Colchicine to prevent cardiovascular death after an acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Clinical and experimental evidence have demonstrated the protective benefits of colchicine in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) through its potential anti-inflammatory effect. However, investigations on the Asian population are limited.

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study used electronic medical records from a tertiary medical center in Taiwan.

Evaluating the effects of adrenalectomy and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist on cardiac remodeling and diastolic function in patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma.

Cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) can be improved after adrenalectomy. However, the effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) treatment remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of MRA on cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in patients with PA.

Prognostic value of fully-automated left atrial strain in patients with asymptomatic chronic severe aortic regurgitation.

Background: To examine whether left atrial (LA) strain was associated with adverse outcomes in asymptomatic chronic aortic regurgitation (AR).

Methods: Asymptomatic patients with ≥moderate-severe AR were retrospectively identified from 2008 through 2022 from a university hospital. Apical 4-chamber left ventricular longitudinal strain (A4C-LVLS), LA reservoir (LASr), conduit (LAScd), and contractile strain (LASct) were measured using fully-automated software.

Assessing the effectiveness of targeted agents in adjuvant therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer undergoing surgical resection: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Primary tumor resection and metastasectomy may be beneficial for many patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Objective: To assess the differences in postoperative survival outcomes between adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy plus targeted agents (TAs).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Comparative Effectiveness of Adjuvant Therapy on Survival in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Background/aim: Postoperative survival outcomes are crucial in treatment decision making. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC)-alone with that of chemotherapy + targeted agents (CTA) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and to investigate the association between neoadjuvant therapy and survival.

Patients And Methods: Patients who underwent primary tumor excision and metastasectomy were identified in the Taiwan Cancer Registry from 2010 to 2019.

Association Between Risk of Clostridium difficile Infection and Duration of Proton Pump Inhibitor or H2-Receptor Antagonist Use in Hospitalized Patients.

Introduction: Limited studies have evaluated the association between Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and the duration of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or histamine H2-receptor blocker (H2RA) use and provided a cutoff duration for PPI or H2RA use to mitigate a substantially increased risk of CDI. We aimed to evaluate these associations in hospitalized patients using a nationwide insurance claims database.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study to identify cases with a first ever record of CDI in a study cohort undergoing PPI or H2RA therapy from the National Health Insurance Database from 2012 to 2018.

Beta-blockers reduce severe exacerbation in patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with atrial fibrillation: a population-based cohort study.

Background And Objective: Beta-blockers (BBs) decrease mortality and acute exacerbation (AE) rates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease; however, information on their effects in patients with COPD and atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited. We aimed to assess the AE risk in patients with different severities of COPD and AF receiving BBs compared with that in patients receiving calcium channel blockers (CCBs).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database from 2009 to 2018.

Comparative Effectiveness of Cetuximab Panitumumab in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Nationwide Database Study.

Background/aim: The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cetuximab and panitumumab on the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer or those who had undergone conversion surgery and to identify their prognostic factors.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received cetuximab or panitumumab as first-line targeted agent-based therapy. Overall survival and conversion surgery rates were evaluated, and the prognostic factors were determined.

Redrawing Urokinase Receptor (uPAR) Signaling with Cancer Driver Genes for Exploring Possible Anti-Cancer Targets and Drugs.

During tumorigenesis, urokinase (uPA) and uPA receptor (uPAR) play essential roles in mediating pathological progression in many cancers. To understand the crosstalk between the uPA/uPAR signaling and cancer, as well as to decipher their cellular pathways, we proposed to use cancer driver genes to map out the uPAR signaling. In the study, an integrated pharmaceutical bioinformatics approach that combined modulator identification, driver gene ontology networking, protein targets prediction and networking, pathway analysis and uPAR modulator screening platform construction was employed to uncover druggable targets in uPAR signaling for developing a novel anti-cancer modality.

Suboptimal Outcomes and Retreatment Rate of Patients With Crohn's Disease After Forced Discontinuation of Biologics: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program forced discontinuation of biologic use in Crohn's disease (CD) after a limited treatment duration, regardless of disease activity. This study investigated the retreatment rate and suboptimal outcomes (i.e.

Subcellular Distribution of BALF2 and the Role of Rab1 in the Formation of Epstein-Barr Virus Cytoplasmic Assembly Compartment and Virion Release.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) replicates its genome in the nucleus and undergoes tegumentation and envelopment in the cytoplasm. We are interested in how the single-stranded DNA binding protein BALF2, which executes its function and distributes predominantly in the nucleus, is packaged into the tegument of virions. At the mid-stage of virus replication in epithelial TW01-EBV cells, a small pool of BALF2 colocalizes with tegument protein BBLF1, BGLF4 protein kinase, and the -Golgi marker GM130 at the perinuclear viral assembly compartment (AC).

The sufficient multidisciplinary specialists under a government-led health care system associated with the downward mortality trend of Fournier's gangrene in Taiwan.

Objectives: To explore the trends in Fournier's gangrene (FG) incidence and mortality rate in Taiwan and to investigate the contributing factors to such changes.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2016, hospitalized FG patients who underwent subsequent surgical intervention were included in this retrospective study. Incidence, outcomes, age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI), hospitalization cost, surgical timing, and the number of multidisciplinary specialists involved in the first-line management of FG in each year were collected.

Mortality of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received elective or emergent operation after exposure to bevacizumab: A nationwide database study.

Introduction: Treatment guidelines for colorectal cancer (CRC) indicate that surgical intervention within 4 weeks or 8 weeks after bevacizumab therapy might increase the risk of postoperative complications and mortality, especially in patients who received emergent operation. Therefore, we aimed to assess the association between different surgical timings, emergent or elective surgery, and the risk of postoperative mortality.

Materials And Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database and Taiwan Cancer Registry, we identified patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who underwent surgery within 1 year of receiving bevacizumab between January 2010 and December 2017.

The Impact of Sildenafil on Ischemic Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension - A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH). It improves exercise capacity, symptoms and hemodynamics in patients with PH by lowering pulmonary pressures. Preclinical studies have indicated a possible protective effect of sildenafil on ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Enhanced Luminous Efficacy and Stability of InP/ZnSeS/ZnS Quantum Dot-Embedded SBA-15 Mesoporous Particles for White Light-Emitting Diodes.

Environmentally friendly quantum dots (QDs) of InP-based materials are widely investigated, but their reliability remains inadequate to realize their full potential and wide application. In this study, InP/ZnSeS/ZnS QDs (pristine QDs) were dispersed and embedded into Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 mesoporous particles (SBA-15 MPs) for the first time. A solvent-free method for preparing QD white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) that is compatible with the WLED packaging process was developed.

Humanization of a strategic CD3 epitope enables evaluation of clinical T-cell engagers in a fully immunocompetent in vivo model.

T-cell engagers (TCEs) are a growing class of biotherapeutics being investigated in the clinic for treatment of a variety of hematological and solid tumor indications. However, preclinical evaluation of TCEs in vivo has been mostly limited to xenograft tumor models in human T-cell reconstituted immunodeficient mice, which have a number of limitations. To explore the efficacy of human TCEs in fully immunocompetent hosts, we developed a knock-in mouse model (hCD3E-epi) in which a 5-residue N-terminal fragment of murine CD3-epsilon was replaced with an 11-residue stretch from the human sequence that encodes for a common epitope recognized by anti-human CD3E antibodies in the clinic.

Evaluation of inhibitors of intestinal UDP-glucuronosyltransferases 1A8 and 1A10 using raloxifene as a substrate in Caco-2 cells: Studies with four flavonoids of Scutellaria baicalensis.

UDP glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) of the gastrointestinal tract play a crucial role in protection against the toxic effects of xenobiotics in the environment. UGTs such as UGT1A8 and UGT1A10 are predominantly expressed in gastrointestinal tissues. In this study, we examined the phase II metabolism of raloxifene in differentiated Caco-2 monolayers by inducing UGT1A8 and UGT1A10 expression in these cells.

Reproducible and Bendable SERS Substrates with Tailored Wettability Using Block Copolymers and Anodic Aluminum Oxide Templates.

Surface properties are essential for substrates exhibiting high sensitivity in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications. In this work, novel SERS hybrid substrates using polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) and anodic aluminum oxide templates is presented. The hybrid substrates not only possess hierarchical porous nanostructures but also exhibit superhydrophilic surface properties with the water contact angle ≈0°.

Structural analysis of chloroplast tail-anchored membrane protein recognition by ArsA1.

In mammals and yeast, tail-anchored (TA) membrane proteins destined for the post-translational pathway are safely delivered to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by a well-known targeting factor, TRC40/Get3. In contrast, the underlying mechanism for translocation of TA proteins in plants remains obscure. How this unique eukaryotic membrane-trafficking system correctly distinguishes different subsets of TA proteins destined for various organelles, including mitochondria, chloroplasts and the ER, is a key question of long standing.

Crystal structure of the blue fluorescent protein with a Leu-Leu-Gly tri-peptide chromophore derived from the purple chromoprotein of Stichodactyla haddoni.

Chromoproteins are a good source of engineered biological tools. We previously reported the development of a blue fluorescent protein, termed shBFP, which was derived from a purple chromoprotein shCP found in the sea anemone Stichodacyla haddoni. shBFP contains a Leu-Leu-Gly tri-peptide chromophore, and shows maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 401 nm and 458 nm, along with a high quantum yield.

Risk factors for child maltreatment by the utilization of medical service and socioeconomic environment in Taiwan.

Child maltreatment is complicated by cultural, welfare, and socioeconomic factors. However, the relationship between child maltreatment and socioeconomic factors has not been completely understood. We investigated risk factors for child abuse and neglect in Taiwan.

Enzymatic characterization and crystal structure analysis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii dehydroascorbate reductase and their implications for oxidative stress.

Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) is a key enzyme for glutathione (GSH)-dependent reduction of dehydroascorbate (DHA) to recycled ascorbate (AsA) in plants, and plays a major role against the toxicity of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Previously, we proposed that the increase of AsA regeneration via enhanced DHAR activity modulates the ascorbate-glutathione cycle activity against photooxidative stress in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In the present work, we use site-directed mutagenesis and crystal structure analysis to elucidate the molecular basis of how C.

Multimodal interventions for bundle implementation to decrease central line-associated bloodstream infections in adult intensive care units in a teaching hospital in Taiwan, 2009-2013.

Background: Central line (CL)-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) poses a major threat to patient safety and is associated with additional cost. This study investigated the sustained effect of multimodal interventions focusing on CL bundle improvement in the adult intensive care units (ICUs) of a teaching hospital in Taiwan.

Methods: A before-after prospective study was conducted in 17 adult ICUs of a medical center in northern Taiwan from January 2009 to December 2013.