Consensus Guideline of Ablation for Metastatic Liver Tumors by Taiwan Academy of Tumor Ablation.

Metastatic liver tumors (MLTs) are the most common type of malignant liver tumors, primarily because the liver is a frequent target organ for metastasis. Metastatic cancer is generally considered a systemic disease, so the mainstay of treatment should be systemic therapies, including chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy. Currently, it is believed that a multimodal approach, combining local and systemic treatments, can improve tumor control and potentially prolong patient survival.

Tumor-migrating peripheral Foxp3-high regulatory T cells drive poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aims: CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are pivotal in HCC progression. However, systemic depletion of all Tregs risks autoimmunity. Existing subgroup classifications highlight Tregs' phenotypic and functional heterogeneity but lack coherent consensus.

Epac (RAPGEF3) promotes betaglycan expression to mediate ciprofloxacin-induced suppression of cancer cell migration and metastasis: Mechanistic insights and drug repurposing potential.

Fluoroquinolones (FQs), potent antimicrobials, have shown potential in curbing cancer invasion and metastasis by affecting cell migration and extracellular matrix reshaping. However, the molecular mechanisms behind their impact remain unclear. The type III TGF-β receptor (TβR3, also called betaglycan), a co-receptor in the TGF-β superfamily, is often found to be downregulated in various human cancers.

Mechanisms of Complications from Ear Filler Injections: A Cadaver Imaging and Anatomical Study.

Background: Our society's focus on facial beauty has recently expanded to ear beauty, with an increase in related complications. We aimed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying complications associated with ear filler injections by exploring the course of auricular blood vessels through cadaver anatomical and imaging examinations.

Methods: Thirty cadavers underwent arterial perfusion with red latex, and computed tomography was utilized for 3D reconstruction to analyze the relations between arteries, nerves, and lesions in the auricular area.

Combination of Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Provides Better Survival in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Introduction: Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are widely used to treat unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigated the benefits of combining TKI and HAIC in these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with unresectable HCC treated at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between March 2009 and February 2022.

Anti-inflammatory activity of Pogostemon cablin: Bioactive components and their modulation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathway.

Pogostemon cablin is a well-known Lamiaceae plant and widely utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for its neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anxiolytic properties. In this study, 16 known compounds (1-15 and 17) and one semi-synthesized new compound, 5-hydroxy-3-isoprenyloxy-7,3',4'-trimethoxyflavone (16), including flavonoids, pyranones, sesquiterpenes, and benzenoids, were obtained and characterized from aerial parts of P. cablin and investigated for their anti-inflammatory properties through the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in LPS-induced RAW264.

Early fungal colonization and infection as an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients: A nationwide target trial emulation study in Taiwan.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of fungal colonization and infection phenotypes and other prognostic factors on in-hospital mortality among mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients (n = 376) admitted to ICUs during the first wave of the pandemic in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: A target trial emulation framework was used to minimize immortal time bias. Patients were matched 1:1:2 for age and gender and classified into three groups: 94 in the "Early" group (fungal colonization or infection within 10 days), 94 in the "Late" group (10-30 days), and 188 in the "No" group (no fungal colonization or infection within 30 days).

Associations among sleep quality, sleep duration, and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Although sleep disturbances are widely recognized as risk factors for cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD), their influence on AD biomarkers remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify whether sleep quality or sleep duration affect amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau levels in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and positron emission tomography (PET) in non-demented populations.

Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were systematically searched up to February 2025.

Acute Unilateral Vestibular Disease Induced by Ear Hyaluronic Acid injection.

Recently, with the increasing number of injections in the lying ear, various complications have emerged. We present a case report of vestibular dysfunction in a 39-year-old woman following hyaluronic acid injection into the ear, a relatively uncommon complication associated with this procedure. The patient exhibited symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, tongue hemiplegia, nystagmus, and gait instability immediately after the injection at the cranioauricular sulcus.

"Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography Angiography for Safer Filler Injections in Lying Ear Corrections: Identifying Key Vascular Structures".

Background: Concerns exist regarding potential complications associated with injectable cosmetic treatments for lying ear correction. This study aimed to examine the blood vessel distribution patterns in the ear and face related to ear filler procedures and surgeries by using three-dimensional computed tomography angiography of cadaveric head specimens.

Methods: In total, 50 high-resolution images of the lateral aspects of the specimens were captured.

Regulation of Exosomal miR-320d/FAM49B Axis by Guanylate Binding Protein 5 Promotes Cell Growth and Tumor Progression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Guanylate binding protein 5 (GBP5) and exosomal miRNAs are involved in tumor progression. While several studies reveal the connection between GBP5 and exosomes for immune response and infection, this relationship in cancer, particularly in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), remains unexplored.

Methods: The exosomal miRNA extracted from the cells was analyzed using next-generation sequencing.

Aglaia elliptifolia Leaf Extract Inhibits Autophagy-Related 4B Protease and Suppresses Malignancies of Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Autophagy is a self-eating pathway for maintaining normal cellular physiology, while dysregulation of autophagy is associated with cancer progression. Autophagy-related 4B gene (ATG4B) is a cysteine protease to regulate autophagosome formation and is positively correlated with poor prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. An increasing number of reports have implied that ATG4B might be an attractive drug target for CRC.

Synthesis of Polysubstituted Vinyl Sulfones by Direct C-S Cross-Coupling.

Vinyl sulfones are valued for their unique chemical properties and bioactivity, but creating a wide range of different analogs remains a challenge. To address this limitation, we have developed a novel approach that facilitates the synthesis of polysubstituted vinyl sulfones. This method utilizes the dual functionality of NIS as a promoter that enables sulfonation and elimination in the synthesis of vinyl sulfones.

Inhibition of Small Extracellular Vesicles by GW4869 Does not Disrupt the Paracrine Regulation of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Over Keloid Fibroblasts.

Background: Keloid, scar caused by atypical wound repair, represents a significant difficulty for specialists in plastic surgery and dermatology. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can regulate fibrotic phenotypes of keloid fibroblasts (KFs) in a paracrine fashion, but whether small extracellular vesicles (SEVs) are the key functional carrier in ADSC paracrine regulation of KFs remains unknown. This study aims to explore whether the regulatory effects of conditioned medium (CM) obtained from ADSCs on KFs can be impaired by decreased SEV content in the ADSC-CM.

Comparing Lenvatinib/Pembrolizumab with Atezolizumab/Bevacizumab in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Real-World Experience with Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Background: The combination of anti-angiogenic therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized the management of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). While an early-phase study demonstrated promising outcomes for lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab (L+P) in treating uHCC, the LEAP-002 trial did not meet its primary endpoint. However, the comparative efficacy between L+P and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (A+B) as first-line treatment remains a topic of uncertainty.

Locoregional treatment improves overall survival for liver cancer during second-line regorafenib or immune checkpoint inhibitor.

For advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the best second-line treatment after first-line treatment with sorafenib is unclear. This study aimed to compared the efficacy of second-line regorafenib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with advanced HCC after sorafenib therapy. This retrospective study included 89 patients with HCC treated with sorafenib, and then regorafenib (n = 58) or an ICI (n = 31).

Concurrent Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab and High-Dose External Beam Radiotherapy for Highly Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (atezo-bev) has been recommended for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). High-dose external beam radiotherapy (RT) is recognized for its excellent local tumor control. The efficacy and safety of concurrent atezo-bev with RT for highly advanced HCC has been minimally explored.

Iodide-umpolung catalytic system for non-traditional amide coupling from nitroalkanes and amines.

An -iodosuccinimide (NIS) catalyst was developed for use in the non-traditional synthesis of amide derivatives from nitroalkanes and amines. In contrast to traditional oxidative catalysis, this catalytic system involves reversing the polarities of two catalytic components (umpolung) by means of a hypervalent iodine reagent. A variety of functional groups were tolerated in the reaction, suggesting that they have the potential for use in other types of oxidative catalytic reactions.

Fluoroquinolones upregulate insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3, inhibit cell growth and insulin-like growth factor signaling.

Fluoroquinolones (FQs), commonly known for their antibiotic properties, exhibit additional pharmacological potential with anti-proliferative effects on various malignant cell types and immunomodulatory responses. Despite these observed effects, the precise mechanisms of action remain elusive. This study elucidates the biological impact of FQs on insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) productions in a p53-dependent manner.

Subsequent locoregional therapy prolongs survival in progressive hepatocellular carcinoma patients under lenvatinib treatment.

Background: Locoregional therapy and multi-kinase inhibitor agent have been the backbone of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the effect of combination or sequential use of locoregional therapy on HCC patients receiving multi-kinase inhibitor remain uncertain. Therefore, we aim to explore whether the subsequent locoregional therapy provides better survival in HCC patients under lenvatinib treatment.