Personality as a predictor of HbA1c level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for around 90% of all cases worldwide. One means to strengthen the prevention and treatment of diabetes is via changes in self-management and lifestyle behaviors. However, lifestyle and personal health behaviors are strongly influenced by personality traits, and thus personality may play a significant role in such aspects as medication compliance, exercise habits, blood glucose monitoring, diet control, and maintenance of an ideal body weight.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version thriving of older people assessment scale.

Background: The Thriving of Older People Assessment Scale has Scandinavian, Norwegian and English versions but does not yet have a Chinese version that can be used in Chinese populations and compared to global data.

Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated Chinese version of the Thriving of Older People Assessment Scale.

Methods: The English version of the Thriving of Older People Assessment Scale was translated into Chinese using a forward and backward translation method.

Efficacy of acupressure to prevent adverse reactions to anti-tuberculosis drugs: Randomized controlled trials.

Aim: To determine whether acupressure can prevent or relieve the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of anti-tuberculosis drugs.

Background: People receiving drug treatment for TB often experience ADRs that may cause them to stop taking their medication. Acupressure is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that can be applied to alleviate or prevent disease symptoms.

Induced pluripotent stem cells reduce neutrophil chemotaxis via activating GRK2 in endotoxin-induced acute lung injury.

Background And Objective: We investigated the effect of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in moderating neutrophil chemotaxis in endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI).

Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice at 8-12 weeks of age were studied. Murine iPSCs were delivered through the tail veins of mice 4 h after intratracheal instillation of endotoxin.

Information Technology and Lifestyle: A Systematic Evaluation of Internet and Mobile Interventions for Improving Diet, Physical Activity, Obesity, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use.

Background: Novel interventions are needed to improve lifestyle and prevent noncommunicable diseases, the leading cause of death and disability globally. This study aimed to systematically review, synthesize, and grade scientific evidence on effectiveness of novel information and communication technology to reduce noncommunicable disease risk.

Methods And Results: We systematically searched PubMed for studies evaluating the effect of Internet, mobile phone, personal sensors, or stand-alone computer software on diet, physical activity, adiposity, tobacco, or alcohol use.

Predicting Glucose Effectiveness in Chinese Participants Using Routine Measurements.

Background: Glucose effectiveness (GE) is the capacity of glucose to increase its own uptake and to maintain endogenous hepatic glucose output under basal insulin levels. In addition to decreased insulin sensitivity (IS) and impaired insulin secretion, GE plays a critical role in glucose balance in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In the study, we developed an equation for predicting GE.

Policy, environment, and worksite fitness program participation among financial enterprise employees in Taiwan.

Background/objective: This study explored the intertwined effects between the policies and regulations of the companies and personal background on participation in the physical fitness programs and leisure-time activities in financial enterprises.

Methods: A total of 823 employees were selected as the sample with the multilevel stratification random-sampling technique. The response rate was 52.

A Qualitative Study of Family Caregiver Experiences of Managing Incontinence in Stroke Survivors.

Background: Incontinence is a common problem faced by family caregivers that is recognized as a major burden and predictor of institutionalization. However, few studies have evaluated the experiences of family caregivers caring for stroke survivors with incontinence.

Purpose: To describe experiences of caregivers managing incontinence in stroke survivors.

Canine heat shock protein 27 promotes proliferation, migration, and doxorubicin resistance in the canine cell line DTK-F.

Canine mammary tumors (CMTs) are the most common type of tumors in female dogs. Heat shock proteins are highly expressed in many cancers and are involved in tumor progression and chemoresistance in CMTs; however, the biological role of canine heat shock protein 27 (cHSP27) in CMTs has not been thoroughly characterized. This study investigated the roles of cHSP27 in cell growth, migration, anchorage, and resistance to doxorubicin (DOX) using DTK-F cells, a CMT cell line that does not express cHSP27.

Walking improves sleep in individuals with cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials.

Purpose/objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of walking exercise on sleep in people with cancer.


Data Sources: Databases searched included China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, CINAHL®, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PsycINFO®, PubMed, Wanfang Data, and Web of Science. 


Data Synthesis: Nine randomized, controlled trials involving 599 patients were included.

Psychometric testing of a Mandarin Chinese Version of the Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale for patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The Clinically Useful Depression Outcome Scale (CUDOS) is a self-report instrument that assesses symptoms and the severity of depression, but its psychometric properties in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese-Speaking populations are unknown.

Objectives: To examine the psychometric properties of the Mandarin Chinese version of the CUDOS (CUDOS-Chinese).

Design: A methodological research design.

Pulmonary rehabilitation improves subjective sleep quality in COPD.

Background: Poor sleep quality is often reported among patients with COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is beneficial in improving exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, its benefit in terms of sleep quality in patients with COPD remains unclear.

Early morning awakening and nonrestorative sleep are associated with increased minor non-fatal accidents during work and leisure time.

Background: The relationship between a composite measure of insomnia and occupational or fatal accidents has been investigated previously; however, little is known regarding the effect of various insomnia symptoms on minor non-fatal accidents during work and leisure time.

Objective: We investigated the predicting role of insomnia symptoms on minor non-fatal accidents during work and leisure time.

Methods: Data from the 2005 Taiwan Social Development Trend Survey of 36,473 Taiwanese aged ≥18 years were analyzed in 2013.

Translation and validation of an instrument for measuring the suitability of health educational materials in Taiwan: suitability assessment of materials.

Background: It is essential to provide readily comprehensible health information to the public to increase healthy behaviors and improve outcomes. Researchers in English-speaking countries possess well-developed instruments to evaluate the suitability of health education materials. However, few of these instruments are available for use in Chinese-language environments.

Better sleep quality in chronic haemodialyzed patients is associated with morning-shift dialysis: a cross-sectional observational study.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between dialysis shift and subjective sleep quality in chronic haemodialyzed patients.

Design: A cross-sectional observational study.

Participants And Methods: A total of 206 haemodialyzed patients aged from 22 to 71 participated in this study.

Trajectory and influencing factors of depressive symptoms in family caregivers before and after the death of terminally ill patients with cancer.

Purpose/objectives: To explore the occurrence of depressive symptoms and factors that affect them in family caregivers before and 1, 3, 6, and 13 months after the death of a care recipient with cancer.

Design: Descriptive, longitudinal study.

Setting: A medical center in northern Taiwan.

The effect of essential oil on heart rate and blood pressure among solus por aqua workers.

Background: Aromatherapy is widely used around the world for stress relief. Whether exposure to essential oil increases the risk of cardiovascular events is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of essential oil on heart rate and blood pressure among solus por aqua (spa) workers.

Development of frailty indicators for the community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Faster than anticipated increases in population, aging is making the issue of frailty among the elderly increasingly important. Despite general agreement that a frailty assessment is important for planning care for the older adults, a lack of consensus remains regarding the best methodology to use for frailty assessments.

Purpose: The aim of this study was first to cross-examine results between perception of frailty and physical assessment outcomes then try to establish frailty indicators for elderly people in Taiwan.

Effects of rice bran oil on the blood lipids profiles and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of rice bran oil consumption on plasma lipids and insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thirty-five patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to a placebo group or a rice bran oil group. The placebo group consumed 250 mL soybean oil-modified milk (18 g soybean oil) daily for 5 weeks, and the rice bran oil group consumed 250 mL rice bran oil modified milk (18 g rice bran oil) daily for 5 weeks.

The sleep log and actigraphy: congruency of measurement results for heart failure patients.

Background: : Quality of life in patients with heart failure (HF) can be significantly impacted by poor sleep and its daytime consequences. As more attention is being paid to the sleep problems of HF patients, it is important to evaluate the degree of congruence between subjective and objective sleep measurements in this patient group.

Purpose: : This study was developed to evaluate the congruence between sleep parameters as measured using a wrist-worn ActiGraph and a daily sleep log in patients with stable HF.

The formal support experiences of mothers of adolescents with intellectual disabilities in Edinburgh, UK: a longitudinal qualitative design.

Background: In the United Kingdom, healthcare provision for children with intellectual disabilities (ID) has shifted away from institutions to the community. Today, family members most often assume the primary caregiver role and look after care recipients in the home. The support needs of caregivers, therefore, represent an important area of research that should help caregivers enhance their quality of life.

The effect of meditation on physical and mental health in junior college students: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Physical stress and mental stress are increasingly common phenomena in our rapidly changing and stressful modern society. Research has found meditation to produce positive and demonstrable stress reduction effects on brain and immune functions. This study is grounded in traditional Chinese philosophical mores that teach a process summarized by the keynote activities of "calm, still, quiet, consider, and get" and the potential of this process to reduce stress in adolescents.

Effect of adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf.) hull extracts on testosterone release from rat Leydig cells.

Adlay has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of many diseases. However, few studies have reported the effects of adlay seeds on the endocrine system. In the present study, the effects of methanol extracts of adlay hull (AHM) on testosterone synthesis were studied.

Composite nano-titanium oxide-chitosan artificial skin exhibits strong wound-healing effect-an approach with anti-inflammatory and bactericidal kinetics.

A composite nano-TiO2-chitosan with collagen artificial skin (NTCAS) showed promising characteristics of moderate water absorptivity (110 wt.-%), fine thickness (0.34 mm), low density (0.