The Distribution and Predictive Factor of Extra-Pancreatic Malignancy Occurrence in Patients with Pancreatic Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm-A Ten-Year Follow-Up Case-Control Study in Taiwan.

Background And Aims: A higher incidence of extra-pancreatic malignancies (EPMs) in patients with pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) than in the general population has been shown in several studies. We suppose that EPMs also occur after IPMN has been diagnosed, but few reports have discussed the risk factors that have been identified, except for old age, which was only noted in one study. Our study aims to recognize the distribution of EPMs in Taiwanese patients with a longer duration of follow-up and investigate the risk factors to predict EPMs in IPMN patients.

High-performance near-infrared OLEDs maximized at 925 nm and 1022 nm through interfacial energy transfer.

Using a transfer printing technique, we imprint a layer of a designated near-infrared fluorescent dye BTP-eC9 onto a thin layer of Pt(II) complex, both of which are capable of self-assembly. Before integration, the Pt(II) complex layer gives intense deep-red phosphorescence maximized at ~740 nm, while the BTP-eC9 layer shows fluorescence at > 900 nm. Organic light emitting diodes fabricated under the imprinted bilayer architecture harvest most of Pt(II) complex phosphorescence, which undergoes triplet-to-singlet energy transfer to the BTP-eC9 dye, resulting in high-intensity hyperfluorescence at > 900 nm.

Ambient Synthesis of Porphyrin-Based Fe-Covalent Organic Frameworks for Efficient Infected Skin Wound Healing.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have emerged as a promising treatment option for antibacterial and biofilm eradication. However, their therapeutic efficacy is significantly hampered by the unique microenvironments of diabetic wounds. In this study, we designed and synthesized porphyrin-based Fe covalent organic frameworks (Fe-COF) through a Schiff base condensation reaction.

A novel prognostic model to predict mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure in intensive care unit.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) implies high short-term mortality rates and usually requires intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Proper prognosis for these patients is crucial for early referral for liver transplantation. The superiority of CLIF-C ACLF score in Asian patients with ACLF admitted to an ICU remains inconclusive when compared to other scoring systems.

Effects of Deuterium Isotopes on Pt(II) Complexes and Their Impact on Organic NIR Emitters.

Insight into effect of deuterium isotopes on organic near-IR (NIR) emitters was explored by the use of self-assembled Pt(II) complexes H-3-f and HPh-3-f, and their deuterated analogues D-3-f and DPh-3-f, respectively (Scheme 2). In vacuum deposited thin film, albeit having nearly identical emission spectral feature maximized at ~810 nm, H-3-f and D-3-f exhibit remarkable difference in photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 29 % and 50 %, respectively. Distinction in PLQY is also observed for HPh-3-f (800 nm, 50 %) and DPh-3-f (798 nm, 67 %).

Wearable and Wavelength-Tunable Near-Infrared Organic Light-Emitting Diodes for Biomedical Applications.

Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes (NIR OLEDs) have significant potential for wearable phototherapeutic applications because of the unique properties of the OLEDs, including their free-form electronics and the excellent biomedical effects of NIR emission. In spite of their tremendous promise, given that the majority of NIR OLEDs in previous research have relied on the utilization of an intrinsically brittle indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode, their practicality in the field of wearable electronics is inherently constrained. Here, we report wearable and wavelength-tunable NIR OLEDs that employ a high-performance NIR emitter and an innovative architecture by replacing the ITO with a silver (Ag) electrode.

The Impact of Metabolic Factors and Lipid-Lowering Drugs on Common Bile Duct Stone Recurrence after Endoscopic Sphincterotomy with Following Cholecystectomy.

Background: Recurrent common bile duct stone after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is an undesirable problem, even when a following cholecystectomy is carried out. Important factors are the composition and properties of stones; the most significant etiology among these is the lipid level. While numerous studies have established the association between serum lipid levels and gallstones, no study has previously reported on recurrent common bile duct stones after endoscopic sphincterotomy with following cholecystectomy.

Efficacy of Fully Covered Self-Expandable Metal Stents for Distal Biliary Obstruction Caused by Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Primary Metal Stent vs. Metal Stent following Plastic Stent.

Fully covered self-expandable metallic stents (FCSEMSs) are inserted in patients with unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) to resolve malignant distal bile duct obstructions. Some patients receive FCSEMSs during primary endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and others receive FCSEMSs during a later session, after the placement of a plastic stent. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of FCSEMSs for primary use or following plastic stent placement.

Engineering of Cyano Functionalized Benzo[]imidazol-2-ylidene Ir(III) Phosphors for Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

In this study, we designed and synthesized three series of blue emitting homoleptic iridium(III) phosphors bearing 4-cyano-3-methyl-1-phenyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)-benzo[]imidazol-2-ylidene (mfcp), 5-cyano-1-methyl-3-phenyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)-benzo[]imidazol-2-ylidene (ofcp), and 1-(3-(-butyl)phenyl)-6-cyano-3-methyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)-benzo[]imidazol-2-ylidene (5-mfcp) cyclometalates, respectively. These iridium complexes exhibit intense phosphorescence in the high energy region of 435-513 nm in the solution state at RT, to which the relatively large T → S transition dipole moment is beneficial for serving as a pure emitter and an energy donor to the multiresonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) terminal emitters via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The resulting OLEDs achieved true blue, narrow bandwidth EL with a max EQE of 16-19% and great suppression of efficiency roll-off with ν-DABNA and -DABNA.

Bacteremia (Sepsis), Hepatorenal Syndrome, and Serum Creatinine Levels Rather than Types or Microbial Patterns Predicted the Short-Term Survival of Cirrhotic Patients Complicated with Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis.

(1) Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a major and severe complication in cirrhosis patients with ascites. Over the years, advance in antibiotic treatment has led to changes in microbial patterns in some regions, including the emergence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases resistant (ESBL)-producing bacteria and an increase in Gram-positive bacteria (GPC). In addition, three SBP types (classic SBP, culture-negative neutrophilic ascites (CNNA), and monomicrobial non-neutrocytic bacterascites (MNB)), may also have different prognoses.

Laparoscopic liver resection is associated with less significant muscle loss than the conventional open approach.

Background: Laparoscopic liver resections (LLR) have been shown a treatment approach comparable to open liver resections (OLR) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the influence of procedural type on body composition has not been investigated. The aim of the current study was to compare the degree of skeletal muscle loss between LLR and OLR for HCC.

The interaction between predictability and pre-boundary lengthening on syllable duration in Taiwan Southern Min.

This study investigated how predictability and prosodic phrasing interact in accounting for the variability of syllable duration in Taiwan Southern Min. Speech data were extracted from 8 hours of spontaneous speech. Three predictability measurements were examined: bigram surprisal, bigram informativity, and lexical frequency.

Timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the treatment of acute cholangitis of different severity.

Background: The optimal timing of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in acute cholangitis (AC) is uncertain, especially in patients with AC of varying severity.

Aim: To report whether the timing of ERCP is associated with outcomes in AC patients with different severities.

Methods: According to the 2018 Tokyo guidelines, 683 patients who met the definite diagnostic criteria for AC were retrospectively identified.

Aromatic Ring Fusion to Benzoporphyrin γ- Cyclodehydrogenation on a Ag(111) Surface.

Aromatic ring fusion to porphyrins and their derivatives represents an attractive route to tune the molecular conjugation and thus expand their functionalities. Here, we report the expansion of the aromatic π-system of palladium tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrins (Pd-TPTBP) surface-assisted γ- cyclodehydrogenation on Ag(111). The chemical transformation of Pd-TPTBP into different products at an elevated temperature of 600 K was revealed at the single-molecule level using bond-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy with a CO-functionalized tip.

Modulation of Perovskite Grain Boundaries by Electron Donor-Acceptor Zwitterions ,-Diphenylamino-phenyl-pyridinium-(CH) -sulfonates: All-Round Improvement on the Solar Cell Performance.

Inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted intense attention because of their insignificant hysteresis and low-temperature fabrication process. However, the efficiencies of inverted PSCs are still inferior to those of commercialized silicon solar cells. Also, the poor stability of PSCs is one of the major impedances to commercialization.

Efficient Pyrazolo[5,4-f]quinoxaline Functionalized Os(II) Based Emitter with an Electroluminescence Peak Maximum at 811 nm.

Upon fusing the pyrazinyl pyrazole entity in giving pyrazolo[3,4-f]quinoxaline chelate, the corresponding Os(II) based NIR emitter exhibited "invisible" and efficient electroluminescence with a peak maximum at 811 nm. A maximum external quantum efficiency of 0.97 % and a suppressed efficiency roll-off till a current density of 300 mA cm was also exhibited.

Simple and Reliable Method for Gastric Subepithelial Tumor Localization Using Endoscopic Tattooing before Totally Laparoscopic Resection.

Background: Totally laparoscopic surgery for early gastric cancer and subepithelial tumors has been popularized worldwide, yet localization of early or small-sized tumors is a persistent challenge due to difficulty being identified with the lack of manual tactile sensation. Thus, accurate localization with tattooing before the surgery would help improve efficiency during surgery. There are multiple methods to localize tumors before laparoscopy, each with varying advantages and disadvantages.

The Observation of Interchain Motion in Self-Assembled Crystalline Platinum(II) Complexes: An Exquisite Case but By No Means the Only One in Molecular Solids.

In organic and organometallic solids, upon electronic excitation, most intermolecular structural relaxations follow a pathway along the π-π stacking direction or metal-metal bond with significant coupling strength. Differently, we discovered that the self-assembled platinum(II) complexes, , exhibit an unusual interchain contraction. The ground-state and excited-state multiple local minima were distinguished by temperature-dependent excitation/emission spectra, indicating the existence of multiple local minima.

Alpha-fetoprotein response at different time-points is associated with efficacy of nivolumab monotherapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Nivolumab monotherapy has a modest objective response rate (ORR) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To overcome the lack of biomarkers that predict delayed alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) response beyond 4 weeks, we applied a novel 50-10 rule of AFP response for unresectable HCC patients under nivolumab monotherapy and proposed an algorithm based on on-treatment AFP reduction at different time-points. Ninety unresectable HCC patients who underwent nivolumab monotherapy in 2015-2019 were retrospectively recruited and divided into four classes: rapid AFP decrease of ≥ 50% of baseline at week 4 (class I), AFP changes within ± 50% of baseline at week 4 that later decreased to ≥ 10% of baseline (class II) or not (class III) at week 12, and rapid AFP increase of ≥ 50% of baseline at week 4 (class IV).

Fibrosis index predicts variceal bleeding and reduces need for nonselective beta-blocker in compensated cirrhosis with initial small esophageal varices without red-color sign.

Background: Various non-invasive markers predicting hepatic fibrosis are poor predictors of esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB). Elastography performs well but resource-limited. Controversy for small EV prevention also exists.

Hepatic Encephalopathy and Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis Improve Cirrhosis Outcome Prediction: A Modified Seven-Stage Model as a Clinical Alternative to MELD.

Classification of cirrhosis based on clinical stages is rapid and based on five stages at present. Two other relevant events, hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), can be considered in a clinical perspective but no study has implemented a seven-stage classification and confirmed its value before. In addition, long-term validation of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) in large cohorts of patients with cirrhosis and comparison with clinical findings are insufficient.

Versatile Pt(II) Pyrazolate Complexes: Emission Tuning via Interplay of Chelate Designs and Stacking Assemblies.

Three homoleptic Pt(II) metal complexes [Pt(imz)] (), [Pt(imz)] (), and [Pt(imz)] () were synthesized from the treatment of Pt(DMSO)Cl and functional imidazolyl pyrazole in refluxing tetrahydrofuran (THF). Alternatively, the heteroleptic Pt(II) complexes [Pt(imz)(fppz)] (), [Pt(imz)(fppz)] (), and [Pt(imz)(fppz)] () were obtained from the treatment of a common intermediate [Pt(fppzH)Cl] with a corresponding imidazolyl chelate. Pt(II) complexes , , and were studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to reveal the corresponding packing arrangement in their crystal lattices, among which both homoleptic complexes and formed monomeric species, while heteroleptic aligned as a dimer with a nonbonding Pt···Pt contact of 3.