Predictive modelling of hospital-acquired infection in acute ischemic stroke using machine learning.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are serious complication for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), often resulting in poor functional outcomes. However, no existing model can specifically predict HAI in AIS patients. Therefore, we employed the Gradient Boosting matching learning algorithm to establish predictive models for HAI occurrence in AIS patients and poor 30-day functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale > 2) in AIS patients with HAI by analyzing electronic health records from 6560 AIS patients.

Correction: Parallel Screening of Wild-Type and Drug-Resistant Targets for Anti-Resistance Neuraminidase Inhibitors.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Mechanistic insight into benzylidene-directed glycosylation reactions using cryogenic infrared spectroscopy.

The stereoselective formation of 1,2- glycosidic linkages is challenging. The currently most widely used strategy for their installation uses 4,6--benzylidene-protected building blocks. The stereoselectivity of this reaction is thought to be driven by a covalent intermediate, which reacts via an S2 mechanism.

Unconventional Hexagonal Close-Packed High-Entropy Alloy Surfaces Synergistically Accelerate Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution.

Accelerating the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which involves the slow cleavage of HO-H bonds and the adsorption/desorption of hydrogen (H*) and hydroxyl (OH*) intermediates, requires developing catalysts with optimal binding strengths for these intermediates. Here, the unconventional hexagonal close-packed (HCP) high-entropy alloy (HEA) atomic layers are prepared composed of five platinum-group metals to enhance the alkaline HER synergistically. The breakthrough is made by layer-by-layer heteroepitaxial deposition of subnanometer RuRhPdPtIr HEA layers on the HCP Ru seeds, despite the thermodynamic stability of Rh, Pd, Pt, and Ir in a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure except for Ru.

The impact of side-chain fluorination on proton-bound phenylalanine dimers: a cryogenic infrared spectroscopic study.

The incorporation of fluorine into amino acids is an important strategy to produce tailored building blocks with unique properties for peptide-based materials. Phenylalanine is frequently modified due to its role in cation-π interactions and the formation of amyloid fibres. Previous studies have utilized gas-phase vibrational spectroscopy to study interactions between canonical amino acids.

Clinical characteristics and functional dependent risk of intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Background: While an increased incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been reported in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS), comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of ICH in this population remains elusive. This study explored the clinical features of ICH in a larger cohort of NS patients.

Methods: To compare the clinical characteristics of ICH in patients with and without NS, we conducted a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study using the data from Chang Gung Research Database of Taiwan from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2017.

Feasibility of Using Needle Rinse Fluid for Cobas Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Assay in Diagnosing HPV+ Oropharyngeal Cancer with Neck Lymph Node Aspiration.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a crucial prognostic factor in oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). p16 is a surrogate marker for diagnosing HPV+ OPC, however it is not direct evidence of HPV existence.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to evaluate an HPV DNA test-Cobas HPV assay-in diagnosing HPV+ OPC through neck lymph node aspiration.

A catalyst family of high-entropy alloy atomic layers with square atomic arrangements comprising iron- and platinum-group metals.

We report a catalyst family of high-entropy alloy (HEA) atomic layers having three elements from iron-group metals (IGMs) and two elements from platinum-group metals (PGMs). Ten distinct quinary compositions of IGM-PGM-HEA with precisely controlled square atomic arrangements are used to explore their impact on hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). The PtRuFeCoNi atomic layers perform enhanced catalytic activity and durability toward HER and HOR when benchmarked against the other IGM-PGM-HEA and commercial Pt/C catalysts.

Antipsychotic medications and severe sepsis in schizophrenia: A nested case-control study.

Background: Sepsis constitutes a condition that involves life-threatening organ dysfunction induced by severe infection. This nested case-control study investigated risk factors for severe sepsis and whether antipsychotic use is associated with severe sepsis risk in patients with schizophrenia, a topic that has not been comprehensively explored in previous studies.

Methods: We selected 39,432 patients with schizophrenia aged between 15 and 65 years from Taiwan's Psychiatric Inpatient Medical Claims database for the period 2000-2012.

An investigation of water status in gelatin methacrylate hydrogels by means of water relaxometry and differential scanning calorimetry.

The relationship between molecular structure and water dynamics is a fundamental yet often neglected subject in the field of hydrogels for drug delivery, bioprinting, as well as biomaterial science and tissue engineering & regenerative medicine (TE&RM). Water is a fundamental constituent of hydrogel systems and engages hydrogen bonding with the macromolecular network. The methods and techniques to measure and reveal the phenomena and dynamics of water within hydrogels are still limited.

Margin to depth of invasion ratio as an indicator for stratifying close margins in early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: In early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients, whether the margin-to-depth-of-invasion ratio (MDR) can assist in stratifying the prognosis remains unclear.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with early stage OSCC at National Taiwan University Hospital between January 2007 and December 2021 were reviewed. Patients with margin > 1 mm were classified into two groups: MDR < 0.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of perampanel: Clinical utility and impact of co-medication on pharmacokinetic variability.

Background: Perampanel (PER) is a newly developed antiseizure medication (ASM). This study aimed to determine the utilization of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for PER in a real-world clinical setting and investigate the influence of concomitant use of ASMs on the plasma concentration profile of PER.

Method: We analyzed data from the Chang Gung Research Database, which is the largest multi-institutional electronic medical records database in Taiwan.

Detecting shifts in nonlinear dynamics using Empirical Dynamic Modeling with Nested-Library Analysis.

Abrupt changes in system states and dynamical behaviors are often observed in natural systems; such phenomena, named regime shifts, are explained as transitions between alternative steady states (more generally, attractors). Various methods have been proposed to detect regime shifts from time series data, but a generic detection method with theoretical linkage to underlying dynamics is lacking. Here, we provide a novel method named Nested-Library Analysis (NLA) to retrospectively detect regime shifts using empirical dynamic modeling (EDM) rooted in theory of attractor reconstruction.

Characteristics of acute ischemic stroke in patients with Nephrotic syndrome.

The incidence of ischemic stroke (IS) is higher in nephrotic syndrome (NS) patients compared to general population. However, there is limited information on the specific characteristics to stroke patients with NS. In this study, we aimed to examine the clinical manifestations of acute IS in a large group of NS patients, comparing to those without NS.

Clinical impact of therapeutic drug monitoring for newer anti-seizure medications in patients with epilepsy: A real-world observation study.

Background: The clinical value of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for newer anti-seizure medications (ASMs) remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the impact of newer ASM TDM on clinical decision making in patients with epilepsy.

Methods: We retrospectively identified all plasma requests for newer ASM level measurement as part of routine clinical management in the outpatient departments of seven medical institutes across Taiwan between September 2016 and May 2019.

Optimizing treatment persistence in epilepsy: a comparative analysis of combined antiseizure medications with different mechanisms of action.

Background: Combination therapy with antiseizure medications (ASMs) is a rational strategy if monotherapy cannot effectively control seizures, thereby aiming to improve tolerance and treatment persistence.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of different ASM combinations among patients.

Design: Patients with epilepsy on monotherapy who had a second ASM added as concomitant two-drug therapy from January 2009 to May 2019 in the Chang Gung Research Database, Taiwan, were included in the analysis.

Unraveling the promoter effect and the roles of counterion exchange in glycosylation reaction.

The stereoselectivity of glycosidic bond formation continues to pose a noteworthy hurdle in synthesizing carbohydrates, primarily due to the simultaneous occurrence of S1 and S2 processes during the glycosylation reaction. Here, we applied an in-depth analysis of the glycosylation mechanism by using low-temperature nuclear magnetic resonance and statistical approaches. A pathway driven by counterion exchanges and reaction byproducts was first discovered to outline the stereocontributions of intermediates.

Brain computed tomography reading of stroke patients by resident doctors from different medical specialities: An eye-tracking study.

Background: Using the eye-tracking technique, our work aimed to examine whether difference in clinical background may affect the training outcome of resident doctors' interpretation skills and reading behaviour related to brain computed tomography (CT).

Methods: Twelve resident doctors in the neurology, radiology, and emergency departments were recruited. Each participant had to read CT images of the brain for two cases.

Comparison of clinical outcomes of angiotensin receptor blockers with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are considered an alternative to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but in the era of extensive use of preventive therapies and percutaneous coronary intervention, this has not been adequately evaluated in Asians.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. In total, 52,620 patients initially hospitalized due to AMI between 2002 and 2015 were assessed.