The Utilization of Chinese Herbal Products for Hyperthyroidism in National Health Insurance System (NHIRD) of Taiwan: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) relieves associated symptoms of hyperthyroidism such as heat intolerance, palpitations, tremor, anxiety, weight loss, increased frequency of bowel movements, and shortness of breath. However, there are no studies regarding the core prescription patterns of herbal formula and single herbs for hyperthyroidism in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective, observational study using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan to analyze the prescription patterns of TCM. Demographic factors, such as sex, age, occupational status, and residential area, and the risk factors for hyperthyroidism were also studied. Results: The outpatient or/and inpatient services for hyperthyroidism receive 17,707 cases in a year. Overall, there were 13,394 newly diagnosed patients. TCM was used in 73% of the patients, and 77.3% of the patients were females. The acceptability of TCM was higher among female patients. Most patients were diagnosed with hyperthyroidism between the ages of 30 and 49 years. The most common comorbidity identified was diabetes mellitus. The most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal product (CHP) formula was Jia-Wei-Xia-Yao-San, while Xia-Ku-Cao was the most commonly prescribed single CHP. There was a high coprescription rate for Xuan-Shen, Bei-Mu, and Mu-Li. Conclusion: This study describes the core prescription pattern of TCM used in the treatment of patients with hyperthyroidism in Taiwan. The most frequently used CHPs could be potential candidates for future pharmacologic studies or clinical trials.

High particulate matter 2.5 levels and ambient temperature are associated with acute lung edema in patients with nondialysis Stage 5 chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that exposure to air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM) with a diameter <2.5 µm (PM2.5), was associated with various diseases. We tried to determine the impact of PM2.5 and other weather factors on acute lung edema in patients with Stage 5 nondialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD Stage 5-ND). METHODS: In total, 317 CKD Stage 5-ND (estimated glomerular filtration rate 6.79 ± 4.56 mL/min) patients residing in central Taiwan who developed acute lung edema and initiated long-term dialysis were included in this case-crossover study. Pearson's correlation test was used to examine the relationship of acute lung edema cases with PM2.5 levels and ambient temperature separately. RESULTS: The average PM2.5 level within the 7-day period correlated with acute lung edema incidence in the fall [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.23, P = 0.047] and winter (adjusted OR 1.99, P < 0.001). In winter, even a 3-day exposure to PM2.5 was associated with increased risk (adjusted OR 1.55, P < 0.001). The average temperatures within 3 days in spring and summer were correlated positively with the risk (adjusted OR 2.77 P < 0.001 and adjusted OR 2.72, P < 0.001, respectively). In the fall and winter, temperatures were correlated negatively with the risk (adjusted OR 0.36, P < 0.001 and adjusted OR 0.54, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A high PM2.5 level was associated with an increased risk of acute lung edema. High ambient temperature in hot seasons and low ambient temperature in cold seasons were also associated with increased risk. It is essential to educate these patients to avoid areas with severe air pollution and extreme ambient temperature.

Favourable renal outcomes after intravenous thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke: Clinical implication of kidney-brain axis.

AIM: Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) administration is the most prevalent treatment for acute ischemic within golden time. However, the effects of rt-PA on the kidney function in such patients remain unknown. This study determined long-term renal outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke receiving systemic rt-PA. METHODS: We enroled patients who were hospitalized for acute ischemic stroke from January 2001 to January 2017. We applied 1:2 propensity score matching to eliminate various confounding variables. We defined surrogate renal outcomes as declining of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) greater than 30% and 50%, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with eGFR less than 60 mL/min. We then compared the 1-year eGFR with paired t-test in patients treated with or without rt-PA. RESULTS: Overall, 343 of 1739 patients received rt-PA within golden time. After 1:2 propensity score matching, their baseline characteristics were grouped as treated with rt-PA (n = 235) or not (n = 394). rt-PA-treated patients exhibited slower renal progression, including the risk of eGFR declining greater than 30% (hazard ratio (HR), 0.72; P = 0.03), risk of declining eGFR greater than 50% (HR, 0.63; P = 0.046) and risk of CKD (HR, 0.61; P = 0.005). After 1-year cohort, the rt-PA group exhibited an improved renal outcome by the paired t-test (propensity match: ΔGFR = 9.1 (95% confidence interval: 6.3, 11.8), P < 0.001 in rt-PA group; ΔGFR = -1.1 (95% confidence interval: -2.9, 0.7), P = 0.23 in non-rt-PA group). In patients with eGFR less than 45 mL/min (n = 34), intracerebral haemorrhage was not reported. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving rt-PA for acute ischemic stroke exhibit favourable renal outcomes, and no increased incidence of intracerebral haemorrhage occurs in rt-PA patients with advanced CKD.