Cryptic Diversity, Molecular Systematics, and Pathogenicity of Genus and Allied Genera Causing Gray Blight Disease of Tea in Taiwan, With a Description of a New Species.

(L.) O. Kuntze, commonly known as tea, is widely cultivated around the world in tropical and subtropical areas.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome associated with increased anxiety risk: A population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been associated with developing mental disorders in Western populations, but this association is poorly studied in Asians. Hence, using insurance claims data, this study evaluated the anxiety risk in women with PCOS.

Methods: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 7026 women aged 15-49 years with newly diagnosed PCOS without anxiety in 1998-2013 as the PCOS cohort.

Comparative Transcriptomics across Nematode Life Cycles Reveal Gene Expression Conservation and Correlated Evolution in Adjacent Developmental Stages.

Nematodes are highly abundant animals with diverse habitats and lifestyles. Some are free living whereas others parasitize animals or plants, and among the latter, infection abilities change across developmental stages to infect hosts and complete life cycles. To determine the relationship between transcriptome evolution and morphological divergences among nematodes, we compared 48 transcriptomes of different developmental stages across eight nematode species.

Radiation-Induced Secondary Cancer Risk Assessment in Patients With Lung Cancer After Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Using the CyberKnife M6 System With Lung-Optimized Treatment.

Background: To evaluate the lifetime secondary cancer risk (SCR) of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) using the CyberKnife (CK) M6 system with a lung-optimized treatment (LOT) module for lung cancer patients.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 11 lung cancer patients curatively treated with SBRT using the CK M6 robotic radiosurgery system. The planning treatment volume (PTV) and common organs at risk (OARs) for SCR analysis included the spinal cord, total lung, and healthy normal lung tissue (total lung volume - PTV).

The Efficacy of Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin-Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Case-Control Study in Taiwan.

Breast cancer is a global issue regarding women's health, and high incident rates remain in the Taiwanese female population. Chemotherapy, using anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic agents in neoadjuvant settings, has been introduced as a promising new therapeutic option for treatment of invasive breast cancer. Set apart from conventional anthracycline regimens such as epirubicin, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Lipo-Dox®, PLD) was introduced for providing a justifiable treatment effect, while offering a favorable toxicity profile for breast cancer patients in a metastatic setting.

Building a Nomogram for Prediction of Prostate Cancer in Patients With Preoperatively Suspected Prostate Cancer.

Background/aim: Expanded indications for patients with preoperatively suspected prostate cancer (PC) undergoing theranostic robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (T-RARP) are reported. We aimed to build a nomogram of T-RARP to predict final pathologically proven PC. This study reviewed data of 153 patients that underwent T-RARP for suspected PC performed by the same surgeon.

Development of efficient on-bead protein elution process coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to determine immunoglobulin G subclass and glycosylation for discovery of bio-signatures in pancreatic disease.

Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is a kind of IgG4-related disease in which higher IgG4 and total IgG levels have been found in patient serum. Due to the similar imaging features and laboratory parameters between AIP and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a differential diagnosis is still challenging. Since IgG profiles can be potential bio-signatures for disease, we developed and validated a method which coupled on-bead enzymatic protein elution process to an efficient UHPLC-MS/MS method to determine IgG subclass and glycosylation.

Myasthenic crisis and late deep vein thrombosis following thymectomy in a patient with myasthenia gravis: A case report.

Introduction: Surgical stress and pain are potential provoking factors for postoperative myasthenic crisis (POMC). We report the occurrence of early POMC and late deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in a man with myasthenia gravis (MG) undergoing thymectomy, addressing possible link between reversal of opioid overdose with naloxone and the triggering of POMC.

Patient Concerns: A 71-year-old man with impaired renal function (ie, estimated glomerular filtration rate [egfr]: 49.

Smoking Paradox in Stroke Survivors?: Uncovering the Truth by Interpreting 2 Sets of Data.

Background and Purpose- The observation that smokers with stroke could have better outcome than nonsmokers led to the term "smoking paradox." The controversy of such a complex claim has not been fully settled, even though different case mix was noted. Analyses were conducted on 2 independent data sets to evaluate and determine whether such a paradox truly exists.

Elevation of CD109 promotes metastasis and drug resistance in lung cancer via activation of EGFR-AKT-mTOR signaling.

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide, and metastasis in lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Thus, understanding the mechanism of lung cancer metastasis will improve the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer patients. Herein, we found that expression of cluster of differentiation 109 (CD109) was correlated with the invasive and metastatic capacities of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

"Diabetic striatopathy": clinical presentations, controversy, pathogenesis, treatments, and outcomes.

Diabetic striatopathy (DS) is a rare medical condition with ambiguous nomenclature. We searched PubMed database from 1992 to 2018 for articles describing hyperglycemia associated with chorea/ballism and/or neuroimages of striatal abnormalities. Descriptive analysis was performed on demographic/clinical characteristics, locations of striatal abnormalities on neuroimages, pathology findings, treatment strategies, and outcomes.

An infected urachal cyst presenting as acute abdominal pain in a child: A case report.

Introduction: Urachal cyst is an exceptionally rare disease in children caused by the incomplete obliteration of the urachal remnant. Urachal cysts seldom cause symptoms unless a secondary infection occurs. The symptoms of an infected urachal cyst are nonspecific and may be similar to acute appendicitis or other acute abdominal conditions.

Fenofibrate Facilitates Post-Active Tuberculosis Infection in Macrophages and is Associated with Higher Mortality in Patients under Long-Term Treatment.

Background: Mycobacterium () is an intracellular pathogen that infects and persists in macrophages. This study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term fenofibrate treatment in patients with tuberculosis (TB), and the intracellular viability of in human macrophages.

Methods: Epidemiological data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan were used to present outcomes of TB patients treated with fenofibrate.

The presence and impact of herpes virus DNA in recipient cornea and aqueous humor on graft survival following penetrating keratoplasty.

Background/purpose: Reactivation of herpes viruses poses threat to corneal graft survival. This study evaluated the presence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), HSV type 2 (HSV-2), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in recipient corneas and the aqueous humor of patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), and the impact on graft survival.

Methods: This retrospective study reviewed 90 eyes of 71 patients underwent PKP between 2008 and 2016.

Pressure-impedance analysis: Assist the diagnosis and classification of ineffective esophageal motility disorder.

Background And Aim: We elucidated the clinical significance of distal contractile integral-to-esophageal impedance integral (EII) ratio (DCIIR) in ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) adult patients.

Methods: We recruited 101 patients with IEM (48.38 ± 1.

Using the PCI-IS Method to Simultaneously Estimate Blood Volume and Quantify Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Concentrations in Dried Blood Spots.

Nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have emerged as the preferred choice for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The establishment of a therapeutic range to minimize bleeding and thrombosis is important for personalized treatment of NOACs. The importance of dried blood spots (DBSs) has increased in medical care.

Mild behavioral impairment is associated with β-amyloid but not tau or neurodegeneration in cognitively intact elderly individuals.

Introduction: Mild behavioral impairment (MBI) is characterized by the emergence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in elderly persons. Here, we examine the associations between MBI and Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers in asymptomatic elderly individuals.

Methods: Ninety-six cognitively normal elderly individuals underwent MRI, [ F]AZD4694 β-amyloid-PET, and [ F]MK6240 tau-PET.

Proton Pump Inhibitors Augment the Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events and End-Stage Renal Disease in Patients With Acute Kidney Injury After Temporary Dialysis.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been reported to increase the risk of acute and chronic renal disease. However, the data are unclear in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring dialysis (AKI-D) who are often candidates for PPIs. To investigate this important issue, we identified 26,052 AKI-D patients from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database weaning from dialysis.

The Arrhythmogenic Effect of Protein-Bound Uremic Toxin -Cresylsulfate: An Study.

Background: -Cresylsulfate (PCS) is a protein-bound uremic toxin that accumulates in patients with chronic kidney disease. Previous studies have indicated that serum total PCS levels are significantly increased in the presence of abnormal corrected QT (QTc) intervals, and that they are associated with QTc prolongation. However, the QTc prolongation effect of PCS remains unclear.