Publications by authors named "Y-Y Lai"

A panel of 21 international experts are formed by the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society to work out the consensus and guidelines on polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). PCV is a common subtype of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and is more prevalent in Asian populations. Recent advancement in imaging technology allows greater understanding of the disease process of PCV.

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  • Kernel dehydration rate (KDR) significantly influences maize harvesting and kernel quality, but its mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • Researchers discovered a quantitative trait locus (QTL) called qKDR1, which regulates the expression of a peptide gene, RPG, that produces a micropeptide (microRPG1) impacting KDR through ethylene signaling pathways.
  • Knockout experiments showed that loss of microRPG1 leads to quicker KDR, while overexpression or applying the micropeptide slows it down, providing insight for future maize breeding strategies.
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  • Dual immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using CTLA4 and PD-(L)1 inhibitors shows improved anti-tumor effectiveness and immune toxicity compared to PD-(L)1 inhibitors alone in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
  • Patients with mutations in STK11 and/or KEAP1 genes benefit more from the combination treatment compared to those receiving only PD-(L)1 inhibitors, as shown in the POSEIDON trial.
  • The loss of KEAP1 serves as a strong predictor for the success of dual ICB, as it leads to a more favorable outcome by changing the tumor's immune environment to better engage CD4 and CD8 T cells for anti-tumor activity. *
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Topological insulating states in 2-dimensional (2D) materials are ideal systems to study different types of quantized response signals due to their in gap metallic states. Very recently, the quantum spin Hall effect was discovered in monolayer TaIrTe via the observation of quantized longitudinal conductance that rarely exists in other 2D topological insulators. The nontrivial topological charges can exist at both charge neutrality point and the van Hove singularity point with correlation-effect-induced bandgap.

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P2Y receptor inhibitors are commonly used in clinical antiplatelet therapy, typically alongside other medications. Vicagrel, a promising P2Y receptor inhibitor, has submitted a new drug marketing application to the United States Food and Drug Administration. Its primary metabolites and some metabolic pathways are identical to those of clopidogrel.

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  • The study aimed to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of two treatments for chronic migraine: CGRP monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and onabotulinumtoxinA.
  • It included 649 chronic migraine patients and found that CGRP mAbs reduced monthly migraine days more significantly than onabotulinumtoxinA and had a higher responder rate.
  • Both treatments were well-tolerated, with fewer adverse events reported for CGRP mAbs, but further studies are needed to confirm these results.
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Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) represents an important phenotype in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, management of PH-HFpEF is challenging because mechanisms involved in the regulation of PH-HFpEF remain unclear.

Methods: We used a mass spectrometry-based comparative plasma proteomics approach as a sensitive and comprehensive hypothesis-generating discovery technique to profile proteins in patients with PH-HFpEF and control subjects.

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Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a major complication linked to adverse outcomes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), yet no specific therapies exist for PH associated with HFpEF (PH-HFpEF). We have recently reported on the role of skeletal muscle SIRT3 (sirtuin-3) in modulation of PH-HFpEF, suggesting a novel endocrine signaling pathway for skeletal muscle modulation of pulmonary vascular remodeling.

Methods: Using skeletal muscle-specific knockout mice () and mass spectrometry-based comparative secretome analysis, we attempted to define the processes by which skeletal muscle SIRT3 defects affect pulmonary vascular health in PH-HFpEF.

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Muscle atrophy and functional decline (sarcopenia) are common manifestations of frailty and are critical contributors to morbidity and mortality in older people. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying sarcopenia has major implications for understanding human ageing. Yet, progress has been slow, partly due to the difficulties of characterizing skeletal muscle niche heterogeneity (whereby myofibres are the most abundant) and obtaining well-characterized human samples.

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Bacterial infections pose a significant risk to human health. Magnolol, derived from , exhibits potent antibacterial properties. Synthetic biology offers a promising approach to manufacture such natural compounds.

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Real-world data on effectiveness and safety of a single non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant in the Chinese population with atrial fibrillation (AF) are limited. This study reports characteristics of patients treated with edoxaban and factors associated with dosing patterns from routine care in China. ETNA-AF-China (NCT04747496) is a multicentre, prospective, observational study enrolling edoxaban-treated patients from four economic regions with a targeted 2-year follow-up.

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Objective: The present study aimed to compare sex differences in the clinical manifestations related to dependence behaviors in medication-overuse headache (MOH).

Methods: Consecutive patients with newly diagnosed chronic migraine (CM) with and without MOH based on the Third Edition of International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) were enrolled prospectively from the headache clinic of a tertiary medical center. Demographics and clinical profiles were collected by using a questionnaire, which included current use of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages, the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ), the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

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Background: X/Y translocations are highly heterogeneity in terms of clinical genetic effects, and most patients lack complete pedigree analysis for clinical and genetic characterization.

Results: This study comprehensively analyzed the clinical and genetic characteristics of three new patients with X/Y translocations. Furthermore, cases with X/Y translocations reported in the literature and studies exploring the clinical genetic effects in patients with X/Y translocations were reviewed.

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The storage of facial images in medical records poses privacy risks due to the sensitive nature of the personal biometric information that can be extracted from such images. To minimize these risks, we developed a new technology, called the digital mask (DM), which is based on three-dimensional reconstruction and deep-learning algorithms to irreversibly erase identifiable features, while retaining disease-relevant features needed for diagnosis. In a prospective clinical study to evaluate the technology for diagnosis of ocular conditions, we found very high diagnostic consistency between the use of original and reconstructed facial videos (κ ≥ 0.

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Background And Objectives: To examine the efficacy of ubrogepant in the treatment of migraine with mild vs moderate or severe pain.

Methods: This was a phase 3, open-label, dose-blinded, 52-week extension trial. Adults with migraine were randomized 1:1:1 (usual care, ubrogepant 50 mg, or ubrogepant 100 mg).

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Background: To provide tacrolimus is first-line treatment after liver and kidney transplantation. However, hypertension and nephrotoxicity are common tacrolimus side effects that limit its use. Although tacrolimus-related hypertension is well known, the underlying mechanisms are not.

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  • A sterilizing cure for HIV-1 has been seen in a couple of cases through stem cell transplants from specific gene donors, but it's rare in natural infections.
  • This study focuses on a patient who has controlled HIV-1 without treatment for over 8 years, investigating whether any dormant HIV-1 cells remain in their body.
  • Researchers found no intact or replicable HIV-1 in a large number of blood and tissue samples, suggesting the patient might have achieved a natural sterilizing cure.
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Previous studies based on clinical trial data have demonstrated that greater fluctuations in retinal thickness during the course of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is associated with poorer visual acuity outcomes. However, it was unclear whether similar findings would be observed in real-world clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the association between retinal thickness variability and visual outcomes in eyes receiving anti-VEGF therapy for nAMD using pro re nata treatment regimen.

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Purpose: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) compared with multimodal imaging for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) eyes and to determine the features that predicted CNV.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Methods: Consecutive CSC patients were recruited from retina clinic.

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Pathologic myopia is a major cause of visual impairment worldwide. Pathologic myopia is distinctly different from high myopia. High myopia is a high degree of myopic refractive error, whereas pathologic myopia is defined by a presence of typical complications in the fundus (posterior staphyloma or myopic maculopathy equal to or more serious than diffuse choroidal atrophy).

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Background: Adrenaline autoinjectors (AAInj) facilitates early administration of adrenaline and remains the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis. However, only a minority of anaphylaxis survivors in Hong Kong are prescribed AAInj and formal guidance do not exist. International anaphylaxis guidelines have been largely based on Western studies, which may not be as relevant for non-Western populations.

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Objective: Diabetic retinopathy, one of retinal vasculopathy, is characterized by retinal inflammation, vascular leakage, blood-retinal barrier breakdown, and neovascularization. However, the molecular mechanisms that contribute to diabetic retinopathy progression remain unclear. Approach and Results: Tpl2 (tumor progression locus 2) is a protein kinase implicated in inflammation and pathological vascular angiogenesis.

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Introduction: Failure of airway management remains a significant source of morbidity and mortality. Advanced airway management has been addressed effectively by simulation-based training. However, simulation of difficult airways in manikins is limited by the pre-set conditions provided by the manufacturer.

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Background: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an oligogenic arrhythmic disease with increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Several BrS or ECG traits-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified through previous genome-wide association studies in white patients. We aimed to validate these SNPs in BrS patients in the Taiwanese population, assessing the cumulative effect of risk alleles and the BrS-polygenic risk score in predicting cardiac events.

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