Anti-RPL30 as a novel biomarker for enhanced diagnosis of autoantibody-negative primary biliary cholangitis.

Background: The diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) remains challenging, particularly in cases where anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA), anti-mitochondrial E2 subunit antibody (AMA-M2), anti-glycoprotein 210 (anti-gp210), and anti-speckled protein 100 (anti-Sp100) are all negative. In such instances, the condition is often confirmed through a liver needle biopsy.

Aim: To identify additional plasma biomarkers for non-invasive diagnostic methods of PBC.

3D printed microtissue cassettes enabling high throughput proton radiobiological assays.

Background: The concept of Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) enables to translate the clinical experience for photon treatments to proton beam therapy. However, uncertainties in the proton RBE across the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) (typically assumed to be 1.1) may lead to suboptimal treatment plans and unwarranted toxicity to organs-at-risk.

Significantly shortened telomere length and altered androgen receptor level in cumulus cells from women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between hormone receptor levels and telomere length (TL) in infertile women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Materials And Methods: This prospective cohort study recruited a total of 431 cumulus oocyte complex (COC) from 88 infertile women between July 2012 and June 2014. The participants were divided into three groups: young age (<38 years, n = 42 and 227 COC), advanced age (≥38 years, n = 33 and 107 COC) and PCOS patients (n = 13 and 97 COC).

Precipitating factors of bradycardia after remdesivir administration: ICU admission and cutoff value for declining heart rate.

Background: Despite increasing concerns about the association between remdesivir and bradycardia in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients receiving remdesivir, information on its clinical course and precipitating factors is limited. Our aim was to investigate possible triggers of bradycardia after remdesivir administration.

Methods: We retrieved the medical records of hospitalized severe and critical COVID-19 patients who received remdesivir from May 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021.

The presence of vacuoles in blastocysts is negatively associated with euploidy and live birth rates.

Objective: To investigate whether the presence of vacuoles in biopsied blastocysts is associated with the likelihood of aneuploidy and clinical outcomes.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: A single reproductive center.

Emotional disturbance and risk factors among COVID-19 confirmed cases in isolation hotels.

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been isolated in hospital-managed isolation hotels under a policy of the Taiwan government. Centrally isolation patients are more likely to experience psychological symptoms. The purpose of the study was to investigate emotional disturbance during their isolation period and then pinpoint the factors during their isolation period associated with the emotional disturbance.

Stabilization of AURKA by the E3 ubiquitin ligase CBLC in lung adenocarcinoma.

CBL family proteins (CBL, CBLB and CBLC in mammals) are E3 ubiquitin ligases of protein tyrosine kinases. CBL mediates the lysosomal degradation of activated EGFR through K63-linked ubiquitination, while CBLC has an oncogenic function by positively regulating EGFR activation through K6 and K11-linked ubiquitination in EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). Here, we used immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to study the CBLC interactome, and found that CBLC is also involved in cell cycle regulation by stabilizing Aurora kinase A (AURKA).

Calycosin Influences the Metabolism of Five Probe Drugs in Rats.

Background: Calycosin (CAL), a type of O-methylated isoflavone extracted from the herb (AM), is a bioactive chemical with antioxidative, antiphlogistic and antineoplastic activities commonly used in traditional alternative Chinese medicine. AM has been shown to confer health benefits as an adjuvant in the treatment of a variety of diseases.

Aim: The main objective of this study was to determine whether CAL influences the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) system involved in drug metabolism.

Effects of salidroside on rat CYP enzymes by a cocktail of probe drugs.

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of salidroside on the activities of the different drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 in rats, in which a specific probe drug was used for each enzyme.

Materials And Methods: After pretreatment with salidroside, five probe drugs were simultaneously administered to rats by gavage. The given dose was 2.

Effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress on ovarian reserve in female rats: Feasibility analysis of a rat model of premature ovarian failure.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) results from a number of disorders. The POF model is primarily based on chemotherapeutic injury, and hence is not suitable for assessing the effects of chronic stress on ovarian function. Therefore, improved animal models are required to analyze the effects of chronic stress on ovarian reserve.

Survival benefit of surgical approach for advanced oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer: A retrospective analysis.

Background: Head and neck cancer is increasingly being managed through nonsurgical approaches. Evidence comes from studies that have mainly examined patients with laryngeal cancer. Few studies, with limited sample size, have focused on the comparative outcomes of surgical and nonsurgical approaches in patients with advanced oropharyngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer.

Correlation of serum anti-Mullerian hormone to follicular follicle stimulating hormone and implantation potential of the ensuing embryos.

Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is a predictor of the pregnancy outcome in assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles, particularly for older women. This study attempts to elucidate the effect of serum AMH on follicular hormone profiles and implantation outcome of the ensuing embryos in ART cycles. A total of 412 patients undergoing ART cycles at a private infertility center were included and 780 follicular fluid samples were collected.

The outcomes and controversies of transplant tourism-Lessons of an 11-year retrospective cohort study from Taiwan.

Background: Transplant tourism has increased rapidly in the past two decades, accounting for about 10% of world organ transplants. However it is ethically controversial and discouraged by professional guidelines. We conducted this study to investigate the outcomes and trends of overseas kidney and liver transplantation in Taiwan to provide a sound basis for ethical reflection.

Diffusion radiomics analysis of intratumoral heterogeneity in a murine prostate cancer model following radiotherapy: Pixelwise correlation with histology.

Purpose: To investigate the biological meaning of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in tumors following radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Five mice bearing TRAMP-C1 tumor were half-irradiated with a dose of 15 Gy. Diffusion-weighted images, using multiple b-values from 0 to 3000 s/mm , were acquired at 7T on day 6.

Association of a Bundled-Payment Program With Cost and Outcomes in Full-Cycle Breast Cancer Care.

Importance: Value-driven payment system reform is a potential tool for aligning economic incentives with the improvement of quality and efficiency of health care and containment of cost. Such a payment system has not been researched satisfactorily in full-cycle cancer care.

Objective: To examine the association of outcomes and medical expenditures with a bundled-payment pay-for-performance program for breast cancer in Taiwan compared with a fee-for-service (FFS) program.

Magneto-optical properties of ABC-stacked trilayer graphene.

The generalized tight-binding model is developed to investigate the magneto-optical absorption spectra of ABC-stacked trilayer graphene. The absorption peaks can be classified into nine categories of inter-Landau-level optical excitations, including three intra-group and six inter-group ones. Most of them belong to the twin-peak structures because of the asymmetric Landau level spectrum.

Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography of the liver in healthy patients: test location, reference range and influence of gender and body mass index.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the best test location and study factors associated with acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography measurements in healthy individuals. When ARFI elastography was performed on 68 healthy patients after controlling for all known test condition factors except segmental location, the median shear wave velocities (SWVs) derived from five valid measurements in the area between S5 and S8 in patients in the supine position had a significantly lower mean and the narrowest 95% confidence interval, followed by those for the S8 supine and S8 semidecubitus locations (p = 0.045).

A simple method to improve the quality of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging with rapid histologic correlation in a murine model.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) has been used extensively in biomedical research. However, this technique has often suffered from distortion artifacts because of the magnetic field inhomogeneity surrounding the tissues. Histology is important for validating MRI interpretations, but correlating MRIs with tissue samples is challenging.

Directly observed therapy reduces tuberculosis-specific mortality: a population-based follow-up study in Taipei, Taiwan.

Objectives: To determine the effect of directly observed therapy (DOT) on tuberculosis-specific mortality and non-TB-specific mortality and identify prognostic factors associated with mortality among adults with culture-positive pulmonary TB (PTB).

Methods: All adult Taiwanese with PTB in Taipei, Taiwan were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2006-2010. Backward stepwise multinomial logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with each mortality outcome.

Risks perception of electromagnetic fields in Taiwan: the influence of psychopathology and the degree of sensitivity to electromagnetic fields.

Little is known about the perceived health risks of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and factors associated with risk perception in non-Western countries. Psychological conditions and risk perception have been postulated as factors that facilitate the attribution of health complaints to environmental factors. This study investigated people's perceived risks of EMFs and other environmental sources, as well as the relationships between risk perception, psychopathology, and the degree of self-reported sensitivity to EMFs.

Noninvasive monitoring of microvascular changes with partial irradiation using dynamic contrast-enhanced and blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: The microvasculature of a tumor plays an important role in its response to radiation therapy. Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE MRI) and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI are both sensitive to vascular characteristics. The present study proposed a partial irradiation approach to a xenograft tumor to investigate the intratumoral response to radiation therapy using DCE and BOLD MRI.

Prevalence and psychiatric comorbidity of self-reported electromagnetic field sensitivity in Taiwan: a population-based study.

Background/purpose: Psychological factors have been implicated in the etiology of idiopathic environmental illness in many studies. Few studies have ever reported psychiatric morbidity among individuals with electromagnetic hypersensitivity. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify the associated factors of self-reported electromagnetic field sensitivity (SREMFS) in adults of Taiwan.

The development of a novel cancer immunotherapeutic platform using tumor-targeting mesenchymal stem cells and a protein vaccine.

An ideal anticancer strategy should target only the malignant cells but spare the normal ones. In this regard, we established a platform, consisting of an antigen-delivering vehicle and a protein vaccine, for developing an immunotherapeutic approach with the potential for eliminating various cancer types. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been demonstrated capable of targeting tumors and integrating into the stroma.

Discharge and photo-luminance properties of a parallel plates electron emission lighting device.

The gas discharge and photo-luminance properties of a planar lighting source featuring highly uniform light emission and mercury-free design were studied. The current density-voltage characteristics and the associated gas discharge of the devices operating with the values of the ratio of electric field to gas pressure (E/p) between 4.3 kV/Torr-cm and 35.