Successful treatment of acute encephalitis and hepatitis in a child with COVID-19 infection.

We present the case of a 6-year-old Taiwanese boy with a fulminant course of COVID-19 manifesting as high fever, acute consciousness changes, and status epilepticus. Brain MRI showed restricted diffusion in the bilateral hemisphere. Electroencephalogram showed diffuse slow waves with few spikes.

Comparison of the PCB serum levels among mother-child pairs in areas of Eastern Japan and Central Taiwan.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been prohibited for two decades in Japan and Taiwan. The aim of this study was to compare the PCB congeners in maternal and cord serum between two countries. Our study subjects were 248 and 100 mother-child pairs in Japan and Taiwan.

New Inverse Emulsion-Polymerized Iron/Polyaniline Composites for Permanent, Highly Magnetic Iron Compounds via Calcination.

The hydrophilic initiator potassium persulfate (KPS) was converted into a hydrophobic molecule by complexing with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at both ends of the molecule (CTAPSu). Inverse emulsion polymerization thus proceeded inside micelles dispersed in the affluent toluene with CTAPSu as the initiator. Polyaniline (PANI) formed inside the micelles and entangled with FeO nanoparticles already esterified with oleic acid (OA).

Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy in a Four-Year-Old Boy.

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is a devastating clinico-radiological syndrome characterized by fulminant neurological deterioration after an antecedent febrile illness, as well as the imaging hallmark of bilateral thalamic involvement. Herein, we describe a 4-year-old boy with typical clinical and neuroimaging features of acute necrotizing encephalopathy. The bithalamic swelling led to a block of cerebrospinal fluid circulation at the foramen of Monro, thereby causing the mild dilatation of lateral ventricles.

Detection of respiratory viruses in adults with respiratory tract infection using a multiplex PCR assay at a tertiary center.

Background: Respiratory viruses (RVs) are among the most common pathogens for both upper and lower respiratory tract infections (RTIs). However, the viral epidemiology of RV-associated RTIs in adults has long been under-recognized. Through a sensitive molecular assay, it would be possible to have a better understanding of the epidemiology of RV-associated RTIs.

Emission-related Heavy Metal Associated with Oxidative Stress in Children: Effect of Antioxidant Intake.

Heavy metals, the common pollutants emitted from industrial activities, are believed to cause harmful effects, partially through the mechanism of elevated oxidative stress, and antioxidant intake has been hypothesized to provide a potential protective effect against oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the heavy metal exposure and the associated oxidative damage of young children living near a petrochemical complex and to assess the protective effect of antioxidant intake. There were 168 children recruited from the kindergartens near a huge petrochemical complex, with 87 as the high exposure group and 81 as the low exposure group.

Melting and Recrystallization of Copper Nanoparticles Prepared by Microwave-Assisted Reduction in the Presence of Triethylenetetramine.

The small sized copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs), prepared in the presence of triethylene tetramine (TETA) and assisted with microwave irradiation, have an extremely low melting temperature. Melting of the small sizezd Cu-NPs can be triggered by the heat generated from the e-beam irradiation during SEM and TEM image construction. The dispersed Cu atoms around the agglomerated big Cu particles can undergo recrystallization immediately due to the strong driving force of the huge temperature difference to normal melting temperature (T = 1085 °C).

Clinical predictors and outcome impact of community-onset polymicrobial bloodstream infection.

Objectives: Very few studies have characterised community-onset polymicrobial bloodstream infections (BSIs). This study determined the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of polymicrobial BSI as compared with monomicrobial BSI in a cohort of patients with community-onset BSIs.

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled consecutive patients with laboratory confirmed BSIs who were admitted to two tertiary emergency departments in Taiwan between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016.

Two-Stage Plasma-Thermal Nitridation Processes for the Production of Aluminum Nitride Powders from Aluminum Powders.

The synthesis of aluminum nitride (AlN) powders is traditionally done via the thermal nitridation process, in which the reaction temperature reaches as high as 960 °C, with more than several hours of reaction time. Moreover, the occurrence of agglomeration in melting Al particles results in poor AlN quality and a low efficiency of nitridation. In this study, an atmosphere-pressure microwave-plasma preceded the pre-synthesis process.

Green Fabrication of Supported Platinum Nanoparticles by Supercritical CO₂ Deposition.

Pt nanoparticles were successfully deposited on uncatalyzed carbon paper by the supercritical CO₂ deposition (SCD) method using platinum (II) acetylacetonate as a precursor followed by thermal conversion. A full 2⁴ factorial design (four factors, each with two levels) was used to investigate the main effect of four factors (deposition temperature, deposition time, reduction temperature, and reduction time) and the interaction effects between them. The morphological structures and surface properties of the Pt/carbon paper composite were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyzer (EDS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM).

Preparation of sub 3 nm copper nanoparticles by microwave irradiation in the presence of triethylene tetramin.

The preparation of sub 3 nm copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in ethylene glycol (EG) using triethylene tetramine (TETA) as chelating and reducing agents via a rapid microwave (MW) irradiation is reported. The sub 3 nm CuNPs after MW irradiation are clearly seen from the electronic micrographs. The firm chelation of Cu by TETA is illustrated by the dark blue color of Cu/TETA/EG solution and the redox reaction is confirmed by the appearance of red color of the mixtures.

Synergistic effect of PANI-ZrO composite as antibacterial, anti-corrosion, and phosphate adsorbent material: synthesis, characterization and applications.

The increasing number of bacteria-related problems and presence of trace amounts of phosphate in treated wastewater effluents have become a growing concern in environmental research. The use of antibacterial agents and phosphate adsorbents for the treatment of wastewater effluents is of great importance. In this study, the potential applications of a synthesized polyaniline (PANI)-zirconium dioxide (ZrO) composite as an antibacterial, phosphate adsorbent and anti-corrosion material were systematically investigated.

Assessment of urinary thiodiglycolic acid exposure in school-aged children in the vicinity of a petrochemical complex in central Taiwan.

Background: School-aged children living in the vicinity of vinyl chloride (VCM)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) factories may have an increased risk of exposure to hazardous air pollutants.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the urinary thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) level, as TDGA is a major metabolite of VCM, for students at elementary schools near a petrochemical complex in central Taiwan.

Methods: We recruited 343 students from 5 elementary schools based on distance to the VCM/PVC factory.

Characterization of the products attained from a thermal treatment of a mix of zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries.

This study applies a thermal separation process (TSP) to recover Fe, Mn, and Zn from hazardous spent zinc-carbon and alkaline batteries. In the TSP, the batteries were heated together with a reducing additive and the metals in batteries, according to their boiling points and densities, were found to move into three major output materials: slag, ingot (mainly Fe and Mn), and particulate (particularly Zn). The slag well encapsulated the heavy metals of interest and can be recycled for road pavement or building materials.

Size distribution of airborne fungi in vehicles under various driving conditions.

Circulation or air conditioning (AC) system was proven to improve the air quality inside the vehicles; however, the quantified study was limited. In this study, fungal concentration under various driving mode inside the vehicle was proposed. The driving conditions were classified into 4 states: (1) window closed without AC and circulation, (2) window open without AC and circulation, (3) window closed with only circulation on, and (4) window closed with only AC on.

α2β1 integrin and RhoA mediates electric field-induced ligament fibroblast migration directionality.

Guided cell migration is important in tissue development, repair, and engineering. We have previously demonstrated that applied electric fields (EFs) enhanced and directed ligament fibroblast migration and collagen production, depending on EF parameters. Electrical stimulation is widely used for the treatment of pain and to promote wound healing.

AFM membrane roughness as a probe to identify oxidative stress-induced cellular apoptosis.

The morphological change of cellular apoptosis initiates from the change of membrane roughness. In order to identify cellular apoptosis in its early stage, atomic force microscope was adapted to reveal the change of membrane roughness in unprecedented details, providing an image in nanometer-scaled resolution. The mouse monocyte/macrophage cell line RAW 264.

Seroprevalence of antibodies to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus among hospital staff in a medical center in Taiwan.

Background: The pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza emerged in April 2009 and spread rapidly and broadly all over the world. In addition to specific antiviral agents, massive vaccination is thought to be the most effective way of controlling the transmission. To understand the prevaccination status of certain risk groups, this study compared the baseline sero-prevalence of antibodies to the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus among hospital staff with different contact risks and that of the general population.

Gene expression variation increase in trisomy 21 tissues.

Congenital development disorders with variable severity occur in trisomy 21. However, how these phenotypic abnormalities develop with variations remains elusive. We hypothesize that the differences in euploid gene expression variation among trisomy 21 tissues are caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21 and may contribute to the phenotypic variations in Down syndrome.

Chemical and physical properties of plasma slags containing various amorphous volume fractions.

In this study, municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash was vitrified using a plasma torch. The fly ash contained rich Ca, causing a high basicity of 2.43.

Effects of additives on the selectivity of byproducts and dry removal of fluorine for abating tetrafluoromethane in a discharge reactor.

The removal efficiency of tetrafluoromethane (CF(4)) was significantly enhanced by adding additives (H(2), O(2), H(2)+O(2), H(2)O) in an atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma reactor. However, large amounts of fluorine (F(2)) were produced in this study. Moreover, the selectivity of F(2) was apparently greater than that of HF (in H(2)-based condition) or COF(2) (in O(2)-based abatement).

The type-2 variant of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein N (gN-2) is not the rarest in the Chinese population of Taiwan: influence of primer design.

Studies of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein N (gpUL73-gN) showed that genotypic variations exist in different geographic areas, with gN-2 unidentified in Chinese population. The purpose of this study was to determine the HCMV gN variants in the Chinese population of Taiwan. Primers were designed and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out on the UL73 gene.

Characterization of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in different atmospheric environments.

Few studies have measured polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) in the atmosphere. In this study,four categories of atmospheric environments, including rural (Kengting national park, Taitung county, and Yilan county), urban (north Kaohsiung city and south Taichung city), industrial (Lin-hai industrial park), and science park (Hsinchu science park) areas were investigated for their characteristics of 2,3,7,8-substituted PBDD/F and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). The elevated PCDD/F I-TEQ concentrations and higher ratio of PCDFs to PCDDs in the industrial areas reveal that the metallurgical facilities, including sinter plants, electric arc furnaces, secondary aluminum smelters, and secondary copper smelters, significantly influence their surrounding atmospheric environments.