Publications by authors named "Tun-Chieh Chen"

Background: Leptospirosis (LS) and hantavirus (HV) are rodent-borne diseases and share similar clinical manifestations, posing diagnostic challenges.

Methods: This retrospective study compared clinical characteristics, laboratory data, complications and outcomes of 33 LS and nine HV cases in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from 2006 to 2021.

Results: Both LS and HV diseases had high rates of acute kidney injury (84.

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Background: Vancomycin-variable enterococci (VVE) are vanA-carrying Enterococcus faecium that are phenotypically susceptible to vancomycin and can only be detected using molecular methods, leading to the possibility of treatment failure and posing threats to infection control. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of VVE and its associated clinical risk factors.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in two hospitals in southern Taiwan.

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Rationale: Primary myelofibrosis is a subtype of myeloproliferative neoplasm that leads to bone marrow fibrosis. Historically, the only curative option for primary myelofibrosis was allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Ruxolitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, is now used for the treatment of primary myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera.

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Objectives: The trailing effect of Candida species is a phenomenon characterized by reduced but persistent growth at antifungal concentrations above the MIC. We assessed the impact of trailing growth on the persistence of Candida albicans candidemia in patients receiving fluconazole (FLC) therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated candidemia isolates at three hospitals in southern Taiwan between 2013 and 2020.

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Background: Late cART initiation (CD4 count ≤200 cells/μL or AIDS-defining opportunistic illnesses [AOIs] at cART initiation) impedes CD4 count recovery and virologic suppression after cART initiation. However, studies to evaluate trends of and modifiable factors for optimal immunological response (IR) and virological response (VR) in people living with HIV (PLWH) with late cART initiation with the current HIV treatment strategies are limited.

Methods: We retrospectively identified 475 PLWH with late cART initiation in 2009-2020.

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Background: Integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTIs)-based combination antiretroviral treatment in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been reportedly correlated with several adverse effects, such as weight gain, fetal defects or psychiatric disorders.

Methods: To comprehensively understand the adverse effect of INSTIs, our study utilized Caenorhabditis Elegans (C. elegans) as a model to investigate how dolutegravir (DTG) affected its life cycle, growth, reproduction and lifespan.

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Background: Real-world experience with combinations of short-course rifapentine-based regimens and integrase strand-transfer inhibitor-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in management of latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) is limited among people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH).

Methods: From August 2019 to October 2022, PWH receiving 3 months of weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid (3HP) or 1 month of daily rifapentine plus isoniazid (1HP) in combination with ART were included. The primary outcome was virologic response within 12 months after LTBI treatment; secondary outcomes included treatment completion rate and safety of LTBI regimens.

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Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are susceptible to non-AIDS-related events, particularly those with immunological nonresponses (INRs) to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This study assessed the association of INRs with incident non-AIDS-related events among PLWH.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study enrolled PLWH who had newly diagnosed stage 3 HIV and received HAART between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2019.

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Using 3-stage pooled-plasma hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA testing performed quarterly among at-risk people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH), we found that if testing had been performed every 6 or 12 months, 58.6%-91.7% of PWH who recently acquired HCV would be delayed for diagnosis and might contribute to onward HCV transmission with longer durations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Vaccination against COVID-19 is critical for controlling the pandemic, but the serological response in Taiwanese patients with different comorbidities is not well understood.
  • A study enrolled 824 uninfected subjects who received various COVID-19 vaccines and measured their antibody levels post-vaccination, finding common vaccination patterns among participants.
  • Results showed that factors like age, sex, vaccination type, and comorbidity scores significantly affected antibody levels, indicating that higher comorbidity scores are linked to lower neutralizing antibody responses.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effects of sofosbuvir (SOF)-based direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on kidney function in patients who are coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), focusing on changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at various stages of treatment.
  • The research involved tracking eGFR values in 445 patients over multiple time points to identify any declines and the factors contributing to acute kidney disease (AKD), particularly in relation to different antiretroviral therapies (ART) and modes of HIV transmission.
  • The main finding indicates that aging is the only independent risk factor linked to a decline in kidney function among these patients during and after DAA treatment, particularly
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Linoleic acid (LA, omega-6), an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid, is supplied by vegetable oils such as corn, sunflower and soybean. Supplementary LA in infants and children is required for normal growth and brain development, but has also been reported to induce brain inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. This controversial role of LA development requires further investigation.

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Fomite transmission is a possible route by which different pathogens spread within facilities. In hospital settings, elevator buttons are widely observed to be covered with various types of plastic wraps; however, limited information is available concerning the impact of different plastic materials on cleaning. Our study aimed to identify which plastic material is suitable for the coverage of elevator buttons and the optimal intervals for their cleaning.

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In 2019, the CLSI lowered the susceptible levofloxacin breakpoints for Enterobacterales from a MIC of ≤2 μg/mL to ≤0.5 μg/mL. The study evaluated the correlation between the susceptibility profiles obtained by the Vitek 2 and agar dilution (AD) methods in levofloxacin MIC ≤2 μg/mL isolates and its clinical impacts.

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Testing and treatment of tuberculosis infection (TBI) are recommended for people living with HIV (PLWH). We aimed to evaluate the care cascade of TBI treatment among PLWH in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up. This retrospective study included adult PLWH undergoing interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA)-based TBI screening during 2019-2021.

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Coronavirus 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is found in SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. 3CLpro controls virus replication and is a major target for target-based antiviral discovery. As reported by Pfizer, Nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332) is a competitive protein inhibitor and a clinical candidate for orally delivered medication.

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Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare disease, which should be differentiated from aseptic encephalitis. Possessing anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor autoantibody is the leading cause of autoimmune encephalitis. However, it may pose a diagnostic challenge to clinicians, especially to nonpsychiatric or non-neurologic specialist, resulting in a delayed initiation of treatment.

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Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 6 (HCV-6) infection is prevalent predominantly in Southeast Asia, and the data on the virologic response of HCV-6 to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are sparse in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH).

Aim: To assess the virologic response of HCV-6 to DAAs in PLWH.

Methods: From September 2016 to July 2019, PLWH coinfected with HCV-6 initiating DAAs were included.

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Background: The value of time to positivity (TTP) on diagnosis for catheter-related bloodstream infection and distinguishment on bacteria group and infection source has been investigated. However, the relationship between TTP and patient outcome requires verification, and we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science for publications associated with the topic.

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Human breast milk lipids have major beneficial effects: they promote infant early brain development, growth and health. To identify the relationship between human breast milk lipids and infant neurodevelopment, multivariate analyses that combined lipidomics and psychological Bayley-III scales evaluation were utilized. We identified that 9,12-octadecadiynoic acid has a significantly positive correlation with infant adaptive behavioral development, which is a crucial neurodevelopment to manage risk from environmental stress.

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Real-world experience with dolutegravir (DTG) plus boosted protease inhibitor (bPI) as a two-drug regimen is limited for highly experienced HIV-positive patients with virological failure or intolerance to antiretroviral therapy. Patients receiving DTG plus bPI between September 2016 and June 2019 at 15 designated hospitals for HIV care in Taiwan were retrospectively included in this study. A standardised case record form was used to collect clinical data.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study examined the awareness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection status among HIV-positive patients, focusing on the prevalence of unawareness and its correlation with HCV knowledge.
  • Researchers surveyed 844 participants in Taiwan, categorizing them by their HCV status and the timing of their HIV diagnosis to analyze patterns.
  • Results showed a significant percentage of patients were unaware of their HCV status, particularly those with lower education and less information from healthcare providers, indicating a need for better education and outreach regarding HCV in the HIV-positive population.
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Background: Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) or infarction in dengue cases is rare but very challenging for clinicians. We report these uncommon complications of dengue patients and focused on the significant factors associated with ICH or infarction in dengue patients.

Methods: This investigation was a retrospective study of 182 adult dengue patients who received brain computed tomography at three Taiwan hospitals during the 2014 and 2015 dengue outbreaks.

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Chemsex drug use (CDU) is a frequent, yet neglected issue in the era of treat-all policy. We evaluated the temporal pattern of CDU, factors associated with CDU, and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) between chemsex drugs and initial antiretroviral therapy (ART) by surveying 621 Taiwanese individuals (mean age: 29.7 years; 99.

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