast hepatitis B vaccine (Recombinant group) and infant plasma-derived one (Plasma group) in Taiwanese freshers.

Methods: Recruited were a total of 38 377 freshmen who underwent university entrance health examinations from 2003 to 2015. Subjects were assigned into two groups-plasma type and recombinant type, according to the national neonatal hepatitis B immunization program.

Mediating pathways from central obesity to childhood asthma: a population-based longitudinal study.

The mediating pathways linking obesity and asthma are largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the mediating pathways and to search for the most prominent pathological mechanism between central obesity and childhood asthma.In the Taiwan Children Health Study, we collected data on an open cohort of children aged 9-13 years.

The Changes of Ethical Dilemmas in Palliative Care. A Lesson Learned from Comparison Between 1998 and 2013 in Taiwan.

The current ethical dilemmas met by healthcare professionals were never compared with those 15 years ago when the palliative care system was newly developing in Taiwan. The aim of the study was to investigate the ethical dilemmas met by palliative care physicians and nurses in 2013 and compare the results with the survey in 1998. This cross-sectional study surveyed 213 physicians and nurses recruited from 9 representative palliative care units across Taiwan in 2013.

Is it appropriate to withdraw antibiotics in terminal patients with cancer with infection?

Background: Antibiotic administration is frequent in terminal patients with cancer, yet the effects on survival are still under debate.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the status of infection and the benefit/burden of antibiotic administration on the survival of terminal patients with cancer with infection.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Self-efficacy affects blood sugar control among adolescents with type I diabetes mellitus.

Background/purpose: Self-management is crucial to diabetes control. To investigate the effectiveness of self-management in reaching target hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, we conducted a study among Taiwanese adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: Patients aged 12-20 years with type 1 DM participated in an annual integrated DM care clinic at a medical center in Taiwan.