Effective licorice gargle juice for aphthous ulcer pain relief: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of licorice gargle juice on aphthous ulcers, which is a common and painful disease that causes loss of normal mucous tissues and results in inflammatory ulcers in the oral mucosa. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial involving primary care patients suffering from aphthous ulcer was performed. The intervention group received licorice gargle juice for 1 and 2 days.

Hepatitis B virus-related mortality in rheumatoid arthritis patients undergoing long-term low-dose glucocorticoid treatment: A population-based study.

Background/purpose: Glucocorticoids (GC) are commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients which bears a risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of HBV-related mortality under long-term low-dose GCs in Taiwanese RA patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 45,423 RA patients using National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1999 to December 2011.

Comorbidity profiles among women with postcoital bleeding: a nationwide health insurance database.

Purpose: Most of the existing studies on postcoital bleeding (PCB) in Western countries. To date, no study has focused on the various PCB-related comorbidities in Taiwan women. This work aims to analyze and compare the presence or absence of PCB among Taiwanese women with gynecological comorbidity.

A Nationwide Population-Based Study of Corrosive Ingestion in Taiwan: Incidence, Gender Differences, and Mortality.

Corrosive injury results from the intake of corrosive-acid-based chemicals. However, this phenomenon is limited to a small number of cases and cannot be extrapolated to the epidemiology of corrosive injuries in actual situations. This study focuses on the annual incidence of corrosive injury and its connection to gender, risk factors, and in-hospital mortality.

Musculoskeletal pain in people with and without type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: a population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Background: Musculoskeletal pain in people with type 2 diabetes is a common issue even to this day. The study aimed to explore the 10-year cumulative incidence of musculoskeletal pain, the mean number of doctor visits for musculoskeletal pain, and the mean number of doctor visits for musculoskeletal pain by location in people with type 2 diabetes, compared with respective values for people without diabetes.

Methods: The study utilized a population-based retrospective cohort study design.

Dyspareunia and its comorbidities among Taiwanese women: analysis of the 2004-2010 Nationwide Health Insurance Database.

Introduction: Most of the existing studies on dyspareunia only focus on qualitative observations. These measurement tools may not reflect the actual situation of dyspareunia in Taiwan.

Aim: This study aimed to estimate the incidence of dyspareunia in Taiwan and investigate dyspareunia-associated comorbidities using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).

Effectiveness of Vestibular Rehabilitation in Hemodialysis Patients With Dizziness.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) for hemodialysis (HD) patients with chronic dizziness.

Design: A single-blind, randomized controlled study was performed.

Methods: Cluster-randomized sampling was used to select the experimental group from two outpatient dialysis clinics.

Incidence of ambulatory care visits after needlestick and sharps injuries among healthcare workers in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study.

Healthcare professionals have a high risk of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs), which have a high potential for disease transmission. Ambulatory care follow up is essential, but is usually overlooked. This study aimed to investigate the annual and cumulative (age-, sex-, and subtype-specific) incidences of ambulatory care visits after NSIs.

Assessment of health-related quality of life in antiviral-treated Taiwanese chronic hepatitis C patients using SF-36 and CLDQ.

Background: Interferon (IFN) therapy can cause significant side effects in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients; however, the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of antiviral-treated CHC patients has not been established in Taiwan. This study evaluated domains and the degree to which antiviral treatment affects the HRQOL in CHC patients and identifies factors associated with variations between patients.

Methods: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) in 108 antiviral-treated CHC patients.

Perceptions on gender awareness and considerations in career choices of medical students in a medical school in Taiwan.

The trend of medical career choice in the younger generation has resulted in deficiency of manpower in the four major disciplines of internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatrics, which will threaten people's health care in Taiwan. However, perceptions of gender awareness and factors affecting the career choices of medical students have not been investigated systemically in Taiwan. To explore the perceptions on gender awareness and considerations in career choices, we recruited 280 1(st)- and 7(th)-year male and female medical students at a Medical University for the study.

Risk of nonpsychotic mental disorders development in antiviral-treated mentally healthy chronic hepatitis C patients: A population-based study.

Background/purpose: Interferon (IFN) is able to induce significant psychiatric side effects in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients, whereas the risk of nonpsychotic mental disorder (NPMD) development in antiviral-treated mentally healthy CHC patients remains obscure. We used a population-based study to assess the risk of NPMD development in patients who had undergone antiviral treatment compared with untreated chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.

Methods: Data were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database cohort consisting of 1 million individuals for a longitudinal analysis.

Risk of musculoskeletal disorder among Taiwanese nurses cohort: a nationwide population-based study.

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent the leading causes of occupational injuries among nursing staff. This population-based study was designed to assess the incidence and age-specific incidence of MSDs among a Taiwanese nurse cohort compared with non-nurses.

Description: Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were used to identify MSDs in the study population.

Evaluation of self-regulatory online learning in a blended course for post-registration nursing students in Taiwan.

Online learning has become a common means of enhancing face-to-face classroom learning and is at the center of most collaborative, multimedia educational environments. There is some evidence that students' self-regulatory (SR) learning can be facilitated in a web-based learning environment, but studies of the effectiveness of self-directed online courses for post-registration nursing students have been few, and the results have been inconclusive. This study qualitatively examined the ways in which adding an online, asynchronous learning component to a nursing course might facilitate post-registration nursing students' self-regulatory learning.