Comparisons of characteristics and outcome between abusive head trauma and non-abusive head trauma in a pediatric intensive care unit.

Background: Abusive head trauma (AHT) is the leading cause of death in infants with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Early recognition of AHT is important for improving outcomes, but it can be challenging due to its similar presentations with non-abusive head trauma (nAHT). This study aims to compare clinical presentations and outcomes between infants with AHT and nAHT, and to identify the risk factors for poor outcomes of AHT.

Unique Pulmonary Hypertension in Young Children: A Case Series Study.

Pediatric pulmonary hypertension (PH) has a similar clinical presentation to the adult disease but is associated with several additional disorders and challenges that require a specific approach for their fulminant course. With improved care for premature infants, various forms of pulmonary vascular disease have been found in children that did not previously exist. Pediatric PH can begin in utero, resulting in pulmonary vascularity growth abnormalities that may persist into adulthood.

Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Smooth Muscle Tumor and Its Correlation With CD4 Levels in a Patient With HIV Infection.

Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumor (EBV-SMT) is a rare tumor found in immunocompromised patients, and its treatment is not well-established. A role for antiretroviral therapy in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related EBV-SMT has been proposed; however, the relevance of tumor size, CD4 levels, and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) has not been previously reported. We present the first case, to our knowledge, of a tumor that shrank in association with elevated CD4 counts.

Primary clear cell adenocarcinoma of prostate: A diagnostic challenge.

Clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) rarely occurs in men, not to mention in prostate. We reported a 44-year-old male patient who suffered from recurrent dysuria and frequency for 6 months. Transurethral resection of the prostate was performed to relieve bladder outlet obstruction.

Experience with outreach services of a multidisciplinary team for child abuse identification.

Background/purpose: Identifying child abuse is sometimes challenging due to its various presentations. To facilitate timely identification of critical or complex cases of physical abuse outside our child protection center, we established an outreach multidisciplinary team (OMDT) to support Kaohsiung City Government in 2014. The objective of this study was to describe our experience of OMDT services during a 6-year period and examine its role in assisting law enforcement.

Clocking tinnitus: An audiology symptom of migraine.

Objectives: In contrast to previous concept that tinnitus is confined to an otologic disorder, current evidence supports it as a phantom sensory phenomenon of vestibulocochlear damage with cortical reorganization. It is a common problem worldwide, but the treatment response is always unsatisfactory.

Patients And Methods: In this study, we report 10 patients who described their staccato tinnitus as simulating the ticking sound of a pendulum or quartz clock (or termed clocking tinnitus).

A common regulatory variant in SLC35B4 influences the recurrence and survival of prostate cancer.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the regulatory elements of a gene can alter gene expression, making these SNPs of prime importance for candidate gene association studies. We aimed to determine whether such regulatory variants are associated with clinical outcomes in three cohorts of patients with prostate cancer. We used RegulomeDB to identify potential regulatory variants based on in silico predictions and reviewed genome-wide experimental findings.

Cancer Stem Cell Gene Variants Predict Disease Recurrence in Patients Treated with Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in tumor progression and drug resistance. We hypothesized that variants in CSC marker genes influence treatment outcomes in prostate cancer. Ten potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven prostate CSC marker genes, , , , , , , and , were selected for analysis of their association with disease recurrence by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression in a cohort of 320 patients with localized prostate cancer receiving radical prostatectomy.

Vitamin D receptor-binding site variants affect prostate cancer progression.

Vitamin D is an important modulator of cellular proliferation through the vitamin D receptor (VDR) that binds to DNA in the regulatory sequences of target genes. We hypothesized that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VDR-binding sites might affect target gene expression and influence the progression of prostate cancer. Using a genome-wide prediction database, 62 SNPs in VDR-binding sites were selected for genotyping in 515 prostate cancer patients and the findings were replicated in an independent cohort of 411 patients.

Amitriptyline and Sexual Function: A Systematic Review Updated for Sexual Health Practice.

Amitriptyline is an old drug but is still prevalently used as the first-line treatment for a variety of common diseases. Surprisingly, knowledge of sexual risks with amitriptyline comes from only one clinical trial and several case reports from three decades ago. In the current study, a systematic review of the literature following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) related to amitriptyline and sexual dysfunction (SD) was performed.

Expression of redox sensing factor Nrf2 in lung macrophages and type II pneumocytes as a prognostic factor in pneumothorax recurrence.

Background: Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a common clinical problem. However, PSP recurrence is still a major concern. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) plays a protective role against oxidative airway diseases.

Pulmonary Blastoma in Children: Report of a Rare Case and Review of the Literature.

Pulmonary blastoma is a rare malignant lung tumor with aggressive behavior and dismal prognosis. It is extremely rare in children aged <18 years, and little is known about its genetic alteration and pathogenesis. Although surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy have been applied in several cases, no standard treatment guidelines with sufficient evidence have been established.

Topiramate-associated sexual dysfunction: A systematic review.

Introduction: Sexual pharmacotoxicity renders patients with epilepsy at a risk for sexual dysfunction (SD). This study is aimed to analyze the relationship between sexual function and topiramate to avoid topiramate-associated SD.

Methods: A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines was performed to elucidate any SD occurrence in patients receiving topiramate.

Cheiro-pedal syndrome: A revisit of etiology, localization and outcome.

Objective: Cheiro-pedal syndrome (CPS) is an incomplete sensory disorder confined to hand and foot and is generally considered a benign entity. However, knowledge comes from case report or case series only. The aim of this study is to clarify the etiology, localization and outcome of CPS.

Crossed cheiro-oral syndrome: A warning sign for medullary involvement and neurological deterioration.

Crossed cheiro-oral syndrome (CCOS) is characterized by crossed sensory disturbance confined to the unilateral perioral area and contralateral hand/finger(s). Although a few classical crossed sensory syndromes accurately predict brainstem or spinal involvement, the clinical significance of CCOS remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the etiology, localization and outcome of CCOS patients.

Prognostic Relevance of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Polymorphisms for Prostate Cancer.

Folate metabolism has been associated with cancers via alterations in nucleotide synthesis, DNA methylation, and DNA repair. We hypothesized that genetic variants in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (), a key enzyme of folate metabolism, would affect the prognosis of prostate cancer. Three haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the gene region were genotyped in a cohort of 458 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with radical prostatectomy.

Inherited Variants in Wnt Pathway Genes Influence Outcomes of Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Androgen Deprivation Therapy.

Aberrant Wnt signaling has been associated with many types of cancer. However, the association of inherited Wnt pathway variants with clinical outcomes in prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has not been determined. Here, we comprehensively studied the contribution of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Wnt pathway genes to the clinical outcomes of 465 advanced prostate cancer patients treated with ADT.

Prognostic Value of Prostaglandin-endoperoxide Synthase 2 Polymorphisms in Prostate Cancer Recurrence after Radical Prostatectomy.

Unlabelled: Backgroud: Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of chronic inflammation in the progression of prostate cancer, and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), also known as cyclooxygenase-2, catalyzes the rate-limiting steps of the pathway. We hypothesized that genetic variants of PTGS2 can influence the outcome of prostate cancer patients.

Methods: We genotyped five haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to detect common genetic variations across the PTGS2 region in 458 prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy.

β1 Integrin as a Prognostic and Predictive Marker in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) displays higher risk of recurrence and distant metastasis. Due to absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), TNBC lacks clinically established targeted therapies. Therefore, understanding of the mechanism underlying the aggressive behaviors of TNBC is required for the design of individualized strategies and the elongation of overall survival duration.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and endothelin-1 expression correlates with angiogenesis in congenital heart disease.

In Taiwan, the average prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) is 13.08/1000 live births. Most children with CHD die before the age of 5 years; therefore, identifying treatment methods to extend the life of CHD patients is an important issue in clinical practice.

Absence of CD66a expression is associated with high microvessel density and high histologic grade in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver. Patients with HCC usually have poor prognosis and high mortality. It has been shown that carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CD66a) regulates cell signaling, proliferation, and tumor growth.

Antiphospholipid antibodies and cerebellar ataxia: a clinical analysis and literature review.

Background: Although it has been established that antiphospholipid antibodies (APAbs) bind to and modulate the signaling of cerebellar neurons in vitro, the clinical correlation between increased APAbs and cerebellar ataxia has rarely been investigated.

Methods: We reviewed 10 patients presenting with cerebellar ataxia with increased blood APAbs from our database along with 3 APAb-associated cerebellar ataxia patients in the literature.

Results: Of these 10 patients, 4 exhibited a subacute onset of progressive ataxia, and there were no significant structural changes in their brains that appeared to be responsible for the symptoms.