Survival after thermal ablation versus wedge resection for stage I non-small cell lung cancer < 1 cm and 1 to 2 cm: evidence from the US SEER database.

Background: This study compared the survival outcomes after thermal ablation versus wedge resection in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ≤ 2 cm.

Methods: Data from the United States (US) National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with stage I NSCLC and lesions ≤ 2 cm who received thermal ablation or wedge resection were included.

2024 multidisciplinary consensus on image-guided lung tumor ablation from the Taiwan Academy of Tumor Ablation.

In this article, the multidisciplinary team of the Taiwan Academy of Tumor Ablation, who have expertise in treating lung cancer, present their perspectives on percutaneous image-guided thermal ablation (IGTA) of lung tumors. The modified Delphi technique was applied to reach a consensus on clinical practice guidelines concerning ablation procedures, including a comprehensive literature review, selection of panelists, creation of a rating form and survey, and arrangement of an in-person meeting where panelists agreed or disagreed on various points. The conclusion was a final rating and written summary of the agreement.

Comparative prevalence of oral bacteria and protozoa in patients with periodontitis in Taiwan.

Objectives: Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by bacteria present in the dental biofilm. However, the presence of two oral protozoans, Entamoeba gingivalis and Trichomonas tenax, in patients with the periodontal disease remains largely unknown in Taiwan. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of oral microbial infections between the sites with mild gingivitis and chronic periodontitis in patients.

The Fermented Product Enhances the Antioxidant Status, Intestinal Tight Junction, and Morphology of Broiler Chickens.

The sp. is a fungal species that is traditionally used for medicinal purposes. This study investigated the effects of the fermented product (FL) as a feed supplementation on the antioxidant activities, the intestinal Tight Junction (TJ) mRNA expression, and the intestinal morphology of broiler chickens.

Leptin mediate central obesity on the severity of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in well-controlled type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

Background: Evidences support the view that central obesity is an independently cardiovascular risk. It is thought that leptin contributes to autonomic dysfunction and cardiovascular risks in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM). This raises the possibility that leptin might mediate the relationship between central obesity and the severity of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in patients with well-controlled T2DM and prediabetes.

The first study to detect co-infection of Entamoeba gingivalis and periodontitis-associated bacteria in dental patients in Taiwan.

Periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the oral cavity, was caused by microbes from bacteria to protozoa. In this study, we detected protozoa, Entamoeba gingivalis and other three common pathogenic bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia by the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on patients.

Effects of -Fermented Wheat Bran on Growth Performance, Intestinal Microbiota and Digesta Characteristics in Broiler Chickens.

This study investigated the effects of a -fermented wheat bran (LS) supplementation on the microbiota and digesta characteristics of broiler chickens. Two hundred and forty male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into three groups fed with a corn-soybean-based diet (control), and the control diet being replaced with 5% wheat bran (WB) and 5% LS, respectively. Each group had four replicates and 20 birds per pen.

Production performances and antioxidant activities of laying hens fed Aspergillus oryzae and phytase co-fermented wheat bran.

Objective: Wheat bran (WB) was co-fermented with Aspergillus oryzae and phytase (Phy) to determine whether co-fermentation improve WB phosphorus and fiber utilization in Isa-brown layers.

Methods: A total of 112 Isa brown layer were randomly divided into 7 treatments with 8 replicates per a treatment and 2 hens per a replicate. The treatments included basal diet (control), basal diet supplemented with 250 unit/kg Phy (control+Phy), diet with 10% WB (10% WB), diet with 5% WB and 250 unit/kg Phy (5% WB+Phy) diet with 10% WB and 250 unit/kg Phy (10% WB+Phy), diet with 5% fermented WB supplemented with molasses and phy (PCFWH) and 125 unit/kg Phy (5% PCFWH), and diet with 10% PCFWH (10% PCFWH).

Evaluation of Waste Mushroom Compost as a Feed Supplement and Its Effects on the Fat Metabolism and Antioxidant Capacity of Broilers.

Schum No. waste mushroom compost (PWMC) is the main byproduct when cultivating . Due to the high mycelium levels in PWMC, it may have potential as a feed supplement for broilers.

Effect of line and floor type on growth performance and feather characterization during the growth period of White Roman geese.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether goose growth and feather characteristics are influenced by their line and feeding surroundings, inclusive of floor materials and types, since there are no reports regarding these factors.

Methods: The 240 White Roman geese which were hatched and sex identified came from 3 commercial goose farms. They were randomly distributed to 24 pens depending on a completely random design.

Evaluation of the Combined Use of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and Aspergillus Oryzae with Phytase Fermentation Products on Growth, Inflammatory, and Intestinal Morphology in Broilers.

and are both ancient probiotic species traditionally used as microbes for brewing beer and soy sauce, respectively. This study investigated the effect of adding these two probiotics with phytase fermentation products to the broilers diet. Fermented products possess protease and cellulase, and the activities were 777.

The relationship of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody and C5a complement with disease activity and short-term outcome in idiopathic membranous nephropathy.

Background: The binding of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (anti-PLA2R) antibody to podocyte and complement activation is the mechanisms of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). C5a, a complement activation end product, is a strong inflammatory cell stimulator and can influence the behavior of T cells and dendritic cells. This study examined the etiology-disease relationship and significance of auto-antibody and C5a with short-term remission.

MLN4924, a novel protein neddylation inhibitor, suppresses proliferation and migration of human urothelial carcinoma: In vitro and in vivo studies.

MLN4924, a small molecule inhibitor of NEDD8 activating enzyme (NAE), has been reported to elicit an anti-tumor effect on various malignancies. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of MLN4924 in human urothelial carcinoma (UC) in vitro and in vivo by using three human UC cell lines of various grading (T24, NTUB1 and RT4). The impact of MLN4924 on UC cells was determined by measuring viability (MTT), proliferation (BrdU incorporation), cell cycle progression (flow cytometry with propidium iodide staining) and apoptosis (flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC labeling).

Hypertensive patients using thiazide diuretics as primary stroke prevention make better functional outcome after ischemic stroke.

Background: Thiazides have been used for the control of blood pressure and primary prevention of ischemic stroke. No previous studies have assessed the influence of thiazides on functional prognosis after ischemic stroke.

Methods: Demographics, prestroke conditions, poststroke National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and clinical and laboratory parameters were prospectively registered in 216 Taiwanese patients.

Fast fabrication of a Ag nanostructure substrate using the femtosecond laser for broad-band and tunable plasmonic enhancement.

Using a femtosecond laser, we have transformed the laser-direct-writing technique into a highly efficient method that can process AgO(x) thin films into Ag nanostructures at a fast scanning rate of 2000 μm(2)/min. The processed AgO(x) thin films exhibit broad-band enhancement of optical absorption and effectively function as active SERS substrates. Probing of the plasmonic hotspots with dyed polymer beads indicates that these hotspots are uniformly distributed over the treated area.

Fabrication of phase-change chalcogenide Ge2Sb2Te5 patterns by laser-induced forward transfer.

Femtosecond laser pulses are focused on a thin film of Ge2Sb2Te5 phase-change material, and the transfer of the illuminated material to a nearby substrate is investigated. The size, shape, and phase-state of the fabricated pattern can be effectively controlled by the laser fluence and by the thickness of the Ge2Sb2Te5 film. Results show multi-level electrical and optical reflection states of the fabricated patterns, which may provide a simple and efficient foundation for patterning future phase-change devices.

De-novo identification of PPARgamma/RXR binding sites and direct targets during adipogenesis.

Background: The pathophysiology of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with abnormalities in endocrine signaling in adipose tissue and one of the key signaling affectors operative in these disorders is the nuclear hormone transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma). PPARgamma has pleiotropic functions affecting a wide range of fundamental biological processes including the regulation of genes that modulate insulin sensitivity, adipocyte differentiation, inflammation and atherosclerosis. To date, only a limited number of direct targets for PPARgamma have been identified through research using the well established pre-adipogenic cell line, 3T3-L1.

A precisely regulated gene expression cassette potently modulates metastasis and survival in multiple solid cancers.

Successful tumor development and progression involves the complex interplay of both pro- and anti-oncogenic signaling pathways. Genetic components balancing these opposing activities are likely to require tight regulation, because even subtle alterations in their expression may disrupt this balance with major consequences for various cancer-associated phenotypes. Here, we describe a cassette of cancer-specific genes exhibiting precise transcriptional control in solid tumors.

Computational analysis and modeling of genome-scale avidity distribution of transcription factor binding sites in chip-pet experiments.

Advances in high-throughput technologies, such as ChIP-chip and ChIP-PET (Chromatin Immuno-Precipitation Paired-End diTag), and the availability of human and mouse genome sequences now allow us to identify transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) and analyze mechanisms of gene regulation on the level of the entire genome. Here, we have developed a computational approach which uses ChIP-PET data and statistical modeling to assess experimental noise and identify reliable TFBS for c-Myc, STAT1 and p53 transcription factors in the human genome. We propose a mixture probabilistic model and develop computational programs for Monte Carlo simulation of ChIP-PET data to define the background noise of the sequence clustering and to identify the probability function of specific DNA-protein binding in the eukaryotic genome.

The airborne metagenome in an indoor urban environment.

The indoor atmosphere is an ecological unit that impacts on public health. To investigate the composition of organisms in this space, we applied culture-independent approaches to microbes harvested from the air of two densely populated urban buildings, from which we analyzed 80 megabases genomic DNA sequence and 6000 16S rDNA clones. The air microbiota is primarily bacteria, including potential opportunistic pathogens commonly isolated from human-inhabited environments such as hospitals, but none of the data contain matches to virulent pathogens or bioterror agents.

The use of multiple displacement amplification to amplify complex DNA libraries.

Complex libraries for genomic DNA and cDNA sequencing analyses are typically amplified using bacterial propagation. To reduce biases, large numbers of colonies are plated and scraped from solid-surface agar. This process is time consuming, tedious and limits scaling up.

Highly sensitive and efficient computer-assisted system for routine surveillance for surgical site infection.

Objectives: Surveillance of surgical site infections (SSIs) is effective in reducing the rates of these complications, but it is extremely time-consuming and, consequently, underused. We determined the sensitivity and specificity of a computer-assisted surveillance system, compared with a conventional method involving review of medical records, and the time saved with the computer-assisted system.

Method: A prospective study was conducted from January 1 to December 31, 2001.

RNA viral community in human feces: prevalence of plant pathogenic viruses.

The human gut is known to be a reservoir of a wide variety of microbes, including viruses. Many RNA viruses are known to be associated with gastroenteritis; however, the enteric RNA viral community present in healthy humans has not been described. Here, we present a comparative metagenomic analysis of the RNA viruses found in three fecal samples from two healthy human individuals.