This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a floor gully come with grating to prevent the oviposition of Aedes aegypti in the floor trap. In order to conduct the test, two containers were placed into a mosquito cage (30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm). Both containers were filled with declorinated seasoned tap water and covered with floor gully c/w grating and normal floor gully, respectively. A total of 50 gravid Ae. aegypti females were then released into the cage and left for a week. All the eggs obtained from the test were allowed to remain inside the containers for the eggs to hatch. The number of hatched larvae was counted and recorded. Five replicates were conducted concurrently. There was a significant difference of Ae. aegypti larvae obtained between container with floor gully c/w grating and normal floor gully (p <0.05). A total of 96.41% reduction of Ae. aegypti larvae was obtained in the container with floor gully c/w grating compared with the normal floor gully, indicating that the floor gully c/w grating used in this study was able to prevent oviposition of Ae. aegypti in holding water.

BACKGROUND: Several factors, including clinical manifestations and laboratory data, have been used to evaluate the disease activity of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We investigated saliva indicators of disease activity in primary SS patients. METHODS: We enrolled 138 Taiwanese patients with primary SS and 100 Taiwanese normal controls. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and rheumatoid factor (RF)-IgA levels in saliva samples were measured using ELISA or fluorescent enzyme-linked immunoassay. Serum IgG, IgA, and IgM levels were measured by nephelometry. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was measured with an automatic ESR analyzer. The t-test and Pearson correlation test were used. RESULTS: IL-6 level was higher in primary SS patients than in normal controls (14.23±14.77 vs 9.87±7.32, P=0.012), but there were no significant differences in IL-17A, TNF-α, and RF-IgA levels. In primary SS patients, IL-6 level correlated weakly with ESR and IgG levels (r=0.252, P=0.015, and r=0.248, P=0.017, respectively), and TNF-α level correlated weakly with IgG level (r=0.231, P=0.024). CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 may play a role in SS pathogenesis. Saliva IL-6 might be an indicator of disease activity in primary SS patients.
Blood Sedimentation ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Interleukin-17 ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Saliva ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

We report the case of a 23-year-old woman who presentedwith prolonged menstruation and multiple bruises on thelimbs and trunk. Investigations revealed severethrombocytopenia and deranged coagulation profile withmarkedly prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time(aPTT). Lupus anticoagulant, anti-cardiolipin antibody andanti-beta-2-glycoprotein 1 antibody were positive. She wasdiagnosed with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)with positive antiphospholipid antibody serology and givena course of intravenous methylprednisolone and taperingdoses of oral prednisolone. She was steroid free and had nobleeding or thrombotic event over two years follow up.

PURPOSE: Cockroaches are the second leading allergen in Taiwan. Sensitization to Per a 2, the major American cockroach allergen, correlates with clinical severity among patients with airway allergy, but there is limited information on IgE epitopes and tissue localization of Per a 2. This study aimed to identify Per a 2 linear IgE-binding epitopes and its distribution in the body of a cockroach. METHODS: The cDNA of Per a 2 was used as a template and combined with oligonucleotide primers specific to the target areas with appropriate restriction enzyme sites. Eleven overlapping fragments of Per a 2 covering the whole allergen molecule, except 20 residues of signal peptide, were generated by PCR. Mature Per a 2 and overlapping deletion mutants were affinity-purified and assayed for IgE reactivity by immunoblotting. Three synthetic peptides comprising the B cell epitopes were evaluated by direct binding ELISA. Rabbit anti-Per a 2 antibody was used for immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Human linear IgE-binding epitopes of Per a 2 were located at the amino acid sequences 57-86, 200-211, and 299-309. There was positive IgE binding to 10 tested Per a 2-allergic sera in 3 synthetic peptides, but none in the controls. Immunostaining revealed that Per a 2 was localized partly in the mouth and midgut of the cockroach, with the most intense staining observed in the hindgut, suggesting that the Per a 2 allergen might be excreted through the feces. CONCLUSIONS: Information on the IgE-binding epitope of Per a 2 may be used for designing more specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cockroach allergy.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cockroaches ; DNA Primers ; DNA, Complementary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epitope Mapping* ; Epitopes ; Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte ; Feces ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mouth ; Peptides ; Periplaneta* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Protein Sorting Signals ; Taiwan

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the situation of diabetes patients receiving examinations for diabetes complications and to explore the factors influencing their intention to receive examinations for diabetes complications. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed that included 251 diabetes patients who visited outpatient clinics in Southern Taiwan. A survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted from October 2015 to January 2016. The questionnaire included items on demographic characteristics, perceived susceptibility to diabetes complications, perceived seriousness of diabetes complications, perceived benefits of taking action to receive diabetes complication examinations, perceived barriers to taking action to receive diabetes complication examinations, and the intention to receive diabetes complication examinations. The data were analyzed using regression analysis. RESULTS: The percentage of participants who received fundus, foot, and kidney examinations was 67.7%, 61.4%, and 73.3%, respectively. Every point increase on the perceived barriers to taking action to receive diabetes complication examinations scale increased the intention to receive a foot examination in the following year by 0.91 times (p = .002), and every point increase on the perceived susceptibility to diabetes complications scale increased the intention to receive a kidney examination in the following year by 1.19 times (p = .045). CONCLUSIONS: Nurses should shoulder the responsibility to increase patients' intention to receive examination of diabetes complications. The results of this study can be used to promote nurses' care efficacy in preventing diabetes complications. They can also provide medical institutions with information to establish prevention and control policies for diabetes complications.
Ambulatory Care/utilization ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetic Angiopathies/nursing/*prevention & control/psychology ; Diabetic Nephropathies/nursing/*prevention & control/psychology ; Disease Susceptibility/psychology ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Intention ; Kidney Function Tests ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nurse-Patient Relations ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/*psychology ; Perception ; Physical Examination/nursing/*psychology/utilization ; Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous recovery of severe alopecia areata is rare and the condition is difficult to treat. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the effects and safety of steroid pulse therapy between oral and intravenous administrations between 1999 and 2010 at the Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital. METHODS: Data were retrospectively retrieved. A satisfactory response was defined as more than 75% hair regrowth in the balding area. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients with more than 50% hair loss were identified and treated, with an overall satisfactory response rate of 51.8%. The mean follow-up time was 37.6 months, with a relapse rate of 22.7%. Patients with alopecia areata (hereafter, AA) of recent onset within one year showed higher response rates (p<0.001) and lower relapse rates compared to patients with AA persisting for more than 1 year. Further, even in patients with alopecia totalis, alopecia universalis or ophiasis type, early treatment resulted in a satisfactory response rate of 47% among the treated patients. In general, oral therapy was as effective and well-tolerated as intravenous therapy. CONCLUSION: The response rate is determined by disease severity and time of intervention, not by the administration form of steroid pulse therapy. Oral steroid pulse therapy can be considered as the first-line treatment for patients with severe AA of recent onset within one year.
Administration, Intravenous ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Dermatology ; Early Intervention (Education)* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hair ; Humans ; Pulse Therapy, Drug ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies*

After bathing at a hot spring resort, a 75-year-old man presented to the emergency department because of seizure-like attack with loss of conscious. This is the first case of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by Naegleria fowleri in Taiwan. PAM was diagnosed based on detection of actively motile trophozoites in cerebrospinal fluid using a wet-mount smear and the Liu's stain. The amoebae were further confirmed by PCR and gene sequencing. In spite of administering amphotericin B treatment, the patient died 25 days later.
Aged ; Amebiasis/*diagnosis/parasitology/*pathology ; Central Nervous System Protozoal Infections/*diagnosis/parasitology/*pathology ; Cerebrospinal Fluid/parasitology ; DNA, Protozoan/chemistry/genetics ; Fatal Outcome ; Humans ; Male ; Microscopy ; Naegleria fowleri/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Taiwan

We present here the case of a 40-year-old woman with a greater than 10 year prior history of bilateral breast silicone injection and saline bag implantation. Bilateral palpable breast nodules were observed, but the ultrasound scan was suboptimal and the magnetic resonance imaging showed no gadolinium-enhanced tumor. The 18F-FDG PET/CT scan showed a hypermetabolic nodule in the left breast with a 30% increase of 18F-FDG uptake on the delayed imaging, and this mimicked breast cancer. She underwent a left partial mastectomy and the pathology demonstrated a siliconoma.
Adult ; Breast Implants/adverse effects ; Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; *False Positive Reactions ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/diagnostic use ; Granuloma, Foreign-Body/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Injections ; *Positron-Emission Tomography ; Radiopharmaceuticals/diagnostic use ; Silicones/administration & dosage/*adverse effects ; *Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Preceding episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) among stroke patients can be easily overlooked in routine clinical practice. We aim to determine whether an unrecognized history of paroxysmal AF is associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke. METHODS: We retrospectively identified all adult patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke who had no AF diagnosis on their discharge records, using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between January 2001 and December 2012. Patients were categorized into two groups: unrecognized AF history and no AF. Patients with unrecognized AF history were defined as having documented AF preceding the index ischemic stroke hospitalization, but not recording at the index ischemic stroke. Primary endpoint was recurrent stroke within 1 year after the index stroke. RESULTS: Among 203,489 hospitalized ischemic stroke patients without AF diagnosed at discharge, 6,731 patients (3.3%) had an unrecognized history of prior transient AF. Patients with an unrecognized AF history, comparing to those without AF, had higher adjusted risk of all recurrent stroke ([original cohort: hazard ratio (HR), 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30 to 1.53], [matched cohort: HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.37 to 1.68]) and recurrent ischemic stroke ([original cohort: HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.30 to 1.55], [matched cohort: HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.40 to 1.74]) during the 1-year follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Unrecognized history of AF among patients discharged after an index ischemic stroke hospitalization is associated with higher recurrent stroke risk. Careful history review to uncover a paroxysmal AF history is important for ischemic stroke patients.
Adult ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Brain Infarction ; Cohort Studies ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Medical Records ; National Health Programs ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke ; Taiwan

Ambulatory Care ; COVID-19 ; Health Facility Planning ; Hospital Bed Capacity ; Hospitals, Rehabilitation ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Rehabilitation ; Remote Consultation ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Singapore ; Telerehabilitation ; Triage