Relationships between pain intensity and heart rate variability in patients after abdominal surgery: a pilot study.

Background: A link between postoperative pain intensity and heart rate variability (HRV) had not been well established. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between post-operative pain intensity and HRV.

Methods: The subjects in this cross-sectional correlation study comprised of patients who had undergone abdominal surgery in a regional teaching hospital in central Taiwan during the period July 2009 - November 2009.

Effect of Qigong on quality of life: a cross-sectional population-based comparison study in Taiwan.

Background: Qigong, similar to Tai Chi Chuan, is beneficial to health. In Taiwan, Waitankung, a type of Qigong, is as popular as Tai Chi Chuan. This population-based comparison study compares the health-related quality of life between people practicing Waitankung and their comparable community residents.

Concurrent use of corticosteroids with licorice-containing TCM preparations in Taiwan: a National Health Insurance Database study.

Objectives: This study used a nationwide population-based dataset from the 1997-2003 National Health Insurance claims to explore the prevalence, frequency, and relative risk of concurrent use of systemic corticosteroids with licorice-containing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) preparations that might possibly result in drug-herb interactions.

Design: This study was based on the complete datasets of Western medicine and TCM outpatient reimbursement claims from 1997 to 2003 contained in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. According to the date and duration of prescriptions, the patients who concurrently used systemic corticosteroids with licorice-containing TCM preparations were derived for statistical analysis.

Factors influencing the purchasing behavior of TCM outpatients in Taiwan.

Objectives: To test the factors that influence Chinese medicine outpatients' behavior patterns in purchasing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) under the National Health Insurance (NHI) system in Taiwan.

Methods: A structural questionnaire was developed and administered to randomly selected outpatients waiting for Chinese Medicine at pharmacies in two academic hospitals that offered Chinese Medicine services in central Taiwan. A total of 641 effective questionnaires were collected.

Health-related quality of life in the elderly practicing T'ai Chi Chuan.

Objective: Previous studies have shown health benefits of T'ai Chi Chuan (TCC). In Taiwan, TCC is a form of exercise that is widely practiced by the elderly. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the effects of TCC on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the senior population.

Analysis of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in nursing homes in Central Taiwan.

With the progressive aging of the population, the long-term nursing care and drug safety for the elderly are gradually gaining attention. In Taiwan, nursing homes are the main institutes helping society or families take care of elderly people suffering from diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the prescribed medications of nursing home residents, the occurrence of DDIs and the association between the number of drugs and DDIs with a view to reinforce drug safety for the elderly.

Long-term efficacy and safety of very-low-dose amiodarone treatment for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation after successful direct-current cardioversion.

Background: Long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful conversion of chronic atrial fibrillation (CAF), often ameliorates patients' symptoms, reduces the risk of ischemic stroke and improves cardiovascular hemodynamics. This prospective study aims to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of very low-dose amiodarone (100 mg daily) for the maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful direct-current (DC) cardioversion in patients with CAF and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) post intervention.

Methods: This study was a randomized prospective trial.