Asthma status is an independent risk factor for herpes zoster in children: a population-based cohort study.

Backgrounds: Literatures regarding the effects of childhood asthma on the risk of herpes zoster (HZ) is very limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the risks of children developing HZ with asthma.

Methods: From the National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 300,649 patients who had asthma between 2000 and 2007 as an asthma cohort.

Characteristics of the Delayed or Refusal Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

Background: The evidence indicated breast cancer was a cancer with high survival rate. However, there were still some breast cancer patients delaying or refusing therapy. So we conducted a cohort study to explore the relationship between characteristics of breast cancer patients and delay or refusal of therapy within four months after cancer diagnosed.

[The effect of treating obstructive disease of lacrimal passage by lacrimal plastic operation with Nd:YAG laser].

Objective: To study the therapeutic effects of Nd:YAG laser on obstructive diseases of the lacrimal passage.

Methods: 693 eyes in 603 cases with obstructive diseases of lacrimal passage, including obstruction of lacrimal puncta (23 eyes), lacrimal duct (192 eyes), nasolacrimal duct (227 eyes), chronic dacryocystitis (231 eyes), and traumatic laceration of lacrimal canaliculus (20 eyes), were treated by lacrimal plastic operation with Nd:YAG laser and the therapeutic effects were compared among the groups.

Results: The cure rates and effective rates of the five diseases were 86.