Paper-Based Detection Device for Alzheimer's Disease-Detecting β-amyloid Peptides (1-42) in Human Plasma.

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is frequently missed or delayed in clinical practice. To remedy this situation, we developed a screening, paper-based (P-ELISA) platform to detect β-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Aβ42) and provide rapid results using a small volume, easily accessible plasma sample instead of cerebrospinal fluid. The protocol outlined herein only requires 3 μL of sample per well and a short operating time (i.

Late Outcomes of Valve Repair Versus Replacement in Isolated and Concomitant Tricuspid Valve Surgery: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background Surgery for tricuspid valve (TV) diseases is associated with poor prognosis, but few studies have described the long-term outcomes by comparing TV repair and replacement in isolated and concomitant TV surgeries separately. Methods and Results Between 2000 and 2013, adult patients who underwent TV repair or replacement surgeries were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Outcomes of interest included all-cause mortality, composite outcome, and readmission attributable to any cause.

Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associated With Higher Risk of Mortality in Stage III and IV Lung Cancer.

Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with increased cancer incidence and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate cancer-related mortality, overall survival and progression free survival in patients with suspected OSA and lung cancer.

Methods: This was a case series analysis of lung cancer from a sleep cohort with suspected OSA between 2009 and 2014.

Prognostic Value of Lymph Node-To-Primary Tumor Standardized Uptake Value Ratio in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Definitive Chemoradiotherapy.

We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the relative maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) of metastatic lymph node (LN) compared with that of primary tumor (SUV / SUV) based on a pretreatment [F]-FDG PET/CT scan in patients with clinically node-positive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (cN+ ESCC) treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). We retrospectively evaluated cN+ ESCC patients who underwent a PET/CT scan before dCRT. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristics analysis was performed to identify the optimal cutoff value for SUV / SUV.

Accuracy of detecting residual disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (preSINO trial): a prospective multicenter diagnostic cohort study.

Background: After neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for esophageal cancer, high pathologically complete response (pCR) rates are being achieved especially in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). An active surveillance strategy has been proposed for SCC patients with clinically complete response (cCR) after nCRT. To justify omitting surgical resection, patients with residual disease should be accurately identified.

Body mass index, residual psychotic symptoms, and inflammation associated with brain volume reduction in older patients with schizophrenia.

Unlabelled: Obesity, aging, and pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ) may collectively contribute to the gray matter loss in brain regions of SCZ. We attempted to examine the association between volumes of specific brain regions, body mass index (BMI), inflammatory markers, and clinical features in older SCZ patients.

Method: Clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) aged ≥50 years were recruited to undergo whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging.

Factors affecting pregnant women's decisions regarding prenatal pertussis vaccination: A decision-making study in the nationwide Prenatal Pertussis Immunization Program in Taiwan.

Objective: To examine the factors affecting pregnant women's decisions to accept or decline the prenatal pertussis (Tdap) vaccination in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey, recruiting pregnant women who had received prenatal care from eight maternity hospitals between January and December 2018. We examined the participants' demographic characteristics, perceptions of pertussis disease risk and vaccination effectiveness, beliefs regarding vaccine information, physician recommendation, and other potential factors affecting decision-making regarding prenatal vaccination.

Association of alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase Polymorphism with Spontaneous Deep Intracerebral Haemorrhage in the Taiwan population.

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) encode essential alcohol-metabolizing enzymes. While alcohol use is associated with spontaneously deep intracerebral haemorrhage (SDICH), particularly in males, the activities and genetic variants of ADH and ALDH may affect SDICH development. This case-control study was conducted to identify the interaction of alcohol use and SDICH with five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): ADH1B rs1229984, ADH1C rs2241894, ALDH2 rs671, ALDH2 rs886205, and ALDH2 rs4648328.

mutation status in patients with metachronous breast and ovarian malignancies: clues towards the implementation of genetic counseling.

Objective: The characteristics of patients with metachronous breast and ovarian malignancies and the pathogenic role of mutations remain poorly understood. We investigated these issues through a review of hospital records and nationwide Taiwanese registry data, followed by mutation analysis in hospital-based cases.

Methods: We retrospectively retrieved consecutive clinical records of Taiwanese patients who presented with these malignancies to our hospital between 2001 and 2017.

Overexpression of Gene is a Favorable Prognostic Marker in Lower-Grade Gliomas and Predicts a Favorable Outcome in Patients with Mutations and Chromosome 1p19q Codeletion.

Patients with lower-grade gliomas (LGGs) have highly diverse clinical outcomes. Although histological features and molecular markers have been used to predict prognosis, the identification of new biomarkers for the accurate prediction of patient outcomes is still needed. The serine synthesis pathway (SSP) is important in cancer metabolism.

Electrical cortical stimulation for treatment of intractable epilepsy originating from eloquent cortex: surgical accuracy and clinical efficacy.

Background: Electrical cortical stimulation is shown effective in treating patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. We demonstrated how detailed procedures of pre- and intra-operative planning of cortical stimulation implantation may influence the results of seizure reduction rate.

Methods: To confirm the precision of subdural grids covering the epileptogenic foci in the eloquent regions, pre- and intra-operative video-electroencephalography (VEEG) were performed in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy during a 4-day 24-h monitoring.

Neuroprotection of Indole-Derivative Compound NC001-8 by the Regulation of the NRF2 Pathway in Parkinson's Disease Cell Models.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease accompanied by a loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons. The development of therapies to prevent disease progression is the main goal of drug discovery. There is increasing evidence that oxidative stress and antioxidants may contribute to the pathogenesis and treatment of PD, respectively.

Effect of vitamin D on cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.

Aim: To examine the effect of vitamin D level on cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: We recruited patients with mild AD, and carried out clinical interviews, neuropsychological assessments, laboratory tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging.

Results: In total, 146 patients with mild AD (68 men, 78 women; mean age 79.

Memory Complaint Is a Surrogate for Memory Decline in the Middle-Aged: A Register-Based Study.

Memory complaint is one of the earliest symptoms of dementia. The causes and prognosis of memory complaint in the middle-aged population remain largely unknown. We reviewed the register-based data of 2129 patients with memory complaints.

Acupuncture Effect and Mechanism for Treating Pain in Patients With Parkinson's Disease.

Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been receiving increasing attention. Approximately half of patients with PD have experience PD-related pain. We investigated the effect and mechanism of acupuncture in patients with PD who have pain.

Serum Level and Activity of Butylcholinesterase: A Biomarker for Post-Stroke Dementia.

Cholinergic neurotransmission regulates the immune response and inhibits cytokine release after stroke. The changes in the level/activity of blood cholinesterase (ChE) in patients with post-stroke dementia (PSD) are less known. This study aimed to examine post-stroke plasma acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butylcholinesterase (BChE) and determine whether they are biomarkers for PSD.

Effectiveness and safety of perampanel in adults with mesial temporal epilepsy: A single-center postmarketing study in Taiwan.

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is a common epilepsy syndrome often refractory to antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of perampanel (PER) as add-on treatment for patients of MTLE.We pooled retrospective data from adult patients with MTLE, from a tertiary center in Taiwan, who were prescribed PER between March 2016 and December 2016.

Association between CSF1 and CSF1R Polymorphisms and Parkinson's Disease in Taiwan.

Background: CSF1/CSF1R neuroinflammatory signaling is emerging as an important pathway involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the genetic associations between / and PD have not yet been explored.

Methods: We investigated the effects of two functional genetic variants, including rs1058885 and rs10079250 in a cohort including 502 Taiwanese patients with PD and 511 age- and gender-matched healthy controls.

CCM1 and CCM2 variants in patients with cerebral cavernous malformation in an ethnically Chinese population in Taiwan.

Cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) is a vascular malformation characterized by clustered enlarged capillary-like channels in the central nervous system. The genes harboring variants in patients with CCM include CCM1/Krev interaction trapped-1, CCM2/MGC4607, and CCM3/programmed cell death protein 10. We aimed to identify pathogenic variants in an ethnic Chinese population in Taiwan.

Adaptable Microporous Hydrogels of Propagating NGF-Gradient by Injectable Building Blocks for Accelerated Axonal Outgrowth.

Injectable hydrogels in regeneration medicine can potentially mimic hierarchical natural living tissue and fill complexly shaped defects with minimally invasive implantation procedures. To achieve this goal, however, the versatile hydrogels that usually possess the nonporous structure and uncontrollable spatial agent release must overcome the difficulties in low cell-penetrative rates of tissue regeneration. In this study, an adaptable microporous hydrogel (AMH) composed of microsized building blocks with opposite charges serves as an injectable matrix with interconnected pores and propagates gradient growth factor for spontaneous assembly into a complex shape in real time.

Artificial neural networks-based classification of emotions using wristband heart rate monitor data.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is an objective measure of emotional regulation. This study aimed to estimate the accuracy with which an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm could classify emotions using HRV data that were obtained using wristband heart rate monitors.Four emotions were evoked during gameplay: pleasure, happiness, fear, and anger.

and Genetic Polymorphisms as Markers for Cognitive Impairment in A Hypotensive Aging Population: A Genome-Wide Association Study in Taiwan.

Hypotension can affect cerebral perfusion and worsen cognitive outcomes. The prevalence of low blood pressure (BP) rises with increasing age. To our knowledge, no study has examined the genetic biomarkers for hypotension-related cognitive impairment (CI) yet.