Decoy receptor 3 protects non-obese diabetic mice from autoimmune diabetes by regulating dendritic cell maturation and function.

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, regulates immune responses through competing with receptors of Fas ligand (FasL), LIGHT and TNF-like molecule 1A (TL1A). We have previously demonstrated that transgenic expression of DcR3 in a β cell-specific manner significantly protects non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice from autoimmune diabetes. In this study, we further investigated the systemic effect of DcR3 in regulating lymphocytes and dendritic cells in NOD mice.

Operating room cost for coronary artery bypass graft procedures: does experience or severity of illness matter?

Objective: Very few studies have addressed the magnitude of the effect of the condition of the patients and the surgical volume on possible cost savings in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The objectives of this study were to analyse and compare the costs of the CABG operating room (OR) between two hospitals, and to examine the effect of surgical volume and severity of illness on the OR costs.

Method: The charts of patients who were diagnosed with coronary artery disease and who underwent CABG at two acute tertiary care hospitals in 2004 were reviewed retrospectively.

Uniformed service nurses' experiences with the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak and response in Taiwan.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) had an enormous effect on Taiwan's public health and the nation's economy. To prevent the spread of the epidemic, the government implemented strategies and measures for the control of the epidemic. The Ministry of National Defense also fully supported epidemic prevention by mobilizing all necessary human and material resources.

Psychological morbidity, quality of life and their correlations among military health care workers in Taiwan.

To estimate the prevalence of psychological morbidity among health care workers in military hospitals in Taiwan and studies the association between psychological morbidity and quality of life. We sent surveys to 1,269 health care workers working in military hospitals. Participants completed structured questionnaires that included the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHO-QOL).

The relationship between varicoceles and obesity in a young adult population.

To determine whether a relationship between obesity and varicocele occurrence exists, the prevalence and severity of varicoceles related to obesity were investigated in a general population of young males. A total of 1050 young males attending the Navy Recruit Training Center were evaluated from their physical screening examinations. All subjects underwent history taking and physical examinations to evaluate for the presence and severity of varicocele.

Dual degradation of aurora A and B kinases by the histone deacetylase inhibitor LBH589 induces G2-M arrest and apoptosis of renal cancer cells.

Purpose: This study is aimed at investigating antineoplastic efficacy of histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) LBH589 on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and elucidating the novel molecular mechanisms involved in growth arrest and apoptosis by targeting the important nonhistone molecules.

Experimental Design: We analyzed the growth-inhibitory effect of LBH589 on RCC by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in vitro and antitumor efficacy by xenograft experiments in vivo. To verify the associated molecular mechanisms involved in LBH589-mediated cell death and cell cycle progression by Western blotting and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis.

Is obesity correlated with sexual function in young men?

The study investigated the correlation between obesity and sexual function in young men. It was a cross-sectional study in an unselected consecutive sample of military men aged less than 28 years old attending to the Navy Recruit Training Center. There were 772 subjects included in the study, excluding subjects with comorbidities and subjects who had not engaged in sexual intercourse.

Operating room costs of laparoscopic cholecystectomy: does surgeon volume matter?

Very few studies have addressed the issue of surgeon volume on cost savings of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in Asian countries. The objectives of the study were to analyze LC operating-room (OR) costs between two study hospitals and to examine the effect of surgeon volume on OR costs. Patients diagnosed with gallbladder disease who underwent LC in October through December 2002 at two acute tertiary-care hospitals were included.

Hypertension--a possible vulnerability marker for depression in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Objective: This study explored the association of hypertension and psychiatric morbidity in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under adjusted personality characteristics and parental attachment.

Methods: The mental health of 121 patients with ESRD in a general teaching hospital was evaluated using the 12-item version of the Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Only 40 males and 49 females completed all the questionnaires.

Mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract in Taiwan.

Early detection of a mutated p53 gene is thought to provide useful information in a wide range of human tumors. The aim of this study was to identify the role of the p53 gene in transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract. From March 1992 to July 2003, 75 patients (54 men and 21 women) with a mean age of 66.

Telomeric length varies with age and polymorphisms of the MAOA gene promoter in peripheral blood cells obtained from a community in Taiwan.

Objective: Telomere shortening and increased MAOA gene activity both occur with aging. We undertook to develop a predictive model of telomere shortening and to investigate the possible association between MAOA gene promoter polymorphisms and telomere length as influenced by age and gender.

Methods: A stratified random household sample was selected from a community in southern Taiwan.