J Formos Med Assoc
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Case Reports
Hematopoietic cell transplantation for blood cancer patients living with HIV in Taiwan - A case series.
People living with HIV (PLWH) have an increased risk of developing cancers, especially hematologic malignancies (HM). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been an important treatment modality for patients with HM. ⋯ In these PLWH patients, HSCT procedures, either autologous (auto-HSCT) or allogeneic (allo-HSCT), were feasible with acute toxicity profiles comparable to those in non-HIV patients. However, auto-HSCT seemed unable to lead toward durable remission in PLWH with relapsed/refractory lymphoma, implicating that allo-HSCT might warrant early considerations for consolidation purposes in this distinct patient group.
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We aimed to evaluate the effects of folate and vitamin B12 on psychopathology in patients with schizophrenia and low serum folate levels. ⋯ Our finding suggested that the extent of increased folate levels did not exert a notable impact on the changes of psychotic symptoms severity or cognitive function in our patients. It may also due to the relatively stable condition in our recruited patients, so supplementation of folate cannot show its effectiveness. Whether folate can improve psychopathology in moderate to severe patients with schizophrenia should be evaluated with a larger sample size in the future.
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Critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rare but devastating complication of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in children and adolescents. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for, and evaluate the vaccine effectiveness against, critical COVID-19 during the 2022 Omicron Surge in Taiwan. ⋯ Underlying diseases are the major risk factors for critical COVID-19 among children and adolescents during the Omicron Surge. The two-dose COVID-19 vaccination is highly effective against critical diseases.
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Infertility and the economic burden of treatment can impose considerable psychosocial stress with negative consequences for the quality of life for all involved. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of government subsidies for infertility treatment on the quality of life among infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. ⋯ The government subsidy for infertility treatment was negatively correlated with clinical and live birth rates while positively correlated with quality of life.