Although a few large-scale studies have investigated multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and laminoplasty (LAMP) and their related complications for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), the optimal surgical intervention remains controversial. Therefore, we compared their 30 days of postoperative complications. Through the 2010-2019 ACS NSQIP Participant Use Data Files, we estimated the risk of serious morbidity, reoperation, readmission, mortality, and other postoperative complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioengineering (Basel)
June 2023
Iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS, or May-Thurner syndrome) occurs due to the compression of the left common iliac vein between the lumbar spine and right common iliac artery. Because most patients with compression are asymptomatic, the syndrome is difficult to diagnose based on the degree of anatomical compression. In this study, we investigated how the tilt angle of the left common iliac vein affects the flow patterns in the compressed blood vessel using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations to determine the flow fields generated after compression sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To explore the life experiences of women with interstitial cystitis.
Design: A qualitative phenomenological study.
Methods: Fifteen women with interstitial cystitis were recruited from a regional hospital in Taiwan using purposive sampling.
Background And Objectives: A wide variety of products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are available on the commercial market. One of the most common products, CBD oil, is administered to self-treat a variety of conditions. These oils are available as CBD isolate, broad-spectrum [all terpenes and minor cannabinoids except Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)], or full-spectrum (all terpenes and minor cannabinoids with THC < 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAll-perovskite tandem solar cells beckon as lower cost alternatives to conventional single-junction cells. Solution processing has enabled rapid optimization of perovskite solar technologies, but new deposition routes will enable modularity and scalability, facilitating technology adoption. Here, we utilize 4-source vacuum deposition to deposit FACsPb(IBr) perovskite, where the bandgap is changed through fine control over the halide content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeripheral nerve regeneration (PNR) following trauma requires the reconstruction of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the proper stimulation of growth factors. Decellularised small intestine submucosa (SIS) has been extensively used as an ECM scaffold for tissue repair, but its potential to enhance the effects of exogenous growth factors on PNR is not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the effects of SIS implantation combined with glial cell-derived growth factor (GDNF) treatment on PNR in a rat neurorrhaphy model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWDR5 is a critical chromatin cofactor of MYC. WDR5 interacts with MYC through the WBM pocket and is hypothesized to anchor MYC to chromatin through its WIN site. Blocking the interaction of WDR5 and MYC impairs the recruitment of MYC to its target genes and disrupts the oncogenic function of MYC in cancer development, thus providing a promising strategy for the treatment of MYC-dysregulated cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to the increasing cost of health insurance, for decades, many countries have endeavored to constrain the cost of insurance by utilizing a DRG payment system. In most cases, under the DRG payment system, hospitals cannot exactly know which DRG code inpatients are until they are discharged. This paper focuses on the prediction of what DRG code appendectomy patients will be classified with when they are admitted to hospital.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNearly 95% of Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs sporadically without genetic linkage. Aging, hypertension, high cholesterol content, and diabetes are known nongenomic risk factors of AD. Aggregation of Aβ peptides is an initial event of AD pathogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Access to water and sanitation is a basic human right; however, in many parts of the world, communities experience water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) insecurity. While WaSH insecurity is prevalent in many low and middle-income countries, it is also a problem in high-income countries, like the United States, as is evident in vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness. Limited knowledge exists about the coping strategies unhoused people use to access WaSH services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The objective of this study was to describe the surgical technique using an innovative nail-stem construct in treatment of periprosthetic humeral fractures with recalcitrant nonunion after total elbow arthroplasty (TEA).
Materials And Methods: Patients diagnosed with humeral recalcitrant nonunion in periprosthetic fractures and stem loosening after TEA were retrospectively recruited between 2018 and 2019. The demographic data and related clinical outcomes were recorded.
Background And Purpose: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) enhances neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ); however, the mechanism is not fully understood. We investigated the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in post-ICH neurogenesis in a rodent model and in patients with ICH using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Methods: A rat model of ICH was constructed via stereotaxic injection of collagenase into the left striatum.
Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of intraoperative allograft vascular flow on early kidney graft function.
Methods: A total of 159 patients underwent kidney transplantation from January 2017 to March 2022 at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Graft arterial and venous blood flow was measured separately with a transient time flowmeter (Transonic HT353; Transonic Systems, Inc, Ithaca, NY, United States) after ureteroneocystostomy.
Healthcare (Basel)
May 2023
Orthodontic treatment is a common dental treatment. A complete treatment often takes several years and is costly. In order to increase the degree of satisfaction and reduce the gap between the expectations of the patient and the limitations of orthodontics, orthodontists and patients should have sufficient communication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Positive social relationships are critical for better subjective well-being across ages. Future research will benefit from examining how to improve life satisfaction by utilizing social groups in new, ever-changing social and technological contexts. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of online and offline social network group clusters on life satisfaction across different age groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To assess the effects of ceramic thickness, ceramic translucency, and light transmission on restorative composites used as luting cement for lithium disilicate-based ceramics.
Methods: Four luting types of cement were tested (n=8); a dual-cured resin cement (Multilink N), a light-cured conventional flowable composite (Tetric N-Flow), and two light-cured bulk-fill flowable composites (Tetric N-Flow Bulk Fill and X-tra base). The 20 s- or 40 s-light (1000 mW/cm) was transmitted through 1- or 2-mm-thick high- or low-translucency (HT- or LT-) ceramic discs (IPS e.
Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most important benign neoplastic threat to women's health worldwide, with a prevalence of up to 80% in premenopausal women, and can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, pain, and infertility. Progesterone signaling plays a crucial role in the development and growth of UFs. Progesterone promotes the proliferation of UF cells by activating several signaling pathways genetically and epigenetically.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSolid organ transplant recipients have an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). Due to the use of immunosuppressants, the incidence of TB among solid organ transplant recipients has been consistently reported to be higher than that among the general population. TB frequently develops within the first year after transplantation when a high level of immunosuppression is maintained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Intraoperative hemodynamic instability was proven to be associated with delayed graft function (DGF) after kidney transplantation. This retrospective study aims to find the specific intraoperative hemodynamic parameters as an efficient predicting factor of DGF.
Materials And Methods: Patients who underwent kidney transplantation between 2020 and 2022 were enrolled and classified into DGF and non-DGF groups.
Comput Struct Biotechnol J
April 2023
Tannic acid (TA) has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties and acts as an adhesive, hemostatic, and crosslinking agent in hydrogels. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of endopeptidase enzymes, play important roles in tissue remodeling and wound healing. TA has been reported to inhibit MMP-2/- 9 activities, thereby improving both tissue remodeling and wound healing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe burning incense (BI) behavior could be widely observed in Asia families. Incense sticks are often believed to be made from natural herbs and powders, and to have minimal impact on human health; however, there is limited research to support this claim. The current study aimed to identify the components of BI within the particulate matter 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Genetic high-risk assessment combines hereditary breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer into one syndrome. However, there is a lack of data for comparing the germline mutational spectrum of the cancer predisposing genes between these three cancers.
Methods: Patients who met the criteria of the hereditary breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer were enrolled and received multi-gene sequencing.
The pathogenetic mechanism of persistent post-concussive symptoms (PCS) following concussion remains unclear. Thalamic damage is known to play a role in PCS prolongation while the evidence and biomarkers that trigger persistent PCS have never been elucidated. We collected longitudinal neuroimaging and behavior data from patients and rodents after concussion, complemented with rodents' histological staining data, to unravel the early biomarkers of persistent PCS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The literature has shown a significant association between body mass index (BMI) and patient and graft outcomes after renal transplantation. The purpose of this study was to reveal the effect of obesity on graft function in a Taiwanese kidney transplant cohort.
Methods: Two hundred consecutive patients who received kidney transplantation were enrolled in our study.
Graphite is one of the most widely used negative electrode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, because of the rapid growth of demands pursuing higher energy density and charging rates, comprehensive insights into the lithium intercalation and plating processes are critical for further boosting the potential of graphite electrodes. Herein, by utilizing the dihedral-angle-corrected registry-dependent potential (DRIP) (Wen et al.
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