Factors affecting do-not-resuscitate decisions among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Taiwan.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease. Usually, patients survive for approximately 2-4 years after the onset of the disease, and they often die of respiratory failure. This study examined the factors associated with signing a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) form in patients with ALS.

Evaluation of a Rapid Antigen Test for the Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the reference laboratory method of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, though requiring equipment, is time-consuming. There is a crucial demand for rapid techniques such as antigen detection test during the pandemic. This study assessed whether a rapid antigen detection (RAD) test was an effective and essential method for the early diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Precision health in Taiwan: A data-driven diagnostic platform for the future of disease prevention.

"Precision medicine" has revolutionized how we respond to diseases by using an individual's genomic data and lifestyle and environment-related information to create an effective personalized treatment. However, issues surrounding regulations, medical insurance payments and the use of patients' medical data, have delayed the development of precision medicine and made it difficult to achieve "true" personalization. We therefore recommend that precision medicine be transformed into precision health: a novel and generalized platform of tools and methods that could prevent, manage, and treat disease at a population level.

Physician Palliative Education Associated With High Use of Hospice Care Service.

Background: Taiwan's National Health Insurance provides coverage for palliative and hospice care. The following 10 types of diseases have been added to the National Health Insurance reimbursement regulation: end-stage cancer, motor neuron disease, organic psychosis, brain degeneration, heart failure, chronic airway obstruction diseases, other lung diseases, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, acute renal failure, and chronic renal failure.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between physicians' palliative education and use of hospice care in hospitalized patients at the end of life.

Significant relationship between parameters measured by transrectal color Doppler ultrasound and sexual dysfunction in patients with BPH 12 months after TURP.

Background: A link between sexual dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been noticed. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the standard treatment for symptomatic BPH, whether TURP causes sexual dysfunction is still uncertain. In this retrospective study, we investigated the relationship between parameters measured by color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) and sexual dysfunction in patients with BPH 12 months after TURP.

Predictors for lower urinary tract symptoms and the urinary specific quality of life in prostate cancer patients: One-year follow-up.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is becoming a growing concern in global epidemiology. Quality of life of patients has become a major outcome for cancer care but limited study investigated quality of life of PCa patients. Our study is to investigate predictors for treatment outcomes of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), nocturia, and the urinary specific quality of life (uQoL) in PCa patients one year following treatment.

Effectiveness of stress management in patients undergoing transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy of the prostate.

Background: To assess the utilization of stress management in relieving anxiety and pain among patients who undergo transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided biopsy of the prostate.

Methods: Eighty-two patients admitted to a community hospital for a TRUS biopsy of the prostate participated in this case-controlled study. They were divided into an experimental group that was provided with stress management and a control group that received only routine nursing care.

Varicocele is associated with varicose veins: A population-based case-control study.

Objective: To analyze the association between patients with varicocele and varicose veins in Taiwan.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2010, comprehensive data were analyzed on the characteristics of patients with varicocele and varicose veins in Taiwan through a retrospective, nationwide, population-based study. Data were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.