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).

Optimizing treatment of the novel intra-oral negative pressure for obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Objectives: Intra-oral negative pressure therapy (OPT) for obstructive apnea delivers a negative pressure into the oral cavity to increase the upper airway patency and has been shown as an effective CPAP alternative treatment. Rather than one-size-fits-all pressure, it is believed that individualized titration of the negative pressure is needed to achieve the optimal treatment effectiveness. This study aims to evaluate the outcome of OPT after the pressure titration process.

Expiratory Velopharyngeal Obstruction: Sleep Endoscopy-Guided Treatment Strategies to Prevent Oral Breathing During Sleep.

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent disorder, with oral breathing influencing its severity. Expiratory velopharyngeal obstruction (EVO), observed during drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE), may contribute to oral breathing in OSA patients. EVO results in obstruction between the pharynx and nasal cavity during expiration.

Potential Treatments for Epiglottic Collapse in Obstructive Sleep Apnea: How Modified Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy Help?

Objective: In patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), epiglottic collapse (EC) constitutes a major factor in the failure of continuous positive airway pressure therapy and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. This study explored treatments that can improve EC in patients with OSA through drug-induced sleep endoscopy with target-controlled infusion (TCI-DISE).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

SABA prescriptions and asthma management practices in patients treated by specialists in Taiwan: Results from the SABINA III study.

Purpose: Limited data exist on asthma medication patterns in Taiwan. The objectives of the SABINA III cross-sectional study in Taiwan were thus, to describe patient demographics and clinical features and estimate short-acting β-agonist (SABA) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) prescriptions per patient.

Methods: Patients (≥18 years) with asthma were classified by investigator-defined asthma severity per the 2017 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) recommendations.

Participation of lipopolysaccharide in hyperplasic adipose expansion: Involvement of NADPH oxidase/ROS/p42/p44 MAPK-dependent Cyclooxygenase-2.

Obesity is a world-wide problem, especially the child obesity, with the complication of various metabolic diseases. Child obesity can be developed as early as the age between 2 and 6. The expansion of fat mass in child age includes both hyperplasia and hypertrophy of adipose tissue, suggesting the importance of proliferation and adipogenesis of preadipocytes.

Comparison of Hospital-Based and Home-Based Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Severity Measurements with a Single-Lead Electrocardiogram Patch.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a global health concern, and polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for assessing OSA severity. However, the sleep parameters of home-based and in-laboratory PSG vary because of environmental factors, and the magnitude of these discrepancies remains unclear. We enrolled 125 Taiwanese patients who underwent PSG while wearing a single-lead electrocardiogram patch (RootiRx).

Novel Intraoral Negative Airway Pressure in Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy with Target-Controlled Infusion.

Background: In intermittent negative airway pressure (iNAP) therapy, soft tissues are reshaped into a forward-resting position, thus reducing airway obstruction during sleep. This study investigated the effect of iNAP therapy that was administered during drug-induced sleep endoscopy with target-controlled infusion (TCI-DISE) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) intolerant of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Methods: This prospective case series study included 92 patients with polysomnography (PSG)-confirmed OSA who underwent TCI-DISE with iNAP from January 2018 to February 2020 at a tertiary referral hospital.

Post-Operative Sleep Endoscopy with Target-Controlled Infusion After Palatopharyngoplasty for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Anatomical and Polysomnographic Outcomes.

Introduction: The findings of drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) are not always correlated with the outcome of upper airway surgery for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and whether multilevel surgery is truly required in treating multilevel obstruction identified in preoperative DISE remains an issue. We attempted to compare DISE findings before and after palatopharyngoplasty in patients with OSA because changes in DISE may be beneficial to better understand polysomnographic and anatomical outcomes.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study for 34 patients with moderate to severe OSA who underwent palatopharyngoplasty at a tertiary care center from 2016 to 2018.

Evaluation of efficacy and safety of intraoral negative air pressure device in adults with obstructive sleep apnea in Taiwan.

Objective: Through this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the intraoral negative air pressure device (iNAP) in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Taiwan.

Design: Crossover and evaluator-blind, self-control design.

Setting: Academic medical center.

Screening of obstructive sleep apnea in patients who snore using a patch-type device with electrocardiogram and 3-axis accelerometer.

Study Objectives: People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remain undiagnosed because of the lack of easy and comfortable screening tools. Through this study, we aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of chest wall motion and cyclic variation of heart rate (CVHR) in detecting OSA by using a single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) patch with a 3-axis accelerometer.

Methods: In total, 119 patients who snore simultaneously underwent polysomnography with a single-lead ECG patch.

Factors associated with improvement in symptoms and quality of life for first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment in patients with -mutated non-small-cell lung cancer - A multicenter prospective SMILE study.

: Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are a standard first-line treatment for advanced -mutated NSCLC patients. Factors associated with symptoms and quality of life (QOL) improvements have not been investigated. : We conducted a multicenter, prospective study to evaluate improvements in QOL and symptoms in NSCLC patients treated with first-line EGFR-TKIs.

Alcohol Consumption as a Moderator of Anxiety and Sleep Quality.

Background: Although people who sleep poorly may attempt to relieve anxiety for better sleep quality, whether daily alcohol consumption is a factor that moderates anxiety and sleep disturbance is not known.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore (a) the association between anxiety and sleep quality and (b) whether daily alcohol consumption acted as a moderator between anxiety and sleep quality in those who reported sleeping poorly.

Methods: Eighty-four participants aged 20-80 years who reported poor sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index > 5) in northern Taiwan were enrolled in this cross-sectional study.

Participation of NADPH Oxidase-Related Reactive Oxygen Species in Leptin-Promoted Pulmonary Inflammation: Regulation of cPLA2α and COX-2 Expression.

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic problem and correlates to varieties of acute or chronic lung diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. An increase of leptin, a kind of adipokine, in lean mice plasma has been found to impair immune responses and facilitate the infection of , resulting in increased pneumonia severity. Also, a higher leptin level is found in exhaled breath condensates of obese or asthmatic subjects, compared to healthy ones, suggesting that leptin is involved in the occurrence or exacerbation of lung injury.

Lipopolysaccharide promoted proliferation and adipogenesis of preadipocytes through JAK/STAT and AMPK-regulated cPLA2 expression.

The proliferation and adipogenesis of preadipocytes played important roles in the development of adipose tissue and contributed much to the processes of obesity. On the other hand, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also known as endotoxin, is a key outer membrane component of gram-negative bacteria in the gut microbiota, and has a dominant role in linking inflammation to high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome. Studies suggested the potential roles of LPS in hepatic steatosis and in obese mice models.

Sleep medicine in Taiwan.

The sleep medicine is a young medical science in Taiwan. It began from less than 10 sleep beds 20 years ago in four hospitals all over Taiwan. By the organization of sleep team in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and the initiation of Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine, sleep medicine becomes a popular medicine in the past decades.

The role of lateral pharyngoplasty in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Recent studies have shown that lateral pharyngoplasty is an effective procedure to correct obstructive sleep apnea. The objective of the paper was to evaluate factors contributing to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and identify the different severity categories of obstructive sleep apnea that could benefit from lateral pharyngoplasty. We included 60 patients undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty with or without lateral pharyngoplasty from December 1, 2008 to May 31, 2012.

Can pillar suturing promote efficacy of adenotonsillectomy for pediatric OSAS? A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Objectives/hypothesis: Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder with serious clinical implications if left untreated. The recommended initial treatment for pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is adenotonsillectomy. However, recent reports have shown variable surgical results with adenotonsillectomy in the treatment of pediatric OSAS.

Effects of double filtration plasmapheresis on nocturnal respiratory function in myasthenic patients.

Assessment of respiratory function using combined oximetry-cutaneous capnography has never been evaluated in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). We investigated the effects of double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) on respiratory status in 18 MG patients. Results of combined oximetry and transcutaneous capnography, MG scores, and acetylcholine receptor antibody titers before and after DFPP treatment were compared.

Evaluating the sleep quality of obstructive sleep apnea patients after continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Continuous positive airway pressure treatment (CPAP) is administered to treat the common disorder of obstructive sleep apnea. However, patients receiving CPAP treatment without a sleep assessment and clinical diagnosis often do not feel or understand the improvement in their condition, necessitating a sleep quality improvement index for physicians to analyze improvements in patient treatment rapidly. This work presents a novel sleep quality evaluation system that calculates the improvement value for sleep quality using electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram signal features, as well as fuzzy inferences.

Peripheral neuropathology of the upper airway in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common sleep disorder that leads to significant morbidity and mortality without adequate treatment. Though much emphasis on the pathogenesis of OSAS has been placed on a narrow upper airway space and associated muscular factors, possible neuropathy of the upper airway has not been fully elucidated. Increasing peer reviewed evidence suggests involvement of neurologic lesions of the upper airway in OSAS patients.

Systematic analysis of cephalometry in obstructive sleep apnea in Asian children.

Objectives/hypothesis: This study was designed to systematically analyze the relationship between a cephalometric analysis and the apnea-hypopnea index in a group of Asian children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Methods: Data were collected from 56 children with obstructive sleep apnea who were between 3 and 13 years old.

Pharmacotherapy of obstructive sleep apnea.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a common public health problem in the general population. The important health-related consequences of obstructive sleep apnea include cardiovascular disorders, such as myocardial infarction and hypertension, stroke, sudden death and difficult blood sugar control related to diabetes mellitus. The current main treatment options include body weight loss, continuous positive airway pressure, oral appliances and surgical treatment.