J Formos Med Assoc
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Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease in Taiwan. To control TB effectively, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control implemented the National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) in 2006, modeled on the World Health Organization global TB control program. The goal of the program was to reduce the number of TB cases by half within a decade. This study was designed to describe the epidemiology of TB in Taiwan, and to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of the NTP. ⋯ TB-associated incidence and mortality decreased over the course of the study. Nevertheless, there continue to be high-incidence areas that show the opposite trend; these areas should strive to improve case management and consultation. In the most populous districts, rigorous surveillance is necessary to track incidence and mortality rate fluctuations.
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A globally increasing trend of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), the rising prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in many countries, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in recent years pose a serious challenge for TB control. ⋯ DMTB patients have more severe TB infections, which require longer treatment and are more likely to develop MDR-TB than are patients with TB alone.
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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS, is a retrovirus. It is estimated that, while in the cell, it interacts with almost 10% of cellular proteins. ⋯ Restriction factors tell us much about how the virus functions and open up new paradigms for exploring novel antiviral therapeutics. This article gives an update on the three best studied restriction factors, their putative mechanisms of action and how the virus has overcome their effects, together with an indication of novel therapeutic approaches based on this knowledge.
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Although obesity is becoming a major public health problem, data are limited on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and survival in Taiwanese populations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of obesity on the risk of death from any cause and from specific diseases in middle-aged Taiwanese adults. ⋯ Increasing BMI (≥ 23 kg/m²) was positively associated with deaths from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. We found that BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² was a significant predictor for all-cause mortality and ≥ 27 kg/m² was a significant predictor for cancer mortality. The relationship between BMI and mortality was J-shaped in Taiwanese adults.
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Although several prognostic factors for traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been evaluated, a useful predictive scoring model for outcome has yet to be developed for TBI patients. The aim of this study was to determine independent predictors and develop a multivariate logistic regression equation to determine prognosis in TBI patients. ⋯ In our preliminary findings, five variables to predict poor outcomes 6 months after TBI were useful. These sensitive variables can be used as a referential guideline in our daily practice to decide whether or not to perform advanced management or avoid decompressive craniectomy.