Association of maternal immigration status with emotional eating in Taiwanese children: The mediating roles of health literacy and feeding practices.

Background: Emotional eating has been linked to childhood obesity. A variety of emotions often trigger this form of eating, which has been associated with stress-induced overeating, loss of control eating, and binge eating in children. However, research on how maternal immigration status and feeding practices influence emotional eating in children within Asian contexts is sparse.

Synergistic interaction of guanfacine or dexmedetomidine coadministered with lidocaine for cutaneous analgesia in rats.

Background: This study examined the cutaneous analgesic effects of lidocaine co-injected with guanfacine and its comparison with dexmedetomidine.

Methods: Cutaneous analgesic effects are quantified through the blocking effects of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflex against skin pinpricks in rats. The dose-response curves of guanfacine, dexmedetomidine, and lidocaine were constructed and drug-drug interactions were analyzed by the ED isobologram.

Measuring adolescent health literacy in Taiwan: validation of the health literacy assessment scale for adolescents.

Background: This study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the Health Literacy Assessment Scale for Adolescents (HAS-A) and conduct a comparative analysis of adolescent health literacy between Taiwan and other countries.

Methods: The Chinese version of the HAS-A was completed by 2,312 adolescents in the fifth and sixth grades of a primary school. Psychometric properties were examined using consistent internal reliability and confirmatory factor analysis.

Beta-blocker carteolol and oxprenolol produce cutaneous analgesia in response to needle pinpricks in the rat.

Background: This present study was undertaken to determine whether beta-blockers produce the cutaneous analgesic effect, comparing them with the long-acting local anesthetic bupivacaine.

Methods: Using a rat model of infiltrative cutaneous analgesia, the effect of 5 beta-blockers (oxprenolol, carteolol, butaxamine, metoprolol, and acebutolol) and bupivacaine was compared and eventually combined with epinephrine.

Results: Among 5 beta-blockers, oxprenolol exhibited the most potent and the longest duration of cutaneous analgesia.

Naphazoline and oxymetazoline are superior to epinephrine in enhancing the cutaneous analgesia of lidocaine in rats.

This study observed the cutaneous analgesic effect of adrenergic agonists when combined with lidocaine. We aimed at the usefulness of four adrenergic agonists and epinephrine as analgesics or as tools to prolong the effect of local anesthetics using a model of cutaneous trunci muscle reflex (pinprick pain) in rats. We showed that subcutaneous four adrenergic agonists and epinephrine, as well as the local anesthetic bupivacaine and lidocaine, developed a concentration-dependent cutaneous analgesia.

N(Omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester potentiates lidocaine analgesic and anaesthetic effect in rats.

Objectives: The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of L-NAME (N(Omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) and its cotreatment with lidocaine on the spinal block and infiltrative cutaneous analgesia.

Methods: The quality of cutaneous analgesia was examined by the block of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflexes following needle stimuli in the rat. Spinal anaesthetic potency was assessed by measuring three neurobehavioral examinations of nociceptive, proprioceptive and motor function following intrathecal injection in the rat.

Association of Exclusive Breastfeeding with Asthma Risk among Preschool Children: An Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data, 1999 to 2014.

Breastmilk contains many important nutrients, anti-inflammatory agents, and immunomodulators. It is the preferred nutrition source for infants. However, the association of the duration of exclusive breastmilk feeding (BMF) with asthma development is unclear.

Evaluation of the Effects of Skin-to-Skin Contact on Newborn Sucking, and Breastfeeding Abilities: A Quasi-Experimental Study Design.

Mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact (SSC) after birth has numerous protective effects. Although positive associations between SSC and breastfeeding behavior have been reported, the evidence for such associations between early SSC and breastfeeding success was limited in high-income countries. This quasi-experimental intervention design study aimed to evaluate the impact of different SSC regimens on newborn breastfeeding outcomes in Taiwan.

Intrathecal pramipexole and selegiline for sensory and motor block in rats.

Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate spinal sensory and motor block by antiparkinsonian drugs (pramipexole and selegiline), and the combination of pramipexole and the local anesthetic lidocaine.

Methods: Using a technique of spinal blockade in rats, the effects of pramipexole, selegiline, and coadministration of pramipexole and lidocaine on spinal blockades of motor and sensory function were investigated.

Results: Under a concentration of 100 mM, pramipexole displayed more potent and had a longer duration of nociceptive, proprioceptive, and motor block than selegiline, whereas pramipexole and selegiline were less potent in comparison to lidocaine.

The school environment and bullying victimization among seventh graders with autism spectrum disorder: a cohort study.

Background: There is strong evidence to support the association between bullying and the onset of mental health conditions in students with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). In Taiwan, the seventh grade marks the first year of middle school, following elementary school. This period is also when peers tend to perform bullying behaviours to establish status among the peer group.

Treadmill workouts alleviate neuropathic allodynia and scratching behavior in rats following thoracotomy.

Background: The aim of the experiment was to investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on postthoracotomy pain and the expression of spinal pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Methods: Animals were randomly distributed into four groups: (a) sham surgery, (b) rats following 60 min thoracotomy and rib retraction (thoracotomy), (c) thoracotomy rats received treadmill training (thoracotomy+treadmill), and (d) sham surgery rats received treadmill training (sham surgery+treadmill). Treadmill workouts were started on postoperative day 10 (POD10) and lasted for 6 weeks (5 days per week).

Concurrence of imatinib-induced massive pleural/pericardial effusion and Campylobacter bacteremia in an adolescent with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Imatinib is a crucial therapeutic strategy against chronic myeloid leukemia. Though superficial edema is a common adverse effect of imatinib, massive fluid retention is rarely reported. Here, we report the case of an adolescent who had tolerated imatinib for a long time, and then presented with massive pleural/pericardial effusion during an episode of Campylobacter jejuni bacteremia.

Antimalarial primaquine for spinal sensory and motor blockade in rats.

Objectives: The purpose of the experiment was to estimate whether intrathecal antimalarial drugs could provoke spinal block, and their comparison with lidocaine.

Methods: Rats were intrathecally administrated with antimalarial agents (primaquine, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and amodiaquine) and lidocaine, and neurobehavioural examinations (nociception, proprioception and motor function) were assessed; n = 8 per group. One-way and two-way analysis of variance were designed to analyse data.

Pulsed Ultrasound Remedies Post-thoracotomy Hypersensitivity and Increases Spinal Anti-inflammatory Cytokine in Rats.

The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of pulsed ultrasound (PUS) on post-thoracotomy pain and local tissue temperature and to correlate the findings with the alteration in spinal anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Mechanical sensitivity, subcutaneous temperature and spinal interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-6 or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression were examined in a rat model of experimental post-thoracotomy pain. Group 1 received a sham surgery where thoracotomy was performed except for rib retraction.

Association between Maternal Pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index and Breastfeeding Duration in Taiwan: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

An association between high pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and early breastfeeding cessation has been previously observed, but studies examining the effect of underweight are still scant and remain inconclusive. This study analyzed data from a nationally representative cohort of 18,312 women (mean age 28.3 years; underweight 20.

The functional interplay of lncRNA EGOT and HuR regulates hypoxia-induced autophagy in renal tubular cells.

Autophagy, an important cellular homeostatic mechanism regulates cell survival under stress and protects against acute kidney injury. However, the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in autophagy regulation in renal tubular cells (HK-2) is unclear. The study was aimed to understand the importance of lncRNA in hypoxia-induced autophagy in HK-2 cells.

Socioeconomic status and deaths due to unintentional injury among children: A socio-spatial analysis in Taiwan.

In Taiwan, unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children <10 years old. Low socioeconomic status is a risk factor associated with a high prevalence of injuries and our study aimed to explore the geographic distribution of mortality due to unintentional injury in this age group assessing the association between this type of injury on the one hand and socioeconomic disadvantages and family structure on the other using cluster and spatial regression analyses. Using exploratory factor analysis, we assembled nine socioeconomic variables into four composite factors including area-level poverty, family burden, family fragility and unemployment.

Phentolamine Reverses Epinephrine-Enhanced Skin Antinociception of Dibucaine in Rats.

Background: The objective of the experiment was to assess the antinociceptive effect of dibucaine, bupivacaine, and epinephrine. To assess the mechanism of action of the interaction between dibucaine and epinephrine, phentolamine, a nonselective α-adrenergic antagonist, was added to the mixture.

Methods: We assessed sensory blockade with these drugs by injecting 0.

Reference levels for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity in infants 7-90 days old in Taiwan.

Background: Nationwide newborn screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency has been implemented in Taiwan since 1987 and the G6PD enzyme activity levels were applied for diagnosis confirmation. As the reference value of G6PD enzyme activity was not available for infants aged 7-90 days, this study was performed to determine the enzyme level in different genotypes.

Methods: Between January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, 410 term infants aged 7-90 days old visiting National Taiwan University Hospital Hsinchu branch were enrolled.

Risk of subsequent health disorders among living kidney donors.

Few studies have investigated the risk of physiological sequelae in living kidney donors (KDs). We conducted a population-based cohort study using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, which covers more than 99% of citizens.We comprehensively investigated the risk of medical disorders after kidney donation in living KDs using a maximum follow-up of 13 years.

Serotonin enhances oxybuprocaine- and proxymetacaine-induced cutaneous analgesia in rats.

The aim of the study was to investigate the analgesic effects of adding serotonin to oxybuprocaine or proxymetacaine preparations. We employed a rat model of the cutaneous trunci muscle reflex (CTMR) to conduct the dose-response curves and duration of drugs (oxybuprocaine, proxymetacaine, or serotonin) as an infiltrative anesthetic. The use of isobolographic methods to analyze the drug-drug interactions.

Skin nociceptive block with pramoxine delivery by subcutaneous injection in rats.

Background: Pramoxine has been shown to produce spinal anesthesia, while cutaneous analgesia (peripheral) of pramoxine is not established. The experimental goal was to examine cutaneous antinociception produced by a local anesthetic (LA) pramoxine and compare this result with that of another well-known LA lidocaine.

Methods: Cutaneous antinociception was evaluated by blockade of pinprick- induced cutaneous trunci muscle reflex (CTMR) on the skin of rat's back.

Development of a Prediction Model for Colorectal Cancer among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using a Deep Neural Network.

Objectives: Observational studies suggested that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) presented a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). The current study aims to create a deep neural network (DNN) to predict the onset of CRC for patients with T2DM.

Methods: We employed the national health insurance database of Taiwan to create predictive models for detecting an increased risk of subsequent CRC development in T2DM patients in Taiwan.

The origin of GSKIP, a multifaceted regulatory factor in the mammalian Wnt pathway.

GSK3β interacting protein (GSKIP) is a naturally occurring negative regulator of GSK3β and retains both the Protein Kinase A Regulatory subunit binding (PKA-RII) domain and GSK3β interacting domain. Of these two domains, we found that PKA-RII is required for forming a working complex comprising PKA/GSKIP/GSK3β/Drp1 to influence phosphorylation of Drp1 Ser637. In this study, bioinformatics and experimental explorations re-analyzing GSKIP's biofunctions suggest that the evolutionarily conserved Domain of Unknown Function (DUF727) is an ancestral prototype of GSKIP in prokaryotes, and acquired the C-terminal GSK3β binding site (tail) in invertebrates except for Saccharomyces spp.