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Assuming Cox's regression model, we consider penalized full likelihood approach to conduct variable selection under nested case-control (NCC) sampling. Penalized non-parametric maximum likelihood estimates (PNPMLEs) are characterized by self-consistency equations derived from score functions. A cross-validation method based on profile likelihood is used to choose the tuning parameter within a family of penalty functions. Simulation studies indicate that the numerical performance of (P)NPMLE is better than weighted partial likelihood in estimating the log-relative risk and in identifying the covariates and the model, under NCC sampling. LASSO performs best when cohort size is small; SCAD performs best when cohort size is large and may eventually perform as well as the oracle estimator. Using the SCAD penalty, we establish the consistency, asymptotic normality, and oracle properties of the PNPMLE, as well as the sparsity property of the penalty. We also propose a consistent estimate of the asymptotic variance using observed profile likelihood. Our method is illustrated to analyze the diagnosis of liver cancer among those in a type 2 diabetic mellitus dataset who were treated with thiazolidinediones in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the fast growing hotel industry in Taiwan, recent hospitality studies has paid attention to how various factors affect the Taiwanese hotel performance and offered interesting and valuable findings. To expand the financial literature of the Taiwanese hotel industry and the hospitality literature as a whole, this article is the first hospitality study to investigate how board size affects firm performance of publicly traded hotels in Taiwan. Panel regression test results reveal an interesting finding. Specifically, there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between board size and hotel performance in terms of return on assets, return on equity, and Tobin’s Q with an optimal value of board size equal to 10. This indicates that while board size up to 10 has a positive impact on hotel performance (supporting the resource dependence theory), board size can deteriorate hotel performance when it is larger than 10 (supporting the agency theory). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the determinants of corporate giving (CG) in Taiwan according to agency cost (AC) and value enhancement (VE) theories. Panel regression test results reveal several new and interesting pieces of evidence. First, VE determinants outweigh AC determinants in explainingCGthere. Second, the positive link between the currentCGratio (CGR) and the laggedCGR(CGR(-1)) suggests the consistent nature ofCG. Third, after the global financial crisis in 2008, the influence of debt leverage onCGRvanished, but the impact of managerial insiders’ shareholdings onCGRbecame significant. Last, the influences of VE determinants andCGR(-1) onCGRremain during both pre-crisis and post-crisis periods. Moreover, after the crisis,CGwas still motivated to create current value for shareholders, and was apparently used as a business strategy to signal companies’ financial or managerial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fine air pollutant particles have been reported to be associated with risk of preeclampsia. The association between air pollutant exposure and preeclampsia risk in heavily air polluted Taiwan warrants investigation. Methods: We combined data from Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) Research Database (NHIRD) and Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Database. Women aged 16-55 years were followed from January 1, 2000, until appearance of ICD-9 coding of preeclampsia withdrawal from the NHI program, or December 31, 2013. Daily concentration of NOx, NO, NO 2 , and CO was calculated by Kriging method. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used for risk assessment. Results: For NOx, Relative to Quartile [Q] 1 concentrations, the Q2 (adjusted hazard ratio adjusted = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.50-3.22), Q3 (aHR = 7.28, 95% CI = 4.78-11.0), and Q4 (aHR = 23.7, 95% CI = 13.7-41.1) concentrations were associated with a significantly higher preeclampsia or eclampsia risk. Similarly, for NO, relative to Q1 concentrations, the Q2 (aHR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.26-2.63), Q3 (aHR = 7.53, 95% CI = 5.12-11.0), and Q4 (aHR = 11.1, 95% CI = 6.72-18.3) concentrations were correlated with significantly higher preeclampsia or eclampsia risk. Furthermore, for NO 2 , relative to Q1 concentration, the Q2 (aHR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.37-2.90), Q3 (aHR = 6.15, 95% CI = 3.95-9.57), and Q4 (aHR = 32.7, 95% CI = 19.7-54.3) concentrations also associated with a significantly higher preeclampsia or eclampsia risk. Conclusion: Women exposed to higher NO X , NO, NO 2 , and CO concentrations demonstrated higher preeclampsia incidence., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Lin, Yang, Su, Wang, Jiang, Hsu and Kao.)

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common mononeuropathy in clinical practice. Some patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) often associate with tertiary hyperparathyroidism, and ultimately need parathyroidectomy (PTX). However, no studies have definitively demonstrated an effect of PTX on ESRD patients' quality of life. We selected 1686 patients who underwent PTX and 1686 patients who did not receive PTX between 2000 and 2010. These patients were propensity-matched with others by age, sex, and comorbidities at a ratio of 1:1. We used single and multivariable cox proportional hazard models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In this study, 116 ESRD patients developed CTS, and the CTS incidences were 7.33 and 12.5 per 1000 person-years for the non-PTX and PTX group. The results reveal that the incidence curve for the PTX group was significantly higher than that for the non-PTX group (log-rank test, P = .004). After adjustments were made for sex, age, and baseline comorbidities, the PTX group had a 1.70-fold higher risk of CTS (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.70, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.17-2.47) than the non-PTX group. The results also demonstrated that female patients (HR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.06-2.42) and patients with one or more comorbidities (HR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.23-2.60) might have an increased risk of CTS. The subhazard ratio for CTS risk was 1.62 (95% CI = 1.12-2.36) for the PTX group compared with the non-PTX group in the competing risk of death. In conclusion, we revealed that ESRD patients who had undergone PTX may have an increased risk of CTS.

Background: To investigate the management and outcomes of patients with lacrimal sac squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)., Methods: This retrospective study examined 69 lacrimal sac SCC cases treated at our hospital between 1992 and 2017. The potential risk factors for prognosis, a new staging method, treatment outcomes, and complications were investigated., Results: The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 87.6 ± 4.8% and 76.3 ± 6.4%, respectively. Positive lymph node was associated with worse OS and PFS. We divided lacrimal sac SCC into four clinical stages, with significant differences in OS (P = .026) and PFS (P = .042) among each stage. Definitive radiotherapy was equivalent to surgery plus radiotherapy in 26.1% (18/69) of cases, and the incidence of complications was not higher., Conclusions: Lymph node status was a key factor in determining outcomes. Our staging method could effectively classify tumor stage and predict prognosis, which can contribute to optimizing treatment regimes. Radiotherapy played an important role in treatment., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: In high-income countries, advances in early diagnosis and treatment have improved cancer survival. However, socioeconomic inequalities in survival have persisted or increased for some adult cancers., Materials and Methods: We assessed net survival for the 20 most common adult cancers in Taiwan. They were stratified into six age groups and three socioeconomic groups., Results: Out of 120 cancer site and age group combinations, 49 showed improvements in 5-year net survival from 2000-2004 to 2005-2010. Only cervix uteri cancer in the 35-49-year age group showed a deterioration. During 2000-2010, 13 of the 20 cancer cases experienced socioeconomic inequalities for all age groups combined, and the deprivation gaps varied with cancer site and age at diagnosis. For the five most common cancers - liver, colon and rectum, lung, breast, and oral - there were socioeconomic inequalities, and 5-year net survival improved for most or all of the six age groups from 2000-2004 to 2005-2010., Conclusion: Reducing socioeconomic inequality in survival may lead to improvements in survival overall. We should focus on the age groups with large deprivation gaps. Our results are useful for prioritizing cancer sites and age groups for in-depth socioeconomic disparity studies and for proposing interventions for health disparity reductions and net cancer survival improvements., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Gender and race issues have caused rapid cultural and societal changes to affect the healthcare of indigenous women, which involves complicated, cultural meanings. The present paper begins by outlining the gender perspective and then elaborates on the present gender mainstreaming and status of indigenous women's healthcare in Taiwan. Furthermore, this paper identifies the current difficulties experienced by Taiwanese indigenous women, including those related to the lack of adequate healthcare data and gender analyses on indigenous women and the lack of regular research on healthcare strategies for indigenous women. Therefore, the present paper proposes to establish health policy references that are gender and race sensitive. The health policy not only addresses racial and gender concerns regarding healthcare information but also focuses on the analysis of indigenous healthcare information. Indigenous women's health concerns are discussed here within the framework of healthcare policy through the perspective of gender mainstreaming. Additionally, we will analyze and evaluate the effects of gender in order to establish inspection and management processes that integrate the concept of gender into policy development and implementation, thus promoting relevant health policies. During the processes of planning, implementing, and evaluating healthcare policies, women should unite to contribute toward indigenous women's health policies and gender mainstreaming.