Offline User Authentication Ensuring Non-Repudiation and Anonymity.

User authentication is the key to ensuring that only authorized users can deal with specific affairs and access services. Applications or systems possessing different properties or requirements need different authentication schemes. For example, some institutions or companies need executives to manage or inspect their corresponding departments while the inspected department should not know who the executives are but only can verify their legitimacy.

[The relationship between medication adherence and rehospitalization: a prospective study of schizophrenia patients discharged from psychiatric acute wards].

Background: Antipsychotics have been regarded as the most effective therapy for schizophrenia; however, Taiwan's non-adherence rate for prescribed antipsychotics of 50-80% is an important issue that relates directly and significantly to schizophrenia patient relapse rates.

Purpose: This study examines the correlational and predictive relationships between medication adherence and rehospitalization in schizophrenia patients discharged from an acute ward.

Methods: This study used a prospective research design.

Repeated colonization by multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-A. baumannii complex and changes in antimicrobial susceptibilities in surgical intensive care units.

Background: A nosocomial outbreak of multi-drug-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-A. baumannii (MDR-ACB) complex infection occurred in a newly constructed building at a 2,500-bed tertiary medical center in Taiwan.

Methods: An investigation was carried out by molecular approaches to trace the bacteria.

A robust and novel dynamic-ID-based authentication scheme for care team collaboration with smart cards.

Nowadays, users/patients may gain desired medical services on-line because of the rapid development of computer network technologies. Conventional healthcare services are provided by a single server. However, care team collaboration by integrating services is the key to improve financial and clinical performance.

A uniqueness-and-anonymity-preserving remote user authentication scheme for connected health care.

Connected health care provides new opportunities for improving financial and clinical performance. Many connected health care applications such as telecare medicine information system, personally controlled health records system, and patient monitoring have been proposed. Correct and quality care is the goal of connected heath care, and user authentication can ensure the legality of patients.

Brain reorganization after bilateral arm training and distributed constraint-induced therapy in stroke patients: a preliminary functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

Background: Bilateral arm training (BAT) and constraint-induced therapy (CIT) have shown beneficial effects in improving motor control and function of the upper extremities (UE) for patients with stroke. Thus far, no study has directly investigated the relative effects of BAT versus CIT on brain reorganization. This study compared the effects of BAT with distributed CIT (dCIT) on brain reorganization and motor function in 6 stroke patients.

The effects of bilateral arm training on motor control and functional performance in chronic stroke: a randomized controlled study.

Background: Most studies of bilateral arm training (BAT) did not employ a randomized controlled trial design and involved very limited functional training tasks.

Objective: Compare the effects of BAT with control intervention (CI) on motor control and motor performance of the upper extremity and also functional gains in patients with chronic stroke.

Methods: .

Responsiveness and validity of three outcome measures of motor function after stroke rehabilitation.

Background And Purpose: This study investigated and compared the responsiveness and validity of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), and the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) for patients after stroke rehabilitation.

Methods: A total of 57 patients with stroke received 1 of 3 rehabilitation treatments for 3 weeks. At pretreatment and posttreatment, the 3 outcome measures, as well as the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) as the external criterion, were administered.

Effects of constraint-induced therapy versus bilateral arm training on motor performance, daily functions, and quality of life in stroke survivors.

Background And Objective: This study investigated the relative effects of distributed constraint-induced therapy (CIT) and bilateral arm training (BAT) on motor performance, daily function, functional use of the affected arm, and quality of life in patients with hemiparetic stroke.

Methods: A total of 60 patients were randomized to distributed CIT, BAT, or a control intervention of less specific but active therapy. Each group received intensive training for 2 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks.

Nosocomial outbreak of infection with multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a medical center in Taiwan.

Objective: To investigate a nosocomial outbreak of infection with multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii in the intensive care units at China Medical University Hospital in Taiwan.

Design: Prospective outbreak investigation.

Setting: Three intensive care units in a 2,000-bed university hospital in Taichung, Taiwan.

Significance of inflammatory cytokines in the progression of colorectal cancer.

Background/aims: Circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines are associated with the disease status of cancer patients. Our purpose was to determine whether the profile of serum levels of interleukin-1 -2, -6, and -8, and tumor necrosis factor in patients with colorectal cancer correlated with tumor stages and survival.

Methodology: Serum concentrations of individual cytokines in 164 colorectal cancer patients were determined before operation by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Serum interleukin-6 levels reflect the disease status of colorectal cancer.

Background And Objectives: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been shown to be associated with cancer development. However, its role in the progression of colorectal cancer has never been elucidated. Our intention was to investigate this role and identify its prognostic significance.

Serum C-reactive protein correlates with survival in colorectal cancer patients but is not an independent prognostic indicator.

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein synthesized in liver and up-regulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF). Elevated CRP has been reported to be associated with reduced crude survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic significance of preoperative serum CRP in relation to the disease-specific survival rate and expression of different cytokines.

Association of proline-directed protein kinase FA with tumorigenesis, invasion, and poor prognosis of human colon carcinoma.

Background: Initial studies revealed that the multisubstrate proline-directed protein kinase F(A) (PDPK F(A)) is overexpressed in various types of human carcinomas relative to normal controls. Suppression of overexpressed PDPK F(A) inhibits the growth of cancer cells, suggesting a role of this PDPK in human malignancy. In this study, we combine immunohistologic, molecular, cellular, animal, and clinicopathologic studies to demonstrate an essential and critical role of PDPK F(A) in progression and poor prognosis of human colon carcinoma.