Early detection of unhealthy behaviors, the prevalence and receipt of antiviral treatment for disabled adult hepatitis B and C carriers

Risk factors for restless legs syndrome in hemodialysis patients in Taiwan: A case-control study

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) increases the risks of cardiovascular disease and death in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Previous studies of risk factors for RLS in HD patients have yielded varying results. We attempted to identify risk factors for RLS in HD patients in Taiwan.This case-control study recruited 59 HD patients with RLS and 353 HD patients without RLS from the largest HD center in Taiwan during the period from April 1, 2015 through August 31, 2015. Demographic and disease characteristics, information from the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) diagnostic questionnaire, and IRLSSG Severity Scale scores were collected by interview. Clinical laboratory data were abstracted from medical records and then analyzed with logistic regression and Pearson correlation analysis. A P value of less than .05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.A dialysis duration of longer than 5 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.32; 95% CI = 1.23-4.39; P = .002) and a low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (<40 mg/dL in men; <50 mg/dL in women) (OR = 2.73; 95% CI = 1.44-5.15; P = .009) were associated with increased risk of RLS. Among the 59 patients with RLS, 48 (81.3%) had moderate or severe symptoms (IRLSSG Severity Scale >10), and RLS severity was significantly correlated with dialysis duration (r = .26; P = .043).Among HD patients, RLS was more common among those receiving dialysis for longer than 5 years and those with a low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level.

Effects of oral hygiene programme and home phone counselling for hepatitis C patients receiving antiviral treatment

AIMS

To explore the effectiveness of an oral hygiene programme combined with home phone counselling on hepatitis C patients during antiviral treatment.

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis C virus infection is the leading cause of liver diseases. Evidence indicates that the antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus infection has been successful, albeit its many side effects, such as discomfort symptoms of oral ulcers, which, in turn, leads to discontinued treatment. Inappropriate oral hygiene may worsen the side effects and increase the risk of dropping out of the treatment.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental pre-post-test design was used.

METHODS

The oral hygiene programme was based on a standardized protocol of oral health care combined with home phone counselling. The participants were recruited from an outpatient clinic between August 2016 and July 2017. The generalized estimating equation was used for repeated measures of oral health behaviour, oral health status and discomfort symptoms.

FINDINGS

Thirty-four participants completed this study. The findings indicated that the oral hygiene programme significantly improved tooth brushing, use of dental floss and oral comfort. The result showed that the participants' oral health status significantly improved in 3 months.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study supports the finding that an oral hygiene programme can reduce oral discomfort, improve oral hygiene behaviour, and enhance the oral health status of hepatitis C patients receiving treatment. This is a simple and low-cost programme, which can be performed at home easily and boosts the completion of antiviral treatment.

Chinese Herbal Medicine as an Adjunctive Therapy Ameliorated the Incidence of Chronic Hepatitis in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

We conducted a National Health Insurance Research Database-based Taiwanese nationwide population-based cohort study to evaluate whether Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) treatment decreased the incidence of chronic hepatitis in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. A total of 81171 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer within the defined study period. After randomly equal matching, data from 13856 patients were analyzed. Hazard ratios of incidence rate of chronic hepatitis were used to determine the influence and therapeutic potential of CHM in patients with breast cancer. The patients with breast cancer receiving CHM treatment exhibited a significantly decreased incidence rate of chronic hepatitis even across the stratification of age, CCI score, and treatments. The cumulative incidence of chronic hepatitis for a period of seven years after initial breast cancer diagnosis was also reduced in the patients receiving CHM treatment. The ten most commonly used single herbs and formulas were effective in protecting liver function in patients with breast cancer, where Hedyotis diffusa and Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San were the most commonly used herbal agents. In conclusion, our study provided information that western medicine therapy combined with CHM as an adjuvant modality may have a significant impact on liver protection in patients with breast cancer.