BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the most common complementary and alternative medicines used in the treatment of patients with breast cancer. However, the clinical effect of TCM on survival, which is a major concern in these individuals, lacks evidence from large-scale clinical studies. METHODS: The authors used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to conduct a retrospective population-based cohort study of patients with advanced breast cancer between 2001 and 2010. The patients were separated into TCM users and nonusers, and Cox regression models were applied to determine the association between the use of TCM and patient survival. RESULTS: A total of 729 patients with advanced breast cancer receiving taxanes were included in the current study. Of this cohort, the mean age was 52.0 years; 115 patients were TCM users (15.8%) and 614 patients were TCM nonusers. The mean follow-up was 2.8 years, with 277 deaths reported to occur during the 10-year period. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that, compared with nonusers, the use of TCM was associated with a significantly decreased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [HR], 0.55 [95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.90] for TCM use of 30-180 days; adjusted HR, 0.46 [95% confidence interval, 0.27-0.78] for TCM use of > 180 days). Among the frequently used TCMs, those found to be most effective (lowest HRs) in reducing mortality were Bai Hua She She Cao, Ban Zhi Lian, and Huang Qi. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current observational study suggest that adjunctive TCM therapy may lower the risk of death in patients with advanced breast cancer. Future randomized controlled trials are required to validate these findings. Cancer 2014;120:1338-44.

OBJECTIVEThe relationship between diabetes and fracture is not completely understood. This study evaluated fracture risk and postfracture mortality in patients with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe identified 32,471 adults newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2000-2003 using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A comparison cohort of 64,942 adults without diabetes was randomly selected from the same dataset, with frequency matched by age and sex. Fracture events in 2000-2008 were ascertained from medical claims. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs of fracture associated with diabetes were calculated. A nested cohort study of 17,002 patients with fracture receiving repair surgeries between 2004 and 2010 calculated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of adverse events after fracture in patients with and without diabetes. RESULTSDuring 652,530 person-years of follow-up, there were 12,772 newly diagnosed fracture cases. The incidences of fracture for people with diabetes and without were 24.2 and 17.1 per 1,000 person-years, respectively (P < 0.0001). Compared with people without diabetes, the adjusted HR of fracture was 1.66 (95% CI 1.60-1.72) for people with diabetes. The ORs of postfracture deep wound infection, septicemia, and mortality associated with diabetes were 1.34 (95% CI 1.06-1.71), 1.42 (95% CI 1.23-1.64), and 1.27 (95% CI 1.02-1.60), respectively. CONCLUSIONSDiabetes was associated with fracture. Patients with diabetes had more adverse events and subsequent mortality after fracture. Prevention of fracture and postfracture adverse events is needed in this susceptible population.Although the epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of diabetes have been well established over the past two centuries (1), diabetes remains a pandemic chronic disease that is projected to reach an estimated global prevalence of 4.4% by 2030 (2). Diabetes also presents a high economic burden, with an estimated cost of 245 billion USD in 2012 in the U.S. (3). Recognized complications

Our results indicate that the incidence of POST can be significantly reduced by prophylactic BH topical application to the oral cavity or airway devices. Further RCTs are required to overcome the limitations of heterogeneity and to determine the optimal dosage and application of BH for managing POST.

The ANN model developed in this study had good discrimination and calibration and would provide decision support to clinicians and increase vigilance for patients at high risk of postinduction hypotension during general anesthesia.