Risk factors for relapse among methamphetamine users receiving a joint legal-medical treatment program as a diversion intervention: A one-year follow-up study.

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is a Schedule II illicit drug in Taiwan. A 12-month legal-medical joint intervention program has been developed for first-time METH offenders during deferred prosecution. Risk factors associated with METH relapse use among these individuals were unknown.

Examining factors associated with postintervention recidivism in DUI repeat offenders after alcohol treatment: One-year follow-up study.

Taiwan has deemed driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) to be criminal, and offenders are subjected to fines and jail penalties without being offered alcohol-related treatment, although alcohol use problems are prevalent in this population. We followed the recidivism records of DUI repeat offenders for one year after they had received a newly established legal-medical joint intervention program for alcohol treatment and examined factors related to postintervention recidivism. In this study, 231 DUI repeat offenders with alcohol use problems screened out by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test were referred from the prosecutors' office to one psychiatric hospital for SBIRT-based alcohol treatment.

ZnO Nanowires on Single-Crystalline Aluminum Film Coupled with an Insulating WO Interlayer Manifesting Low Threshold SPP Laser Operation.

ZnO nanowire-based surface plasmon polariton (SPP) nanolasers with metal-insulator-semiconductor hierarchical nanostructures have emerged as potential candidates for integrated photonic applications. In the present study, we demonstrated an SPP nanolaser consisting of ZnO nanowires coupled with a single-crystalline aluminum (Al) film and a WO dielectric interlayer. High-quality ZnO nanowires were prepared using a vapor phase transport and condensation deposition process via catalyzed growth.

Palliative care for nursing home patients with dementia: service evaluation and risk factors of mortality.

Background: Difficulties in prognostication are common deterrents to palliative care among dementia patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of palliative care in reducing the extent of utilization of medical services and the potential risk factors of mortality among dementia patients receiving palliative care.

Methods: We surveyed dementia patients involved in a palliative care program at a long-term care facility in Taipei, Taiwan.

Excess mortality and risk factors for mortality among patients with severe mental disorders receiving home care case management.

Aim: Home care case management (CM) is the main intervention for patients with severe mental disorders (SMDs) requiring outreach care. This study investigated the long-term mortality outcome and associated risk factors in patients who received home care CM.

Methods: This nationwide study enrolled patients who received home care CM ( = 10,255) between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2010.

Different demographic and drinking profiles of motorcyclists and car drivers with the first-time offense of driving/riding under the influence of alcohol.

Background: Driving/riding under the influence (DUI) of alcohol is a major public concern worldwide. Only a few studies have distinguished DUI-related variables between motorcyclists and car drivers. This study examined the differences in demographic characteristics and drinking behaviors among first-time DUI offenders operating different transportation vehicles, and risk factors for frequent DUI (fDUI) among them.

Nationwide analysis of medical utilization in people with severe mental illness receiving home care case management.

Aim: This nationwide study investigated the change in medical utilization of psychiatric home care case management (CM).

Methods: This nationwide study enrolled patients receiving CM (N = 10,274) from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2010, from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Through a 2-year mirror-image comparison weighted by the contributed person-time for each subject, we evaluated changes in medical utilization.

Benzodiazepines and risk of pneumonia in schizophrenia: a nationwide case-control study.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between benzodiazepine and risk of developing pneumonia in patients with schizophrenia, whose benzodiazepine dosage and usage frequency was higher than that of the general population.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study to assess the association between benzodiazepine use and pneumonia among patients with schizophrenia. By using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified a schizophrenia cohort comprising 34,929 patients during 2000-2010.

Analysis of concordance between conclusions of forensic psychiatric evaluation and court decisions after 2005 Criminal Code Amendment in a Taiwan psychiatric hospital.

The aim of the study is to explore the relationships between results of forensic psychiatric evaluation on "mental status at the time of the offense (MSO)" and the final decision of the courts after the amendment of the Criminal Code in 2005. All criminal cases referred to Taipei City Psychiatric Center for MSO evaluation from July 1, 2006, to December 31, 2015, were reviewed, and only the completed trials were included. Concordance rates in each category of MSO conclusion and the court decision were analyzed and compared.

Morbidity risk of psychiatric disorders among the first degree relatives of schizophrenia patients in Taiwan.

This study aimed to assess the boundaries of the schizophrenia spectrum and whether inclusion of such phenotypes increases power for linkage analysis of schizophrenia. Participants were 234 first degree relatives (FDRs) of 94 schizophrenia probands in Northern Taiwan who completed a direct interview using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS). Based on best estimate diagnosis, the morbidity risk in the relatives for schizophrenia was 2.