J Formos Med Assoc
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The clinical characteristics of 234 amputees admitted to the National Taiwan University Hospital during a 10-year period were analyzed. Diabetes mellitus accounted for 37.2% (87 cases) of the amputations and was the most commonly associated disease. Malignancy was the second cause of amputation (16.2%). ⋯ Four of the diabetic reamputations and nine of the non-diabetic reamputations were performed on the same side as the first amputation. The mean +/- standard error of admission days and total expenses for each episode of amputation were 36.2 +/- 2.7 days and 116.5 +/- 1.7 thousand New Taiwan dollars for the non-diabetics and 41.3 +/- 4.0 days and 134.0 +/- 16.0 thousand New Taiwan dollars for the diabetics, respectively. We concluded that: 1) diabetes mellitus was the main cause of amputation; 2) diabetes mellitus was associated with a higher rate of reamputations of the contralateral legs; and 3) a multidisciplinary foot-care team is essential for the management of lower leg amputations.
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A total of 1,342 blood samples from five aboriginal groups in Taiwan, comprising 522 of the Ami, 246 of the Bunum, 227 of the Atayal, 214 of the Paiwan and 133 of the Yami group, were collected. A complete blood count was performed in each case. In subjects with a mean corpuscular volume < 85 fl or hemoglobin (Hb) < 12 gm% (female) or 13 gm% (male), quantitation of Hb A2 and DNA analysis of alpha- and beta-globin genes were performed. ⋯ In the Paiwan, seven (3.3%) were alpha-thalassemia 1 carriers, and one (0.5%) was an alpha-thalassemia 2 carrier. In the Yami, none were either alpha- or beta-thalassemia carriers. Diverse genetic origin, intragroup breeding and malarial selection may play a role in the significant differences of thalassemia prevalences both between the Chinese and the aborigines, and among different groups of aborigines.