J Formos Med Assoc
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Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent and may be linked to cardiovascular disease in a bidirectional manner. The Taiwan Society of Cardiology, Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine and Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine established a task force of experts to evaluate the evidence regarding the assessment and management of SDB in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), hypertension and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). ⋯ The task force developed recommendations and determined strength (Strong, Weak) and direction (For, Against) based on the quality of evidence, balance of benefits and harms, patient values and preferences, and resource use. The resulting 11 recommendations are intended to guide clinicians in determining which the specific patient-care strategy should be utilized by clinicians based on the needs of individual patients.
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Diabetes self-management education (DSME) improves glycemic and metabolic control. However, the frequency, duration and sustainability of DSME for improving metabolic control have not been well studied. ⋯ We demonstrated sustainable effects of at least 2-year DSME on achieving better glycemic control for at least 1 year. SMBG contributed to improved glycemic control. The results may be applied to the reimbursement strategy in diabetes education.
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We investigated the diagnostic performance of the anal sphincter relaxation integral (ASRI) for infants with Hirschsprung's disease (HD). ⋯ ASRI may assist the diagnosis of HD infants using either water-perfused or solid-state HRAM. These systems require different catheter-specific ASRI cutoffs for the prediction of HD.
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Second-hand smoking (SHS) is usually examined by self-report (SR). However, there is a possibility that SR may not accurately measure SHS exposure. This study aimed to identify yearly trends and gender differences in SHS by SR and cotinine. ⋯ Our study confirmed that cotinine-induced SHS showed different results by year and gender compared to SR. In particular, Co/Cr level in females was higher than in males regardless of exposure by SR, suggesting that SR did not correctly evaluate SHS. To reflect reality more accurately, biomarkers should be monitored along with SR.