Nicotinamide Mononucleotide and Coenzyme Q10 Protects Fibroblast Senescence Induced by Particulate Matter Preconditioned Mast Cells.

Particulate matter (PM) pollutants impose a certain degree of destruction and toxicity to the skin. Mast cells in the skin dermis could be activated by PMs that diffuse across the blood vessel after being inhaled. Mast cell degranulation in the dermis provides a kind of inflammatory insult to local fibroblasts.

The Influence of Reducing Clinical Practicum Anxiety on Nursing Professional Employment in Nursing Students with Low Emotional Stability.

Nursing students experience anxiety during clinical practicum, which may interfere with their learning in clinical practice and nursing employment after graduation. This study explored: (1) the factors of the difference in anxiety levels between pre- and post-practicum in nursing students; (2) identified their anxiety events in a clinical environment; and (3) the correlation between emotional stability and 5-year nursing professional employment. The study was designed as a mixed method.

Assessment of Hyperspectral Imaging in Pressure Injury Healing.

Objective: To analyze the blood oxygen concentrations (StO 2 ) of different stages of pressure injury (PI) tissue using hyperspectral images to serve as a guideline for the treatment and care of PIs.

Methods: This study used a prospective design. A total of 30 patients with sacral PIs were recruited from the rehabilitation ward of a teaching hospital.

Effort-reward imbalance and job strain index associated with health-related quality of life for civil servants in a national survey: the mediation effect of job support and over-commitment.

Objectives: Work-related stress (WRS) is significantly associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but the amounts of evidence on differences of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and job strain index (JSI) remain sparse and have limited generalizability. Therefore, we aimed to assess the association between ERI and JSI with HRQoL and assess the mediation effect of social support (JS) and over-commitment (OC) on this association in Taiwan's civil servants.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional national survey was given to registered civil servants in Taiwan - 20 046 civil servants from 647 institutions were enrolled using multistage stratified random cluster sampling.

Analysis of EZH2 Genetic Variants on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Susceptibility and Pathology.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the third most common female cancer in Taiwan. EZH2 plays an important role in cancer development through transcriptional repression by chromatin remodeling. However, the expression of EZH2 in breast cancer is highly correlated with tumorigenesis, and patient survival is not matched to TNBC.

Association of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality in a Large Young Cohort of Nearly 300,000 Adults (Age 20-39).

(1) Background: The association of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in younger adults (age 20−39) is rarely mentioned in the literature. Younger adults are less vulnerable to CVDs, but they tend to consume more SSBs. This prospective study aimed to assess the association between CVD mortality and SSBs in younger adults between 1994 and 2017.

The effect of inhaled corticosteroids on the outcomes of patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The effect of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on the clinical outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was not known.

Research Design And Methods: Only phase 2 and 3 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) from electronic databases that investigated ICS in the treatment of COVID-19 patients were included. The outcomes of interest were the resolution of symptoms, risk of hospitalization or urgent medical visit, mortality, and the incidence of adverse events (AEs).

Small Airway Dysfunction Measured by Impulse Oscillometry and Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Is Associated With Asthma Control in Children.

Background: Impulse oscillometry (IOS) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) are sensitive and non-invasive methods to measure airway resistance and inflammation, although there are limited population-based studies using IOS and FeNO to predict asthma control.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the utility of IOS and FeNO for assessing childhood asthma control in terms of small airway dysfunction and airway inflammation.

Methods: This prospective observational cohort study enrolled 5,018 school children (aged 6-12 years), including 560 asthmatic children and 140 normal participants.

Conventional androgen deprivation therapy is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in advanced prostate cancer, a nationwide population-based study.

Purpose: Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) is the mainstay treatment in advanced prostate cancer. We conducted a nationwide population-based study to evaluate the association of ADT and cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: Between 2005 and 2009, patient data from the National Health Insurance database were obtained.

Advanced Cross-Correlation Function Application to Identify Arterial Baroreflex Sensitivity Variations From Healthy to Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. DM is of two types-types 1 or 2. In type 1, there is a problem with insulin secretion, and in type 2-insulin resistance.

Development of Irinotecan Liposome Armed with Dual-Target Anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Anti-Fibroblast Activation Protein-Specific Antibody for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common causes of death in Taiwan. Previous studies have shown that more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cells presented epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) cell marker, and this marker is thought to be important as it is related to activation of cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and cancer progression. Moreover, tumor-associated fibroblasts were involved in tumor proliferation and progression.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Improve Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Pruritus and Inflammation.

Background and Objectives: Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is a common symptom in hemodialysis patients. A frequent and intense itching sensation largely torments patients, impacts quality of life outcomes, and it has an independent association with mortality. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of oral supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (omega-3 PUFA) on circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6), cardiometabolic parameters, skin moisturization, and the consequent symptoms of pruritus in hemodialysis patients.

Therapeutic Effect and Optimal Electrode Placement of Transcutaneous Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Patients with Post-Stroke Dysphagia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: To date, there is no conclusive evidence that transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (TNMES) benefits patients with post-stroke dysphagia (PSD). In addition, the optimal TNMES electrode placement has not been well-established. This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate these two research gaps.

Coping with the Experience of Bad Sleep and Fatigue Associated with the Nursing Clinical Practicum.

Nursing students experience anxiety during clinical practicum, which may interfere with their learning of clinical practice. This study explored the practicum anxiety symptom experience of clinical nursing students. The methodology was mixed research design consist of questionnaire and a qualitative research design following a grounded theory approach.

Correlational Study of Emotional Stress, Pain, and the Presence of Inpatient Companions for Cancer Inpatients during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The outbreak of COVID-19 poses an immense global threat. Visitors to hospitalized patients during a pandemic might themselves be carriers, and so hospitals strictly control patients and inpatient companions. However, it is not easy for cancer patients to adjust the times of their medical treatment or to suspend treatment, and the impact of the pandemic on cancer inpatients and inpatient companions is relatively high.

A Comparison of Rehospitalization Risks on Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients after Recovery from Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the risks of rehospitalization caused by acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or stroke would have significant differences between diabetic and non-diabetic patients from ACS.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 364 inpatients with ACS from 2017 to 2019. Logistic regression models included gender, age group, and the principal diagnosis of hospitalization as controlling variables which were used to analyze the dataset.

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of a Newly Developed Chinese Screening Tool for Speech Disorders in Patients With Parkinson's Disease.

The study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of a newly developed Chinese screening tool, the Chinese Version of the Speech Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (SDPD-C). The SDPD-C contains a 24-item questionnaire with four assessment domains. Overall, 93 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) (age 70.

[The Experience and Coping Process of Women With Breast Cancer Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy].

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is commonly performed to reduce the size of tumors before partial mastectomy to improve the rate of breast-conservation. Few studies have been conducted to assess the neoadjuvant chemotherapy experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer and their responses to it.

Purpose: To explore the experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and their responses to it.

Nutrient composition of Koidz. bran: Fractionation and bioactivity of its soluble active polysaccharides.

Background: Koidz. Amaranthaceae-also known as Djulis or red quinoa (RQ)-is a cereal plant indigenous to Taiwan, known for its high nutrient value. However, its bran is considered a waste product and the nutrient value has never been analyzed.

Volatile Variation of Malvaceae L. Beans Cultivated in Taiwan Affected by Processing via Fermentation and Roasting.

After being harvested, cacao beans are usually subjected to very complex processes in order to improve their chemical and physical characteristics, like tastefulness with chocolate characteristic flavors. The traditional process consists of three major processing stages: fermentation, drying, and roasting, while most of the fermentation is carried out by an on-farm in-box process. In Taiwan, we have two major cocoa beans, the red and the yellow.

A Structural Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease and Animal Coronaviral Main Protease Reveals Species-Specific Ligand Binding and Dimerization Mechanism.

Animal coronaviruses (CoVs) have been identified to be the origin of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV, and probably SARS-CoV-2 that cause severe to fatal diseases in humans. Variations of zoonotic coronaviruses pose potential threats to global human beings. To overcome this problem, we focused on the main protease (M), which is an evolutionary conserved viral protein among different coronaviruses.