Clinical Characteristics and Neonatal Outcomes of Pregnant Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) characterized by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has created serious concerns about its potential adverse effects. There are limited data on clinical, radiological, and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 pneumonia. This study aimed to assess clinical manifestations and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19.

Genomic Editing Sufficiently Abolishes Oncogenesis of Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells In Vitro and In Vivo.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is the most common type of leukemia in adults, and more than 90% of CML patients harbor the abnormal Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) that encodes the BCR-ABL oncoprotein. Although the ABL kinase inhibitor (imatinib) has proven to be very effective in achieving high remission rates and improving prognosis, up to 33% of CML patients still cannot achieve an optimal response. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to specifically target the - junction region in K562 cells, resulting in the inhibition of cancer cell growth and oncogenesis.

HDAC1,2 Knock-Out and HDACi Induced Cell Apoptosis in Imatinib-Resistant K562 Cells.

Since imatinib (Glivec or Gleevec) has been used to target the BCR-ABL fusion protein, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has become a manageable chronic disease with long-term survival. However, 15%-20% of CML patients ultimately develop resistance to imatinib and then progress to an accelerated phase and eventually to a blast crisis, limiting treatment options and resulting in a poor survival rate. Thus, we investigated whether histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) could be used as a potential anticancer therapy for imatinib-resistant CML (IR-CML) patients.

HDAC1 and HDAC2 Double Knockout Triggers Cell Apoptosis in Advanced Thyroid Cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) and squamous thyroid carcinoma (STC) are both rare and advanced thyroid malignancies with a very poor prognosis and an average median survival time of 5 months and less than 20% of affected patients are alive 1 year after diagnosis. The clinical management of both ATC and STC is very similar because they are not particularly responsive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This inspired us to explore a novel and effective clinically approved therapy for ATC treatment.

CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Sufficiently Abolished Oncogenicity in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid (ATC), also called undifferentiated thyroid cancer, is the least common but most aggressive and deadly thyroid gland malignancy of all thyroid cancers. The aim of this study is to explore essential biomarker and use CRISPR/Cas9 with lentivirus delivery to establish a gene-target therapeutic platform in ATC cells. At the beginning, the gene expression datasets from 1036 cancers from CCLE and 8215 tumors from TCGA were collected and analyzed, showing EGFR is predominantly overexpressed in thyroid cancers than other type of cancers ( = 0.

The Application of Non-Invasive Apoptosis Detection Sensor (NIADS) on Histone Deacetylation Inhibitor (HDACi)-Induced Breast Cancer Cell Death.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype is a breast cancer subset without ER (estrogen receptor), PR (progesterone receptor) and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) expression, limiting treatment options and presenting a poorer survival rate. Thus, we investigated whether histone deacetylation inhibitor (HDACi) could be used as potential anti-cancer therapy on breast cancer cells.

A rapid and quantitative method to detect human circulating tumor cells in a preclinical animal model.

Background: As cancer metastasis is the deadliest aspect of cancer, causing 90% of human deaths, evaluating the molecular mechanisms underlying this process is the major interest to those in the drug development field. Both therapeutic target identification and proof-of-concept experimentation in anti-cancer drug development require appropriate animal models, such as xenograft tumor transplantation in transgenic and knockout mice. In the progression of cancer metastasis, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are the most critical factor in determining the prognosis of cancer patients.

Antiseptic Effect of Conventional Povidone-Iodine Scrub, Chlorhexidine Scrub, and Waterless Hand Rub in a Surgical Room: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE Effective perioperative hand antisepsis is crucial for the safety of patients and medical staff in surgical rooms. The antimicrobial effectiveness of different antiseptic methods, including conventional hand scrubs and waterless hand rubs, has not been well evaluated. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A randomized controlled trial was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the 3 antiseptic methods among surgical staff of Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital.

Recombinant OmpA protein fragments mediate interleukin-17 regulation to prevent Escherichia coli meningitis.

Background: Neonates are at a higher risk for bacterial meningitis than children of other age groups. Although the mortality rates have decreased over the past few decades, neonatal meningitis is still a severe disease with high morbidity. For bacterial meningitis, antibiotic therapy is the primary choice for management.

Identification of DHA-23, a novel plasmid-mediated and inducible AmpC beta-lactamase from Enterobacteriaceae in Northern Taiwan.

Objectives: AmpC β-lactamases are classified as Amber Class C and Bush Group 1. AmpC β-lactamases can hydrolyze broad and extended-spectrum cephalosporins, and are not inhibited by β-lactamase inhibitors such as clavulanic acid. This study was conducted to identify DHA-23, a novel plasmid-mediated and inducible AmpC β-lactamase obtained from Enterobacteriaceae.

Recombinant outer membrane protein A fragments protect against Escherichia coli meningitis.

Background: Although the mortality rates have decreased over the past few decades, neonatal meningitis is still a severe disease with high morbidity. Moreover, approximately 40% of survivors exhibit neurological sequelae. Escherichia coli is the major Gram-negative bacterial pathogen in neonatal meningitis.

Types and prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii complex in Northern Taiwan.

The frequency of the carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii (CRACB) complex increases annually in our hospitals. However, the types and prevalence of carbapenemases among isolates still remain unclear. In this study, we identified and collected 672 carbapenem-resistant isolates from a medical center in Northern Taiwan between April and December of 2010.

Molecular epidemiology and phylodynamics of the human respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein in northern Taiwan.

Background And Aims: The glycoprotein (G protein) and fusion protein (F protein) of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) both show genetic variability, but few studies have examined the F protein gene. This study aimed to characterize the molecular epidemiology and phylodynamics of the F protein gene in clinical RSV strains isolated in northern Taiwan from 2000-2011.

Methods: RSV isolates from children presenting with acute respiratory symptoms between July 2000 and June 2011 were typed based on F protein gene sequences.

The characteristics of new semi-quantitative method for diagnosing proteinuria by using random urine samples.

We assessed the characteristics of the new semi-quantitative test paper (Clinitek ATLAS Pro(12)) using random urine samples. Three hundred urine samples were analyzed using either the new test paper, conventional dipsticks, quantitative (P/C ratio), or immunological quantitative methods (A/C ratio). Our study showed that the new test paper is highly sensitive and specific for the detection of urinary protein.

A method for lactate and pyruvate determination in filter-paper dried blood spots.

Lactic acidemia is commonly associated with severe diseases in pediatric patients. Quantitation of blood lactate and pyruvate is important for the diagnosis and clinical management. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method using dried blood spots (DBS) was developed and could be used for simultaneous quantification of blood lactate and pyruvate.

OmpA is the critical component for Escherichia coli invasion-induced astrocyte activation.

Escherichia coli is the major Gram-negative bacterial pathogen in neonatal meningitis. Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) is a conserved major protein in the E. coli outer membrane and is involved in several host-cell interactions.

Evaluation of the VITEK 2 cards for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of non-glucose-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli.

We evaluated VITEK 2 cards (NGNC and AST-GN10) for the accuracy of identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of non-glucose-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NGF-GNB). In a total of 201 strains, 190 strains (94.5%) were correctly identified, seven strains (3.

Identification of individual DNA molecule of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by nested PCR-RFLP and capillary electrophoresis.

The improvement of sensitivity and differentiation in rapidly identifying a small amount of mycobacteria in sputum has significant implications for reducing tuberculosis transmission. We previously applied the conventional PCR and capillary electrophoresis (CE) to establish the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) pattern of mycobacterial 65-kDa heat shock protein (hsp65) gene from colony specimens. However, the previous analysis did not provide enough sensitivity for sputum specimens in which the limitation of analysis might be hindered by PCR inhibitors and primer-dimers formation during amplification.

Chicken single-chain variable fragments against the SARS-CoV spike protein.

The major concern for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), caused by the SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), is the lack of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Using a phage display technology in a chicken system, high-affinity monoclonal antibody fragments against the SARS-CoV spike protein were characterized. Ten truncated spike protein gene fragments were expressed in Escherichia coli cells.

The hsp65 gene patterns of less common Mycobacterium and Nocardia spp. by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis with capillary electrophoresis.

To rapidly identify Mycobacterium and Nocardia spp. without costly probes, we had implemented capillary electrophoresis (CE) in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis to analyze their 65-kDa heat shock protein (hsp65) gene. The PCR-RFLP analysis with CE (PRACE) involved only one restriction enzyme, HaeIII, and a single electrophoretic separation less than 10 min.

A dominant antigenic epitope on SARS-CoV spike protein identified by an avian single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-expressing phage.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly emergent human disease, which requires rapid diagnosis and effective therapy. Among antibody sources, immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is the major antibody found in chicken eggs and can be used as an alternative to mammalian antibodies normally used in research and immunotherapy. In this study, phage-expressing chicken monoclonal scFv antibody was chosen and characterized with phage display antibody technology.

Lipoteichoic acid induces prostaglandin E(2) release and cyclooxygenase-2 synthesis in rat cortical neuronal cells: involvement of PKCepsilon and ERK activation.

Inflammatory processes occur in the central nervous system (CNS) through mechanisms that differ from other inflammation, and with distinct cellular effects. Neuronal injury in bacterial meningitis is not a monocausal event, but is mediated by several factors. One is possible direct toxicity of bacterial compounds.

Colonization of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus among health-care workers screened by nasopharyngeal swab.

Study Objectives: To report the efficacy and findings of a large-scale preventive screening program for severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) using amplification of the virus from a nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) obtained from the health-care workers (HCWs).

Design: A prospective observational study.

Setting: A medical center in Taiwan.