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Importance-performance analysis (IPA) is a convenient tool for service quality evaluation. Likewise, SERVQUAL and the model of service quality is also another useful tool for service quality evaluation. How hot spring service providers position themselves and differentiate themselves from competitors is critical to their success. In this study, both IPA and SERVQUAL and the model of service quality are used to evaluate a hot spring service provider in Taiwan for comparisons. A modified SERVQUAL questionnaire was distributed to hot spring resort customers with 300 valid responses. Results from IPA indicated the “Reliability” as the service weakness, while SERVQUAL and the model of service quality identified the “Responsiveness” as the largest service gap. Using these tools, the service providers can identify the critical factors for improvements from different perspectives. Implications of both tools for service providers and researchers were discussed.

Introduction: Trichomonas vaginalis infection is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted infections in the world. There are approximately 276 million cases worldwide. Most men remain undiagnosed and untreated because they are asymptomatic. The chronic inflammation induced by persistent infection may increase the risk of developing genitourinary cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between trichomoniasis and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCa), and bladder cancer (BC) in Taiwan.Material and method: We designed a case-control study by using the database of the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. We used the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision classifications to classify all the medical conditions in the case and control groups. All odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to adjust for all comorbidities and variables.Result: From 2000 to 2015, we enrolled a total of 62,544 individuals as the case group and 187,632 as the control group. Trichomoniasis exposure had a significant association with BPH and PCa (adjusted OR: BPH = 2.685, 95% CI = 1.233–4.286, P = 0.013; PCa = 5.801, 95% CI = 1.296–26.035, P = 0.016). The relative risk was much higher if patients had both trichomoniasis and depression (adjusted OR = 7.682, 95% CI = 5.730–9.451, P < 0.001).Conclusion: Men with trichomoniasis had a significantly higher risk of developing BPH and PCa than those without. Healthcare professionals should not only pay more attention to disease treatment, but also to public health education.

Trichomonas vaginalis infection is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted infections in the world. There are approximately 276 million cases worldwide. Most men remain undiagnosed and untreated because they are asymptomatic. The chronic inflammation induced by persistent infection may increase the risk of developing genitourinary cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between trichomoniasis and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCa), and bladder cancer (BC) in Taiwan. We designed a case–control study by using the database of the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. We used the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision classifications to classify all the medical conditions in the case and control groups. All odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to adjust for all comorbidities and variables. From 2000 to 2015, we enrolled a total of 62,544 individuals as the case group and 187,632 as the control group. Trichomoniasis exposure had a significant association with BPH and PCa (adjusted OR: BPH = 2.685, 95% CI = 1.233–4.286, P = 0.013; PCa = 5.801, 95% CI = 1.296–26.035, P = 0.016). The relative risk was much higher if patients had both trichomoniasis and depression (adjusted OR = 7.682, 95% CI = 5.730–9.451, P

We describe a case of human herpes virus‐8‐associated primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) in a patient initially presented with fever, non‐productive cough and exertional dyspnoea. Physical examination revealed oral thrush, diminished breath sounds and dullness on percussion over the left hemithorax. A thoracic computed tomography (CT) revealed left‐sided massive pleural effusion without tumour masses or lymphadenopathy. The effusion was drained and cytology showed medium to large lymphoid cells, with prominent nucleoli and irregular nuclear contours. Meanwhile, his HIV was tested positive. Cell block immunostaining of the pleural effusion revealed these cells were CD45 (+), CD30 (+), MUM1 (melanoma‐associated antigen [mutated] 1) (+), LANA (latency‐associated nuclear antigen) (+) and EBER (Epstein–Barr virus‐encoded small RNAs) in situ hybridization (−). This case highlights the learning point that PEL in the setting of HIV/AIDS should be added in the differential diagnosis of patients with unexplained oropharyngeal candidiasis and malignant lymphomatous pleural effusion without a clear primary site., Here, we report a rare case of human herpes virus‐8‐associated primary effusion lymphoma in the setting of HIV/AIDS presenting with fever, oral thrush and malignant lymphomatous pleural effusion.

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis infection is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted infections in the world. There are approximately 276 million cases worldwide. Most men remain undiagnosed and untreated because they are asymptomatic. The chronic inflammation induced by persistent infection may increase the risk of developing genitourinary cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between trichomoniasis and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCa), and bladder cancer (BC) in Taiwan.Material and method: We designed a case-control study by using the database of the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. We used the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision classifications to classify all the medical conditions in the case and control groups. All odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to adjust for all comorbidities and variables.Result: From 2000 to 2015, we enrolled a total of 62,544 individuals as the case group and 187,632 as the control group. Trichomoniasis exposure had a significant association with BPH and PCa (adjusted OR: BPH = 2.685, 95% CI = 1.233–4.286, P = 0.013; PCa = 5.801, 95% CI = 1.296–26.035, P = 0.016). The relative risk was much higher if patients had both trichomoniasis and depression (adjusted OR = 7.682, 95% CI = 5.730–9.451, P < 0.001).Conclusion: Men with trichomoniasis had a significantly higher risk of developing BPH and PCa than those without. Healthcare professionals should not only pay more attention to disease treatment, but also to public health education.

Background Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has infected about 25–30% of individuals worldwide, and it was difficult to detect its latent status. We aimed to evaluate the association between toxoplasmosis, the risk of dementia, and the effects of antibiotics in Taiwan. Material and methods This nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study was conducted by using the two million Longitudinal Health Insurance Database retrieved from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. The Fine and Gray’s competing risk analysis was used for the development of dementia in the toxoplasmosis cohort relative to the non-toxoplasmosis cohort. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted. The effects of the antibiotics (sulfadiazine or clindamycin) on the risk of dementia were also analyzed. Results We enrolled a total of 800 subjects, and identified 200 patients with toxoplasmosis and 600 sex- and age-matched controls without toxoplasmosis infections in a ratio of 1:3, selected between 2000 and 2015. The crude hazard ratio (HR) of the risk in the development of dementia was 2.570 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.511-4.347, p p

BackgroundMDR Elizabethkingia anophelis strains are implicated in an increasing number of healthcare-associated infections worldwide, including a recent cluster of E. anophelis infections in the Midwestern USA associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, there is minimal information on the antimicrobial susceptibilities of E. anophelis strains or their antimicrobial resistance to carbapenems and fluoroquinolones.ObjectivesOur aim was to examine the susceptibilities and genetic profiles of clinical isolates of E. anophelis from our hospital, characterize their carbapenemase genes and production of MBLs, and determine the mechanism of fluoroquinolone resistance.MethodsA total of 115 non-duplicated isolates of E. anophelis were examined. MICs of antimicrobial agents were determined using the Sensititre 96-well broth microdilution panel method. QRDR mutations and MBL genes were identified using PCR. MBL production was screened for using a combined disc test.ResultsAll E. anophelis isolates harboured the blaGOB and blaB genes with resistance to carbapenems. Antibiotic susceptibility testing indicated different resistance patterns to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin in most isolates. Sequencing analysis confirmed that a concurrent GyrA amino acid substitution (Ser83Ile or Ser83Arg) in the hotspots of respective QRDRs was primarily responsible for high-level ciprofloxacin/levofloxacin resistance. Only one isolate had no mutation but a high fluoroquinolone MIC.ConclusionsOur study identified a strong correlation between antibiotic susceptibility profiles and mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance among carbapenem-resistant E. anophelis isolates, providing an important foundation for continued surveillance and epidemiological analyses of emerging E. anophelis opportunistic infections. Minocycline or ciprofloxacin has the potential for treatment of severe E. anophelis infections.

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common nonviral sexually transmitted infection. According to the 2019 WHO cancer report, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women. However, previous research, which has not included a large-scale study to date, has revealed that Trichomonas vaginalis increases cervical cancer risk. In this study, we investigated a group of Asian females in Taiwan to determine the association between trichomoniasis and the risk of developing cervical lesions, including cancer, neoplasm, and dysplasia. We conducted a nested case-control study by using the National Health Insurance (NHI) program database in Taiwan. The International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision classifications (ICD-9-CM) was used to categorize all of the medical conditions for each patient in the case and control groups. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between trichomoniasis and cervical lesions were estimated using multivariable conditional logistic regression to adjust for all comorbidities and variables. In total, 54,003 individuals were enrolled in the case group and 216,012 were enrolled in the control group. Trichomonas vaginalis exposure had a significant association with cervical lesions (AOR 2.656, 95% CI = 1.411–5.353, p = 0.003), especially cervical cancer (AOR 3.684, 95% CI = 1.622–6.094, p = 0.001). In patients with both trichomoniasis and depression, the relative risk increased 7.480-fold compared to those without trichomoniasis or depression. In conclusion, female patients with Trichomonas vaginalis exposure had a significantly higher risk of developing cervical lesions (especially cervical cancer) than those without exposure.

In this paper, the traditional neural network technology has been utilized to modeling the wave-induced ship motions in irregular seas on the Kaohsiung harbor in Taiwan. The training data for neural network is obtained from real case experimental measurements. The proposed tool makes possible the handling of a non-linear dynamic system with insufficient input information. The real case of sea trial results are used to train the networks and to demonstrate the validity of the proposed procedure.