Use of rocuronium and sugammadex for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is associated with reduced duration of chest tube drainage: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: We investigated the influence of different neuromuscular blocking agents and reversal agents during anaesthesia on early removal of chest tube drainage after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

Methods: This retrospective single-centre study included patients who underwent VATS after tracheal intubation under general anaesthesia. Patients received either cisatracurium and neostigmine (n=547) or rocuronium and sugammadex (n=151).

Increased Levels of Plasma Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers and Their Associations with Brain Structural Changes and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Cognitively Normal Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amyloid deposition in the brain. OSA is further linked to the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In this study, we analyzed the plasma levels of AD neuropathology biomarkers and their relationships with structural changes of the brain and atherosclerosis.

Butyrate ameliorates maternal high-fat diet-induced fetal liver cellular apoptosis.

A maternal high-fat diet (HFD) can impact the offspring's development of liver steatosis, with fetal development in utero being a crucial period. Therefore, this study investigated the mechanism and whether butyrate can rescue liver injury caused by maternal HFD in the fetus. Pregnant female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups, prenatal HFD (58% fat) exposure or normal control diet (4.

Association between Serum Total and Specific Immunoglobulin E Levels and Body Height: A Cross-Sectional Study of Children and Adolescents.

Background: The atopy rate in children has increased significantly. Atopy and growth are connected in a multifactorial manner and are important health issues for children around the world. The principal research question in this cross-sectional investigation concerned the association between serum total, specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and body height (BH)/weight (BW)/body mass index (BMI).

The Impact of Do-Not-Resuscitate Order in the Emergency Department on Respiratory Failure after ICU Admission.

(1) Background: It has been hypothesized that a discrepancy exists in the understanding of a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order among physicians. We hypothesized that a DNR order signed in the emergency department (ED) could influence the patients’ prognosis after intensive care unit (ICU) admission. (2) Methods: We included patients older than 17 years, who visited the emergency department for non-traumatic disease, who had respiratory failure, required ventilator support, and were admitted to the ICU between January 2010 and December 2016.

The Impact of Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy on the Risk of Recurrence after Curative Resection in Patients with Hepatitis-C-Virus-Related Early Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

: The impact of direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-based regimens on the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after successful curative hepatectomy is controversial. Aims: This study aimed to assess the association between DAAs treatment and recurrence risk in HCC after resection. : We retrospectively assessed 152 cases of early stage (BCLC stage 0/A) hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC (HCV-HCC) that underwent resection with curative intent between 2001 and 2019 at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital; 48 cases achieved a sustained virological response (SVR) by DAA, and 104 cases were not treated with any antiviral therapy (non-treatment group).

Metabolic Risks Are Increasing in Non-B Non-C Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study.

Background: Non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC) may be related to metabolic syndrome, and the incidence of this tumor type is increasing annually. The definition of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) proposed in 2020 may help to more accuratelyassess the association between metabolic syndrome and NBNC-HCC. However, this new concept has not yet been applied in NBNC-HCC research.

Concurrent Cholecystectomy Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Recurrence after Curative Resection in Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A 10 Year Observational Single-Center Study.

Background: Cholecystectomy has been reported to be associated with increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is little information about the impact of cholecystectomy on the outcome of HCC.

Aims: To evaluate the long-term effect of concurrent cholecystectomy on recurrence and overall survival in HCC after curative hepatectomy.

Association between Shock Index and Emergency Department Cardiac Arrest.

Background: In the emergency department (ED), early identification of patients at risk of cardiac arrest is paramount, especially in the context of overcrowding. The shock index (SI) is defined as the ratio of heart rate to systolic blood pressure. It is a tool used for predicting the prognosis of critically ill and injured patients.

Factors associated with hyperhomocysteinemia in relatively healthy Taiwanese adults: A retrospective medical record study.

Elevated homocysteine levels have been proposed as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with hyperhomocysteinemia in relatively healthy Taiwanese adults.A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the health examination database in a medical center located in southern Taiwan.

Correction to: effect of acupressure on constipation in patients with advanced cancer.

The institutional review board number is incorrect, it should be No. 104-3133B.

Effect of acupressure on constipation in patients with advanced cancer.

Purpose: Constipation is a common and distressing symptom for patients with advanced cancer. Few reports have focused on the symptoms of constipation in patients with advanced cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a short-term acupressure intervention on patients with advanced cancer.

[Mechanism of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma combined with Scutellariae Radix on liver inflammation in rats with endotoxin disease based on p38MAPK pathway].

To explore the mechanism of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma combined with Scutellariae Radix in regulatory lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver inflammation in rats with endotoxin blood, 50 male SD rats were selected and randomly divided into blank group, model group, dexamethasone group, herbal pair high dose group, herbal pair low dose group, with 10 in each group. Rats in each were given preventive drugs for 7 consecutive days. At 0.

Protective effect of medicinal fungus Xylaria nigripes mycelia extracts against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells.

Xylaria nigripes ( XN) is a medicinal fungus that was used traditionally as a diuretic, nerve tonic, and for treating insomnia and trauma. In this study, we elucidated possible mechanisms of neuroprotective effects of XN mycelia extracts. XN mycelia were produced by fermentation.

Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for improvement in ethanol tolerance by accumulation of trehalose.

A genetic recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae starter with high ethanol tolerance capacities was constructed. In this study, the gene of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (encoded by tps1), which catalyzes the first step in trehalose synthesis, was cloned and overexpressed in S. cerevisiae.

Betel-quid and alcohol use were associated with lipid accumulation product among male factory workers in Taiwan.

Background: In this study, cardiometabolic risk associated with betel-quid, alcohol and cigarette use, based on a simple index-lipid accumulation product (LAP), was investigated in Taiwanese male factory workers.

Methods: Male factory workers were recruited during their annual routine health examination at a hospital in south Taiwan. The risk of cardiometabolic disorders was estimated by the use of LAP, calculated as (waist circumference [cm]-65)×(triglyceride concentration [mmol/l]).

Serum adhesion molecules, outcome and neuro-psychological function in acute traumatic brain injury patients.

Background: Serum concentrations of adhesion molecules may be associated with secondary brain injury after acute traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Blood samples of 68 patients admitted within 24h after TBI were obtained on admission and on Days 4 and 7 after TBI. Patients received neuro-psychological testing on discharge and at 3 months after TBI.

Risk factors for seizures after first-time ischemic stroke by magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Seizures are important neurological complications of ischemic stroke. There is a need to further clarify the risk factors of seizures following ischemic stroke and predict those who will require treatment.

Methods: One hundred and forty-three (143) first-time ischemic stroke patients were enrolled in this one-year (2002) retrospective study.

[An FTIR and XPS study of immobilization of chromium with fly ash based geopolymers].

Immobilization of Cr3+ with fly ash geopolymers was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) techniques. The chromium sludge, as Cr(OH)3, was prepared with chemical precipitation method. The amounts of aluminum and silicon leached before and after the chromium sludge addition were measured using ICP-AES.

Efficient purification of transglutaminase from recombinant Streptomyces platensis at various scales.

An efficient system for the fast and efficient purification of transglutaminase from recombinant Streptomyces platensis and expressed in Streptomyces lividans 25-2 is described. Because the purification procedure of this system is flexible, culture broth from laboratory (20 l) and pilot-plant (130 l) fermentations were used to purify the enzyme to electrophoretic homogeneity with high purity (90-95%) and yield (61-77%) within 1 or 2 days.

Cultivation of Acetobacter xylinum for bacterial cellulose production in a modified airlift reactor.

Acetobacter xylinum for bacterial cellulose production was cultivated in a modified airlift reactor. Better results were obtained from the modified reactor than from a conventional bubble column. After 72 h of cultivation, the final concentration of bacterial cellulose was 7.