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Introduction: Arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft is essential to long‐term survival and quality of life in patients receiving hemodialysis. To date, no research has examined the clinical impacts of different puncture methods. This study compared the rope ladder and area puncture techniques in terms of vascular patency, pain, and quality of life among patients receiving hemodialysis. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was performed with 6‐month follow‐up. A total of 98 participants recruited from a hemodialysis center in Taiwan were randomly assigned to receive the rope ladder technique (experimental group) or the area puncture technique (control group). Vascular patency was assessed by examining access flow and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty rate. Pain and quality of life were measured using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Kidney Disease Quality of Life Instrument (KDQOL‐36™), respectively. All outcome variables were measured repeatedly and analyzed using a generalized estimating equation. Results: Overall, quality of life was significantly better for the experimental group than for the control group (β = 47.23, p < 0.001). The percutaneous transluminal angioplasty rate was lower for the experimental group than for the control group (12.0% vs. 18.8%). However, no significant differences were found in access flow and pain level between the two groups over time. Conclusion: Hemodialysis patients who received the rope ladder puncture technique had a lower percutaneous angioplasty rate and better quality of life than patients who received the area puncture technique, suggesting that the rope ladder technique could be implemented as a routine cannulation method in hemodialysis clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated the association between the decline of the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and several family‐level and individual‐level factors among 6‐ to 18‐year‐old Taiwanese children from 2012 to 2020. Methods: This study used data from the 2012 and 2020 Taiwan National Oral Health Survey of Children and Adolescents. Both surveys used similar methods and were performed in the same study age group. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on parents' sociodemographic background; the number of children in the family; oral health‐related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours; and children's dietary habits. Dental caries was recorded through standardized oral examinations. Multivariable multilevel zero‐inflated negative binomial regression models were used to determine the association between family‐level and individual‐level factors and the DMFT index from 2012 to 2020. Results: A total of 10 217 and 10 436 schoolchildren completed the oral examinations and questionnaires in the 2012 and 2020 surveys, respectively. The adjusted mean DMFT index of 12‐year‐old Taiwanese schoolchildren in 2020 was 2.01, denoting a significant decline from 2.50 in 2012 (adjusted mean ratio = 0.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17, 0.23, p <.0001). Furthermore, children who often consumed sugar‐rich drinks had a significantly higher risk (mean ratio = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.10) of having DMFT than those who seldom consumed such drinks (p =.017). Conclusions: In the period of 2012–2020, the DMFT index among Taiwanese children significantly declined. Children who often consumed sugar‐rich drinks had a higher DMFT index than those who seldom consumed such drinks. Our findings are valuable to paediatricians, dentists, nutritionists, and public health policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social stigma is inevitable for mentally ill patients, but how patients treat themselves is a priority for rehabilitation and an important buffer mechanism. This study thus aimed to measure the effectiveness of rehabilitation models for improving self-stigma. This quasi-experimental research design applied purposeful sampling. The participants (n = 250) were persons with mental illness who received rehabilitation treatment in central Taiwan. They were divided into community- (n = 170) and institution-based (n = 80) rehabilitation groups. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale was evaluated at the time of recruitment, and a follow-up was conducted after 1 and 3 months. A generalized estimation equation was used in data analysis to measure whether self-stigma improved with the rehabilitation model and time, and to test the effect of different rehabilitation models on participants' self-stigma improvement. The study found that the self-stigma of patients receiving CBR improved more than that of those receiving IBR when behavioral problems, education, OT level, sex, and first-time self-stigma were controlled. Returning to the community is the goal of rehabilitation for patients with mental illness, but IBR still dominates the rehabilitation model in Taiwan. Thus, it is necessary to continue promoting CBR plans for future mental health policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]