Intrinsic Capacity and Life Quality Among Taiwanese Older People: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Intrinsic capacity (IC), an internal composite ability proposed by the World Health Organization, is fundamental to older people's health. The present study examined potential models explaining the association between IC and quality of life (QoL) among older people in Taiwan. Frailty, basic activities of daily living (BADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were hypothesized to be mediators in the association between IC and QoL.

Beading plot: a novel graphics for ranking interventions in network evidence.

Background: Network meta-analysis is developed to compare all available treatments; therefore it enriches evidence for clinical decision-making, offering insights into treatment effectiveness and safety when faced with multiple options. However, the complexity and numerous treatment comparisons in network meta-analysis can challenge healthcare providers and patients. The purpose of this study aimed to introduce a graphic design to present complex rankings of multiple interventions comprehensively.

Additional Rehabilitative Robot-Assisted Gait Training for Ambulation in Geriatric Individuals with Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A Case Report.

We present a case of a 75-year-old Asian woman with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) who underwent a 1-month comprehensive rehabilitation training program supplemented by robot-assisted gait training (RAGT). GBS can lead to fatigue and prolonged bed rest, thereby further debilitating older patients. Although exercise intervention is recommended for GBS, a consensus regarding the appropriate intensity has yet to be established.

Effectiveness of Voice Therapy on Voice Quality and Function in Individuals with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), characterized by immobility of one vocal fold, results from injuries of recurrent laryngeal nerves. Voice therapy is a conservative intervention aiming to address these symptoms, but standard protocols are lacking. In this study, we provided an updated review of voice therapy for UVFP over the past 3 years and analyzed the effect of voice therapy from the perspective of voice assessment recommended by the guidelines of the European Laryngological Society and the Union of the European Phoniatricians in 2023.

Assessing intrinsic capacity in Taiwan: Initial psychometric properties of the Integrated Care for Older People Screening Tool for Taiwanese (ICOPES-TW).

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the concept of intrinsic capacity (comprising composite physical and mental capacity) which aligns with their concepts of healthy aging and functional ability. Consequently, the WHO promotes the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework as guidance for geriatric care. Consequently, each government should have a screening tool corresponding to ICOPE framework to promote geriatric care.

A simple scoring algorithm based on intrinsic capacity for functional ability in community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan.

Background: Intrinsic capacity (IC) is a comprehensive indicator of the overall well-being of older adults, and assessing of IC can help identify early stage of disability and tailor intervention to individual needs. However, there is a lack of effective and simple IC assessment tools. This study aimed to establish predictive scoring algorithms of IC to identify older adults at high risk of impaired functional ability.

Effects of mindfulness-based preoperative intervention for patients undergoing elective surgery: A meta-analysis.

Objective: Patients often experience pain and psychological distress when undergoing elective surgeries. Mindfulness-based interventions have been proposed as potential strategies to address these challenges. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative mindfulness-based interventions on several outcomes for patients undergoing elective surgery, including preoperative anxiety/depression, postoperative anxiety/depression, postoperative pain, and quality of life (QOL).

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the traditional Chinese version of the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised in traumatic brain injury survivors.

This study aimed to translate and validate the traditional Chinese version of the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised (TC-CIQ-R) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We included participants aged ≥20 years and diagnosed as having TBI for ≥6 months from neurosurgical clinics. The 18-item TC-CIQ-R, Participation Measure - 3 Domains, 4 Dimensions (PM-3D4D), Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE), and Taiwanese Quality of Life After Brain Injury (TQOLIBRI) were completed.

Experiences and perspectives related to shared decision-making among outpatients with degenerative joint disease in Taiwan: a qualitative study.

Objectives: Various treatment options are available for degenerative joint disease (DJD). During clinical visits, patients and clinicians collaboratively make decisions regarding the optimal treatment for DJD; this is the essence of shared decision-making (SDM). Here, we collated and assessed the SDM-related experiences and perspectives of outpatients with DJD in Taiwan.

Psychometric properties of novel instrument for evaluating ambient air pollution health literacy in adults.

We aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive ambient air pollution health literacy instrument. We developed items covering 12 constructs, four information competencies within three health domains. In this population-based telephone interview study, probability proportional to size sampling and random digit dialing were used to determine participants.

Fascia defect closure versus non-closure in minimal invasive direct inguinal hernia mesh repair: a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world evidence.

Purpose: Laparoscopic and robotic inguinal hernia mesh repair are both common surgical procedures worldwide. Postoperative hernia recurrence and seroma formation are important concerns. In ventral hernia, primary defect closure in laparoscopic surgery reduces the recurrence rate.

Psychometric properties of a novel instrument for evaluating indoor air pollution health literacy in adults.

This study aimed to develop and validate the psychometric properties of a novel instrument that measures Indoor Air Pollution Health Literacy (IAPHL). The qualitative phase was conducted to design questions based on the conceptual model of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. We developed a 38-item instrument covering 12 constructs, that is, four information competencies within three health domains to assess IAPHL.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Single-Injection Regional Analgesia Techniques for Total Abdominal Hysterectomy: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Single-injection regional analgesia techniques can provide effective analgesia for abdominal hysterectomy. However, few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have directly compared these techniques for total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), and the best strategy remains unknown.

Objectives: In this network meta-analysis, we compared the analgesic efficacy of single-injection regional analgesia techniques in patients who underwent TAH.

Evaluation of motor vehicle crashes between scooter riders and car drivers after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in Taiwan.

Background: Despite the plausibility that diabetes may increase the risk of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) due to various diabetes related complications and co-morbidity, findings from epidemiological studies on the relationship between diabetes and MVCs remained inclusive mainly due to heterogeneity in the study design and failure to complete consideration of potential confounders. This study re-visited this putative association with an improved study design.

Method: This study employed a controlled before-after study design and included 1,264,280 people aged 18-75 years with T2D newly diagnosed from 2009-2014 and an equal number of age-, sex-, and time-matched controls.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the severity of non-fatal injuries, but not the risk of fatal injuries, among driver victims of motor vehicle crashes in Taiwan.

Objectives: Limited information is available on whether diabetes increases the severity of injuries from motor vehicle crashes (MVCs). This study aimed to investigate the association of type 2 diabetes with injury severity among driver victims of MVCs.

Methods: This cohort study involved 75,737 adult driver victims with type 2 diabetes from Taiwan's Police-Reported Traffic Accident Registry in 2015-2017, along with 150,911 sex-, age-, and calendar year-matched controls.

Effects of Probiotic Supplementation on Immune and Inflammatory Markers in Athletes: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

: Probiotic supplementation can prevent and alleviate gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections in healthy individuals. Markers released from the site of inflammation are involved in the response to infection or tissue injury. Therefore, we measured the pre-exercise and postexercise levels of inflammation-related markers-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, interferon (IFN)-γ, salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA), IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, and C-reactive protein (CRP)-in probiotic versus placebo groups to investigate the effects of probiotics on these markers in athletes.

Schizophrenia, but not depression or bipolar affective disorder, adds additional risk of aspiration pneumonia among stroke survivors: A national cohort study in Taiwan.

Objective: Few studies have assessed the sex-specific and age-specific risk of aspiration pneumonia (AP) in patients with stroke and evaluated whether mental disorders may increase this risk. In this population-based cohort study, we investigated the sex-specific and age-specific risk of AP in association with stroke and the joint effects of stroke and mental disorders on the risk of AP.

Methods: We included 23,288 patients with incident stroke admitted between 2005 and 2017 and 68,675 matched nonstroke controls.

Risk of motorcycle collisions among patients with type 2 diabetes: a population-based cohort study with age and sex stratifications in Taiwan.

Aims: To investigate the overall and sex-age-specific absolute and relative risks of motorcycle collisions at road traffic accidents among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A cohort study in Taiwan was conducted by following 989,495 patients with type 2 diabetes and the same number of matched controls recruited between 2010 and 2012 to the end of 2016. Collision events by motorcycle driver victims were identified from the Police-reported Traffic Accident Registry.

Effects of health qigong on sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: This study assessed the effects of Health Qigong on sleep quality in adults.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Method: We searched 10 databases to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English or Chinese languages that evaluated the effects of Health Qigong on sleep quality in participants aged ≥18 years old with or without diseases in comparison with any type of controls.

Effectiveness of interprofessional shared decision-making training: A mixed-method study.

Objective: This study evaluated the learning effects and examined the participants' perceptions of an interprofessional shared decision-making (IP-SDM) training program.

Methods: This mixed-method study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design in the quantitative phase and semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase. The 6-week curriculum design, based on Kolb's experiential learning cycle, consisted of two simulated objective structured clinical examinations with standardized patients and blended teaching methods through various course modules.

Effectiveness of question prompt lists in patients with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a question prompt list (QPL) in decision self-efficacy, decision-making participation, patient-physician communication, decisional conflict or regret, and health status in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: A total of 240 patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned to a QPL group or control group (n = 120 each). The intervention and control groups received an additional educational QPL booklet and routine care, respectively.

Organizational Factors Are Key Predictors of Physicians' Confidence in Handling Workplace Violence.

Many studies have investigated health-care workers' confidence in handling workplace violence with the aim of preventing negative outcomes and fear of such events. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the predictors of physicians' confidence in handling workplace violence. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on various factors related to workplace violence against physicians in four regional teaching hospitals in northern Taiwan.