Environmental PM Exposure: An Ignored Factor Associated with Blood Cadmium Level in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: The negative impacts of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM) are well known. Patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD) have significantly higher blood cadmium levels (BCLs) than healthy individuals.

Barriers to early detection: Insurance denials for breast MRI screening in women with germline BRCA1/2 mutations.

Objectives: Women with germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (gBRCA1/2) are recommended to undergo annual breast MRI and mammography. Our objective was to describe the frequency of insurance denials for annual breast MRIs in women with gBRCA1/2 and determine denial trends.

Methods: Women with gBRCA1/2 following in a high-risk breast cancer clinic with breast MRIs ordered from 2020 to 2021 were identified and cross-referenced with a database of insurance denials.

Statin Monotherapy Not Inferior to Aspirin or Combined Aspirin and Statins Reducing the Incidences of Cirrhosis, HCC, and Mortality in MAFLD/MASH Patients: A Population Cohort Study.

Purpose: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) pose significant risks for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Daily aspirin and statins could reduce HCC in patients with MAFLD/MASH. We aimed to clarify whether combined aspirin and statins exert a synergistic effect on prevention of cirrhosis and HCC in patients with MAFLD/MASH.

Beyond metabolic messengers: Bile acids and TGR5 as pharmacotherapeutic intervention for psychiatric disorders.

Psychiatric disorders pose a significant global health challenge, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and insufficiently addressed by the current treatments. This review explores the emerging role of bile acids and the TGR5 receptor in the pathophysiology of psychiatric conditions, emphasizing their signaling within the gut-brain axis. We detail the synthesis and systemic functions of bile acids, their transformation by gut microbiota, and their impact across various neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and bipolar disorder.

Signatures of lower respiratory tract microbiome in children with severe community-acquired pneumonia using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

Background: Severe community-acquired pneumonia was associated with high morbidity and mortality in children. However, species-level microbiome of lower airway was sparse, and we used shotgun metagenomic next-generation sequencing to explore microbial signatures.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study to recruit children under 18 who required admission to an intensive care unit for community-acquired pneumonia between December 2019 and February 2022.

Surveillance of Emerging Rodent-Borne Pathogens in Wastewater in Taiwan: A One Health Approach.

Leptospirosis and hantavirus syndrome are two major rodent-borne diseases in Taiwan. (RHEV), a virus closely related to hepatitis E virus (HEV, ), is emerging and has been reported to cause hepatitis in humans. We employed wastewater-based epidemiology to actively monitor rodent-borne pathogens, and the correlations with human cases were evaluated.

Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence among People Living with HIV in Taipei, Taiwan.

Introduction: Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is critical in controlling HIV. Poor medication adherence may lead to higher disease mortality, increased HIV spread, and transmission of drug-resistant strains. Identifying the specific factors that contribute to suboptimal medication adherence in people with HIV is crucial for developing effective, personalized interventions.

Tailoring neurosurgical operating room education to medical undergraduates: Integrative review and meta-synthesis.

Introduction: Integrating medical students into the neurosurgical operating room (OR) presents significant pedagogical challenges, compounded by the phenomenon of neurophobia, or aversion to neuroscience. Despite the importance of early neurosurgical exposure, there is a lack of structured educational strategies for undergraduates.Research Question How can neurosurgical OR education be effectively tailored to address undergraduate medical students' educational needs and mitigate neurophobia?

Material And Methods: This study employs an integrative approach, combining narrative synthesis and critical interpretive synthesis (CIS).

F-Florzolotau PET Imaging Unveils Tau Pathology in Dementia with Lewy Bodies.

Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) commonly exhibits a complex neuropathology, sharing characteristics with Alzheimer's disease (AD), including tau aggregates. However, studies using the F-AV-1451 tau tracer have shown inconsistent findings regarding both the extent and topographical distribution of tau pathology in DLB.

Objectives: Our aim was to elucidate the topographical patterns of tau deposition in DLB and to investigate the in vivo pathological distinction between DLB and AD in virtue of the F-Florzolotau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.

Persistent elevation of parathyroid hormone after curative parathyroidectomy: A risk factor for recurrent hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Up to 45% of patients may have persistently elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels after curative parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), although the clinical significance is unclear. We aimed to assess the long-term clinical significance of persistently elevated PTH early after parathyroidectomy.

Methods: A prospectively collected institutional database was queried for patients who underwent parathyroidectomy for sporadic PHPT between 12/99 and 6/22 and had normal serum calcium levels at 6 months postoperatively.

A ZnO-nanorod/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite functionalized bridge-like membrane type nanomechanical sensing device for ultrasensitive blood lead detection.

Lead (Pb) ion detection poses a critical problem, particularly in environmental monitoring, industrial operations, and public health, especially for young children and expecting women. Determining lead levels in blood early on is essential to minimizing the long-term consequences of lead exposure. Several sophisticated detection instruments, such as mass spectrometers which perform with high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, but require a lab-based setting, multi-step sample preparation, expensive payment and professional operation.

Artificial intelligence algorithms enhance urine cytology reporting confidence in postoperative follow-up for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

Purpose: In Taiwan, the incidence of urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (UTUC) is high and intravesical recurrence is approximately 22%-47%. Thus, postoperative cystoscopy and urine cytology follow-up, which require experienced cytologists, are needed. The AIxURO system aligns with The Paris System (TPS) guidelines for reporting urinary cytology.

HarDNet-based deep learning model for osteoporosis screening and bone mineral density inference from hand radiographs.

Purpose: Osteoporosis, affecting over 200 million individuals, often remains unrecognized and untreated, increasing the risk of fractures in older adults. Osteoporosis is typically diagnosed with bone mineral density (BMD) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This study aims to develop DeepDXA-Hand, a deep learning model using the efficient CNN-based deep learning architecture, for opportunistic osteoporosis screening from hand radiographs.

Margin-to-depth ratio as an independent prognostic factor in resected oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: A nationwide cohort study.

Background: The prognostic significance of margin-to-depth ratio (MDR) in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) remains unclear, particularly in comparison to traditional margin status. We aimed to examine the association between MDR and clinical outcomes in a large Taiwanese cohort.

Methods: A total of 18,324 patients with first primary OCSCC were categorized by margin status: positive (1013), <5 mm (8371), and ≥ 5 mm (8940).

Prognostic significance of adjuvant therapy and specific radiation dosages in Taiwanese patients with oral cavity cancer and extra-nodal extension: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The evidence for adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) with extra-nodal extension (ENE) in National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines is derived from patients with head and neck cancer. The guidelines further suggest a radiation dose ranging from 6000 to 6600 cGy. In this nationwide study, we sought to evaluate the prognostic significance of adjuvant therapy and the specific radiation dosage in Taiwanese patients with pure OCSCC and ENE.

Daily Antiplatelets Other Than Aspirin Reduce Liver Cancer Risk but Increase Intracranial Hemorrhage Risk in Cirrhotic Patients.

Purpose: Aspirin, known to reduce the risk of liver cancer, has been proposed as a preventive measure for patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. However, concerns regarding aspirin's potential to cause gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal injury and bleeding have emerged. Several antiplatelets other than aspirin (APOA) that pose a smaller risk of GI bleeding than aspirin have been proposed as potential aspirin substitutes.

Increased post-COVID-19 behavioral, emotional, and social problems in Taiwanese children.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has remarkably impacted children's mental health. Investigating whether COVID-19-related behavioral changes persist after recovery from the acute phase of infection warrants investigation. The present study aimed to identify children's behavioral/emotional and social adjustment problems after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Association of glutaminase expression with immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment, clinicopathologic features, and clinical outcomes in endometrial cancer.

Objective: Increased glutamine metabolism by cancer cells via upregulation of the drug-targetable enzyme glutaminase may contribute to an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment. Inhibiting glutamine metabolism can not only suppress tumor growth, but also enhance tumor-specific immunity. We investigated the relationship between glutaminase expression, the immune tumor microenvironment, and clinicopathologic features in endometrial cancer.

Adherence to Nutritional Practice Guideline in Premature Infants: A Nationwide Survey in Taiwan.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the current neonatal nutritional practices in Taiwan and promote consensus on standardized protocols.

Methods: An online questionnaire comprising 95 items on parenteral nutrition (PN) and enteral nutrition (EN) practices was distributed to neonatal care units across Taiwan via email between August and December 2022. The responses were compared with the recommendations from the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition for preterm infant care.

Pilot implementation of the revised criteria for staging of Alzheimer's disease by the Alzheimer's Association Workgroup in a tertiary memory clinic.

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the 2024 Alzheimer's Association Workgroup's integrated clinical-biological staging scheme in outpatient settings within a tertiary memory clinic.

Methods: The 2018 syndromal cognitive staging system, coupled with a binary biomarker classification, was implemented for 236 outpatients with cognitive concerns. The 2024 numeric clinical staging framework, incorporating biomarker staging, was specifically applied to 154 individuals within the Alzheimer's disease (AD) continuum.

Eugenol: A Potential Modulator of Human Platelet Activation and Mouse Mesenteric Vascular Thrombosis via an Innovative cPLA2-NF-κB Signaling Axis.

Background: Platelets, a type of anucleated cell, play a crucial role in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Therefore, targeting platelet activation is essential for mitigating CVDs. Endogenous agonists, such as collagen, activate platelets by initiating signal transduction through specific platelet receptors, leading to platelet aggregation.