Liver Disease Screening and Hepatitis C Virus Elimination in Taiwan Rural Indigenous Townships: Village-By-Village Screening and Linking to Outreach Hepatology Care.

Medical resources are limited for hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in rural indigenous areas of Taiwan. This study aimed to investigate liver disease risk and conduct a HCV elimination program in two rural indigenous townships. A program of village-by-village screening tests was conducted including hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), linking to outreach hepatology care at two indigenous townships (Laiyi and Mudan).

Rapid Control of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant COVID-19 Community Outbreak: The Successful Experience in Pingtung County of Taiwan.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was an outbreak in December, 2019 and rapidly spread to the world. All variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the globally and currently dominant Delta variant (Delta-SARS-CoV-2), caused severe disease and mortality. Among all variants, Delta-SARS-CoV-2 had the highest transmissibility, growth rate, and secondary attack rate than other variants except for the new variant of Omicron that still exists with many unknown effects.

Toxicity assessment of electrochemical advanced oxidation process-treated groundwater from a gas station with petrochemical contamination.

Electrochemical advanced oxidation process (EAOP) is known for its efficient and fast degradation of organic pollutants in polluted water treatment. In this study, the EAOP using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode was applied to treat two-season groundwater samples collected from four sampling wells (GS1 to GS4) with petrochemical contaminants including methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), benzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, total organic compounds (TOC), and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) at a gas station in southern Taiwan. Moreover, toxicity tests (ATP, p53, and NF-κB bioassays) were performed to evaluate the biological responses of raw and EAOP-treated groundwater.

Residue Levels of Organochlorine Pesticides in Breast Milk and Its Associations with Cord Blood Thyroid Hormones and the Offspring's Neurodevelopment.

Previous studies have demonstrated that organochlorine pesticide (OCP) exposure has a negative impact on the neurological function of infants. Only a few reports have investigated the thyroid and growth hormones and their relationship to neurodevelopment after human exposure to OCPs, especially in the case of infants. Our goal was to determine whether breastmilk OCP residues were associated with negative impacts and/or alterations in the neurodevelopment of infants among specific southern Taiwanese mother-breastfed infant pairs.

Dust levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PBDD/Fs) in the Taiwanese elementary school classrooms: Assessment of the risk to school-age children.

Elementary school classroom dust is an important source of exposure to polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans and diphenyl ethers (PBDD/DF/DEs) for school-age children. Our goal is thus to investigate concentrations of PBDD/DF/DEs in elementary school classroom dust to further assess the impact on school-age children via ingestion. The dust from classrooms, including both normal (NR) and computer classrooms (CR), was collected from six urban and four rural schools.

Intracranial Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor with Sarcomatous Local Recurrence.

Case Description: A 20-year-old woman presented with a rare intracranial inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) manifesting as headache and insomnia. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a tumorous lesion with heterogeneous enhancement at the right temporal lobe, as well as perifocal edema with midline shift. The tumor was totally resected with the margin free.

An AhR-Luciferase Adenovirus Infection System for Rapid Screening of Dioxins in Soils.

Our goal was to develop a fast-screening method for measuring dioxin levels in soils. The adenovirus (Ad)-dioxin-responsive (DR) bioassay system (AdEasy-6XDRE-TATA-Luc) combined with a fast-cleanup system was examined under conventional conditions (i.e.

Use of a highly sensitive recombinant hepatoma cell method to determine dioxin concentrations in samples of fish and crab from a hotspot area.

A new and easy fast-screening test (the Ad-DR (adenoviral vector-dioxin response) bioassay) for dioxins in biological samples from highly dioxin-contaminated areas was developed. The aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor (AhR) reporter system was utilized to transport a dioxin-responsive-element (DRE) via an adenovirus vector into rat hepatoma (H4IIE) cells before each experiment; these DRE-H4IIE cells were utilized in the Ad-DR bioassay. Biological extracts were simultaneously analyzed by the Ad-DR bioassay and high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS).

Cord blood levels of thyroid hormones and IGF-1 weakly correlate with breast milk levels of PBDEs in Taiwan.

In vivo studies indicate that prenatal or neonatal exposure of rodents to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) disrupts thyroid hormone balance, but few studies have reported an association of PBDEs and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). The goal was to examine whether PBDEs exposure affects the levels of thyroid hormones and IGF-1 in cord blood. Study participants were healthy pregnant women recruited from the general population in central Taiwan between 2000 and 2001 and in southern Taiwan from 2007 to 2009.

Neurodevelopment of infants with prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

The study aimed to examine the impact of prenatal exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) on infant neurodevelopment. PBDEs levels in 36 cord blood samples were analyzed with a high-resolution-gas-chromatograph/high-resolution-mass-spectrometer and infant neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. The mean and median of Σ(11)PBDEs were 6.

Impact of non-occupational exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers on menstruation characteristics of reproductive-age females.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have documented effects on thyroid functions and rodent behavior in vivo. Epidemiological studies, however, have revealed only limited information about associations between PBDE exposure and menstruation characteristics. Our goal was to examine whether high breast milk PBDE levels in reproductive-age females lead to interference with menstruation characteristics.

Effects of arecoline on adipogenesis, lipolysis, and glucose uptake of adipocytes-A possible role of betel-quid chewing in metabolic syndrome.

To investigate the possible involvement of betel-quid chewing in adipocyte dysfunction, we determined the effects of arecoline, a major alkaloid in areca nuts, on adipogenic differentiation (adipogenesis), lipolysis, and glucose uptake by fat cells. Using mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, we showed that arecoline inhibited adipogenesis as determined by oil droplet formation and adipogenic marker gene expression. The effects of arecoline on lipolysis of differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes were determined by the glycerol release assay, indicating that arecoline induced lipolysis in an adenylyl cyclase-dependent manner.

Concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in breast milk correlated to maternal age, education level, and occupational exposure.

The aim of the present study is to determine whether levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in breast milk in the general population are associated with demographic parameters, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and occupational exposure. Forty-six participants are randomly selected from healthy women recruited between April 2007 and April 2008 from local hospitals in southern Taiwan. Thirty PBDE isomers in breast milk are analyzed using a gas chromatograph with a high resolution mass spectrometer.

Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis. Neuroimaging diagnosis and clinical management.

Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) is an uncommon disorder that affects the dural venous sinus and cerebral vein. In our study, thirty- four patients were examined. Pre and/or post contrast-enhanced CT was done in 28 patients.

CT angiography and MR angiography in the evaluation of carotid cavernous sinus fistula prior to embolization: a comparison of techniques.

Background And Purpose: This study compared CT angiography (CTA), MR angiography (MRA), and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in elucidating the size and location of carotid cavernous sinus fistulas (CCFs) before embolization treatment.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 53 patients with angiographically confirmed CCF. All patients underwent pre- and postcontrast-enhanced CTA and DSA, and 50 patients also underwent MRA.

MR imaging of an infiltrating spinal epidural angiolipoma.

Infiltrating spinal epidural angiolipoma is an uncommon benign tumor composed of mature adipose elements admixed with abnormal blood vessel, which tends to invade the surrounding soft tissue and may potentially be mistaken for an aggressive tumor. In this report, we present the MR imaging findings of a pathologically proved infiltrating spinal epidural angiolipoma that appeared largely hypointense on T1-weighted images and enhanced strongly with IV injection of contrast medium, features that suggested a malignant tumor.