Reduced risk of skin cancer and internal malignancies in vitiligo patients: a retrospective population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

The relationship between cancer and vitiligo has been explored but with inconsistent results. To examine the long-term cancer risk in vitiligo patients, we conducted a retrospective nationwide cohort study. From the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, a total of 13,824 vitiligo patients were identified and matched with 55,296 reference subjects without vitiligo by age, gender, and propensity score estimated by major comorbidities from 1997 to 2013.

Atopic dermatitis does not increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease: A nationwide cohort study.

Coexistence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients has been reported. The long-term risk of IBD in AD patients remains unclear. Our aim for the study is to examine the long-term risk of IBD in AD patients.

Pityriasis Lichenoid-like Mycosis Fungoides in a 9-year-old Boy: A Case Report.

Dear Editors, Pityriasis lichenoides (PL)-like mycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare variant of MF, presenting clinical findings of PL but histological features of MF. It was first reported by Ko et al. (1) and only a few cases have been reported since (2-5).

Ascorbic acid sensor using a PVA/laccase-Au-NPs/Pt electrode.

A surface-modified electrode, PVA/laccase-Au-NPs/Pt, was prepared to sense ascorbic acid (HA) in this study. An amount of the following composite, PVA/laccase-Au-NPs/Pt, the polyvinyl acetate (PVA) was employed as a surfactant to adhere the substrate, Pt; then the laccase peptides were spun inside the PVA fiber to wind around the immobilized Au-NPs and construct a hierarchical structure. The PVA shell layer was in charge of sensing HA and transmitting electrical signals, transducing redox reaction of HA.

Ruthenium oxide modified nickel electrode for ascorbic acid detection.

Electrodes of ruthenium oxide modified nickel were prepared by a thermal decomposition method. The stoichiometry of the modifier, RuO, was quantitatively determined to be a meta-stable phase, RuO. The electrodes were employed to sense ascorbic acid in alkaline solution with a high sensitivity, 296 μAcm mM, and good selectivity for eight kinds of disturbing reagents.

Combinatorial biomimetics. optimization of a composition of copper(II) poly-L-histidine complex as an electrocatalyst for O2 reduction by scanning electrochemical microscopy.

A simple approach to prepare and characterize biomaterial-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction was carried out. Poly-l-histidine was used as a matrix and ligand to complex Cu2+ to mimic the active sites of laccases. A modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode with Cu2+-poly-l-histidine complex decreases the oxygen reduction overpotential as compared with the bare GC electrode.

CT60 single nucleotide polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene is associated with susceptibility to Graves' disease in the Taiwanese population.

Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disease but the underlying etiology has not been completely elucidated. Genetic susceptibility has been believed to play a major role. Recent studies showed that the CT60 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), which is in the 3'-noncoding region of the CTLA-4 gene, is strongly associated with some immune-mediated diseases.

Telemetric electrochemical sensor.

A telemetric system was designed and constructed to sense pH and ethanol variation in aqueous solutions. The measured signals were transferred by software digitally and transmitted wirelessly by the telemeter, personal digital assistant (PDA), through the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) protocol. The pH sensing electrode was designed to measure a chemical potential induced by a proton concentration gradient on the electrode's surface which exhibits internal Donnon diffusion behavior, and a linear relationship between the electrical potential and pH was found.