Low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts overall survival benefit in advanced NSCLC patients with low PD-L1 expression and receiving chemoimmunotherapy.

Although combination therapy including chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improves overall survival (OS) of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there is a higher incidence of adverse events and treatment discontinuation. Since programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) could not serve as a predictive biomarker, we investigated the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictive biomarker. In our previous research, we demonstrated that a low NLR could predict survival benefits when patients with high PD-L1 expression (> 50%) received chemoimmunotherapy as opposed to immunotherapy alone.

Chemotherapy outcomes in EGFR-TKI resistant patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutation: An exploratory retrospective cohort study.

Background: Some prospective studies have shown that second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) provide better control in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, studies comparing second-line chemotherapy efficacy between NSCLC patients with common and uncommon EGFR mutations remain rare. This retrospective study compared treatment outcomes in these patients.

Social comparison effects on students' cognitive anxiety, self-confidence, and performance in Chinese composition writing.

Social comparison is a mind-altering determinant that affects students' learning behavior. To understand the effect, three instructional approaches to teaching Chinese writing skills were designed and implemented in this study: (1) The No Comparison Group (NCG): students were asked to complete compositions on their own; (2) The Upward Comparison Group (UCG): superior composition examples were provided and the students were asked to write compositions on the same topics; and (3) The Downward Comparison Group (DCG): inferior examples were provided for students to critique. Taiwanese junior high school ninth graders participated in three groups, and wrote compositions on six themes.

IgE-neutralizing UB-221 mAb, distinct from omalizumab and ligelizumab, exhibits CD23-mediated IgE downregulation and relieves urticaria symptoms.

Over the last 2 decades, omalizumab is the only anti-IgE antibody that has been approved for asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Ligelizumab, a higher-affinity anti-IgE mAb and the only rival viable candidate in late-stage clinical trials, showed anti-CSU efficacy superior to that of omalizumab in phase IIb but not in phase III. This report features the antigenic-functional characteristics of UB-221, an anti-IgE mAb of a newer class that is distinct from omalizumab and ligelizumab.

SNP rs4331426 in 18q11.2 is associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis among female Han Taiwanese.

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4331426 located in a gene-poor region on chromosome 18q11.2 has been associated with tuberculosis (TB) by genome-wide association studies in Ghana and Gambia. In this study, we analyzed the SNP rs4331426 for its association with the risk of TB in the Taiwanese population.

Effectiveness of sulpiride in adult patients with schizophrenia.

The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness among sulpiride, risperidone, olanzapine, and haloperidol by evaluating the persistence of drug use. A retrospective cohort study was conducted by analyzing the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Patients with schizophrenia aged 18-65 years and newly prescribed with a single oral antipsychotic medication between years 2003 and 2008 were included.

High prevalence of metabolic disturbances in patients with bipolar disorder in Taiwan.

Background: Both ethnicity and lifestyle may contribute to these abnormalities. High prevalences of obesity and metabolic disturbances in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have been reported in western countries. However, reports about the prevalences in Asian countries remain scant.

Decrease in inflammatory cardiovascular risk markers in hyperlipidemic diabetic patients treated with fenofibrate.

The goal was to investigate the effect of micronized fenofibrate, a hypolipidemic drug, on inflammatory markers and proinsulin in patients with type 2 diabetes who had hyperlipidemia. Thirty-nine patients were treated with micronized fenofibrate (200 mg/day for 12 wk). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP), and proinsulin levels were measured at baseline and after 12 wk of therapy.

Glycopeptide-induced neutropenia: cross-reactivity between vancomycin and teicoplanin.

Objective: To report teicoplanin-related neutropenia that developed after an episode of neutropenia induced by vancomycin therapy.

Case Summary: A 57-year-old female suffered from osteomyelitis of the left humerus, with a white blood cell (WBC) count of 2.8 x 10(3)/mm3 and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 0.

Polyethylene failure of the patellar component in New Jersey low-contact stress total knee arthroplasties.

In a postoperative 5- to 12-year follow-up study of 598 New Jersey low-contact stress total knee arthroplasties, 32 required revision. All retrieved patellar components were examined for polyethylene damage. These 32 cases had 3 types of failure: split rupture (7 cases), peripheral wear (21), and cantilevering breakage (4), respectively 75%, 64.