Publications by authors named "S-L Chen"

Introduction: Sex differences in dementia risk, and risk factor (RF) associations with dementia, remain uncertain across diverse ethno-regional groups.

Methods: A total of 29,850 participants (58% women) from 21 cohorts across six continents were included in an individual participant data meta-analysis. Sex-specific hazard ratios (HRs), and women-to-men ratio of hazard ratios (RHRs) for associations between RFs and all-cause dementia were derived from mixed-effect Cox models.

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Background A noninvasive coronary CT angiography (CCTA)-based radiomics technique may facilitate the identification of vulnerable plaques and patients at risk for future adverse events. Purpose To assess whether a CCTA-based radiomic signature (RS) of vulnerable plaques defined with intravascular US was associated with increased risk for future major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Materials and Methods In a retrospective study, an RS of vulnerable plaques was developed and validated using intravascular US as the reference standard.

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Study Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Objective: In a cohort of patients undergoing metastatic spine surgery, we sought to: (1) identify risk factors associated with unplanned readmission, and (2) determine the impact of an unplanned readmission on long-term outcomes.

Summary Of Background Data: Factors affecting readmission after metastatic spine surgery remain relatively unexplored.

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Background: Disparity in CKD progression among Black individuals persists in glomerular diseases. Genetic variants in the apolipoprotein L1 ( APOL1 ) gene in the Black population contribute to kidney disease, but the influence in membranous nephropathy remains unknown.

Methods: Longitudinally followed participants enrolled in the Glomerular Disease Collaborative Network or Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network were included if they had DNA or genotyping available for APOL1 (Black participants with membranous nephropathy) or had membranous nephropathy but were not Black.

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Background: The role of endovascular therapy for acute stroke with a large infarction has not been extensively studied in differing populations.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, open-label, randomized trial in China involving patients with acute large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation and an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score of 3 to 5 (range, 0 to 10, with lower values indicating larger infarction) or an infarct-core volume of 70 to 100 ml. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio within 24 hours from the time they were last known to be well to undergo endovascular therapy and receive medical management or to receive medical management alone.

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  • - A new species of music frog has been discovered in northern Guangxi, China, distinguished by unique physical traits and vocalizations.
  • - Phylogenetic analysis shows this frog is closely related to another species, but it has different types of advertisement calls—one, two, or three notes.
  • - The new species also exhibits different nest-building behavior and typically inhabits paddy fields or still pools at elevations between 300 and 1300 meters above sea level.
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This study was designed to assess healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia based on timing and context of long-acting injectable antipsychotic agent (LAI) initiation. Using claims data, patients (aged 18-40 years) with first schizophrenia diagnosis January 2013-September 2019 (index date), no LAI or oral antipsychotic agent claims during 12-month preindex period, and continuous benefit enrollment from 12 months before index date to 12 months after first LAI administration were identified. Patients were grouped based on timing [early (≤1 year after index date) vs.

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  • Fibrinogen is crucial for blood clotting and inflammation, and its circulating levels may be influenced by differences in DNA methylation at specific CpG sites.
  • An epigenome-wide association study analyzed blood DNA methylation and fibrinogen levels in over 18,000 diverse participants, revealing significant associations through advanced statistical models.
  • The study identified a total of 83 replicated CpG sites linked to fibrinogen, highlighting genes involved in inflammation, with many associations being affected but still significant after adjusting for C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.
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  • - The study investigates how a high-salt diet affects blood vessel structure and function, focusing on the endothelial cells in mice, linking high salt intake to serious health issues like hypertension and heart disease.
  • - Researchers used a technique called differential systemic decellularization to compare the protein profiles of endothelial cells from hypertensive mice on a high-salt diet with those from healthy mice, identifying significant changes in protein expression and blood vessel damage.
  • - Results showed a major decrease in the protective endothelial glycocalyx layer and changes in proteins crucial for blood vessel function, leading to inflammation and help explain how high salt can contribute to cardiovascular diseases.
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Background And Objectives: Studies on tumefactive brain lesions in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-immunoglobulin G (IgG)-associated disease (MOGAD) are lacking. We sought to characterize the frequency clinical, laboratory, and MRI features of these lesions in MOGAD and compare them with those in multiple sclerosis (MS) and aquaporin-4-IgG-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4+NMOSD).

Methods: We retrospectively searched 194 patients with MOGAD and 359 patients with AQP4+NMOSD with clinical/MRI details available from the Mayo Clinic databases and included those with ≥1 tumefactive brain lesion (maximum transverse diameter ≥2 cm) on MRI.

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Background: The presence of abnormal substrate of left atrium is a predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation. We aimed to investigate the isochronal late activation mapping to access the abnormal conduction velocity for predicting AF ablation outcome.

Methods: Forty-five paroxysmal AF patients (30 males, 57.

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Background: This study aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of MVC-COV1901, a recombinant COVID-19 protein vaccine, containing S-2P protein adjuvanted with CpG 1018 and aluminum hydroxide, for people living with HIV (PWH).

Methods: A total of 57 PWH of ≥20 years of age who are on stable antiretroviral therapy were compared with 882 HIV-negative participants. Participants received two doses of MVC-COV1901 28 days apart.

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CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing is emerging as a prospective therapy for genomic mutations. However, current editing approaches are directed primarily toward relatively small cohorts of patients with specific mutations. Here, we describe a cardioprotective strategy potentially applicable to a broad range of patients with heart disease.

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Background: This nationwide prospective registry study investigated the real-world effectiveness, safety, and persistence of vedolizumab (VDZ) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Taiwan. Disease relapse rates after VDZ discontinuation due to reimbursement restriction were assessed.

Methods: Data were collected prospectively (January 2018 to May 2020) from the Taiwan Society of IBD registry.

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(2n = 6x = 42, JJJJStSt) has been hybridized extensively with common wheat and proven to be a valuable germplasm source for improving disease resistance and yield potential of wheat. A novel disease-resistant wheat- double substitution line X479, carrying 1St(1B) and 4St-4J (4B), was identified using multi-color non-denaturing fluorescence in situ hybridization (ND-FISH). With the aim of transferring -specific chromatin to wheat, a total of 573 plants from F and F progenies of X479 crossed with wheat cultivar MY11 were developed and characterized using sequential ND-FISH with multiple probes.

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  • This study utilized Mendelian randomization to explore how genetically predicted systolic blood pressure (SBP) correlates with serious cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, reducing biases found in typical observational studies.
  • The research involved a large participant group from the China Kadoorie Biobank, tracking the health of 489,495 adults over 12 years, and found significant positive associations between SBP levels (120 to 170 mm Hg) and major vascular events.
  • Results indicated a stronger CVD risk linked to SBP in younger individuals compared to older adults, suggesting that blood pressure treatment could be beneficial at younger ages and lower thresholds than traditionally accepted.
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  • A randomized, double-blind, phase 2 trial assessed the safety and effectiveness of a new vaccine, NVSI-06-09, as a booster for UAE adults previously vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV.
  • * The trial involved 516 participants who received either NVSI-06-09 or continued with BBIBP-CorV, showing a similar low incidence of mild adverse reactions in both groups.
  • * Results indicated that NVSI-06-09 produced significantly higher neutralizing antibody levels against various SARS-CoV-2 variants, including significantly better responses against Omicron strains compared to BBIBP-CorV.
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Background: Gene set enrichment analysis (detecting phenotypic terms that emerge as significant in a set of genes) plays an important role in bioinformatics focused on diseases of genetic basis. To facilitate phenotype-oriented gene set analysis, we developed PhenoExam, a freely available R package for tool developers and a web interface for users, which performs: (1) phenotype and disease enrichment analysis on a gene set; (2) measures statistically significant phenotype similarities between gene sets and (3) detects significant differential phenotypes or disease terms across different databases.

Results: PhenoExam generates sensitive and accurate phenotype enrichment analyses.

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Atezolizumab with chemotherapy has shown improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with metastatic PD-L1 positive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Atezolizumab with anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy has also shown increased pathological complete response (pCR) rates in early TNBC. This trial evaluated neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without atezolizumab in patients with clinical stages II-III TNBC.

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Sulfite-based technology could enhance methane production from anaerobic sludge digestion. However, its potential for in-situ direct sludge treatment without anaerobic sludge addition in the side-stream remains unclear. This study investigated the feasibility of using in-situ sulfite treating sludge for short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production via anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) as a side-stream treatment.

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Milvexian (BMS-986177/JNJ-70033093) is a potent, oral small molecule that inhibits the active form of factor XI with high affinity and selectivity. This study assessed the single-dose pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of milvexian co-administered with rifampin, an organic anion transport protein (OATP) inhibitor and potent cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inducer. In this open-label, nonrandomized, single-sequence study, healthy participants (N = 16) received single doses of milvexian on Day 1 (100 mg), milvexian and rifampin (600 mg) on Day 4, rifampin on Days 5-11, milvexian and rifampin on Day 12, and rifampin on Days 13-14.

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Nonhepatic hyperammonemia syndrome is a rare cause of neurologic dysfunction and cerebral edema and has most commonly been reported in posttransplant patients. Only recently has opportunistic infection with species and been found to be key to the pathogenesis. We describe the cases of 3 immunosuppressed patients who developed hyperammonemia syndrome with new-onset refractory status epilepticus and diffuse cerebral edema.

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Oral delivery is the most convenient drug administration route. However, oral delivery of peptides is extremely challenging due to the physical and chemical barriers within the gastrointestinal tract. Polysaccharides are often utilized as polymeric biomaterials in drug delivery.

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  • Co-mutations are linked to worse survival outcomes in various solid tumors, particularly for patients with -mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC).
  • A study analyzing data from 356 -mutated aNSCLC patients found that those with co-mutations had significantly shorter progression-free and overall survival compared to those without co-mutations.
  • The negative impact of co-mutations on survival was consistent across different treatment groups, especially among patients receiving first-line targeted therapy.
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  • Iron accumulation in microglia is linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, affecting their function and contributing to cell death.
  • Human stem cell-derived microglia exposed to excess iron show a shift in their gene expression similar to that seen in Parkinson's patients, indicating a relationship between iron levels and disease.
  • A genome-wide CRISPR screening revealed new genes, such as SEC24B, that regulate ferroptosis, underscoring the importance of iron overload and microglial response in neurodegeneration.
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