Efficacy and safety of durvalumab rechallenge in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients refractory to prior anti-PD-1 therapy.

Background/purpose: Recently, anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (anti-PD-1) and anti-PD-L1 therapies were approved for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the effectiveness of rechallenging with one immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) after failure of another remains unclear. This study explores the efficacy and safety of anti-PD-L1 rechallenge in patients who failed anti-PD-1 therapy.

Corticosteroid effects on IL-10 and IL-1β in U937-derived macrophages: A model for Kawasaki disease-associated inflammation.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a pediatric vasculitis that has a predilection for coronary artery involvement. Activated macrophages play an important role in the destruction of the coronary arteries in KD. Although intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is standard therapy, corticosteroids are sometimes given to patients at a higher risk of IVIG non-responsiveness.

Response Trajectories and Temporal Trends of Viloxazine Treatment for Young People With ADHD: A Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Viloxazine is a novel nonstimulant medication approved for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Objectives: To investigate the whether viloxazine is associated with effective and acceptable outcomes when treating children and adolescents with ADHD and to evaluate these outcomes' associations with viloxazine doses and duration of treatment.

Data Sources: The MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, PsycINFO, and ClinicalTrial.

Promising biomarkers of Kawasaki disease: markers that aid in diagnosis.

Introduction: Currently the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is still heavily reliant on clinical criteria which may be subject to interpretation or mimic other common febrile diseases of childhood. Biomarkers that can aid in the accurate and timely diagnosis of KD are of great clinical utility.

Areas Covered: A literature search of PubMed was performed using the key words: Kawasaki disease, diagnosis, biomarkers, proteomics and transcriptomics.

A new model based on preoperative AFP, albumin, and tumor burden score for predicting microvascular invasion in early-stage HCC.

Microscopic vascular invasion (MVI) has been demonstrated as a strong risk factor associated with tumor recurrence and poor overall survival among hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after resection, but the preoperative prediction of MVI is still challenging. We aimed to build and validate a novel model to predict MVI in the preoperative setting. We retrospectively collected 857 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 or A HCC who underwent primary resection at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Hospital between January 2001 and June 2016.

Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine by patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for chronic kidney disease in Taiwan: a descriptive investigation.

Background: Despite the paucity of scientific evidence, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used for the prevention and treatment of chronic illness, holistic care, and counteracting the adverse effects of conventional therapies. This study aims to determine the prevalence of CAM use and its associated factors among patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in Taiwan.

Methods: This quantitative study was conducted from August 2022 to July 2024 in the HD unit at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan.

Comparative study of 3D contact area percentage between zygomatic implant and bone in different surgical approaches: clinical and biomechanical perspectives.

Background: Zygomatic implants, either alone or in combination with dental implant placement, have emerged as a viable surgical option for elderly patients with severe bone atrophy for occlusal restoration. This study aims to examine the biomechanical impact of the three-dimensional contact area between zygomatic implants and bone on biomechanics under different surgical methods.

Material And Methods: Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images from 10 patients with severe bone atrophy, we reconstructed 3D maxillary bone models and created corresponding 3D zygomatic implant models.

Molecular profiling reveals novel therapeutic targets and clonal evolution in ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

Background: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) has a disproportionately high incidence among women in East Asia. Patients diagnosed with OCCC tend to experience worse clinical outcomes than those with high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) at advanced stages. The unfavorable prognosis of OCCC can be partly attributed to its frequent resistance to conventional chemotherapy.

Changes in plasma biomarkers differentiate clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease using immunomagnetic reduction assays.

Background: Many groups have been using immunomagnetic reduction (IMR) for assaying plasma amyloid-β 1-40 (Aβ) peptide, Aβ peptide and total tau protein (T-Tau) in cognitively normal controls (NC), patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD). Tremendous results have been independently reported.

Objective: We used traditional knowledge databases (e.

Bevacizumab as a mitigating factor for the impact of high systemic immune-inflammation index on chemorefractory in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.

Background: Predicting chemorefractory disease in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains challenging. This study aimed to identify clinicopathological factors and hemogram data as predictive markers for chemorefractory EOC and to explore potential therapeutic approaches that may mitigate these unfavorable conditions.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with advanced EOC treated with chemotherapy.

Lifestyle factors and urine levels of organophosphorus flame retardants in endometrial cancer: insights from a case-control study.

Background: Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are commonly used in various consumer products to prevent fire hazards. However, OPFRs have been linked to several health problems, including cancer. This study aimed to investigate the association between urine levels of OPFRs and endometrial cancer (EC), and to explore the correlation between concentrations of parent OPFR compounds and their metabolites.

Enhancing ICU Outcomes Through Intelligent Monitoring Systems: A Comparative Study on Ventilator-Associated Events.

Using intelligent monitoring systems can potentially improve the identification and management of ventilator-associated events (VAEs). This single-center retrospective observational study evaluated the impact of implementing intelligent monitoring systems on the clinical outcomes of patients with VAEs in an ICU setting. An intelligent VAE monitoring system was integrated into electronic medical records to continuously collect patient data and alert attending physicians when a ventilated patient met the criteria for a ventilator-associated condition, which was defined as an increase of at least three cm HO in positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP), an increase of at least 0.

Efficacy of Horticultural Therapy on Positive, Negative, and Affective Symptoms in Individuals with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances are core features of schizophrenia. Although horticultural therapy (HT) has shown promise as an adjunctive treatment, evidence supporting its effectiveness remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the impact of HT on total symptoms, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and emotional disturbances in individuals with schizophrenia.

The DOSE index in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: evaluating healthcare costs.

Background And Objectives: The DOSE index, which incorporates Dyspnea, Obstruction, Smoking, and Exacerbations, is a widely used tool for assessing the severity and prognosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In addition to risk assessment, it has potential clinical utility in predicting healthcare costs, which are primarily driven by exacerbations. While several indices, such as the BODE (Body-mass index, Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise) and ADO (Age, Dyspnea, Obstruction) indices, exist for risk prediction, there is a lack of dedicated tools for forecasting healthcare costs.

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.

PACT-3D, a deep learning algorithm for pneumoperitoneum detection in abdominal CT scans.

Delays or misdiagnoses in detecting pneumoperitoneum can significantly increase mortality and morbidity. We developed and validated a deep learning model designed to identify pneumoperitoneum in computed tomography images. The model is trained on abdominal scans from Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (January 2012-December 2021) and evaluated using a simulated test set (14,039 scans) and a prospective test set (6351 scans) collected from the same center between December 2022 and May 2023.

Sequential living donor liver transplantation after liver resection optimizes outcomes for patients with high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. While liver transplantation (LT) provides the best long-term survival, it is constrained by organ scarcity and strict criteria. Liver resection (LR) is often the initial treatment for patients with solitary tumors and preserved liver function.

Effects of urinary organophosphate flame retardants in susceptibility to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in school-age children.

Our previous studies have revealed a correlation between urinary phthalates (PAE) metabolites and parabens and PM exposure and susceptibility to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-age children. Our goal was to examine the relationships between urinary organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and their metabolites and the susceptibility to ADHD in the same cohort of children. We recruited 186 school children, including 132 with ADHD and 54 normal controls, living in southern Taiwan to investigate five OPFRs (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl phosphate (TDCPP), tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), and triphenyl phosphate (TPHP)) and five OPFR metabolites (bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCPP), di-n-butyl phosphate (DNBP), bis(2-chloroethyl) hydrogen phosphate (BCEP), di-(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (DBEP), and diphenyl phosphate (DPHP)) in urine.