Trend in vancomycin susceptibility and correlation with molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus causing invasive infections in Taiwan: results from the Tigecycline in vitro Surveillance in Taiwan (TIST) study, 2006-2010.

This study was intended to investigate the trend in vancomycin susceptibility and correlation with molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causing invasive infections. A total of 670 MRSA isolates were collected from patients with invasive infections as part of bacterial collection in the Tigecycline in vitro Surveillance in Taiwan (TIST) from 2006 to 2010. MICs of the isolates to vancomycin were determined using the agar dilution method.

Prenatal ultrasonography and postnatal follow-up of a case of McKusick-Kaufman syndrome.

Objective: McKusick-Kaufman syndrome (MKS) is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by hydrometrocolpos (HMC) and postaxial polydactyly (PAP). It is very difficult to diagnose MKS prenatally because of overlapping manifestations and associated anomalies with other syndromes. Herein, we present a case of MKS with prenatal ultrasound illustrating a fetal abdominal cystic mass.

GCIP functions as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer by suppressing Id1-mediated tumor promotion.

Grap2 and cyclin D1 interacting protein (GCIP) has been recognized as a putative tumor suppressor, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its anti-tumor properties remain undefined. Here, we report that GCIP is frequently downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues. Binding assays indicated that inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation 1 (Id1) interacts with GCIP in the nucleus.

Basis for enhanced barrier function of pigmented skin.

Humans with darkly pigmented skin display superior permeability barrier function in comparison with humans with lightly pigmented skin. The reduced pH of the stratum corneum (SC) of darkly pigmented skin could account for enhanced function, because acidifying lightly pigmented human SC resets barrier function to darkly pigmented levels. In SKH1 (nonpigmented) versus SKH2/J (pigmented) hairless mice, we evaluated how a pigment-dependent reduction in pH could influence epidermal barrier function.

Automated bone segmentation from dental CBCT images using patch-based sparse representation and convex optimization.

Purpose: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an increasingly utilized imaging modality for the diagnosis and treatment planning of the patients with craniomaxillofacial (CMF) deformities. Accurate segmentation of CBCT image is an essential step to generate three-dimensional (3D) models for the diagnosis and treatment planning of the patients with CMF deformities. However, due to the poor image quality, including very low signal-to-noise ratio and the widespread image artifacts such as noise, beam hardening, and inhomogeneity, it is challenging to segment the CBCT images.

Structure, properties and animal study of a calcium phosphate/calcium sulfate composite cement.

In-vitro and in-vivo studies have been conducted on an in-house-developed tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP)/dicalcium phosphate anhydrous (DCPA)/calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH)-derived composite cement. Unlike most commercial calcium-based cement pastes, the investigated cement paste can be directly injected into water and harden without dispersion. The viability value of cells incubated with a conditioned medium of cement extraction is >90% that of Al2O3 control and >80% that of blank medium.

In vivo and in vitro anti-tumor effects of fungal extracts.

Fungal extracts are extensively used as nutritional supplements in Far-Eastern Asia. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer activities of some different fungal species against different cancer cell lines. The water or ethanol extracts of Fomitopsis pinicola (F.

hRAD9 functions as a tumor suppressor by inducing p21-dependent senescence and suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition through inhibition of Slug transcription.

Senescence and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have opposing roles in tumor progression, in that, one is a barrier against tumorigenesis, whereas the other is required for invasive malignancies. Here, we report that the DNA damage response (DDR) protein hRAD9 contributes to induction of senescence and inhibition of EMT. Our data show that hRAD9 is frequently downregulated in breast and lung cancers.

Estimating the lifelong health impact and financial burdens of different types of lung cancer.

Background: Owing to the high mortality and rapidly growing costs related to lung cancer, it is worth examining the health benefits of prevention for major types of lung cancer. This study attempts to quantify the quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE), loss-of-QALE, and lifetime healthcare expenditures of patients with different pathological types of lung cancer.

Methods: A national cohort consisting of 66,535 patients with pathologically verified lung cancer was followed for 13 years (1998-2010) to obtain the survival function, which was further extrapolated to lifetime.

Pleiotropic vascular protective effects of statins in perioperative medicine.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor (statins) is one of the most commonly prescribed agents for controlling hyperlipidemia. Apart from their lipid-lowering property, statins are well known for their pleiotropic effects, such as improvement of vascular endothelial dysfunction, attenuation of inflammatory responses, stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques, inhibition of vascular smooth muscle proliferation, and modulation of procoagulant activity and platelet function. The vasculo-protective effect of statins is mainly mediated by inhibition of the mevalonate pathway and oxidized low-density lipoprotein generation, thereby enhancing the biosynthesis of endothelium-derived nitric oxide.

Risk factors for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea among hospitalized adults with fecal toxigenic C. difficile colonization.

Background: Patients with toxigenic Clostridium difficile colonization (tCDC) are at risk of developing C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). However, the risk factors of hospitalized patients with tCDC developing CDAD are not clear.

Treatment of extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative infections in critically ill patients: Outcome of a consensus meeting at the 13th Asia-Pacific Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infection, October 2012.

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli are increasingly challenging to manage in hospitals and long term-care facilities worldwide. As the therapeutic options are limited, the International Society of Chemotherapy in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology organised a consensus conference as part of the 13th Asia-Pacific Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infection. A panel of international experts from Europe, the Americas and Asia were convened to discuss the issues of therapeutic options for the management of these difficult-to-treat pathogens.

The role of hepassocin in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background & Aims: While non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common risk factor of chronic liver disease, the mechanisms that initiate its development are obscure. Hepassocin (HPS) is a hepatokine that has been reported to be involved in liver regeneration. In addition to the mitogenic activity of HPS, HPS expression is decreased in patients with hepatoma.

Tigecycline salvage therapy for necrotizing fasciitis caused by Vibrio vulnificus: Case report in a child.

Necrotizing fasciitis caused by Vibrio vulnificus is rarely reported in children. We describe a 12-year-old immunocompetent boy with necrotizing fasciitis caused by V. vulnificus.

Association of left ventricular longitudinal strain with mortality among stable hemodialysis patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background And Objectives: Little is known about the optimal echocardiographic parameters for risk stratification in stable dialysis patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (ejection fraction ≥ 50%). Left ventricular (LV) global peak systolic longitudinal strain (GLS) is the ratio of the maximal change in myocardial longitudinal length in systole to the original length and reliably and accurately assesses LV function. During systole, LV myocardium in the longitudinal direction shortens and GLS is represented by a negative value.

Differential influence of propofol on different cell types in terms of the expression of various oxidative stress-related enzymes in an experimental endotoxemia model.

Objectives: Both overproduction of nitric oxide and oxidative injury to the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems contribute to fatal pathophysiology during endotoxemia. We investigated the effect of propofol on oxidative stress-related enzymes in lung (L2), heart (H9C2) and macrophage (NR8383) cells during endotoxemia.

Methods: Experimental endotoxemia was induced by co-culture of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (15 μg/mL) in the abovementioned three types of cells that were under the effect of propofol (15 or 30 μM for 1 or 4 hours).

Multiple mechanisms of GW-9508, a selective G protein-coupled receptor 40 agonist, in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity.

Activation of G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) by agonists increases insulin release in isolated islets, whereas it is inconclusive whether GPR40 antagonists decrease blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity. Although some clinical trials indicated that administration of a GPR40 agonist shows benefits in the regulation of blood glucose homeostasis, the pharmacological mechanisms of this receptor in the improvement of glycemic control remain unclear. Therefore, we used a selective GPR40 agonist, GW-9508, to clarify the role of GPR40 in the regulation of blood glucose.