Reducing polypharmacy through deprescribing in the emergency department.

Polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications, is a prevalent issue globally that contributes to increased healthcare costs and places additional burdens on patients' organs. This study aims to deprescribe and prevent polypharmacy in the emergency department. We conducted a retrospective review of randomly selected medical records from the Internal Medicine Department of Taipei MacKay Emergency Department, spanning from August 1, 2023, to October 31, 2023.

Venous thrombosis related to duplicated inferior vena cava: A case report and systematic review.

Rationale: Swollen legs are commonly observed in clinical practice, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is 1 of the causes. Duplicated IVC (DIVC) is a relatively rare anomaly that results in DVT.

Patient Concerns: A 52-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department because of right leg swelling, pain, and redness for 3 days.

Unexpectedly life-threatening meal: Contamination by Bongkrekic acid in Taiwan.

Objective: Bongkrekic acid (BKA) is a life-threatening toxin linked to foodborne illnesses. Herein, we report two fatalities among 33 patients who ingested BKA in March 2024, East Taipei, Taiwan.

Case Report: Our first case involved a 40-year-old female who presented with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after consuming wet rice noodles.

Efficacy in predicting mortality of patients with heart failure using heart rate before intensive care unit discharge: a retrospective cohort study from MIMIC-IV Database.

Objective: Heart rate serves as a critical prognostic factor in heart failure (HF) patients. We hypothesise that elevated heart rate in critically ill HF patients on discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) could be linked to adverse outcomes.

Design: A single-centre retrospective cohort study.

NT-proBNP point-of-care testing for predicting mortality in end-stage renal disease: A survival analysis.

This study examines the predictive value of elevated N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) levels for mortality among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Data from 768 ESRD patients, excluding those with cancer or lost follow-up, were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models over three years. Results indicated that patients with very high NT-pro BNP levels had shorter average survival times and a significantly higher risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.

Healthy Lifestyle and Quality of Life in Post-Operative Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Five-Month Observational Study.

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important indicator of treatment effectiveness. An unhealthy lifestyle can have a negative impact on quality of life. This study aimed to investigate changes in health-related lifestyle over time after surgery for colorectal cancer and their impact on HRQOL.

Quantitative two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging characterization of lower extremity venous disease: venous reflux versus venous obstruction.

Background: Lower extremity venous disease (LEVD) is a complex disorder, and determining the etiology of LEVD is paramount for treatment selection. Two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (2D PC-MRI) can provide an objective measure of hemodynamic status and may help differentiate between different etiologies of LEVD. A total of 271 participants, including 256 symptomatic patients with venous lower extremity disease and 15 healthy volunteers, were collected in this cohort study.

The effects of estrogen induction therapy on pubertal presentations in turner syndrome patients.

Objective: In this study, we investigated various pubertal presentations and progressions before and after estrogen induction therapy and the correlations with Turner syndrome karyotypes.

Materials And Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients with Turner syndrome diagnosed before the age of 18 years between 2000 and 2019. Sixty-six patients were enrolled and distributed into 45,X monosomy group, X chromosome structural abnormalities group and X mosaicism group.

Report of a Patient With Anti-Jo-1 Syndrome With Loss of Consciousness.

A 51-year-old febrile woman presented to the emergency department because of loss of consciousness while worshipping at a temple. She experienced muscle weakness and blurred vision before fainting. She also felt pain in her left shoulder and suffered from dry cough and shortness of breath during the previous week.

Carbon nanogels exert multipronged attack on resistant bacteria and strongly constrain resistance evolution.

Developing antimicrobial agents that can eradicate drug-resistant (DR) bacteria and provide sustained protection from DR bacteria is a major challenge. Herein, we report a mild pyrolysis approach to prepare carbon nanogels (CNGs) through polymerization and the partial carbonization of l-lysine hydrochloride at 270 °C as a potential broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that can inhibit biopolymer-producing bacteria and clinical drug-resistant isolates and tackle drug resistance issues. We thoroughly studied the structures of the CNGs, their antibacterial mechanism, and biocompatibility.

Development and testing of the shared decision-making attitudes scale among nurses in Taiwan: a cross-sectional scale development study.

Objective: Shared decision-making (SDM) enhances medical care, but an appropriate tool for evaluating nursing staff's attitudes towards SDM in clinical practice is lacking. The objective of this study is to develop the Nursing Shared Decision-Making Attitude (NSDMA) scale and verify its psychometric properties.

Design: Instrument design study.

Diagnostic evaluation of central precocious puberty in girls.

Background: The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test is the gold standard for confirming the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in central precocious puberty (CPP). However, it is time-consuming and costly. Our aim was to search for a simpler diagnostic modality for CPP by 1) evaluating the performance of basal serum luteinizing hormone (LH), 2) constructing a practical scoring system, and 3) determining the optimal single sampling time for serum LH in the GnRH stimulation test.

Peripheral Refraction in Myopic Children with and without Atropine Usage.

Purpose: To compare the patterns of relative peripheral refractions of myopic children who were currently on atropine treatment for myopia control and myopic children who did not use atropine.

Methods: Chinese children ( = 209) aged 7 to 12 years participated in the study, 106 used atropine and 103 did not. Participants were also classified into three groups: emmetropes (SE: +0.

The relationship between androgen deprivation therapy and depression symptoms in patients with prostate cancer.

Aim: In this study, we administered a questionnaire to consecutive prostate cancer patients who received androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for understanding the prevalence of depression symptoms.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with prostate adenocarcinoma who received ADT between January 2015 and February 2018 at Mackay Memorial Hospital. The patients were then asked to complete the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) during an interview.

Relation of myocardial systolic mechanics to serum ferritin level as a prognosticator in thalassemia patients undergoing repeated transfusion.

Introduction: Myocardial iron overload leading to congestive heart failure (HF) or arrhythmias is a recognized complication in thalassemia patients undergoing chronic blood transfusion. The relationship between myocardial iron load, subclinical systolic dysfunction, and clinical events remains less well known.

Materials And Methods: We studied a total of 77 subjects, comprising 37 thalassemia patients (mean age: 24.