J Formos Med Assoc
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The implementation of competency-based medical education is a social construction process within a local and cultural context. However, little is known about the process of adaptation to different systems, known as "glocalization". We analyzed the documents in the development of a milestone project from adapting global standards into a local context and identified a framework underlying this process. ⋯ We identified a framework that incorporates local expression and local needs into the process called glocalization through which global models of competency-based standards could be optimally implemented in a local context with different systems and cultures.
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As a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, many intellectual property (IP) owners have signed on to the "Open COVID Pledge", an agreement that makes corporate and university IP available free of charge for the purpose of facilitating the development of technologies that will end the pandemic and minimize the impact of disease. Joining this pledge is relatively straightforward for already-disclosed IPs. However, few, if any, has considered how to encourage owners of "non-disclosed patent applications" and "trade secrets" to sign on to this meaningful pledge. In other words, so far there is no proposal to extend the Open COVID Pledge for confidential pending patents and trade secrets. ⋯ This paper offers a way forward to guide pledgers and implementers who are interested in supporting the effort by addressing some of the issues associated with the free sharing of non-disclosed patent applications and trade secrets in the fight against COVID-19.
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Anticoagulant therapy is suggested within 45 days after Watchman device implantation for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). A previous study demonstrated that non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) were a feasible peri- and postprocedural alternative to warfarin. The present study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of using different anticoagulants (low-dose NOACs vs. warfarin) within 45 days after Watchman device implantation in a Chinese population. ⋯ The safety and efficacy of low-dose dabigatran and rivaroxaban were comparable to those of warfarin within 45 days after Watchman device implantation in a Chinese population.
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This study aims to explore the clinical correlates of myocardial deformations using speckle-tracking algorithm and to determine the prognostic utility of such measures in asymptomatic ethnic Chinese population. ⋯ GLS improved risk stratification of four-tiered classification of LVH in asymptomatic ethnic Chinese.
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We aimed to investigate the advantages of robotic versus laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy as these remains unclear. ⋯ Robotic surgery is associated with similar technical safety and oncologic efficacy compared to laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; it is an acceptable option for patients requiring minimally invasive surgery. Nevertheless, the longer operation times and greater blood loss seen in the present study are a stark reminder that the convenience and surgical precision, on which the marketing of robotic surgery is rooted, are yet to be proven and require further investigation.