Ten-year epidemiology and risk factors of cytomegalovirus infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients in Taiwan.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can cause infection and critical diseases in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. This study aimed to explore the cumulative incidence and risk factors for CMV infection and disease among HSCT recipients in Taiwan.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study using the Taiwan Blood and Marrow Transplantation Registry (TBMTR) included HSCT recipients between 2009 and 2018 in Taiwan.

Correlation of low numbers of intratumoral FOXP3+ cells with worse progression-free survival in angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma.

Aims: Angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) is a T cell lymphoma with aberrant immune activity. It is characterised by inflammatory and immune reactions. However, the impact of regulatory T (Treg) cells on AITL remains unclear.

Combination of Sarcopenia and Anemia Predicts Worse Outcome in Elderly Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Background/aim: In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), sarcopenia is associated with increased side-effects of chemotherapy and poor survival, especially in elderly patients. Anemia, a complex condition resulting from cancer itself and inflammation, might have a correlation with loss of muscle mass and might also indicate a worse outcome. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of the skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) with hemoglobin (Hb) levels and its predictive value for the outcome of DLBCL.

Children with chronic myeloid leukaemia treated with front-line imatinib have a slower molecular response and comparable survival compared with adults: a multicenter experience in Taiwan.

Background: The direct comparison of molecular responses of front-line imatinib (IM) monitored at the same laboratory between children and adults with chronic phase (CP) of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) had not been reported. In this multicenter study, we compared the landmark molecular responses and outcomes of paediatric and adult CML-CP cohorts treated with front-line IM in whom the BCR::ABL1 transcript levels were monitored at the same accredited laboratory in Taiwan.

Methods: Between June 2004 and July 2020, 55 newly diagnosed paediatric and 782 adult CML-CP patients, with molecular diagnosis and monitoring at the same reference laboratory in Taiwan, were enrolled.

Incidence and predictors of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients: a nationwide registry study.

Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) is a rare but deadly complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study characterized the incidence and risk factors for IPS after HSCT in Taiwan. Data from January 2009 to February 2019 was collected from the Taiwan Society of BMT national registry.

NOVEL-1st: an observational study to assess the safety and efficacy of nilotinib in newly diagnosed patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase in Taiwan.

Nilotinib has been approved for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (Ph CML-CP). However, the real-world evidence of nilotinib in newly diagnosed untreated Ph CML-CP is limited in Taiwan. The NOVEL-1st study was a non-interventional, multi-center study collecting long-term safety and effectiveness data in patients with newly diagnosed and untreated Ph CML-CP receiving nilotinib.

Role of quantitative hepatitis B surface antibodies in preventing hepatitis B virus-related hepatitis in patients treated with rituximab.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is a well-known complication after rituximab-based chemotherapy in patients with B cell lymphoma (BCL) who have resolved HBV infection. This retrospective cohort study used electronic medical records from the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. There were 128 patients with BCL and resolved HBV infection treated with 1st-line rituximab-containing therapy from 2008 to 2013.

Spatio-temporal heterogeneity of air pollution and its key influencing factors in the Yellow River Economic Belt of China from 2014 to 2019.

The Yellow River Economic Belt (YREB) plays an important role in China's socio-economic development and ecological security. However, this region has suffered from serious atmospheric pollution in recent years due to intense human activity. Identifying and qualifying the spatio-temporal characteristics of the region's air pollution and its driving forces would help in the formulation of effective mitigation policies.

Anthropogenic emission inventory of multiple air pollutants and their spatiotemporal variations in 2017 for the Shandong Province, China.

Shandong is the most populous and highly industrialized province in eastern China, and the resultant poor air quality is a cause for widespread concern. This study combines bottom-up and top-down approaches to develop a high-resolution anthropogenic emission inventory of air pollutants for 2017. The inventory was developed based on updated emission factors and detailed activity data.

A comprehensive retrospective cohort study of the journey of B-cell lymphoma in Taiwan.

Complete disease journey and risk factors for poor outcomes are needed to facilitate effectiveness evaluations of new therapies and clinical decision-making in B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), particularly in Asia where such data are lacking. This retrospective cohort study used electronic medical records from a regional medical centre in southern Taiwan to follow-up 441 patients newly diagnosed with common B-NHL subtypes: Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), Follicular Lymphoma (FL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL), Marginal Zone Lymphoma (MZL), Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), and Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM), between 01-Jan-2008 and 31-Dec-2013, until 31-Dec-2017. Treatment pathways were modelled using a Markov approach.

The status of jaw lesions and medication-related osteonecrosis of jaw in patients with multiple myeloma.

Background/purpose: Myeloma jaw lesions are not uncommon. The study aimed to investigate the status of jaw lesions and medication-related osteonecrosis of jaw (MRONJ) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-two consecutive newly-diagnosed MM patients seeking dental care at a hospital of southern Taiwan was examined according to jaw lesions with complete follow-up data.

Intracoronary Injection of Autologous CD34+ Cells Improves One-Year Left Ventricular Systolic Function in Patients with Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease and Preserved Cardiac Performance-A Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled Phase II Clinical Trial.

This phase II randomized controlled trial tested whether intracoronary autologous CD34+ cell therapy could further improve left ventricular (LV) systolic function in patients with diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD) with relatively preserved LV ejection fraction (defined as LVEF >40%) unsuitable for coronary intervention. Between December 2013 and November 2017, 60 consecutive patients were randomly allocated into group 1 (CD34+ cells, 3.0 × 10/vessel/ = 30) and group 2 (optimal medical therapy; = 30).

Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Objectives: To investigate the safety, feasibility, and possible adverse events of single-dose human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells in patients with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Design: Prospective phase I clinical trial.

Setting: Medical center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Distinct immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene repertoire and lower frequency of del(11q) in Taiwanese patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in Western countries but very rare in Asia. Peripheral blood or bone marrow mononuclear cells obtained at initial diagnosis from 194 patients with CLL were analysed to determine the ethnic difference in genetic abnormalities. Mutated IGHV was detected in 71·2% of Taiwanese CLL and IGHV3-23 was the most frequently used gene.

Intra-carotid arterial transfusion of autologous circulatory derived CD34+ cells for old ischemic stroke patients - a phase I clinical trial to evaluate safety and tolerability.

This phase I clinical trial tested the hypothesis that circulatory CD34+ cell therapy might be safe for old ischemic stroke (IS) (defined as IS>6 months) patients and also to evaluate the neurological function after the therapy. Nine old IS patients (with mean IS interval: 8.6 ± 6.

SIRT1 overexpression is an independent prognosticator for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) regulates DNA repair and metabolism by deacetylating target proteins. SIRT1 may be oncogenic because its overexpression has been detected in many cancers. The aim of the present study was to clarify the prognostic role of SIRT1 in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and evaluate the effect of SIRT1 inhibitor in vitro.

Positive expression of Midkine predicts early recurrence and poor prognosis of initially resectable combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: Post-surgical prognosis is usually poor for combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (CHCC-CC), a rare primary liver cancer. Although midkine (MK) is a prognostic biomarker for several known cancers, it is not known whether it can be used as such in resectable CHCC-CC. This study examined whether MK expression can predict recurrence and survival in patients with resectable CHCC-CC.

The Five-Year Clinical and Angiographic Follow-Up Outcomes of Intracoronary Transfusion of Circulation-Derived CD34+ Cells for Patients With End-Stage Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease Unsuitable for Coronary Intervention-Phase I Clinical Trial.

Objectives: This study investigated the clinical and angiographic long-term outcomes of intracoronary transfusion of circulation-derived CD34+ cells for patients with end-stage diffuse coronary artery disease unsuitable for coronary intervention.

Design And Setting: A single-center prospective randomized double-blinded phase I clinical trial. Thirty-eight patients undergoing CD34+ cell therapy were allocated into groups 1 (1.

Peritumoral SPARC expression and patient outcome with resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Background And Objectives: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) affects thousands worldwide with increasing incidence. SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) plays an important role in cellular matrix interactions, wound repair, and cellular migration, and has been reported to prevent malignancy from growth. SPARC undergoes epigenetic silencing in pancreatic malignancy, but is frequently expressed by stromal fibroblasts adjacent to infiltrating pancreatic adenocarcinomas.

Intracoronary Transfusion of Circulation-Derived CD34+ Cells Improves Left Ventricular Function in Patients With End-Stage Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease Unsuitable for Coronary Intervention.

Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that intra-coronary transfusion of circulation-derived autologous CD34+ cells can improve ischemia-related left ventricular dysfunction in patients with severe diffuse coronary artery disease refractory to medication and unsuitable for coronary intervention.

Design: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded phase I clinical trial.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

Feasibility and Timing of Cytoreduction Surgery in Advanced (Metastatic or Recurrent) Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors During the Era of Imatinib.

The prognosis of advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) was dramatically improved in the era of imatinib. Cytoreduction surgery was advocated as an additional treatment for advanced GISTs, especially when patients having poor response to imatinib or developing resistance to it. However, the efficacy and benefit of cytoreduction were still controversial.