The Mindful Compassion Program Integrated with Body-Mind-Spirit Empowerment for Reducing Depression in Lung Cancer Patient-Caregiver Dyads.

This study compared the long-term effects of a mindful compassion program on improving depression in lung cancer patients, both in patient-caregiver dyads and in patient-only groups, and examined the moderating roles of anxiety and quality of life (QOL). Participants consisted of 56 dyads, who were randomly assigned to either the dyadic or patient-only groups. Data collection included various assessments at different time points: baseline (T0), end of intervention (T1), and follow-up at the 5th month (T2), 8th month (T3), and 14th month (T4).

The Taiwan-ADNI workflow toward integrating plasma p-tau217 into prediction models for the risk of Alzheimer's disease and tau burden.

Introduction: We integrated plasma biomarkers from the Taiwan Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and propose a workflow to identify individuals showing amyloid-positive positron emission tomography (PET) with low/intermediate tau burden based on [18F]Florzolotau PET-based quantification.

Methods: We assessed 361 participants across the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD continuum and measured plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau)217, p-tau181, amyloid beta (Aβ)42/40 ratio, neurofilament light chain, and glial fibrillary acidic protein levels at two medical centers. We evaluated the diagnostic potential of these biomarkers.

Pancreatic stent improves the success rate of needle-knife papillotomy in patients with difficult biliary cannulation.

Background: Needle-knife precut papillotomy (NKP) is typically performed freehand. However, it remains unclear whether pancreatic stent (PS) placement can improve the outcomes of NKP.

Aim: To explore whether PS placement improves the success rate of NKP in patients with difficult biliary cannulation.

Real-World Analyses of the De-Escalation of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Taiwan.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is the standard treatment for acute myocardial infarction (MI). This study aimed to investigate the use of DAPT and de-escalation after discharge in real-world practice among patients with acute MI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Taiwan.

Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we included patients who received PCI for acute MI and survived to discharge with DAPT from 2011 to 2021.

Feasibility and Safety of Distal Radial Artery Access with Recanalization of a Chronic Radial Artery Occlusion for Subsequent Coronary Angiography and Intervention.

Aims: This study aims to verify the feasibility and safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after a distal transradial approach (dTRA) with radial artery occlusion (RAO) recanalization.

Methods: Between July 2018 and January 2022, 30 patients underwent PCI following attempted RAO recanalization via dTRA. Among these cases, the target radial arteries could not be recanalized in five patients, necessitating alternative vascular access.

Distal augmentation in unstable distal clavicle fractures: a retrospective cohort study of 101 cases.

Introduction: The optimal management strategy for unstable distal clavicular fractures remains controversial. Recent studies on plate techniques have reported good-to-excellent outcomes with no serious complications. The questions are that: (1) Does the use of wire augmentation with locking plate in distal part (distal wire augmentation) reduce radiographic loss of reduction (RLOR) and get earlier bony union in distal clavicular fractures? (2) Which fixation methods are associated with a higher incidence of acromioclavicular (AC) joints arthritis or subluxation? We collected and analyzed clinical studies on different plate fixation methods for unstable fractures to identify the best surgical modality.

Audiological Features in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review.

Hearing impairment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been underestimated for decades. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect both the middle ear (specifically, the incudomalleolar and incudostapedial joints) and inner ear (including the cochlea and acoustic nerve) simultaneously. Despite ongoing research, consensus on effective treatments for hearing impairment in these patients remains elusive.

Prognostic Value of Neutrophil, Monocyte, Lymphocyte, and Platelet/High-Density Lipoprotein Ratios in Ischemic Heart Disease: An NHANES Analysis.

The prognostic value of easily accessible hematologic biomarkers, such as the neutrophil-to-HDL ratio, as well as the monocyte-to-HDL, lymphocyte-to-HDL, and platelet-to-HDL ratios, remains underexplored in patients with established ischemic heart disease (IHD). Community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 20 with established IHD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018 were eligible. Mortality was tracked through linkage to the National Death Index (NDI) until the end of 2019.

The Role of Duplex Ultrasound and Flow/Pressure Ratio in Predicting Invasive Treatment for High Venous Pressure in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

: Vascular access complications, particularly high venous pressure, pose significant challenges for hemodialysis patients undergoing hemodialysis. Limited research has focused on identifying predictive factors for invasive treatment. This study aimed to identify patients who might benefit from frequent monitoring and conservative management based on duplex ultrasound (DUS) evaluation.

Therapeutic Potential of Nutritional Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligands in Gut-Related Inflammation and Diseases.

A solid scientific foundation is required to build the concept of personalized nutrition developed to promote health and a vision of disease prevention. Growing evidence indicates that nutrition can modulate the immune system through metabolites, which are either generated via microbiota metabolism or host digestion. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a crucial role in regulating immune responses, particularly in the gut, and has emerged as a key modulator of gut-mediated inflammation and related diseases.

Comparative Analysis of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, Bisphosphonate, and Wharton Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Preserving Bone and Cartilage Integrity and Modulating IL31, IL33, and BMP2 in the Cartilage of Ovariectomized Rat Model.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a chronic inflammatory bone disease characterized by reduced bone structure and strength, leading to increased fracture risk. Effective therapies targeting both bone and cartilage are limited. This study compared the therapeutic effects of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), bisphosphonate (Aclasta), and human Wharton jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) in a rat model of OP.

Identification of diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric condition among children and adolescents, often associated with a high risk of psychiatric comorbidities. Currently, ADHD diagnosis relies exclusively on clinical presentation and patient history, underscoring the need for clinically relevant, reliable, and objective biomarkers. Such biomarkers may enable earlier diagnosis and lead to improved treatment outcomes.

Basal metabolic rate correlates with excess postexercise oxygen consumption across different intensities.

Background: Both the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) can be influenced by physical training and are associated with body composition and aerobic capacity. Although a correlation between the two is expected, this relationship has not been explored. Our hypothesis is that a higher BMR is correlated with lower EPOC.

Indole and Coumarin Derivatives Targeting EEF2K in Aβ Folding Reporter Cells.

Misfolding and accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) lead to neuronal loss through various mechanisms, including the downregulation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (EEF2) protein synthesis signaling. This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of indole and coumarin derivatives on Aβ folding and EEF2 signaling using SH-SY5Y cells expressing Aβ-green fluorescent protein (GFP) folding reporter. Among the tested compounds, two indole (NC009-1, -6) and two coumarin (LM-021, -036) derivatives effectively reduced Aβ misfolding and associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production.

Automatic segmentation of white matter lesions on multi-parametric MRI: convolutional neural network versus vision transformer.

Background And Purpose: White matter hyperintensities in brain MRI are key indicators of various neurological conditions, and their accurate segmentation is essential for assessing disease progression. This study aims to evaluate the performance of a 3D convolutional neural network and a 3D Transformer-based model for white matter hyperintensities segmentation, focusing on their efficacy with limited datasets and similar computational resources.

Materials And Methods: We implemented a convolution-based model (3D ResNet-50 U-Net with spatial and channel squeeze & excitation) and a Transformer-based model (3D Swin Transformer with a convolutional stem).

Circulating resistin levels and mutation burden of the RETN gene variants predict long-term mortality in a Taiwanese population.

Human resistin is a proinflammatory cytokine involving the development and progression of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, prediction of long-term outcome using circulating resistin level and its genetic determinants in a population-based study remain to be explored. After genome-wide association study (GWAS), DNA methylation (DNAm) analysis and functional assays of a RETN rs370006313 variant, we tested whether resistin level and its genetic determinants can be used to determine the long-term outcomes of 5678 Taiwan Biobank (TWB) participants.

Correlation Between Low Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and High Mortality Rates in Adult Trauma Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Brain Injuries.

White blood cell (WBC) subtypes reflect immune and inflammatory conditions in patients. This study aimed to examine the association between the ratio of platelets to WBC subtypes and mortality outcomes in patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Trauma Registry System of the hospital was retrospectively reviewed to gather medical records of 2397 adult patients who were hospitalized from 2009 to 2020 and had moderate-to-severe TBI with a head abbreviated injury scale (AIS) score of 3 or higher.

Diagnostic Accuracy and Interobserver Reliability of Rotator Cuff Tear Detection with Ultrasonography are Improved with Attentional Deep Learning.

Purpose: Improve the accuracy of one-stage object detection by modifying the YOLOv7 with Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM), known as YOLOv7-CBAM, which can automatically identify torn or intact rotator cuff tendon to assist physicians in diagnosing rotator cuff lesions through ultrasound.

Methods: Between 2020 and 2021, patients who experienced shoulder pain for over 3 months and had both ultrasound and MRI examinations were categorized into torn and intact group. To ensure balanced training, we included the same number of patients on both groups.

Gestational Exposure to Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Childhood.

Importance: Gestational exposure to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the risk of adverse fetal kidney outcomes. However, details regarding timing, specific NSAIDs, and long-term childhood kidney outcomes are limited.

Objective: To evaluate the association between gestational exposure to NSAIDs and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in childhood.

Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B10 prevents esophageal squamous cell carcinoma from reactive carbonyl species-induced cell death and promotes its progression.

Introduction: Chronic alcohol consumption and tobacco usage are major risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Excessive tobacco and alcohol consumption lead to oxidative stress and the generation of reactive carbonyl species (RCS) which induce DNA damage and cell apoptosis. This phenomenon contributes to cell damage and carcinogenesis in various organs including ESCC.

ANGPTL3 overcomes sorafenib resistance via suppression of SNAI1 and CPT1A in liver cancer.

Liver cancer, encompassing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatoblastoma, the latter of which primarily occurs in early childhood, is the most common malignant tumor arising from liver and is responsible for a significant number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Targeted drugs have been used for anti-liver cancer treatment in the advanced stage, while their efficacy is greatly compromised by development of drug resistance. Drug resistance is a complicated process regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic signals and has been associated with poorer prognosis in cancer patients.