Spatiotemporal Gaussian Optimization for 4D Cone Beam CT Reconstruction from Sparse Projections.

In image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), four-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT) is critical for assessing tumor motion during a patients breathing cycle prior to beam delivery. However, generating 4D-CBCT images with sufficient quality requires significantly more projection images than a standard 3D-CBCT scan, leading to extended scanning times and increased imaging dose to the patient. To address these limitations, there is a strong demand for methods capable of reconstructing high-quality 4D-CBCT images from a 1-minute 3D-CBCT acquisition.

Exploring the perspectives of early-stage postoperative glioblastoma patients and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning: An exploratory qualitative interview study.

Aim: Compare the convergent and divergent viewpoints of early-stage postoperative patients with glioblastoma and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning in Taiwan.

Background: Decision-making capacity in patients with glioblastoma may be compromised as disease progresses, making early future care planning essential to ensure that the provided care aligns with patients' goals. However, within many Asian cultures, the tendency to avoid discussions about death can lead patients to feel hesitant about addressing end-of-life care options.

Shoulder Physiological Offset Parameters in Asian Populations-A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

: Physical shoulder offset parameters (SOPs) play important roles in the diagnosis and treatment of shoulder diseases. However, there is little research analyzing SOPs in healthy shoulders using cross-sectional MRI images, especially in Asians. Therefore, this study aimed to establish physiological reference values of shoulder parameters for Asian populations.

Safety or speed? Assessing alternative vascular access for angiography after resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) in severe pelvic trauma patients.

Introduction: Pelvic fractures often result in life-threatening bleeding and hemodynamic instability. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has emerged as a promising strategy for patients with severe pelvic fractures, facilitating subsequent hemostatic interventions. Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is a well-established procedure for managing pelvic fractures accompanied by hemorrhage.

Temporal trends of prescription rates, oral anticoagulants dose, clinical outcomes and factors associated with non-anticoagulation in patients with incident atrial fibrillation.

Objective: To analyze the temporal trends of oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription, direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) dose, clinical outcomes and factors associated with non-anticoagulation in patients with incident atrial fibrillation (AF).

Patients And Methods: During January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020, a total of 249,107 patients with newly diagnosed AF were identified, and the 1-year risks of ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and all-cause mortality were analyzed.

Results: OAC prescription increased from 22.

Increased circulatory Krebs cycle metabolites in sepsis is associated with increased interleukin-6 release and worse survival.

Objective: Recent studies have proposed that Krebs cycle metabolites may serve as potential biomarkers for prognosis in sepsis. However, whether these metabolites are associated with disease severity and can be applied to improve the effectiveness of current prognosis assessment in sepsis remains unclear and is explored in this study.

Methods: This prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted in medical intensive care units (ICUs).

Exploring mental health symptoms in elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis on sex differences.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected elite athletes, leading to increased mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Sex differences in mental health may exist among athletes during the COVID-19 crisis. This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine sex differences in mental health symptoms among elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Extracellular RNA communication: A decade of NIH common fund support illuminates exRNA biology.

The discovery that extracellular RNAs (exRNA) can act as endocrine signalling molecules established a novel paradigm in intercellular communication. ExRNAs can be transported, both locally and systemically in virtually all body fluids. In association with an array of carrier vehicles of varying complexity, exRNA can alter target cell phenotype.

Effect of induced extrinsic and intrinsic hand and forearm muscular fatigue on the control of finger force during piano playing.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of hand muscle fatigue on finger control and force efficiency during piano performance, which is crucial for skilled piano playing among professional pianists engaged in prolonged periods of high-intensity practice or concert preparation. Thirty-one professional pianists were recruited as participants. This study was divided into three sequential experimental parts: pre-fatigue test, fatigue protocol, and post-fatigue test.

Point-of-care ultrasound in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is changing the practice of nearly all specialties and is increasingly being incorporated as a bedside tool by more gastroenterologists and hepatologists. POCUS is most often used to answer focused clinical questions, supplement the traditional physical examination, and guide performance of invasive bedside procedures. This review describes several common POCUS applications used in gastroenterology and hepatology, as well as some novel applications that warrant further investigation.

Metal-organic frameworks as thermocatalysts for hydrogen peroxide generation and environmental antibacterial applications.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive, making them useful for environmental and health applications. Traditionally, photocatalysts and piezocatalysts have been used to generate ROS, but their utilization is limited by various environmental and physical constraints. This study introduces metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as modern thermocatalysts efficiently producing hydrogen peroxide (HO) from small temperature differences.

Conversion of Oil-Containing Residue from Waste Oil Recycling Plant into Porous Carbon Materials Through Activation Method with Phosphoric Acid.

In the waste oil recycling industry, large amounts of oil-containing sludge are still generated, thus posing a resource depletion issue when disposed of or incinerated without energy recovery or residual oil utilization. In this work, chemical activation experiments using phosphoric acid (HPO) were performed at a low temperature (600 °C) for 30 min to produce porous carbon products. From the results of the pore property analysis, an increasing trend with an increasing impregnation ratio from 0.

Effectiveness of pharmacist-managed oncology ambulatory care for patients with non-small cell lung cancer in Taiwan.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is commonly treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, adverse events from such treatment can lead to treatment discontinuation and additional medical expenditures. Ambulatory care from oncology pharmacists in patient education and symptom management can benefit patients with NSCLC.

Effect of Flow Rates of High-flow Nasal Cannula on Extubation Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has emerged as a promising intervention for post-extubation oxygen therapy, with the potential to reduce the need for reintubation. However, it remains unclear whether using a higher flow setting provides better outcomes than the commonly used flow rate of 30-50 L/min.

Research Question: Does setting the flow rate of HFNC at 60 L/min versus 40 L/min for post-extubation care result in different extubation outcomes?

Study Design And Methods: This randomized controlled trial assigned intubated patients to receive HFNC at either a 60 L/min or 40 L/min flow rate following extubation.

Medical students' perception of a unique humanistic mentoring program in a religious university: a convergent parallel mixed methods study.

Background: The medical school of Tzu Chi University in Taiwan offers a unique, group-based, humanistic mentoring program as a complement to the programs mentored by faculty members and school counselors. The humanistic mentors are senior volunteers who are subject-matter experts in various fields and who embody the spirit of humanism in their lives. The average mentee-to-mentor ratio is around 3.

Identifying the presence of atrial fibrillation during sinus rhythm using a dual-input mixed neural network with ECG coloring technology.

Background: Undetected atrial fibrillation (AF) poses a significant risk of stroke and cardiovascular mortality. However, diagnosing AF in real-time can be challenging as the arrhythmia is often not captured instantly. To address this issue, a deep-learning model was developed to diagnose AF even during periods of arrhythmia-free windows.

Early prediction of mortality upon intensive care unit admission.

Background: We aimed to develop and validate models for predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality of critically ill adult patients as early as upon ICU admission.

Methods: Combined data of 79,657 admissions from two teaching hospitals' ICU databases were used to train and validate the machine learning models to predict ICU mortality upon ICU admission and at 24 h after ICU admission by using logistic regression, gradient boosted trees (GBT), and deep learning algorithms.

Results: In the testing dataset for the admission models, the ICU mortality rate was 7%, and 38.

The Structural and Dynamic Insights into the Ala97Ser Amyloidogenic Mutation in Transthyretin.

Transthyretin (TTR), a homo-tetrameric protein encoded by the TTR gene, can lead to amyloid diseases when destabilized by mutations. The TTR-Ala97Ser (A97S) mutation is the predominant pathogenic variant found in Han-Taiwanese patients and is associated with late-onset familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), which presents a rapid progression of symptoms affecting peripheral nerves and the heart. In this study, we combined nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to investigate how the A97S mutation impacts the structure and dynamics of TTR.

Multistep Algorithm to Predict RVOT PVC Site of Origin for Successful Ablation Using Available Criteria: A Two-Center Cross-Validation Study.

Background: Predicting premature ventricular contraction (PVC) origin pre-ablation is a fundamental step, as right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) PVC often leads to higher success rates.

Objective: To compare nine published ECG criteria to differentiate between RVOT and non-RVOT origins of PVCs and develop a stepwise algorithm using those criteria to better determine PVC origin to predict ablation success.

Methods: Two centers were involved in this study, the derivation group and the validation group.

A Quantitative Study of the Halogenophilic Nucleophilic Substitution (S2X) Reaction and Chalcogenophilic Nucleophilic Substitution (S2Ch) Reaction.

Halogenophilic nucleophilic substitution (S2X) has a distinctly different reaction pathway compared to the bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction (S2), but they can lead to the same reaction product. However, their differences can be distinguished by studying stereoselective reactions in which both reaction pathways are possible. Herein, we utilize the stereospecific nature of S2 and the presence of a pro-chiral anion intermediate in S2X to conduct a quantitative study in which both S2 and S2X reactions exist.

An efficient and effective RNA extraction protocol for ferns.

Premise: The extraction of high-quality RNA is the critical first step for the analysis of gene expression and gene space. This remains particularly challenging in plants, and especially in ferns, where the disruption of the cell wall and separation of organic compounds from nucleic acids is not trivial.

Methods: We developed a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-based RNA extraction protocol that consistently performs well across a large phylogenetic breadth of ferns-a lineage of plants high in secondary compounds-and in an array of tissue types.

A DNA barcode reference of Asian ferns with expert-identified voucher specimens and DNA samples.

Ferns belong to species-rich group of land plants, encompassing more than 11,000 extant species, and are crucial for reflecting terrestrial ecosystem changes. However, our understanding of their biodiversity hotspots, particularly in Southeast Asia, remains limited due to scarce genetic data. Despite harboring around one-third of the world's fern species, less than 6% of Southeast Asian ferns have been DNA-sequenced.

Risk of incident genitourinary cancer following hematuria in patients with atrial fibrillation receiving oral anticoagulants.

Background: Hematuria is common in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on oral anticoagulants (OACs). However, risks of incident genitourinary (GU) malignancy and detailed etiologies of hematuria have not been well studied.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the risk of hematuria and underlying GU malignancy in patients with AF receiving OACs.