Publications by authors named "JC Tai"

Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) through direct-acting antivirals (DAA) compared to those treated with interferon (IFN).
  • - Analysis of 4806 patients showed DAA treatment resulted in a higher incidence of HCC than IFN, particularly in the first three years post-SVR, although both groups saw a decrease in incidence over time.
  • - Independent risk factors for HCC included age, sex, BMI, and liver disease status, while the type of antiviral treatment did not independently contribute to HCC risk; ongoing monitoring is recommended for high-risk groups, especially younger patients with
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Purpose: Stroke survivors and their informal family caregivers may share the impact of the disease, which may affect family functioning and quality of life (QoL) for both. This study compared the perceptions of stroke survivors and informal family caregivers regarding family functioning and QoL and examined the QoL of those reporting effective versus ineffective family functioning.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design and convenience sampling were used.

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Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is the preferred technique for surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia in prostates over 80 cc in size. A 72-year-old male underwent a HoLEP for catheter-dependent urinary retention in the context of a 204 cc prostate. At the end of the procedure he was clinically overloaded and had developed a combined respiratory and hyperchloremic normal anion gap metabolic acidosis secondary to excessive absorption of normal saline irrigation fluid.

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Purpose: Axillary staging is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) is currently used to stage patients who are clinically and radiologically node-negative. Since the establishment that axillary node clearance (ANC) does not improve overall survival in breast-conserving surgery for patients with low-risk biological cancers, axillary management has become increasingly conservative.

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Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to health misinformation and are at risk for suboptimal adherence to protective health behaviors in the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by factors consistent with the theories of planned behavior and rumor transmission, this study sought to analyze the impact of multiple information sources, including social media, television media, internet and parental counseling, on masking behaviors in adolescents. Responses from the December 2020 COVID-19 survey, representing 4,106 U.

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Background While type 1 diabetics often require self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), the evidence for tight blood glucose monitoring in non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients is limited. In addition to its lack of cost-effectiveness, unnecessary blood glucose monitoring may also result in anxiety and decreased quality of life. In this retrospective audit, we assessed SMBG prescribing practice at one general practice against guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

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Background: This study aimed to evaluate the inter-fraction set-up error and intra-fraction motion during reverse semi-decubitus (RSD) breast radiotherapy, and to determine a planning target volume (PTV) margin.

Material And Methods: Pre- and post-treatment cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were prospectively acquired at fractions 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 14 for 30 patients who underwent RSD breast radiotherapy. Online correction for initial set-up error greater than 5 mm or 2° was performed and post-correction CBCT was acquired.

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Introduction: We investigated the epidemiological features of the 2007 dengue outbreak to determine the factors that could have triggered it two years after the previous large outbreak in 2005.

Methods: All laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue reported during the year, as well as entomological and virological data, were analysed.

Results: A total of 8826 cases including 24 deaths were reported in 2007, giving an incidence of 192.

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In Singapore, after a major outbreak of dengue in 2005, another outbreak occurred in 2007. Laboratory-based surveillance detected a switch from dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) to DENV-2. Phylogenetic analysis showed a clade replacement within DENV-2 cosmopolitan genotype, which accompanied the predominant serotype switch, and cocirculation of multiple genotypes of DENV-3.

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Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras have been widely used in recent years for monitoring and surveillance applications. These cameras provide flexible view selection as well as a wider observation range. This makes them suitable for vision-based traffic monitoring and enforcement systems.

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We examined the effect of transient covert attention on the psychometric function for contrast sensitivity in an orientation discrimination task when the target was presented alone in the absence of distracters and visual masks. Transient covert attention decreased both the threshold (consistent with a contrast gain mechanism) and, less consistently, the slope of the psychometric function. We assessed performance at 8 equidistant locations (4.

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In earlier studies, the assimilation of selenate by plants appeared to be limited by its reduction, a step that is thought to be mediated by ATP sulfurylase. Here, the Arabidopsis APS1 gene, encoding a plastidic ATP sulfurylase, was constitutively overexpressed in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). Compared with that in untransformed plants, the ATP sulfurylase activity was 2- to 2.

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The conformation of alpha-bungarotoxin and its cyanogen bromide cleaved and nitrated derivatives was studied by circular dichroism (CD). Native toxin contains no helices but some beta forms and possibly beta turns. Its ordered conformation is little affected when the peptide bond between Met-27 and Trp-28 is cleaved; however, the CD due to Trp-28 is abolished.

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