Political Partisanship, Confucian Collectivism, and Public Attitudes toward the Vaccination Policy in Taiwan.

CONTEXT: Conventional wisdom suggests that people with a collectivist tradition tend to comply more with the government's regulatory and even coercive disease-prevention policies. Besides this socio-cultural element, political partisanship is also an important aspect relating to people's willingness to cooperate with the government. This study aims to examine the relationships between these two factors and three dimensions of vaccination policy attitudes: common responsibility to take the vaccine, the government's vaccine mandate, and indignation over anti-vaxxers. METHODS: Using the data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted in 2022 in Taiwan, this study applies multiple linear OLS regression to examine the relationships between vaccination policy attitudes and Confucian collectivism and political partisanship. FINDINGS: Confucian collectivism and political partisanship aligning with the ruling party are associated with supportive vaccination policy attitudes. For those who do not align with the ruling party, the negative attitudes toward the vaccination policy appear in different dimensions according to the party they lean to. CONCLUSIONS: Confucian collectivism is prevalent in Taiwan and is related to public attitudes toward vaccination policy. This association is independent of political partisanship. Public health authorities should consider the socio-cultural context and political atmosphere for the effectiveness of disease-prevention measures.

Soft tissue sarcoma incidences and clinical characteristics are significantly different in France and Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of different soft tissue sarcoma (STS) histotypes among ethnic and geographic populations has not been comprehensively investigated. METHODS: Data from 2013 to 2016 were obtained from national cancer registry databases in France and Taiwan. Liposarcoma (LPS), leiomyosarcoma (LMS), angiosarcoma (AS), synovial sarcoma (SS), and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) were selected as index STSs to estimate the age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) and other clinical features between patients. RESULTS: In total, 9398 patients (7148 from France and 2250 from Taiwan) were included. The ASRs of AS (5.4 vs. 2.8) and MPNST (2.0 vs. 1.0) were significantly higher in Taiwan; France had significantly higher ASRs for LPS (12.0 vs. 10.0), LMS (9.7 vs. 7.6), and SS (1.7 vs. 1.2). Patients in Taiwan with LMS or LPS were younger than their French counterparts. With regard to the distribution according to primary anatomic site, French patients had higher odds for extremity and truncal LMS (odds ratio [OR], 2.84; p < .001), AS (OR, 2.67; p < .001), MPNST (OR, 1.55; p = .027), and LPS (OR, 1.38; p < .001) and for breast AS (OR, 10.58; p < .001). Taiwanese patients had higher odds for liver AS (OR, 10.72; p < .001) and uterine LMS (OR, 3.21; p < .001). SS age and distribution according to primary anatomic site did not differ significantly between the French and Taiwanese populations. CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in the incidence and clinical characteristics of index STS suggested that geographic (environmental) and ethnicity factors likely play a vital role in the pathogenesis of STS.

Incidence, Prevalence, and Mortality of People with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis in Taiwan: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

There is a recognized need to better understand changes in the epidemiology of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) over time in Asia. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance claim records this population-based study examined changes in the prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates in patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis in Taiwan over 12 years. Patients with ≥1 diagnosis code for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, recorded either by dermatologists or rheumatologists, were identified. Annual age- and sex-standardized prevalence and incidence rates were calculated using the Taiwan general population as reference. To investigate mortality, each patient in the incident cohort was matched to 10 comparators from the general population by sex and age (at diagnosis). The risk of mortality between study cohorts and comparators was analysed by Cox proportional hazard regression. The prevalence of psoriasis (0.18-0.86%) and psoriatic arthritis (0.01-0.08%) increased steadily between 2006 and 2017. The incidence rates, however, remained stable (psoriasis: 62-65 per 100,000 person-years; psoriatic arthritis: 6-5 per 100,000 person-years). The risk of all-cause mortality for patients with psoriasis (hazard ratio 1.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.19) was higher than the general population, despite a decreasing trend over time in the all-cause mortality rates for both groups. The steady increase in the prevalence of psoriasis despite stable incidence rates suggests that improvements in life expectancy may be the key determinant of this increase.

Chemical evaluation and cytotoxic mechanism investigation of Clinacanthus nutans extract in lymphoma SUP-T1 cells.

Clinacanthus nutans has been used as herbal medicine with antidiabetic, blood pressure lowering, and diuretic properties in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. The in vitro cellular study showed the chloroform extract possessed significant cytotoxicity against leukemia K562 and lymphoma Raji cells. The clinical study reported that administration of plant could treat or prevent relapse in 12 cancer patients. However, detailed mechanism of the anticancer effects and chemical profiles are not thoroughly studied. The chemical study did show that the acetone extract (MHA) exerted the highest antiproliferative effect on human leukemia MOLT-4 cells and lymphoma SUP-T1 cells in dose-dependent cytotoxicity. We found that the use of MHA increased apoptosis by 4.28%-43.65% and caused disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) by 11.79%-26.93%, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 19.54% and increased calcium ion by 233.83%, as demonstrated by annexin-V/PI, JC-1, H2 DCFDA, and Flou-3 staining assays, respectively. MHA-induced ER stress was confirmed by increase expression of CHOP and IRE-1α with western blotting assay. In conclusion, we identified good bioactivity in Clinacanthus nutans and recognize its potential effect on cancer therapy, but further research is needed to determine the use of the plant.

Review of Vaccination Recommendations in Guidelines for Non-Communicable Diseases with Highest Global Disease Burden among Adults 75 Years Old and Above.

This scientific review paper explores international and country-specific healthcare guidelines for non-communicable diseases with the highest burden among individuals aged 75 years and above. The study aims to identify the best vaccination practices and standardize healthcare practices to improve vaccination adherence in this vulnerable population. Given that older people are more prone to infectious illnesses and have higher rates of morbidity and mortality, vaccinations are essential for disease prevention. Despite the proven efficacy of vaccinations, adherence has plateaued in recent years, partly due to a lack of accessibility, public education, and variability in disease-specific guidelines. This paper highlights the need for a more robust and standardized international vaccination model to improve quality of life and reduce disability-adjusted life years among the elderly. The findings of this study call for further research to review the guidelines as more implementations are put in place, including non-English guidelines.

Changes in Pramipexole Utilization after Introduction of the Extended-Release Formulation: A Nationwide Study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Real-world impact of extended-release formulations of oral drugs should ideally be evaluated in population-based health data. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in utilization of the dopamine agonist pramipexole for Parkinson's disease after the introduction of extended-release (ER) pramipexole in Taiwan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Source data were derived from National Health Insurance claims. Patients with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and pramipexole prescriptions were identified. Drug use patterns from 2009 through 2011 (only the immediate-release [IR] formulation was available) and from 2012 through 2017 (both the IR and ER formulations were available) were assessed. Outcomes of interest were levodopa equivalent dose per day (LEDD) and 1-year adherence, as measured by the medication possession ratio (MPR). RESULTS: LEDDs associated with pramipexole ER prescriptions were more than twice as large as that associated with pramipexole IR, both in pramipexole used in monotherapy and that used in combination therapy. One-year MPRs for pramipexole ER initiators were all larger than 73% from 2012 through 2016 and 1-year MPRs for pramipexole IR initiators were less than 65% in 2010 and 2011. CONCLUSION: Introduction of pramipexole ER to Taiwan resulted in higher LEDD in prescriptions with pramipexole. Patients with Parkinson's disease who were initiated on pramipexole ER had better adherence to the medication than those who were prescribed pramipexole IR.