Publications (480) View all
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Article: The impact of metabolic syndrome on the responsiveness to α1-blocker in men with BPH/LUTS.
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ABSTRACT: Aims: Increasing evidence has proposed the components of metabolic syndrome (MtS) as risk factors for the development of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH); therefore, it is thought that MtS may play a role in lower urinary tract symptoms related to BPH (BPH/LUTS) aetiology. Considering the closed relationships between MtS and BPH/LUTS, it is possible that patients with MtS might have different drug responsiveness in men with BPH/LUTS. We prospectively investigated the impact of MtS on responsiveness to α1-blocker in men with BPH/LUTS. Methods: We enrolled a total of 109 patients with a mean (SD) age of 59.8 (9.0) years, having a prostate volume of 20 cm(3) or greater with moderate to severe LUTS. All patients received doxazosin GITS (gastrointestinal therapeutic system) 4 mg once daily for a 12-week period of treatment. The efficacy measurement was assessed by the changes from baseline in the total IPSS, maximum urinary flow rate and postvoid residual urine volume. The drug responders were defined as those who had a total IPSS decrease of more than 4 points from baseline after 12 weeks of treatment. Results: Using multiple logistic regression analysis, our results showed that MtS was an independent factor for drug non-responder (OR = 4.26, p = 0.002). The rate of drug responder and total IPSS improvements in patients with MtS significantly decreased as the number of MtS components increased (p = 0.012 and p = 0.026). Among the MtS components, abnormal fasting blood glucose (FBG) was the most significantly independent factor for drug non-responder (OR = 3.17, p = 0.020). Conclusion: This study suggested that the presence of MtS had a significantly negative impact on the responsiveness to α1-blocker in men with BPH/LUTS. Our results are important for BPH/LUTS patients who did not initially respond to α1-blocker or who strive to reduce these metabolic risk factors.International Journal of Clinical Practice 02/2013; · 2.41 Impact Factor -
Article: The pre-emptive analgesic effect of a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor in a rat model of acute postoperative pain.
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ABSTRACT: We examined the pre-emptive analgesic effect of a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor in a rat surgical pain model and characterised the changes in cutaneous COX-2 around a surgical site. Thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia were tested in the rats for three days after incision and skin tissues were collected for analysis of COX-2. There was decreased expression of cutaneous COX-2 one day after surgical incision. Pre-incision injection of the COX-2 inhibitor significantly inhibited expression of COX-2 and also reduced thermal hyperalgesia (but not mechanical allodynia) compared with the post-incision COX-2-inhibitor injection group, one day after incision.Anaesthesia 07/2012; 67(11):1225-1231. · 2.96 Impact Factor -
Article: Intruders in the Grid
IEEE Power and Energy Magazine 01/2012; 10(1):58-66. · 2.41 Impact Factor -
Article: Urbanization and prevalence of depression in diabetes.
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ABSTRACT: To depict recent secular trend (2001-2005) in prevalence of depression among diabetic population in Taiwan, and to explore the influences of urbanization on the prevalence of depression. A descriptive correlation study design relating urbanization and prevalence of depression. Annual prevalence of depression was calculated as the ratio of number of individuals with depression (ICD-9-CM: 296, 309, or 311) to the size of diabetic population (ICD-9-CM: 250), which were ascertained from ambulatory care claim data of Taiwan's National Health Insurance between 2001 and 2005. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to assess the secular trend in the prevalence of comorbid depression, and to appraise the influence of urbanization on prevalence of depression in diabetic patients. The prevalence of depression among diabetic population increased annually from 22.6/10(3) in 2001 to 27.0/10(3) in 2005 with a significantly and linearly rising trend (β = 0.0461, p < 0.0001). Diabetic population living in urban areas showed the largest increase in prevalence (6.3/10(3)), followed by those from rural areas (5.6/10(3)). Compared to the diabetic patients residing in rural areas, those living in urban areas (RR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.25-1.31) and those from satellite towns (RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.19-1.25) both had significantly increased adjusted RR. There is a significant increasing trend in prevalence of depression among diabetic population in recent years in Taiwan. Diabetic patients from urban areas not only had the greatest prevalence of depression but also showed the largest increase in prevalence during the study period, which highlights a need for managing depression in urban diabetes.Public health 12/2011; 126(2):104-11. · 1.26 Impact Factor -
Article: Reemerging of enterovirus 71 in Taiwan: the age impact on disease severity.
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ABSTRACT: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection commonly strike children under the age of 3 years, with an occasionally unfavorable outcome in children. This study was designed to explore the relationship between age and the severity of complications, which may associate with antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in EV71. All EV71-infected patients during the outbreak of 2008 were recruited. In total, 134 patients were enrolled and categorized into two age groups, 0-12 months (n = 18) and >12 months (n = 116). Pulmonary edema/hemorrhage more commonly occur in patients younger than 12 months. No difference in the occurrence of herpangina/hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), uncomplicated brainstem encephalitis (BE), or autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation was noted between the two age groups. Patients with pulmonary edema/hemorrhage (11.9 ± 14.7 months) were younger than patients with herpangina/HFMD (35.8 ± 26.4 months) or ANS dysregulation (33.9 ± 20.9 months). Our findings are in agreement with the data regarding the outbreak in Taiwan, in which a decrease in age corresponded to an increase in disease severity with regard to central nervous system complications. A reduction of maternal antibodies to the subneutralizing level within 1 year of age may be associated with the ADE of the infection. This study could provide possible clinical significance with regard to ADE phenomena in young infants infected by EV71.European Journal of Clinical Microbiology 10/2011; 31(6):1219-24. · 2.86 Impact Factor
