Prognostic impact of primary surgery in human papillomavirus-independent, advanced or metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma: A bi-institutional retrospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic impact of primary surgery on patients with HPV-independent, advanced or metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma (EAC) who typically exhibit poor survival outcomes and resistance to conventional therapies such as chemoradiotherapy.

Methods: A bi-institutional retrospective study was conducted at Samsung Medical Center and Taiwan National University Hospital. Between 2001 and 2023, 92 patients with HPV-independent advanced or metastatic EAC were included.

Gendering the beginning of life: Taiwanese gay fathers' navigation of preimplantation genetic diagnosis-assisted sex selection in transnational third-party reproduction.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has been used not only to avoid genetic diseases and increase conception success rates but also to perform non-medical sex selection, particularly in the surging cross-border reproductive care (CBRC). In the context of commercialised biomedicine, assisted reproductive technologies, such as lifestyle sex selection, have been tailored to meet intended parents' preferences. However, there is a lack of analysis on how individuals' reproductive decisions on PGD-assisted sex selection were shaped within the sociocultural norms and CBRC.

Is moderate resistance training adequate for older adults with sarcopenia? A systematic review and network meta-analysis of RCTs.

Background: Resistance training (RT) and nutritional supplementation are recommended for the management of sarcopenia in older adults. However, optimal RT intensity for the treatment of sarcopenia has not been well investigated.

Methods: This network meta-analysis aims to determine the comparative effectiveness of interventions for sarcopenia, taking RT intensity into consideration.

Structural and functional characterization of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase in (3D7) and identification of its potent inhibitors.

The malarial parasite predominantly causes severe malaria and deaths worldwide. Moreover, resistance developed by to frontline drugs in recent years has markedly increased malaria-related deaths in South Asian Countries. Ribulose 5-phosphate and NADPH synthesized by Pentose Phosphate Pathway (PPP) act as a direct precursor for nucleotide synthesis and survival during oxidative challenges in the intra-erythrocytic growth phase .

Does the diagnostic timing of cancer-associated thromboembolism influence the survival outcome in ovarian cancer patients?

Background/purpose: Efforts were made to explore the influence of diagnostic timing for cancer-associated thromboembolic events on survival of ovarian cancer patients.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 75 ovarian cancer patients with thromboembolism and evaluated the prognostic factors affecting disease-free survival and overall survival.

Results: These 75 patients were classified into two categories by the diagnostic timing of the thromboembolism, during (33 cases) and after (42 cases) initial diagnosis of ovarian cancer groups.

Dual inhibition of BTLA and PD-1 can enhance therapeutic efficacy of paclitaxel on intraperitoneally disseminated tumors.

Background: Expression of immune checkpoints in the tumor microenvironment is one mechanism underlying paclitaxel (PTX) chemoresistance. This study aimed to investigate whether the addition of checkpoint blockade to PTX can improve the therapeutic efficacy against apparently disseminated intraperitoneal tumors.

Methods: We analyzed the in vivo expression of various immune checkpoints in CD3CD8 cytotoxic T cells from tumor-bearing mice treated with or without PTX and validated the tumor-killing activities of selected checkpoint-expressing T-cell subpopulations ex vivo.

Does para-aortic lymphadenectomy improve survival in pathologically diagnosed early-stage grade 3 endometrioid and non-endometrioid endometrial cancers? A retrospective cohort study in Korea and Taiwan.

Purpose: The therapeutic effect of para-aortic lymphadenectomy in early-stage high-grade endometrial cancer remains controversial. In this study, we investigated whether combined pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy has a survival benefit compared to pelvic lymphadenectomy alone in patients with pathologically diagnosed FIGO stage I-II grade 3 endometrioid and non-endometrioid endometrial cancers.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 281 patients with histologically confirmed FIGO stage I-II grade 3 endometrioid and non-endometrioid endometrial cancers who underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy alone or combined pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy in staging surgery at two tertiary centers in Korea and Taiwan.

A MicroCT Study on Mineral Change over Time Associated with Demineralisation in Primary Teeth.

Objective: To evaluate the change in demineralisation depth (DD)and mineral density (MD) over time in primary teeth exposed to a demineralisation protocol with microcomputed tomography (microCT).

Methods: Caries lesions were artificially induced on the labial surfaces of 9 primary incisors by way of a demineralisation protocol using 0.1 M lactic acid with 10% methylcellulose gel for 7 and 14 days.

Experience in different modes of delivery in twin pregnancy.

Background/purpose: Vaginal delivery, compared with Cesarean delivery, remains a less chosen mode of delivery for twin pregnancy. We studied the maternal and perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancy with different modes of delivery.

Methods: A retrospective study with data collected from a regional hospital, including vital twin pregnancies delivered at gestational age of 32 weeks and above.

Understanding family dynamics in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation decision-making in Taiwan: Motivation, communication, and ambivalence.

This study investigated how multiple family members co-construct the ethical significance of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and how the family structure and dynamics of donor-recipient-caregiver relationships shape the communication and decision-making process within the sociocultural context of Taiwan. We conducted in-depth interviews with 36 participants from 13 families at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from February to December 2019. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated from Mandarin to English and analyzed utilizing grounded theory and thematic analysis.

Pharmacologic management for pediatric dental patients in the 21st century.

Most children are able to cooperate during conventional, in-office dental treatment using traditional, communicative behavior guidance techniques that are carefully selected and applied to the developmental needs of a particular child. Children who are unable to cooperate during conventional treatment due to a lack of psychological or emotional maturity and/or the existence of a mental, physical, or medical disability may require pharmacologic techniques such as procedural sedation or general anesthesia to complete rehabilitative dental treatment. Patient safety dictates that careful preparation and robust case selection processes guide clinical decision-making related to pharmacologic behavior guidance.

Challenges and unmet needs in basal insulin therapy: lessons from the Asian experience.

Basal insulin therapy can improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. However, timely initiation, optimal titration, and proper adherence to prescribed basal insulin regimens are necessary to achieve optimal glycemic control. Even so, glycemic control may remain suboptimal in a significant proportion of patients.

SH3-like motif-containing C-terminal domain of staphylococcal teichoic acid transporter suggests possible function.

The negatively charged bacterial polysaccharides-wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are synthesized intracellularly and exported by a two-component transporter, TagGH, comprising a transmembrane subunit TagG and an ATPase subunit TagH. We determined the crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of TagH (TagH-C) to investigate its function. The structure shows an N-terminal SH3-like subdomain wrapped by a C-terminal subdomain with an anti-parallel β-sheet and an outer shell of α-helices.

The pineapple genome and the evolution of CAM photosynthesis.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) is the most economically valuable crop possessing crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a photosynthetic carbon assimilation pathway with high water-use efficiency, and the second most important tropical fruit.

Brain Metabolism of Less-Educated Patients With Alzheimer Dementia Studied by Positron Emission Tomography.

Alzheimer dementia (AD) is the commonest form of dementia. Although illiteracy is associated with high prevalence of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), their relationship is still unclear. Nevertheless, mild DAT in illiterate participants seems to be due to brain atrophy.

Day-night cycles and the sleep-promoting factor, Sleepless, affect stem cell activity in the Drosophila testis.

Adult stem cells maintain tissue integrity and function by renewing cellular content of the organism through regulated mitotic divisions. Previous studies showed that stem cell activity is affected by local, systemic, and environmental cues. Here, we explore a role of environmental day-night cycles in modulating cell cycle progression in populations of adult stem cells.

Changes in mRNA expression of adenosine receptors in human chronic periodontitis.

Objective: To elucidate the aetiology of periodontitis, this study focused on the adenosine receptor (AR) expression profiles (A1AR, A2AAR, A2BAR and A3AR) in periodontal diseased tissues.

Methods: Adenosine receptor gene expression levels in human gingiva from 15 patients with healthy gingival tissues (control group) and 15 patients who exhibited severe chronic periodontitis (test group) were measured using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Results: The mRNA expression pattern changed in human chronic periodontitis: the A1AR decreased 20%, A2AAR increased 2.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the N-terminal domain of human coronavirus OC43 nucleocapsid protein.

The N-terminal domain of nucleocapsid protein from human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43 N-NTD) mostly contains positively charged residues and has been identified as being responsible for RNA binding during ribonucleocapsid formation in the coronavirus. In this study, the crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of HCoV-OC43 N-NTD (amino acids 58-195) with a molecular weight of 20 kDa are reported. HCoV-OC43 N-NTD was crystallized at 293 K using PEG 1500 as a precipitant and a 99.

Evaluation of the value of rapid D-dimer test in conjunction with cardiac troponin I test for early risk stratification of myocardial infarction.

We sought to determine the diagnostic value of a D-dimer test for myocardial infarction (MI). The prospective cohort study was carried in the ED of a university hospital. All included patients were tested for D-dimer and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) on ED admission and additional cTnI 6 h later.

Promoter methylation of p16 and EDNRB gene in leukemia patients in Taiwan.

Both epigenetic and genetic alternations are involved in cancer formation. In this study, we have identified the methylation frequency of p16 and endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB) of 26 leukemia patients and 8 randomly selected normal blood donors in Taiwan. Promoter methylation of p16 was detected in 85% of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), 83% in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) whereas no methylation was detected in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in blast crisis.

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates in pediatric patients of a university hospital in Taiwan.

Background And Purpose: Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the common nosocomial pathogens, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB) is a therapeutic problem. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of MDRAB colonization/infection in pediatric patients at the National Taiwan University Hospital.

Plasma soluble CD30 level correlates negatively with age in children.

Background And Purpose: Atopic diseases are thought to be associated with cytokine-mediated immune dysregulation, for example, a T helper cell type 1/2 (Th1/Th2) imbalance. CD30 is proposed to be one of the surrogate markers for Th2 immunity. In this study, we investigated whether CD30 is a good marker for atopy and Th2 predominance in a pediatric population.