A reduced risk of stroke with lithium exposure in bipolar disorder: a population‐based retrospective cohort study

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115969/1/bdi12336.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/115969/2/bdi12336_am.pd

Effect of Qigong on quality of life: a cross-sectional population-based comparison study in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Qigong, similar to Tai Chi Chuan, is beneficial to health. In Taiwan, Waitankung, a type of Qigong, is as popular as Tai Chi Chuan. This population-based comparison study compares the health-related quality of life between people practicing Waitankung and their comparable community residents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 165 individuals practicing Waitankung were matched by age and sex with 660 general individuals for comparison. Information about health-related quality of life, measured by the SF-36, and other basic and health conditions was obtained from the questionnaires. This study used the linear mixed-effect regression model to examine the association between health-related quality of life and the practice of Waitankung.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared with either sedentary individuals or individuals practicing other types of exercise, the Waitankung group scored higher for eight and five out of ten SF-36 components, respectively. The Waitankung group scored better in general health, vitality, and physical component summary compared to individuals participating in other types of exercise, even when considering the energy expended by exercise.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest that Waitankung exercising is significantly associated with health-related quality of life. Waitankung may serve as an exercise choice for middle-aged and older people to improve overall quality of life.</p

Socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cognitive impairment is an age-related condition as the rate of cognitive decline rapidly increases with aging. It is especially important to better understand factors involving in cognitive decline for the countries where the older population is growing rapidly. The aim of this study was to examine the association between socio-demographic and health-related factors and cognitive impairment in the elderly in Taiwan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analysed data from 2119 persons aged 65 years and over who participated in the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. Cognitive impairment was defined as having the score of the Mini Mental State Examination lower than 24. The χ²test and multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between cognitive impairment and variables of socio-demography, chronic diseases, geriatric conditions, lifestyle, and dietary factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 22.2%. Results of multivariate analysis indicated that low education, being single, low social support, lower lipid level, history of stroke, physical inactivity, non-coffee drinking and poor physical function were associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most of the characteristics in relation to cognitive impairment identified in our analysis are potentially modifiable. These results suggest that improving lifestyle behaviours such as regular exercise and increased social participation could help prevent or decrease the risk of cognitive impairment. Further investigations using longitudinal data are needed to clarify our findings.</p

Home Environmental Problems and Physical Function in Taiwanese Older Adults

Environmental hazards play an important role in the disablement process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between home environmental problems and personal physical function. Data were based on a two-stage nationwide survey and evaluation on the needs of long-term care in Taiwan. A total of 10,596 individuals aged 65 and over were included in this study. These participants were identified with physical or cognitive problems at the screening interview and further evaluated at the second interview on health condition, functional status , needs of long-term care, and home environmental problems. Six items of environmental hazards were assessed at the participants' homes with direct observation. The prevalence rates of home environmental problems were similar among older adults with different levels of physical function. No grab bars (79.6-85.1%) and no protections against slip (81.9 -92.8%) in the bathroom were two commonly present hazards in older adults' homes. Older adults with a higher income ( Odds ratio = OR = 0.75), without income information (OR = 0. 78) or living with other persons (OR = 0.74) were less likely to experience environmental problems at home. Results from this study revealed that home environment condition was associated with factors other than personal disabling conditions for the elderly. Modifying home environment, especially the bathroom, should be attached with great importance for physically disabled older adults

Can Tracheostomy Improve Outcome and Lower Resource Utilization for Patients with Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation?

Background: It is not clear whether the benefits of tracheostomy remain the same in the population. This study aimed to better examine the effect of tracheostomy on clinical outcome among prolonged ventilator patients. Methods: Data were from the medical claims data in Taiwan. A total of 3880 patients with ventilator use for more than 14 days between 2005 and 2009 were identified. Among them, 645 patients with tracheostomy conducted within 30 days of ventilator use were compared to 2715 patients without tracheostomy on death during hospitalization and study period, and successful weaning and medical utilization during hospitalization. Cox proportional hazards and linear regression models were used to examine the associations between tracheostomy and the main outcomes. Results: The tracheostomy rate was 30%, and 55% of tracheostomies were performed within 30 days of mechanical ventilation. After adjustments, patients with tracheostomy were at a lower risk of death during hospitalization (hazard ratio [HR] =0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] =0.43–0.61) and 5-year observation (HR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.66–0.81), and a lower probability of successful weaning (HR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.79–0.99). Higher medical use was also observed in patients with tracheostomy. Conclusions: The beneficial effect for tracheostomy observed in our data was the reduction of death. However, patients with tracheostomy were less likely to wean and more likely to consume medical resources

Trajectories of depression and their relationship with health status and social service use

This longitudinal study was conducted between 1994 and 2004 in a cohort of Southern Taiwan community-living elderly residents. The study aims to explore the trajectories of depression and how these patterns differed between respondents who survived and those who died during data collection phases; this study also investigated how health status change and health/social service use predicted the different trajectories of depression. Eight hundred and ten participants had completed all six waves of the survey or were followed-up at each wave until death in the prospective study in Kaohsiung City. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Short Psychiatric Evaluation Schedule (SPES). Changes in levels of depression during the ageing process were identified. Different trajectories clearly reflected heterogeneity within depression and the association with mortality. The study highlighted that diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease and disability, whether at baseline or as new occurrences, were predictors of health decline. High uses of health/social services were also predictive of increased depression. These findings identified depression as a highly dynamic process, characterized by different trajectories of depression between states of no, mild and severe depression. Greater awareness of these various trajectories should potentially improve the prevention and/or management strategies of depression