Risk of dementia among patients with asthma: a nationwide longitudinal study.

Background: Previous studies have suggested an association between asthma and dementia, but the results are still inconsistent.

Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, we enrolled 11,030 participants aged more than 45 years with asthma and 44,120 (1:4) age-/sex-matched controls between 1998 and 2008, and followed them to the end of 2011. Cases of any dementia or Alzheimer's disease that developed during the follow-up period were identified.

Interactions that influence the binding of synthetic heparan sulfate based disaccharides to fibroblast growth factor-2.

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a linear sulfated polysaccharide that mediates protein activities at the cell-extracellular interface. Its interactions with proteins depend on the complex patterns of sulfonations and sugar residues. Previously, we synthesized all 48 potential disaccharides found in HS and used them for affinity screening and X-ray structural analysis with fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF1).

Risk of epilepsy among patients with atopic dermatitis: a nationwide longitudinal study.

Objective: Both atopic dermatitis and epilepsy have been regarded as chronic inflammatory diseases. However, their association has yet to be investigated.

Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 35,312 patients with atopic dermatitis but without a history of epilepsy, and 35,312 age-/gender-matched controls were enrolled between 1998 and 2008, and followed to the end of 2011 to identify the development of epilepsy.

Comparison of diffusion-weighted imaging and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging on a single baseline MRI for demonstrating dissemination in time in multiple sclerosis.

Background: The 2010 Revisions to the McDonald Criteria have established that dissemination in time (DIT) of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be demonstrated by simultaneous presence of asymptomatic gadolinium-enhancing and nonenhancing lesions on a single magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have contraindications. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can detect diffusion alterations in active inflammatory lesions.

Risk of depressive disorder among patients with herpes zoster: a nationwide population-based prospective study.

Objective: Herpes zoster results from reactivation of the endogenous varicella zoster virus infection. Previous studies have shown that herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia were associated with anxiety, depression, and insomnia. However, no prospective study has investigated the association between herpes zoster and the development of depressive disorder.

Dovitinib synergizes with oxaliplatin in suppressing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells regardless of RAS-RAF mutation status.

Background: Cancer is the result of a multistep process of genomic alterations, including mutations in key regulatory proteins that result in loss of balanced gene expression and subsequent malignant transformation. Throughout the various stages of colorectal carcinoma (CRC), complex genetic alterations occur, of which over-expression of growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor and platelet-derive growth factor and their corresponding receptor tyrosine kinases, have been shown to correlate with invasiveness, tumor angiogenesis, metastasis, recurrence, and poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. To evaluate the therapeutic effect, we combined Dovitinib, an orally bioavailable, potent inhibitor of class III-V receptor tyrosine kinases with chemotherapeutic drug, oxaliplatin in preclinical models of colon cancer.

Brain activation for response inhibition under gaming cue distraction in internet gaming disorder.

We evaluated neural substrates related to the loss of control in college students with internet gaming disorder (IGD). We hypothesized that deficit in response inhibition under gaming cue distraction was the possible mechanism for the loss of control internet use. Eleven cases of IGD and 11 controls performed Go/NoGo tasks with/without gaming distraction in the functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

[The relationship between medication adherence and rehospitalization: a prospective study of schizophrenia patients discharged from psychiatric acute wards].

Background: Antipsychotics have been regarded as the most effective therapy for schizophrenia; however, Taiwan's non-adherence rate for prescribed antipsychotics of 50-80% is an important issue that relates directly and significantly to schizophrenia patient relapse rates.

Purpose: This study examines the correlational and predictive relationships between medication adherence and rehospitalization in schizophrenia patients discharged from an acute ward.

Methods: This study used a prospective research design.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome in Children: Case Series and Systematic Review.

To study presentations and outcome of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in children, we retrospectively analyzed 14 patients admitted to our pediatric intensive care unit. We further assessed 94 additional pediatric cases from a systematic review. Our patients had a mean age of 11.

The Crosslink formation of 2'-OMe oligonucleotide containing 2-amino-6-vinylpurine protects mRNA from miRNA-mediated silencing.

Masking the miRNA binding site: Crosslink-forming oligonucleotide (CFO) was used for target gene-specific inhibition of microRNA (miRNA) functions. This method can interfere with specific miRNA-mRNA interactions by recognizing sequences unique to the 3'-UTR that are inherent in each mRNA.

Automated patient identity recognition by analysis of chest radiograph features.

Rationale And Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a computerized scheme for automated identity recognition based on chest radiograph features.

Materials And Methods: The proposed method was evaluated on a database consisting of 1000 pairs of posteroanterior chest radiographs. The method was based on six features: length of the lung field, size of the heart, area of the body, and widths of the upper, middle, and lower thoracic cage.

A fatal case of Naegleria fowleri meningoencephalitis in Taiwan.

After bathing at a hot spring resort, a 75-year-old man presented to the emergency department because of seizure-like attack with loss of conscious. This is the first case of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) caused by Naegleria fowleri in Taiwan. PAM was diagnosed based on detection of actively motile trophozoites in cerebrospinal fluid using a wet-mount smear and the Liu's stain.

Identification and significance of Naegleria fowleri isolated from the hot spring which related to the first primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) patient in Taiwan.

Naegleria fowleri can cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rapidly developing and highly lethal infectious disease. The first confirmed case of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Taiwan was reported in November 2011, in which the patient visited a thermal spring recreational area 1 week prior to hospitalisation. Water sampling was performed to verify the presence of Naegleria at the facility.

Brain activation deficit in increased-load working memory tasks among adults with ADHD using fMRI.

Working memory (WM) is impaired among adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to investigate the brain activation deficit for low-level or increased-load WM among adults with ADHD. A total of 20 adults with ADHD and controls were recruited according to diagnostic interviewing by a psychiatrist.

The brain activations for both cue-induced gaming urge and smoking craving among subjects comorbid with Internet gaming addiction and nicotine dependence.

Internet gaming addiction (IGA) has been classified as an addictive disorder in the proposed DSM 5 draft. However, whether its underlying addiction mechanism is similar to other substance use disorders has not been confirmed. The present functional magnetic resonance images study is aimed at evaluating the brain correlates of cue-induced gaming urge or smoking craving in subjects with both IGA and nicotine dependence to make a simultaneous comparison of cue induced brain reactivity for gaming and smoking.

Differential relations between fronto-limbic metabolism and executive function in patients with remitted bipolar I and bipolar II disorder.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between resting brain glucose metabolism and cognitive profiles in patients with remitted bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and bipolar II disorder (BD-II). We hypothesized that BD-I patients (compared to BD-II patients) would perform worse on tests of cognitive function because of abnormal metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and other mood-related brain areas.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with remitted bipolar disorder (BD) (BD-I = 17, BD-II = 17) under treatment and 17 well-matched healthy controls received both fluorodeoxyglucose ((18) F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and neuropsychological tests of attention, memory, and executive function.

Seroepidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii Infection among healthy blood donors in Taiwan.

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic, zoonotic pathogen with a worldwide distribution. There are large variations in the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in different regions of the world.

Comparison of the burdens of family caregivers and foreign paid caregivers of the individuals with dementia.

Background: The caregiver burden on foreign paid caregivers (FPCs) is currently not well understood. This study identified predictors and differences in caregiver burden between FPCs and family caregivers who provided care for patients with dementia.

Methods: We recruited 489 patients with dementia (diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition) and used the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale to assess their neuropsychiatric behavioral problems and severity of dementia.

Obstructive sleep apnea and severe mental illness: evolution and consequences.

Sleep complaints are commonly encountered in psychiatric clinics. Underlying medical disorders or sleep disorders need to be identified and treated to optimize treatment of the mental illness. Excessive daytime sleepiness, which is the main symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), overlaps with those of many severe mental illnesses.

Retroperitoneal paraganglioma manifesting as paralytic ileus: a case report.

Introduction: Retroperitoneal neoplasms are rare and easily misdiagnosed. These tumors are often discovered incidentally during imaging studies performed for other reasons. Paragangliomas are tumors that arise from extra-adrenal medullary neural crest derivatives.

Production of truncated protein by the crosslink formation of mRNA with 2'-OMe oligoribonucleotide containing 2-amino-6-vinylpurine.

The development of convenient methods for controlling the protein expression is an important challenge in the postgenomic era. We applied the crosslink forming oligonucleotide (CFO) as a terminator of the ribosomal translation. In this study, we demonstrated that the improved reactivity of our CFO under physiological conditions enabled the sequence-specific introduction of a steric block for a ribosome on mRNAs.

Occurrence of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli genes in raw water of water treatment plants.

Purpose: The high incidences of waterborne diseases are frequently associated with diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC). DEC may pose a health risk to people who contact surface water for recreation or domestic use. However, there is no published report on the monitoring of DEC in drinking water sources in Taiwan.