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Answer added in Biomarkers1 Biomarkers in childhood asthma : Is urine or sputum a better source?general speaking, biomarkers are classified two means: biological monitoring and medical surveillance. Based on your question, biomarkers in childhood... [more]
Publications (39) View all
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Article: The effects of respiratory training for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: a randomised clinical trial.
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ABSTRACT: Aims and objectives. To assess the effects of respiratory training on lung function, activity tolerance and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Background. For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary rehabilitation can increase activity tolerance and improve their psychological state by relieving dyspnoea and promoting their quality of life. Design. A randomised clinical trial was conducted in a local hospital. Methods. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 20) and control groups (n = 20). Spirometry, six-minute walking distance and quality of life were used to assess the efficacy of respiratory training programme. Results. Significant improvement in lung function, including forced vital capacity (p = 0·037), forced expiratory volume in one-second (p = 0·006) and per cent predicted forced expiratory volume in one-second (p = 0·008) in the intervention group. Regarding efficacy of the training programme for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in forced expiratory volume in one-second (p = 0·024) and per cent predicted forced expiratory volume in one-second (p = 0·035), six-minute walking distance significantly increased. In addition, there were significant improvements for symptoms (p = 0·018), impact (p < 0·001) and total quality of life scores (p < 0·001), as well as significantly decreased body mass, airflow obstruction, dyspnoea and exercise capacity index (p = 0·004) in the intervention group. Conclusions. A respiratory training programme for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found to relieve dyspnoea, maintain lung function, increase activity tolerance and improve quality of life. Relevance to clinical practice. Respiratory training programme can be used as a routine rehabilitation protocol for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and can be used by nurses as a reference to monitor chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients' health status.Journal of Clinical Nursing 06/2012; 21(19pt20):2870-2878. · 1.12 Impact Factor -
Article: Influences of shift work on fatigue among nurses.
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ABSTRACT: To compare the symptoms of fatigue and physiological indices in nurses who work during the day with nurses who work in shifts. One-hundred and seven nurses were recruited and asked to assess their symptoms of fatigue before their work commenced and after it finished. Using logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates, it was found that nurses who work in shifts were more fatigued than nurses who work during the day (odds ratio = 2.44, P < 0.10). There was a significant difference regarding critical flicker fusion in the two groups of nurses (P = 0.032), and nurses who work in shifts had poorer physiological indices than nurses who work during the day. It is clear that differing work schedules result in differing levels of fatigue, with shift work attributing to higher levels than day work. Nurse managers need to take into account the fatiguing effects of different work schedules when designing rostering patterns.Journal of Nursing Management 04/2011; 19(3):339-45. · 1.18 Impact Factor -
Article: How family support affects physical activity (PA) among middle-aged and elderly people before and after they suffer from chronic diseases.
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ABSTRACT: The more support elderly people have from their family, the less likely they are to suffer from chronic diseases. The objective of this study is to investigate how family support affects the PA middle-aged and elderly people engage in before and after they suffer from chronic diseases. We interviewed 428 middle-aged and elderly people using a structured questionnaire to measure their aerobic PA. Eighteen percent of middle-aged and elderly people did participate in PA after suffering from chronic diseases. Using multivariate logistic regression models, we found that middle-aged and elderly people who rely on family members when they are sick (OR=1.87, 95%CI=1.08-3.25) and who are accompanied by family members (OR=2.09, 95%CI=1.20-3.62) when they are healthy are more likely to exercise. The more middle-aged and elderly people are supported by their family, the more likely they are to exercise. Strengthening family relationships should help reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases among middle-aged and elderly people.Archives of gerontology and geriatrics 12/2010; 53(3):274-7. · 1.36 Impact Factor -
Article: Characterization of volatile organic compounds in the vicinity of an optoelectronics industrial park in Taiwan.
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ABSTRACT: This study aimed to determine the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and investigate the impacts of traffic and industrial activities on the concentration of VOCs near the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) in Taiwan during 2005. Twelve-hour canister sampling was performed at 10 sites near CTSP every season. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography with a mass-selective detector. The traffic flow rate, industrial production rates, and meteorological information were also collected to assess their impacts on VOC concentrations using multiple linear regression models. The major components determined in the atmosphere were toluene (29.4-218.8 microg m(-3)), acetone (30-71.3 microg m(-3)), m/p-xylene (7.8-51.7 microg m(-3)), and ethanol (16.4-47.8 microg m(-3)); only ethanol revealed a pattern of increasing concentration from spring to winter. The log-transformed mean concentrations of toluene, acetone, and ethanol were significantly associated with the production rates of the optoelectronic companies after adjustment for traffic flow and meteorological factors (P < 0.05). There was no significant association between the total traffic flow rate and any log-transformed mean concentrations of VOCs. Each $1 million (U.S.) increase in optoelectronic sales was significantly associated with increasing mean concentrations of 1.29 +/- 1.08 microg m(-3) for toluene, 1.13 +/- 1.05 microg m(-3) for acetone, and 1.25 +/- 1.09 microg m(-3) for ethanol. The authors' findings suggest that optoelectronic industrial activities are still the predominant source for VOC emissions surrounding this industrial park.Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) 01/2010; 60(1):55-62. · 1.52 Impact Factor -
Article: An intervention program to promote health-related physical fitness in nurses.
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ABSTRACT: To assess the effects of exercise intervention on nurses' health-related physical fitness. Regular exercise that includes gymnastics or aerobics has a positive effect on fitness. In Taiwan, there are not much data which assess the effects of exercise intervention on nurses' health-related physical fitness. Many studies have reported the high incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in nurses However, there has been limited research on intervention programs that are designed to improve the general physical fitness of nurses. A quasi-experimental study was conducted at a medical centre in central Taiwan. Ninety nurses from five different units of a hospital volunteered to participate in this study and participated in an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group engaged in a three-month intervention program consisting of treadmill exercise. Indicators of the health-related physical fitness of both groups were established and assessed before and after the intervention. Before intervention, the control group had significantly better grasp strength, flexibility and durability of abdominal muscles than the experimental group (p < 0.05). After the intervention, logistic regression was used to adjust for marital status, work duration, regular exercise and workload and found that the experimental group performed significantly better (p < 0.05) on body mass index, grasp strength, flexibility, durability of abdominal and back muscles and cardiopulmonary function. This study demonstrates that the development and implementation of an intervention program can promote and improve the health-related physical fitness of nurses. It is suggested that nurses engage in an exercise program while in the workplace to lower the risk of MSDs and to promote working efficiency.Journal of Clinical Nursing 06/2009; 18(10):1404-11. · 1.12 Impact Factor
