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 relationship between lifecourse traumatic events and pain in an older rural South African population: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Pain in older adults is an increasing concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with literature suggesting an association with past traumatic events (TEs) in high-income settings. We aim to investigate this relationship in a population-representative sample of older adults with high burden of TEs in a rural South African community.

Methods: The Health and Aging in Africa: A longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI) study collected data pain intensity, using the Brief Pain Inventory, and TEs with a 16-item questionnaire, from 2411 participants aged 40-79 in 2014-15.

Resistance to antidepressant treatment among patients with major depressive disorder: a nationwide study.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has great clinical importance because it has the highest disability burden of all depressive conditions. We investigated the prevalence of TRD and identified the risk and protective factors associated with antidepressant resistance among adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of 176 132 adult patients with MDD were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2001 and 2010 and followed for 1 year.

Risk factors and clinical characteristics associated with post-radioactive iodine thyroid storm.

The occurrence of post-radioactive iodine thyroid storm among patients with hyperthyroidism is relatively rare and only a few cases have been reported. We conducted a literature review of cases reported from 1951 to 2023 and determined the risk factors and clinical characteristics of patients who developed thyroid storm. A total of 19 cases were documented and reviewed.

Pulmonary Impedance and Wave Reflections in Adults with Mitral Stenosis: Immediate and Follow-Up Effects of Balloon Valvuloplasty.

Purpose: We compared adults with mitral stenosis (MS) to 8 controls (CONT) to see how pulmonary impedance and wave reflections differ at baseline and after balloon valvuloplasty.

Methods: We separated the MS patients into groups according to mean pulmonary artery pressure: moderate (MOD; ≤ 26 mmHg, n = 21) and high (HIGH; > 26 mmHg, n = 33). We made baseline high-fidelity measurements in all patients, in the MS groups after vasodilation with nitroprusside, immediately and 4 months after balloon valvuloplasty.

Association of Lupus Low Disease Activity State And Remission With Reduced Organ Damage And Flare in Systemic lupus erythematosus Patients With High Disease Activity.

Objective: High disease activity status (HDAS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with adverse long-term outcomes. We examined the frequency of lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) and remission (REM) attainment in HDAS patients and whether their attainment was associated with improved patient outcomes.

Methods: Demographic, clinical and outcomes data, collected prospectively from a multinational cohort between 2013 and 2020, were analysed.

Stattic suppresses p‑STAT3 and induces cell death in T‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The present study investigated the therapeutic potential of Stattic, a selective inhibitor of STAT3, in treating T‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‑ALL). The effects of Stattic on cell viability, STAT3 phosphorylation, apoptosis and autophagy in T‑ALL cell lines, and on tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model of T‑ALL, were assessed. Methods, including the Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay for cell viability, propidium iodide/Annexin V staining for apoptosis detection, western blotting for protein expression analysis, and a xenograft mouse model for evaluating tumor growth, were employed.

2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.

In the last three decades, ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has become an evidence-based safe and efficacious treatment for managing the most common cardiac arrhythmia. In 2007, the first joint expert consensus document was issued, guiding healthcare professionals involved in catheter or surgical AF ablation. Mounting research evidence and technological advances have resulted in a rapidly changing landscape in the field of catheter and surgical AF ablation, thus stressing the need for regularly updated versions of this partnership which were issued in 2012 and 2017.

Performance of the novel ANTWERP score in predicting heart function improvement after atrial fibrillation ablation in Asian patients with heart failure.

Background: Previous research has demonstrated that atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation improves heart function variably among patients. We proposed that the ANTWERP score, which was validated in a European group of patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) who had AF ablation, would be valid in an Asian group as well. The purpose of the study is to examine how well a new scoring system (the ANTWERP score) can predict heart function improvement after atrial fibrillation ablation in Asian patients with heart failure.

Inverted dome radial osteotomy and ulnar shortening for neglected paediatric distal radial epiphyseal injury with ulnar impaction syndrome.

Neglected distal radial epiphyseal injuries can result in radial deformity and positive ulnar variance. We describe an inverted-dome radial osteotomy and ulnar shortening osteotomy to treat a paediatric distal radial malunion with ulnar impaction syndrome. V.

The Structural and Dynamic Insights into the Ala97Ser Amyloidogenic Mutation in Transthyretin.

Transthyretin (TTR), a homo-tetrameric protein encoded by the TTR gene, can lead to amyloid diseases when destabilized by mutations. The TTR-Ala97Ser (A97S) mutation is the predominant pathogenic variant found in Han-Taiwanese patients and is associated with late-onset familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), which presents a rapid progression of symptoms affecting peripheral nerves and the heart. In this study, we combined nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to investigate how the A97S mutation impacts the structure and dynamics of TTR.

Effectiveness of tofacitinib in patients with ulcerative colitis: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world studies.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of tofacitinib for treating moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC).

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched from inception up to 18 July 2023.

SIH-EBP score for prediction of efficacy of epidural blood patching in an independent cohort of patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

Background: Epidural blood patching (EBP) is the primary treatment for spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), although multiple attempts may sometimes be necessary. The SIH-EBP score, with a cutoff of ≥3, predicts the response to the first EBP. However, its generalizability requires further confirmation.

Reduced Deltex1 expression in T cells indicates increased disease activity in Sjögren's disease.

Objectives: Deltex1 is a transcriptional target of NFAT that promotes T cell anergy. However, whether Deltex1 affects the properties of regulatory T cells (Tregs), which are involved in the pathogenesis of Sjögren's disease (SjD), is unknown.

Methods: T cells were purified from peripheral blood using a negative selection method.

Imlunestrant with or without Abemaciclib in Advanced Breast Cancer.

Background: Imlunestrant is a next-generation, brain-penetrant, oral selective estrogen-receptor (ER) degrader that delivers continuous ER inhibition, even in cancers with mutations in the gene encoding ERα ().

Methods: In a phase 3, open-label trial, we enrolled patients with ER-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced breast cancer that recurred or progressed during or after aromatase inhibitor therapy, administered alone or with a cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor. Patients were assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive imlunestrant, standard endocrine monotherapy, or imlunestrant-abemaciclib.

Consensus on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations: Challenges and strategies for high-risk populations in Taiwan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact globally, particularly in high-risk populations such as those with underlying health conditions. In response to the evolving pandemic landscape and the recent surge in confirmed cases in Taiwan, the Taiwan Association of Family Medicine (TAFM) established a consensus on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for vulnerable groups through a comprehensive literature review, expert panel discussions, and a practice-oriented formulation procedure to develop evidence-based guidance. Its key findings highlight the increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes among individuals with disorders such as diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illness.

Multistep Algorithm to Predict RVOT PVC Site of Origin for Successful Ablation Using Available Criteria: A Two-Center Cross-Validation Study.

Background: Predicting premature ventricular contraction (PVC) origin pre-ablation is a fundamental step, as right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) PVC often leads to higher success rates.

Objective: To compare nine published ECG criteria to differentiate between RVOT and non-RVOT origins of PVCs and develop a stepwise algorithm using those criteria to better determine PVC origin to predict ablation success.

Methods: Two centers were involved in this study, the derivation group and the validation group.

Too early to be different? A multi-institutional study with 30-year follow-up for prognostic factors of completely resected early stage thymoma.

Background/purpose: This multi-institutional study was aimed to analyze prognostic factors of completely resected early stage thymoma.

Methods: Patients with surgically treated early stage thymoma between 1988 and 2019 were enrolled. Statistical associations were evaluated using the χ test, Fisher's exact test, and Student's t-test.