Risks of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and sleep disorders in patients with dengue fever: A nationwide, population-based cohort study.

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) infection, a common mosquito-borne disease, has been linked to several mental disorders like depression and anxiety. However, the temporal risk of these disorders after DENV infection is not well studied.

Methods: This population-based cohort study encompassed 45,334 recently lab-confirmed dengue patients in Taiwan spanning 2002 to 2015, matched at a 1:5 ratio with non-dengue individuals based on age, gender, and residence (n = 226,670).

Conserved molecular chaperone PrsA stimulates protective immunity against group A Streptococcus.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a significant human pathogen that poses a global health concern. However, the development of a GAS vaccine has been challenging due to the multitude of diverse M-types and the risk of triggering cross-reactive immune responses. Our previous research has identified a critical role of PrsA1 and PrsA2, surface post-translational molecular chaperone proteins, in maintaining GAS proteome homeostasis and virulence traits.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of cell-based versus egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccines in the pediatric population in Taiwan.

Cell-based influenza vaccines avoid egg-adaptive mutations, potentially improving vaccine effectiveness. We assessed the one-season cost-effectiveness of cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) against that of egg-derived quadrivalent influenza vaccines (QIVe) in children (6 months to 17 years of age) from payer and societal perspectives in Taiwan using an age-stratified static model. Base case and high egg adaptation scenarios were assessed.

Re-examination of the risk of dementia after dengue virus infection: A population-based cohort study.

Dengue infection can affect the central nervous system and cause various neurological complications. Previous studies also suggest dengue was associated with a significantly increased long-term risk of dementia. A population-based cohort study was conducted using national health databases in Taiwan and included 37,928 laboratory-confirmed dengue patients aged ≥ 45 years between 2002 and 2015, along with 151,712 matched nondengue individuals.

Antiviral and immunoregulatory effects of curcumin on coxsackievirus B3-infected hepatitis.

Fulminant hepatitis is a life-threatening complication of coxsackievirus B (CVB) 3 infections. The condition may deteriorate to disseminated intravascular coagulopathy with markedly increased liver enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, and chemokines, which significantly induce local and systemic inflammation. Curcumin exhibits anti-inflammatory and antiviral characteristics in inflammatory and infectious diseases.

The composition of the maternal breastmilk microbiota influences the microbiota network structure during early infancy.

Background/purpose(s): Human breastmilk (BM) is important for microbiome maturation in infants across different body sites. Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are considered universally predominant genera in the BM microbiota. However, whether the differential abundance of Streptococcus and Staphylococcus in BM can differentially affect microbiome maturation in infants remains unclear.

Reinvestigation of the risk of stroke after dengue virus infection: A population-based cohort study.

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) infection is the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease. Stroke is a severe manifestation of dengue. However, few large-scale studies have investigated post-dengue risk of stroke.

Risks of Acute Cholecystitis, Acute Pancreatitis, and Acute Appendicitis in Patients with Dengue Fever: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Introduction: Although cases of acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, and acute appendicitis following dengue virus infections have been documented, very few large-scale studies have investigated the postdengue risk of these acute abdominal conditions.

Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study included all patients with laboratory-confirmed dengue from 2002 to 2015 in Taiwan and 1:4 nondengue individuals matched by age, sex, area of residence, and symptom onset time. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to investigate the short-term (≤ 30 days), medium-term (31-365 days), and long-term (> 1 year) risks of acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and appendicitis after dengue infection, adjusted for age, sex, area of residence, urbanization level, monthly income level, and comorbidities.

Development and Utility of Practical Indicators of Critical Outcomes in Dengue Patients Presenting to Hospital: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Global travel and climate change have drastically increased the number of countries with endemic or epidemic dengue. The largest dengue outbreak in Taiwan, with 43,419 cases and 228 deaths, occurred in 2015. Practical and cost-effective tools for early prediction of clinical outcomes in dengue patients, especially the elderly, are limited.

Re-examination of the risk of autoimmune diseases after dengue virus infection: A population-based cohort study.

Previous studies suggested that dengue was associated with an increased risk of several autoimmune diseases. However, this association still needs to be explored due to the limitations of these studies. A population-based cohort study was conducted using national health databases in Taiwan and included 63,814 newly diagnosed, laboratory-confirmed dengue patients between 2002 and 2015 and 1:4 controls (n = 255,256) matched by age, sex, area of residence and symptom onset time.

Short-term, medium-term, and long-term risks of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding after dengue virus infection.

Dengue patients have an increased risk of acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. However, whether dengue virus (DENV) infection can cause an increased long-term risk of GI bleeding remains unknown, especially among elderly individuals who commonly take antithrombotic drugs. A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted by analyzing the National Health Insurance Research Databases.

High prevalence nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant among long term care facility healthcare workers in relation to patient contact.

Background: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a major public health concern worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are an important source of transmission of MRSA. We conducted a prospective study to define the frequency of nasal colonization with emphasis on the carriage of MRSA in HCWs in relation to the intensity of patient contact.

Emergence of macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes emm12 in southern Taiwan from 2000 to 2019.

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is an important pathogen causing morbidity and mortality worldwide. Surveillance of resistance and emm type has important implication to provide helpful information on the changing GAS epidemiology and empirical treatment.

Methods: To study the emergence of resistant GAS in children with upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), a retrospective study was conducted from 2000 to 2019 in southern Taiwan.

Fighting COVID-19: A quick review of diagnoses, therapies, and vaccines.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has infected more than 22 million individuals and resulted in over 780,000 deaths globally. The rapid spread of the virus and the precipitously increasing numbers of cases necessitate the urgent development of accurate diagnostic methods, effective treatments, and vaccines. Here, we review the progress of developing diagnostic methods, therapies, and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on current clinical trials and their challenges.

Biosafety in the preparation and processing of cytology specimens with potential coronavirus (COVID-19) infection: Perspectives from Taiwan.

This commentary focuses on the cytopathology laboratory, the authors' experiences with coronavirus (COVID‐19) in Taiwan, and current guidelines on COVID‐19 infection prevention and control. The objective of this report is to provide cytopathology professionals a timely, in‐depth, evidence‐based review of biosafety practices for those at risk for coronavirus (COVID‐19) infection.

Prevalence and molecular characterizations of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among patients in pediatric intensive care units in Taiwan.

Background: Nasal colonization of Staphylococcus aureus is a risk factor for the pathogen transmission and the development of infections. Limited information is available on the prevalence and molecular characteristics of S. aureus colonization in pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Effect of diabetes mellitus on risk of latent TB infection in a high TB incidence area: a community-based study in Taiwan.

Objective: To investigate the association between diabetes and latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI) in high TB incidence areas.

Design: Community-based comparison study.

Setting: Outpatient diabetes clinics at 4 hospitals and 13 health centres in urban and rural townships.

Glycan-binding preferences and genetic evolution of human seasonal influenza A(H3N2) viruses during 1999-2007 in Taiwan.

It is generally agreed that human influenza virus preferentially binds to α-2,6-linked sialic acid-containing receptors, and mutations that change the binding preference may alter virus infectivity and host tropism. Limited information is available on the glycan-binding specificity of epidemic influenza viruses. In this study, we systemically investigated the glycan-binding preferences of human influenza A(H3N2) viruses isolated from 1999 to 2007 in Taiwan using a high-throughput carbohydrate array.

Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestations of Adenovirus Respiratory Infections in Taiwanese Children.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are important causes of respiratory infections in children. They usually cause mild upper respiratory symptoms, but they can also produce severe pneumonia and other complications. The aims of this retrospective study were to better define the molecular epidemiology of respiratory adenoviruses circulating in Taiwanese children during 2002 and 2013, detect reinfections and co-infections, and characterize the clinical features and laboratory findings according to the causative genotypes.

Identification of fungal pathogens from clinical specimens using multi-locus PCR coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Polymerase chain reaction coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) was successfully used to identify a variety of fungi, including mixed fungal species, from 10 of 12 clinical specimens (10 culture-negative) of biopsy tissues or body fluids from patients with fungal infections. The application of PCR/ESI-MS for identifying fungal pathogens is discussed.