Ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy with minimal x-ray exposure prevented genitourinary tract injury patients with urolithiasis in Taiwan.

Background: This study investigated the use of ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to break stones in the genitourinary tract and prevent genitourinary injury. Our goals were to achieve accurate focusing and minimal X-ray exposure for the benefit of the patients.

Methods: The LiteMed LM-9200 lithotripter with ultrasonography and fluoroscopy was used for two different procedures: autoaimed and autoperiodical.

Predicting the Protective Behavioral Intentions for Parents with Young Children Living in Taipei City and New Taipei City Using the Theory of Planned Behavior for Air Polluted with PM2.5.

While studies on the damaging effects of PM2.5 air pollution are abundant, studies seeking to understand the factors that influence human behaviors for the avoidance of exposure to PM2.5 are lacking.

A comparison of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urological surgeries in Japan and Taiwan.

Objective: We report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urological surgeries and hospital policies at two hospitals in Japan and Taiwan.

Methods: We retrospectively surveyed the number of surgeries every 3 months in the Urology Department of Kobe University Hospital (KUH), Kobe, Japan before (January 2019-March 2020) and after (April 2020-September 2021) the COVID-19 outbreak, and in the Urology Department of Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University (SHH-TMU), Taiwan before (January 2021-March 2021) and after (April 2021-September 2021) the outbreak, and compared the averages and types of surgery.

Results: In Kobe, COVID-19 patients were stratified such that other regional hospitals gave priority to treating COVID-19 while KUH gave priority to treating non-COVID-19 patients.

Examine the relationships between health-related quality of life, achievement motivation and job performance: the case of Taiwan hospitality industry.

Background: Employees are considered as one of the most important assets in many organizations, and their health well-being is critical to help achieve a sustainable and motivated workforce that is committed to delivering quality hospitality services through enhanced performance and productivity. Given the extent of the challenges and impact presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to the hospitality industry, it is timely to gain further insights on employees' health well-being. The key purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between health-related quality of life, achievement motivation and job performance in the Taiwan hospitality industry, to acquire a better understanding of their relationships through the job performance pathway models.

Relevance of A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase Domain-Containing (ADAM)9 Protein Expression to Bladder Cancer Malignancy.

We evaluated the effect of A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase Domain-Containing (ADAM)9 protein on exacerbation in bladder cancer KK47 and T24. First, we knocked down ADAM9 and investigated cell proliferation, migration, cell cycle, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins expression in vitro. We then investigated the expression level of ADAM9 in clinical urine cytology samples and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data.

Predicting the protective behavioral intentions for parents with young children that possess different levels of education in Hong Kong using the theory of planned behavior for air polluted with PM.

Background: Air pollution has fast become an issue with great environmental and human health problems that can be attributed to rapid global industrialization and urbanization that has strong negative impacts on human health. Children are particularly vulnerable. While studies on the effects and toxicology of particulate matter pollutants that are 2.

Concomitant High Apoptosis Inhibitor of Macrophage (AIM) and Low Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Indicates Activated T Cell-Mediated Anticancer Immunity, Enhance Sensitivity to Pembrolizumab, and Elicit Good Prognosis in Prostate Cancer.

Background: Despite its widespread use, the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) alone as a screening biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa) leads often to unwarranted prostate biopsy, over-diagnosis, and consequently, over-treatment, because of its limited specificity. There are reports that the apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM), secreted mainly by macrophages and epithelial cells, is upregulated during inflammation and facilitates immune recognition of cancerous cells by blocking human regulator of complement activation.

Objective: These controversies around the PSA utility necessitate a reexamination of its use as a screening tool.

Determinants of pro-environmental behavior among excessive smartphone usage children and moderate smartphone usage children in Taiwan.

Introduction: Although there is evidence linking the relationships between smartphone usage with health, stress, and academic performance, there is still inadequate knowledge about the influence on pro-environmental behaviors. This study seeks to bridge this gap by adapting the theory of attribution framework to examine the effects of personal norms, social norms, perceived behavioral control on pro-environmental behavior of smartphone usage in children.

Methods: A total of 225 children aged between 11 to 12 from eight selected public primary schools at the Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park in Taiwan were surveyed.

Vegetation successions of coastal wetlands in southern Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, northern China, influenced by the changes in relative surface elevation and soil salinity.

Vegetation successions of coastal wetlands were influenced by the changes in relative surface elevation and soil salinity. In this study, the vegetation successions of coastal wetlands in southern Laizhou Bay and the factors influencing the successions were investigated by quadrat survey. The changes of relative surface elevation and soil salinity in coastal wetlands of the study region were caused by climate change, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, sedimentation, neotectonism, storm surge, seawater intrusion, invasion of Spatina alterniflora, and utilization of underground brine.

Anti-tumor Effect of Hedgehog Signaling Inhibitor, Vismodegib, on Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer.

Background/aim: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling may be one of the mechanisms of progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). In this study, we investigated the possible therapeutic effect of vismodegib, a new Shh inhibitor, in a mouse CRPC model.

Materials And Methods: We determined cell proliferation, apoptosis and the expression of EMT-related genes for three prostate cancer cell lines; androgen-dependent LNCaP and independent C4-2B and PC-3 in the presence of vismodegib in vitro.

Urinary tract infection pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibilities in Kobe, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan: an international analysis.

Objective: This study compared urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens and antibiotic susceptibilities between Kobe, Japan and Taipei, Taiwan to investigate the regional resistance pattern of UTI-causative bacteria.

Methods: UTI-causative bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility for 4519 samples from Kobe University Hospital, Kobe and 25,131 samples from Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei from 2015 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed to compare the differences between these hospitals.

Results: was the most common pathogen in both areas (30.

Possible correlation of sonic hedgehog signaling with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in muscle-invasive bladder cancer progression.

Purpose: To investigate the role of sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bladder cancer progression and invasion.

Methods: We cultured three bladder cancer cell lines, muscle-invasive T24 and 5637, and non-muscle-invasive KK47, in the presence of a recombinant-Shh (r-Shh) protein or cyclopamine, a Shh signaling inhibitor, to investigate proliferation and expression of EMT markers. Wound-healing assays and transwell assay were performed to evaluate cell invasion and migration.

The Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Protective Behavioral Intentions against PM2.5 in Parents of Young Children from Urban and Rural Beijing, China.

Smog and air pollution have fast become significant environmental problems and are attributed to rapid global industrialization and urbanization. Emissions of fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.

Association between the rs1800795G>C polymorphism in the promoter of interleukin-6 gene and bladder cancer.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an inflammatory cytokines that plays a role in the development of cancer. Several studies have examined the relationship between the IL-6 -174G>C polymorphism and bladder cancer, but these results are inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association between IL-6 -174G>C polymorphism and bladder cancer risk.

An Adult Paratesticular Malignant Ectomesenchymoma With Post-operative Flare-up of Lung Metastasis.

Malignant ectomesenchymoma (MEM) which is derived from the remnants of migratory neural crest cells (ectomesenchyme) is a rare and rapidly progressing tumor consisting of neuroectodermal and mesenchymal neoplastic elements. This tumor occurs mostly in children and adolescents, but rarely in adults. We report a 34-year-old male with left paratesticular malignant ectomesenchymoma who received radical orchiectomy and was followed by post-operative flare-up of lung metastasis within 2 weeks.

Antecedent acute cycling exercise affects attention control: an ERP study using attention network test.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the after-effects of an acute bout of moderate intensity aerobic cycling exercise on neuroelectric and behavioral indices of efficiency of three attentional networks: alerting, orienting, and executive (conflict) control. Thirty young, highly fit amateur basketball players performed a multifunctional attentional reaction time task, the attention network test (ANT), with a two-group randomized experimental design after an acute bout of moderate intensity spinning wheel exercise or without antecedent exercise. The ANT combined warning signals prior to targets, spatial cueing of potential target locations and target stimuli surrounded by congruent or incongruent flankers, which were provided to assess three attentional networks.

Association of polymorphisms in iNOS and NQO1 with bladder cancer risk in cigarette smokers.

Nad(p)h: quinine oxidoreductase (NQO1) plays an important role in the metabolism of several carcinogens contained in cigarettes. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression had been detected in urinary bladder tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of iNOS and NQO1 on bladder cancer (BC) risk stratified by cigarette smoking status.