Analysis of serotype distribution and characteristics of nonhemolytic and nonpigmented strains among group B Streptococcus isolates in a southern Taiwan local hospital.

Purpose: Group B streptococci (GBS) are Gram-positive bacteria that are a leading cause of neonatal infections. Most invasive isolates are β-hemolytic, and hemolytic activity is critical for GBS virulence. Although nonhemolytic GBS strains are occasionally isolated, they are often thought to be attenuated in virulence.

Enhancing regional control in p16-negative oropharyngeal cancer: A propensity score-matched analysis of upfront neck dissection and definitive chemoradiotherapy.

Background: The presence of p16 and neck disease is important predictors of prognosis for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Patients who are p16-negative and have clinically node-positive (cN+) disease generally have worse oncologic outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether upfront neck dissection (UFND) could provide potential benefits for patients with cN+ p16-negative OPSCC.

Dilemmas and support strategies in dementia care: Experiences of case managers in Taiwan.

This study aimed to examine the dilemmas encountered and the countermeasures adopted by case managers, who care for individuals with dementia. The study also aimed to identify the types of support and assistance case managers require. In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 case managers, six from integrated dementia care centers and four from community-based dementia care centers in Taiwan.

The Physician-Patient Communication Behaviors Among Medical Specialists in a Hospital Setting.

Effective physician-patient communication builds robust physician-patient relationships and reduces medical disputes. However, much is unknown about the differences that exist in the communication behaviors of physicians in different departments. Using a mixed-methods research approach, the researchers used Roter Interaction Analysis System to uncover the communication behaviors of internists, surgeons, family physicians, and emergency physicians at a regional hospital in Taiwan.

6'--Caffeoylarbutin from Que Zui tea ameliorates acetaminophen-induced liver injury enhancing antioxidant ability and regulating the PI3K signaling pathway.

Que Zui tea (QT), a traditional herbal tea in China, has a significant hepatoprotective effect. 6'--Caffeoylarbutin (CA) is the most abundant chemical compound in the QT. However, the hepatoprotective effect of CA has not been investigated.

Patient-physician communication in the emergency department in Taiwan: physicians' perspectives.

Background: Effective patient-physician communication promotes trust and understanding between physicians and patients and reduces medical disputes. In this study, the Roter Interaction Analysis System was used to explore physician-patient communication behaviors in the emergency departments of Taiwanese hospitals.

Method: Data was collected from the dialogues between 8 emergency physicians and 54 patients through nonparticipant observation, and 675 pieces of data were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed.

Phenolic constituents, antioxidant activity and neuroprotective effects of ethanol extracts of fruits, leaves and flower buds from Vaccinium dunalianum Wight.

Vaccinium dunalianum Wight is an important healthy tea resource in China with health benefits. The chemical compositions and the possible bioactive substances in its fruits, leaves and flower buds extracts (FE, LE and FBE) were identified and characterized by UHPLC-HRMS/MS. Consequently, FE, LE and FBE were rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds.

Intracerebral transplantation of autologous adipose-derived stem cells for chronic ischemic stroke: A phase I study.

Current therapy does not provide significant benefits for patients with chronic stroke. Pre-clinical studies suggested that autologous adipose-derived stem cells have benefits for the treatment of chronic stroke. This Phase I open-label study was conducted to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of autologous adipose-derived stem cells (GXNPC1) in chronic stroke.

Perineural invasion/lymphovascular invasion double positive predicts distant metastasis and poor survival in T3-4 oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Postoperative adjuvant therapy has been indicated by advanced T classification for T3-4 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the significance of perineural invasion (PNI) and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in treatment for T3-4 OSCC remains unclear. Ninety-eight cumulative patients with T3-4 OSCC who underwent curative surgery between Jan 2002 and Dec 2010 were recruited and analyzed. Twenty-seven (27.

The effect of ultra-high pretreatment on free, esterified and insoluble-bound phenolics from mango leaves and their antioxidant and cytoprotective activities.

Ultra-high pressure (UHP) is a novel non-thermal pretreatment method in food processing for improving the extraction yield of polyphenols and functional properties. The present work investigated the phenolic profiles, antioxidant activities, and cytoprotective effects of the free, esterified, and insoluble-bound phenolic fractions from mango leaves before and after ultra-high pressure (UHP) treatment. UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS analysis resulted in the identification of 42 phenolic compounds in the different phenolic forms.

NM23-H1 Expression of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Association With the Response to Irradiation.

A low NM23-H1 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) was found to be associated with poor clinical outcome. Therefore, we investigated the role of NM23-H1 in the susceptibility of HNSCC cells to irradiation and its clinical significance. An study was also conducted to validate the results.

Clinical Approaches to Migrating Ingested Foreign Bodies in the Neck.

This report presents 2 unusual cases along with a review of the current literature. Further, it aims to propose an algorithm for the initial surgical management of migrating ingested foreign bodies, focusing on the use of fluoroscopy, rigid laryngopharyngoscopy, and an external surgical approach. A 42-year-old man presented with progressive odynophagia after swallowing a fish bone 20 days previously, and a 60-year-old woman presented with a painful enlarging mass over the left lower neck for 1 month.

Comparative investigation of phytochemicals among ten citrus herbs by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and evaluation of their antioxidant properties.

The citrus herbs have proved their important medicinal and nutritional values as medicine-food dual-purpose herbs, functional foods, or medical herbs in China. In this study, phytochemicals and antioxidant activity among ten typical citrus herbs (ethanol extracts) were investigated comprehensively. The major ingredients and their contents were analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the differences of typical fragment ions between flavanone-7-O-rutinoside(s) and flavanone-7-O-neohesperidoside(s) were discriminated properly in negative electrospray ionization mode.

Phenolic Amides with Immunomodulatory Activity from the Nonpolysaccharide Fraction of Fruits.

The fruits of have a long history as an edible and medicinal food in Asian regions and have multiple consumption methods; the polysaccharides (LBPs) are commonly considered as their major immunological constituents. The current study revealed that the total phenolic amide moieties from fruits showed greater potential immunomodulatory activity in vivo than did LBPs. Through subsequent investigation on the immunological bioactive phenolic amides, three new phenolic amides, lyciumamides L-N (-), as well as 12 analogues, were obtained from the total phenolic amide fraction.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate downregulates PDHA1 interfering the metabolic pathways in human herpesvirus 8 harboring primary effusion lymphoma cells.

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an aggressive neoplasm correlated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancers. The alterations in cellular metabolism are important to the survival of HHV8 latently infected cells.

[Expression and clinical significance of runt-related transcription factor 3 in children with bronchiolitis].

Objective: To study the mRNA level of runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) in children with bronchiolitis and its clinical significance in bronchiolitis.

Methods: A total of 54 young children with bronchiolitis were enrolled as the bronchiolitis group, among whom 28 with atopic constitution were enrolled in the atopic bronchiolitis group and 26 with non-atopic constitution were enrolled in the non-atopic bronchiolitis group. A total of 48 healthy young children were enrolled as the healthy control group, among whom 24 with atopic constitution were enrolled in the atopic healthy control group and 24 with non-atopic constitution were enrolled in the non-atopic healthy control group.

Nerve-tumour interaction enhances the aggressiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Perineural invasion (PNI) is a poor prognostic pathologic feature of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The mechanisms of PNI remain poorly understood, and nerve-tumour interactions have been implicated for its pathogenesis.

Design And Setting: Systematic investigation of nerve-tumour interactions was performed using fresh human peripheral nerve.

Two new -atisane diterpenes from .

Two new -atisane diterpenes, sebiferumnins K and L ( and ), were isolated from the branches of , together with four known compounds, -3-oxoatis-16, 17-acetonide (), -l6, 17-dihydroxyatisan-3-one (), -atisane-3, 16, 17-triol (), -3-hydroxyatis-16,17-acetonide (). The structures of these two -atisane diterpenes were elucidated by extensive analyses of the spectroscopic data. [Formula: see text].

Anticancer efficiency of cycloartane triterpenoid derivatives isolated from Hsiao on triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Background: The roots and rhizomes of Hsiao are commonly used as anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic remedies and detoxification agents in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Although has been considered as supplementary medicine for several disorders, the antitumor effect of this herb and its key components has not been explored.

Materials And Methods: The rhizomes of were isolated by chromatographic techniques.

Two new prenylated C-C compounds from Dunn.

Phytochemical investigation of led to the isolation of two new prenylated C-C compounds, 12--methyl-2,3-dehydroillifunone C () and illiciminone A (), together with three known analogues () and one known sesquiterpene lactone (). The structures were established by extensive spectroscopic characterization and the reported data. All the isolates were evaluated for their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition activity.

Diffuse Bone Marrow Metastasis as the Initial Presentation of an Occult Breast Cancer.

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the malignancies which tend to involve the bone marrow, but initial presentation with diffuse bone marrow metastasis from an occult breast cancer is very rare. Prognosis is generally very poor for marrow metastasis from solid tumors except that breast cancer is a treatable disease even in such a dismal condition.

Case: A 64-year-old woman's headache was found to result from diffuse adenocarcinoma metastasis in the bone marrow from an unknown primary site.

Immune-inhibitive phenyl-C substituent aporphine alkaloids from Thalictrum cirrhosum.

Five new phenyl-C substituent aporphine alkaloids, 6aR-2'-methoxycarbonyl-thaliadin (1), 6aR-2'-carboxyl-thaliadin (2), 6aR-3-methoxy-hernandalinol (3), 6aS-1,3,10-trimethoxy-natalamine (4), and 3-methoxy-2'-methoxycarbonyl-oxohernandalincin (5), together with sixteen known isoquinoline alkaloids (6-21) were isolated from the whole herb of Thalictrum cirrhosum (Levl.). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic measurements, and six isoquinoline alkaloids showed significant inhibitory activity on concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes proliferation with IC values 36-44 μM by the immunosuppressive bioassay.

Antitumor aporphine alkaloids from Thalictrum wangii.

Nine new isoquinoline alkaloids, including two proaporphine (1-2), three aporphine (3-5), two oxoaporphine (6-7), and two seco-bisbenzylisoquinoline (8-9), together with three known alkaloids (10-12) were isolated from the whole plant of Thalictrum wangii. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data. The antitumor activities of the isolated compounds were evaluated in vitro against glioma stem cells.