Predictors of hepatic flares after nucleos(t)ide analogue cessation - Results of a global cohort study (RETRACT-B study).

Background & Aims: Flares after nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) cessation are common and potentially harmful. Predictors of flares are required for risk stratification and to guide off-treatment follow-up.

Method: This multicenter cohort study included virally suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who were hepatitis B e antigen negative at NA cessation.

Circadian Typology and Physical Activity in Young Adults with Gaming Disorder.

: Exploring daily lifestyle characteristics in individuals with gaming disorder (GD) might identify underlying causes and intervention points. However, integrative and subjective assessments are lacking in studies on this topic. This study aimed to assess circadian typology and physical activity in young adults with GD.

Assessing exposure to weight stigma: development and initial validation of the Weight Stigma Exposure Inventory (WeSEI).

Background: Weight stigma is pervasive, and it has a significant impact on the social, physical, and psychological health of an individual. Weight stigma is observed from several different sources. Therefore, the present study developed and validated a new instrument, the Weight Stigma Exposure Inventory (WeSEI), to assess different sources of observed weight stigma across interpersonal and non-interpersonal sources.

Trends in the incidence of the Epstein-Barr virus-associated malignancies extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Taiwan.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) are associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The current study aimed to evaluate the trends in the incidence of ENKTL and NPC in Taiwan within the last 15-30 years. To assess the incidence of ENKTL from 2008 to 2021 and NPC from 1995 to 2021, an epidemiological study was performed using population-based registry data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry.

CNN-Based Cross-Modality Fusion for Enhanced Breast Cancer Detection Using Mammography and Ultrasound.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of mortality among women in Taiwan and globally. Non-invasive imaging methods, such as mammography and ultrasound, are critical for early detection, yet standalone modalities have limitations in regard to their diagnostic accuracy. This study aims to enhance breast cancer detection through a cross-modality fusion approach combining mammography and ultrasound imaging, using advanced convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures.

Screening prediction models using artificial intelligence for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common after stroke. Still, routine screening of OSA with polysomnography (PSG) is often unfeasible in clinical practice, primarily because of how limited resources are and the physical condition of patients. In this study, we used several artificial intelligence techniques to predict moderate-to-severe OSA and identify its features in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Position statement of the World Endoscopy Organization: Role of endoscopy in screening, diagnosis, and treatment of esophageal superficial squamous neoplasia.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a significant global health challenge, being the sixth leading cause of cancer mortality with pronounced geographic variability. The incidence rates range from 125 per 100,000 in northern China to 1-1.5 per 100,000 in the United States, driven by environmental and lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, dietary habits, and pollution.

Topical Vancomycin Paste Over the Sternal Edge During Cardiac Surgery: Effects of Renal Function and Body Size on Systemic Exposure.

Purpose: Intraoperative topical vancomycin has been widely used in several surgical fields to prevent wound infection. However, there have been limited studies on the systemic exposure of topical vancomycin. The aim of this study was to investigate systemic exposure after topical vancomycin over the sternal edge in cardiac surgical patients.

Serial changes in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease after sleeve gastrectomy and their associations with abdominal adiposity: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Little is known about the associations between changes in hepatic steatosis and changes in abdominal adiposity after metabolic bariatric surgery.

Objectives: To evaluate the serial changes in hepatic steatosis and abdominal adiposity following sleeve gastrectomy (SG).

Setting: University hospital, Taiwan.

Comparative in vitro efficacy of AR-12 derivatives against Streptococcus pyogenes.

Objectives: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) results in invasive diseases. Our published studies show that AR-12 can directly kill GAS. However, AR-12 is toxic to the human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1 cells) even at its MIC.

Exposure to Psychotropic Drugs and Colorectal Cancer Risk in Patients with Affective Disorder: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: This study aimed to assess the association between the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and exposure to mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics in patients with affective disorders.

Methods: This nested case-control study used data from the National Health Insurance Database of Taiwan collected between 2001 and 2011. All participants in this study had affective disorders.

Tacrolimus regulates extracellular vesicle secretion from T cells via autophagy-lysosomal pathway.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from T cells have been proposed to mediate intercellular communication and orchestrate immune responses. The immunosuppressive drug, tacrolimus (TAC), suppresses T cell activity; however, the impact of TAC on T cell-derived EVs remains primarily unexplored. In this study, human primary T cells purified from healthy donors were used to investigate TAC-mediated regulation of EV secretion by T cells.

Deep Learning-Based Object Detection Strategies for Disease Detection and Localization in Chest X-Ray Images.

Background And Objectives: Chest X-ray (CXR) images are commonly used to diagnose respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. However, traditional manual interpretation is often subjective, time-consuming, and prone to errors, leading to inconsistent detection accuracy and poor generalization. In this paper, we present deep learning-based object detection methods for automatically identifying and annotating abnormal regions in CXR images.

Impact of general vs. regional anaesthesia on one-year clinical outcomes and healthcare utilisation after lower limb arthroplasty: a retrospective study.

Introduction: General anaesthesia and regional anaesthesia are used for hip and knee arthroplasty but their impact on long-term outcomes remains unclear. This study aimed to compare one-year clinical outcomes and healthcare utilisation in patients receiving general or regional anaesthesia for hip or knee arthroplasty.

Methods: Using data from the TriNetX Global Collaborative Network, we conducted a retrospective analysis of 247,142 patients aged 40-90 y who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty between 2010 and 2023.

Changes in Serum Rheumatoid Factor Following Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus Infection With Interferon or Direct Antiviral Therapy.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a myriad of extrahepatic manifestations (EHM), as well as the production of autoantibodies, including rheumatoid factor (RF). This study aims to elucidate whether serum levels of RF change before and after HCV eradication, and whether these changes differ according to the type of therapy used. This is a retrospective cohort study of adults with chronic HCV infection treated with interferon-free or interferon-based regimens.

Consensus on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations: Challenges and strategies for high-risk populations in Taiwan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact globally, particularly in high-risk populations such as those with underlying health conditions. In response to the evolving pandemic landscape and the recent surge in confirmed cases in Taiwan, the Taiwan Association of Family Medicine (TAFM) established a consensus on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for vulnerable groups through a comprehensive literature review, expert panel discussions, and a practice-oriented formulation procedure to develop evidence-based guidance. Its key findings highlight the increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes among individuals with disorders such as diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illness.

Effect of pelvic arterial stenosis on erectile function: determining the severity threshold for erectile dysfunction.

Background: Pelvic arterial (PLA) stenosis is associated with arterial insufficiency of the penis and erectile dysfunction (ED), but the effect of different severities of PLA stenosis on ED remains unclear.

Aim: To investigate how different severities of PLA stenosis affect erectile function.

Methods: We included patients who visited our clinic for ED and underwent computed tomography angiography (CTA) and dynamic duplex sonography (DUS).

Cholinesterase Inhibitor Reveals Synergistic Potential for Neural Stem Cell-Based Therapy in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Background And Objectives: Stem cell therapy shows great promise for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) like donepezil are well-established for alleviating AD symptoms. This study aimed to determine if combining ChEI treatment with stem cell therapy could improve therapeutic outcomes.

Protocol to measure glucose utilization in mouse tissues using radiolabeled 2-deoxy-D-glucose.

2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) is a glucose analog converted to 2-deoxy-D-glucose-6-phosphate (2DG-6P) by hexokinase in glycolysis. While 2DG commonly measures glucose uptake, 2DG-6P detects glucose utilization. Here, we present a protocol to measure glucose utilization in various tissues after entering a mouse's body using radiolabeled 2DG.