
Influence of Diagnostic Errors on the Prognosis of Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary EmbolismPulmonary Embolism and Thrombosis3 moreDiagnostic errors have been reported frequently in patient with pulmonary embolism since symptoms are not specific. However, there is only scarce evidence that the delay associated with diagnostic errors may impact patient prognosis. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of diagnostic errors and if they are associated with more severe pulmonary embolism in term of initial presentation and complications.

Young Toe-Brachial Index Assessment
Diabetes MellitusCoronary Artery Disease,1 moreThe Toe-Brachial Index (TBI) that has been using in our laboratory is 0.6, but the average value we measured in normal individuals is about 1.0, furthermore, we can not find out the reference of TBI that is currently being used. The purpose of this study is to determine the more accurate value of TBI and Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI). In this study, all participants will be required to fill out a demographic questionnaire before the blood pressures test. All participants will have their toe, ankle and brachial systolic blood pressure measurements to obtain the TBI and ABI.

Physical,Histological,and Genetic Analyses of Lipid-rich Atherosclerotic Plaques
AtherosclerosisAortic Aneurysm1 moreLipid-rich atherosclerotic plaques, or "vulnerable plaques" are prone to rupture, causing local intravascular thrombosis, with subsequent grave clinical consequences. Atherosclerotic plaques normally removed during surgery, and peripheral blood samples will be studied to achieve the following objectives: "1" Define histological features of the vulnerable plaque, analyze its physical characteristics, and investigate selected gene expression. "2" Study biomarkers of inflammation in conjunction with the presence of vulnerable plaques. "3" Explore the potential role of infection in atherogenesis.

The Burden of Peripheral Artery Occlusion Disease and Associated Factors in Peritoneal Dialysis...
Peripheral Vascular DiseasesThe investigators want to evaluate the burden of peripheral artery occlusion disease in Taiwan peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients by using ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) and toe-brachial pressure index (TBI). Furthermore, the investigators hope to demonstrate the possible casual factors of peripheral artery occlusion disease (PAOD) in PD patients.

Characterization of Slow Coronary Flow
Cardiovascular AbnormalitiesVascular DiseasesDescription of the phenomena "Slow Coronary Flow" (SCF), according to the data that has been collected from patients hospitalized with specific criteria. Clinical follow-up of these patients to determine whether they suffered from any cardial or psychological disorders that might be a result of SCF.

Pulmonary Vasculature and Right Heart Dysfunction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonay Disease
COPDPulmonary Vascular Disorder1 moreThe pulmonary vasculopathy and right heart dysfunction in COPD are drawing increasing attention these days. Recent researches show that pulmonary vasculopathy and right heart dysfunction relate to greater severity in COPD. Applying appropriate modalities for early detection of pulmonary vasculopathy and right heart dysfunction is of great importance. What's more, the interaction mechanism between pulmonary vasculature, right heart and COPD still needs to be further studied. The aim of our study is to develop an assessment system of pulmonary vasculopathy and right heart dysfunction in COPD patients and elucidate their impact on COPD course and outcome.

Ocular Imaging Study Using Advanced OCT
Retinal Vascular DisorderMacular DegenerationThe purpose of this study is to evaluate this AngioScan angiography software on patients with various retinal vascular disorders. The advanced OCT instrument is an FDA approved clinically used camera, but the AngioScan angiography software is not FDA approved. Investigators would like to know if this imaging device and software can improve the quality of images and visualization of imaged tissues and whether they are useful in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. Images collected in this study may be compared to other images collected as part of standard of care on the same patient (OCT, FA, AF, Fundus).

The Role of the Immune and Inflammatory Systems in Hypertension
HypertensionInflammation1 moreTo define the cytokine and cellular immune signature of primary hypertension. Cross sectional clinical/laboratory study.

Functional Diagnostic Accuracy of Quantitative Flow Ratio in Tandem Lesions and Virtual Stenting...
Coronary Artery DiseaseCardiovascular Diseases5 moreQuantitative Flow Ratio (QFR) is a novel method for evaluating the functional significance of coronary stenosis. Virtual stent implantation technique combined with QFR was recently developed to predict the functional significance of coronary stenosis as if the stenosis was revascularized. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of QFR in in tandem lesions with fractional flow reserve (FFR) as the reference standard. The secondary purpose is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of QFR-based virtual stent technique in predicting the FFR values after revascularizing the culprit lesion.

Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Cardiac Performance in Extreme Preterm Infants
Prematurity; ExtremePulmonary vascular disease and cardiac performance in extreme preterm infants: A prospective cross-sectional study