Acute Kidney Injury and Gut Dysbiosis: A Narrative Review Focus on Pathophysiology and Treatment.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) and gut dysbiosis affect each other bidirectionally. AKI induces microbiota alteration in the gastrointestinal (GI) system, while gut dysbiosis also aggravates AKI. The interplay between AKI and gut dysbiosis is not yet well clarified but worthy of further investigation.

Vancomycin-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: A Narrative Review from Pathophysiology to Clinical Application.

Vancomycin is the most frequently used antibiotic, accounting for up to 35% of hospitalized patients with infection, because of its optimal bactericidal effectiveness and relatively low price. Vancomycin-associated AKI (VA-AKI) is a clinically relevant but not yet clearly understood entity in critically ill patients. The current review comprehensively summarizes the pathophysiological mechanisms of, biomarkers for, preventive strategies for, and some crucial issues with VA-AKI.

Characteristics and psychopathology of 1,086 patients who self-poisoned using pesticides in Taiwan (2012-2019): A comparison across pesticide groups.

Background Previous studies, mainly from low- and middle-income settings, showed that pesticide self-poisonings were mostly impulsive with low levels of psychopathology. We aimed to investigate whether pesticide self-poisoning in a high-income country showed similar profiles, and whether those with certain characteristics and psychopathology were more likely to use specific pesticides. Methods Data were extracted from hospital records of pesticide self-poisoning patients treated at eight major hospitals in Taiwan between 2012 and 2019.

Taiwan Expert Consensus Recommendations for Switching to Aripiprazole Long-Acting Once-Monthly in Patients with Schizophrenia.

In the last decade, long-acting injectable antipsychotics has been widely used in schizophrenia. Aripiprazole long-acting once-monthly (AOM) is the only long-acting dopamine partial agonist antipsychotic approved for schizophrenia; however, a literature search revealed no guidance on safely switching from oral and long-acting injectable antipsychotics to AOM. This study aimed to develop recommendations of AOM use based on existing data and expert consensus.

Warm-water footbath improves dysmenorrhoea and heart rate variability in college students: a randomised controlled trial.

The effect of warm-water footbath in improving dysmenorrhoea has been rarely investigated. The study aimed to examine whether a warm-water footbath effectively reduces dysmenorrhoea pain and improves the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. The randomised controlled trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.

Chelation-Tamoxifen Conjugates for Imaging of Estrogen Receptors.

The differential diagnosis of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) pathway-activated systems by using a labeled antiestrogen helps to select the patients for optimal response to endocrine therapy and to discontinue the treatment when resistance occurs. The authors' purpose was to synthesize chelator-tamoxifen conjugates for imaging ER (+) diseases. A hydroxypropyl linker was incorporated between either cyclam or cyclam diacetic acid and tamoxifen analog to produce SC-05-L-1 (Z-1-(1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecan-1-yl)-3-((5-(4-(2-(diethylamino)ethoxy)phenyl)-4,5-diphenylpent-4-en-1-yl)oxy)propan-2-ol) and SC-05-N-1 (Z-2,2'-(4-(3-((5-(4-(2-(diethylamino)ethoxy)phenyl)-4,5-diphenylpent-4-en-1-yl)oxy)-2-hydroxy-propyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-1,8-diyl)diacetic acid), respectively.

Higher long-term visit-to-visit glycemic variability predicts new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Glycemic variability (GV) is associated with risk of micro- and macrovascular diseases. However, whether the GV can increase the risk of AF remains unknown.

Predictive Ability of Procalcitonin for Acute Kidney Injury: A Narrative Review Focusing on the Interference of Infection.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common yet complicated clinical entity with high morbidity and mortality. An essential strategy to improve AKI patients' prognoses is finding optimal biomarkers to identify AKI in a timely manner. Procalcitonin (PCT), a well-recognized biomarker for diagnosing infection and guiding antibiotics therapy, has been proposed to predict AKI development and recovery in many clinical settings.

Long Term Outcome of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery-A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Analysis.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) results in a longer hospital stay and excess mortality. However, whether POAF would increase stroke rate has been debated for years. When and how long should anticoagulation be used to prevent stroke are unknown.

Evaluation of the Combined Anticancer Effects of Cisplatin and SAHA in Nonsmall Cell Lung Carcinoma Using [F]FAHA and [F]FDG PET/CT Imaging.

Combining standard drugs with low doses of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) is a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy. The ability of well-tolerated doses of HDACIs that act as chemosensitizers for platinum-based chemotherapeutics has recently been proven in many types and stages of cancer and . Detection of changes in HDAC activity/expression may provide important prognostic and predictive information and influence treatment decision-making.

GMP-compliant fully automated radiosynthesis of [F]FEPPA for PET/MRI imaging of regional brain TSPO expression.

Background: Expression of translocator protein (TSPO) on the outer mitochondrial membrane of activated microglia is strongly associated with neuroinflammation. The second-generation PET ligand [F]FEPPA specifically binds TSPO to enable in vivo visualization and quantification of neuroinflammation. We optimized a fully automated radiosynthesis method and evaluated the utility of [F]FEPPA, the second-generation PET ligand specifically binds TSPO, in a mouse model of systemic LPS challenge to detect TSPO-associated signals of central and peripheral inflammation.

Doxorubicin metabolism moderately attributes to putative toxicity in prodigiosin/doxorubicin synergism in vitro cells.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a widely neoplasm chemotherapeutic drug with high incidences of cardiotoxicity. Prodigiosin (PG), a red bacterial pigment from Serratia marcescens, has been demonstrated to potentiate Dox's cytotoxicity against oral squamous cell carcinoma cells through elevating Dox influx and identified as a Dox enhancer via PG-induced autophagy; however, toxicity of normal cell remains unclear. This study is conducted to evaluate putative cytotoxicity features of PG/Dox synergism in the liver, kidney, and heart cells and further elucidate whether PG augmented Dox's effect via modulating Dox metabolism in normal cells.

Aggressive corticosteroid treatment in childhood idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis with better outcome.

Background/purpose: Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) is a rare but fatal disease characterized by a triad of anemia, hemoptysis, and increased pulmonary infiltration. This study is aimed to review the clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools, medication and outcome of childhood IPH in Taiwan.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled the patients less than 18 years old in National Taiwan University Hospital in the past 30 years.

Undergraduates' preparedness for practice is associated with professional identity and perception of educational environment: A validation study.

Background: Medical schools prepare undergraduates for clinical practice. Clinical competencies build up gradually and continuously. Existing literature suggests that new graduates are often unprepared for independent practice.

Rare anaplastic sarcoma of the kidney: A case report.

Background: Anaplastic sarcoma of the kidney (ASK) is a rare and newly recognized renal neoplasm. The tumor usually is extensive and cystic, characterized by pleomorphic spindle cells with marked atypia and associated with multinucleated cells. To date, only 27 cases have been reported in the literature.

Differences in medical costs for end-of-life patients receiving traditional care and those receiving hospice care: A retrospective study.

Background: Hospice care has a positive effect on medical costs. The correlation between survival time after receiving hospice care and medical costs has not been previously investigated in the literature on Taiwan. This study aimed to compare the differences in medical costs between traditional care and hospice care among end-of-life patients with cancer.

Heart rate variability as an independent predictor for 8-year mortality among chronic hemodialysis patients.

The repeated measurements of heart rate variability (HRV) is more relevant than a single HRV measurement in predicting patient prognosis but is less addressed previously. This prospective study aimed to investigate the association between repeated measurements of HRV and long-term mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients. The 164 patients (65.

Exploring a New Natural Treating Agent for Primary Hypertension: Recent Findings and Forthcoming Perspectives.

Primary hypertension describes abnormally-high systolic/diastolic blood pressure in a resting condition caused by various genetic or environmental risk factors. Remarkably, severe complications, such as ischemic cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic renal disease have led to primary hypertension becoming a huge burden for almost one-third of the total population. Medication is the major regimen for treating primary hypertension; however, recent medications may have adverse effects that attenuate energy levels.