Publications by authors named "Hsiao W"

Precision health extends beyond the scope of precision medicine and involves a broader range of activities, including the prediction, prevention, treatment, and management of diseases. Tailored to specific populations, precision health offers personalized treatment and preventive measures considering genetics, lifestyle behaviors, social determinants of health, and environmental factors. Precision medicine focuses on the personalized treatment of diseases, whereas precision health aims to promote health and prevent diseases using tools such as big data and advanced analytics to predict health risks and prevent diseases at the population level.

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We introduce a robust likelihood approach to inference for paired multiple binary endpoints data. One can easily implement the methodology without dealing with the model that incorporates a large number of joint probabilities of no direct relevance to the inference of interest. We present the robust score test statistic for testing the equality of two treatment effects to exemplify the utility and simplicity of the method.

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Advancements in early detection have demonstrated the significance of biomarkers as indicators of health and disease. Traditional detection methods often face limitations, such as low sensitivity and time consumption. Fluorescence-based techniques are considered promising approaches because of their noninvasiveness and rapid response.

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Background: Food allergies, particularly peanut (PN) allergies, are a growing concern, with fatal anaphylaxis incidents often reported. While palforzia is the sole FDA-approved drug for managing PN allergies, it is not universally effective.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the potential of Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins (GpS) as a novel therapeutic agent for PN allergy through modulation of gut microbiota, addressing the limitations of current treatments.

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Chloramphenicol (CAP), a potent antibiotic capable of inhibiting protein synthesis, presents significant challenges related to long-term dosing and its persistent leaching into the environment, raising concerns about environmental contamination and resistance development. To address this issue, we developed a reliable, low-cost, and biocompatible nanocomposite material comprising tannic acid (TA)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) intercalated into manganese-doped tin oxide nanoparticles (MnSnO₂ NPs). The structural formation and catalytic activity of the MnSnO₂ NPs/TA-rGO nanocomposite were characterized using field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical techniques.

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  • The COVID-19 pandemic spurred global efforts to sequence SARS-CoV-2 genomes to monitor its evolution and guide public health decisions, resulting in millions of genome sequences being shared worldwide.
  • The Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN - VirusSeq) launched the Canadian VirusSeq Data Portal to provide open access to genomic sequences and standardized contextual data while adhering to FAIR standards.
  • The portal emphasizes data quality, privacy compliance, and security, and is used alongside tools like Viral AI and the CoVaRR-Net to facilitate ongoing research and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Canada.
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  • * This study seeks to create a noninvasive method for estimating arsenic exposure using AI, analyzing 9,988 photos of hands and feet from 2,497 subjects, correlating visual features with arsenic levels.
  • * The AI model achieved strong prediction accuracy with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.813 for arsenic concentration and 0.779 for cumulative exposure, indicating promising potential for noninvasive assessment in future epidemiological research.
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Background: ThyroSeq offers the opportunity to stratify the risk of malignancy (ROM) in the characterization of indeterminate thyroid nodules, especially those categorized as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS). However, whether ThyroSeq interpretations correlate with cytologic features, management, and surgical outcome remains unclear.

Methods: Thyroid fine-needle aspiration specimens categorized as AUS and follicular neoplasm (FN) from 2017 to 2021 were identified from a cytology database search.

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Despite the prevalence and the impact on quality of life of dermatological indications, drug products to treat such conditions have rarely been blockbusters. The prevailing perception of a limited commercial potential of dermatological drug products has restricted innovation and encouraged a more conservative development approach. For example, the focus was on repurposing/reformulation of existing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) specifically for the topical delivery route.

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  • Test anxiety (TA) is a common feeling students have during exams, and it can affect their emotions and performance.
  • A study looked at how TA impacts the oral bacteria of medical students who often have a lot of stress.
  • The results showed that many students had anxiety during exams, which changed their mouth bacteria by decreasing good bacteria and increasing harmful ones, and this effect was different between boys and girls.
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  • TERT promoter mutations are frequently found in thyroid cancers, but their impact on tumor behavior along with other molecular changes is not fully understood.
  • A study of 32 patients revealed that most cases with TERT mutations and additional molecular changes were malignant, particularly high-grade thyroid carcinomas (HGCs).
  • Isolated TERT mutations were more likely linked to benign tumors, while cases with multiple mutations were predominantly associated with malignancy, especially high-grade forms.
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Purpose: Poor contour of the implant restoration causes plaque accumulation and increases the risk of peri-implantitis. This study aimed to investigate whether the prosthodontic components of dental implants were associated with the prevalence of peri-implantitis.

Methods: We enrolled 185 patients with 348 implants who underwent at least 1-year follow-up after the delivery of the prosthesis from February 2010 to January 2021.

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  • MABS, a pathogenic bacterium linked to severe lung infections, particularly in cystic fibrosis patients, has smooth and rough morphotypes influenced by glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) on its surface.
  • This study aimed to explore the relationship between MABS morphotypes, GPL levels, and infectivity by analyzing strains from cystic fibrosis patients, revealing that about 50% had mixed morphologies and that smooth strains exhibited a consistent GPL-morphotype relationship.
  • Findings showed that rough clinical strains replicated more effectively in macrophages compared to smooth strains, with a higher rate of infection, indicating significant differences between clinical and laboratory strains in terms of infectivity, underscoring the complexity of MABS
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Acebutolol (ACE) is commonly used to treat hypertension and high blood pressure. Large doses of ACE can have adverse effects with potentially life-threatening consequences. It is, therefore, essential to develop a simple, low-cost, reliable, and reproducible device for detecting ACE in biofluids.

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  • Changing climates are enabling ticks and their animal hosts to spread in Canada, increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases like Lyme disease.
  • The study analyzed whole-genome sequences of 51 bacterial isolates from ticks between 1993 and 2016 in coastal British Columbia, focusing on the Lyme disease-causing genospecies.
  • Researchers identified 13 known sequence types, discovered 6 new ones, and revealed that some types are transient, suggesting they may be outcompeted by more established strains across North America.
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Background: Delirium is a common complication in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. It can lead to various adverse events. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of combining the use of the PREdiction of DELIRium (PRE-DELIRIC) model for delirium risk assessment and the use of a multicomponent care bundle for delirium assessment, prevention, and care in terms of reductions in the incidence of delirium among surgical ICU patients.

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Cancer has become a primary global health concern, which has prompted increased attention towards targeted therapeutic approaches like photothermal therapy (PTT). The unique optical and magnetic properties of nanodiamonds (NDs) have made them versatile nanomaterials with promising applications in biomedicine. This comprehensive review focuses on the potential of NDs as a multifaceted platform for anticancer therapy, mainly focusing on their dual functionality in PTT and temperature sensing.

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Background: The interplay between diet and the gut microbiota in multiple sclerosis (MS) is poorly understood. We aimed to assess the interrelationship between diet, the gut microbiota, and MS.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study including 95 participants (44 pediatric-onset MS cases, 51 unaffected controls) enrolled from the Canadian Pediatric Demyelinating Disease Network study.

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  • The bacterium was identified using pure culture and analysis techniques, revealing it shares similarities with a type strain previously isolated from a sow.*
  • The genome of this isolate is significant for its size and virulence-related genes, emphasizing its potential pathogenicity and serving as a reference for future research on similar organisms.*
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Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) classification system revised the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) system for reporting pancreaticobiliary cytopathology. To better stratify intraductal and/or cystic neoplasms by cytologic grade, the neoplastic, other category was replaced by two new categories: pancreaticobiliary neoplasm, low-risk/grade (PaN-Low) and pancreaticobiliary neoplasm, high-risk/grade (PaN-High). Low-grade malignancies were placed in the malignant category, and benign neoplasms were placed in the benign/negative for malignancy category.

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As public health laboratories expand their genomic sequencing and bioinformatics capacity for the surveillance of different pathogens, labs must carry out robust validation, training, and optimization of wet- and dry-lab procedures. Achieving these goals for algorithms, pipelines and instruments often requires that lower quality datasets be made available for analysis and comparison alongside those of higher quality. This range of data quality in reference sets can complicate the sharing of sub-optimal datasets that are vital for the community and for the reproducibility of assays.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory condition that affects persons between the ages of 20 and 40, causes synovium inflammation, cartilage loss, and joint discomfort as some of its symptoms. Diagnostic techniques for RA have traditionally been split into two main categories: imaging and serological tests. However, significant issues are associated with both of these methods.

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Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of neurodisability worldwide, with notably high disability rates among moderately severe TBI cases. Extensive previous research emphasizes the critical need for early initiation of rehabilitation interventions for these cases. However, the optimal timing and methodology of early mobilization in TBI remain to be conclusively determined.

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The COVID-19 pandemic led to a large global effort to sequence SARS-CoV-2 genomes from patient samples to track viral evolution and inform public health response. Millions of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences have been deposited in global public repositories. The Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN - VirusSeq), a consortium tasked with coordinating expanded sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes across Canada early in the pandemic, created the Canadian VirusSeq Data Portal, with associated data pipelines and procedures, to support these efforts.

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Background: Based on a longitudinal cohort design, the aim of this study was to investigate whether individual-based F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-FDG-PET) regional signals can predict dementia conversion in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: We included 44 MCI converters (MCI-C), 38 non-converters (MCI-NC), 42 patients with Alzheimer's disease with dementia, and 40 cognitively normal controls. Data from annual cognitive measurements, 3D T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and F-FDG-PET scans were used for outcome analysis.

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