Effectiveness and Safety of Clopidogrel vs Aspirin in Elderly Patients With Ischemic Stroke.

Objective: To evaluate the risks of recurrent stroke and major bleeding events with clopidogrel and aspirin use among patients aged 80 years or older.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Full Population Data of the Health and Welfare Database in Taiwan. Patients aged 80 years or older who received monotherapy with clopidogrel or aspirin following hospitalization for primary acute ischemic stroke between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2018, were included.

The Association Between the Use of Cholinesterase Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Events Among Older Patients With Alzheimer Disease.

Objective: To evaluate the association between the use of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) and incident cardiovascular events (CVEs) among older patients with Alzheimer disease (AD).

Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted with a new-user design and active-comparator design. The data source was the 2005-2014 Full Population file from the Health and Welfare Database in Taiwan.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Sensory Symptoms in Diabetes Patients in Taiwan.

Background: Diabetic sensory neuropathy has rarely been studied in the Asian populations. This study investigated the prevalence and risk factors of sensory symptoms (SS) in the Taiwanese diabetes patients.

Methods: A total of 1,400 diabetes patients received a health examination together with a structured questionnaire interview for three categories of abnormal sensation of numbness or tingling pain, electric shock, and skin thickness sensation on seven anatomical sites on upper limbs and six sites on lower limbs.

Associations between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Ocular Abnormalities in Children: A Population-based Study.

: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was reported to be associated with disturbances in the prefrontal circuitry and seems to be associated with dysfunctions of eye motility. This study aimed to explore associations between ADHD and ocular abnormalities, including amblyopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism, and heterotropia, using a large, nationwide population-based dataset in Taiwan.: We retrieved our sample for this cross-sectional study from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.

Reduction of AHI1 in the serum of Taiwanese with probable Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: The development of blood-based biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is desirable. In AD model mouse brain and neuronal cells, Abelson helper integration site-1 (AHI1) protein is reduced. AHI1 facilitates intracellular amyloid precursor protein (APP) translocation to inhibit amyloidogenic pathology of AD, and thus may be an AD biomarker.

Association between Anticholinergic Medication Use and Risk of Dementia among Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Study Objectives: To evaluate the association between anticholinergic medication use, categorized by anticholinergic cognitive burden (primary objective) and cumulative dose (secondary objective), and the risk of developing dementia among patients with Parkinson's disease.

Design: Retrospective cohort study with an active comparator design.

Data Source: National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan (2001-2011).

Serum lipid level is not associated with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage after intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke.

Background: This study assessed whether serum lipid levels are associated with the risk of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke after receiving intravenous thrombolysis.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive ischemic stroke patients who were treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator between January 2007 and January 2017. Lipid levels on admission, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride levels, as well as potential predictors of sICH were tested using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Association of migraines with brain tumors: a nationwide population-based study.

Background: Several studies examined headaches as a symptom of brain neoplasms. Nevertheless, very few studies attempted to specifically evaluate the role of headaches as a risk factor. This study aimed to investigate the risk of migraine occurrence in the preceding years among patients diagnosed with brain tumors and unaffected controls.

Unusual Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abnormality in Nonketotic Hyperglycemia - related Epilepsia Partialis Continua.

Epilepsia partialis continua (EPC) is a rare epileptic syndrome, presenting as continuous focal motor seizures for a period of minutes, hours, or days. EPC may develop in patients with cerebral cortical lesions and occasionally may develop in patients with metabolic disorders, such as nonketotic hyperglycemia (NKH). Here, we report a case of EPC following NKH, showing an unusual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) finding of concurrent hypointensity on susceptibility-weighted image (SWI) and T2-weighted image (T2WI) with leptomeningeal and cortical enhancement, which have never been reported.

Thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis increases the risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases: a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: Previous studies have shown myasthenia gravis (MG) and autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) share common pathogenetic mechanisms. Therefore, the present study investigated the possible relationship between MG and ARDs.

Methods: We analysed Taiwanese medical data from the Registry of Catastrophic Illness and identified patients with MG.

Elevated IgM against Nε-(Carboxyethyl)lysine-modified Apolipoprotein A1 peptide 141-147 in Taiwanese with Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Specific AGEs and related autoantibodies may be early AD markers. Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) and its post-translational modifications (PTMs) are associated with neurodegeneration and thus selected to test the hypothesis.

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases increase dementia risk in middle-aged patients: A nationwide cohort study.

Objective: Dementia is a common neurological disease that substantially affects public health. A previous study revealed that dementia occurs when the body's immune system attacks the cells of the brain, indicating that dementia may be similar to autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs). In the current retrospective cohort study, we focused on middle-aged ARD patients (45 years or older) to investigate the association between ARDs in middle-aged people and dementia by using a nationwide population-based database in Taiwan.

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases and the risk of Parkinson disease: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

Backgrounds: In autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), the levels of inflammatory mediators are increased and microglia may be activated, resulting in an inflammatory state and the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. We investigated the association between ARDs and Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: We identified ARD patients through the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2001 to 2012.

Increased risk of dementia following herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the relationship between herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) and the subsequent risk of dementia using a population-based database. We retrieved the study sample from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. The study group included 846 patients with HZO, and the comparison group included 2538 patients without HZO.

Low cholesterol level associated with severity and outcome of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: Results from Taiwan Stroke Registry.

The relationship between cholesterol level and hemorrhagic stroke is inconclusive. We hypothesized that low cholesterol levels may have association with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) severity at admission and 3-month outcomes. This study used data obtained from a multi-center stroke registry program in Taiwan.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration is not associated with coronary heart disease in a Chinese Population: a population-based study.

Purpose: This case-control study aimed to explore the association between prior coronary heart disease (CHD) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using a population-based data set in Taiwan.

Methods: We analysed data sourced from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. The study consisted of 1970 patients with neovascular AMD as cases and 5910 age- and sex-matched controls.

Association between sepsis and dementia.

In this study, we explored the association between sepsis and dementia using a population-based dataset in Taiwan and a case-control design. The relationship between severe systemic infections and dementia is still unclear. Data for this case-control study were taken from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000.

A 5-Year Follow-up Study on the Relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Parkinson Disease.

Study Objective: Sleep disturbances are among the most common nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson disease. However, no large epidemiological data regarding the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and Parkinson disease have been reported. The goal of this study was to investigate the risk for Parkinson disease during a 5-y follow-up period after a diagnosis of OSA using a population-based dataset.

Association between neovascular age-related macular degeneration and dementia: a population-based case-control study in Taiwan.

Background: Most available studies focusing on the association between neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and dementia have conflicting results. This study aimed to investigate the association between previously diagnosed AMD and dementia using a population-based dataset in Taiwan.

Methods: Data for this case-control study were retrospectively collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.

Increased healthcare service utilizations for patients with dementia: a population-based study.

Background: The majority of previous studies investigating the health care utilization of people with dementia were conducted in Western societies. There is little information on the economic burden on the healthcare system attributable to dementia in Asian countries. This study thus investigated differences in utilization of healthcare services between subjects with and those without a diagnosis of dementia using Taiwan's National Health Insurance population-based database.

Dementia is associated with iron-deficiency anemia in females: a population-based study.

Cognitive derangement and neurological symptoms are observed in patients with anemia. Although it is still controversial, a few studies suggested that anemia may increase the risk of dementia. This study aimed to explore the association between iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) and dementia in a population-based case-control study.

Association between sudden sensorineural hearing loss and anxiety disorder: a population-based study.

Anxiety disorder (AD) is commonly associated with a number of physical illnesses. No previous study has investigated the association between AD and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). In this study, we investigated the association between prior AD and SSNHL using a population-based dataset in Taiwan.

Increased risk of Parkinson disease following a diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: To investigate the risk for Parkinson disease during a 3-year follow-up period after a diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using a nationwide population-based dataset in Taiwan.

Design: A retrospective matched-cohort study.

Methods: We identified 877subjects with neovascular AMD as the study cohort and randomly selected 8770 subjects for a comparison cohort.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss associated with chronic periodontitis: a population-based study.

Objective: Although plenty of researchers have reported systemic effects originating from chronic periodontitis (CP) on potentially distal inflammatory processes, such as those leading to coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer, no study has reported the association between CP and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The present study explored the association between CP and SSNHL using a large, population-based dataset in Taiwan.

Study Design: A case-control study.