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Background and Objectives: Genomic studies have identified several SNP loci associated with schizophrenia in East Asian populations. Environmental factors, particularly urbanization, play a significant role in schizophrenia development. This study aimed to identify schizophrenia susceptibility loci and characterize their biological functions and molecular pathways in Taiwanese urban Han individuals. Materials and Methods: Participants with schizophrenia were recruited from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative at Tri-Service General Hospital. Genotype–phenotype association analysis was performed, with significant variants annotated and analyzed for functional relevance. Results: A total of 137 schizophrenia patients and 26,129 controls were enrolled. Ten significant variants (p < 1 × 10−5) and 15 expressed genes were identified, including rs1010840 (SOWAHC and RGPD6), rs11083963 (TRPM4), rs11619878 (LINC00355 and LINC01052), rs117010638 (AGBL1 and MIR548AP), rs1170702 (LINC01680 and LINC01720), rs12028521 (KAZN and PRDM2), rs12859097 (DMD), rs1556812 (ATP11A), rs78144262 (LINC00977), and rs9997349 (ENPEP). These variants and associated genes are involved in immune response, blood pressure regulation, muscle function, and the cytoskeleton. Conclusions: Identified variants and associated genes suggest a potential genetic predisposition to schizophrenia in the Taiwanese urban Han population, highlighting the importance of potential comorbidities, considering population-specific genetic and environmental interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Propose Method Results Conclusions The skin is the largest organ of the human body and serves distinct functions in protecting the body. The viscoelastic properties of the skin play a key role in supporting the skin‐healing process, also it may be changed due to some skin diseases.In this study, high‐frequency ultrasound (HFUS) elastography based on a Lamb wave model was used to noninvasively assess the viscoelastic anisotropy of human skin.Elastic waves were generated through an external vibrator, and the wave propagation velocity was measured through 40 MHz ultrafast HFUS imaging. Through the use of a thin‐layer gelatin phantom, HFUS elastography was verified to produce highly accurate estimates of elasticity and viscosity. In a human study involving five volunteers, viscoelastic anisotropy was assessed by rotating an ultrasound transducer 360°.An oval‐shaped pattern in the elasticity of human forearm skin was identified, indicating the high elastic anisotropy of skin; the average elastic moduli were 24.90 ± 6.63 and 13.64 ± 2.67 kPa along and across the collagen fiber orientation, respectively. The average viscosity of all the recruited volunteers was 3.23 ± 0.93 Pa·s.Although the examined skin exhibited elastic anisotropy, no evident viscosity anisotropy was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dementia poses a growing global mental health impact, with variations in prevalence by gender, possibly influenced by reproductive factors. Ectopic pregnancy (EP), known for its association with cardiovascular diseases and depression, which are also predictors of dementia, prompted an exploration of their interplay., Methods: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, this nationwide cohort study examined 53,096 individuals to investigate the link between EP and dementia. Covariates included age, insured premiums, comorbidity by Charlson Comorbidity Index revised by excluding dementia, level of care, and residence. Surgical approaches, number of EP episodes, and dementia subtypes were considered in outcomes analysis using Cox regression., Results: Among 13,274 women diagnosed with EP, 791 developed dementia over a 15-year follow-up, particularly vascular dementia. Adjusting for the covariates, the adjusted sub-distribution Hazard Ratio (asHR) with competing risks was 1.644 (95% CI, 1.394-2.053; p < 0.001). For patients with more than one episode, it was even higher (asHR=1.670 [95% CI, 1.419-2.092; p < 0.001]). Post-ectopic depression, prevalent in 62.2% within four weeks, was associated with a greater dementia risk compared to those without (asHR=1.702 [95% CI, 1.444-2.125; p<0.001] vs. asHR=1.551 [95%CI, 1.310-1.937; p<0.001]). Antidepressant treatments showed a partial protective effect, reducing the increased risk by 14.7%., Conclusion: An EP history is linked to an earlier onset and a higher risk of overall dementia, VaD in particular, in a dose dependent manner, regardless of surgical intervention and stroke. Post-ectopic depression exacerbates dementia risk, while antidepressants offer partial protection. These findings underscore the potential benefit of screening and treating depression in women following EPs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yao, Chung, Chien, Li, Lee, Huang, Yang and Tzeng.)

High-frequency ultrasound (HFUS; >30 MHz) Doppler imaging has been widely used in the imaging of small animals and humans because of its high resolution. Vector Doppler imaging (VDI) has certain advantages for visualizing complex flow patterns independent of the Doppler angle. However, no commercial HFUS VDI system is currently available; therefore, several studies have connected an ultrasound research platform (Verasonics Vantage 256) with an HFUS array transducer for HFUS VDI. Unfortunately, the maximum frame rate of this system is only 10 kHz at an operational frequency of 40 MHz because of limitations related to data transmission hardware, thereby restricting the maximum detectable velocity of Doppler measurements. To address this drawback, in the present study, an electrocardiography (ECG)-gating-based HFUS VDI system was developed to avoid Doppler flow aliasing in data acquisition by ultrasound research platform at its maximum frame rate of 10 kHz. The developed method aligns all tilted plane waves with the ECG R-wave, which avoids the trade-off between frame rate and tilted angles number in conventional VDI. The performance of the proposed data acquisition method in HFUS VDI was verified using a steady-flow phantom, for which estimation errors were less than 10% under different flow settings. In animal studies, peak flow velocities in the carotid artery, left ventricle, and aortic arch of wild-type mice were measured (approximately 55, 655, and 765 mm/s, respectively). Also, the HFUS VDI from the mitral regurgitation mice model was obtained to present the complex flow patterns through the proposed method. In contrast to the conventional method, no Doppler aliasing occurs in the proposed method because the frame rate is sufficient. The experimental results indicate the developed HFUS VDI has the potential to become a useful tool for vector flow visualization in small animals, even under a high flow velocity.