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Yi-Ting Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Yi-Ting Lin.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Initial evidence for the reliability and validity of a "Lite" version of the Addiction Severity Index.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the baseline ASI-5, the ASI-L-VA. METHOD: Two samples were recruited from intensive outpatient treatment and a methadone maintenance clinic. For Sample A (n=145), two versions of the Addiction Severity Index (i.e., ASI-5 and ASI-L-VA) were administered several days apart in counterbalanced order by different interviewers. Sample B (n=50) was similarly administered the standard ASI-5 twice. RESULTS: For Sample A, the internal consistency (coefficient alphas) of 11 of 19 summary scores derived from the ASI-5 were good, 4 fair, and 4 unacceptable. The results for the ASI-L-VA summary scores indicated that eight were good, six fair, and five unacceptable. The correlations between ASI problem areas were generally low for both versions (supporting the independence of the ASI areas), and none of the t-tests comparing corresponding correlations between the ASI-5 and ASI-L-VA approached statistical significance. The Sample A intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) results evaluating agreement of the summary scores derived from the ASI-5 at one timepoint and those derived from ASI-L-VA at another point (i.e., concurrent validity) revealed at least fair agreement in all but one instance. Additionally, a comparison of the ICC results for Samples A and B (i.e., ASI-L-VA/ASI-5 versus ASI-5/ASI-5, respectively) revealed that in 13 of 26 cases the ICCs were at the same level of agreement. When level of agreement was discordant, in nine cases the ICCs comparing the ASI-5 and ASI-L-VA exhibited greater agreement and in four cases the ICCs comparing two ASI-5 administrations exhibited greater agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The ASI-L-VA, a reduced item set from the ASI-5, yielded similar information on problem severity as the standard ASI-5.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Asymptomatic bacteriuria among the institutionalized elderly.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common type of infection among residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria among LTCF residents brings challenges to onsite health professionals. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and related factors of aymptomatic bacteriuria among the institutionalized elderly in Taiwan. METHODS: In 2002, residents of 2 private LTCFs participated in this study. History taking, anthropometric measurements, and urine and blood samplings were performed by experienced research staff. Urine bacterial culture was performed by a standard procedure; subjects with symptoms indicating UTI were excluded. Repeated urine bacterial culture was performed 1 week after screening tests. Bacteriuria was defined as 1 or more organisms isolated from 2 consecutive urine specimens (> or =10(5) CFU [colony-forming units]/mL). Asymptomatic bacteriuria was defined as identical microorganisms isolated from 2 urine culture specimens taken at 1-week intervals from a subject who was free of UTI symptoms. The presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria and its related factors, such as age, sex, nutritional status, and long-term placement of urinary catheter, were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 64 institutionalized Chinese elderly (mean age, 76.2 +/- 9.1 years; male:female, 48:16) were collected. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 57.8% (37/64), and was not associated with age, sex, functional status, long-term foley catheter, or previous UTI history. The most commonly isolated organisms were Escherichia coli (29.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.6%), Providentia stuartii (16.2%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.5%). Moreover, 21.6% of them showed multiple organisms. Nutritional status (body mass index, serum levels of albumin, total cholesterol, total lymphocyte count, and hemoglobin) was similar between subjects with or without bacteriuria (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is common among Chinese residents in LTCFs. Escherichia coil was the most commonly cultured bacterium. Presence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was not associated with age, sex, functional status, catheter indwelling, previous history of UTI, or nutritional status of residents in LTCFs.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Manganous ion supplementation accelerates wild type development, enhances stress resistance, and rescues the life span of a short-lived Caenorhabditis elegans mutant.

Relative to iron and copper we know very little about the cellular roles of manganese. Some studies claim that manganese acts as a radical scavenger in unicellular organisms, while there have been other reports that manganese causes Parkinson's disease-like syndrome, DNA fragmentation, and interferes with cellular energy production. The goal of this study was to uncover if manganese has any free radical scavenging properties in the complex multicellular organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. We measured internal manganese in supplemented worms using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the data obtained suggest that manganese supplemented to the growth medium is taken up by the worms. We found that manganese did not appear to be toxic as supplementation did not negatively effect development or fertility. In fact, supplementation at higher levels accelerated development and increased total fertility of wild type worms by 16%. Manganese-supplemented wild type worms were found to be thermotolerant and, under certain conditions, long-lived. In addition, the oxidatively challenged C. elegans strain mev-1's short life span was significantly increased after manganese supplementation. Although manganese appears to be beneficial to C. elegans, the mode of action remains unclear. Manganese may work directly as a free radical scavenger, as it has been postulated to do so in unicellular organisms, or may work indirectly by up regulating several protective factors.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Availability of medical care services in drug treatment clinics associated with lower repeated emergency department use.

BACKGROUND: Drug users rely heavily on emergency departments (EDs) for care. Medical and other services in outpatient drug treatment clinics may reduce demand for ED care. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the association of services in drug treatment clinics with repeated ED use by clinic patients. DESIGN: This study consisted of telephone interviews of directors of a stratified random sample of 125 New York state outpatient drug treatment clinics linked to Medicaid claims for patients with long-term (>or=6 months) treatment at these clinics. PATIENTS: This study comprised a total of 8397 Medicare enrollees in surveyed clinics in 1996 to 1997. MEASUREMENTS: The surveys addressed drug treatment; general medical, HIV, alcohol, and social support services; location of selected services; primary care, HIV specialty, and mental health provider staffing levels; accessibility; and academic affiliation. From Medicaid claims, we defined patient demographic, clinical, and healthcare variables. Logistic regression models examined associations of availability of onsite medical services with repeated (2 or more) ED visits in 1997, adjusted for patient characteristics and patient clustering in clinics. RESULTS: Repeated ED visits occurred in 15% of the cohort and were less likely when medical services were all onsite versus more distant (12.9% vs 16.8%, P<0.001). An interaction showed that onsite medical care was associated with less ED use only in low-volume (<or=1350 visits/wk, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.64 [0.47-0.88]) and moderate volume (1351-2500 visits/wk, AOR 0.79 [0.64-0.97]) clinics. The availability of preventive services and HIV specialists onsite appear to mediate the beneficial effect of onsite medical care. CONCLUSIONS: Greater onsite medical care in low- and moderate-volume drug treatment clinics was associated with less repeated ED use.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Barriers and facilitators to primary care or human immunodeficiency virus clinics providing methadone or buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence.

BACKGROUND: Federal initiatives aim to increase office-based treatment of opioid dependence, but, to our knowledge, factors associated with willingness to deliver this care have not been defined. The objective of this study was to describe clinics' willingness to provide methadone hydrochloride or buprenorphine hydrochloride for opioid dependence. METHODS: The design of the study was a survey conducted in New York State. Two hundred sixty-one directors of primary care and/or human immunodeficiency virus specialty clinics (response rate, 61.1%) that serve Medicaid enrollees were questioned. Outcomes were willingness to provide methadone and buprenorphine. Predictors included clinic characteristics, attitudes about drug users and their treatment, and reported barriers and facilitators to treatment. RESULTS: Clinics were more willing to provide buprenorphine than methadone treatment (59.8% vs 32.6%; P < .001). Clinics offering human immunodeficiency virus specialty care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-3.95) or a safe location to store narcotics (AOR, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.57-5.70) were more willing to prescribe buprenorphine and more willing to provide methadone. Willingness was positively associated with continuing medical education credits for training, but negatively associated with greater concern about medication abuse. Immediate telephone access to an addiction expert was associated with willingness to provide buprenorphine (AOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.15-3.76). Greater willingness to provide methadone was associated with a belief that methadone-treated patients should be seen along with other patients (AOR, 6.20; 95% CI, 1.78-21.64), methadone program affiliation (AOR, 4.76; 95% CI, 1.64-13.82), and having more patients with chronic pain in the clinic (AOR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.44-5.44). CONCLUSIONS: These clinics serving Medicaid enrollees were more receptive to buprenorphine than methadone treatment. Willingness to provide this care was greater in clinics offering human immunodeficiency virus services, treating more chronic pain, or affiliated with methadone programs. Accessible addiction experts and continuing medical education for training may facilitate adoption of this care.

Buprenorphine↗