J Formos Med Assoc
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This study aimed to determine the potential effects of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and extravascular lung water index (EVLWI) on the risk of mortality in sepsis patients with concomitant acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ⋯ The study findings indicate that Ang-2 levels and EVLWI at 24 h and 48 h after admission are significantly associated with the risk of mortality.
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Nuclear imaging, including gallium scintigraphy and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), has been widely used to identify focus of infection in fever of unknown origin. However, little is known about its role in critically ill patients, who are usually with multiple inflammatory foci and unable to tolerate long image acquisition time. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FDG PET for suspected infection in critically ill patients. ⋯ FDG PET was a very sensitive tool with acceptable specificity for detecting the origin of infection in critically ill patients. However, current available studies have limitation in evaluating safety issue. Further research should investigate both benefit and risk of doing this test for this group of vulnerable patients.
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The recommended target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients has been lowered from 100 to 70 mg/dL in several clinical guidelines for secondary prevention. We aimed to assess whether initiating statin treatment in CAD patients with baseline LDL-C 70-100 mg/dL in Taiwan could be cost-effective. ⋯ Lowering the target LDL-C level from 100 to 70 mg/dL among treatment-naïve CAD patients could be cost-effective given the health benefits of preventing cardiovascular events and deaths.
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The trend of suicide rates among young adults has been increasing worldwide. The study aimed to identify the suicide risks and associated psychosocial factors in a large university in Taiwan. ⋯ While identifying several risk factors that cumulatively conduced to higher suicide risks, neuroticism served as a key element in the increased suicide risk among the university students. Suicide prevention strategies for university students should highlight stress management for those with neurotic trait and early suicide risk identification.
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Few studies exist investigating the effectiveness of radioiodine (RAI) therapy for hyperthyroidism patients in Asia. We herein investigated the real-world efficacy of single-dose RAI therapy in Taiwanese patients with Graves' disease (GD). ⋯ In Taiwan, RAI therapy for GD patients reached an overall success rate of 70.9%, with a median dose of 7 mCi. This study identified patients with grade 3 goiter need a more aggressive RAI regimen.