Roux-en-Y and One-Anastomosis Gastric Bypass Surgery Are Superior to Sleeve Gastrectomy in Lowering Glucose and Cholesterol Levels Independent of Weight Loss: a Propensity-Score Weighting Analysis.

Background: The superior effects of gastric bypass surgery in preventing cardiovascular diseases compared with sleeve gastrectomy are well-established. However, whether these effects are independent of weight loss is not known.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we compared the change in cardiometabolic risks of 1073 diabetic patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) (n = 265), one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) (n = 619), and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) (n = 189) with equivalent weight loss from the Min-Shen General Hospital.

Validating METCAM/MUC18 as a Novel Biomarker to Predict the Malignant Potential of Prostate Cancer at an Early Stage by Using a Modified Gold Nanoparticles-Based Lateral Flow Immunoassay.

(1) Background: To further validate METCAM/MUC18 as a diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer, a modified Lateral Flow Immune Assay (LFIA) with increased sensitivity and specificity was designed by taking advantage of the extremely high affinity between biotin and streptavidin and used. (2) Methods: The combination of a commercial biotinylated rabbit antibody (EPP11278), or the home-made biotinylated chicken antibody, and the nano-gold conjugated home-made chicken antibody or a commercial rabbit antibody (EPP11278), had the higher sensitivity and specificity in this modified LFIA to establish calibration curves from the two recombinant METCAM/MUC18 proteins and were used for determining METCAM/MUC18 concentrations in serum specimens from normal individuals, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) patients, prostate cancer patients with various Gleason scores, and treated patients. (3) Results: Data obtained by this modified LFIA were statistically better than traditional LFIA and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

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.

Web- and Artificial Intelligence-Based Image Recognition For Sperm Motility Analysis: Verification Study.

Background: Human sperm quality fluctuates over time. Therefore, it is crucial for couples preparing for natural pregnancy to monitor sperm motility.

Objective: This study verified the performance of an artificial intelligence-based image recognition and cloud computing sperm motility testing system (Bemaner, Createcare) composed of microscope and microfluidic modules and designed to adapt to different types of smartphones.

The Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Renal, Neurological, and Ophthalmic Complications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: the Taiwan Diabesity Study.

Background: Bariatric surgery has been shown to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, less is known whether it can also reduce diabetic renal, neurological, and ophthalmic complications.

Methods: This prospective multicenter cohort study compared renal, ophthalmic, and neurological complications between 49 patients with obesity/overweight receiving bariatric surgery and 338 patients receiving standard medical treatment after follow-up for 2 years.

Culture and differentiation of purified human adipose-derived stem cells by membrane filtration via nylon mesh filters.

Human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) cultured for 5 passages were filtered through nylon (NY) mesh filter membranes coated with and without extracellular matrix proteins to obtain the permeation solution. Subsequently, the culture media were filtered via the membranes to obtain the recovery solution. Then, the membranes were cultured in cell culture medium to obtain the migrated cells from the membranes.

METCAM/MUC18 is a new early diagnostic biomarker for the malignant potential of prostate cancer: Validation with Western blot method, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and lateral flow immunoassay.

Background: METCAM/MUC18 expression was increased with the malignant progression of prostate cancer and also a bona fide metastatic gene, capable of initiating and driving the metastasis of a non-metastatic human prostate cancer cell line to multiple organs.

Objective: We explored if METCAM/MUC18 was detectable in human serum and a novel biomarker to predict malignant propensity of prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: Two antibodies were identified by Western blot analysis having the highest sensitivity and specificity to establish calibration curves from the recombinant METCAM/MUC18 proteins.

Residual heart rate variability measures can better differentiate patients with acute myocardial infarction from patients with patent coronary artery.

Purpose: It has been shown that the power spectral density (PSD) of heart rate variability (HRV) can be decomposed into a power-law function and a residual PSD (rPSD) with a more prominent high-frequency component than that in traditional PSD. This study investigated whether the residual HRV (rHRV) measures can better discriminate patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from patients with patent coronary artery (PCA) than traditional HRV measures.

Materials And Methods: The rHRV and HRV measures of 48 patients with AMI and 69 patients with PCA were compared.

Assessing Pain Intensity Using Photoplethysmography Signals in Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

Background: Efficacy of pain assessment is the basis for effective therapy. Clinically, assessing pain is by subjective scale, but these methods have some shortcomings. Therefore, studies have been conducted on assessment of pain using physiological signals.

Devastating renal outcome caused by skin infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A case report.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging pathogen that infects the skin and soft tissue. However, there are few reports of renal complications from MRSA involving immunoglobulin (Ig)A-dominated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (GN). Favorable renal outcomes from IgA GN are achieved by administering timely therapy.

Term pregnancy with choriocarcinoma presenting as severe fetal anemia and postpartum hemorrhage.

Objective: Term pregnancy with choriocarcinoma is a rare condition that can be a serious health threat to both the mother and the fetus. We present a rare case of term pregnancy with choriocarcinoma presenting as severe fetal anemia and postpartum hemorrhage.

Case Report: A 34-year-old woman, gravida 3 para 2, was admitted for profuse vaginal bleeding 2 weeks after cesarean delivery of a full-term anemic baby.

The effect of six weeks of sling exercise training on trunk muscular strength and endurance for clients with low back pain.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 6 weeks sling exercise training for clients with low back pain on the levels of pain, disability, muscular strength and endurance. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve chronic LBP subjects participated in this study. Subjects were randomly divided into a control group and a training group.

The use of heart rate variability measures as indicators of autonomic nervous modulation must be careful in patients after orthotopic heart transplantation.

The precise relation between heart rate variability (HRV) and autonomic re-innervation has not been established explicitly in patients after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT), but can be inferred from the fact that the HRV is reduced immediately after OHT and may increase gradually with time. The aim of this study was to investigate the residual HRV in patients about 1-2 years after OHT, as compared with patients after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Thirteen patients who had received OHT and 14 patients who had received CABG surgery were recruited.

The potential of at-home prediction of the formation of urolithiasis by simple multi-frequency electrical conductivity of the urine and the comparison of its performance with urine ion-related indices, color and specific gravity.

It is important to control daily diet, water intake and life style as well as monitor the quality of urine for urolithiasis prevention. For decades, many ion-related indices have been developed for predicting the formation of urinary stones or urolithiasis, such as EQUILs, relative supersaturation (RSS), Tiselius indices (TI), Robertson risk factor algorithms (RRFA) and more recently, the Bonn risk index. However, they mostly demand robust laboratory analysis, are work-intensive, and even require complex computational programs to get the concentration patterns of several urine analytes.

Anomalous origin of left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk in a mildly symptomatic adult female.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk, also known as Garland-Bland-White syndrome, is an extremely rare but potentially fatal congenital cardiovascular anomaly, and it often exists as an isolated condition. We hereby report an adult female who was admitted for mild chest discomfort and was accidentally diagnosed to have anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk. This anomaly was simply repaired by using a bovine pericardial patch to obliterate the anomalous opening in the pulmonary trunk and a single coronary artery bypass graft.

Abdominal obesity is associated with autonomic nervous derangement in healthy Asian obese subjects.

Background & Aims: Subjects with obesity had autonomic nervous abnormalities. This study investigated autonomic nervous modulation in subjects with obesity and its association with the indices of obesity, especially the body mass index and waist circumference, by heart rate variability analysis.

Methods: Forty-seven adults with a body mass index (in kg/m(2)) greater than 28 were recruited as the obese group and 30 subjects with a body mass index less than 23 were recruited as the control group.

Pneumonotomy: an alternative way for managing lung abscess.

Background: Surgical resection (SR) is the most effective strategy in the management of patient with lung abscess who have failed medical treatment. Surgical drainage (SD) of lung abscess is an alternative in high-risk patients. There are limited findings in comparing the two procedures.