Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor, Nivolumab, Combined with Chemotherapy Improved the Survival of Unresectable Advanced and Metastatic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Real-World Experience.

Patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have a poor prognosis when treated with standard chemotherapy. Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in esophageal cancer has been associated with poor survival and more advanced stage. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1 inhibitors, showed benefits in advanced esophageal cancer in clinical trials.

Matrin3 (MATR3) Expression Is Associated with Hemophagocytosis.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome characterized by prolonged fever, cytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, and hemophagocytosis. This occurs as a result of activated macrophages and impaired function of natural killer cells and/or cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The NF-κB pathway plays a crucial role in hyperinflammation.

Risk of peripheral artery occlusive disease in patients with lower leg fracture who received fixation and non-fixation treatments: A population cohort study.

Background: The risk of peripheral artery occlusive disease (PAOD) in patients with lower leg fracture who underwent fixation procedures is not yet completely understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the risk of subsequent PAOD in patients with lower leg fracture who received fixation and non-fixation treatments.

Methods: We included 6538 patients with lower leg fracture who received non-fixation treatment and a matched cohort comprising 26152 patients who received fixation treatment from the National Health Insurance Database.

Risk factors and prognoses of invasive Candida infection in surgical critical ill patients with perforated peptic ulcer.

Background: The risk of invasive Candida infection (ICI) is high in patients with perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) who received laparotomy or laparoscopic surgery, but the risk factors and predictors of morbidity outcomes remain uncertain. This study aims to identify the risk factors of ICI in surgical critically ill PPU patients and to evaluate the impact on patient's outcomes.

Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study, with a total of 170 surgical critically ill PPU patients.

Lipid-Free Parenteral Nutrition Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Hepatic Dysfunction in Surgical Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Observational Study.

To evaluate the effects of lipid-free parenteral nutrition (PN) and various intravenous fat emulsions (IVFEs) on hepatic function in surgical critically ill trauma/acute care surgery patients. We retrospectively reviewed trauma/acute care surgery patients without admission hepatic disorder that received PN. The PN groups include lipid-free, soybean oil/medium-chain triglyceride, olive oil-based, and fish-oil contained PN.

Decreased risk of liver and intrahepatic cancer in non-H. pylori-infected perforated peptic ulcer patients with truncal vagotomy: a nationwide study.

The vagal nervous system is central to the physiological responses and systemic diseases of the liver. We evaluated the subsequent risk of liver and intrahepatic cancer (HCC/ICC) in non-H. pylori (HP)-infected perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) patients with and without vagotomy.

Increased risk of subsequent benign prostatic hyperplasia in non-Helicobacter pylori-infected peptic ulcer patients: a population-based cohort study.

The vagus nerve plays an essential role in homeostasis and inflammation. Clinically, peptic ulcer patients without helicobacter pylori (HP) infection may provide a population for studying the effect of vagal hyperactivity. There were interests in the association of gastrointestinal disease and urogenital disorders.

Does postoperative non-sedation improve outcomes for patients after head and neck cancer reconstruction?: A STROBE compliant study.

Whether a strategy of postoperative non-sedation produces better outcomes compared with sedation in patients after head and neck reconstruction remains controversial. Therefore, we retrospectively investigated outcomes in 150 of these patients in our institution.Patients with head and neck cancer that received free anterolateral thigh flap were studied retrospectively, and were categorized in terms of their postoperative care into "sedation" and "non-sedation" groups.

Risk of Subsequent Migraines in Facial Fracture Patients: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Limited studies have discussed the association between facial fractures and subsequent migraines. In this study, we examined this association and the effect of facial fracture and surgery on the development of migraines. We selected 5034 patients with facial fractures and a matched cohort of 20,136 patients without facial fractures or facial-associated surgery with a history of migraine from the National Health Insurance database.

Myelodysplastic syndrome: the other cause of anemia in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing dialysis.

In end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients receiving dialysis, anemia is common and related to a higher mortality rate. Erythropoietin (EPO) resistance and iron refractory anemia require red blood cell transfusions. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a disease with hematopoietic dysplasia.

Risk of subsequent prostate cancer in peptic ulcer patients who received helicobacter pylori eradication therapy: an Asian population-based cohort study.

Background: Studies have shown diverse results regarding the association between H. pylori (HP) infection and the risk of malignancy. There is accumulating evidence relating HP infection to urological diseases.

The Effects of Human BDH2 on the Cell Cycle, Differentiation, and Apoptosis and Associations with Leukemia Transformation in Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Iron overload is related to leukemia transformation in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. Siderophores help to transport iron. Type 2-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH2) is a rate-limiting factor in the biogenesis of siderophores.

Trends and predictors of mortality in unstable pelvic ring fracture: a 10-year experience with a multidisciplinary institutional protocol.

Background: Pelvic ring fracture is often combined with other injuries and such patients are considered at high risk of mortality and complications. There is controversy regarding the gold standard protocol for the initial treatment of pelvic fracture. The aim of this study was to assess which risk factors could affect the outcome and to analyze survival using our multidisciplinary institutional protocol for traumatic pelvic ring fracture.

A Population-Based Cohort Study Examining the Long-term Risk of Repeated Surgery in Non-Helicobacter pylori-Infected PPU Patients Who Underwent Simple Closure.

Objectives: The management of perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) has shifted from vagotomy/drainage to simple closure, followed by postoperative proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication. Few studies have focused on the long-term impacts of this trend shift. We hypothesize that simple closure with PPIs is sufficient and does not carry an elevated rate of repeated surgery in non-HP-infected PPU patients.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura increased risk of subsequent pancreatitis: A Nationwide population cohort study.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is characterized by thrombocytopenia and bleeding diathesis. Pancreatitis is a very rare complication but may be fatal. We analyzed data of newly diagnosed ITP patients, excluding those with a history of splenectomy, unknown sex or date of birth, or preexisting pancreatitis at the time of ITP diagnosis, and compared these with selected age-, gender-, and index-year-matched controls, using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1996 to 2013.

A population-based cohort study examining the association of documented bladder diverticulum and bladder cancer risk in urology patients.

Objectives: Studies have shown a high risk of tumor development within a bladder diverticulum (BD). We were interested in the relationship between BD and the development of bladder cancer. Herein, we attempted to investigate whether there exists an association between documented BD and subsequent risk of bladder cancer.

A comparative study of risk of pneumonia and mortalities between nasogastric and jejunostomy feeding routes in surgical critically ill patients with perforated peptic ulcer.

Introduction: Enteral nutrition (EN) is important in the management of critically illness. Yet, the best route (e.g.

A comparative study of subsequent liver cirrhosis risk in non-Helicobacter pylori-infected peptic ulcer patients with and without vagotomy: An Asian population cohort study.

Objectives: Hepatic parasympathetic nerves branch off the vagus nerve. The vagal and hepatic nervous systems are important in liver physiological processes and some diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and liver cirrhosis. We were interested in vagal nerve integrity and subsequent diseases in peptic ulcer patients.

Association of Higher Migraine Risk Among Female and Younger Chronic Osteomyelitis Patients: Evidence from a Taiwan Cohort of One Million.

Background: Inflammation may trigger migraine development through neurovascular reactions in the brain. Most of the migraine patients, particularly the younger ones, do not have any risk factors for this disease. Hence, we assessed whether chronic osteomyelitis (COM), a chronic inflammatory disease, increases the risk of migraine.

Association of benign prostatic hyperplasia and subsequent risk of bladder cancer: an Asian population cohort study.

Objectives: Few studies discussed the link between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and bladder cancer. We performed this cohort study to investigate whether there is an association between BPH and subsequent risk of bladder cancer.

Methods: We identified 35,092 study subjects including 17546 BPH patients and 17546 comparisons from the National Health Insurance database.

Association of Vagotomy and Decreased Risk of Subsequent Ischemic Stroke in Complicated Peptic Ulcer Patients: an Asian Population Study.

Objectives: The primary management of peptic ulcers is medical treatment. Persistent exacerbation of a peptic ulcer may lead to complications (perforation and/or bleeding). There has been a trend toward the use of a less invasive surgical simple suture, simple local suture or non-operative (endoscopic/angiography) hemostasis rather than acid-reducing vagotomy (i.

Acid-reducing vagotomy is associated with reduced risk of subsequent ischemic heart disease in complicated peptic ulcer: An Asian population study.

Persistent exacerbation of a peptic ulcer may lead to a complicated peptic ulcer (perforation or/and bleeding). The management of complicated peptic ulcers has shifted from acid-reducing vagotomy, drainage, and gastrectomy to simple local suture or non-operative (endoscopic/angiographic) hemostasis. We were interested in the long-term effects of this trend change.

Association of vagus nerve severance and decreased risk of subsequent type 2 diabetes in peptic ulcer patients: An Asian population cohort study.

Vagus nerve may play a role in serum glucose modulation. The complicated peptic ulcer patients (with perforation or/and bleeding) who received surgical procedures with or without vagotomy provided 2 patient populations for studying the impact of vagus nerve integrity. We assessed the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in peptic ulcer patients without and with complications by surgical treatment received in a retrospective population study using the National Health Insurance database in Taiwan.