Health-Care Utilisation and Costs of Transition from Paliperidone Palmitate 1-Monthly to 3-Monthly Treatment for Schizophrenia: A Real-World, Retrospective, 24-Month Mirror-Image Study.

Introduction: Poor adherence to antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia is a leading cause of relapse and functional deterioration. Long-acting injectable paliperidone may reduce relapse risks, health-care utilisation, and health-care costs in these patients.

Methods: In this 24-month mirror-image study, we compared health-care utilization and costs before and after the initiation of paliperidone palmitate 3-monthly (PP3M) treatment in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Association of antipsychotic formulations with sudden cardiac death in patients with schizophrenia: A nationwide population-based case-control study.

The aim of this study was to clarify the association between various antipsychotic formulations-oral-daily antipsychotics (OAPs), long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs), and their combination-and the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). We conducted a nationwide population-based case-control study using data from 2011 to 2020 from the National Health Insurance Research Database and multiple-cause-of-death data from Taiwan. The study included patients with a new diagnosis of schizophrenia who were followed for SCD occurrence until 2020.

Catalytic divergence of O-methyltransferases shapes the chemo-diversity of polymethoxylated bibenzyls in Dendrobium catenatum.

Erianin, crepidatin, and chrysotobibenzyl are typical medicinal polymethoxylated bibenzyls (PMBs) that are commercially produced in Dendrobium species. PMBs' chemo-diversity is mediated by the manifold combinations of O-methylation and hydroxylation in a definite order, which remains unsolved. To unequivocally elucidate the methylation mechanism of PMBs, 15 possible intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway of PMBs were chemically synthesized.

Effectiveness of diabetes shared care program on metabolic indicators of people with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: To explore the effectiveness of the Taiwanese Diabetes Shared Care Program (DSCP) on improving the metabolic indicators of people with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Relevant studies published between January 2002 and August 2021 were retrieved from Chinese- and English-language electronic databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, Airiti Library, and Taiwan Periodical Literature System. After screening, studies that met inclusion criteria were included in the literature review.

Migraine Duration as a Potential Amplifier of Obesity.

Purpose: Migraine is a complex neurovascular disorder with obesity as a notable risk factor. This study aimed to investigate an under-researched area of the association between migraine duration and body composition.

Patients And Methods: Patients with migraine from a neurology outpatient department were enrolled and were categorized into four groups based on illness duration: 1 year, 1-5 years, 5-10 years, and >10 years.

Foxp2 Is Required for Nucleus Accumbens-mediated Multifaceted Limbic Function.

The forkhead box protein P2 (Foxp2), initially identified for its role in speech and language development, plays an important role in neural development. Previous studies investigated the function of the Foxp2 gene by deleting or mutating Foxp2 from developmental stages. Little is known about its physiological function in adult brains.

Examining the molecular mechanisms of topiramate in alleviating insulin resistance: A study on C2C12 myocytes and 3T3L-1 adipocytes.

Purpose: Migraine, a severely debilitating condition, may be effectively managed with topiramate, known for its migraine prevention and weight loss properties due to changes in body muscle and fat composition and improved insulin sensitivity. However, the mechanism of topiramate in modulating insulin response in adipocytes and myocytes remains elusive. This study aims to elucidate these molecular mechanisms, offering insights into its role in weight management for migraine sufferers and underpinning its clinical application.

Plasma phospholipids profiling changes were associated with the therapeutic response to Roxadustat in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Elevated Phospholipids (PLs) and sphingolipid (SM) metabolism relates to with poor clinical status and adverse outcome of end-stage kidney disease patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Studies have suggested that the use of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI) (Roxadustat) is associated with altered lipid metabolism. Observing on how PLs and SMs changes after the HIF-PHI treatment in PD patients may help understand the possible effect of HIF-PHI on PD patients besides correcting of anemia.

Prediction and potential risk factors for electronic cigarette use behaviors among adolescents: a pilot study in Chiayi, Taiwan.

Introduction: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adolescents has become increasingly common; therefore, effectively reducing adolescent e-cigarette use is an urgent issue. We aimed to predict and identify potential factors related to adolescent e-cigarette use behaviors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using anonymous questionnaires given to Taiwanese high school students in 2020.

Differential Development of Dendritic Spines in Striatal Projection Neurons of Direct and Indirect Pathways in the Caudoputamen and Nucleus Accumbens.

Synaptic modification in postnatal development is essential for the maturation of neural networks. Developmental maturation of excitatory synapses occurs at the loci of dendritic spines that are dynamically regulated by growth and pruning. Striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) receive excitatory input from the cerebral cortex and thalamus.

Risk of motor vehicle collisions after methadone use: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Methadone maintenance therapy is a leading treatment strategy for stabilizing and rehabilitating patients with opioid dependence; however, findings related to the risk of motor vehicle collisions after methadone use have been conflicting. In the present study, we compiled the available evidence on the risk of motor vehicle collisions after methadone use.

Methods: We completed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies identified on six databases.

Factors Considered Important by Healthcare Professionals for the Management of Using Complementary Therapy in Diabetes: A Text-Mining Analysis.

Text-mining algorithms can identify the most prevalent factors of risk-benefit assessment on the use of complementary and integrative health approaches that are found in healthcare professionals' written notes. The aims of this study were to discover the key factors of decision-making on patients' complementary and integrative health use by healthcare professionals and to build a consensus-derived decision algorithm on the benefit-risk assessment of complementary and integrative health use in diabetes. The retrospective study of an archival dataset used a text-mining method designed to extract and analyze unstructured textual data from healthcare professionals' responses.

Incidence and Risk of Fatal Vehicle Crashes Among Professional Drivers: A Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

Fatal vehicle crashes (FVCs) are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Professional drivers often drive under dangerous conditions; however, knowledge of the risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers remain scant. We investigated whether professional drivers have a higher risk of FVCs than non-professional drivers and sought to clarify potential risk factors for FVCs among professional drivers.

A Fact-Finding Procedure Integrating Machine Learning and AHP Technique to Predict Delayed Diagnosis of Bladder Patients with Hematuria.

Bladder cancer, the ninth most common cancer worldwide, requires fast diagnosis and treatment to prevent disease progression and improve patient survival. However, patients with bladder cancer often experience considerable delays in diagnosis. One reason for such delays is that hematuria, a major symptom of bladder cancer, has a high probability of also being a warning sign for urinary tract diseases.

Risk of motor vehicle collisions after methadone use.

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) can alleviate opioid dependence. However, MMT possibly increases the risk of motor vehicle collisions. The current study investigated preliminary estimation of motor vehicle collision incidence rates.

Factors Associated with Attempt for Smoking Cessation among Hardcore Smokers in Taiwan.

Tobacco control activities have mostly influenced those smokers who found it easier to quit and, thus, remaining smokers are those who are less likely to stop smoking. This phenomenon is called "hardening hypothesis," which individuals unwilling or unable to quit smoking and likely to remain so. The aim of this study was to identify the factors correlated with smoking cessation among hardcore smokers.

Intrathoracic infusion therapy with Lentinan and chemical irritants for malignant pleural effusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 65 randomized controlled trials.

Background: Aderivative of Shiitake mushrooms, Lentinan is used to control malignant pleural effusion (MPE) through intrathoracic infusion.

Purpose: To determine the clinical response, survival and safety of Lentinan plus chemical irritants, and the optimal combinations with chemical irritants, indication, threshold and optimal regimen for achieving the desired responses.

Study Design: We performed a new systematic review and meta-analysis following the PRISMA guidelines.

Complete chloroplast genome sequences of four Allium species: comparative and phylogenetic analyses.

The genus Allium is one of the largest monocotyledonous genera, containing over 850 species, and most of these species are found in temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere. Furthermore, as a large number of new Allium species continue to be identified, phylogenetic classification based on morphological characteristics and a few genetic markers will gradually exhibit extremely low discriminatory power. In this study, we present the use of complete chloroplast genome sequences in genome-scale phylogenetic studies of Allium.

Moderator Roles of Optimism and Weight Control on the Impact of Playing Exergames on Happiness: The Perspective of Social Cognitive Theory Using a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: The literature on exergames has examined their impact on user-perceived psychological health (i.e., user-perceived happiness), but little is known about whether such an impact depends on user characteristics.

Impact of Playing Exergames on Mood States: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To examine how playing exergames impacts the mood states of university students and staff, and whether such an impact depends on gender and players' previous exercise time. This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. It enrolled 337 participants and randomly assigned them to an intervention group (n = 168) or a control group (n = 167).

The Effect of Neurobehavioral Test Performance on the All-Cause Mortality among US Population.

Evidence of the association between global cognitive function and mortality is much, but whether specific cognitive function is related to mortality is unclear. To address the paucity of knowledge on younger populations in the US, we analyzed the association between specific cognitive function and mortality in young and middle-aged adults. We analyzed data from 5,144 men and women between 20 and 59 years of age in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-94) with mortality follow-up evaluation through 2006.