Publications by authors named "CL Chiang"
Purpose: To conduct a formative evaluation of ChatEx to increase and maintain exercise among older cancer survivors.
Methods: ChatEx is a blended intervention involving 12 weeks of theory-based instant messages and two in-person training sessions. This pilot study comprises three phases: (1)intervention development: developing a message library reviewed by experts; (2)message library pretesting: exploring the views of older cancer survivors toward the message library and making modifications (n = 20); and (3)intervention pilot testing: piloting the ChatEx using a non-randomized quasi-experimental design using quantitative and qualitative methods among cancer survivors aged 65+ who do not meet current exercise guidelines and have completed treatment (n = 40).
To report the preliminary result of empiric embolization for angiographycally-negative lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) by using the pharmaco-induced vasospasm technique with or without the adjunctive use of intra-arterial multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT). 23 LGIB patients with positive MDCT findings but negative angiographic results underwent empiric pharmaco-induced vasospasm therapy. The presumed bleeding artery was semi-selectively catheterized, and a segment of bowel was temporarily spasmed with bolus injection of epinephrine and immediately followed by 4-h' vasopressin infusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Accurate staging for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is vital for treatment and prognosis, using the AJCC/UICC TNM system as a standardized approach, necessitating ongoing updates to reflect modern care practices.
- The study aimed to enhance the accuracy and relevance of the TNM-8 system for NPC by analyzing patient data from 2014-2015 and undergoing rigorous validation processes leading to the development of TNM-9.
- Results from over 4,900 patients highlighted that advanced extranodal extension was a key negative prognostic factor, prompting a proposed restructuring of staging for nonmetastatic cases from TNM-8 classifications.
Article Synopsis
- PD-L1 expression alone is not the best predictor of how well advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients will respond to immunotherapy (IO), leading to a focus on evaluating circulating immune signatures through mass cytometry for better predictions.
- This prospective observational study collected blood samples from 45 NSCLC patients before and after treatments, analyzing immune cell types and cytokine levels to find links between immune profiles and treatment efficacy.
- Results showed that successful IO led to an increase in active immune cells like natural killer (NK) and CD8 T cells, while decreases in exhausted T cells correlated with better patient outcomes, indicating that IO may work by reducing these exhausted cells.
Importance: Previous studies showed that 42% to 50% of patients with locally advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) achieved complete remission (CR) after combined locoregional therapy (LRT) plus immunotherapy (IO). However, data on predictors of CR and long-term clinical outcomes without surgery and after discontinuation of IO are lacking.
Objective: To assess the long-term clinical outcomes among patients with unresectable HCC who achieved CR after LRT-IO and were placed on a watch-and-wait protocol.
Aim: Real-world data (RWD) for paliperidone palmitate (PP) three-monthly (PP3M) is lacking based on Japan label requirements. This study evaluated the clinical effectiveness of PP3M versus PP once-monthly (PP1M) in patients with schizophrenia administered according to Japan label requirements.
Methods: Retrospective analyses were conducted using RWD from Merative™ MarketScan® Multi-State Medicaid (MDCD) claims database (June 2015-December 2022).
Background: Optimal glycaemic control has well-established health benefits in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). It is uncertain whether optimal glycaemic control can benefit liver-related outcomes.
Aims: To examine the association of optimal glycaemic control with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver-related mortality.
The 5-year survival is poor for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Recently, cell immunotherapy has emerged as a new treatment strategy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Immune killer cells (IKC) in patients with stage IV NSCLC after the failure of prior chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPercutaneous Endovascular Creation of a Neo-arteriovenous Fistula in Dysfunctional Hemodialysis Fistulas.
Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol
August 2024
Article Synopsis
- Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are crucial for hemodialysis, but calcified arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs) often need surgical revision, prompting a study on a new percutaneous technique for creating neo-fistulas.
- Nine patients faced dialysis access issues due to calcified AVA stenosis, leading to a procedure where a new fistula was formed using ultrasound and fluoroscopy for guidance, achieving 100% technical success.
- Results showed promising patency rates for the new neo-fistulas over time, with a manageable complication (pseudoaneurysm) addressed successfully, indicating that this method is both safe and effective for patients with calcified AVA.
Background & Aims: Combined F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and C-acetate (dual-tracer) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is being increasingly performed for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although its role is not well defined. Therefore, we evaluated its effectiveness in (i) staging, (ii) characterization of indeterminate lesions on conventional imaging, and (iii) detection of HCC in patients with unexplained elevations in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels.
Methods: We retrospectively assessed 525 consecutive patients from three tertiary centers between 2014 and 2020.
Objective: The most common extraintestinal pathogen and infection site is uropathogenic (UPEC), which causes urinary tract infections (UTIs). UPEC is also a common pathogen in bloodstream infections; in severe cases, it can lead to death. Although host and bacterial virulence factors have been demonstrated to be associated with UTI pathogenesis, the role of the related contributing factors in UTI and urinary source bacteremia is not yet fully understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The predictive value of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the optimal threshold of PD-L1 expression in predicting the efficacy of ICIs in patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) NPC.
Methods: A meta-analysis was performed by retrieving relevant literature from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases.
Virion-mediated outbreaks are imminent and despite rapid responses, continue to cause adverse symptoms and death. Therefore, tunable, sensitive, high-throughput assays are needed to help diagnose future virion-mediated outbreaks. Herein, it is developed a tunable in situ assay to selectively enrich virions and extracellular vesicles (EVs) and simultaneously detect antigens and nucleic acids at a single-particle resolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study compares the effectiveness and safety of combining stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with immunotherapy versus SBRT alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Results show that the combination therapy (SBRT-IO) led to significantly improved overall survival rates and response compared to SBRT alone, with higher rates of complete and partial responses among patients.
- Despite some cases of severe side effects from immunotherapy, the combination treatment demonstrated better outcomes, suggesting that further research through randomized trials is needed.
Purpose: The purposes of this study were to determine whether biomechanical properties of mature oocytes could predict usable blastocyst formation better than morphological information or maternal factors, and to demonstrate the safety of the aspiration measurement procedure used to determine the biomechanical properties of oocytes.
Methods: A prospective split cohort study was conducted with patients from two IVF clinics who underwent in vitro fertilization. Each patient's oocytes were randomly divided into a measurement group and a control group.
Combining halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) material is challenging when the QDs' size is larger than the MOFs' nanopores. Here, we adopted a simple defect engineering approach to increase the size of zeolitic imidazolate framework 90 (ZIF-90)'s pores size to better load CHNHPbBr perovskite QDs. This defect structure effect can be easily achieved by adjusting the metal-to-ligand ratio throughout the ZIF-90 synthesis process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients undergoing radiotherapy are at risk of treatment failure, particularly locoregional recurrence. To optimize the individual radiation dose, we hypothesize that the genomic adjusted radiation dose (GARD) can be used to correlate with locoregional control.
Methods: A total of 92 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer / International Union Against Cancer stage III to stage IVB recruited in a randomized phase III trial were assessed (NPC-0501) (NCT00379262).
This project was undertaken to develop the first set of consensus statements regarding the management of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in Hong Kong, with the goal of providing guidance to local clinicians. A multidisciplinary panel of experts discussed issues surrounding current PDAC management and reviewed evidence gathered in the local context to propose treatment recommendations. The experts used the Delphi approach to finalise management recommendations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Whether varying degrees of glycaemic control impact colonic neoplasm risk in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) remains uncertain.
Design: Patients with newly diagnosed DM were retrieved from 2005 to 2013. Optimal glycaemic control at baseline was defined as mean haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)<7%.
Background: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with combined [F]-FDG and [C]-acetate (dual-tracer) is used for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, although its prognostic value and underlying molecular mechanism remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that radiotracer uptake might be associated with tumor hypoxia and validated our findings in public and local human HCC cohorts.
Methods: Twelve orthotopic HCC xenografts were established using MHCC97L cells in female nude mice, with 5 having undergone hepatic artery ligation (HAL) to create tumor hypoxia in vivo.
Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening respiratory condition characterized by severe inflammation and lung tissue damage, frequently causing rapid respiratory failure and long-term complications. The microRNA let-7a-5p is involved in the progression of lung injury, inflammation, and fibrosis by regulating immune cell activation and cytokine production. This study aims to use an innovative cellular electroporation platform to generate extracellular vesicles (EVs) carring let-7a-5p (EV-let-7a-5p) derived from transfected Wharton's jelly-mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) as a potential gene therapy for ALI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To promote physical activity in post-treatment cancer survivors, a mobile application WExercise was developed using the Multi-Process Action Control Framework. It contains 10 weekly online lesson to facilitate reflective, regulatory, and reflexive processes to help participants to form and sustain physical activity behavior.
Objectives: To test the usability and acceptability of WExercise in post-treatment cancer survivors.