85,897 results match your criteria: "National Taiwan University Hospital; whfang@ntu.edu.tw.[Affiliation]"

Background: Oral frailty in older adults can affect their eating efficiency, prolonging meal times, which can compromise food flavour.

Objective: This study explored the association between cooking methods and chewing-to-swallowing time on the basis of different oral functions in older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 65 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 65 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Hallux valgus (HV) is a complex, multiplanar deformity. In this study, we examined the interrelationships between various components of this deformity using weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT). We hypothesized that the severity of traditional axial plane deformities would correlate with malpositioning of the metatarsosesamoid complex, first-ray coronal rotational deformity, and malalignment of the hindfoot and midfoot.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) is an advanced biomaterial widely recognized for its application in bone regenerative engineering. This study synthesized an MBG powder (80 mol% SiO, 5 mol% PO, and 15 mol% CaO) using a facile sol-gel method with the non-ionic surfactant Pluronic P123, which acted as a pore-forming agent. MBGs form bioactive surfaces that facilitate HA formation, and the presence of Pluronic P123 increases the surface area and promotes HA nucleation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ligament tears can strongly influence an individual's daily life and ability to engage in physical activities. It is essential to develop artificial scaffolds for ligament repairs in order to effectively restore damaged ligaments. In this experiment, the objective was to evaluate fibrous membranes as scaffolds for ligament repair.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Influenza is a major global health challenge, causing thousands of deaths annually. Antiviral drugs, particularly oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor, have become essential therapeutic options due to their oral bioavailability and efficacy. Previous studies suggest a potential association between oseltamivir use and the onset of diabetes mellitus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Role of Metformin in Preventing New-Onset Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel)

January 2025

Taiwan School of Medicine for International Students, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan.

: Recent evidence supports the protective role of metformin on kidney function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, its potential to prevent new-onset chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with normal renal function remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether metformin could prevent the development of new-onset CKD in such patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Monoterpenes, a class of organic compounds with the molecular formula CH, have garnered significant attention for their potential medicinal benefits. Emerging evidence suggests they may positively influence skeletal muscle function. However, the impact of monoterpene exposure on muscle strength and mass in humans remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The global evolution of pathogens causing early-onset sepsis (EOS), a critical condition in preterm infants, necessitates a re-evaluation of risk factors to develop updated prevention and treatment strategies. This nationwide case-control study in Taiwan analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Research Database, Birth Reporting Database, and Maternal and Child Health Database from 2010 to 2019. The study included 176,681 mother-child pairs with preterm births.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microorganisms, including pathogens that cause skin, respiratory, and urinary tract infections, are widespread in our environment. Despite routine cleaning with bleach and disinfectants, the transmission of pathogens still occurs, leading to potential infectious diseases. This study aimed to determine the antibacterial effect of two coating formulas against common environmental pathogens like , , , , sp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Angiogenesis plays a critical role in osteosarcoma (OS) growth and metastasis. While nerve growth factor (NGF) is implicated in cancer progression, its role in OS angiogenesis remains unclear. This study explored NGF's effects on angiogenesis and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Serum cystatin C is a well-established marker of renal function and a valuable predictor of health risks and mortality. DNA methylation-predicted cystatin C (DNAmCystatinC), an advanced epigenetic biomarker, serves as a proxy for serum cystatin C levels. However, the relationships between serum cystatin C, DNAmCystatinC, renal function, and mortality outcomes have not been previously examined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Environmental Exposure to Bisphenol A Enhances Invasiveness in Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Int J Mol Sci

January 2025

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a prevalent environmental contaminant found in plastics and known for its endocrine-disrupting properties, posing risks to both human health and the environment. Despite its widespread presence, the impact of BPA on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) progression, especially under realistic environmental conditions, is not well understood. This study examined the effects of BPA on PTC using a 3D thyroid papillary tumor spheroid model, which better mimicked the complex interactions within human tissues compared to traditional 2D models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Methylglyoxal-Stimulated Mesothelial Cells Prompted Fibroblast-to-Proto-Myofibroblast Transition.

Int J Mol Sci

January 2025

Graduate Institute of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.

During long-term peritoneal dialysis, peritoneal fibrosis (PF) often happens and results in ultrafiltration failure, which directly leads to the termination of dialysis. The accumulation of extracellular matrix produced from an increasing number of myofibroblasts was a hallmark characteristic of PF. To date, glucose degradation products (GDPs, i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI). These nanosized vesicles possess unique properties such as low immunogenicity and the ability to cross biological barriers, making them ideal carriers for delivering bioactive molecules to injured tissues. MSC-EVs have been demonstrated to exert multiple beneficial effects in SCI, including reducing inflammation, promoting neuroprotection, and enhancing axonal regeneration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An Alternative Mode of GPCR Transactivation: Activation of GPCRs by Adhesion GPCRs.

Int J Mol Sci

January 2025

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), critical for cellular communication and signaling, represent the largest cell surface protein family and play important roles in numerous pathophysiological processes. Consequently, GPCRs have become a primary focus in drug discovery efforts. Beyond their traditional G protein-dependent signaling pathways, GPCRs are also capable of activating alternative signaling mechanisms, including G protein-independent signaling, biased signaling, and signaling crosstalk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and alterations in autophagy activity have been described as prominent factors mediating many pathological processes in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER may stimulate the unfolded protein response (UPR). The interplay between autophagy and UPR in hemodialysis (HD) patients remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The relationship between pregnancy complications and the risk of gynecological and breast cancer remains inconclusive, with limited research available. This study aimed to determine whether pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), large for gestational age (LGA), or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are associated with the development of endometrial cancer (EC), ovarian cancer (OC), or breast cancer (BC). : This was a population-based case-control study linked to the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2008 to 2020, using ICD codes to identify parous gynecological cases (n = 6714).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Vancomycin-intermediate (VISA) is a multi-drug-resistant pathogen of significant clinical concern. Various strains can cause infections, from skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening conditions such as bacteremia and pneumonia. VISA infections, particularly bacteremia, are associated with high mortality rates, with 34% of patients succumbing within 30 days.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Increasing evidence shows that () largely affects colorectal cancer (CRC) growth and progression; therefore, the inhibition of intratumoral may be one realistic approach to combat CRC. Although antibiotics are helpful in eliminating bacteria, the major problem remains the rise of potential antibiotic-resistant strains and antibiotic-associated adverse effects. Currently, bacteriophage therapy has gained interest because of its high selectivity to bacterial hosts and may become a realistic approach in treating bacteria-associated cancers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with colon cancer accounting for approximately 60% of all CRC cases. Surgery remains the primary and most effective treatment. Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) has emerged as a promising approach for colon cancer resection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Argonautes (AGOs) are a type of protein that degrade specific messenger RNAs, consequently reducing the expression of a specific gene. These proteins consist of small, single-stranded RNA or DNA and may provide a route for detecting and silencing complementary mobile genetic elements. In this research, we investigated which AGO(s) were involved in Kawasaki disease (KD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer is a major global health burden, with biochemical recurrence (BCR) following radical prostatectomy affecting 20-40% of patients and posing significant challenges to prognosis and treatment. Emerging evidence suggests a critical role for differentially expressed in normal and neoplastic cell () domain-containing genes in oncogenesis; however, their implications in prostate cancer and BCR risk remain underexplored. This study systematically evaluated 151 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in domain-containing genes in 458 patients with prostate cancer and BCR, followed by validation in an independent cohort of 185 patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF