To assess the impact of resident involvement and resident postgraduate year (PGY) on head and neck obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) surgical outcomes. We analyzed head and neck OSA surgeries from 2005-2012 via the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Demographic, preoperative, and postoperative variables were analyzed via multivariate regression to determine the impact of resident involvement and resident PGY on 30-day outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated cancer, and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown efficacy in its treatment. The combination of chemotherapy and ICIs represents a new trend in the standard care for metastatic NPC. In this study, we aim to clarify the immune cell profile and related prognostic factors in the ICI-based treatment of metastatic NPC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide, particularly in the Pacific Ocean island nations. Although machine learning (ML) models and data mining approaches have been applied to diabetes research, there was no study utilizing ML models to predict diabetes incidence in Taiwan. We aimed to predict the onset of diabetes in order to raise health awareness, thereby promoting any necessary lifestyle modifications and help mitigate disease burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGrapevines are subjected to many physiological and environmental stresses that influence their vegetative and reproductive growth. Water stress, cold damage, and pathogen attacks are highly relevant stresses in many grape-growing regions. Precision viticulture can be used to determine and manage the spatial variation in grapevine health within a single vineyard block.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe primary purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of remote sensing technologies and their potential application in vineyards to monitor yields and fruit composition, which could then be used for selective harvesting and winemaking. For yield and berry composition data collection, representative vines from the vineyard block were selected and geolocated, and the same vines were surveyed for remote sensing data collection by the multispectral and thermal sensors in the RPAS in 2015 and 2016. The spectral reflectance data were further analyzed for vegetation indices to evaluate the correlation between the variables.
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