Assessment of Vertebral Bone Marrow Perfusion, Fat/Water Content, and Trabecular Bone Changes Using Multimodal MRI and Micro-CT in a Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Disturbances in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis resulting from chronic kidney disease (CKD) may lead to atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels, potentially altering bone marrow perfusion. Our study aimed to investigate vertebral bone marrow perfusion using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI with a pharmacokinetic model. We also measured possible changes in water and fat content and bony trabeculae using T2* quantification, MR spectroscopy (MRS), and microcomputed tomography (μCT).

Cellulase from for biofuel application: enzymatic characterization and inhibition tolerance investigation.

Halophilic bacteria are promising candidates for biofuel production because of their efficient cellulose degradation. Their cellulases exhibit high activity, even in the presence of inhibitors and under extreme conditions, making them ideal for biorefinery applications. In this study, we isolated a strain of (Kadal6) from decomposed cotton cloth on a Rameshwaram seashore.

Update on the treatment navigation for functional cure of chronic hepatitis B: expert consensus 2.0.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements.

[Application of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring in Hypertension Management].

Hypertension is a common disease both globally and in Taiwan that poses significant health risks. According to Taiwan's Health Promotion Administration, abnormal blood pressure is prevalent in up to 80% of the adult population aged 65 and above. Hypertension is associated with serious health issues such as cerebrovascular diseases, renal failure, and cardiovascular diseases, and ranks as the seventh leading cause of death in Taiwan.

[Development and Application of Family Management in Nursing Care].

The concept of family management has gained increasing acceptance in the United States for over two decades and is today applied in care worldwide. However, this concept is still largely novel to clinical professionals in Taiwan. This article was written to present the history and current application of family management to promote greater recognition of the related opportunities and potentials in the nursing field.

[Using Therapeutic Play to Increase the Oral Administration Adherence Rate of Preschool Pediatric Inpatients].

Background & Problems: Oral administration is the most common mode of medical treatment for pediatric patients. Although over 98% of the patients in the targeted pediatric unit require oral medication, the oral administration adherence rate in 2022 was 43.9%.

[Reducing the Invalid Alarm Rate for Fetal Heartbeat Monitoring in High-Risk Pregnancies in the Delivery Room].

Background & Problems: Fetal heartbeat (FHB) monitoring is used to monitor the condition of a fetus in the uterus and estimate the expected time of delivery. It is crucial to accurately and comprehensively monitor fetal heart beats in high-risk pregnancies. However, invalid alarms frequently occur in clinical environments, easily promoting alarm fatigue among nurses and causing anxiety and distrust in the laboring women and their families.

[Effects of a Steno Diabetes Dialogue Card-Based Intervention on Self-Perceived Health, Health Literacy, and Glycemic Control in Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Living in the Community].

Background: The process of aging is associated with the deterioration of normal body functions as well as lower health awareness due to a reduced ability to acquire and understand health-related information. The subjects of this study were older adults with diabetes mellitus living in community settings. Visual-learning-based Steno diabetes dialogue cards were used to strengthen the learning and knowledge absorption capabilities of the subjects to improve diabetes health knowledge and increase compliance with blood sugar control protocols to achieve blood sugar control goals and delay / reduce the severity of complications.

[Factors Influencing Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Employees With Metabolic Syndrome: An Example of a District Hospital in Northern Taiwan].

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder shown to be significantly correlated with metabolic syndrome (MS). Healthcare professionals affected by both MS and OSA may suffer from poor sleep quality, raising potential concerns about patient safety. Currently, there remains a gap in research specifically addressing the relationship between MS and OSA in healthcare professionals.

[The Effectiveness of a Pap Smear Screening Practical Skills Training Program for Nurse-Midwifery Students].

Background: Pap smear screenings effectively reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. However, the effectiveness of practical teaching strategies for this procedure is seldom discussed.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Pap smear screening training approach using the two strategies of classroom simulation and practical community screening demonstrations.

[Transitioning From a Pilot Program of Home Care for Acute Symptoms to Long-Term Care Services Planning].

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's "Pilot Program of Home Care for Acute Symptoms", launched in 2024, and complementary measures for long-term care services are introduced in this article. The goal of the pilot program is to provide appropriate home medical care to specific emergency patients as an alternative to hospitalization, allowing the extension of emergency care from hospitals to home and residential institutions and connecting long-term care resources during and after acute care. Given that many of those targeted by the pilot program are individuals with mobility issues or who require long-term care, and thus subject to higher levels of treatment difficulty and care service demand, the Ministry has relaxed the rules initially set for this program.

[Age-Friendly Health Care: An Example of Providing Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) in Pingtung County, Taiwan].

Population aging has become a prevalent societal trend in the 21st century, giving rise to intricate challenges for healthcare systems. Taiwan is expected to become a "super-aging society" in 2025. In 2020, the Health Promotion Administration, referencing World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on integrated care for older people (ICOPE), began promoting person-centered functional assessments for older adults to prevent and delay disability, reduce reliance on formal healthcare, and promote healthy aging, aging in place, and active aging.

[New Directions in Elderly Care Workforce Nurturing: Cross-Professional Collaboration From a Social Co-Care Perspective, Drawing Insights From Japan's Elderly Care Experience].

The increasingly severe issue of societal aging worldwide has prompted the reevaluation of elderly-care strategies and related workforce development. This paper was developed to explore new directions in elderly care workforce development from the perspective of social co-care. The current state and challenges of elderly care personnel in Taiwan are analyzed, emphasizing the importance of cross-professional collaboration to enhancing elderly care quality.

[Aging and Gender: Inclusive Care Practices and Policies for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Older Adults].

In line with global population aging, the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) older adults is expected to continue to increase. Compared to their heterosexual peers, LGBT+ older adults have poorer physical and psychological health status, experience less social support, and face more barriers when accessing healthcare services, which may lead to higher health disparities and a lower quality of life within LGBT+ older populations. Healthcare providers have been shown to be inadequately prepared to address the unique healthcare needs and challenges of LGBT+ older adults, often leaving these individuals forced to receive care that does not meet their health needs and expectations.

[The Advancement of Elderly Care: Development and Application of an Interdisciplinary Outpatient Dementia Care Consultation Module].

With population aging, dementia has become a significant global health issue. Most people with dementia live in the community, are cared for by family members, and face complex and multifaceted care challenges. In line with Taiwan's Long-Term Care 2.

[Integrated Geriatric Healthcare and Related Innovative Models].

The intensifying trend of population aging has made geriatric healthcare a key concern for countries worldwide. According to the United Nations, the global elderly population is projected to increase to 1.6 billion by 2050 at which time persons above 65 years old are expected to account for 16% of the world's population (United Nations, 2023).

Leveraging Smart Telemedicine Technology to Enhance Nursing Care Satisfaction and Revolutionize COVID-19 Care: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Telemedicine has been utilized in the care of patients with COVID-19, allowing real-time remote monitoring of vital signs. This technology reduces the risk of transmission while providing high-quality care to both self-quarantined patients with mild symptoms and critically ill patients in hospitals.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the application of telemedicine technology in the care of patients with COVID-19, specifically focusing on usability, effectiveness, and patient outcomes in both home isolation and hospital ward settings.

Insufficient pretransplant induction therapy is associated with diffuse intrahepatic cholangiopathy in ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation for acute liver failure.

Background: ABO-incompatible liver transplantation (ABOi LT) can now be successfully performed with standard pretransplant induction therapy. For patients with chronic end-stage liver disease (ESLD), ABOi LT can achieve long-term outcomes comparable to those of blood type-compatible (ABOc) LT. Outcomes of patients with acute liver failure (ALF) who undergo urgent transplantation surgery with a limited induction period should be further investigated.

Psoriasis increases the risk of Sjögren's syndrome: evidence from a propensity score-matched cohort study and transcriptomic analysis.

Background: Despite the well-documented immune dysregulation in both psoriasis and Sjögren's syndrome (SS), the specific link between these two autoimmune diseases has not been extensively explored. The present study aims to investigate the impact of psoriasis on the risk of SS.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study using TriNetX data compared SS development in patients with psoriasis and controls using propensity score matching, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox models.

Deep learning for the classification of atrial fibrillation using wavelet transform-based visual images.

Background: As the incidence and prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) proliferate worldwide, the condition has become the epicenter of a plethora of ECG diagnostic research. In recent diagnostic methodologies, Morse Continuous Wavelet Transform (MsCWT) is a feature extraction technique utilized to draw out distinctive attributes of ECG signals. In our study, we explore the employment of MsCWT in the classification of AF with ECG signals in a continuum.

Patterns of pharmacological treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation: an analysis from the prospective GLORIA-AF Registry Phase III.

Background: Polypharmacy (i.e., treatment with ≥ 5 drugs) is common in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and has been associated with suboptimal management and worse outcomes.

Functioning performance trajectory and its associated factors for people with disability-A 4-year national study.

Background: Humans experience functioning difficulties in daily life, which are dependent on the interaction between health conditions and barriers in life. In general, functioning is an umbrella term and a dynamic concept. Thus, identifying the factors associated with long-term functioning would be beneficial to the development of specific health policies and quality of life for people with disabilities.

Cardiovascular and thromboembolic outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors in gastroesophageal cancer: a propensity score-matched cohort study.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and thromboembolic events. However, the incidence of cardiovascular and thromboembolic events associated with ICIs in gastroesophageal cancers is unknown.

Methods: We performed a propensity score-matched cohort study using the TriNetX Analytics Network database, which comprises de-identified data from over 130 participating healthcare institutions.

Indoxyl Sulfate Induces Ventricular Arrhythmias Attenuated by Secretoneurin in Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Cardiomyocytes.

Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are major causes of sudden cardiac death in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is one common uremic toxin found in CKD patients. This study investigated whether IS could induce VAs via increasing right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) arrhythmogenesis.

Hypoglycemia and hospital mortality in critically ill patients.

Prior research has indicated that adopting strict glycemic control measures might elevate the risk of hypoglycemia and result in higher mortality rates among critically ill patients. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the incidence of hypoglycemia and its consequential outcomes in real-world clinical settings. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Taichung Veterans General Hospital, utilizing critical care databases covering the period from 2015 to 2020.