The effect of the electronic platform of menopausal health screen system and counseling intervention on the empowerment of menopausal women: a quasi-experimental study.

This article explores the efficacy of the electronic platform of menopausal health screen system (EPMHSS) and counseling intervention on the empowerment of menopausal women, seventy four participants were randomly assigned to this study. The intervention group significantly relieved menopausal disturbance, reduced uncertainty, increased health behaviors, and decreased waist circumference after the fourth and eighth week compared with the control group. Our results proved that EPMHSS and counseling would help menopausal women to become more aware of their health, as a result, effectively empowered themselves to take actions for improving their health.

Comprehensive analysis on the assembly of a dielectric-filled crossed compound parabolic concentrator and a concentrator photovoltaic module.

A comprehensive analysis on assembly of dielectric-filled 3D crossed compound parabolic concentrator (CCPC) and concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module is presented by embracing the consideration of spectral irradiance, incident angles, and breakdown optical losses. The theoretical modeling is supported by experimental validation to evaluate the optical efficiency of the CCPC-CPV module. From our analysis, Fresnel reflection loss of 11.27%, absorption loss of 11.59%, and other losses of 4.79% are obtained to reach the total loss of 27.65% or equivalent solar concentration ratio (SCR) of 4.65 suns out of a geometrical concentration ratio (GCR) of 5.998 suns. Then, indoor and outdoor measurements prove the actual SCR of 4.57 and 4.48 suns, respectively.

Novel Neovaginoplasty Using Rudimentary Uterine Horn Serosa and Pelvic Peritoneum as a Graft in Müllerian Anomalies with Vaginal Agenesis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the outcome of a novel method of laparoscopic neovaginal reconstruction using rudimentary uterine horn serosa and the pelvic peritoneum as a graft. DESIGN: Canadian Task Force classification II-1. SETTING: A university hospital. PATIENTS: A retrospective study of 14 patients from 2000 to 2014 of patients with vaginal agenesis who underwent laparoscopic neovagina reconstruction using rudimentary uterine horn serosa and the pelvic peritoneum as a graft. INTERVENTION: Patients with vaginal agenesis associated with müllerian agenesis who requested surgery. Tertiary referral center and laparoscopic unit. The creation of a neovagina using rudimentary uterine horn serosa and the pelvic peritoneum as a graft via a combined laparoscopic and vaginal route. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Data were collected retrospectively including postoperative vaginal length and width, complications, stenosis or reoperations, dyspareunia, and sexual satisfaction. There were no major complications from the surgery with no rectal perforation or bladder or ureteric injury. The postoperative mean (±SD) vaginal length was 6.0±0.7 cm and a width of 2 fingerbreadths. The mean operation time was 142.7±45.9 min. Median blood loss was 100 ml (range: 10 to 300 mL). The mean duration of the hospital stay was 6.6±1.6 days. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 84 months with a median follow-up of 11 months. CONCLUSION: Lee's method of neovaginoplasty using rudimentary uterine horn serosa and the pelvic peritoneum as a graft is a good method for neovagina creation with minimal morbidity, fast recovery, and minimal complications. This method results in good anatomic and functional outcome and can be a method that is widely used.

[Developing and Verifying the Validity and Reliability of the Electronic Menopausal Health Screen System].

BACKGROUND: Menopausal women are in a transitional phase between health and sickness. Although the highest standards of menopausal care include clinical assessment and patient education on menopausal symptoms, current practices lack integrated care that aim to prevent chronic diseases for which menopause is a predisposing factor. PURPOSE: To integrate menopausal disturbances; to evaluate the risk factors for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes; and to create a reliable and effective electronic menopausal health screen system (EMHSS). METHODS: The research was conducted in the four stages of assessment and analysis, design, development, and pretest stage in order to explore the effectiveness of the developed EMHSS. RESULTS: The EMHSS has a high degree of reliability and validity. Analysis found an expert validity of .97~.99, content validity of .99, and test-retest reliabilities of .80~.96 (Pearson's correlation) and .79~.96 (intra-class correlation). CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The EPMHSS was developed using cross-disciplinary collaboration among nursing staff, medical practitioners, and information engineers in order to screen menopausal women. The EPMHSS provides tailored health education content for patients in a timely manner and compiles historical assessment data that may be referenced by nursing staff when providing health consultations and by physicians when delivering diagnoses and treatment.

First Report of bla(IMP-8) in Raoultella planticola.

Two carbapenem-resistant Raoultella planticola clinical isolates were isolated from patients with pneumonia and Port-A catheter-related bacteremia, respectively, in Taiwan. These isolates remained susceptible to fluoroquinolone, aminoglycoside, and colistin. Though the two isolates had the same antibiogram, plasmidic carbapenemase blaIMP-8, class 1 integron cassette (dfrA12-orfF-aadA2), and qnrB2, they had different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, plasmid sizes, and outer membrane protein loss profiles. To our knowledge, this is the first report of blaIMP-8 found in R. planticola. Interestingly, blaIMP-8 is the most common carbapenemase found in Klebsiella pneumoniae in Taiwan. In the literature, carbapenemase genes in R. planticola in each country were also found in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the same country.

pH-controlled multiple chiral inversion that induces molecular dimerization in a gold(I)-cobalt(III) coordination system with L-cysteinate.

Herein, a unique coordination system that exhibits multiple chiral inversions and molecular dimerization in response to a subtle pH change is reported. Treatment of (Δ)2-H3[Au3Co2(L-cys)6] (H3[1 a]) with [Co3(aet)6](NO3)3 (aet=2-aminoethanethiolate) in water at pH 7 gave a 1:1 complex salt of [Co3(aet)6](3+) and [1 a](3-), retaining the Au(I)3Co(III)2 structure and chiral configurations of [1 a](3-). Similar treatment at pH 9 led to not only the inversion of all of the chiral Co(III) and S centers but also the dimerization of [1 a](3-), giving a 2:1 complex salt of [Co3(aet)6](3+) and (Λ)4(R)12-[Au6Co4(L-cys)12](6-) ([2](6-)). When dissociated from [Co3(aet)6](3+) in solution, [2](6-) was converted to (Λ)2(R)6-[Au3Co2(L-cys)6](3-) ([1 b](3-)) with retention of the chiral configurations.

Life experiences among obstructive sleep apnoea patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure therapy.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To generate a descriptive theoretical framework for experiences among obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients undergoing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. BACKGROUND: Insufficient information is available about subjective experiences among OSA patients undergoing CPAP therapy. This study aims to address that lack of insight into patients' feelings. DESIGN: A qualitative study using the grounded theory method to establish a descriptive theory. METHODS: Twenty-two Taiwanese OSA patients undergoing CPAP therapy participated in comprehensive interviews. RESULTS: The patients, aged 37-68 years, participated in wide-ranging interviews. 'Living with CPAP' was the core theme describing the life experiences of OSA patients undergoing CPAP. Health warnings were identified as the antecedent condition, with subcategories including the following: severe snoring, choking and feelings of a terrible death during sleep, day and night sleepiness, easy tiredness, decreased memory, poor sleep, dry mouth, dry throat, headache, high blood pressure, poor blood sugar level control and falling asleep while driving. Analyses indicated seven subcategories of OSA patients with CPAP: (1) seeking medical information, (2) difficulties with CPAP, (3) trial and error for the 'right' CPAP, (4) long scheduled waiting times, (5) wondering, (6) high expectations, and (7) getting back good health. CONCLUSIONS: The results will assist healthcare providers with references for OSA health care based on patients' subjective perspectives. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: After interpreting and analysing results, suggestions include the following: (1) provide medical resource education for outpatients and inpatients to access self-care knowledge regarding OSA; (2) institute professional personnel for providing OSA health education in sleep clinics or sleep centres; (3) develop hospital standards for sleep examination processes to shorten waiting times; (4) establish case management for pursuing OSA patients receiving CPAP; (5) arrange regular forums for patients to share their experiences; and (6) provide community health education to promote awareness of snoring issues.

Relieving my discomforts safely: the experiences of discontinuing HRT among menopausal women.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To generate a descriptive theoretical framework about the experiences of women who discontinued hormone replacement therapy. BACKGROUND: Some menopausal women would depend on hormone replacement therapy for relieving their menopausal symptoms. However, most of them feared of hormone replacement therapy's side effects and tried to discontinue hormone replacement therapy immediately. How did these women self-manage their discomforts without using dependent medicine--hormone replacement therapy? There are few studies conducted on this issue. DESIGN: A grounded theory research was applied. METHODS: Nineteen Taiwanese women discontinuing hormone replacement therapy for three months, aged 45 to 67 years, participated in face-to-face audio-taped interviews. Data collection, and coding of interviews, and data analysis occurred simultaneously. All conversations were audio-recorded and then transcribed as verbatim text. The constant comparative method was used to analyse the interview data. RESULTS: 'Relieving my discomforts safely' was the core theme for describing and guiding the process of discontinuing hormone replacement therapy. 'Immediately discontinuing hormone replacement therapy--it would hurt my body' was identified as the antecedent condition. Analyses showed five dimensions to the women's relieving my discomforts safely: (1) symptoms bothered me again, (2) negative emotions, (3) learning to let it go, (4) trying to use nonhormone replacement therapy or products and (5) choosing safely therapies as first priority. Finally, some women would choose their suitable nonhormone replacement therapy way, and some women would reuse hormone replacement therapy cautiously. CONCLUSIONS: 'Relieving my discomforts safely' was the first-priority consideration for the menopausal women discontinuing hormone replacement therapy. It is the challenge to establish the health programme or management for helping these women felt safety and security to relieve their menopausal symptoms by using hormone replacement therapy or nonhormone replacement therapy. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare providers need to empower women the rights of decision-making of using hormone replacement therapy and assist them in monitoring their health status to reduce their fear and uncertainty.

Effectiveness of telephone-based counseling for improving the quality of life among middle-aged women.

Perimenopausal women may encounter multidimensional changes that influence their quality of life. Our purpose in this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of telephone counseling as a method of intervention for menopausal women. A parallel group controlled trial was designed. The intervention group showed a significant increase in self-health management at the four- and eight-month follow-up evaluations. The quality of life in the intervention group was significantly improved when measured during the eighth and twelfth months. Results of this study can be used as a basis for practical implementation of the telephone counseling service in middle-aged women elsewhere.

Mediating effects of aryl-hydrocarbon receptor and RhoA in altering brain vascular integrity: the therapeutic potential of statins.

We have demonstrated previously that focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/RhoA alteration by the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) is involved in the antimigratory effects of 3MC in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. Here, we identified that signaling properties and molecular mechanisms of RhoA/ß-catenin were both implicated in alterations to blood-brain barrier integrity. The mechanisms of action were the down-regulation of integrin, the extracellular matrix, and adherens junction stability. PTEN phosphorylation by 3MC-mediated AhR/RhoA activation increased the proteasomal degradation of ß-catenin through PKCδ/pGSK3ß-mediated ß-catenin phosphorylation; the crucial roles of AhR/RhoA in this process were verified by using gain- or loss-of-function experiments. The decrease in ß-catenin led to decreased expression of fibronectin and α5ß1 integrin. Additionally, protein interactions among FAK, VE-cadherin, vinculin, and ß-actin were simultaneously decreased, resulting in adherens junction instability. Novel functional TCF/LEF1 binding sites in the promoter regions of fibronectin and α5/ß1 integrin were identified by electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. The results indicate that the binding activities of ß-catenin decreased in mouse cerebrovascular endothelial cells treated with 3MC. In addition, simvastatin and pravastatin treatment reversed 3MC-mediated alterations in mouse cerebrovascular endothelial cells by RhoA inactivation, and the in vitro findings were substantiated by an in vivo blood-brain barrier assay. Thus, endothelial barrier dysfunction due to 3MC occurs through AhR/RhoA-mediated ß-catenin down-regulation, which is reversed by simvastatin treatment in vivo.

Analysis of bacterial diversity during the fermentation of inyu, a high-temperature fermented soy sauce, using nested PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and the plate count method.

The diversity of bacteria associated with the fermentation of inyu, also known as black soy sauce, was studied through the nested PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of samples collected from the fermentation stages of the inyu production process. The DGGE profiles targeted the bacterial 16S rDNA and revealed the presence of Citrobacter farmeri, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter hormaechei, Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pantoea agglomerans, Salmonella enterica, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus sciuri and Weissella confusa. The bacterial compositions of 4 fermented samples were further elucidated using the plate count method. The bacteria isolated from the koji-making stage exhibited the highest diversity; Brachybacterium rhamnosum, E. hormaechei, K. pneumoniae, Kurthia gibsonii, Pantoea dispersa, Staphylococcus gallinarum, Staphylococcus kloosii and S. sciuri were identified. Koji collected during the preincubation stage presented the largest cell counts, and E. hormaechei, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae and Enterobacter pulveris were identified. In brine samples aged for 7 and 31 days, the majority of the bacteria isolated belonged to 4 Bacillus species, but 4 Staphylococcus species and Delftia tsuruhatensis were also detected. This study demonstrates the benefits of using a combined approach to obtain a more complete picture of microbial populations and provides useful information for the control or development of bacterial flora during inyu fermentation.

Biochemical characterization of a phospholipase A2 from Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida.

Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp) is the causative agent of fish photobacteriosis (pasteurellosis) in cultured cobia (Rachycentron canadum) in Taiwan. A component was purified from the extracellular products (ECP) of the bacterium strain 9205 by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and identified as a phospholipase. An N-terminal sequence of 10 amino acid residues, QDQPNLDPGK, was determined by mass spectroscopy (MS) and found to be identical with that of another Phdp phospholipase (GenBank accession no. BAB85814) at positions 21 to 30. The corresponding gene sequence of the phospholipase (GenBank accession no. AB071137) was employed to design primers for amplification of the sequence by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were transformed into Escherichia coli, and a recombinant protein product was obtained which was purified as a His-tag fusion protein by Ni-metal affinity chromatography. A single 43-kDa band was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Phosphatidylcholine was degraded by this protein to lysophosphatidylcholine and a fatty acid. These products were characterized by thin-layer (TLC) and gas chromatography (GC), respectively, allowing the identification of the protein as a phospholipase A2. The recombinant protein had maximum enzymatic activity between pH 4 and 7, and at 40 degrees C. The activity was inhibited by Zn(2+) and Cu(2+), activated by Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), and completely inactivated by dexamethasone and p-bromophenacyl bromide. A rabbit antiserum against the recombinant protein neutralized the phospholipase A2 activity in the ECP of Phdp strain 9205 and the recombinant protein itself. The recombinant protein was toxic to cobia of about 5 g weight with an LD50 value between 2 and 4 microg protein/g fish. The results revealed phospholipase A2 as a fish toxin in the ECP of Phdp strain 9205.

A neonatal case of vascular ring with Alagille syndrome.

A female infant, born at 37 week 5 days to a mother via induced vaginal delivery for preeclampsia, was prenatally diagnosed with a right aortic arch with vascular ring. On the third day of life, the infant exhibited a bronze-gray coloration, and a direct bilirubin of 1.7 mg/dL was detected. The abdominal ultrasound did not visualize the gallbladder. Clinically, the infant displayed features consistent with Alagille syndrome, including unusual facial appearance, butterfly vertebrae, cardiovascular defects, and cholestasis. The geneticist noted that the mother of the patient also exhibited similar features. Both the infant and the mother were diagnosed with Alagille syndrome, both having the same heterozygous JAG1 gene (NM_000214.2) variant (c.1890_1893del, p.Ile630Metfs*112). We believe that the vascular ring observed in our patient is the first reported instance of a vascular ring associated with Alagille syndrome.

Cation-Induced Assembly of Conductive MXene Fibers for Wearable Heater, Wireless Communication, and Stem Cell Differentiation.

Emerging wearable electronics, wireless communication, and tissue engineering require the development of conductive fiber-shaped electrodes and biointerfaces. Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets serve as promising building block units for the construction of highly conductive fibers with integrated functionalities, yet a facile and scalable fabrication scheme is highly required. Herein, a cation-induced assembly process is developed for the scalable fabrication of conductive fibers with MXene sheaths and alginate cores (abbreviated as MXene@A). The fabrication scheme of MXene@A fibers includes the fast extrusion of alginate fibers followed by electrostatic assembly of MXene nanosheets, enabling high-speed fiber production. When multiple fabrication parameters are optimized, the MXene@A fibers exhibit a superior electrical conductivity of 1083 S cm-1, which can be integrated as Joule heaters into textiles for wearable thermal management. By triggering reversible de/hydration of alginate cores upon heating, the MXene@A fibers can be repeatedly contracted and generate large contraction stress that is >40 times higher than the ones of mammalian skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the MXene@A springs demonstrate large contraction strains up to 65.5% and are then fabricated into a reconfigurable dipole antenna to wirelessly monitor the surrounding heat sources. In the end, with the biocompatibility of MXene nanosheets, the MXene@A fibers enable the guidance of neural stem/progenitor cells differentiation and the promotion of neurite outgrowth. With a cation-induced assembly process, our multifunctional MXene@A fibers exhibit high scalability for future manufacturing and hold the prospect to inspire other applications.

A Case of Spontaneous Perinephric Hematoma From Rivaroxaban.

Spontaneous perinephric hematoma is an uncommon but serious condition that is typically caused by tumor hemorrhage or vascular disease such as polyarteritis nodosa. We describe a 78-year-old Chinese gentleman with underlying chronic kidney disease, renal cysts, non-obstructive renal stones, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and atrial fibrillation who was on rivaroxaban and clopidogrel. He developed spontaneous perinephric hematoma complicated by acute kidney injury, anemia, and myocardial infarction who underwent angioembolization and packed cell transfusion. He did not have further bleeding episodes, and his kidney function improved before discharge.

Vaginal natural orifice transvaginal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES) surgical staging for endometrial carcinoma: The feasibility of an innovative approach.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the feasibility of treating early-stage endometrial cancer with hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy by vaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal study of prospectively registered patients was conducted at an academic tertiary care center. 15 patients who underwent vNOTES surgical staging of early endometrial carcinoma between January 2014 and December 2020 were included in the study. RESULTS: 15 patients between 20 and 80yrs of age with histologically proven Stage1 Gr1-2 endometrial cancer underwent vNOTES surgical staging. The mean age of the study population was 52.8 years (Standard Deviation [SD] 6.8) and the mean BMI was 27.8 kg/m2 (SD 6.4). The average operative time was 231.4 min (SD 41.0) with the mean estimated blood loss of 122.0 mL (SD 104.4). A total of 12 (80%) patients underwent SNL biopsy with ICG guided system, whereas 3 (20%) had pelvic lymph node dissection. There was one case with the surgical complication of bladder injury requiring conversion to conventional laparoscopy. CONCLUSION: With this study, we studied the feasibility of vNOTES surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer with minimal complications and the best long-term surgical outcome. The surgeries were performed by a single skilled endoscopist surgeon with previous experience with vNOTES surgery for adnexal tumors and hysterectomy. Our results showed the practicality of vNOTES in staging surgery for early-stage endometrial cancer. However, application to a larger cohort is required for more extensive surgical outcome studies.

Health-related outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with critical illness may face challenges after hospital discharge; therapeutic outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are typically measured by survival rate. However, ECMO is an integral part of treatment in critical care medicine, which requires an outcome measure beyond survival. Post-discharge health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is such an indicator. OBJECTIVES: To measure HRQoL in adult patients who had previously undergone ECMO and explore influential factors related to HRQoL. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study used a convenience sample of patients discharged between April 2006-April 2016 after at least one month following ECMO. The study was conducted from October 2015 to October 2016, which included data collected from structured questionnaires: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Short-Form Survey-36-v2. Stepwise linear regression determined predictor variables of physical and mental HRQoL. RESULTS: Age of participants (N = 144) ranged from 24 to 81 years; long-term survival rate was 28.6% after a median follow-up of 1060 days (range = 44-3150 days). Mean scores for physical and mental components of HRQoL were 46.32 and 50.39, respectively. Level of HRQoL was low to moderate. Employment affected all physical components of HRQoL; depression was the main predictor for physical and mental components. Self-perceived health status and anxiety were also factors that influenced HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: Variables of employment, self-perceived health status and mental health influenced HRQoL. Early assessment of these factors by healthcare professionals can allow integration of multidimensional interventions following hospital discharge, which could improve HRQoL for patients weaned from ECMO.

Intramolecular ion-pair prodrugs of zanamivir and guanidino-oseltamivir.

Zanamivir (ZA) is a potent anti-influenza drug, but it cannot be administrated orally because of the hydrophilic carboxylate and guanidinium groups. Guanidino-oseltamivir (GO) is another effective neuraminidase inhibitor with polar guanidinium group under physiological conditions. The ester prodrugs ZA-HNAP (5) and GO-HNAP (6) were prepared to incorporate a 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic (HNAP) moiety to attain good lipophilicity in the intramolecular ion-pairing forms. ZA-HNAP resumed high anti-influenza activity (EC(50)=48 nM), in cell-based anti-influenza assays, by releasing zanamivir along with nontoxic HNAP. Under similar conditions, the hydrolysis of the GO-HNAP ester was too sluggish to show the desired anti-influenza activity.

Long-term survival outcomes of laparoscopically assisted radical hysterectomy in treating early-stage cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the long-term disease-free and overall survival outcomes of laparoscopic treatment of early-stage cervical cancer. STUDY DESIGN: This was a longitudinal study of prospectively registered patients of cervical cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery from June 1994 to December 2005. RESULTS: A total of 139 patients were included, in which 60 patients were in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IA, 76 in IB, and 3 in IIA. Mean operation time was 231.1 +/- 6.1 minutes. Median number of pelvic lymph node retrieval was 16. Major intraoperative complications included 1 great vessel injury, 1 ureteral injury, 1 colon injury, and 6 cystotomies. In a median follow-up of 92.1 months, the mean +/- SEM cumulative disease-free and overall survival rates were 91.01% +/- 2.77% and 92.78% +/- 3.06%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The laparoscopic approach has favorable long-term survival outcomes and perioperative morbidity. With the advantage of minimal invasiveness, laparoscopic treatment by experienced surgeons is an ideal alternative for early-stage cervical cancer.

Prevalence of symptoms and associated factors across menopause status in Taiwanese women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of symptoms and associated factors in Taiwanese women calling a menopause hotline. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive, epidemiological study was performed on 20,882 women aged 40 to 89 years registered in the menopause consultation database of the nationwide toll-free consultation hotline for menopause-related issues from January 2006 to December 2016. The data included demography, sources of menopausal health care, and menopause/midlife symptoms scale. RESULTS: The mean menopausal age was 49.6 ± 4 years. The prevalence of the symptoms increased with the progress of the menopausal stages, and the differences between stages were significant. The top five symptoms reported on a menopause hot line were memory loss (66.9%), fatigue (66.5%), insomnia (59.6%), depressed mood (58.5%), and back pain (58.2%). Of the women, 23.5% did visit a medical facility for menopausal problems mainly the department of gynecology. More than half of the women (56.4%) opted for medical personnel as the preferred channel for obtaining information concerning menopause. Women who had a higher education level, were single, had no children, were not experiencing the empty-nest phenomenon, were employed, had no chronic disease, were premenopausal, had never received hormone therapy, and had not visited medical facilities scored the lowest in menopause/midlife symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with premenopausal and perimenopausal women, postmenopausal women experience the most severe symptoms. Therefore, establishing a menopause consultation hotline answered by medical personnel and implementing support for postmenopausal women to obtain strategies to alleviate symptoms are required and necessary.

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