Association of herpes simplex virus infection and vitiligo: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Background: Several studies have proposed viral infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) as a probable cause of vitiligo. We aimed to examine the association between HSV infection and vitiligo.

Methods: We used the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to perform a comparative analysis of the study population with or without a diagnosis of HSV infection.

Correlation between the utilization of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and the risk of dementia: a nationwide population-based study in Taiwan.

The impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SLGT2i) usage on reducing the risk of dementia remains uncertain. Our research seeks to establish the association between dementia risk and SLGT2 inhibitors among individuals with diabetes. This study relied on data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database (NHIRD), which was established in 1995 coinciding with the launch of the National Health Insurance (NHI) program by the Taiwanese government.

Discovery and prioritization of genetic determinants of kidney function in 297,355 individuals from Taiwan and Japan.

Current genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for kidney function lack ancestral diversity, limiting the applicability to broader populations. The East-Asian population is especially under-represented, despite having the highest global burden of end-stage kidney disease. We conducted a meta-analysis of multiple GWASs (n = 244,952) on estimated glomerular filtration rate and a replication dataset (n = 27,058) from Taiwan and Japan.

Association between Scabies Treatment and Parkinson's Disease: A Nationwide, Population-Based Study.

Background: Scabies is typically treated with scabicides like lindane, which poses a risk for acute neural toxicity. Lindane's prolonged use, particularly in agriculture, is linked to neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. This study aimed to evaluate whether scabies patients, particularly those treated with topical lindane, are at increased risk of developing PD.

Mevastatin-Induced HO-1 Expression in Cardiac Fibroblasts: A Strategy to Combat Cardiovascular Inflammation and Fibrosis.

Mevastatin (MVS) is known for its anti-inflammatory effects, potentially achieved by upregulating heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an enzyme involved in cytoprotection against oxidative injury. Nonetheless, the specific processes by which MVS stimulates HO-1 expression in human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs) are not yet fully understood. In this study, we found that MVS treatment increased HO-1 mRNA and protein levels in HCFs.

Characterizing Genetic Susceptibility to Colorectal Cancer in Taiwan Through Genome-Wide Association Study.

We conducted the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Taiwan with 5342 cases and 61,015 controls. Ninety-two SNPs in three genomic regions reached genome-wide significance (p < 5 × 10). The lead SNPs in these three regions were: rs12778523 (OR = 1.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists may benefit cardiopulmonary outcomes in patients with COPD.

Background: Clinical studies have shown that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) can have beneficial effects on cardiopulmonary function. We conducted this longitudinal cohort study to compare the risk of cardiopulmonary outcomes and mortality between GLP-1 RA use and no use in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: The study identified 8060 matched GLP-1 RA users and non-users from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2019.

The association between antiglaucomatous agents and Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives: To estimate the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) associated with long-term use of topical glaucoma medications among middle-aged and older glaucoma patients, and compare the AD risk among various glaucoma subtypes.

Methods: This nationwide population-based cohort study utilized insurance claims data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2008 and 2019. Participants were adults aged 45 years or older either with a diagnosis of glaucoma or without.

Chinese herbal medicine may reduce major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with dialysis hypotension: A taiwan nationwide cohort study.

Background: The association between Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and the risk of developing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with dialysis hypotension is unclear and has not yet been investigated. This study aimed to determine whether CMH intervention could reduce the risk of MACEs in patients with dialysis hypotension.

Methods: The study data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were analyzed to clarify this association.

Thiazide diuretics versus loop diuretics in stage 3-5 CKD: impact on cardiorenal outcomes.

Objectives: The association between diuretic use and cardiorenal outcomes remains limited in patients with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension. To address this gap, we aim to investigate the long-term clinical impact of diuretic use with its pharmacological classification in Taiwanese patients with stage 3-5 CKD and hypertension who were concurrently received angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).

Methods: Using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (January 2008 to December 2019), we focused on individuals with stage 3-5 CKD receiving ACEIs/ARBs between 2010 and 2018.

Novel Genes Associated With Atrial Fibrillation and the Predictive Models for AF Incorporating Polygenic Risk Score and PheWAS-Derived Risk Factors.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common atrial arrhythmia, presents with varied clinical manifestations. Despite the identification of genetic loci associated with AF, particularly in specific populations, research within Asian ethnicities remains limited. In this study we aimed to develop predictive models for AF using AF-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on a substantial cohort of Taiwanese individuals, to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the model.

Antihyperlipidemic drugs mitigate the elevated incidence of peptic ulcer disease caused by hyperlipidemia: A cohort study.

Background: Several risk factors for peptic ulcer disease (PUD) have been identified; however, the recurrence rate of PUD remains high even with standard ulcer treatments. High cholesterol levels have been proposed as a risk factor for PUD, but clinical evidence remains limited. Therefore, this database study investigated whether hyperlipidemia increases PUD risk and whether antihyperlipidemic drugs reduce this risk.

The Gastroprotective Effects of against Ethanol-Induced Gastric Ulcer through the Induction of IκB-α and the Inhibition of NF-κB Expression.

(L.) Kuntze is a traditional herb with multiple medicinal properties and with potential for preventing or treating various diseases. Acteoside, one of the active ingredients in , is prepared into commercially available products of A.

Developing a Polygenic Risk Score with Age and Sex to Identify High-Risk Myopia in Taiwan.

Myopia is the leading cause of impaired vision, and its prevalence is increasing among Asian populations. This study aimed to develop a polygenic risk score (PRS) followed by replication to predict myopia in the Taiwanese population. In total, 23,688 participants with cycloplegic autorefraction-measured mean spherical equivalent (SE), genetic, and demographic data were included.

Predicting blood-brain barrier permeability of molecules with a large language model and machine learning.

Predicting the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability of small-molecule compounds using a novel artificial intelligence platform is necessary for drug discovery. Machine learning and a large language model on artificial intelligence (AI) tools improve the accuracy and shorten the time for new drug development. The primary goal of this research is to develop artificial intelligence (AI) computing models and novel deep learning architectures capable of predicting whether molecules can permeate the human blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Ethnic-specific genetic susceptibility loci for endometriosis in Taiwanese-Han population: a genome-wide association study.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder affecting around 10% of reproductive-age women. Although many hypotheses were proposed, genetic alteration has been considered as one of the key factors promoting pathogenesis. Due to racial/ethnic disparities in the process of hormone regulation and nutrition metabolism, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) with 2794 cases and 27,940 controls was conducted in a Taiwanese-Han population.

The risk of herpes zoster is positively associated with obesity, especially morbid obesity.

This study aimed to investigate the association between obesity and herpes zoster (HZ) occurrence. This study used data covering 2 million people in Taiwan in 2000, which were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database. The cohort study observed aged 20-100 years with obesity from 2000 to 2017 (tracking to 2018).

Identification of novel genetic susceptibility loci for calcium-containing kidney stone disease by genome-wide association study and polygenic risk score in a Taiwanese population.

Approximately 80% of kidney stone diseases contain calcium. Inherited genetic factors are among the variables that influence the development of calcium-containing kidney stone diseases (CKSD). Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on stone diseases have been reported worldwide; however, these are not focused on calcium-containing stones.

[Corrigendum] Next‑generation sequencing analysis reveals that MTH‑3, a novel curcuminoid derivative, suppresses the invasion of MDA‑MB‑231 triple‑negative breast adenocarcinoma cells.

Subsequently to the publication of the article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that, in Fig. 2A on p. 5, the 'Control  (24 h)' and 'MTH‑3 (1 μM; 24 h)' data panels contained partially overlapping data, such that they appeared to have been derived from the same original source.