This study demonstrates that adolescents with type 1 DM and higher self-efficacy, especially males, have a higher probability of reaching target diabetes control.

The results suggest that with good communication between patients, families, and medical staff, withdrawal of antibiotics should be considered if signs of death appear, in order to avoid unnecessary risks. The possible benefit of prolonged survival should be in line with the goal of care, and also take into account preparing the patient for a dignified death.

The current ethical dilemmas met by healthcare professionals were never compared with those 15 years ago when the palliative care system was newly developing in Taiwan.The aim of the study was to investigate the ethical dilemmas met by palliative care physicians and nurses in 2013 and compare the results with the survey in 1998.This cross-sectional study surveyed 213 physicians and nurses recruited from 9 representative palliative care units across Taiwan in 2013. The compared survey in 1998 studied 102 physicians and nurses from the same palliative care units. All participants took a questionnaire to survey the “frequency” and “difficulty” of 20 frequently encountered ethical dilemmas, which were grouped into 4 domains by factor analysis. The “ethical dilemma” scores were calculated and then compared across 15 years by Student's t tests. A general linear model analysis was used to identify significant factors relating to a high average “ethical dilemma” score in each domain.All of the highest-ranking ethical dilemmas in 2013 were related to insufficient resources. Physicians with less clinical experience had a higher average “ethical dilemma” score in clinical management. Physicians with dissatisfaction in providing palliative care were associated a higher average “ethical dilemma” score in communication. Nurses reported higher “ethical dilemma” scores in all items of resource allocation in 2013. Further analysis confirmed that, in 2013, nurses had a higher average “ethical dilemma” score in resource allocation after adjustment for other relating factors.Palliative care nursing staff in Taiwan are more troubled by ethical dilemmas related to insufficient resources than they were 15 years ago. Training of decision making in nurses under the framework of ethical principles and community palliative care programs may improve the problems. To promote the dignity of terminal cancer patients, long-term fundraising plans are recommended for countries in which the palliative care system is in its early stages of development.

Higher disappearance rate of anti-HBs was noted in recombinant group than in plasma group when the subjects reached their youth and young adulthood in Taiwan.