Impacts of course type and student gender on distance learning performance: A case study in Taiwan.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 since January 2020 has forced the closure of schools and universities in over 180 countries to control the pandemic, affecting approximately 90% of students worldwide. Distance teaching has been adopted during school closures to suspend classes without suspending learning. Scholars have claimed that distance teaching is more effective than face-to-face teaching and can replace face-to-face courses. However, further investigation is required to confirm whether distance learning is suitable for all types of courses and all students. Thanks to the effective containment of COVID-19 outbreaks in Taiwan, universities in Taiwan face a less problematic situation than do those in other countries; however, plans and preparations remain essential. The present study recruited 18,085 students from a technology university in Taiwan and used the baseline data of the past three academic years before COVID-19 (2016-2018) to explore the influences of course type and gender on distance learning performance. The results revealed that compulsory courses are more suitable for distance learning courses, whereas face-to-face teaching is more suitable for elective and general education courses. The learning performance of males and females is also different: face-to-face courses are more suitable for males, whereas no significant difference between teaching methods was observed in females. This result suggests that not all courses offered by the university are suitable for distance learning courses, and not all students are adept at distance learning. Based on these results, it is recommended that a new teaching model be established for the post-COVID-19 era.

Risk of Allergic Rhinitis, Allergic Conjunctivitis, and Eczema in Children Born to Mothers with Gum Inflammation during Pregnancy.

PURPOSE: Despite links between maternal and child health status, evidence on the association between gum infection in pregnant mothers and childhood allergies is scarce. We aim to evaluate the risk of developing allergy in children born to periodontal mothers in a nationwide study. METHODS: We conducted a 9-year population-based, retrospective cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance database. A study cohort of 42,217 newborns born to mothers with periodontal disease during pregnancy was identified in 2001 and matched with 42,334 babies born to mothers without any infection (control) by mother's age at delivery and baby sex. With a follow-up period from 2001 to 2010, we observed the incidence of allergic rhinitis (AR), allergic conjunctivitis (AC), and eczema in these children. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed with premature deaths as competing risk for the estimation of allergic disease risks. RESULTS: Nine-year cumulative incidences were the highest among children born to periodontal mothers; they reached 46.8%, 24.2%, and 40.4% (vs. 39.5%, 18.3% and 34.8% in control) for AR, AC, and eczema, respectively. Our results showed moderately increased risks for the allergies in children born to periodontal mothers relative to their matched non-inflammatory control (adjusted HRs: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.15-1.20; 1.27, 1.24-1.31; 1.14, 1.12-1.17, respectively). Because the impact of food consumption and living environment cannot be considered using insurance data, we attempted to control it by adjusting for parental income and mother's residential area. CONCLUSIONS: Overall cumulative incidence and risks of children born to periodontal mothers for AR, AC, and eczema are significantly higher than those born to non-inflammatory mothers. Gum infection in women during pregnancy is an independent risk factor for allergic diseases in children, thus its intergenerational consequences should be considered in gestational care.

Does Social Health Insurance Close the Gap: The Case of Socioeconomic Status and Preterm Low-Birth-Weight Survival.

Using a retrospective cohort study design, we report empirical evidence on the effect of parental socioeconomic status, primary care, and health care expenditure associated with preterm or low-birth-weight (PLBW) babies on their mortality (neonatal, postneonatal, and under-5 mortality) under a universal health care system. A total of 4668 singleton PLBW babies born in Taiwan between January 1 and December 31, 2001, are extracted from a population-based medical claims database for a follow-up of up to 5 years. Multivariate survival models suggest the positive effect of higher parental income is significant in neonatal period but diminishes in later stages. Consistent inverse relationship is observed between adequate antenatal care and the three outcomes: neonatal hazard ratio (HR) = 0.494, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.312 to 0.783; postneonatal HR = 0.282, 95% CI = 0.102 to 0.774; and under-5 HR = 0.575, 95% CI = 0.386 to 0.857. Primary care services uptake should be actively promoted, particularly in lower income groups, to prevent premature PLBW mortality.

Chronic exposure of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47) alters locomotion behavior in juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio).

In the present study, we used zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model to address possible effects of chronic exposure of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants on locomotion behavior, body size, and gonad development in fish. Zebrafish were fed food dosed with PBDE-47 (control, solvent control, low, medium, and high dose groups) from 21 days post hatch (dph) to 90 dph. Fish locomotion parameters, including maximum swimming speed, total distance moved, and percent time active, were assessed using a video-based animal movement analysis system. At the end of the exposure, all fish were euthanized for length and weight measurement, and then subjected to either whole fish histological analysis or tissue PBDE-47 measurement. Survival, body size, and gonad histology were similar between the five groups. However, both total swimming distance and percent time active were negatively correlated with tissue PBDE-47 concentration and were significantly lower in the high dose group. Tissue levels of PBDE-47 in the exposed fish were comparable to that reported in previous field studies. In summary, this study showed that developmental exposure of PBDE-47 at an ecologically relevant level altered locomotion behavior without affecting body size or gonad development of zebrafish.

Growth and transcriptional effect of dietary 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47) exposure in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio).

In this study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were fed food dosed with pure PBDE-47 (2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether) congener or a blank from 20 to 60 day post-hatch (dph). At 38 dph, half of the fish were sampled for body size measurements and gene expression analyzes (CYP1A1, VTG, TTR, D1, and TSH-beta). At 60 dph, body size was measured again for all fish remaining. Whole-fish histology was performed and the PBDE levels in fish were determined. PBDE treated fish was significantly smaller at 38 dph but not at 60 dph. No apparent histopathological effect was observed. In the PBDE treated fish, there was a weak induction of CYP1A1 mRNA transcription, but not of the other genes. The tissue levels of PBDE-47 were comparable to that found in other wild fish reported in the literature, indicating that our exposure level was ecologically relevant.

Lower mortality in male physicians of Chinese medicine than male population in Taiwan.

Studies on the physicians' health have paid less attention on the Chinese medicine than on the western medicine professionals. Like western medicine professionals, Chinese medicine physicians' health condition is critical to the quality of care and patients' safety. They also cared a large number of patients in many Asia societies. However, no data have been reported regarding the health problems associated with Chinese medicine physicians. The aim of this study was to examine the mortality patterns of a cohort consisting of 6109 male physicians of Chinese medicine who were followed from 1991 through 2003 in Taiwan. The analyses of female subjects were not included due to small sample size. We calculated the overall and cause-specific standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and life expectancy of the study cohort using the death rates of some 11 millions of Taiwanese male population as reference. We found out that physicians of Chinese medicine experienced significantly lower death rate of mortality from all causes (SMR = 0.63, 95% > CI: 0.57, 0.69), from malignant neoplasms (SMR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.82) and from cerebrovascular disease (SMR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.72). Additionally, they have longer life expectancy (ranged from 3 years to approximately 15 years). Our study is crucial to evaluate potential health risks associated with Chinese medicine physicians. Although this study did not reveal elevated death rate among Chinese medicine physicians, researchers and policy makers should not overlook other heath problems that Chinese medicine physicians might have experienced.