Utilizing a three-dimensional printed additional nebulization chamber for colistin nebulization with a large diluent volume through a vibrating mesh nebulizer: proof of concept.

Introduction: The volume of colistimethate sodium (CMS) that can be administered in a single application using a vibrating mesh nebulizer (VMN) is related to the capacity of the nebulization chamber. This study designed and tested a nebulization chamber and assessed the effects of the diluent volume on colistin nebulization.

Methods: A bench study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the nebulization chamber.

Leveraging the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) in rapid response teams to predict and prevent ICU readmissions.

Purpose: Enhancing ICU Readmission Prediction and Prevention: Integrating the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) with Rapid Response Teams. This study evaluates the effectiveness of integrating the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) with Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to predict and prevent ICU readmissions.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted to assess adult ICU patients readmitted within 48 h post-transfer to general wards.

Healthcare environments in pulmonary rehabilitation units: Effective -infection control through integration of long-term antimicrobial materials.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Effective infection control in pulmonary rehabilitation units is essential but remains insufficiently studied. This study investigated bacterial contamination, the distribution of species, and the effectiveness of antimicrobial strategies in a pulmonary rehabilitation center.

Comparative analysis of prognostic assessment in hospitalized heart failure patients: a comprehensive evaluation of KDIGO and WRF classifications.

Introduction: The definition of acute kidney dysfunction in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) remains unclear. This study aimed to compare two sets of criteria for acute kidney injury (AKI), namely, the kidney disease: improving global outcomes (KDIGO) and worsening renal function (WRF) classification, in hospitalized patients with ADHF.

Methods: We utilized a multi-institutional database with 17,684 cases of hospitalizations for HF.

Novel MSH6 exon 5-6 skipping variant in a Taiwanese family with Lynch syndrome: implications for genetic testing and cancer management.

Lynch syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder predisposing individuals to colorectal and other cancers, primarily caused by variants in mismatch repair genes. This study describes a novel MSH6 variant affecting transcript structure in a Taiwanese family meeting the Amsterdam II criteria for Lynch syndrome. A 67-year-old male presented with jejunal adenocarcinoma and a strong family history of colorectal cancer.

Bacterial Colonization of Silver-Additive Ventilator Circuit in Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Mechanical ventilation is a significant risk factor for developing ventilator-associated pneumonia. Although silver-coated endotracheal tubes have been shown to reduce the bacterial burden, the efficacy of silver-based ion additive ventilator circuits in reducing bacterial colonization remains unclear.

Methods: This single-site, randomized controlled trial compared the incidence of bacterial contamination between a silver-additive ventilator circuit and a ventilator circuit that did not have a silver additive.

The Genetic Expression Difference of A2058 Cells Treated by Plasma Direct Exposure and Plasma-Treated Medium and the Appropriate Treatment Strategy.

: Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has been demonstrated as an adjustable device to generate various combinations of short-lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and as a promising appliance for cancer therapy. This study investigated the effects of direct and indirect treatments of Argon-based CAP to cancer cells (A2058, A549, U2OS and BCC) and fibroblasts (NIH3T3 and L929) on cell viability. We also aimed to understand whether plasma-generated RONS were involved in this process using genetic evidence.

Association between cytokines and progression-free survival in ovarian cancer following CRS/HIPEC treatment.

Background: The benefit of cytoreduction with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains uncertain. This study investigated the relationship between serum cytokines, particularly monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a key inflammatory mediator, and recurrence risk in EOC patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC.

Methods: From January 2018 to January 2023, serum cytokine levels were analyzed in 34 EOC patients (17 primary, 17 recurrent) before and after CRS/HIPEC using MILLIPLEX Magnetic Bead Panels.

A prospective pilot study of kidney-specific biomarkers to detect acute kidney injury after cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical morbidity after cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC).

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the use of kidney-specific biomarkers to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of post-HIPEC AKI.

Methods: Patients who received CRS/HIPEC were prospectively enrolled in this study.

Long-Term Statin Use Is Associated With Reduced Rates of Adverse Events in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: The effectiveness of statin use in preventing adverse cardiovascular events in individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF) has remained uncertain. This study aimed to assess whether statin use could lead to better outcomes among individuals with AF.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 397 787 patients with AF from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2020.

A Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) Score Greater than 1 and Shortened Ampicillin Use Predict Death and One-Year Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with Non-Perinatal Invasive Listeriosis: A Retrospective Analysis of 118 Consecutive Cases.

causes listeriosis, a serious foodborne illness with a high mortality rate, especially in vulnerable populations. It accounts for 19% of foodborne deaths, with invasive cases having a mortality rate of up to 44%, leading to conditions like meningitis, bacteremia, and meningoencephalitis. However, the prognostic factors remain unclear.

The role of maintaining lower LDL-C level during statin treatment for advanced CKD patients.

Background And Aims: Different from other high cardiovascular (CV) risks populations, the evidence supporting the CV protective effect of LDL-C reduction with statins in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is comparatively scarce. This study is aimed to investigate the role of maintaining lower LDL-C level in advanced CKD patients.

Methods: By using Chang Gung Research Database, on the basis of Taiwan's largest healthcare group, a total of 5367 adult patients newly-diagnosed with stage 4 CKD and receiving statin were extracted and further categorized into three groups based on their LDL-C levels: <70 mg/dL, 70-100 mg/dL, and ≥100 mg/dL.

Helmet Ventilation in a Child with COVID-19 and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Background: In pediatric patients with severe COVID-19, if the respiratory support provided using high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) becomes insufficient, no definitive evidence exists to support the escalation to noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or mechanical ventilation (MV). . A 9-year-old boy being treated with face mask-delivered biphasic positive airway pressure ventilation developed fever, tachypnea, and frequent desaturation.

PPAR-γ agonist pioglitazone and the risks of malignancy among type2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Aims: PPAR-gamma shows promise in inhibiting malignancy cell progression. However, pioglitazone, the sole current PPAR-gamma agonist, was reported to have risks of bladder cancer in previous clinical researches. This study is aimed to assess the influence of pioglitazone on the development of tumors.

Prognostic factors of early recurrence after complete cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Although cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) offer the potential for long-term survival in peritoneal carcinomatosis, outcomes following CRS/HIPEC vary significantly.

Aim: To identify the clinical factors associated with progression-free survival (PFS) after complete CRS/HIPEC in patients with colorectal/high-grade appendiceal, ovarian, and gastric cancers.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the risk of recurrence within 1 year after CRS/HIPEC and its impact on overall survival (OS) in patients recruited between 2015 and 2020.

Double-bundle ACL combined with ALL reconstruction for patients at high risk of ACL failure: clinical and radiological results.

Background: We investigated whether double-bundle (DB) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) combined with anterolateral ligament reconstruction (ALLR) improved clinical and radiological outcomes in patients at high risk of ACL failure. The primary outcome was graft failure, and secondary outcomes included knee stability and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Patients And Methods: Fifty-two patients who underwent DB ACLR combined with ALLR were included in this retrospective cohort study.

Invasive Listeriosis in End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) Patients Receiving Long-Term Dialysis: A 21-Year Case Series.

Background: Listeriosis is caused by the facultative anaerobic bacterium . Infection from -contaminated food or water is the main etiology. If travels outside the intestines, it can cause invasive listeriosis, such as sepsis, meningitis, and meningoencephalitis.

Performance of Microsoft Azure Kinect DK as a tool for estimating human body segment lengths.

The Microsoft Kinect depth sensor, with its built-in software that automatically captures joint coordinates without markers, could be a potential tool for ergonomic studies. This study investigates the performance of Kinect in limb segment lengths using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as a reference. Healthy children and adults (n = 76) were recruited for limb length measurements by Kinect and DXA.

An optimized ligation-mediated PCR method for chromosome walking and fusion gene chromosomal breakpoints identification.

Molecular techniques that recover unknown sequences next to a known sequence region have been widely applied in various molecular studies, such as chromosome walking, identification of the insertion site of transposon mutagenesis, fusion gene partner, and chromosomal breakpoints, as well as targeted sequencing library preparation. Although various techniques have been introduced for efficiency enhancement, searching for relevant single molecular event present in a large-sized genome remains challenging. Here, the optimized ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed and successfully identified chromosomal breakpoints far away from the exon of the new exon junction without the need for nested PCR.

Fibrate and the risk of cardiovascular disease among moderate chronic kidney disease patients with primary hypertriglyceridemia.

Introduction: Hypertriglyceridemia is the most prevalent dyslipidemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, research about fibrate treatment in CKD patients is limited, and assessing its benefits becomes challenging due to the frequent concurrent use of statins. Thus, this study is aimed to investigate the role of fibrate in CKD stage 3 patients with hypertriglyceridemia who did not receive other lipid-lowering agents.

Can Concurrent Fibrate Use Reduce Cardiovascular Risks among Moderate Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Undergoing Statin Therapy? A Cohort Study.

The role of fibrates in treating hypertriglyceridemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been insufficiently investigated. Since statin is considered the first-line treatment for dyslipidemia in CKD patients, this study aims to evaluate the role of concurrent fibrate therapy with statins among moderate CKD patients. We recruited CKD3 patients from the Chang Gung Research Database who were receiving statin treatment but had not previously been administered ezetimibe or niacin.