Mixed cryoglobulinemia decelerates hepatocellular carcinoma development in hepatitis C patients with SVR by downregulating regulatory B cells: a 12-year prospective cohort study.

How mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) affects cancer risk in chronic hepatitis C patients with sustained virologic response (SVR) remains unclear. In a 12-year prospective study, post-SVR MC was assessed every 3‒6 months. Among the 891 SVR patients, 265 (29.

Factors associated with treatment responses to pioglitazone in patients with steatotic liver disease: A 3-year prospective cohort study.

Aim: The response rate to pioglitazone and the predictive factors for its effects on improving liver biochemistry in patients with steatotic liver disease (SLD) remain elusive, so we aimed to investigate these issues.

Methods: A 3-year prospective cohort study of 126 Taiwanese patients with SLD treated with pioglitazone (15-30 mg/day) was conducted. Phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 I148M rs738409, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase rs1801133, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 and lipoprotein lipase rs10099160 single nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed in the patients.

Evolutionary relationship between antimitochondrial antibody positivity and primary biliary cholangitis in Taiwan: a 16-year hospital cohort study.

Background: How antimitochondrial antibody (AMA)-positive patients evolve to have primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in viral hepatitis-endemic areas is unknown.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate this evolution in Taiwan.

Design/methods: A 16-year medical center-based cohort study of 2,095,628 subjects was conducted in Taiwan, an Asian country endemic to viral hepatitis.

Long-term renal function alterations in hepatitis C patients with SVRs: Impacts of therapies and mixed cryoglobulinemia.

Background / Aims: Effects of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapeutic regimens and mixed cryoglobulinemia on long-term renal function of HCV-infected patients with viral clearance have not been determined.

Methods/materials: A prospective 10-year cohort study of 1212 HCV-infected patients (interferon-based therapy, n = 615; direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy, n = 434) was conducted.

Results: At baseline, age, body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin (Hb) and uric acid (UA) levels, and fibrosis-4 score were associated with estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) in HCV-infected patients.

Hepatitis C accelerates extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma risk: a joint study of hospital-based cases and nationwide population-based cohorts in a viral hepatitis-endemic area.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes many cancers, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Whether it increases the risk of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) is unknown. A 10-year nationwide population-based cohort study of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (TNHIRD) was conducted.

Characteristic geoepidemiology of primary biliary cholangitis in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based study.

Aim: Data on the geoepidemiology and outcomes of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in Asia are limited; thus, we aimed to collect and assess this information for Taiwan.

Methods: A nationwide population-based cohort study was undertaken using data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Primary biliary cholangitis was defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 571.

Serious bacterial infections in young children with fever without source after discharge from emergency department: A National Health Insurance database cohort study.

Background: Well-appearing febrile young children discharged from the emergency department (ED) after medical assessment are still at risk for serious bacterial infections (SBI). The incidence of SBI and the effectiveness of laboratory tests in the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era remain unknown.

Methods: We conducted a study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance claims data from 2004 to 2014.

Comparable outcomes of decompensated chronic hepatitis B patients treated with entecavir or tenofovir: an 8-year cohort study.

Background/aims: Whether the efficacies of entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in treating liver-related outcomes of decompensated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients are comparable remained inconclusive.

Methods: An 8-year cohort study of 736 decompensated CHB patients was conducted, and 65 TDF-treated patients were sex, age and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores-1:4 matched with 260 ETV-treated patients through propensity score-matching method.

Results: Of 736 patients, 574 (78%) were male, with a mean age of 54.

Diffusion tensor imaging for the differential diagnosis of Parkinsonism by machine learning.

Background: There are currently no specific tests for either idiopathic Parkinson's disease or Parkinson-plus syndromes. The study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of features extracted from the whole brain using diffusion tensor imaging concerning parkinsonian disorders.

Methods: The retrospective data yielded 625 participants (average age: 61.

Evolution of Cryoglobulinemia in Direct-Acting Antiviral-Treated Asian Hepatitis C Patients With Sustained Virological Responses: A 4-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: How cryoglobulinemia evolves after sustained virological response (SVR) following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in Asian hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients remains elusive.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in 422 Taiwanese patients (358 completed DAA therapy and 353 experienced SVRs). Serum cryoglobulins were surveyed at baseline and every 3-6 months posttherapy.

Association between breast cancer and hepatitis C: A joint study of hospitalized patients and nationwide cohorts.

Whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with breast cancer risk remains elusive, and we aimed to elucidate it. A nationwide population-based cohort study of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (TNHIRD) was conducted. Additionally, breast cancer risk factors, and HCV core expression were surveyed in breast cancer patients of a tertiary care center.

Survival, treatment regimens and medical costs of women newly diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Individuals diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) suffer worse survival rates than their metastatic non-TNBC counterparts. There is little information on survival, treatment patterns, and medical costs of mTNBC patients in Asia. Therefore, this study aimed to examine 5-year survival, regimens of first-line systemic therapy, and healthcare costs of mTNBC patients in Taiwan.

Hepatitis C-associated late-onset schizophrenia: a nationwide, population-based cohort study.

Background: Whether infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes schizophrenia - and whether the associated risk reverses after anti-HCV therapy - is unknown; we aimed to investigate these topics.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide, population-based cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (TNHIRD). A diagnosis of schizophrenia was based on criteria from the , 9th revision (295.

Fixel-Based Analysis Effectively Identifies White Matter Tract Degeneration in Huntington's Disease.

Microstructure damage in white matter might be linked to regional and global atrophy in Huntington's Disease (HD). We hypothesize that degeneration of subcortical regions, including the basal ganglia, is associated with damage of white matter tracts linking these affected regions. We aim to use fixel-based analysis to identify microstructural changes in the white matter tracts.

Timing of Bisphosphonate (Alendronate) Initiation after Surgery for Fragility Fracture: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Bisphosphonates are used as first-line treatment for the prevention of fragility fracture (FF); they act by inhibiting osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. The timing of their administration after FF surgery is controversial; thus, we compared the incidence of second FF, surgery for second FF, and adverse events associated with early initiation of bisphosphonates (EIBP, within 3 months of FF surgery) and late initiation of bisphosphonates (LIBP, 3 months after FF surgery) in bisphosphonate-naïve patients. This retrospective population-based cohort study used data from Taiwan's Health and Welfare Data Science Center (2004-2012).

Association between Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Esophageal Cancer: An Asian Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes many extrahepatic cancers, and whether HCV infection is associated with esophageal cancer development remains inconclusive. A nationwide population-based cohort study of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (TNHIRD) was conducted. From 2003 to 2012, of 11,895,993 patients, three 1:1:1 propensity score-matched cohorts, including HCV-treated (interferon-based therapy ≧6 months, = 9047), HCV-untreated ( = 9047), and HCV-uninfected cohorts ( = 9047), were enrolled.

Identification of the Representative Primary Biliary Cholangitis Cohort in Taiwan: A Comparison of Four Nationwide Cohorts.

Background/purpose: The rates and outcomes of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in Taiwan remain unclear.

Methods: A nationwide population-based cohort study (Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 2002-2015) was conducted. Data from four PBC cohorts with various definitions were compared (cohort 1 (C1): ICD-9-CM (571.

Fixel-Based Analysis of White Matter Degeneration in Patients With Progressive Supranuclear Palsy or Multiple System Atrophy, as Compared to Parkinson's Disease.

White matter degeneration may contribute to clinical symptoms of parkinsonism. We used fixel-based analysis (FBA) to compare the extent and patterns of white matter degeneration in different parkinsonian syndromes-including idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). This is a retrospective interpretation of prospectively acquired data of patients recruited in previous studies during 2008 and 2019.

Impact of Interferon-Based Therapy on Hepatitis C-Associated Rheumatic Diseases: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection-associated risk of rheumatic diseases is reversed by anti-HCV therapy remain elusive. A nationwide population-based cohort study of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was conducted. Of 19,298,735 subjects, 3 cohorts (1:4:4, propensity score-matched), including HCV-treated (6919 HCV-infected subjects with interferon and ribavirin therapy ≥ 6 months), HCV-untreated ( = 27,676) and HCV-uninfected ( = 27,676) cohorts, were enrolled and followed (2003-2015).

A Method for the Prediction of Clinical Outcome Using Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Application on Parkinson's Disease.

Robust early prediction of clinical outcomes in Parkinson's disease (PD) is paramount for implementing appropriate management interventions. We propose a method that uses the baseline MRI, measuring diffusion parameters from multiple parcellated brain regions, to predict the 2-year clinical outcome in Parkinson's disease. Diffusion tensor imaging was obtained from 82 patients (males/females = 45/37, mean age: 60.

Hepatitis Flares Are Associated With Better Outcomes Than No Flare in Patients With Decompensated Cirrhosis and Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

Background & Aims: Little is known about the effects of baseline hepatitis flares (level of alanine aminotransferase ≥5-fold above the upper limit of normal) on the outcomes of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with decompensated cirrhosis treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues. We aimed to investigate these effects.

Methods: We performed a cohort study of 511 consecutive patients (78.

Prediction of the Clinical Severity of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy by Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is characterized by a rapid and progressive clinical course. A timely and objective image-based evaluation of disease severity before standard clinical assessments might increase the diagnostic confidence of the neurologist. We sought to investigate whether features from diffusion tensor imaging of the entire brain with a machine learning algorithm, rather than a few pathogenically involved regions, may predict the clinical severity of PSP.

Adherence to anti-osteoporosis medication associated with lower mortality following hip fracture in older adults: a nationwide propensity score-matched cohort study.

Background: We investigated the association of anti-osteoporosis medication with mortality risk in older adults with hip fractures and evaluated the influence of medication adherence on mortality.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study and identified a total of 13,123 patients aged 65 years or older with hip fracture from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database during the period 2001-2010. Individuals with (n = 2092) and without (n = 2092) receiving anti-osteoporosis medication were matched using propensity score matching (1:1 ratio).

The effect of spatial resolution on the reproducibility of diffusion imaging when controlled signal to noise ratio.

Background: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the reproducibility and repeatability of the compartmental diffusion measurement.

Methods: Two identical whipping cream phantoms and two healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were scanned on a 7T MR scanner, each repeated for three times. Diffusion weighted images were acquired along 30 non-collinear gradient directions, each with four b-values of 750, 1500, 2250 and 3000 s/mm.