Browsing by Author "Sung, Fung-Chang"

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Circulating Viruses Associated With Severe Complicated Enterovirus Infection in Taiwan A Multi-Year Analysis
(2010-04-01)
Wang, Yu-Chun
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Cheng, Hong-Bang
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Chen, Hsiu-His
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Liu, Chung-Ming
;
Chou, Chang-Hung Tony
Background: Few studies have investigated the viral isolation characteristics for severe complicated enterovirus infection (SCEI). This study evaluated the seasonality and contribution of circulated viruses to the chronologic trend and weekly reported SCEI epidemic. Methods: Enterovirus infection surveillance and virology laboratory data in 2000 to 2008 obtained from the Centers for Disease Control in Taiwan were analyzed. We measured the monthly and weekly virology isolation rates by viral types. The virus-specific and the season-specific relative risks for SCEI and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associated with the isolated circulating viruses and weather status was evaluated. Results: Among 1539 virology confirmed SCEI cases, the mean annual incidence rates ranged from 0.72/100,000 to 32.5/100,000 in children aged 5 years and less; rates were higher in warm months with cases peaking in June (12.6%). The untypeable nonpolio enterovirus was the most frequently isolated type among the monitored specimens (6.07%), followed by coxsackievirus A (3.99%), EV71 (1.77%), coxsackievirus B (1.56%), and echovirus (1.23%). However, these SCEI cases had very strong associations with the isolation of EV71 and coxsackievirus A and B. The corresponding relative risks were 1.14 (95% CI, 1.11-1.17), 1.03 (95% CI, 1.01-1.04), and 1.09 (95% CI, 1.07-1.12), respectively, for 1% increase in weekly isolation rate. Conclusions: Isolation rates for EV71 and coxsackieviruses A and B can predict the development of SCEI cases, particularly in warm months.
Incidence of Non-Traumatic Subconjunctival Hemorrhage in a Nationwide Study in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011
(2015-07-16)
Hu, Dan-Ning
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Mou, Chih-Hsin
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Chao, Shih-Chun
;
Lin, Ching-Yang
;
Nien, Chan-Wei
Objective To determine the nationwide incidence of non-traumatic subconjunctival hemorrhage (NTSCH) in Taiwan from 2000-2011 and to analyze the risk factors for NTSCH using a case-control analysis. Methods This is a population-based cohort administrative database study. Randomly selected 1,000,000 residents from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database in 2000 and followed for 12 years to determine the population incidence of NTSCH. Individuals with the first diagnosis of subconjunctival hemorrhage were identified by the corresponding International Classification of Diseases code (ICD) 372.72. Traumatic subconjunctival hemorrhages (ICD-9 codes 921, 871, 850-854 and 959.01) were excluded. The association of NTSCH with various demographic factors, comorbidities and use of medications was studied by a population based case-control analysis using data of 2008-2011. Results A total of 67,720 patients with a first-time diagnosis of NTSCH were identified during the 12 years period. The mean annual incidence was 65 per 10,000 individuals (crude incidence) and 60 per 10,000 individuals (age-and sex-standardized incidence). The incidence rate of NTSCH was higher in women than in men, [men-women ratio: 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.78-0.81)]. The age-specific incidence decreased from childhood to the group of teenagers, after which it increased to a maximal value of 136.2 per 10,000 people in the age group of 60-69 years. Case-control analysis showed that comorbidities of hypertension, purpura and thrombocytopenia, and the use of aspirin were significantly associated with the risk of NTSCH. Conclusions This study indicates that NTSCH is a common eye disease that occurs once in 167 individuals in a general East Asian population per year. It occurs more often in women than in men and the age-specific incidence peaked in the age group of 60-69 years. Hypertension, purpura and thrombocytopenia, and the use of aspirin are the major risk factors for NTSCH.
Incidence of retinal vein occlusion with longterm exposure to ambient air pollution
(2019-09-24)
Zhang, Han-Wei
;
Lin, Chao-Wen
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Kok, Victor C.
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Tseng, Chun-Hung
;
Lin, Yuan-Pei
This study aimed to investigate whether long-term exposure to airborne hydrocarbons, including volatile organic compounds, increases the risk of developing retinal vein occlusion (RVO) among the population of Taiwan. A retrospective cohort study involving 855,297 people was conducted. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis fitted the multiple pollutant models for two targeted pollutants, including total hydrocarbons (THC), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) were used, and the risk of RVO was estimated. The chi-squared test and one-way analysis of variance were used to test differences in demographics and comorbidity distribution among tertiles of the targeted pollutants. Before controlling for multiple pollutants, hazard ratios for the overall population were 19.88 (95% CI: 17.56-22.50) at 0.51-ppm increases in THC and 4.33 (95% CI: 3.97-4.73) at 0.27-ppm increases in NMHC. The highest adjusted hazard ratios for different multiple pollutant models of each targeted pollutant were statistically significant (all p values were.0.05) for all patients at 29.67 (95% CI: 25.57-34.42) for THC and 16.24 (95% CI: 14.14-18.65) for NMHC. Our findings suggest that long-term exposure to THC and NMHC contribute to RVO development.
Long-term ambient hydrocarbons exposure and incidence of ischemic stroke
(2019-12-04)
Zhang, Han-Wei
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Kok, Victor C.
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Chuang, Shu-Chun
;
Tseng, Chun-Hung
;
Lin, Chin-Teng
Exposure to air pollutants is known to have adverse effects on human health; however, little is known about the association between hydrocarbons in air and an ischemic stroke (IS) event. We investigated whether long-term exposure to airborne hydrocarbons, including volatile organic compounds, increased IS risk. This retrospective cohort study included 283,666 people aged 40 years or older in Taiwan. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to fit single- and multiple-pollutant models for two targeted pollutants, total hydrocarbons (THC) and nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), and estimated the risk of IS. Before controlling for multiple pollutants, hazard ratios (HRs) of IS with 95% confidence intervals for the overall population were 2.69 (2.64-2.74) at 0.16-ppm increase in THC and 1.62 (1.59-1.66) at 0.11-ppm increase in NMHC. For the multiple-pollutant models controlling for PM2.5, the adjusted HR was 3.64 (3.56-3.72) for THC and 2.21 (2.16-2.26) for NMHC. Our findings suggest that long-term exposure to THC and NMHC may be a risk factor for IS development.
Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Hydrocarbons Increases Dementia Risk in People Aged 50 Years and above in Taiwan
(2019-01-01)
Zhang, Han-Wei
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Kok, Victor C.
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Chuang, Shu-Chun
;
Tseng, Chun-Hung
;
Lin, Chin-Teng
Background: Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia among the elderly, is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disease. Exposure to air pollutants is known to have adverse effects on human health, however, little is known about hydrocarbons in the air that can trigger a dementia event. Objective: We aimed to investigate whether long-term exposure to airborne hydrocarbons increases the risk of developing dementia. Method: The present cohort study included 178,085 people aged 50 years and older in Taiwan. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to fit the multiple pollutant models for two targeted pollutants, including total hydrocarbons and non-methane hydrocarbons, and estimated the risk of dementia. Results: Before controlling for multiple pollutants, hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the overall population were 7.63 (7.28-7.99, p <0.001) at a 0.51 -ppm increases in total hydrocarbons, and 2.94 (2.82-3.05, p <0.001) at a 0.32-ppm increases in non-methane hydrocarbons. The highest adjusted hazard ratios for different multiple-pollutant models of each targeted pollutant were statistically significant (p <0.001) for all patients: 11.52 (10.86-12.24) for total hydrocarbons and 9.73 (9.18-10.32) for non-methane hydrocarbons. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that total hydrocarbons and non-methane hydrocarbons may be contributing to dementia development.