Trends in the use of maintenance immunosuppressive drugs among liver transplant recipients in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study.

Purpose: During the past two decades, many novel immunosuppressive drugs have been approved for transplant recipients. Trends in the use of maintenance immunosuppressants after liver transplantation in Asia are unclear. Thus, we aimed to analyze the prescription trends in maintenance immunosuppressive drugs among liver transplant recipients in Taiwan and compare the results with the trends reported from western countries.

Impact of a warning CPOE system on the inappropriate pill splitting of prescribed medications in outpatients.

Background: Prescribing inappropriate pill splitting is not rare in clinical practice. To reduce inappropriate pill splitting, we developed an automatic warning system linked to a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system for special oral formulation drugs in outpatient settings. We examined the impact of the warning system on inappropriate prescribing of pill splitting and assess prescribers' responses to the warnings.

Prescription trends of immunosuppressive drugs in post-heart transplant recipients in Taiwan, 2000-2009.

Purpose: Significantly increasing heart transplantations have been performed in Taiwan in the past decades, but the trends of maintenance immunosuppression for heart transplant recipients have not been well known. In this study, we aimed to explore the trends of maintenance immunosuppressive therapy and common complications for heart transplant recipients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed ambulatory prescriptions in 488 heart transplant recipients for the period 2000-2009.

Coprescription of Chinese herbal medicine and Western medication among female patients with breast cancer in Taiwan: analysis of national insurance claims.

Background: Many female breast cancer (FBC) patients take Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and Western medication (WM) concurrently in Taiwan. Despite the possibility of interactions between the CHM and WM mentioned in previous studies, the pattern of these coprescriptions in FBC patients remains unclear. Hence, the aim of the present study is to investigate the utilization of coprescriptions of CHM and WM among the FBC patients in Taiwan.

Association between physician specialty and risk of prescribing inappropriate pill splitting.

Background: Prescription errors that occur due to the process of pill splitting are a common medication problem; however, available prescription information involving inappropriate pill splitting and its associated factors is lacking.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of ambulatory prescriptions involving extended-release or enteric-coated formulations in a Taiwan medical center during a 5-month period in 2010. For this study, those pill splitting prescriptions involving special oral formulations were defined as inappropriate prescriptions.

[Elemental research on intelligent non-invasive temporary pacemakers].

Some research on intelligent non-invasive temporary pacemakers is introduced in this paper. An industrial computer, some IC chips and other elements are used to construct its hardware, and its software is in C++ language. The experimental device has some intelligent functions of recognizing some arrhythmia.