Improvement of Presbyopia, Dry Eye, Intraocular Pressure, and Near Vision Through Cassiae Tea Consumption.

: This study aimed to illustrate a novel method for improving presbyopia by drinking cassiae tea. : A total of 425 eyes from 425 participants (aged 52.5 ± 9.

Precision Imaging for Early Detection of Esophageal Cancer.

Early detection of early-stage esophageal cancer (ECA) is crucial for timely intervention and improved treatment outcomes. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies offer promising avenues for enhancing diagnostic accuracy in this context. This study utilized a dataset comprising 3984 white light images (WLIs) and 3666 narrow-band images (NBIs).

Assessment of psychological health effects of nurses during 2022-2023 of the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive study in Southern Taiwan.

Background: Nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic have increased workloads, burnout, and virus exposure, leading to mental health challenges and a lack of resources for patient care. Mental health support for nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak has become a priority. This study evaluated psychological health outcomes of among nurses during the 2022-2023 COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan, focusing on personal and work-related fatigue as key contributors to emotional distress.

Real-world efficacy and safety of universal 8-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C with early chronic kidney disease or pre-end-stage renal disease: Insights from a nationwide hepatisis C virus registry in Taiwan.

An 8-week regimen of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is recommended for treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In alignment with the Taiwanese government's objective to eliminate hepatitis C by 2025, this study aimed to provide real-world evidence on the use of this regimen in treatment-naïve patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by using data from the Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver HCV Registry (TACR). CKD was defined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of <60 mL/min/1.

Association of total testosterone levels with cardiometabolic diseases in men with erectile dysfunction.

Background: Both serum testosterone (T) levels and erectile dysfunction (ED) are associated with systemic diseases in men and ED is the most common presenting symptom of hypogonadism.

Aim: To evaluate the association of serum total testosterone (TT) levels with cardiometabolic diseases in men with ED.

Methods: Serum endogenous TT levels were determined to evaluate their associations with cardiometabolic diseases in men with ED in outpatient clinics.

Using machine learning to predict patients with polycystic ovary disease in Chinese women.

Objective: With an estimated global frequency ranging from5 % to 21 %, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent hormonal disorders. There are many factors found to be related to PCOS. However, most of these researches used traditional methods such as multiple logistic regression (LR).

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells in Humans Exhibit Resistance to Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid (SAHA) Owing to the Diminished Level of Hsa-miR-125a-5p.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents an escalating public health challenge globally. However, drug resistance has emerged as a major impediment to successful HCC treatment, limiting the efficacy of curative interventions. Despite numerous investigations into the diverse impacts of hsa-miR-125a-5p on tumor growth across different cancer types, its specific involvement in chemotherapy resistance in HCC remains elusive.

Acetylated Globotetraose (Ac-Gb4) Suppresses Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Through FAK/AKT Signaling Pathway.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a significant therapeutic challenge due to its unresponsiveness to hormone and HER2-targeted treatments. This study investigated the potential of acetylated globotetraose (Ac-Gb4) as a novel therapeutic approach targeting glycolipid-mediated signaling in breast cancer cells. We synthesized acetylated globotetraose (Gb4) to enhance its membrane permeability while preserving its biological recognition properties.

H NMR-based metabolomic analysis of hypersalinity-induced oviparity in brine shrimp.

This study investigated the mechanisms by which high salinity conditions stimulate adult Artemia females to produce diapaused cysts. We used a H NMR-based metabolomic approach to elucidate the metabolic regulation between ovoviviparity and oviparity in Artemia exposed to different salinities. At a salinity of 80 ppt, 100 % of females produced diapaused cysts, compared to 20 % at 50 ppt.

Evaluation of Band Selection for Spectrum-Aided Visual Enhancer (SAVE) for Esophageal Cancer Detection.

Band selection is a common approach to reduce the data dimensionality of hyperspectral imagery. It extracts several bands of importance in some sense by taking advantage of high spectral correlation. In medical imaging, narrow-band imaging (NBI) is an imaging technique for endoscopic diagnostic medical tests, where light of specific blue and green wavelengths is used to enhance the detail of certain aspects of the surface of the mucosa.

Structures of Polyacetoxybriaranes Extracted from the Sea Whip Octocoral Junceella fragilis.

In the present study, an algae-containing octocoral, Junceella fragilis, was subjected to chemical screening. The analysis resulted in the extraction of six polyacetoxybriaranes: a new compound, identified as fragilide Z (1), alongside previously identified analogs, which included 12-epi-fragilide G (2), fragilide P (3), junceellolide D (4), junceellonoid A (5), and juncin ZI (6). The structures of compounds 2-6 were investigated through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, whereas that of 1 was examined through two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

Advancing hyperspectral imaging and machine learning tools toward clinical adoption in tissue diagnostics: A comprehensive review.

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has become an evident transformative apparatus in medical diagnostics. The review aims to appraise the present advancement and challenges in HSI for medical applications. It features a variety of medical applications namely diagnosing diabetic retinopathy, neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, which illustrates its effectiveness in early diagnosis, early caries detection in periodontal disease, and dermatology by detecting skin cancer.

Therapeutic effects of Huangqi formula (Eefooton) in chronic kidney disease: clinical research and narrative literature review.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the clinical effects of employing the Huangqi formula (Eefooton; EFT) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment. A narrative literature review was undertaken to elucidate the specific ingredients of EFT and their potential impact on renal health.

Methods: A retrospective observational study investigated EFT treatment in outpatients with stable CKD (stages 3B to 5) from March 2019 to March 2021.

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.

Functional gold nanoparticles for analysis and delivery of nucleic acids.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have become the rising stars in the field of nanotechnology and made a revolution in exploiting the profundity of genomics due to their distinguished properties such as stability, ease in preparation and conjugation, biocompatibility, and unique optical properties. These characteristics have greatly expanded their applications such as sensitive and selective quantitation of nucleic acids and as effective carriers for specifically delivering various important molecules/biomolecules to various targets, which are the cornerstone in treating genetic disorders. This review comprehensively discusses the most recent progress in utilization of AuNPs in quantitation and delivery of nucleic acids.

Arbutin overcomes tumor immune tolerance by inhibiting tumor programmed cell death-ligand 1 expression.

Arbutin, predominantly derived from the bearberry plant, exhibits promising immunomodulatory properties. Given its ability to influence the programmed cell death-ligand 1/ programmed cell death-1 (PD-L1/PD-1) pathway, it is emerging as a potential alternative treatment for cancer. A reduced expression of PD-L1, as seen after arbutin treatment, can bolster immune responses critical step in effective tumor immunotherapy.

Minute Ventilation/Carbon Dioxide Production Slope Could Predict Short- and Long-Term Prognosis of Patients After Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

(1) Background: Heart failure (HF) leads to functional disability and major cardiovascular events (MACEs). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the gold standard for assessing aerobic capacity and prognostic stratification. This study aimed to evaluate the predischarge CPET variables in patients with acute decompensated HF and identify the submaximal CPET variables with prognostic value.

Systematic Meta-Analysis of Computer-Aided Detection of Breast Cancer Using Hyperspectral Imaging.

The most commonly occurring cancer in the world is breast cancer with more than 500,000 cases across the world. The detection mechanism for breast cancer is endoscopist-dependent and necessitates a skilled pathologist. However, in recent years many computer-aided diagnoses (CADs) have been used to diagnose and classify breast cancer using traditional RGB images that analyze the images only in three-color channels.

Intrathecal lactate dehydrogenase A inhibitors FX11 and oxamate alleviate chronic constriction injury-induced nociceptive sensitization through neuroinflammation and angiogenesis.

Background: Neuropathic pain involves neuroinflammation and upregulation of glycolysis in the central nervous system. Unfortunately, few effective treatments are available for managing this type of pain. The overactivation of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), an essential enzyme in glycolysis, can cause neuroinflammation and nociception.

The association between the fluoxetine use and the occurrence of coronary heart disease: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Background: We explored if the administration of fluoxetine, recognized for its potential in adipocyte browning, entails a differential risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in comparison to other SSRI medications.

Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan from 2000 to 2013, we conducted a retrospective cohort study. The exposure cohort comprised individuals prescribed fluoxetine for over 90 days (n = 2,228).

Upregulated spinal histone deacetylases induce nociceptive sensitization by inhibiting the GABA system in chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathy in rats.

Introduction: Neuropathic pain (NP) affects countless people worldwide; however, few effective treatments are currently available. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) participate in epigenetic modifications in neuropathy-induced nociceptive sensitization. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter that can inhibit NP.

Graphene-Doped Piezoelectric Transducers by Kriging Optimal Model for Detecting Various Types of Laryngeal Movements.

This study fabricated piezoelectric fibers of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with graphene using near-field electrospinning (NFES) technology. A uniform experimental design table U*774 was applied, considering weight percentage (1-13 wt%), the distance between needle and disk collector (2.1-3.

Advancements in Hyperspectral Imaging and Computer-Aided Diagnostic Methods for the Enhanced Detection and Diagnosis of Head and Neck Cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC), predominantly squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), presents a significant global health burden. Conventional diagnostic approaches often face challenges in terms of achieving early detection and accurate diagnosis. This review examines recent advancements in hyperspectral imaging (HSI), integrated with computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) techniques, to enhance HNC detection and diagnosis.