Older Fallers' Comprehensive Neuromuscular and Kinematic Alterations in Reactive Balance Control: Indicators of Balance Decline or Compensation? A Pilot Study.

: Falls and fall consequences in older adults are global health issues. Previous studies have compared postural sways or stepping strategies between older adults with and without fall histories to identify factors associated with falls. However, more in-depth neuromuscular/kinematic mechanisms have remained unclear.

Association of pre-surgical circulating tumor DNA detection, use of sublobar resection with risk of recurrence in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Sublobar resection is increasingly recognized as an effective treatment for early-stage NSCLC. However, no studies to date have investigated the potential role of preoperative ctDNA detection in guiding surgical decisions, such as opting for sublobar resection, in stage I NSCLC.

Methods: Patients with solid-dominant (CTR>0.

The Effects of Gymnastics Programs with Different Cognitive Loads on Working Memory and Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the effects of gymnastics programs with high versus low cognitive load on children's visuospatial working memory (VSWM) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) oxygenation.

Methods: Eighty-one healthy children aged 7 to 10 from Taipei City were randomly assigned to high cognitive load (HG), low cognitive load (LG), and control (SC) groups. The HG and LG groups underwent an 8-week gymnastics program with different levels of cognitive load, while the SC group participated in a static course.

Randomized clinical trial of a digital integrative medicine intervention among patients undergoing active cancer treatment.

Exercise and mindfulness-based interventions have growing evidence for managing fatigue and comorbid symptoms; however, packaging them in a cohesive digital way for patients undergoing cancer treatment has not been evaluated. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of a 12 week digital integrative medicine program, Integrative Medicine at Home (IM@Home), versus enhanced usual care on fatigue severity (primary outcome), comorbid symptoms and acute healthcare utilization (secondary outcomes), in 200 patients with solid tumors experiencing fatigue during treatment. Fatigue severity decreased more in IM@Home than in the control (1.

Molecular Identification of Infection Using Nanopore Sequencing: A Case Report and Literature Review.

(previously known as ) infection is not common in Hong Kong. is a fish-borne cestode parasite that infects humans after consuming raw or insufficiently cooked fish containing plerocercoids. We reported a case of infection in a 40-year-old woman who presented with a complaint of epigastric pain and diarrhea.

Exploring the Fluorination and Hydroxylation of Pore-Space-Partitioned Metal-Organic Frameworks for CH/CH Separation.

We report three novel pore-space-partitioned metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) functionalized with fluorine and hydroxyl groups using 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (F-BDC) and a new ligand 3,6-difluoro-2,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (F(OH)-BDC) as organic building blocks, with 1,3,5-tris(4-pyridyl)-2,4,6-triazine (TPT) as pore partition agent. With the polar fluorine and hydroxyl groups and the open metal sites being blocked by TPT, moderate molecule-framework interactions can be engineered. These three isoreticular microporous frameworks Mn-TPT-BDC-F (NCKU-21), Mn-TPT-BDC-F(OH) (NCKU-22), and Mg-TPT-BDC-F(OH) (NCKU-23) (NCKU=National Cheng Kung University) exhibit distinct single-component gas adsorption behaviors.

Enhancing generalization in a Kawasaki Disease prediction model using data augmentation: Cross-validation of patients from two major hospitals in Taiwan.

Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a rare febrile illness affecting infants and young children, potentially leading to coronary artery complications and, in severe cases, mortality if untreated. However, KD is frequently misdiagnosed as a common fever in clinical settings, and the inherent data imbalance further complicates accurate prediction when using traditional machine learning and statistical methods. This paper introduces two advanced approaches to address these challenges, enhancing prediction accuracy and generalizability.

Younger age as an independent factor for second primary head and neck cancer in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after curative esophagectomy: A two-center retrospective study.

Background: Postoperative survival of esophageal cancer patients has improved with advances in technology and treatment modalities. However, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) often affects the esophagus together with the head and neck regions, with second primary head and neck cancer (SPHNC) adversely influencing the patients' quality of life. Therefore, patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) should be carefully followed up postoperatively.

Insights from a year of field deployments inform the conservation of an endangered estuarine fish.

Freshwater fishes are increasingly facing extinction. Some species will require conservation intervention such as habitat restoration and/or population supplementation through mass-release of hatchery fish. In California, USA, a number of conservation strategies are underway to increase abundance of the endangered Delta Smelt (); however, it is unclear how different estuarine conditions influence hatchery fish.

Vodobatinib overcomes cancer multidrug resistance by attenuating the drug efflux function of ABCB1 and ABCG2.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) remains a significant obstacle in cancer treatment, primarily attributable to the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as ABCB1 and ABCG2 within cancer cells. These transporters actively diminish the effectiveness of cytotoxic drugs by facilitating ATP hydrolysis-dependent drug efflux, thereby reducing intracellular drug accumulation. Given the absence of approved treatments for multidrug-resistant cancers and the established benefits of combining tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with conventional anticancer drugs, we investigate the potential of vodobatinib, a potent c-Abl TKI presently in clinical trials, to restore sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents in multidrug-resistant cancer cells overexpressing ABCB1 and ABCG2.

Performance analysis of dual-hop mixed RF-FSO systems combined with NOMA.

This paper investigates the performance of hybrid radio frequency/free space optical (RF/FSO) systems combined with non-orthogonal multiple access communications technology. We examine a scenario where the source and destination are separated by a large distance, with no direct link between them. The relay, denoted R, operates using the decode-and-forward (DF) protocol.

The Effect of Left Temporal EEG Neurofeedback Training on Cerebral Cortical Activity and Precision Cognitive-Motor Performance.

The present study employed individualized magnitudes of electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha (8-12 hz) power in the left temporal (T3) region as a neurofeedback target parameter during the aiming period in pre-elite air pistol shooters to determine its effectiveness on cerebral cortical activation and performance accuracy compared to physical skill training, only. Shooting scores and EEG activity in the left and right temporal regions were collected from 20 healthy air pistol shooters (10 assigned to neurofeedback training) before and after a 16-session intervention completed within 6 weeks. Specifically, EEG low-alpha (8-10 hz), high-alpha (10-13 hz) power, and coherence obtained at the T3-Fz and T4-Fz recording sites over three consecutive 1-s intervals prior to trigger pull, were subjected to three separate 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 (Group x Hemisphere x Time x Epoch) ANOVAs.

Tacrolimus regulates extracellular vesicle secretion from T cells via autophagy-lysosomal pathway.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from T cells have been proposed to mediate intercellular communication and orchestrate immune responses. The immunosuppressive drug, tacrolimus (TAC), suppresses T cell activity; however, the impact of TAC on T cell-derived EVs remains primarily unexplored. In this study, human primary T cells purified from healthy donors were used to investigate TAC-mediated regulation of EV secretion by T cells.

Short and long-term mortality of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) remains a significant concern for patients with cirrhosis. This study aims to reevaluate the trends in both short-term and long-term mortality rates associated with SBP. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using population data obtained from Taiwan's Health and Welfare Data Science Center, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Physiological response of longfin smelt to changing temperatures and turbidities.

Coastal estuaries globally, including the San Francisco Estuary (SFE), are experiencing significant degradation, often resulting in fisheries collapses. The SFE has undergone profound modifications due to population growth, industrialization, urbanization and increasing water exports for human use. These changes have significantly altered the aquatic ecosystem, favouring invasive species and becoming less hospitable to native species such as the longfin smelt ().

The Characteristics and Prognosis of Acute Hearing Loss in Military Personnel.

The military population is one of the high-risk groups for acute hearing loss. This retrospective study aims to examine acute acoustic trauma (AAT) and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) among military personnel. A total of 111 cases of acute hearing loss from a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2021 were divided into AAT (53 cases) and ISSNHL (58 cases) groups.

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for ectopic Cushing's syndrome caused by metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Background: Metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEPNEN) can cause ectopic Cushing's syndrome (ECS). ECS is highly morbid and medical therapy is complex and can be ineffective. Patients unsuitable for bilateral adrenalectomy (BA) have dismal outcomes.

COVID-19 vaccination and cerebral small vessel disease progression-A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: The association between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and cerebrovascular diseases raised a concern of cerebrovascular safety of COVID-19 vaccines. We aimed to determine the risk of radiologic cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) progression with BNT162b2 and CoronaVac.

Methods: In this community-based prospective cohort study, community-dwelling subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and 4 months after vaccination with BNT162b2 or CoronaVac.

Changes in the small-molecule fingerprints of rice planted near an industrial explosion site in Taiwan.

A fire and explosion accident at a petrochemical complex sparked concerns over the rice health and production in nearby paddy fields. To unveil the potential effects, this study investigated small molecule changes in rice harvested in nearby counties using non-target analysis. Rice grains were harvested three, eight, 15, and 20 months after the accident from a total of ten townships.

Facile Ru-catalysed synthesis of quinazolin-4(3)-ones by tandem cyclization of 2-nitrobenzonitrile and alcohol derivatives under air.

We have developed an efficient approach for the first Ru-catalysed synthesis of 2-arylquinazolin-4(3)-ones from 2-nitrobenzonitriles and alcohols. This method features a broad substrate scope, high yields, and functional group tolerance and does not require any oxidant or reductant, allowing for simple, practical and sustainable synthesis.

Prehospital ventilation strategies in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial (PIVOT trial).

Aims: The PIVOT trial evaluates the clinical outcomes and ventilatory quality of an automatic pneumatic ventilation method compared to a bag-valve-mask ventilation method in patients who have experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and have had an advanced airway placed.

Methods: The PIVOT trial is a pragmatic, open-label, multicenter randomized controlled trial. It aims to recruit 514 patients in Hsinchu County, Taiwan.

DNA sequence and lesion-dependent mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM)-DNA-binding modulates DNA repair activities and products.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is indispensable for mitochondrial function and is maintained by DNA repair, turnover, mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy, along with the inherent redundancy of mtDNA. Base excision repair (BER) is a major DNA repair mechanism in mammalian mitochondria. Mitochondrial BER enzymes are implicated in mtDNA-mediated immune response and inflammation.

Synergistic effects of MK-1775 and gemcitabine on cytotoxicity in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Chemotherapy is crucial in NSCLC treatment, and targeting Wee1 kinase, a key regulator of the G2/M cell cycle checkpoint, may enhance the efficacy of cytotoxic agents. This study investigates the potential of the Wee1 inhibitor MK-1775 in combination with gemcitabine and pemetrexed to enhance cytotoxicity in NSCLC cell lines.