Repurposing of Metformin to Improve Survival Outcomes in Patients With Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Purpose: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) presents a higher incidence rate in Taiwan compared to Western societies. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of metformin in improving survival outcomes for patients with UTUC in Taiwan.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study included 940 patients with UTUC and type 2 diabetes from the Taiwan UTUC Collaboration Group, spanning 21 hospitals from July 1988 to September 2023.

Endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial cancer in a highly endemic area: A Taiwan nationwide collaborative study.

Background: Endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) is an important treatment option for low risk UTUC. Although Taiwan is an endemic area for UTUC, endoscopic treatment outcomes in Taiwan are frequently under- reported.

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the treatment outcomes of endoscopic management for clinically localized UTUC.

New-onset diabetes mellitus risk associated with concurrent autonomous cortisol secretion in patients with primary aldosteronism.

Concurrent autonomous cortisol secretion (ACS) in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA patients) is not uncommon. This work aimed to determine the effect of cortisol levels on incident new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (NODM) in PA patients. Using the prospectively designed observational TAIPAI cohort, the PA patients were grouped by cortisol level after an overnight low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (1-mg DST).

An improvement of current hypercube pooling PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic can be effectively controlled by rapid and accurate identification of SARS-CoV-2-infected cases through large-scale screening. Hypercube pooling polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is frequently used as a pooling technique because of its high speed and efficiency. We attempted to implement the hypercube pooling strategy and found it had a large quantization effect.

Comparison of Robotic and Conventional Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Outcomes in Patients with Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Robotic-arm-assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (RUKA) was developed to increase the accuracy of bone alignment and implant positioning. This retrospective study explored whether RUKA has more favorable overall outcomes than conventional unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (CUKA). A total of 158 patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis were recruited, of which 85 had undergone RUKA with the Mako system and 73 had undergone CUKA.

Urinary sodium potassium ratio is associated with clinical success after adrenalectomy in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism.

Background: The urinary sodium potassium (NaK) ratio is associated with dietary sodium and potassium intake and blood pressure, and it also reflects the activity of aldosterone. Herein we evaluated the value of the urinary NaK ratio in predicting the surgical outcomes of patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism (uPA).

Methods: This non-concurrent prospective cohort study was conducted from 2011 to 2017 and included 241 uPA patients who had undergone adrenalectomy.

Endoscopic management versus radical nephroureterectomy for localized upper tract urothelial carcinoma in a high endemic region.

Our aim was to analyze the clinical and survival differences among patients who underwent the two main treatment modalities, endoscopic ablation and radical nephroureterectomy. This study examined all patients who had undergone endoscopic management and RNU between Jul. 1988 and Mar.

Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty Becomes Safer after Institution of Optimal Perioperative Management: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SBTKA) increases the rates of procedure-related complications and mortality compared with unilateral TKA. There are no well-defined guidelines for selecting patients to avoid mortality and proposing an upgrade treatment to decrease complication rates. This study aimed to evaluate whether optimal perioperative management could improve the safety of SBTKA.

Predictive factors of post-laparoscopic inguinal hernia acute and chronic pain: prospective follow-up of 807 patients from a single experienced surgeon.

Introduction: Convalescence after hernia repair is one of the main focuses for hernia surgeons. We analyzed our prospectively collected data to identify possible predictive factors for post-operative acute and chronic pain.

Materials And Methods: We prospectively collected the demographic data and peri-operative findings.

Novel robot-assisted laparoscopic total extra-peritoneal repair with primary fascial closure plus pre-peritonea mesh for large groin defects.

Background: Since the introduction of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, a variety of conventional laparoscopic procedures have been explored via this approach. In the robotic era, most of the reported robot-assisted laparoscopic hernia repairs were performed with the trans-abdominal pre-peritoneal approach. According to the evidence extrapolated from laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, simultaneous fascial defect closure and mesh repair can significantly decrease the risk of seroma formation and recurrence over those without fascial closure.

A Novel Nonpedicular Screw-Based Fixation in Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

. The authors present the clinical results obtained in patients who underwent interspinous fusion device (IFD) implantation following posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). The purpose of this study is investigating the feasibility of IFD with PLIF in the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Risk of Fracture in Primary Aldosteronism: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is associated with increased urinary calcium excretion and osteoporosis prevalence. We studied the long-term effect of hyperaldosterone on fracture risk and possible risk mitigation via treatments, by comparing PA patients and their essential hypertension (EH) counterparts extracted by propensity score match. We used a longitudinal population database from the Taiwan National Health Insurance, and used a validated algorithm to identify PA patients diagnosed in 1997-2010.

Modified fixations for distal femur fractures following total knee arthroplasty: a biomechanical and clinical relevance study.

Purpose: Distal femur fractures adjacent to total knee arthroplasty are a rare yet complex problem. Recently, extramedullary locking plate and retrograde intramedullary nail fixations have become popular options, but the complication rates associated with these procedures are 15-20 %. Modified fixations were assessed in an effort to reduce complications from unstable periprosthetic fractures.

Circulating tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 is associated with aldosterone-induced diastolic dysfunction.

Objective: To test if collagen markers are associated with aldosterone-induced diastolic dysfunction.

Background: Although primary aldosteronism is associated with more prominent cardiac remodeling and diastolic dysfunction, the reversibility of diastolic function is unclear. In addition, there is no known biomarker associated with aldosterone-induced diastolic dysfunction.

Administrative data on diagnosis and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist prescription identified patients with primary aldosteronism in Taiwan.

Objectives: To develop algorithms of locating patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) using insurance reimbursement data and to validate the algorithms using medical charts.

Study Design And Setting: We extracted National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement data and medical charts in seven enrolled hospitals and analyzed diagnosis-related information for 1999-2010. The NHI codes PA as 255.

Twenty-four-hour urinary aldosterone predicts inappropriate left ventricular mass index in patients with primary aldosteronism.

Objective: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is associated with inappropriate left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in relation to a given gender and body size. There is no ideal parameter to predict the presence of LVH or inappropriate LVH in patients with PA. We investigate the performance of 24-hour urinary aldosterone level, plasma renin activity and aldosterone-to-renin ratio on this task.