Fluoroquinolones versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for the treatment of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Fluoroquinolones are a popular alternative to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections.

Objectives: To compare the effects of fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on mortality of S. maltophilia infections.

Overexpression of AdeABC efflux pump associated with tigecycline resistance in clinical Acinetobacter nosocomialis isolates.

Objectives: Tigecycline non-susceptible Acinetobacter nosocomialis (TNAN) has been discovered in clinical isolates. The resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type efflux system plays a major role in tigecycline non-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii, but the mechanism in A. nosocomialis remains unknown.

Critical involvement of atypical chemokine receptor CXCR7 in allergic airway inflammation.

Trafficking and recruitment of immune cells to the site of inflammation with spatial and temporal synchronization is crucial for the development of allergic airway inflammation. Particularly, chemokines are known to be key players in these processes. Previous studies revealed that the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis plays an important role in regulating allergic airway inflammation.

Trajectories of fasting plasma glucose variability and mortality in type 2 diabetes.

Aim: To investigate the effect of changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) variability, as assessed by 2-year trajectories of FPG variability, on mortality risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: From 2009 to 2012, outpatients with T2D, aged>18 years, were enrolled from a medical centre. FPG was measured every 3 months for 2 years in 3569 people.

Levobuipivacaine-Induced Dissemination of A549 Lung Cancer Cells.

While anaesthetics are frequently used on cancer patients during surgical procedures, their consequence on cancer progression remains to be elucidated. In this study, we sought to investigate the influence of local anesthetics on lung cancer cell dissemination in vitro and in vivo. A549 human non-small lung cancer cells were treated with various local anaesthetics including ropivacaine, lidocaine, levobupivacaine and bupivacaine.

Wolf's post-herpetic isotopic response to tocilizumab for rheumatoid arthritis.

Immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions may occur after the first or many exposures to tocilizumab, and they have varying presentations. Here, we describe a Wolf's isotopic response that manifested in a patient as erythema on the same site of a previous healed herpes zoster infection. This phenomenon has rarely been reported in the literature.

Association between chronic periodontitis and the risk of Alzheimer's disease: a retrospective, population-based, matched-cohort study.

Background: Although recent short-term cross-sectional studies have revealed that chronic periodontitis (CP) may be a risk factor for increased cognitive impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), systematic reviews and long-term longitudinal studies have provided less clear evidence regarding the relationship between CP and AD. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan to determine whether patients with CP are at increased risk of developing AD.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched-cohort study using the NHIRD of Taiwan.

Readiness of hospital nurses for disaster responses in Taiwan: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Because patients in disaster areas require the most critical care, mobilising hospital nurses has become a pivotal strategy. Given the importance of disaster nursing training programmes, understanding how well prepared hospital nurses are to provide disaster care is vital.

Objectives: This paper analyses the perceived readiness of hospital nurses for a disaster response and the factors influencing their report for work outside the hospital environment.

Silencing JARID1B suppresses oncogenicity, stemness and increases radiation sensitivity in human oral carcinoma.

Purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a major cause of human mortality globally and radiotherapy is one of the main treatment modalities, however its therapeutic effect is often limited by radioresistance. JARID1B is an epigenetic factor with reported oncogenic potential in various cancer types. We investigated the effect of JARID1B inhibition on migration and invasion of human OSCC cell lines, as well as on clinical patients' outcome.

The role of XRCC6/Ku70 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The association between XRCC6/Ku70, an upstream player in the DNA double-strand break repair system, and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was examined. In this case-control study, 176 NPC patients and 352 cancer-free controls were genotyped, and the associations of XRCC6 promoter T-991C (rs5751129), promoter G-57C (rs2267437), promoter G-31A (rs132770), and intron 3 (rs132774) polymorphisms with NPC risk were evaluated. NPC tissue samples were also assessed for their XRCC6 mRNA and protein expression by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blotting, respectively.

Levosimendan attenuates multiple organ injury and improves survival in peritonitis-induced septic shock: studies in a rat model.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of levosimendan on rodent septic shock induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).

Methods: Three hours after peritonitis-induced sepsis, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of levosimendan (1.2 μg/kg/min for 10 min and then 0.

Colchicine suppresses atrial fibrillation in failing heart.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which colchicine suppresses atrial fibrillation (AF) in a rabbit heart failure (HF) model.

Methods And Results: HF was induced by coronary ligation. Using the Langendorff perfusion system, monophasic action potentials were recorded in the left atrial appendage (LAA) of normal rabbits (n=6) and HF rabbits (n=6) treated with colchicine (100 μM) followed by colchicine (100 μM) plus paclitaxel (5 μM).

Human infection with avian influenza A H6N1 virus: an epidemiological analysis.

Background: Avian influenza A H6N1 virus is one of the most common viruses isolated from wild and domestic avian species, but human infection with this virus has not been previously reported. We report the clinical presentation, contact, and environmental investigations of a patient infected with this virus, and assess the origin and genetic characteristics of the isolated virus.

Methods: A 20-year-old woman with an influenza-like illness presented to a hospital with shortness of breath in May, 2013.

Genotype variant associated with add-on memantine in bipolar II disorder.

Memantine is a non-competitive N-methyl-d-asparate (NMDA) receptor antagonist with a mood-stabilizing effect. We investigated whether using valproic acid (VPA) plus add-on memantine to treat bipolar II disorder (BP-II) is more effective than using VPA alone (VPA + Pbo). We also evaluated, in BP-II patients, the association between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism with treatment response to VPA + add-on memantine and to VPA + Pbo.

Prognostic significance of the number of removed lymph nodes at lobectomy in patients with positron emission tomography-computed tomography-negative N2 non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: We assessed the relation between the extent of lymph node (LN) dissection and the prognosis for positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT)-negative patients with clinical early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), undergoing lobectomy and mediastinal LN dissection.

Methods: 277 patients with clinical stage I/II NSCLC who had undergone a preoperative PET-CT scan followed by lobectomy were analysed retrospectively. The prognostic value of age, maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the tumour, tumour size, carcinoembryonic antigen and number of dissected LNs was assessed to determine any association with overall survival and disease-free survival.

The paracrine effect of cancer-associated fibroblast-induced interleukin-33 regulates the invasiveness of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. The prognosis of HNSCC is usually poor because of its propensity for extensive invasion, local recurrence and frequent regional lymph node metastasis, even at initial diagnosis. Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major type of tumour-surrounding stromal cell, generate mediators through which they interact with tumours and contribute to cancer progression.

RhoA/Rho-kinase and nitric oxide in vascular reactivity in rats with endotoxaemia.

RhoA/Rho-kinase (RhoA/ROK) pathway promotes vasoconstriction by calcium sensitivity mechanism. LPS causes nitric oxide (NO) overproduction to induce vascular hyporeactivity. Thus, we tried to examine the role of RhoA/ROK and NO in the regulation of vascular reactivity in different time-point of endotoxaemia.

Exposure to cooking oil fumes and oxidative damages: a longitudinal study in Chinese military cooks.

Cooking oil fumes (COF) contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic aromatic amines, benzene, and formaldehyde, which may cause oxidative damages to DNA and lipids. We assessed the relations between exposure to COF and subsequent oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation among military cooks and office-based soldiers. The study population, including 61 Taiwanese male military cooks and a reference group of 37 office soldiers, collected urine samples pre-shift of the first weekday and post-shift of the fifth workday.

Successful treatment for a large renal cell carcinoma with tumour thrombus.

We report the case of a 41-year-old man with symptoms of exertional dyspnoea and easy fatigue. Physical examination revealed a palpable mass with knocking pain over the right flank region and a cardiac murmur with jugular vein engorgement. Transoesophageal echocardiography revealed a right atrial mass that caused tricuspid inflow obstruction.

Efficiency of infiltration with bupivacain after modified radical mastectomy.

Background: Pre-incisional infiltration of anaesthetic is proven to reduce postoperative pain in breast cancer surgery. However, studies of post-incisional infiltration for modified radical mastectomy are rare. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether post-incisional infiltration with bupivacaine provides improved postoperative pain relief and a cost-effective benefit.

Application of thrombelastography in liver injury induced by endotoxin in rat.

Liver injury developing in patients with sepsis may lead to an increased risk of mortality. Thrombelastography (TEG) is generally applied to evaluate hemostatic disturbance in patients undergoing liver transplantation or cardiopulmonary bypass. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of liver injury and coagulopathy in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced animal model and to assess the relationship between TEG variables and liver injury.

A progesterone-receptor-positive huge retroperitoneal tumour mimics metastasis in a breast cancer patient: sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma.

We report a rare case of breast cancer concomitant with progesterone-receptor-positive renal cell carcinoma. A 48-year-old woman was diagnosed as having infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast and underwent modified radical mastectomy. A synchronous retroperitoneal tumour was detected by sonography of the abdomen in a routine cancer staging.