NHI covers new treatment for debilitating skin condition

NHI covers new treatment for debilitating skin condition

2024-07-31

A drug for a disabling skin disease is now covered by national health insurance. The National Health Administration announced that as of July 1, it’s subsidized a new biologic treatment for generalized pustular psoriasis. The condition causes episodes of painful, pus-filled bumps on the skin. More than 70% of patients experience three or more serious flares every two years. More than 40% of patients end up in the hospital for more than 10 days during an episode. For many patients, the disorder can drastically affect quality of life.

Ms. Chen
Patient
It starts with small pustules that turn into very large pustules. And you’re afraid that they’ll burst. Sometimes I would play with the pustules. I found that I could move them around. My ankles were covered with them. Anytime I stood up, my feet would go numb. I couldn’t bring myself to look in a mirror.

Huang Yu-huei
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital physician
When it comes to treatments for generalized pustular psoriasis, evidence of effectiveness is often inadequate. At present, only this new biologic treatment is supported by enough clinical data.

Shih Chung-liang
NHI director-general
Since July 1, we have covered this monoclonal antibody against the IL-36 receptor. Patients with the condition urgently need this treatment, because they have very few other options.

The insurance coverage will benefit hundreds of patients with generalized pustular psoriasis [so-RAI-a-sis], easing the heavy financial cost of treatment.

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全身膿疱型乾癬感染恐致死! 健保署給付專用製劑

2024-07-31

皮膚病也可能重症住院？據統計，超過7成以上的全身型膿疱性乾癬病友，兩年內平均有3次以上重度發作，或皮膚病灶10個手掌大；更有4成以上患者，發作時住院超過10天。健保署宣布7月1號起，給付全身型膿疱性乾癬專用生物製劑，造福全台上百名患者。

[[病友陳小姐]]
“他從小膿疱變成很大片的膿疱，然後妳又怕它破掉，我那時候還會玩那個膿疱，發現膿疱還會跑來跑去，腳踝全部都是滿滿的膿疱，我只要腳著地就會麻痛，然後我也不敢照鏡子”

[[長庚醫院皮膚部主治醫師黃毓惠]]
“針對全身膿疱型乾癬，目前來講很多證據都不足，大概就只有這個新型的生物製劑，因為它是真的透過臨床的試驗，案例也比較足夠”

[[健保署長石崇良]]
“我們七月一號所納入健保的，是特別對IL-36這個，基因型的單株抗體，這類病人非常迫切需要的，因為他們的選擇性比較少”

面對台灣上百位病友，長期下來飽受的身心煎熬，如今有方法紓解沉重經濟負擔，對患者生活可說是一線曙光。

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Taiwan returns bodies of Chinese fishermen in Feb. 14 incident

Taiwan has returned the bodies of two Chinese fishermen killed in a capsizing incident earlier this year. The two men drowned on Feb. 14, after a collision with a Taiwanese Coast Guard vessel. Following months of negotiations, Taiwan and China announced a settlement deal on Tuesday. Taiwan agreed to return the victims’ bodies and their detained vessel, and pay each of their families NT$6.8 million.

Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin and other officials stand on a pier in Kinmen, as a ship departs for China with the bodies of two deceased Chinese fishermen and their seized vessel.

On Feb. 14, a Chinese fishing boat capsized, killing two crew members. One hundred and sixty-six days and 16 rounds of negotiations later, China and Taiwan have finally reached a settlement. At a memorial service on Tuesday, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh bowed in respect to the victims. Coast Guard Administration Director-General Chang Chung-lung apologized for the lack of video evidence in the case.

Chang Chung-lung (July 30)
Coast Guard Administration director-general
The Coast Guard Administration would once again like to offer a public apology for the suffering of the families of the victims.

Lee Chaohui (July 30)
Quanzhou City Taiwan Affairs Office deputy director
We hope the relevant authorities in Taiwan will shed light on the incident and ensure that such malicious incidents do not occur again.

Hsieh Ching-chin (July 30)
Coast Guard Administration deputy director-general
We have entrusted a neutral third party to conduct an investigation. This was purely a law enforcement incident.

Sources say that during the settlement talks, one sticking point was the matter of apologies and “saving face.” Initially, both sides of the strait refused to relent, resulting in a stalemate. Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling played a key role in resolving the impasse. She helped to soften Taiwan’s stance from an assertion of sovereignty and a defense of law enforcement operations, to a position based on humanitarianism and respect for the deceased.

Chiu Chui-cheng (July 30)
Mainland Affairs Council minister
The negotiations between the two parties and the consensus reached today provide positive and substantial help to the progress of judicial procedures.

According to Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the settlement talks were, quote, between the two parties involved. Some observers speculated that this could become the new format for cross-strait communication. In response, Chen Binhua from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that cross-strait negotiations may only resume on the basis of the so-called “1992 Consensus.”

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2024-07-31

AI to contribute NT$3.2 trillion to Taiwan’s economy by 2030: Google

Generative AI has become an indispensable tool in many people’s lives. From summarizing text to drafting emails, the technology can be harnessed in countless ways. According to the U.S. tech giant Google, AI has tremendous potential in Taiwan, with output value set to hit NT$3.2 trillion by 2030.

Product marketing
Tap here and you can easily turn that data into key points.

Upload a data table and in just one second, the AI model produces more than 1,000 words of analysis and key points. The AI era is here, with applications to be found in every aspect of daily life.

Product marketing manager
You can give it an outline for an email you want to write.

The AI technology, known as large language models, may soon be on everyone’s computer and smartphone.

Yeh Wei-hsiang
FTV reporter
In the past, it might have taken several hours to go through more than 1,000 pages of documents at the office. But using a large language model, you can gather the key points in less than a second.

Not only is Google developing AI features, ChatGPT creator OpenAI has just dropped SearchGPT. This AI-powered search engine can summarize key points, write short texts, and give direct answers to user queries, all in the blink of an eye. Generative AI is now major driver for the economy. According to Google, its data centers contribute more than US$4.9 billion a year to Taiwan’s GDP. That’s about NT$161 billion. But amid the industry’s rapid growth, professionals are hard to find.

Tina Lin
Google Taiwan
The falling birth rate has caused a severe drop in enrollment at schools. Currently we are proactively working with the National Development Council, which recently announced that Taiwan issued its 10,000th Employment Gold Card. We hope to continue attracting more world-class talent to Taiwan.

Leading firms are recruiting high-tech talent in Taiwan and abroad. Google says AI has tremendous growth potential in Taiwan, with output value set to reach NT$3.2 trillion by 2030.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-07-31

Folding smartphones with a second outer screen are more and more common

When was the last time you used a folding phone? Smartphones that can fold and have a second outer screen are more and more common. Most of the big smartphone companies have released a folding phone. The one conspicuous exception is Apple. Many people still find the idea of a folding phone unappealing, maybe because it reminds them of the flip phones of the 2000s. But the new generation of folding phones are a different kettle of fish. Let’s take a look at some of the new folding phones and the state of this growing market.

More and more phone brands are offering folding models. No need to open the phone to view this 4.01-inch outer screen, on which you can read messages, reply using a full keyboard, make phone calls or watch YouTube videos.

They’re also convenient for taking selfies. This 50 megapixel Leica lens easily handles backlighting and dark environments.

Wang Lu-hsuen
Phone brand product manager
The outer screen and the inner screen have the same resolution, 1.5K. They have the same 3000 nit peak brightness. When you try them out, you don’t find the outer screen to be lacking in resolution or brightness.

Kisplay
Electronics expert
The biggest problem with folding phones is their bulkiness. If they could be thinner and lighter, consumers would definitely be more open to them. And small-sized folding phones are actually already growing quite fast in Taiwan.

Another brand shows off a different selling point: a folding phone can easily turn into an automatic translator, with each screen giving translations in a separate language. Global sales of folding phones set a six-quarter high this quarter, and all the big brands want in on the act.

The Motorola folding phone has a 4-inch outer screen. Its axle has been tested to withstand 600,000 opens. The Xiaomi international flip phone has made its debut in Taiwan, with an outer screen of 4.1 inches. Its USP is that you can use apps without needing to open the phone. Samsung has already released many generations of folding phones, and is incorporating more apps and functions, the most exciting of which is that two-sided translator. But what about Apple?

Liao A-hui
Electronics expert
Apple tends to be a late starter. They usually wait until a product is more mature or there are more applications, before they launch it. It’s possible that we’ll first see a folding tablet or a folding computer from Apple. I think they won’t get going with the phones so fast.

Apple launches its iPhone 16 range in September, but it doesn’t include a folding phone. Recent reports have suggested that a folding phone is in development at Apple, but it won’t see the light of day until 2026 at the earliest. Apple addicts are already on the edge of their seats.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-07-31

Four private universities to shutter on Thursday

Four private universities will close for good on Thursday due to low enrollment and financial insolvency. The closures will affect 898 students, who will be transferred to other schools. In addition, 400 faculty members will be out of work. Businesses near the campuses say they worry for the future, as students made up the lion’s share of their business.

These shops near campus are all shuttered up. Signs for student accommodation have faded in the sun. Tungfang Design University is about to become history, and nearby businesses are struggling.

Shopkeeper
I’m worried, of course I am. Without people, we don’t have any business. All the shops on this street are lamenting about this. What are we going to do without customers? We rely on students. All the shops here are dependent on students.

Shopkeeper
There’s a big difference around midday. There are no students, so there are no customers.

Amid Taiwan’s falling birth rate, many universities have struggled to enroll students and secure funding. Four of them – Mingdao University in Changhua, TransWorld Univeristy in Yunlin, Tatung Institute of Technology in Chiayi, and Tungfang Design University in Kaohsiung – are scheduled to close on Thursday. The four schools’ 898 students will be transferred to other institutions. Their 458 faculty members face retirement or layoffs.

Member of faculty
TransWorld University
Some are sad. Others think that it’s time to let go and look for another job.

Lee Ming-yueh
Yunlin County Government
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has expressed interest in taking over the administration of TransWorld University. Now we’re waiting for a decision from the Executive Yuan’s committee on the matter. We will respect any decision from the Ministry of Education and the Executive Yuan.

Outside TransWorld University, a screen reads “We’re graduating! Goodbye!” And with that, another school signs off before fading from Taiwan’s education landscape.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-07-31

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13 tech breakthroughs showcased at Tainan exhibition

Thirteen tech innovations were displayed on Tuesday at the Southern Taiwan Innovation and Research Park in Tainan. Organized by the economics ministry, the exhibition drew a packed crowd. The ministry hopes to showcase how technology can improve production efficiency and take Tainan closer to a net-zero future. Local businesses shared how the technologies helped them digitalize operations or move closer to sustainability goals.

The economics ministry held an exhibition in Tainan, where local businesses shared their transformation journeys. On display were 13 technological advancements.

Over the last three years, the economics ministry has supported more than 400 Tainan enterprises with technological upgrading, generating nearly NT$15 billion in output value. The results were clear at Tuesday’s exhibition.

Chiou Chyou-huey
MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology director-general
On display are 13 technologies, demonstration technologies. They include technologies for carbon reduction, as well as for digital transformation. There are many technologies related to semiconductor technology development.

Ministry-affiliated research units – such as the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Metal Industries Research and Development Centre, Food Industry and Development Institute – have helped drive the net-zero and digital transformation of Tainan’s small and medium-sized enterprises and traditional industries.

Shen Mu-lin
Metal works company head
The R&D engineers from ITRI helped to cover shortfalls in our own capabilities. This was of tremendous help to us and accelerated our R&D.

As the world seeks to digitalize and go net zero, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and carbon reduction have become key to industrial transformation. The economics ministry says it’s deeply committed to Tainan’s industrial development, and has made proactive investments to develop local technological advancements. Through the exhibition, it hopes to showcase how technology can improve production efficiency and take Tainan closer to a net-zero future.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-07-31

NTU researchers discover core mechanism of essential tremor

Essential tremor is a common neurological condition that causes involuntary shaking. Despite its prevalence, the physiological process that causes the condition has puzzled scientists -- until now. Taiwanese researchers have discovered that the cerebellum in the brain calculates the frequency of essential tremors. This discovery could pave the way for potential treatments. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has more.

Essential tremor is a disorder that causes involuntary shaking. A team led by National Taiwan University has discovered that the cerebellum calculates the frequency of the shaking.

Pan Ming-kai
NTU Associate Professor of Pharmacology
We are focused on a disease called essential tremor, which is the most prevalent motor disease in humans. People don’t know how it comes. Specifically when you are shaking your hand, there is a specific frequency. For example, you shake your hand four times a second. It means 4 Hz. We don’t know how the brain calculates it. This study actually solves this problem to understand that first of all, it comes from the cerebellum. The cerebellum calculates this frequency. Second of all, we know how the neurons do this. It usually uses a very elegant way where thousands and thousands of neurons to calculate one thing so it will be very precise.

The team experimented with transcranial alternating current stimulation and found that it improved tremor symptoms in mice. Transcranial stimulation may have the potential to treat patients in the future.

Pan Ming-kai
NTU Associate Professor of Pharmacology
The third thing is that because we know how the cerebellum calculates the frequency. We can actally cancel the frequency using a technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation. It initiates a revolution because for the first time, we start to know how our biology, how nerve system do calculations, do math. This is actually not just for essential tremors. It is just a specific case. We actually know how the neurons calculate your movments and motions. So by knowing this, we can cure all the other types of motor disease.

Essential tremor occurs in about 4% of all adults, and about 20% of the elderly population. However, the cause is unknown.

Pan Ming-kai
NTU Associate Professor of Pharmacology
Because there are so many tremor patients, but each of them can have different causes. In precision medicine, in current therapy, you need thousands of different treatments to cure a single patient because you don’t know which cause it is. If we know where the frequency comes from, you can cancel the frequency to cure all these types of patients with one mechanism. This has already passed the animal testing and validating in humans. We are starting to do human trials.

The team’s research was published in the international journal “Science Translational Medicine” in May.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-07-31

A peek inside the eccentric office amenities of two DPP lawmakers

Have you ever visited your local lawmaker’s office? Lawmakers often make their office space very personal, with some hints of their personality and political aims. Today we peer inside the eccentric office amenities of two DPP lawmakers. Ariel Chang has a tiny playground in her office, to make life easier for visiting children and caretakers. Meanwhile, there’s a selection of coffee beans to rival the finest coffee shop at the office of Asenay Daliyalrep.

A political aide demonstrates how to use the flying rings. A DPP lawmaker cleared out some space in her office to create this mini kids’ playground.

Ariel Chang
DPP lawmaker
In a normal office, there’s no space for kids to run around. If they’re getting restless, their parents start feeling tense. They might not be able to explain issues well. So that’s why I wanted this space where kids can read books and play. Some children might have ideas they want to share, and in a relaxed environment, while playing, they will be able to share those ideas.

Before taking office, Ariel Chang was secretary-general of an NGO called “Taiwan Parks and Playgrounds For Children By Children.” She’s made the best possible use of this limited space to welcome families in, and serve voters who come to the office. Alongside the exercise equipment, there are children’s picture books and other toys.

Ariel Chang
DPP lawmaker
The pictures in here are different from the usual style, so children quite like flicking through this one. Everyone can play with this, but people think this one is very beautiful. It’s a child’s artwork. Before, a child put them together flat in the shape of a fox. You can let kids create their own art.

This little playground is small but perfectly formed. Chang says there’s more in the kitty to buy extra toys. Meanwhile, at the office of DPP lawmaker Asenay Daliyalrep, the legislator has inherited a bar top from her predecessor Alex Tsai. She’s converted it into a coffee bar: the perfect space to welcome guests into.

Asenay Daliyalrep
DPP lawmaker
When we have meetings, we need to brew coffee for everyone. See how many kettles we have! I bought these with my own money for everyone to use. And this too, because lots of guests need disinfectant.

Inside the cupboard is a panoply of brewing paraphernalia, as well as various different flavors of coffee. When visitors come over from the Executive Yuan, they can sort out important matters over a relaxing cup.

Asenay Daliyalrep
DPP lawmaker
We have more types of coffee beans here than you’d get in most cafés. We’re arguing back and forth every day in the Legislative Yuan, and sometimes people get very stressed. So I welcome everyone I know in parliament and in different departments to come here. And you can drink however much you like, always.

Legislators are often leaders in another field before taking office, and when they build up their parliamentary base, their space reflects their life experience. It can improve the quality of lawmaking, but also provide a window into their personality.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-07-31