Multidisciplinary Taiwan consensus for the use of conventional TACE in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

Developed in early 1980s, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with Lipiodol was adopted globally after large-scale randomized control trials and meta-analyses proving its effectiveness were completed. Also known as "conventional TACE" (cTACE), TACE is currently the first-line treatment for patients with unresectable intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and delivers both ischemic and cytotoxic effects to targeted tumors. Although new technology and clinical studies have contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of when and how to apply this widely-adopted therapeutic modality, some of these new findings and techniques have yet to be incorporated into a guideline appropriate for Taiwan.

Oral ellagic acid attenuated LPS-induced neuroinflammation in rat brain: MEK1 interaction and M2 microglial polarization.

Ellagic acid, the marker component of peels of L., is known traditionally to treat traumatic hemorrhage. In this study, the cellular mechanism underlying ellagic acid-induced anti-inflammation was investigated using lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) as a neuroinflammation inducer.

Waldeyer ring microbiome in relation to chemoradiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Waldeyer lymphatic ring surrounds the nasopharynx and oropharynx, and no study to date has correlated its microbiome with the severity of oral mucositis (OM) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving chemoradiotherapy.

Methods: We performed 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize bacterial microbiome in tumor-affected nasopharynx and the surrounding normal oropharynx. We plotted the abundance and diversity of bacterial taxa and their phylogenetic distance and networks to visualize and compare the differences in pretreatment overall bacterial communities between the nasopharynx and oropharynx in patients with NPC with varying degrees of chemoradiotherapy-induced OM and quality of life.

Temporal reciprocal relationships among anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder for family surrogates from intensive care units over their first two bereavement years.

Background/objective: Bereaved family surrogates from intensive care units (ICU) are at risk of comorbid anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the temporal reciprocal relationships among them have only been examined once among veterans. This study aimed to longitudinally investigate these never-before-examined temporal reciprocal relationships for ICU family members over their first two bereavement years.

Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal, observational study, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD were assessed among 321 family surrogates of ICU decedents from 2 academically affiliated hospitals in Taiwan by the anxiety and depression subscales of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, respectively at 1, 3, 6, 13, 18, and 24 months postloss.

Uptake of genetic testing among patients seeking cancer genetic counseling in Taiwan.

Genetic testing is becoming increasingly available and affordable. Understanding the reasons for individual decisions about genetic testing may assist in the identification of clinically appropriate use of genetic counseling and genetic testing resources. With the ongoing development of cancer genetic counseling services in Taiwan, we conducted this study to understand the characteristics of those seeking cancer genetic counseling and genetic testing and the predictors for undergoing genetic testing after counseling.

Differential impacts of initial treatment status on long-term survival in patients with sarcomas treated in a referral center according to histologic type and anatomic site.

Objective: The aim of this work was to estimate the magnitude of the differential impacts of initial treatment status relative to the impact of classic clinicopathologic factors on the long-term overall survival (OS) of sarcoma patients in a referral cancer center.

Methods: From the institutional database, we identified 2185 patients who presented to the institutional multidisciplinary team (MDT) prior to (N = 717, 32.8%) or after (N = 1468, 67.

The evaluation of an on-site monitoring program for activity meter quality assurance with exemption-level sources.

This paper discusses the feasibility of a monitoring program for the quality assurance status of activity meters. We sent a questionnaire to clinical nuclear medicine departments of medical institutions, requesting information on their activity meters and quality assurance practices. On-site visits were conducted with exemption-level standard sources (Co-57, Cs-137 and Ba-133) for dose calibrators in nuclear medicine departments including physical inspection, accuracy and reproducibility.

Effects of Digital Learning and Virtual Reality in Port-A Catheter Training Course for Oncology Nurses: A Mixed-Methods Study.

In-service education for oncology nurses usually adopts didactic teaching. This study investigated the effects of virtual reality (VR) and a digital learning-based Port-A-catheter educational course for oncology nurses. A mixed-methods research design was employed, with a convenience sample of 43 nurses from a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan participating.

Improving the Efficiency of Medication Reconciliation in Two Taiwanese Hospitals by Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance PharmaCloud Medication System.

Purpose: Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is a process to ensure complete and accurate communication of patient medication information throughout care transitions to prevent medication errors. Hospitals in Taiwan have stride to implement a universal protocol for MedRec. To establish a feasible protocol indigenously, the World Health Organization (WHO) protocol was incorporated with the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) PharmaCloud patient medication profile.

Optimal stroke preventive strategy for patients aged 80 years or older with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review with traditional and network meta-analysis.

Background: An optimal antithrombotic strategy for patients aged 80 years or older with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains elusive.

Objective: Using a systematic review with traditional and network meta-analysis, we investigated outcomes in AF patients ≥80 years treated with different antithrombotic strategies.

Methods: We searched eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases from inception to 16 December 2021.

Andrographolide Relieves Post-Operative Wound Pain but Affects Local Angiogenesis.

Andrographolide (Andro), the major constituent of , is was known to reduces inflammatory reaction. In the current study, the ability of Andro to reduce pain sensation in a rat post-operative wound model was explored. The hind paws of 18 Sprague-Dawley rats (SD) bearing post-operative wounds received the following three treatments: Saline, Andro via direct injection into the paw (Andro-injected) and Tablet containing Andro + poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (Andro-tablet).

Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG)-Free Nonmyeloablative Haploidentical PBSCT Plus Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide Is a Safe and Efficient Treatment Approach for Pediatric Acquired Aplastic Anemia.

Most cases of acquired aplastic anemia (AA) arise from autoimmune destruction of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-haploidentical nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) plus post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) is increasingly applied to salvage AA using bone marrow as graft and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in conditioning. Herein, we characterize a cohort of twelve AA patients clinically and molecularly, six who possessed other immunological disorders (including two also carrying germline mutations).

Is there a role for lung surgery in initially unresectable non-small cell lung cancer after tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment?

Background: The role of lung surgery in initially unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment remains unclear. We aimed to assess the survival benefits of patients who underwent surgery for regressed or regrown tumors after receiving TKI treatment.

Methods: The details of patients diagnosed with unresectable NSCLC treated with TKI followed by lung resection from 2010 to 2020 were retrieved from our database.

Prognostic Comparison between Oncotype DX and a 23-Gene Classifier, RecurIndex, on the Taiwan Breast Cancer Population.

The applicability of the Oncotype DX (Genomic Health, Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA) recurrence score (RS) in Asian populations is unclear. A 23-gene classifier, RecurIndex (Amwise Diagnostics, Pte.

Surgical treatment confers prognostic significance in pediatric malignant mediastinal germ cell tumors.

Background: Primary malignant mediastinal germ cell tumors (GCTs) are rare pediatric tumors that have a poorer prognosis compared to GCTs occurring elsewhere in the body. The current study aimed to assess the prognostic factors and treatment outcomes of children with primary malignant mediastinal GCT in Taiwan.

Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed children 0-18 years old who were newly diagnosed with primary malignant mediastinal GCT between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2019 and were registered in the Taiwan Pediatric Oncology Group patient registry.

Adult Patient With Neuroblastoma Presenting as Acute Leukemia.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extra-cranial cancer of early childhood and rarely occurs in adults. The clinical symptoms of NB can be diverse. We discuss a rare case of an adult NB presenting as acute leukemia.

Clinical Safety and Effectiveness of Robotic-Assisted Surgery in Patients with Rectal Cancer: Real-World Experience over 8 Years of Multiple Institutions with High-Volume Robotic-Assisted Surgery.

The perioperative and short-term oncological outcomes of robotic-assisted rectal surgery (RRS) are unclear. This retrospective observational study enrolled patients with rectal adenocarcinoma undergoing RRS from three high-volume institutions in Taiwan. Of the 605 enrolled patients, 301 (49.

Evolution of Graves' Disease during Immune Reconstitution following Nonmyeloablative Haploidentical Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in a Boy Carrying Germline and Variants.

Graves’ disease, characterized by hyperthyroidism resulting from loss of immune tolerance to thyroid autoantigens, may be attributable to both genetic and environmental factors. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) represents a means to induce immunotolerance via an artificial immune environment. We present a male patient with severe aplastic anemia arising from a germline SAMD9L missense mutation who successfully underwent HSCT from his HLA-haploidentical SAMD9L non-mutated father together with nonmyeloablative conditioning and post-transplant cyclophosphamide at 8 years of age.

Validation of Virtual Monochromatic Images and Effect of Body Size Obtained Using a Rapid kVp-switching Dual-energy Computed Tomography System: A Phantom Study.

The objective of this paper is to validate virtual monochromatic computed tomography (CT) numbers and the effect of the body size of insert materials in phantoms on the findings of a dual-energy CT scanner. The material inserted in the phantom simulates human organs. This study investigated the effect of different body sizes on CT numbers to understand the accuracy of dual-energy CT.