Understanding the role of neutrophils in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is difficult to treat and is associated with a high mortality rate. The most severe form of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also leads to life-threatening ARDS. Neutrophil counts are positively correlated with disease severity in ARDS.

Robotic and open pancreaticoduodenectomy: results from Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan.

This study is to clarify the feasibility and justification of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) by comparing the outcomes between RPD and open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) groups. All perioperative data and outcomes were prospectively collected. There were 304 (63.

Mandibular advancement devices shorten desaturation duration in patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome during intravenous propofol sedation in the decubitus position.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) for increasing patient safety during sedated total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip replacement (THR).

Methods: Forty patients undergoing TKA or THR surgery in the supine or lateral recumbent positions under spinal anesthesia were enrolled. Sedation and oxygenation were administered.

An update on the diagnosis and management of ocular sarcoidosis.

Purpose Of Review: Ocular sarcoidosis is one of the most common causes of uveitis worldwide. The diagnosis and treatment of patients with ocular sarcoidosis remains challenging in some cases. It is important for clinicians to keep up to date with new diagnostic and treatment tools for this disease.

Fate mapping via CCR2-CreER mice reveals monocyte-to-microglia transition in development and neonatal stroke.

Whether monocytes contribute to the brain microglial pool in development or after brain injury remains contentious. To address this issue, we generated CCR2-CreER mice to track monocyte derivatives in a tamoxifen-inducible manner. This method labeled Ly6C and Ly6C monocytes after tamoxifen dosing and detected a surge of perivascular macrophages before blood-brain barrier breakdown in adult stroke.

Mesopancreas level 3 dissection in robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Background: There are no reports of performing mesopancreas dissections in robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy. This study evaluated the feasibility and justification for mesopancreas level 3 dissection in robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Methods: Surgical outcomes after robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy and open pancreaticoduodenectomy were evaluated and compared.

Effect of dapagliflozin according to baseline systolic blood pressure in the Dapagliflozin and Prevention of Adverse Outcomes in Heart Failure trial (DAPA-HF).

Aims: Concern about hypotension often leads to withholding of beneficial therapy in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin, which lowers systolic blood pressure (SBP),according to baseline SBP in Dapagliflozin and Prevention of Adverse Outcomes in Heart Failure trial (DAPA-HF).

Methods And Results: Key inclusion criteria were: New York Heart Association Class II-IV, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40%, elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level, and SBP ≥95 mmHg.

Clinical Approaches to Migrating Ingested Foreign Bodies in the Neck.

This report presents 2 unusual cases along with a review of the current literature. Further, it aims to propose an algorithm for the initial surgical management of migrating ingested foreign bodies, focusing on the use of fluoroscopy, rigid laryngopharyngoscopy, and an external surgical approach. A 42-year-old man presented with progressive odynophagia after swallowing a fish bone 20 days previously, and a 60-year-old woman presented with a painful enlarging mass over the left lower neck for 1 month.

The role of older age and obesity in minimally invasive and open pancreatic surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of older age (≥70 years) and obesity (BMI ≥30) on surgical outcomes of minimally invasive pancreatic resections (MIPR). Subsequently, open pancreatic resections or MIPR were compared for elderly and/or obese patients.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted as part of the 2019 Miami International Evidence-Based Guidelines on MIPR (IG-MIPR).

A dose titration study of fentanyl buccal soluble film for breakthrough cancer pain in Taiwan.

Background: Fentanyl buccal soluble film (FBSF), a new formulation of fentanyl, is developed for the treatment of breakthrough pain (BTP) in opioid-tolerant patients with cancer.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the feasible dose range of FBSF required for Taiwanese population.

Methods And Results: This was an open-label, multicenter, noncomparative study.

National Surveillance of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Bacteremic Gram-Negative Bacteria with Emphasis on Community-Acquired Resistant Isolates: Report from the 2019 Surveillance of Multicenter Antimicrobial Resistance in Taiwan (SMART).

A multicenter collection of bacteremic isolates of ( = 423), ( = 372), ( = 300), and complex ( = 199) was analyzed for susceptibility. Xpert Carba-R assay and sequencing for genes were performed for carbapenem- or colistin-resistant isolates. Nineteen (67.

Effect of Depression and Antidepressants on Sexual Dysfunction in Men with Diabetes: A National Population-Based Cohort Study.

Purpose: This study explored and compared the effects of depression and antidepressants on sexual dysfunction in men with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Patients And Methods: Patients older than 18 years who had been newly diagnosed with DM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 250) between 1999 and 2010 were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database and were followed up until 2013. Patients with preexisting depression or sexual dysfunction were excluded.

Preoperative non-stimulated adrenal venous sampling index for predicting outcomes of adrenalectomy for unilateral primary aldosteronism.

Background/purpose: The aim of this study was to predict outcomes of adrenalectomy for unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA) using non-stimulated adrenal venous sampling (AVS) indices and the standardized Primary Aldosteronism Surgical Outcome (PASO) criteria.

Methods: Patients with unilateral PA who underwent adrenalectomy based on non-stimulated AVS and had follow-up data regarding surgical outcomes between 2011 and 2016 were enrolled. Demographic data and non-stimulated AVS indices, including lateralization index (LI) and contralateral suppression, were collected for analysis.

Immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in healthy subjects aged 3 to 17 years old: A phase III, open label, single-arm study.

Background: Quadrivalent influenza vaccines are particularly valuable during seasons in which a mismatch occurs between the predicted influenza B lineage for the trivalent influenza vaccine and the circulating strain. This study evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine AdimFlu-S manufactured in Taiwan for the 2016-2017 influenza season in healthy children.

Methods: A total of 174 healthy children aged 3 to 17 years old were separated into 3 groups (Group A: 3-8 years old, vaccine naïve; Group B: 3-8 years old, vaccine non-naïve; Group C: 9-17 years old, any vaccine status).

A synthesized heterocyclic chalcone inhibits neutrophilic inflammation through K -dependent pH regulation.

Human neutrophils have a vital role in host defense and inflammatory responses in innate immune systems. Growing evidence shows that the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and granular proteolytic enzymes from activated neutrophils is linked to the pathogenesis of acute inflammatory diseases. However, adequate therapeutic targets are still lacking to regulate neutrophil functions.

Patient-reported outcomes in survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies with hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Patient-reported outcomes among survivors of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) are understudied. We compared symptom prevalence, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and risk factors in adult survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies treated with HSCT to those treated with conventional therapy and noncancer controls. Survivors of childhood hematologic malignancies (HSCT N = 112 [70% allogeneic, 30% autologous]; conventionally treated N = 1106) and noncancer controls (N = 242) from the St.

A murine photothrombotic stroke model with an increased fibrin content and improved responses to tPA-lytic treatment.

The Rose Bengal (RB) dye-based photothrombotic stroke (PTS) model has many methodological advantages including consistent location and size of infarct, low mortality, and relatively simple surgical procedures. However, the standard PTS has the caveat of poor responses to tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA)-mediated lytic treatment, likely as a result of the platelet-rich, fibrin-poor content of the blood clots. Here we tested whether the admixture of thrombin (80 U/kg) and RB dye (50 mg/kg) in the proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA)-targeted PTS will modify the clot composition and elevate the responsiveness to tPA-lytic treatment (Alteplase, 10 mg/kg).

Equivalent efficacies of reverse hybrid and concomitant therapies in first-line treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background And Aim: Concomitant therapy is a recommended first-line treatment for Helicobacter pylori infection in most national or international consensuses. Reverse hybrid therapy is a modified 14-day concomitant therapy without clarithromycin and metronidazole in the final 7 days. This study aims to test whether 14-day reverse hybrid therapy is non-inferior to 14-day concomitant therapy in the first-line treatment of H.

Inhibition of Serine Protease Activity Protects Against High Fat Diet-Induced Inflammation and Insulin Resistance.

Recent evidence suggests that enhanced protease-mediated inflammation may promote insulin resistance and result in diabetes. This study tested the hypothesis that serine protease plays a pivotal role in type 2 diabetes, and inhibition of serine protease activity prevents hyperglycemia in diabetic animals by modulating insulin signaling pathway. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study with 30 healthy controls and 57 patients with type 2 diabetes to compare plasma protease activities and inflammation marker between groups.