Publications by authors named "Meng Han Tsai"
Background/purpose: The competency-based Internal Medicine Milestones (IMM) assesses physician training outcomes through six key competencies. This pilot study introduced IMM concepts through an echocardiography report interpretation course for postgraduate students (PGYs) and residents (Rs). We aimed to help young physicians understand and track competency development as they receive cardiovascular training, with a view to expanding IMM usage for all junior physicians.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Social determinants of health (SDOH), including factors such as income, insurance status, and marital status, greatly influence the survival rates of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers in the U.S. from 2001 to 2022.
- A systematic review of 38,654 studies identified 14 relevant studies, revealing that uninsured patients and those with lower incomes had worse survival outcomes, while higher income and being married were linked to better survival rates.
- The variability in how SDOH factors are studied highlights the need for a more consistent understanding and measurement of these factors to improve strategies aimed at enhancing patient outcomes in GI cancer care.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how well deep-learning (DL) models can analyze electrocardiograms (ECGs) to predict changes in the left ventricle related to significant aortic regurgitation (AR), which has been challenging to identify in the past.
- - Researchers collected data from 573 patients and used a ResNet-based model to correlate ECG readings with various left ventricular parameters, achieving promising scores in distinguishing levels of left ventricular dysfunction.
- - The findings suggest that using DL models on ECGs could improve the detection of left ventricular issues and potentially reduce the need for additional echocardiography, especially in situations where access to such tests is limited.
Objectives: To pioneer the first artificial intelligence system integrating radiological and objective clinical data, simulating the clinical reasoning process, for the early prediction of high-risk influenza patients.
Materials And Methods: Our system was developed using a cohort from National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan, with external validation data from ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Italy. Convolutional neural networks pretrained on ImageNet were regressively trained using a 5-point scale to develop the influenza chest X-ray (CXR) severity scoring model, FluDeep-XR.
The aim of this study was to examine the influence of daily contact features on the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) in Taiwan from 2000 to 2015. Data from the Taiwan Social Change Survey for 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 were used to examine the relationship between the number and level of familiarity with daily social contacts with the probable CMDs (determined by score of ≥ 3 on a 12-item Chinese Health Questionnaire). Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We sought to examine the associations between a social needs measure and physical, and mental health among cancer survivors in the United States.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey involving 16,930 eligible cancer survivors. The primary outcomes of interest were self-reported physical and mental health in the past 30 days.
Antiseizure medications (ASMs) play a central role in seizure management, however, unpredictability in the response to treatment persists, even among patients with similar seizure manifestations and clinical backgrounds. An objective biomarker capable of reliably predicting the response to ASMs would profoundly impact epilepsy treatment. Presently, clinicians rely on a trial-and-error approach when selecting ASMs, a time-consuming process that can result in delays in receiving alternative non-pharmacological therapies such as a ketogenetic diet, epilepsy surgery, and neuromodulation therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Protocadherin-19 (PCDH19) epilepsy is a rare condition primarily affecting females, characterized by early-onset seizures and developmental delays due to mutations in the PCDH19 gene on the X chromosome.
- A study of fifteen female patients in Taiwan revealed that seizures typically began between 4 months and 2 years of age, often occurring in clusters, with varying levels of intellectual disability among the patients.
- The research identified distinct mutations in the PCDH19 gene and highlighted the use of multiple antiseizure medications, with some patients achieving seizure freedom, but no specific medication class proven most effective for this syndrome.
Article Synopsis
- - Cancer survivors have a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death from CVD, especially those under 65 years old, who face a 41% increased risk.
- - Allostatic load (AL), which measures the cumulative effects of chronic stress, plays a role in this increased risk, mediating between cancer survivorship and CVD mortality by varying percentages depending on age and race.
- - The study highlights disparities in CVD death risk among different racial groups, notably that Black cancer survivors under 65 years old have an 84% increased risk, possibly influenced by social determinants of health.
Article Synopsis
- The study examined how social needs impact the relationship between past cancer history and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among U.S. adults.
- Out of nearly 75,000 adults, those with a cancer history were more likely to get screened, while those facing social needs were less likely to participate in screenings.
- Findings suggest that addressing social needs could improve CRC screening rates, particularly for individuals without a personal cancer history.
This study examined the association among cancer history, social support, and up-to-date colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among four racial/ethnic groups. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data on respondents aged 45 to 75 years from the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Our outcome of interest was CRC screening and exposures of interest were race/ethnicity, cancer history, and social support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiovascular disease and cancer share a common risk factor: chronic stress/allostatic load (AL). A 1-point increase in AL is linked to up to a 30% higher risk of major cardiac events (MACE) in patients with prostate cancer. However, AL's role in MACE in breast cancer, lung cancer, or colorectal cancer remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVariability in Inner Ear Morphology Among a Family With Pendred Syndrome Due to a SLC26A4 Gene Variant.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Pendred syndrome is a genetic disorder linked to mutations in the SLC26A4 gene, leading to variations in inner ear structure and hearing loss among family members with the same mutation.
- A case study of a family of four revealed that all members had sensorineural hearing loss caused by the same genetic variant, yet they displayed different inner ear deformities.
- The findings emphasize the importance of genetic testing for family members and the potential for diverse clinical presentations, even in individuals with identical genetic mutations.
Background: To examine the impact of county-level colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates on stage at diagnosis of CRC and identify factors associated with stage at diagnosis across different levels of screening rates in rural Georgia.
Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis utilizing data from 2004 to 2010 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. The 2013 United States Department of Agriculture rural-urban continuum codes were used to identify rural Georgia counties.
Previously, it was believed that methylation was the body's primary method to detoxify inorganic arsenic. However, recent research has shown that the metabolized intermediate known as MMA is more toxic than arsenite and arsenate, contradicting a previous understanding. Another important question arises: is arsenical toxicity truly caused by arsenic binding to proteins through arsenic thiol adhesion? Based on the toxicity order of the experiment, with MMA being the most toxic, followed by arsenite, arsenate, DMA, and MMA, density functional theory (DFT) calculations can provide a straightforward assessment of this issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/objective: The objective of this study was to examine 5-year colorectal cancer survival rates. We also determined whether demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment modality were associated with 5-year CRC survival in the Clayton, West Central, East Central, Southeast, and Northeast Georgia regions because the significant higher CRC mortality rates in these regions in comparison to the overall rates in the State of Georgia.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using data from the 1975-2016 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program aggregated CRC patients to these five regions.
Objective: YWHAG variant alleles have been associated with a rare disease trait whose clinical synopsis includes an early onset epileptic encephalopathy with predominantly myoclonic seizures, developmental delay/intellectual disability, and facial dysmorphisms. Through description of a large cohort, which doubles the number of reported patients, we further delineate the spectrum of YWHAG-related epilepsy.
Methods: We included in this study 24 patients, 21 new and three previously described, with pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in YWHAG.
Introduction: The study's purpose was to examine 5-year colorectal cancer (CRC) survival rates between White and Black patients. We also determined whether regional socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with CRC survival between White and Black patients in the Clayton, West Central, East Central, Southeast, and Northeast Georgia public health districts.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis using data from the 1975 to 2016 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.
The increase of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) among younger adults is a major public health concern. However, little is known about variations in CRC incidence across different age groups within small geographic areas in Georgia. We examined temporal trends of CRC incidence in Clayton, East Central, West Central, Northeast, and Southeast regions, by age groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of the cerebral cortex involves a series of dynamic events, including cell proliferation and migration, which rely on the motor protein dynein and its regulators NDE1 and NDEL1. While the loss of function in NDE1 leads to microcephaly-related malformations of cortical development (MCDs), NDEL1 variants have not been detected in MCD patients. Here, we identified two patients with pachygyria, with or without subcortical band heterotopia (SBH), carrying the same de novo somatic mosaic NDEL1 variant, p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Investigating CRC screening rates and rurality at the county-level may explain disparities in CRC survival in Georgia. Although a few studies examined the relationship of CRC screening rates, rurality, and/or CRC outcomes, they either used an ecological study design or focused on the larger population.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis utilizing data from the 2004-2010 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program.
Lissencephaly is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a loss of brain surface convolutions caused by genetic variants that disrupt neuronal migration. However, the genetic origins of the disorder remain unidentified in nearly one-fifth of people with lissencephaly. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a de novo BAIAP2 variant, p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of telemedicine utilization patterns among adult populations residing in both rural and urban areas and evaluate the probability of telemedicine adoption among adults dwelling in both rural and urban areas amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Our study has attained sample populations (n = 279,260, National Weighted Estimates = 2,391,188,373) through the secondary analysis of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for the year 2021. We examined the relationship between the rural, regional, and racial variables using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression associated with telemedicine use in our multivariable analysis.