Clinical presentations, systemic inflammation response and ANDC scores in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

The association of anosmia/ageusia with a positive severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test is well-established, suggesting these symptoms are reliable indicators of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. This study investigates the clinical characteristics and systemic inflammatory markers in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Taiwan, focusing on those with anosmia/ageusia. We conducted a retrospective observational study on 231 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (alpha variant) from April to July 2021.

A case study of transneovaginal oocyte retrieval after novel Lee's neovaginoplasty in Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome.

Objective: Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a rare congenital disorder that results in vaginal agenesis. Lee's neovaginoplasty is a novel surgery for reconstructing the vagina. Transneovaginal oocyte retrieval completely changes the scope of fertility for patients with MRKH syndrome who have undergone neovaginal reconstruction.

Association Between Leg Muscle Thickness and Walking Test With the Hemophilia-Specific Functional Parameters.

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the muscle thickness and walking test in people with hemophilia A and their correlation to joint health and functional impairments.

Design: This is a cross-sectional study.

Results: Twenty-nine severe/moderate people with hemophilia A were enrolled.

Transient targeting of hypothalamic orexin neurons alleviates seizures in a mouse model of epilepsy.

Lateral hypothalamic (LH) hypocretin/orexin neurons (HONs) control brain-wide electrical excitation. Abnormally high excitation produces epileptic seizures, which affect millions of people and need better treatments. HON population activity spikes from minute to minute, but the role of this in seizures is unknown.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of perampanel: Clinical utility and impact of co-medication on pharmacokinetic variability.

Background: Perampanel (PER) is a newly developed antiseizure medication (ASM). This study aimed to determine the utilization of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for PER in a real-world clinical setting and investigate the influence of concomitant use of ASMs on the plasma concentration profile of PER.

Method: We analyzed data from the Chang Gung Research Database, which is the largest multi-institutional electronic medical records database in Taiwan.

Optimizing treatment persistence in epilepsy: a comparative analysis of combined antiseizure medications with different mechanisms of action.

Background: Combination therapy with antiseizure medications (ASMs) is a rational strategy if monotherapy cannot effectively control seizures, thereby aiming to improve tolerance and treatment persistence.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of different ASM combinations among patients.

Design: Patients with epilepsy on monotherapy who had a second ASM added as concomitant two-drug therapy from January 2009 to May 2019 in the Chang Gung Research Database, Taiwan, were included in the analysis.

Comparison of immediate germline sequencing and multi-step screening for Lynch syndrome detection in high-risk endometrial and colorectal cancer patients.

Objective: Lynch syndrome (LS) is a hereditary cancer predisposition syndrome with a significantly increased risk of colorectal and endometrial cancers. Current standard practice involves universal screening for LS in patients with newly diagnosed colorectal or endometrial cancer using a multi-step screening protocol (MSP). However, MSP may not always accurately identify LS cases.

Differential Diagnostic Value of Machine Learning-Based Models for Embolic Stroke.

Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) and atrial fibrillation (AF)-related stroke are two subtypes of acute embolic stroke with distinct lesion patterns on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and performance of DWI-based machine learning models for differentiating between CAT and AF-related stroke. Patients with CAT and AF-related stroke were enrolled.

Starvation-inactivated MTOR triggers cell migration via a ULK1-SH3PXD2A/TKS5-MMP14 pathway in ovarian carcinoma.

AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; CHX: cycloheximide; RAD001: everolimus; HBSS: Hanks' balanced salt solution; LC-MS/MS: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry; MMP14: matrix metallopeptidase 14; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; RB1CC1/FIP200: RB1 inducible coiled-coil 1; PtdIns3P: phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate; PX: phox homology; SH3: Src homology 3; SH3PXD2A/TKS5: SH3 and PX domains 2A; SH3PXD2A-[6A]: S112A S142A S146A S147A S175A S348A mutant; ULK1: unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1.

Lipoprotein(a) is Associated with Cardiovascular Events in Low Risk Males: Results from a Health Checkup Cohort with Long-Term Follow-Up.

Objective: Elevated lipoprotein(a) level is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the strength of this association in healthy individuals is unknown.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed medical records obtained from a Health Examination Program.

Acute Fulminant Myocarditis After ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine: A Case Report and Literature Review.

According to recent literatures, myocarditis is an uncommon side effect of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. On the other hand, myocarditis after adenovirus based vaccine is rarely reported. Here we report a middle-aged healthy female who had acute fulminant perimyocarditis onset 2 days after the first dose of ChAdOx1 vaccine (AstraZeneca) without any other identified etiology.

Hypothalamic deep brain stimulation as a strategy to manage anxiety disorders.

Fear is essential for survival, but excessive anxiety behavior is debilitating. Anxiety disorders affecting millions of people are a global health problem, where new therapies and targets are much needed. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is established as a therapy in several neurological disorders, but is underexplored in anxiety disorders.

Reduced Sleep Quality Is Related to Poor Quality of Life in Patients with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, a Case-Control Study.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is a primary generalized epilepsy which is closely related to the sleep-wake cycle. This study aimed to investigate whether sleep disturbance is more common among patients with JME and the impact this may have on their quality of life (QOL). Thirty-four patients with JME and age- and gender-matched controls were recruited into this case control study, and assessed using validated sleep questionnaires including the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS).

Isaacs' syndrome as the initial presentation of malignant thymoma and associated with double-positive voltage-gated potassium channel complex antibodies, a case report.

Background: Isaacs' syndrome is a peripheral nerve hyperexcitability (PNH) syndrome due to peripheral motor nerve instability. Acquired Isaacs' syndrome is recognized as a paraneoplastic autoimmune disease with possible pathogenic voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC) complex antibodies. However, the longitudinal correlation between clinical symptoms, VGKC antibodies level, and drug response is still unclear.

The First Guillain-Barr? Syndrome After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Taiwan.

Purpose: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated disease of the peripheral nerves and could be fatal and has severe neurologic complications. This study herein reports the clinical course of the first patient of GBS after SARS-CoV-2 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccination in Taiwan.

Case Report: A 38-year-old woman who presented with progressive numbness and weakness of both upper and lower limbs over 1 week.

Laparoscopic "Shaving" for Infiltrative External Adenomyosis of Bowel Muscularis and Concomitant Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis.

Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is a common finding in patients diagnosed with adenomyosis. Women commonly present with severe, incapacitating dysmenorrhea. We report a case of severe dysmenorrhea and lower abdominal tightness for 4 years, diagnosed with posterior adenomyosis.