The Taiwan-ADNI workflow toward integrating plasma p-tau217 into prediction models for the risk of Alzheimer's disease and tau burden.

Introduction: We integrated plasma biomarkers from the Taiwan Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and propose a workflow to identify individuals showing amyloid-positive positron emission tomography (PET) with low/intermediate tau burden based on [18F]Florzolotau PET-based quantification.

Methods: We assessed 361 participants across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD continuum and measured plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau)217, p-tau181, amyloid beta (Aβ)42/40 ratio, neurofilament light chain, and glial fibrillary acidic protein levels at two medical centers. We evaluated the diagnostic potential of these biomarkers.

The use of individual-based FDG-PET volume of interest in predicting conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

Background: Based on a longitudinal cohort design, the aim of this study was to investigate whether individual-based F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-FDG-PET) regional signals can predict dementia conversion in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: We included 44 MCI converters (MCI-C), 38 non-converters (MCI-NC), 42 patients with Alzheimer's disease with dementia, and 40 cognitively normal controls. Data from annual cognitive measurements, 3D T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and F-FDG-PET scans were used for outcome analysis.

Comparative Study of Heavy Metal Blood Serum Level Between Organic and Conventional Farmers in Eastern Taiwan.

Numerous studies have indicated that organic fertilizers (OFer) might contain heavy metals (HMs) that present health risks to organic farmers (OFar). This study compared the concentrations of six HMs (Zn, Ni, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr) in the blood of two distinct groups of farmers: 30 OFar from a designated organic area in eastern Taiwan, and 74 conventional farmers (CFar) from neighboring non-organic designated regions. The findings revealed that the OFar exhibited higher levels of Zn (1202.

Diet Pattern Analysis in Alzheimer's Disease Implicates Gender Differences in Folate-B12-Homocysteine Axis on Cognitive Outcomes.

Background & Aims: Low plasma B12 and folate levels or hyperhomocysteinemia are related to cognitive impairment. This study explores the relationships among diet pattern, blood folate-B12-homocysteine levels, and cognition measurement in Alzheimer's disease (AD) while exploring whether a gender effect may exist.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 592 AD patients (246 males, 346 females) and the demographic data, blood biochemical profiles, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for quantitative assessment of dietary frequency were collected.

Therapeutic Decision Making in Prevascular Mediastinal Tumors Using CT Radiomics and Clinical Features: Upfront Surgery or Pretreatment Needle Biopsy?

The study aimed to develop machine learning (ML) classification models for differentiating patients who needed direct surgery from patients who needed core needle biopsy among patients with prevascular mediastinal tumor (PMT). Patients with PMT who received a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scan and initial management for PMT between January 2010 and December 2020 were included in this retrospective study. Fourteen ML algorithms were used to construct candidate classification models via the voting ensemble approach, based on preoperative clinical data and radiomic features extracted from the CECT.

Comparison of Outpatient Department-Referred and Self-Referred Patients in the Emergency Department.

Background: Patients present to emergency departments (EDs) from a variety of backgrounds, which may help inform decision making.

Objective: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of outpatient department (OPD)-referred patients and self-referred patients in the ED.

Methods: We selected nontrauma ED adult patients from a tertiary teaching hospital in Taiwan between August 1, 2020, and October 31, 2020.

Corrigendum: Clinical radiomics-based machine learning versus three-dimension convolutional neural network analysis for differentiation of thymic epithelial tumors from other prevascular mediastinal tumors on chest computed tomography scan.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.

Untargeted metabolomics analysis assisted by signal selection for comprehensively identifying metabolites of new psychoactive substances: 4-MeO-α-PVP as an example.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) have been rapidly emerged as legal alternatives to controlled drugs, which raised severe public health issue. The detection and monitoring of its intake by complete metabolic profiling is an urgent and vital task. Untargeted metabolomics approach has been applied for several NPS metabolites studies.

Clinical radiomics-based machine learning versus three-dimension convolutional neural network analysis for differentiation of thymic epithelial tumors from other prevascular mediastinal tumors on chest computed tomography scan.

Purpose: To compare the diagnostic performance of radiomic analysis with machine learning (ML) model with a convolutional neural network (CNN) in differentiating thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) from other prevascular mediastinal tumors (PMTs).

Methods: A retrospective study was performed in patients with PMTs and undergoing surgical resection or biopsy in National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan between January 2010 and December 2019. Clinical data including age, sex, myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms and pathologic diagnosis were collected.

Sexuality and Quality of Life in Eastern Taiwan People With Schizophrenia.

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia are living at the border of society and their sexuality is often neglected. The aim of the study is to explore the association among The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), quality of life (QoL), Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire, and Sexual Desire Inventory in people with schizophrenia (PwS).

Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with 277 psychiatric inpatients.

Cognitive Decline Related to Diet Pattern and Nutritional Adequacy in Alzheimer's Disease Using Surface-Based Morphometry.

Dietary pattern (DP) results in nutrition adequacy and may influence cognitive decline and cortical atrophy in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study explored DP in 248 patients with AD. Two neurobehavioral assessments (intervals 13.

Predicting Bacteremia among Septic Patients Based on ED Information by Machine Learning Methods: A Comparative Study.

Introduction: Bacteremia is a common but life-threatening infectious disease. However, a well-defined rule to assess patient risk of bacteremia and the urgency of blood culture is lacking. The aim of this study is to establish a predictive model for bacteremia in septic patients using available big data in the emergency department (ED) through logistic regression and other machine learning (ML) methods.

Gene expression analysis of combined RNA-seq experiments using a receiver operating characteristic calibrated procedure.

Because of rapid advancements in sequencing technology, the experimental platforms of RNA-seq are updated frequently. It is quite common to combine data sets from several experimental platforms for analysis in order to increase the sample size and achieve more powerful tests for detecting the presence of differential gene expression. The data sets combined from different experimental platforms will have a complex data distribution, which causes a major problem in statistical modeling as well as in multiple testing.

Acute responses of bone specific and related markers to maximal eccentric exercise of the knee extensors and flexors in young men.

Objectives: The present study determined time-course changes in plasma bone-specific and -related markers following a bout of maximal eccentric contractions (MaxEC) of bilateral knee extensors (KE) and flexors (KF).

Methods: Sedentary young men (n=30) performed a bout of 10 sets of 10 MaxEC (30°/s) of KE and KF with each leg, respectively. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) torque, muscle soreness (SOR), plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity, insulin, leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), undercarboxylated-osteocalcin (ucOCN), carboxy-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1) and procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) concentrations were measured from before to 7 days after MaxEC.

Assessment of Serological Early Biomarker Candidates for Lung Adenocarcinoma by using Multiple Reaction Monitoring-Mass Spectrometry.

Purpose: Plasma markers that enable diagnosis in the early stage of lung cancer is not discovered. A liquid chromatography multiple reaction monitoring-mass spectrometry (LC-MRM-MS) assay for identifying potential early marker proteins for lung adenocarcinoma is developed.

Experimental Design: LC-MRM-MS assay is used for measuring the level of 35 candidate peptides in plasma from 102 lung adenocarcinoma patients (including n = 50, 16, 24, and 12 in stage I, II, III, and IV, respectively.

Assessing the Similarity between Random Copolymer Drug Glatiramer Acetate by Using LC-MS Data Coupling with Hypothesis Testing.

The full characterization of nonbiological complex drugs (NBCDs) is not possible, but analytical approaches are of urgent need to evaluate the similarity between different lots and compare with their follow-up versions. Here, we propose a hypothesis testing-based approach to assess the similarity/difference between random amino acid copolymer drugs using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Two glatiramer acetate (GA) drugs, commercially available Copaxone and in-house synthesized SPT, and a negative control were digested by Lys-C and followed by HILIC-MS analysis.

Psychometric evaluation of a Chinese version of Lymphoedema Functioning, Disability and Health Questionnaire for Lower Limb Lymphoedema in women with gynaecological cancer surgery.

The prevalence of lower limb lymphoedema and its impact in gynaecological cancer patients is underestimated. However, a valid and reliable scale to measure lower leg lymphoedema in Taiwan has not been available. The purpose of the study was to translate the English version of Lymphoedema Functioning, Disability and Health Questionnaire for Lower Limb Lymphoedema into a Chinese version (Lymph-ICF-LL-C), and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Lymph-ICF-LL-C in Taiwanese women with gynaecological cancer surgery.

A modified developmental care bundle reduces pain and stress in preterm infants undergoing examinations for retinopathy of prematurity: A randomised controlled trial.

Aims And Objectives: To determine the comparative efficacy of developmental care versus standard care for reducing pain and stress in preterm infants during examinations for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Background: ROP examinations are routinely performed in neonatal intensive care units to detect these lesions. Pain scores recorded during and after eye examinations have revealed physiological and behavioural manifestations of pain and stress.

Sexual Activity, Sexual Dysfunction, and Sexual Life Quality Among Psychiatric Hospital Inpatients With Schizophrenia.

Background: Sexual dysfunction occurs commonly in patients with psychiatric illness and may be related to the primary mental disorder, comorbidity with sexual disorders or medical illness, or medications used for mental disorders treatment, but the magnitude of this problem is unknown.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of current sexual activity, sexual dysfunction, and sexual attitude and influence of factors on patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with a total of 317 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Parental intention regarding the administration of the HPV vaccine for adolescent daughters in Taiwan.

This study aimed to investigate parental intention regarding the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination for adolescent daughters. Parents or guardians of adolescent girls, aged 12-14 years, from junior high schools in Taiwan participated and completed a HPV vaccination intention survey based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The survey was conducted from October to November, 2009.

Psychometric validations and comparisons of schizophrenia-specific health-related quality of life measures.

To compare schizophrenia-specific quality of life measures, this study examined an 18-item Chinese version of 41-item Quality of Life Questionnaire in Schizophrenia (S-QoL; S-QoL-18-C) using 41 patients. The S-QoL-18-C was validated and compared with Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale-Revision 4 (SQLS-R4). Index scores of S-QoL-18-C showed nearly identical psychometrics to S-QoL-C and S-QoL-18.

Study on alcohol dependence and factors related to erectile dysfunction among aborigines in Taiwan.

Relatively few studies have addressed the risk factors of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Taiwanese- most have described ED and medical problems in the general population. In this study, the cardiovascular risk factors of ED among aborigines in Taiwan were investigated. However, alcohol dependence (AD) was prevalent in Taiwan's aborigine population.

Determinants of subjective health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for patients with schizophrenia.

Purpose: To identify the determinants of schizophrenia-specific HRQoL levels, five types of factors (i.e., sociodemographic, clinical, psychopathological, neurocognitive, and psychosocial factors) were simultaneously investigated in the same cross-sectional sample.

Factors associated with sex hormones and erectile dysfunction in male Taiwanese participants with obesity.

Introduction: Obesity has been receiving an increasing amount of attention recently, but investigations regarding the potential impact of obesity, sexual behaviors, and sex hormones on erectile dysfunction (ED) in men have not completely clarified the association.

Aim: To identify the relationship between ED, sexual behavior, sexual satisfaction, sex hormones, and obesity in older adult males in Taiwan.

Methods: Data were obtained from a baseline survey of 476 older adult males (≧40 years old).