Exercise capacity-hemodynamics mismatch in elderly patients with pulmonary hypertension: A nationwide multicenter study from Taiwan Society of Cardiology Pulmonary Hypertension Registry (TAIPANS).

Background: Demographics of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has changed a lot over the past forty years. Several recent registries noted an increase in mean age of PH but only a few of them investigated the characteristics of elderly patients. Thus, we aimed to analyze the characteristics of PH in such a population in this study.

Comparison of continuous 24-hour and 14-day ECG monitoring for the detection of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with ischemic stroke or syncope.

Background: Previous studies show that using 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) or 24-h ECG monitor for the detection of cardiac arrhythmia events in patients with stroke or syncope is ineffective.

Hypothesis: The 14-day continuous ECG patch has higher detection rates of arrhythmias compared with conventional 24-h ECG monitoring in patients with ischemic stroke or syncope.

Methods: This cross-sectional study of patients with newly diagnosed ischemic stroke or syncope received a 24-h ECG monitoring and 14-day continuous cardiac monitoring patch and the arrhythmia events were measured.

Effects of vitamin D and zinc deficiency in acute and long COVID syndrome.

Objectives: Acute inflammatory or neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as headache, fatigue, anosmia, and hyposmia, sometimes persist for more than 30 days or longer than 12 weeks after infection with the Omicron variant of SARS‑CoV‑2 (hereafter referred to as COVID-19). The aim of this study was to determine whether detection of zinc concentration or vitamin D concentration could provide treatment benefits for patients with COVID-19, thus reducing the risk of them experiencing long COVID.

Methods: The interval between the date of COVID-19 diagnosis and the date of visit to pulmonary department for prolonged symptoms of COVID-19 was recorded for statistical analysis.

Ex Vivo Expanded Circulating Tumor Cells for Clinical Anti-Cancer Drug Prediction in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

The advanced-stage head and neck cancer (HNC) patients respond poorly to platinum-based treatments. Thus, a reliable pretreatment method for evaluating platinum treatment response would improve therapeutic efficiency and outcomes. This study describes a novel strategy to predict clinical drug responses in HNC patients by using eSelect, a lab-developed biomimetic cell culture system, which enables us to perform ex vivo expansion and drug sensitivity profiling of circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Coronary Artery Calcium Score Predicts Long-Term Cardiovascular Outcomes in Asymptomatic Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Aims: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is no longer regarded as a coronary risk equivalent, and heterogeneity of cardiovascular risk exists, suggesting that further risk stratification should be mandatory. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical predictors of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, and evaluate the CAC score as a predictor of cardiovascular outcome in a large asymptomatic T2DM cohort.

Methods: A total of 2,162 T2DM patients were recruited from a Diabetes Shared Care Network and the CAC score was measured.

In-Hospital Implementation of Evidence-Based Medications is Associated with Improved Survival in Diabetic Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome - Data from TSOC ACS-DM Registry.

Background: Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and diabetes mellitus (DM) receive less aggressive treatment and have worse outcomes in Taiwan. We sought to explore whether the current practices of prescribing guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for ACS and clinical outcomes have improved over time.

Methods: A total of 1534 consecutive diabetic patients with ACS were enrolled between 2013 and 2015 from 27 hospitals in the nationwide registry initiated by the Taiwan Society of Cardiology (the TSOC ACS-DM Registry).

Effect of betel nut chewing on the otolithic reflex system.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of betel nut chewing on the otolithic reflex system.

Methods: Seventeen healthy volunteers without any experience of chewing betel nut (fresh chewers) and 17 habitual chewers underwent vital sign measurements, ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), and cervical VEMP (cVEMP) tests prior to the study. Each subject then chewed two pieces of betel nut for 2min (dosing).

Factors related to tracheostomy timing and ventilator weaning: findings from a population in Northern Taiwan.

Introduction: Determining the optimal time for performing a tracheostomy and weaning a patient off a ventilator is typically challenging for physicians, respiratory therapists, patients and patients' families.

Purpose: This study examined the factors influencing tracheostomy timing and ventilator weaning and described the transition-care placement of patients who experience unsuccessful ventilator weaning.

Methods: A retrospective design was employed, and 2 years of data were collected through a medical chart review performed at a hospital in Northern Taiwan.

Tongue abscess induced by embedded remnant fishbone.

The authors reported a 56-year-old man with progressive pain over left bottom of oral cavity involving tongue for 3 days. He had a puncture history of tongue by fishbone, which was immediately removed 3 weeks ago. The subsequent contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of neck disclosed an abscess formation with a faint linear radiopaque material inside, consisting with remnant fishbone retention.

Acute hearing loss in patients with hematological disorders.

Objective: This study adopted an inner ear test battery to investigate the causes of acute sensorineural hearing loss in patients with hematological disorders.

Methods: During the past 20 years, the authors have experienced 14 patients with hematological disorders, i.e.

Allergic fungal otomastoiditis: a case report.

Allergic mucin is described as thick, peanut butter-like mucus impacted in the paranasal sinuses of patients with allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. The presence of allergic mucin in the middle ear has never been reported. We encountered a 65-year-old female with allergic mucin found impacted in her left middle ear and mastoid cavity during revised tympanoplasty surgery at our institute.

Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: correlations between echocardiographic parameters, angiographic left ventricular morphology, and clinical outcomes.

Background: Echocardiographic parameters could be implicated in the development of apical asynergy (characterized by apical sequestration or apical aneurysm) and worse cardiovascular outcome in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM).

Hypothesis: Echocardiographic parameters and morphological patterns of left ventriculograms are associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with ApHCM.

Methods: We followed 47 cases with echocardiographically documented ApHCM.

Toxoplasma IgG expressed in a patient with Rosai-Dorfman disease.

Rosai-Dorfman Disease (RDD) is a rare benign disease characterized by sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy. RDD can be differentiated from other types of histiocytosis by immunochemical analysis, as RDD is positive for S100. Conversely, toxoplasmosis lymphadenitis is characterized by clusters of epithelioid histiocytes in lymphoid tissue, with mixed lymphocytic and immunoblastic cell populations.

Epidemiology of Blastocystis hominis and other intestinal parasites among the immigrant population in northeastern Taiwan by routine physical examination for residence approval.

Background And Purpose: Blastocystis hominis has not been reported as an endemic disease in Taiwan, but high prevalence rates have been found among immigrants. Due to the increasing number of immigrants in Taiwan, B. hominis may become a public health problem in Taiwan.

Obstruction and sequestration: a case of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy concomitant with subaortic obstruction, apical sequestration, and valvular aortic stenosis.

We presented an unique case of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy concomitant with subaortic obstruction, apical sequestration, and valvular aortic stenosis. The echocardiographic findings were conflicting and characterized by quadruple pressure gradients within the left ventricle, which were compatible with the findings of 64-slice computed tomography imaging and cardiac catheterization.

Acculturation, psychiatric comorbidity and posttraumatic stress disorder in a Taiwanese aboriginal population.

Background: This study investigates acculturation and other antecedent psychiatric and socio-environmental risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in one aboriginal group (the Bunun) exposed to an earthquake disaster in Taiwan.

Method: Respondents (n = 196) were assessed 5 months after the disaster, using a Chinese version of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry and the Taiwan Aboriginal Acculturation Scale.

Result: Four risk factors exerted independent effect on the risk of PTSD, including magnitude of the earthquake, subsequent traumas, antecedent major depressive disorder and acculturation status.

Abnormal enlargement of pituitary gland during pregnancy remitted spontaneously after delivery.

Ovulation induction is seldom reported to cause pituitary abnormality and the physiological enlargement of the pituitary gland during pregnancy is asymptomatic. We report a woman who became pregnant after ovulation induction. She had symptomatic pituitary enlargement with a pituitary height of 2 cm on cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the second trimester.

Ipsilateral and contralateral vestibular schwannomas in unilateral long-term deaf ears.

In the past decade, we have encountered two patients with unilateral long-term deaf ear having vestibular schwannoma. One was on the deaf ear in a 53 years' woman and the other was on the contralateral hearing ear in a 62 years' woman. These two patients had total deafness on the right ear since childhood, associated with absent auditory brainstem response (ABR) and caloric responses, whereas normal ABR and caloric responses were shown on the left ear.

Lateral medullary syndrome in a woman after ovulation induction.

Although atherothrombotic complications due to ovulation induction are well known in the literature, there is no previous report specifically on the presentation of a lateral medullary infarction. Recently, we have encountered a 36 years old woman with primary infertility having acute vertiginous attack after ovulation induction. Audiovestibular test battery revealed bilateral normal hearing, bilateral gaze nystagmus, rebound nystagmus beating toward the right side, loss of visual suppression with augmentation of caloric nystagmus in light on the left side, and delayed vestibular evoked myogenic potentials on the left side, which was subsequently confirmed as lateral medullary syndrome by MRI scan.

Clinical presentation of posterior fossa epidermoid cysts.

The aim of this study was to investigate the audiovestibular deficits in those with posterior fossa epidermoid cyst including cerebellopontine angle in two patients and cerebellum in one patient. Prior to operation, all three patients showed bilateral gaze nystagmus. Audiometry revealed mild hearing loss in two patients, and caloric test displayed canal paresis in two patients.

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.

Objective/hypothesis: It was the authors' premise that the vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) test may be used to differentiate acute low-tone hearing loss (ALHL) from Meniere's disease with low-tone HL.

Study Design: Prospective study.

Methods: From January 2000 to December 2002, consecutive 12 patients with ALHL and another 12 patients with definite Meniere's disease with low-tone HL were enrolled in this study.

Herpes zoster laryngis with prelaryngeal skin erythema.

A 74-year-old man came to our hospital with complete left vocal cord paralysis and erythema of the prelaryngeal skin. The patient also had mucosal swelling and erosions in the left arytenoid cartilage, aryepiglottic fold, and pyriform sinus. Herpetic vesicles developed over the prelaryngeal erythema 4 days after admission.