The purpose of this study was to explore correlations among constitution, stress, and discomfort symptoms during the first trimester of pregnancy. We adopted a descriptive and correlational research design and collected data from 261 pregnant women during their first trimester in southern Taiwan using structured questionnaires. Results showed that (1) stress was significantly and positively correlated with Yang-Xu, Yin-Xu, and Tan-Shi-Yu-Zhi constitutions, respectively; (2) Yin-Xu and Tan-Shi-Yu-Zhi constitutions had significant correlations with all symptoms of discomfort, while Yang-Xu had significant correlations with all symptoms of discomfort except for “running nose”; (3) Tan-Shi-Yu-Zhi constitution and stress were two indicators for “fatigue”; Tan-Shi-Yu-Zhi was the indicator for “nausea”; Yang-Xu and Yin-Xu were indicators for “frequent urination.” Our findings also indicate that stress level affects constitutional changes and that stress and constitutional change affect the incidence of discomfort. This research can help healthcare professionals observe these discomforts and provide individualized care for pregnant women, to nurture pregnant women into neutral-type constitution, minimize their levels of discomfort, and promote the health of the fetus and the mother.

This study aims to explore whether certain occupations were associated with the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Taiwan. In a hospital-based case-control study, we collected 326 newly diagnosed ESCC patients and 386 age-matched controls (the ratio of case patients: controls = 1:1-2). All respondents completed a questionnaire, including 33 occupations in which environments potential exposure to cancer-related hazards are present. Workers with dust and metal exposure were categorized into Groups A and B, respectively. Relative risks for ESCC were estimated by odds ratios adjusting for covariates (AOR). Compared with the controls, farmer/gardener (AOR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.02-4.24) and workers in Group A (AOR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.21-6.47) had significantly higher risk for developing ESCC. A tendency of increased risk was also found in workers in group B (OR = 5.72 95% CI = 2.33-14.03), but such association was not significant after adjusting for other covariates (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI = 0.54-6.61). Our results suggested that farmer/gardener and workers with exposure to dust had a significant excess risk of ESCC. This study added further evidence to the current knowledge that occupational hazards are important in the development of ESCC.

This study aims to examine global gene expression profiles before and after the work-shift among coke-oven workers (COW). COW work six consecutive days and then take two days off. Two blood and urine samples in each worker were collected before starting to work after two-days off and end-of-shift in the sixth-day work in 2009. Altered gene expressions (ratio of gene expression levels between end-of-shift and pre-shift work) were performed by Human OneArray expression system which probes ∼30,000-transcription expression profiling of human genes. Sixteen workers, all men, were enrolled in this study. Median urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1OHP) levels (μmole/mole creatinine) in end-of-shift work were significantly higher than those in pre-shift work (2.58 vs. 0.29, p = 0.0002). Among the 20,341 genes which passed experimental quality control, 26 gene expression changes, 7 positive and 19 negative, were highly correlated with across-the-shift urinary 1OHP levels (end-of-shift – pre-shift 1OHP) (p-value < 0.001). The high and low exposure groups of across-the-shift urinary 1OHP levels dichotomized in ∼2.00 μmole/mole creatinine were able to be distinguished by these 26 genes. Some of them are known to be involved in apoptosis, chromosome stability/DNA repair, cell cycle control/tumor suppressor, cell adhesion, development/spermatogenesis, immune function, and neuronal cell function. These findings in COW will be an ideal model to study the relationship of PAHs exposure with acute changes of gene expressions.

Background Many women experience menstruation-related health issues during their child-bearing years. This study aimed to evaluate women’s tendency to seek Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and/or Western Medicine (WM) when newly diagnosed with menstrual syndromes and to identify factors associated with their medical care-seeking behaviors. Methods The data of a total of 47,097 women aged between 15 and 50 years with newly diagnosed menstrual syndromes in 2005 were extracted from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database. The follow-up period was divided equally into 6 month segments over 5 years starting with patients’ first visit for obstetric/gynecologic care. Outcomes were outpatient visits and number of TCM or WM visits during each period. Patients’ tendency for medical care utilization was estimated using Poisson regression analysis. Results Number of outpatient visits using TCM was 0.62 (29187/47097), and using WM was 1.67 (78697/47097) within 6 months after the first menstrual syndrome diagnosis. The tendency for TCM utilization increased as follow-up time increased after controlling for potential confounders, while WM utilization decreased as follow-up time increased. Age, economic status, infertility, value of prevention, baby delivery, and obstetric/gynecologic inpatient histories were significantly associated with patients’ medical care-seeking behaviors. Conclusions TCM and WM medical care-seeking patterns are significantly different among women with diagnoses associated with menstrual syndromes. Related factors affecting medical care-seeking behavior include age, economic status, infertility, value of prevention, childbirth and Ob/Gyn inpatient histories.