Long-Term Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Children with GJB2 and SLC26A4 Mutations.

Objectives: To investigate speech and language outcomes in children with cochlear implants (CIs) who had mutations in common deafness genes and to compare their performances with those without mutations.

Study Design: Prospective study.

Methods: Patients who received CIs before 18 years of age and had used CIs for more than 3 years were enrolled in this study.

Written Language Ability in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Cochlear Implants.

Objectives. To examine narrative writing in cochlear implant (CI) children and understand the factors associated with unfavorable outcomes. Materials and Methods.

Comorbid alcohol dependence disorder may be related to aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) in bipolar II disorder, but only to ALDH2 in bipolar I disorder, in Han Chinese.

Objectives: A high prevalence rate of bipolar disorder (BP) comorbid with alcohol dependence (AD) (BP+AD) in Western patients with BP has been reported, but whether this is true for Han Chinese with BP is uncertain. We explored the prevalence of BP+AD in a Han Chinese population with BP, and investigated the effect of alcohol-metabolizing genotypes on bipolar I disorder (BP-I) + AD and bipolar II disorder (BP-II) + AD.

Methods: Healthy controls (HCs) (n = 672) and 18- to 65-year-old patients with BP (BP-I: n = 530; BP-II: n = 788) were recruited.

Auditory performance and speech intelligibility of Mandarin-speaking children implanted before age 5.

Objectives: (1) To report the auditory performance and speech intelligibility of 84 Mandarin-speaking prelingually deaf children after using cochlear implants (CIs) for one, two, three, four, and five years to understand how many years of implant use were needed for them to reach a plateau-level performance; (2) to investigate the relation between subjective rating scales and objective measurements (i.e., speech perception tests); (3) to understand the effect of age at implantation on auditory and speech development.

Timing of surgical intervention with cochlear implant in patients with large vestibular aqueduct syndrome.

Objectives: (1) To report the speech perception and intelligibility results of Mandarin-speaking patients with large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) after cochlear implantation (CI); (2) to compare their performance with a group of CI users without LVAS; (3) to understand the effects of age at implantation and duration of implant use on the CI outcomes. The obtained data may be used to guide decisions about CI candidacy and surgical timing.

Methods: Forty-two patients with LVAS participating in this study were divided into two groups: the early group received CI before 5 years of age and the late group after 5.

Genetic variants of the BDNF and DRD3 genes in bipolar disorder comorbid with anxiety disorder.

Background: The high comorbidity rate between bipolar disorder (BP) and anxiety disorder (AD) has been studied in depth. This comorbidity is not as high in Han Chinese in Taiwan. Therefore, we explored the genetic effects BP comorbid with AD.

Low anxiety disorder comorbidity rate in bipolar disorders in Han Chinese in Taiwan.

Objectives: Studies report high comorbidity of lifetime anxiety disorders with bipolar disorders in Western patients, but it is unclear in Taiwan. The authors explored the comorbidity of anxiety disorders in different bipolar disorder subtypes in Han Chinese in Taiwan.

Methods: Three hundred twenty-five patients with bipolar disorder (bipolar I: 120; bipolar II: 205) disorder were recruited from two general medical outpatient services.

Etiologic features in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis in Taiwan.

Background: To develop an updated screening, treatment and follow-up strategy for acquired unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), this Taiwan study investigated concurrent etiologies in patients treated in a tertiary medical center.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the voice centers of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkuo Medical Center, Taiwan. Outpatient and inpatient medical records of patients with UVFP treated between January, 2002 and March, 2006 were retrospectively reviewed.