Expression of carbonic anhydrases I/II and the correlation to clinical aspects of oral squamous cell carcinoma analyzed using tissue microarray.

Background: Carbonic anhydrases (CA), a family of metalloenzymes, play an important role in catalyzing the equilibration of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and carbonic acid (H(2)CO(3)). The role of CAs in tumorigenesis is controversial, especially regarding the expression of CA isoenzymes between various tumor types. This study explores the correlation between the expressions of CA I and CA II and the characteristic features of oral cancer.

The carcinoembryonic antigen as a potential prognostic marker for neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast.

Aim: Primary neuroendocrine carcinomas of the breast (PNCB) are very rare and tumor markers for this indication are not well defined. We aim at reporting a case and providing a marker useful for prognosis and prediction of tumor recurrence for patients with PNCB.

Case Report: A 75-year-old woman presented with a slight painful lump in her left breast of more than 6 months duration.

Loss of nuclear expression of Krüppel-like factor 4 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with oral cancer.

Krüppel-like factor 4 is not only involved in cell proliferation but also affects cell differentiation and extracellular matrix production via positive and negative regulation of the expression of a wide range of genes. To our knowledge, little information is available regarding the role of Krüppel-like factor 4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma. In this study, we investigated the associations between Krüppel-like factor 4 expression and clinical parameters of oral cancer using immunohistochemical assays in 215 surgical specimens.

Caleosin-assembled oil bodies as a potential delivery nanocarrier.

Encapsulation of hydrophobic agents with nanocarriers is challenging. Therefore, we have sought to use nanoscale artificial oil bodies (NOBs) as an alternative delivery carrier. To constitute NOBs, caleosin (Cal), a structural protein of plant seed oil bodies, was first fused with ZH2 (Cal-ZH2).

Seroprevalence and severity of 2009 pandemic influenza A H1N1 in Taiwan.

Background: This study is to determine the seroprevalence of the pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus (pH1N1) in Taiwan before and after the 2009 pandemic, and to estimate the relative severity of pH1N1 infections among different age groups.

Methodology/principal Findings: A total of 1544 and 1558 random serum samples were collected from the general population in Taiwan in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Seropositivity was defined by a hemagglutination inhibition titer to pH1N1 (A/Taiwan/126/09) ≥1:40.

Expression of Krűppel-like factor 5 in gastric cancer and its clinical correlation in Taiwan.

Krűppel-like factors (KLFs), highly conserved zinc-finger proteins, play either anti- or pro-proliferation roles in different human cancers through regulating a wide range of genes' expression. Here, we investigated the expression of KLF5 in gastric cancers and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and overall survival rates. In this study, KLF5 expression was measured by an immunohistochemical microarray assay of tissue taken from 76 surgical specimens.

Association of expression of kruppel-like factor 4 and kruppel-like factor 5 with the clinical manifestations of breast cancer.

Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) are import modulators of cell proliferation, differentiation, and transformation and have recently been considered possible prognostic factors in breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the correlation between KLF4 and KLF5 expression and the clinical manifestations of breast cancer by immunohistochemical analysis. We observed increased KLF4 and KLF5 expression in tumor cells (invasive and in situ carcinomas), consistent KLF4 and KLF5 expression in in situ and invasive carcinomas, significant associations between KLF4 expression and tumor grade (p = 0.

Community-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in children in Taiwan, 2000s.

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been increasingly identified as the major cause of community-associated (CA) infections in previously healthy hosts since the late 1990s. CA-MRSA strains were recognised as a novel pathogen that is genetically different from healthcare-associated MRSA, and five major epidemic clones have been identified worldwide. In Taiwan, a significantly increasing rate of MRSA carriage and infection amongst healthy subjects was observed in the past decade.

Molecular analysis of repeated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in children.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major pathogen that causes severe morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. It is unclear whether repeated MRSA infections in pediatric patients are caused by relapse of previous infecting strains or by acquiring new strains from extrinsic sources. The study aimed to define the genetic relatedness of MRSA isolates from children with repeated infections.

Sulfidation of rock-salt-type transition metal oxide nanoparticles as an example of a solid state reaction in colloidal nanoparticles.

The sulfidation of colloidal rock-salt-type MO (M = Fe, Mn and Co) nanocrystals was performed in organic solvents using dissolved elemental sulfur at moderate temperatures. The vacancy defects in these rock-salt-type structures clearly promote complete oxide-sulfide conversion. The conversion products were hollow metal sulfide (pyrrhotite (Fe(1-x)S), Co(1-x)S and α-MnS) nanoparticles.

Compassionate use of linezolid for adult Taiwanese patients with bone and joint infections.

Background: Compassionate use of linezolid for bone and joint infections has been reported and hematological adverse reactions are a cause for concern. A similar experience in Asian people has not been reported.

Methods: Adult cases that received linezolid for bone and joint infections at 3 Taiwanese medical centers from 2002 to 2006 were analyzed.

Factors associated with nasal colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthy children in Taiwan.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been identified as a major cause of community-associated (CA) S. aureus infections in the past decade. The main reservoir in the community for MRSA and the factors contributing to its worldwide spread remain poorly defined.

Selective delivery of cargo entities to tumor cells by nanoscale artificial oil bodies.

Artificial oil bodies (AOBs) are oil droplets that result from self-assembly of a mixture containing triacylglycerols, phospholipids, and membrane proteins of plant seeds. Owing to their small size, stability, hydrophobic core, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, AOBs were explored to examine their feasibility as a drug delivery carrier. This was approached by fusion sesame oleosin (Ole), the primary membrane protein of seed oil bodies, with a small domain consisting of the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif.

Clinical features of echovirus 6 and 9 infections in children.

Background: Clinical features of echovirus 6 and 9 infections in children have not been comprehensively evaluated, particularly for sporadic cases.

Objective: To describe the clinical features of children with echovirus 6 or 9 infections.

Study Designs: From 2000 to 2008, 199 children with culture-proven echovirus 6 or 9 infections identified in a university-affiliated hospital were included.

Combined capillary hemangioma and angiodysplasia of the ileum: an unusual cause of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding with preoperative localization by double-balloon endoscopy.

Vascular lesions in the small bowel with bleeding complications are usually difficult to diagnose and localize preoperatively. With the increased use of either capsule endoscopy or enteroscopy, there have been more reports of preoperative diagnosis from such lesions. The authors report a rare case of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding from a combined hemangioma and angiodysplasia identified by double-balloon enteroscopy.

Probiotics have clinical, microbiologic, and immunologic efficacy in acute infectious diarrhea.

Background: Acute infectious diarrhea is a major cause of childhood morbidity and economic burden for families. We evaluate the clinical, microbiologic, and immunologic effects of probiotics in acute infectious diarrhea.

Methods: Children (n = 304) aged 3 months to 6 years hospitalized for acute diarrhea were randomized to receive Bio-three (a mixture of Bacillus mesentericus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Clostridium butyricum) or placebo orally 3 times daily for 7 days.

Clinical experience with ultrasound-based real-time tracking lithotripsy in the single renal stone treatment.

Purpose: An ultrasound-based real-time tracking system has been shown to improve the efficacy of lithotripsy in animal studies. This system has been implemented into an electromagnetic shockwave lithotripter (LM-9200 ELMA), and the treatment outcomes were prospectively evaluated.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1332 patients with one renal stone were treated with LM-9200 ELMA lithotripter between December 2004 and November 2007.

Change in the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections in Taiwan.

A multiresistant community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone (sequence type 59) established itself as a significant cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections soon after emergence in the communities. Multiresistance might be one of the characteristics that could have contributed to its quick adaptation to hospital environments.