Publications by authors named "Tsao K"

In an era of rapid digital development, e-learning has become a significant trend in the educational field. Medical technology students need to acquire extensive theoretical knowledge and practical skills. E-learning can enhance learning experiences, improving students' understanding and application abilities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Conclusions vary substantially among studies examining associations between area-based social determinants of health (SDOH) and pediatric health disparities based on the selected patient population and SDOH index. Most national studies use zip codes, which encompass a wide distribution of communities, limiting the generalizability of findings.

Objectives: To characterize the distributions of composite SDOH indices for pediatric surgical patients within a national sample of academic children's hospitals and to assess SDOH index precision in classifying patients at similar levels of disadvantage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study evaluates the effectiveness of the 5-minute Apgar score in predicting neonatal mortality specifically in infants with major birth defects, indicating its substantial predictive capability.
  • - Analyzing data from the Texas Birth Defect Registry, researchers found that low Apgar scores (less than 7) were strongly linked to higher mortality rates within the first 28 days of life, even among different defect categories and types of births (preterm and term).
  • - The findings suggest that the Apgar score can serve as a valuable tool for quick clinical assessments of newborns with birth defects, but further research is necessary to optimize its use in this group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Influenza A virus (IAV) can lead to serious health issues, including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, with the innate immune response playing a key role in infection and disease severity.
  • A study investigated how individual characteristics like smoking, age, diabetes, and lung cancer history affect cytokine responses during H3N2 IAV infection using lung tissue samples.
  • Results showed that factors like smoking and PD-L1 levels in macrophages heightened certain immune responses, while age and diabetes negatively impacted others, emphasizing the need for personalized approaches in treating and preventing IAV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: An ultrasonography-first, magnetic resonance imaging-second protocol, and attention to dose reduction was implemented to reduce computed tomography rates for appendicitis at our institution. We aimed to compare current computed tomography usage and report radiation doses at our children's associated system hospitals and referring nonsystem hospitals.

Methods: A retrospective study of pediatric patients who underwent appendectomy and had a preoperative computed tomography scan between June 2020 and June 2023 was performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines in adults have demonstrated reduced complications, length of stay, and cost. However, neonatal ERAS studies are limited and translation of adult ERAS guidelines to neonates is challenging. Furthermore, the knowledge, perception, and practice of neonatal ERAS guidelines is largely unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Synthetic-based fluorescent chemosensors and protein-based fluorescent biosensors are two well-established classes of tools for visualizing and monitoring biological processes in living tissues. Chemigenetic sensors, created using a combination of both synthetic parts and protein parts, are an emerging class of tools that aims to combine the strengths, and overcome the drawbacks, of traditional chemosensors and biosensors. This review will survey the landscape of strategies used for fluorescent chemigenetic sensor design.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Published guidelines to reduce the use and misuse of opioids in pediatrics are limited. After the implementation of an opioid stewardship program, we aimed to investigate the prescribing patterns in pediatric surgery.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients who underwent general pediatric surgery procedures at a single institution between July 2021 and July 2023 was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a serious birth defect that can make it hard for babies to breathe and can lead to death.
  • Taking care of a baby with CDH before they are born is complicated and needs a team of different doctors working together.
  • This review talks about how to better identify and manage CDH during pregnancy to help improve the chances of survival and health for these babies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: The binary classification of spina bifida lesions as myelomeningocele (with sac) or myeloschisis (without sac) belies a spectrum of morphologies, which have not been correlated to clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Objective: To characterize spina bifida lesion types and correlate them with preoperative presentation and postoperative outcomes.

Design: Secondary analysis of images and videos obtained during fetoscopic spina bifida repair surgery from 2020-2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Reliance on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) diagnosis codes may misclassify perforated appendicitis with resultant research, fiscal, and public health implications. We aimed to improve the accuracy of administrative data for perforated appendicitis classification relying on ICD-10-CM codes from 2015 to 2018.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of randomly sampled patients aged ≤18 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis from eight children's hospitals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As the management of acute pain for children undergoing surgical procedures as well as recognition of the short and long term risks of exposure to opioids has evolved, multimodal and multidisciplinary approaches using organized pathways has resulted in improved perioperative outcomes and patient satisfaction. In this 2023 symposium held at the American Academy of Pediatrics on Surgery meeting, a multidisciplinary discussion on current enhanced recovery after surgery pathways, alternate methods of effective pain control and education and advocacy efforts for opioid reduction were discussed, and highlights are included in this article.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nationwide abortion restrictions resulting from the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022) decision have generated confusion and uncertainty among healthcare professionals, with concerns for liability impacting clinical decision-making and outcomes. The impact on pediatric surgery can be seen in prenatal counseling for fetal anomaly cases, counseling for fetal intervention, and recommendations for pregnant children and adolescents who seek termination. It is essential that all physicians and healthcare team members understand the legal implications on their clinical practices, engage with resources and organizations that can help navigate these circumstances, and consider advocating for patients and themselves.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In recent years, the automatic machine for microbial identification and antibiotic susceptibility tests has been introduced into the microbiology laboratory of our hospital, but there are still many steps that need manual operation. The purpose of this study was to establish an auto-verification system for bacterial naming to improve the turnaround time (TAT) and reduce the burden on clinical laboratory technologists. After the basic interpretation of the gram staining results of microorganisms, the appearance of strain growth, etc.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Fetoscopic closure of spina bifida using heated and humidified carbon dioxide gas (hhCO) has been associated with lower maternal morbidity compared with open closure. Fetal cardiovascular changes during these surgical interventions are poorly defined. Our objective was to compare fetal bradycardia (defined as fetal heart rate (FHR) < 110 bpm for 10 min) and changes in umbilical artery (UA) Doppler parameters during open vs fetoscopic closure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Enteroviruses (EVs), single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses, can be classified into four species (A-D), which have previously been linked to a diverse range of disease manifestations and infections affecting the central nervous system. In the Enterovirus species B (EV-B), Echovirus type 11 (E11) has been observed to occasionally circulate in Taiwan, which was responsible for an epidemic of enterovirus infections in 2018. Here, 48 clinical specimens isolated in 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2018 were collected for the high-throughput sequencing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how patient demographics influence immune responses during H3N2 Influenza A virus (IAV) infection using human lung tissue samples.
  • Results showed significant IAV activity in lung cells, with specific immune markers and cytokines varying according to age and other patient characteristics.
  • The findings suggest that age impacts the strength of innate immune reactions, with certain patient groups exhibiting distinct cytokine response patterns, highlighting the need for personalized approaches to IAV treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in children (2-17 ​y) with perforated appendicitis demonstrated an 89% probability of reduced intra-abdominal abscess (IAA) rate with povidone-iodine (PVI) irrigation, compared with no irrigation (NI). We hypothesized that PVI also reduced 30-day hospital costs.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective economic analysis of a pilot RCT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) spectrum and complicated appendicitis and postoperative complications in pediatric patients.

Background: Despite the impact of being overweight and obese on complicated appendicitis and postoperative complications, the implications of being underweight are unknown.

Methods: A retrospective review of pediatric patients was conducted using NSQIP (2016-2020) data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The cost of readmissions of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates within 6 months and a year of their life is well-studied. However, the cost of readmissions within 90 days of NICU discharge is unknown. This study's objective was to estimate the overall and mean cost of healthcare use for unplanned hospital visits of NICU graduates within 90 days of discharge A retrospective review of all infants discharged between 1/1/2017 and 03/31/2017 from a large hospital system NICUs was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electrochemically durable perovskite electrodes of nickel foam/TiO/FA(PbGe)I, passivated using various surfactants of tetra--alkyl ammonium halides (alkyl = ethyl, butyl, hexyl, or octyl; halide = I, IBr, Br, BrCl, or Cl), were successfully applied as good electro-catalysts on the counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The longer alkyl chain of a surfactant resulted in a higher water contact angle, but poorer film conductivity. Based on the optimal tetra--hexyl ammonium (THA) cation, shrinking the halide radius of THA from I to IBr formed an appropriate amount of FAPbBr nano-crystals covering on the FA(PbGe)I grain surface.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether reversal of hindbrain herniation (HBH) on MRI following prenatal repair of neural tube defects (NTDs) is associated with reduced rates of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement or endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) within the 1st year of life.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from all patients who had prenatal open repair of a fetal NTD at a single tertiary care center between 2012 and 2020. Patients were offered surgery according to inclusion criteria from the Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Surgical repair of pectus excavatum is a painful procedure requiring multimodal pain control with historically prolonged hospital stay. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of cryoanalgesia during minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) on hospital days (HDs), total hospital costs (HCs), and complications. We hypothesized that cryoanalgesia would be associated with reduced HDs and total HCs with no increase in post-operative complications.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study reveals a rising trend in macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) infections among children in Taiwan, with resistance rates increasing significantly from 12% in 2011 to 50% in 2018.
  • It compares clinical features and laboratory results between children with macrolide-susceptible (MSMP) and MRMP infections, finding them to be clinically similar aside from varying responses to treatment.
  • Pleural effusion and MRMP infections are linked to a higher likelihood of poor treatment response, suggesting that relying solely on macrolide response could be misleading, particularly in patients with pleural effusions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF