A method to construct key success factors in the cell therapy industry.

In the field of regenerative medicine, cell therapy is often used to regenerate organs or tissue that can be widely applied to several diseases. In recent years, the Taiwanese government has listed the biotechnology industry as a key developmental objective and has enacted laws to regulate cell therapy. This has led to substantial change and has necessitated a reliable direction of management in the cell therapy industry. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new method to explore the key success factors in three dimensions of relevant biotechnology company management. It adopts a qualitative method combined with a quantitative analysis method. The study uses Gwo Xi Stem Cell Company, a qualified cell therapy company in Taiwan, as a case study. It adopts a literature analysis method and conducts interviews with cell therapy experts to develop an innovative assessment framework. The analytic hierarchy process is combined with decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory to establish the key success factors in the management of the cell therapy industry. Thus, the study offers strategic recommendations for the development of domestic stem-cell-related industries. The results demonstrate technical characteristics as the most important direction for successful management. Moreover, due to the substantial change in Taiwan's cell therapy industry, technical characteristic-related key success factors, including product development strategy (technical characteristic 1) and technological mastery (technical characteristic 2), are currently considered to be crucial key success factors in decision making.

[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.

[The Design Requirements for an E-Health Management Platform: Addressing the Needs of Adolescent Girls at High Risk of Metabolic Syndrome].

BACKGROUND: The rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adolescents has not been effectively addressed by current campus-based health promotions. Using the Internet in these promotions may help health professionals achieve better healthcare management. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to explore the design requirements of an e-health management platform from the subjective perspective of adolescent girls who were at a high risk of metabolic syndrome. The findings may provide a reference for designing nursing interventions that more effectively promote healthly lifestyle habits to adolescents. METHODS: This qualitative study employed a snowball approach and used a semi-structured interview guide to collect data. A total of 20 Taiwanese adolescent females who were at a high risk of metabolic syndrome, aged 16-20 years, able to speak Mandarin or Taiwanese, and willing to participate and to have their sessions tape-recorded were enrolled as participants and engaged individually in in-depth interviews. The constant comparative method was used to inductively analyze the interview data. RESULTS: Five main themes related to the e-health management platform emerged from the data. These themes included: an attractive and user-friendly website interface, access to reliable information and resources, provision of tailored health information, access to peer support, and self-monitoring and learning tools. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings highlight the key design needs of an e-Health management platform from the perspective of adolescent girls who are at a high risk of metabolic syndrome. The identified themes may be addressed in future revisions / developments of these platforms in order to better address the needs of this vulnerable population and to effectively reduce the incidence of metabolic syndrome. The authors hope that the results of the present study may be used to provide better healthcare and support for adolescent girls with metabolic syndrome.

Hypercalcemia in a renal transplant recipient suffering with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

Hypercalcemia occurs frequently after renal transplantation. Preexisting hyperparathyroidism is the most common cause of post-transplantation hypercalcemia. We describe a renal transplant recipient infected with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) who developed hypercalcemia, elevated 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and suppressed parathyroid hormone levels. This phenomenon mimics the extrarenal production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D by activated alveolar macrophages in granulomatous diseases with hypercalcemia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-mediated hypercalcemia caused by PCP in a renal transplant recipient. This entity should be included in the differential diagnosis for renal transplant recipients with hypercalcemia, especially in patients who develop lung infections.