Current Status of Antimicrobial Resistance in Taiwan

While some trends in antimicrobial resistance rates are universal, others appear to be unique for specific regions. In Taiwan, the strikingly high prevalence of resistance to macrolides and streptogramin in clinical isolates of gram-positive bacteria correlates with the widespread use of these agents in the medical and farming communities, respectively. The relatively low rate of enterococci that are resistant to glycopeptide does not parallel the high use of glycopeptides and extended-spectrum beta-lactams in hospitals. The evolving problem of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates is substantial, and some unique enzymes have been found. Recently, some gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii) that are resistant to all available antimicrobial agents including carbapenems have emerged

SWITCHING THE HORIZONTAL GRF TO THE PATH OF PROGRESSION IN THE TABLE TENNIS FOREHAND DRIVE

Knowing the kinetic strategies of the lower limbs is a crucial factor to investigate the forehand drive which comprises the changes of the foot placement. It is difficult to directly evaluate the movement of feet with the data of ground reaction force (GRF) and impulse (GRI).This study tried to analyze table tennis forehand drives via the GRF and GRI data based upon the anatomical perspective. The motion and the GRF data were collected from eight right-handed Taiwanese elite table tennis players. The horizontal GRF data were transformed to a reference frame and then integrated with time to get the GRI. During the forehand drive shot, the participants performed a greater lateral impulse to cause the trunk rotation and decelerated their body from initial to mid-phase and then accelerated the body to perform a forehand drive shot

HOP llMlNG OF SPLlT STEP AND KINETICS ANALYSIS OF LOWER EXTREMITIES IN BADMINTON START FOOTWORK

The purpose of this study was to compare the split timing, and lower extremity kinetics of badminton players during push-off steps in six directions. Eight collegiate elite male badminton players received the random shot from an opponent in one of six directions. Result: Hop timing was 0.014-0.037 sec after the opponent struck the shuttlecock. The leg that was opposite the movement direction showed significantly greater tower extremity horizontal push-off force than the other leg did. Conclusion: The hop timing of split step simultaneous with the opponent striking the shuttlecock. The leg opposite the movement direction was the main push leg. When lower extremities exhibit the correct pushing direction and reach the peak push off force within 0.3 sec after the opponent strikes the shuttlecock, players should have more effective return in badminton

THE DYNAMICAL ANALYSIS OF TABLE TENNIS FOREHAND AND BACKHAND DRIVES

The purpose of this study was to analyze the dynamics parameters of table tennis drives by Taiwan collegiate first class table tennis players when they were performing straight and cross court forehand and backhand drives from receiving topspin and backspin serves. Ten Vicon MX-13+ high-speed cameras (250Hz) and two Kistler force plates (1500 Hz) were used to collect the kinematics and kinetics data. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank nonparametric statistical test was to compare the differences between forehand and backhand drives. The results showed that there were significant differences between forehand and backhand drives were in the ball initial velocity and the kinetics variables. The GRF data of the players were different between forehand and backhand drives when they performed four different paths of drive

BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF BADMINTON FOREHAND NET SHOTS

The purpose of this study was to compare the upper extremity kinematics variables of badminton forehand dab shot, stab shot and cross court net shot. The participants were eight elite collegiate male players in Taiwan. The kinematical data were collected by Vicon system (250Hz) and the Visual 3D software was used to analyze the variables. The results indicated that the elite badminton players perfomed dab net shot with less angular velocity in racket upper limb joints. They performed the stab net shot with faster angular velocity in forearm supination and wrist ulnar flexion. The cross court net shot had greatest angular velocity in shoulder internal rotation, forearm pronation and the least distance between the contact point and the mid-line of body

KINEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT FOREHAND BADMINTON DROP SHOTS TECHNIQUES

The purpose of this study was to compare the kinematics variables between badminton forehand regular and reverse slice drop shots. The participants were eight elite male players. Eight Vicon Motion T20s System cameras (300Hz) were used to record the 3D kinematic data, which were computed by Visual 3D software. All the variables were tested by Wilcoxon rank analysis of variance nonparametric statistical test with the significant level at a = .05. The results showed that there was significant difference between the two forehand drop shots in the racket pan angle. The strategy of two drop shots seems different. That might because the reverse slice drop was with greater shoulder abduction movement than the regular drop shot. The players performed reverse slice drop shot might because that the abduction movement was similar with the smash

Maximum Power Point Tracking Method Based on Modified Particle Swarm Optimization for Photovoltaic Systems

This study investigated the output characteristics of photovoltaic module arrays with partial module shading. Accordingly, we presented a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method that can effectively track the global optimum of multipeak curves. This method was based on particle swarm optimization (PSO). The concept of linear decreases in weighting was added to improve the tracking performance of the maximum power point tracker. Simulation results were used to verify that this method could successfully track maximum power points in the output characteristic curves of photovoltaic modules with multipeak values. The results also established that the performance of the modified PSO-based MPPT method was superior to that of conventional PSO methods

Cirsium tatakaense (Compositae), a new species from Taiwan

A new species of Cirsium, Cirsium tatakaense Y.H.Tseng & C.Y.Chang, from central-southern Taiwan is described and illustrated. This species is similar to C. kawakamii Hayata in leaf shape, achene and chromosome number (2n = 64), but can be readily distinguished from C. kawakamii by the narrower leaf lobes, usually higher number of florets and phyllaries, the purplish-red corolla (vs. white) and larger pollen grains. A key to the species of Cirsium in Taiwan is also presented

Renal and survival benefits of seventeen prescribed Chinese herbal medicines against oxidative-inflammatory stress in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with chronic kidney disease: a real-world longitudinal study

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) significantly links to LN, a type of CKD with high mortality despite modern Western treatments. About 70% of SLE patients develop LN, and 30% advance to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Concerns about glucocorticoid side effects and LN worsening due to oxidative stress prompt alternative treatment searches. In Taiwan, over 85% of SLE patients opt for complementary methods, especially Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). We pinpointed seventeen CHMs for SLE (PRCHMSLE) with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties from national health insurance data (2000–2017). Our primary aim was to assess their impact on renal and survival outcomes in SLE patients progressing to CKD (SLE-CKD), with a secondary focus on the risks of hospitalization and hyperkalemia.Methods: We established a propensity-matched cohort of 1,188 patients with SLE-CKD, comprising 594 PRCHMSLE users and 594 nonusers. We employed Cox proportional hazards models and restricted mean survival time (RMST) analyses to assess the renal and survival outcomes of PRCHMSLE users. Moreover, we performed pooling and network analyses, specifically focusing on the renal effects linked to PRCHMSLE.Results: PRCHMSLE use was associated with decreased adjusted hazard ratios for ESRD (0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.79, p = 0.006), all-cause mortality (0.56; 0.43–0.75, p < 0.0001), non-cardiovascular mortality (0.56; 0.42–0.75, p < 0.0001), and hospitalization (0.72; 0.52–0.96, p = 0.009). Hyperkalemia risk did not increase. Significant differences in RMST were observed: 0.57 years (95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.95, p = 0.004) for ESRD, 1.22 years (0.63–1.82, p < 0.0001) for all-cause mortality, and 1.21 years (0.62–1.80, p < 0.0001) for non-cardiovascular mortality, favoring PRCHMSLE use. Notably renoprotective PRCHMSLE included Gan-Lu-Ying, Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge [Asparagaceae; Rhizoma Anemarrhenae] (Zhi-Mu), Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC. [Orobanchaceae; Radix Rehmanniae] (Sheng-Di-Huang), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, and Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. [Paeoniaceae; Cortex Moutan] (Mu-Dan-Pi). Network analysis highlighted primary treatment strategies with central components like Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan, Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. [Paeoniaceae; Cortex Moutan] (Mu-Dan-Pi), Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge [Asparagaceae; Rhizoma Anemarrhenae] (Zhi-Mu), Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC. [Orobanchaceae; Radix Rehmanniae] (Sheng-Di-Huang), and Zhi-Bai-Di-Huang-Wan.Conclusion: This work underscores the pronounced renal and survival benefits associated with the seventeen PRCHMSLE in the treatment of SLE-CKD, concurrently mitigating the risks of hospitalization and hyperkalemia. This highlights their potential as alternative treatment options for individuals with this condition