Nocturnal sentry duty and cardiometabolic characteristics in armed forces personnel.

Background: Sleep deprivation can lead to increased body weight and blood pressure (BP), but the latent effects of partial sleep deprivation related to required night sentry duties within a short-term period on cardiometabolic characteristic changes in military personnel are unclear.

Aim: To investigate the association between night sentry duty frequency in the past 3 months and cardiometabolic characteristics in armed forces personnel.

Methods: A total of 867 armed forces personnel who were aged 18-39 years and did not take any antihypertensive medications in Taiwan in 2020 were included.

Efficacy in predicting mortality of patients with heart failure using heart rate before intensive care unit discharge: a retrospective cohort study from MIMIC-IV Database.

Objective: Heart rate serves as a critical prognostic factor in heart failure (HF) patients. We hypothesise that elevated heart rate in critically ill HF patients on discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) could be linked to adverse outcomes.

Design: A single-centre retrospective cohort study.

In-room cytologic evaluation by trained endosonographer for determination of procedure end in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy of solid pancreatic lesions: a prospective study in Taiwan.

Background/aims: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) is an essential tool for tissue acquisition in solid pancreatic tumors. Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) by cytologists ensures diagnostic accuracy. However, the universal application of the ROSE is limited by its availability.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Good Death Index from Patients with Terminal Cancer's Perspectives: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Patients with terminal illness often experience significant physical and mental suffering. This distress affects the patients themselves, as they endure the pain of their condition and their family members, who are affected by the patient's situation and medical decisions. Furthermore, exploring the patients' and their families' concepts of a "good death" is crucial for reflecting on the value of life and for planning treatment or care models (such as advance care planning).

Identifying threshold of CT-defined muscle loss after radiotherapy for survival in oral cavity cancer using machine learning.

Objectives: Muscle loss after radiotherapy is associated with poorer survival in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). However, the threshold of muscle loss remains unclear. This study aimed to utilize explainable artificial intelligence to identify the threshold of muscle loss associated with survival in OCSCC.

GRADE-based procalcitonin guideline for emergency departments.

Procalcitonin is a useful biomarker for infection. Over the past two decades, there has been much research on the clinical applications of procalcitonin, yet the majority of these studies have been conducted in the intensive care setting. Despite the extensive use of procalcitonin in emergency departments, there have been no guidelines focusing specifically on these clinical settings.

The therapeutic effects of probiotics on core and associated behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: We aimed at investigating the efficacies of probiotics in alleviating the core and associated symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: Randomized placebo-controlled trials were identified from major electronic databases from inception to Nov 2023. The outcomes of interests including improvements in the total and associated symptoms of ASD were quantitatively expressed as effect size (ES) based on standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Neurobehavioral disorders among children born to mothers exposed to illicit substances during pregnancy.

Background: Exposure to illicit substances during pregnancy may have long-term impacts on children's neurodevelopment. This study explores subsequent risks for intellectual disability, autistic disorders, and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders in children born to mothers exposed to illicit substances before or during pregnancy.

Methods: We identified women with illicit drug use by linking the police records from the "Substance Abuse Control Databases" and Taiwan Birth Registration and Birth Notification records from 2004 to 2014.

Clinical Efficacy of Cysteamine Application for Melasma: A Meta-Analysis.

Melasma is a challenging, acquired hyperpigmentary disorder. The gold standard treatment is Kligman's formulation, which contains hydroquinone, tretinoin, and dexamethasone, but its long-term use is limited by the risk of exogenous ochronosis. Cysteamine, a tyrosinase inhibitor, reduces melanocyte activity and melanin production, showing strong depigmenting effects in patients resistant to Kligman's formulation.

Impact of Resistance Training on Body Composition and Physical Function in Individuals with Down Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.

Down syndrome (DS) is associated with challenges like increased fat mass and reduced muscle tone. This study aims to analyze the impact of resistance training on improving muscle strength and physical function in individuals with DS. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies published up to August 2023.

The Connective Tissue Architecture of the Cavernous Sinus: An Anatomical Study and Unifying Conceptualization.

Objective: The aim of this study was to synthesize existing knowledge regarding the anatomy of the cavernous sinus (CS), critically evaluate the current anatomical hypotheses concerning its walls, to conduct anatomical dissections and develop a comprehensive understanding of the connective tissue structure of the CS.

Methods: We performed systematic dissections on fifteen fresh adult cadavers. Specifically, five specimens were approached laterally, five were sectioned in the axial plane, and five were dissected using endoscopic endonasal techniques.

Increased Anion Exchanger-1 (Band 3) on the Red Blood Cell Membrane Accelerates Scavenge of Nitric Oxide Metabolites and Predisposes Hypertension Risks.

The erythrocyte membrane is highly specialized with ∼one million anion exchanger-1 (AE1) per cell for rapid membrane permeation of HCO3-(aq), as most blood CO2(g) is carried in this hydrated anionic form. People with the GP.Mur blood type have more AE1 on their erythrocyte membrane, and they excrete CO2(g) more efficiently.

Accurate Intramyocardial Hemorrhage Assessment with Fast, Free-running, Cardiac Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.

Purpose To evaluate the performance of a high-dynamic-range quantitative susceptibility mapping (HDR-QSM) cardiac MRI technique to detect intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) and quantify iron content using phantom and canine models. Materials and Methods A free-running whole-heart HDR-QSM technique for IMH assessment was developed and evaluated in calibrated iron phantoms and 14 IMH female canine models. IMH detection and iron content quantification performance of this technique was compared with the conventional iron imaging approaches, R2*(1/T2*) maps, using measurements from ex vivo imaging as the reference standard.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Online and Face-to-Face Teaching for Medical Students in Shared Decision-Making Communication Skills Training.

Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) is crucial in healthcare to facilitate effective communication between providers and patients, aiding in making optimal medical decisions. Communication skills training (CST) can improve physicians' ability in SDM. However, SDM CST for medical students in Taiwan is scarce, and research comparing online versus in-person CST outcomes is lacking.

Postautologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Disseminated Hypopigmented Keratosis.

Disseminated hypopigmented keratosis is a rare distinct clinical entity. This report describes the case of a 19-year-old male patient who developed disseminated hypopigmented keratosis 2 months after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for pineal choriocarcinoma. The patient displayed numerous tiny whitish or depigmented macules and papules on the chest, back, posterior neck, shoulders, arms, and thighs, closely resembling lichen nitidus.

Fusion Learning from Non-contrast CT Scans for the Detection of Hemorrhagic Transformation in Stroke Patients.

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a potentially catastrophic complication after acute ischemic stroke. Prevention of HT risk is crucial because it worsens prognosis and increases mortality. This study aimed at developing and validating a computer-aided diagnosis system using pretreatment non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scans for HT prediction in stroke patients undergoing revascularization.

Returning to School After a Life-Altering Disruption: A Qualitative Study of Childhood Hematologic Malignancies Survivors and Parents.

After completing treatment, hematologic malignancy survivors face a critical phase of reintegrating into society. This study explored how survivors and their parents gradually returned to daily life, using grounded theory and in-depth interviews with 13 survivors and 16 parents. Data were analyzed revealed that hematologic malignancy survivors and their parents needed time to gradually return to daily life after a life-altering disruption after completing treatment.

Rapid biomonitoring of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy drugs and their biometabolites in colorectal cancer patients' blood samples using an in-syringe-based fast drug extraction technique followed by LC-MS/MS analysis.

Patients with dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency in peripheral mononuclear cells are at higher risk of severe toxicity due to the improper dose of fluorouracil-based chemotherapy drugs, which has become an essential aspect for consideration in clinical studies. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a first-line and second-line chemotherapy drug in adjuvant, neoadjuvant, or palliative therapy settings to treat solid tumors and cancers. In this work, a novel in-syringe-based fast drug extraction (IS-FaDEx) technique followed by UHPLC-MS/MS detection was developed for rapid biomonitoring of 5-FU and its biometabolites in human blood samples.

Dynamic Bidirectional Associations Between Global Positioning System Mobility and Ecological Momentary Assessment of Mood Symptoms in Mood Disorders: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Although significant research has explored the digital phenotype in mood disorders, the time-lagged and bidirectional relationship between mood and global positioning system (GPS) mobility remains relatively unexplored. Leveraging the widespread use of smartphones, we examined correlations between mood and behavioral changes, which could inform future scalable interventions and personalized mental health monitoring.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the bidirectional time lag relationships between passive GPS data and active ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data collected via smartphone app technology.

Clinical Characteristics, Management and Outcomes of Colitis-associated Colorectal Cancer and the Comparison to Sporadic Colorectal Cancer in Taiwan.

Background: We explored the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of colitis-associated colorectal cancer and compared with sporadic colorectal cancer in Taiwan.

Methods: In this retrospective study spanning 1987-2022, colitis-associated colorectal cancers diagnosed according to endoscopic and pathological reports from 14 tertiary centers were reported to our cohort. Clinical demographics, endoscopic findings, histological results, treatment modalities, and outcomes were analyzed.