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Background To describe the study design, rationale and methodology of the Myopia Investigation Study in Taipei (MIT). Design The MIT was a citywide, population-based cohort study. Participants Participants were grade 2 students (Fall 2013) of all 153 elementary schools in Taipei City. Methods The baseline data on the risk factors for myopia development was collected by parent-administered questionnaire surveys covering demographics, medical history, parental myopia, time spent on near work and outdoor activities, reading habits and eye care-seeking behaviour. Ocular examinations focused on the measurement of visual acuity (unaided and best-corrected) and refractive status (before and after cycloplegia), which will be carried out for the eligible schoolchildren biannually for 3 years consecutively. Once myopic children are identified, case manager-led telecoaching for health-care instructions and reminders will be delivered to parents or caregivers. Main Outcome Measures To build a comprehensive database for prevalence, incidence and risk factors of early childhood myopia over a 3-year follow-up period. Results Of all 19 374 eight-year-old schoolchildren (10 210 [52.7%] boys) eligible for the MIT, 16 486 (85.1%) responded to the questionnaire, 12 019 (62.0%) were examined during the third quarter of 2013 and 11 590 (59.8%) (6267 [52.9%] boys) completed cycloplegic autorefraction on both eyes and were enrolled for further data analysis. There was no significant difference in terms of demographics between the analysed participants and all grade 2 students in Taipei City. Conclusions Data from the MIT will provide population-based information concerning the prevalence, incidence and risk factors for myopia development among young schoolchildren in a metropolitan area of Taiwan.

To analyze the association between patients with varicocele and varicose veins in Taiwan.Between 2001 and 2010, comprehensive data were analyzed on the characteristics of patients with varicocele and varicose veins in Taiwan through a retrospective, nationwide, population-based study. Data were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 2727 cases with varicose veins and 10 908 randomly selected controls were included in this study. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between varicose veins and varicocele.The prevalence of varicocele was 1.3% and 0.3% for cases (with varicose veins) and controls (without varicose vein), respectively (P 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of being previously diagnosed with varicose veins for cases was 4.71 (95% confidence interval 2.87-7.89) when compared with controls after adjusting for age, diabetes, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver and kidney disease, and edema. Furthermore, the odds ratio was 5.96 (95% confidence interval 2.90-12.24), 4.76 (95% confidence interval 1.68-13.48) and 1.69 (95% confidence interval 0.30-9.55) in patients aged50 years, 51-65 years and65 years, respectively. In addition, the prevalence of male infertility was 15.1% for patients with varicocele and varicose veins, and 14.5% for patients with varicocele only, but no significant difference was observed.Our findings suggest an association between both varicocele and varicose veins. In addition, this association is higher in patients aged younger than 50 years. Evaluation of male patients with varicose veins for varicocele should be recommended.

This study established a quantitative micro-Raman spectroscopic (MRS) method for measuring multicomponents (binary and ternary compositions) of prevalent urine calculi extracted from the ureter after the ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URSL) procedure. The analysis used calibration curves of known mixtures of synthetically prepared calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM), hydroxyapatite (HAP), calcium oxalate dehydrate (COD), dicalcium phosphate dehydrate (DCPD), and uric acid. A variety of samples of binary and ternary mixtures including COM/HAP, COM/COD, COD/HAP, COM/uric acid, COD/uric acid, HAP/uric acid, HAP/DCPD, and COM/COD/HAP were prepared in various concentration ratios for use as the basis of the quantitative analysis. Intensities of the characteristic bands at 961 cm−1 (IHAP), 986 cm−1 (IDCPD), 1402 cm−1 (IUricAcid), 1462 cm−1 (ICOM), and 1477 cm−1 (ICOD) were used for the calculation. We derived a set of quantitative analysis equations for the ternary composition COD/COM/HAP group by combining two binary equations from the groups COM/COD and the HAP/COM. This study quantitatively measured 18 urine samples extracted from the 18 patients' ureters after the URSL procedure. Fifteen samples were binary mixtures, whereas three samples were ternary mixtures. This research successfully applied the quantitative MRS-based analysis technique from bench to bedside. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OBJECTIVE To report the surgical outcome of retroperitoneoscopic hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (LNU) with bladder cuff excision for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), and to compare the outcome with that of the open procedure (ONU). PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 1998 to January 2003, 145 patients with upper urinary tract TCC were enrolled in the study; 87 had ONU and 58 retroperitoneoscopic hand-assisted LNU. The specimens were reviewed by experienced pathologists to confirm the pathological stage. Operative duration, intraoperative blood loss, bowel recovery, analgesic use, hospital stay and time to convalescence were compared for both groups. The Mann–Whitney U-test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS The mean follow-up for ONU and LNU was 35.1 and 16.0 months, the mean operative duration 230.2 and 259.1 min (P = 0.006), the mean blood loss 747.3 and 408.9 mL (P

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of latanoprost in reducing acute intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation after neodymium:Yag laser iridotomy (LI). Methods: Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) eyes were randomized to receive premedication with latanoprost and pilocarpine or with pilocarpine only before LI. Postoperative IOP changes were compared with Wilcoxon signed-ranks test using the fellow eyes of 47 patients who had one eye in each group. Results: Postoperative pressure spikes were significantly lower (p = 0.010) in the latanoprost group (4.1 ± 5.0 mmHg) than in the control group (6.7 ± 7.0 mmHg). Mean elevation of IOP was less in the latanoprost group than in the control group at 1 hour (2.5 ± 4.8 versus 4.1 ± 4.7 mmHg, p = 0.013) and 2 hours (0.8 ± 5.6 versus 4.4 ± 8.1 mmHg, p = 0.003) postoperatively. Eleven eyes in the latanoprost group (23.4%) and 20 eyes in the control group (42.6%) developed a rise in IOP ≥ 6 mmHg (p = 0.048). Conclusion: Latanoprost may reduce the pressure rise following LI in PACG eyes, but its application is limited by a late onset of effect.

Objective To evaluate and compare changes in pulmonary function after retroperitoneoscopic and open surgery. Patients and methods From June 1994 to October 1995, 11 patients (five men and six women, mean age 44.7 years, range 29–69) underwent retroperitoneoscopic procedures (Group 1) and 11 patients (eight men and three women, mean age 57.5 years, range 22–73) underwent flank-incision procedures (Group 2). The surgery comprised eight adrenalectomies and one each of nephroureterectomy, nephrectomy and pyelolithotomy in Group 1, and five adrenalectomies, four nephroureterectomies, one ureterolithotomy and one excision of a retroperitoneal tumour in Group 2. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed before and 3 days after surgery; the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ), forced expiratory volume at 25% (FEV25% ), FEV1 /FVC, vital capacity (VC), total lung capacity (TLC), residual lung volume (RV) and functional residual capacity (FRC) were compared between the groups. The post-operative changes in the PFTs were assessed using a paired t-test and the degree of change in both groups compared using the Mann–Whitney U-test. Other factors possibly influencing PFT were analysed using multiple regression. Results Pulmonary function was impaired in both groups on the third day after surgery. In Group 2, the FVC, FEV1 , FEV25% , VC and TLC had declined significantly (all P

Summary— Laparoscopic procedures have long been a standard form of treatment for gynaecological disorders but have only recently shown promise in the evaluation and treatment of urogenital diseases, such as pelvic lymphadenectomy. We performed laparoscopic ligation of the bilateral internal spermatic veins in 15 male pigs. The average operative time was 20 min and operative morbidity was minimal, comprising mild subcutaneous emphysema around the trocars. Engorgement of the spermatic vein proximal to the endoclip site was noted. There was no operative mortality. Laparoscopic ligation of the internal spermatic veins seems to be a feasible method for the treatment of varicoceles, especially bilateral lesions.