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BackgroundLung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally, with late diagnoses often resulting in poor prognosis. In response, the Lung Ambition Alliance aims to double the 5-year survival rate by 2025. ObjectiveUsing the Taiwan Cancer Registry, this study uses the survivorship-period-cohort model to assess the feasibility of achieving this goal by predicting future survival rates of patients with lung cancer in Taiwan. MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed data from 205,104 patients with lung cancer registered between 1997 and 2018. Survival rates were calculated using the survivorship-period-cohort model, focusing on 1-year interval survival rates and extrapolating to predict 5-year outcomes for diagnoses up to 2020, as viewed from 2025. Model validation involved comparing predicted rates with actual data using symmetric mean absolute percentage error. ResultsThe study identified notable improvements in survival rates beginning in 2004, with the predicted 5-year survival rate for 2020 reaching 38.7%, marking a considerable increase from the most recent available data of 23.8% for patients diagnosed in 2013. Subgroup analysis revealed varied survival improvements across different demographics and histological types. Predictions based on current trends indicate that achieving the Lung Ambition Alliance’s goal could be within reach. ConclusionsThe analysis demonstrates notable improvements in lung cancer survival rates in Taiwan, driven by the adoption of low-dose computed tomography screening, alongside advances in diagnostic technologies and treatment strategies. While the ambitious target set by the Lung Ambition Alliance appears achievable, ongoing advancements in medical technology and health policies will be crucial. The study underscores the potential impact of continued enhancements in lung cancer management and the importance of strategic health interventions to further improve survival outcomes.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization aims for the global elimination of cervical cancer, necessitating modeling studies to forecast long-term outcomes. ObjectiveThis paper introduces a macrosimulation framework using age-period-cohort modeling and population attributable fractions to predict the timeline for eliminating cervical cancer in Taiwan. MethodsData for cervical cancer cases from 1997 to 2016 were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Future incidence rates under the current approach and various intervention strategies, such as scaled-up screening (cytology based or human papillomavirus [HPV] based) and HPV vaccination, were projected. ResultsOur projections indicate that Taiwan could eliminate cervical cancer by 2050 with either 70% compliance in cytology-based or HPV-based screening or 90% HPV vaccination coverage. The years projected for elimination are 2047 and 2035 for cytology-based and HPV-based screening, respectively; 2050 for vaccination alone; and 2038 and 2033 for combined screening and vaccination approaches. ConclusionsThe age-period-cohort macrosimulation framework offers a valuable policy analysis tool for cervical cancer control. Our findings can inform strategies in other high-incidence countries, serving as a benchmark for global efforts to eliminate the disease.

Interleukin (IL)-23, an IL-12 cytokine family member, is a hierarchically dominant regulatory cytokine in a cluster of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. We review IL-23 biology, IL-23 signaling in IMIDs, and the effect of IL-23 inhibition in treating these diseases. We propose studies to advance IL-23 biology and unravel differences in response to anti–IL-23 therapy. Experimental evidence generated from these investigations could establish a novel molecular ontology centered around IL-23–driven diseases, improve upon current approaches to treating IMIDs with IL-23 inhibition, and ultimately facilitate optimal identification of patients and, thereby, outcomes.

Abstract Introduction Guselkumab is a human monoclonal antibody against IL-23 used in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This post-hoc analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of guselkumab in the Asian subpopulation of VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2 through 5 years. Methods The proportions of guselkumab-treated Asian patients (VOYAGE 1 and 2) achieving Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90 and PASI 100, Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) scores of 0/1 and 0, and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores of 0/1 (week 100 through week 252) were assessed. Non-responders were patients who met the treatment failure rules. Efficacy endpoints were analyzed using the as-observed methodology (no missing data imputation) for both studies and using non-responder imputation (for patients with any missing data) in VOYAGE 1. Safety outcomes were based on pooled data through week 252. Results Response rates through week 252 for 199 Asian patients in the guselkumab group in VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2, respectively, were 76.8% and 80.6% (PASI 90), 26.8% and 38.7% (PASI 100), 64.3% and 87.1% (IGA 0/1), and 26.8% and 45.2% (IGA 0). DLQI (0/1) at week 252 was achieved by 52.7% of patients in VOYAGE 1 and 61.3% in VOYAGE 2, while DLQI (0) at week 252 was achieved by 32.7% of patients in VOYAGE 1 and 40.3% in VOYAGE 2. The safety profile was similar to the global population and remained consistent through 5 years. Asian patients were followed for a total of 814 patient-years (PY). Over 85% of the guselkumab-treated patients continued treatment through week 264. The rate of serious adverse events (AEs) at week 252 was 3.07/100 PY. Rates of AEs of interest were low: serious infections, 0.74/100 PY; nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), no patients; malignancies other than NMSC, 0.12/100 PY; and no major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Conclusion These analyses confirm a continuous response over 5 years, indicating that guselkumab shows therapeutic longevity in Asian patients requiring long-term treatment for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: VOYAGE 1 [NCT02207231] and VOYAGE 2 [NCT02207244].

Abstract Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate guselkumab efficacy on regional psoriasis in a subset of psoriasis patients with a self-reported psoriatic arthritis (PsA) diagnosis. Methods In the phase 3 VOYAGE-1 and -2 studies, at week (W)0, patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were randomized to guselkumab 100 mg, placebo → guselkumab 100 mg at W16 through W44, or adalimumab 80 mg then 40 mg at W1 through W48 (VOYAGE-1) or W24 (VOYAGE-2). Pooled efficacy outcomes, including scalp-specific Investigator’s Global Assessment (ss-IGA), hands and/or feet Physician’s Global Assessment (hf-PGA), fingernail PGA (f-PGA), Nail Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (NAPSI), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), were compared (nominal p-values) through W24 in patients with self-reported PsA diagnosis. Response rates/percentage improvement from baseline were determined, employing treatment failure rules and non-response/no improvement data imputation. Results A total of 76, 153, and 106 psoriasis patients with self-reported PsA were randomized to the placebo, guselkumab, or adalimumab groups, respectively; the baseline characteristics of patients in all three arms were comparable. At W16, a greater proportion of guselkumab- versus placebo-treated patients achieved ss-IGA 0/1 (80.6% vs. 22.7%, p

Abstract Background Taiwan has one of the highest incidences of upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) worldwide, especially in women; however, no nationwide, long‐term follow‐up study has evaluated this. Methods We investigated the incidence of UTUC in Taiwan using data from the national population‐based Taiwan Cancer Registry database (1985–2019). We divided the birth cohort into nine 5‐year age groups and calculated the age‐specific incidence for these groups according to the corresponding birth years. Results The average annual percent change in the incidence of renal pelvis cancer from 1985 to 2019 showed sex‐specific differences, with 3.5% and 5.3% increases in the incidences in men and women, respectively. The age‐specific incidence rate for renal pelvis cancer among women showed a gradual increase in the group with older women as well as an increase over time in each age group. The results of a birth cohort analysis revealed that younger cohorts had higher incidence rates of renal pelvis cancer than older cohorts did. Conclusion We demonstrated that the incidence of UTUC is unusually high among older Taiwanese women and that younger cohorts have a high risk of UTUC than older cohorts.

Background: Mapping disease rates is an important aspect of epidemiological research because it helps inform public health policy. Disease maps are often drawn according to local administrative areas (LAAs), such as counties, cities, or towns. In LAAs with small populations, disease rates are unstable and are prone to appear extremely high or low. The empirical Bayes methods consider variance differences among different LAAs, thereby stabilizing the disease rates. The methods of kriging break the constraints of geopolitical boundaries and produce a smooth curved surface in the form of contour lines, but the methods lack the stabilizing effect of the empirical Bayes methods. Methods: An easy-to-implement stabilized kriging method is proposed to map disease rates, which allows different errors in different LAAs. Results: Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the stabilized kriging method had smaller symmetric mean absolute percentage error than three other types of methods (the original LAA-based method, empirical Bayes methods, and traditional kriging methods) in nearly all scenarios considered. Real-world data analysis of oral cancer incidence rates in men from Taiwan demonstrated that the age-standardized rates in the central mountainous sparsely-populated region of Taiwan were stabilized using our proposed method, with no more large differences in numerical values, whereas the rates in other populous regions were not over-smoothed. Additionally, the stabilized kriging map had improved resolution and helped locate several hot and cold spots in the incidence rates of oral cancer. Conclusion: We recommend the use of the stabilized kriging method for mapping disease rates.

Abstract Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in Taiwan. After Taiwan implemented the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act in 1997, smoking rates declined. However, the incidence rates of lung cancer for both sexes are still increasing, possibly due to risk factors other than smoking. We used age–period–cohort analysis to examine the secular trends of lung cancer incidence rates by histological type in Taiwan. A stabilized kriging method was employed to map these lung cancer incidence rates. Lung adenocarcinoma incidence rates increased, but lung squamous cell carcinoma incidence rates decreased, for both the sexes in recent birth cohorts, particularly in women. In Taiwan, the hotspots of lung adenocarcinoma incidence rates were in the northern, northeastern, and western coastal areas; the incidence rates increased rapidly in the western and southern coastal regions and southern mountainous regions. The high incidence rates of lung squamous cell carcinoma in men were in the southwestern and northeastern coastal areas. The incidence rates rapidly increased in the central and southern coastal and mountainous regions. For both sexes in Taiwan, lung squamous cell carcinoma incidence rates declined from 1997 to 2017, but lung adenocarcinoma increased. The increased incidence rates of lung adenocarcinoma may be related to indoor and outdoor air pollution. Some areas in Taiwan have increasing lung cancer incidence rates, including the northwestern and southern coasts and mountains, and warrant particular attention.

Abstract The injury severity score (ISS) is used in daily practice to evaluate the severity of trauma patients; however, the score is not always consistent with the prognosis. After injury, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (CARS) are related to the prognosis of trauma patients. We aimed to evaluate the associations between the immune response and prognosis in trauma patients. Patients who admitted to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were eligible. Whole blood samples were collected at admission, and then 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after admission. Natural killer (NK) cells, lymphocyte subset population and cytokines release were identified using flow cytometry. We grouped patients by their ISS (≤ 25 and > 25 as very severe injury) and ICU stay (≤ 10 days as a short ICU stay and > 10 days as a long ICU stay) for evaluation. Fifty-three patients were enrolled. ICU stay but not ISS was close correlated with activity daily living (ADL) at discharge. Patients with a long ICU stay had an immediate increase in NK cells followed by lymphopenia which persisted for 48 h. Immediate activation of CD8+ T cells and then exhaustion with a higher programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) expression and suppression of CD4+ T cells with a shift to an anti-inflammatory Th2 phenotype were also observed in the patients with a long ICU stay. When the patients were grouped by ISS, the dynamics of immune responses were inconsistent to those when the patients were grouped by ICU stay. Immune responses are associated with the prognosis of trauma patients, however the currently used clinical parameters may not accurately reflect immune responses. Further investigations are needed to identify accurate predictors of prognosis in trauma patients.

Abstract Mapping spacetime disease rates can provide a more in-depth understanding of their distribution and trends. Traditional spatiotemporal kriging methods can break the constraints of geopolitical boundaries and time intervals. Still, disease rates in densely and sparsely populated areas are stabilized to the same degree, resulting in a map that is oversmoothed in some places but undersmoothed in others. The stabilized spatiotemporal kriging method proposed in this study overcomes this problem by allowing for nonconstant variances over space and time. A spatiotemporal map of the standardized incidence ratio for oral cancer in men in Taiwan between 1997 and 2017 reveals that the high-risk areas for oral cancer are in the midwestern and southeastern regions of Taiwan, spreading toward the center and north, with persistent cold spots in the northern and southwestern urban regions. However, the corresponding map for breast cancer in women in Taiwan reveals that the high-risk areas for breast cancer are concentrated in densely populated urban regions in the west. Spatiotemporal maps facilitate our understanding of disease risk dynamics. We recommend using the proposed stabilized spatiotemporal kriging method for mapping disease rates across space and time.

Abstract Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Taiwan. The age-standardized incidence rate has doubled in just 20 years, causing considerable concern to health professionals and the general public. This study used an ensemble of age-period-cohort models to estimate breast cancer incidence trends in Taiwan from 1997 to 2016 and project trends up to 2035. The (truncated) world standard population (World Health Organization 2000) proportions (age groups: 25–29, 30–34, …, 80–84, and older than 85 years) were used to calculate age-standardized incidence rates. The age-standardized incidence rate from 1997 (60.33/100,000 population) to 2016 (128.20/100,000 population) increased rapidly. The projection is that the increase in the age-standardized incidence will subsequently slow and exhibit a plateau in 2031 (151.32/100,000 population). From 2026 to 2035, the age-specific incidence rates for women older than 55 years old (postmenopausal breast cancer) are projected to increase with larger percentage increments for older women. A future leveling of female breast cancer incidence trends in Taiwan is anticipated. The majority of the patients with breast cancer in the future will be women aged 55 years and older. Education on lifestyle recommendations and mammography screening is required to reduce the burden of breast cancer. The results should have implications for other countries which are also confronted with the same public health problem of rapidly increasing breast cancer incidences.

After acute injury, kidneys either successfully repair/regenerate or become fibrotic. Here the authors use scRNA-seq to study adaptive/maladaptive kidney regeneration and identify proinflammatory/fibrotic proximal tubule cells with pharmacologically targetable pyroptosis/ferroptosis signatures.

Background/purpose: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive renal transplantation recipients must take lifelong immunosuppressants and nucleotide analogues (NAs). We investigated the cellular immune responses of HBsAg-positive renal transplantation recipients taking immunosuppressants and NAs. Methods: Blood samples were collected from HBsAg-positive individuals with end-stage renal disease on the transplant waiting list (Group 1) and renal transplantation recipients taking immunosuppressants and NAs (Group 2) or immunosuppressants without NAs (Group 3). Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific pentamers were used to quantify circulating HBV-specific CD8+ T cells. Results: Groups 2 and 3 had higher cellular immune responses, as indicated by significantly lower regulatory T (Treg)/CD8+ T cell ratios than Group 1. With undetectable viral loads under both immunosuppressant and NAs, the CD8+ T cell and HBV-specific CD8+ T cell frequencies were similar in Group 2 and Group 1. Patients in Group 3 did not use NAs and had an elevated viral load and higher HBV-specific CD8+ T cell and IFN-γ-producing HBV-specific CD8+ T cell frequencies, but lower a frequency of programmed death-1 (PD-1)+ HBV-specific CD8+ T cells than the other groups. Increased viral replication in Group 3 resulted in significantly higher CD8+ T cell and IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cell frequencies than Group 1. Conclusion: Immunosuppressant therapy increases viral replication in HBsAg-positive renal transplant recipients due to disabling or dysregulation of virus-specific CD8+ T cells. The higher cellular immune responses due to lower Treg/CD8+ T cell ratios in HBsAg-positive renal transplant recipients may be one of the reasons to induce liver pathology because of uncontrolled viral replication.

Abstract Oral cancer is the fourth most common cancer among men in Taiwan. The age-standardized incidence rate of oral cancer among men in Taiwan has increased since 1980 and became six times greater in 2014. To enable effective public health planning for oral cancer, research on the projection of oral cancer burden is essential. We conducted an age-period-cohort analysis on the incidence of oral cancer among men in Taiwan from 1997 to 2017 and extrapolated the trend to 2025. We found that the period trends for young adults aged between 25 and 44 have already peaked before 2017; the younger, the earlier, and then the trends declined. The cohort trends have peaked roughly at the 1972 birth cohort and then declined for all ages. Despite the increasing trend in the age-standardized incidence rate for oral cancer among men in Taiwan from 1997 to 2017, we forecast a peak attained, an imminent decline after 2017, and a decrease of 8.4% in age-standardized incidence rate from 2017 to 2025. The findings of this study contribute to developing efficient and comprehensive strategies for oral cancer prevention and control.

Background: Patients with typical atrial flutter (AFL) undergoing successful cavotricuspid isthmus ablation remain at risk for future development of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Conventional monitoring (CM) techniques have shown AF incidence rates of 18%–50% in these patients. Objectives: To evaluate whether continuous monitoring using implantable loop recorders (ILRs) would enhance AF detection in this patient population. Methods: Veteran patients undergoing AFL ablation between 2002 and 2019 who completed at least 6 months of follow-up after the ablation procedure were included. We compared new-onset AF detection between those who underwent CM and those who received ILRs immediately following AFL ablation. Results: A total of 217 patients (age: 66 ± 9 years; all male) participated. CM was used in 172 (79%) and ILR in 45 (21%) patients. Median follow-up duration after ablation was 4.1 years. Seventy-nine patients (36%) developed new-onset AF, which was detected by CM in 51 and ILR in 28 (30% vs 62%, respectively, P < .001). AF detection occurred at 7.7 months (IQR: 4.7–17.5) after AFL ablation in the ILR group vs 41 months (IQR: 23–72) in the CM group (P < .001). Eleven patients (5%) experienced cerebrovascular events (all in the CM group) and only 4 of these patients (36%) were on long-term anticoagulation. Conclusion: Patients undergoing AFL ablation remain at an increased risk of developing new-onset AF, which is detected sooner and more frequently by ILR than by CM. Improving AF detection may allow optimization of rhythm management strategies and anticoagulation in this patient population.

Background: Biologics are used to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and persistence to biologics may reflect clinical effectiveness. Limited information describing how biologics are used in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis in Asian countries is available. We conducted a population-based, retrospective, new user cohort study using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan to assess treatment persistence and adherence to biologics.Methods: Adults with a diagnosis of psoriasis between 01 January 2015 and 31 December 2017 were identified in the NHIRD (ICD-9-CM 696.1; ICD-10 L40.0). New users were patients who initiated treatment with etanercept, adalimumab, ustekinumab or secukinumab between 01 January 2015 and 31 December 2017. All eligible patients were followed until 31 December 2018, death or disenrollment. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to estimate persistence of treatment for index biologics. A Cox-proportional hazard regression model was used to compare risks of biologic discontinuation between biologic groups. Adjustments for potential confounding factors (age, gender and Charlson comorbidity index score) were made in the Cox model.Results: There were 1,397 new biologic users with psoriasis during the study period. The ratio men:women was approximately 4:1. Mean age of patients ranged from 44.6 to 47.7 years across exposure groups. The 1-year/2-years persistence rates were 94.2%/84.9% for ustekinumab, 96.2%/not calculated (due to too few patients at year 2) for secukinumab, 66.0%/29.9% for etanercept, and 59.8%/40.3% for adalimumab. The risk of discontinuation was significantly lower in patients initiating ustekinumab compared with adalimumab (hazard ratio adjusted for age, sex and co-morbidities 0.289, 95%CI 0.247–0.339, p < 0.0001). Drug survival was significantly higher for ustekinumab compared with adalimumab and etanercept (log-rank test p < 0.0001). The proportions of patients with 1-year/2-years medication possession ratios of ≥80% were 95.3%/92.0% for ustekinumab, 98.1%/not calculated for secukinumab, 89.4%/83.1% for etanercept, and 70.8%/59.4% for adalimumab.Limitations: Clinical improvement and response to treatment data were not available.Conclusion: There was relatively high persistence amongst biologic users with psoriasis in Taiwan. There is a trend towards greater persistence of ustekinumab compared to other biologics, the magnitude of which depends on the treatment gap used for its calculation. This study provides real-world evidence that may facilitate optimal treatment choice.

Abstract Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies involving the urinary system of about 1.65 million cases worldwide. To attain the 25 by 25 goal set by the World Health Organization (25% reduction in non-communicable diseases between 2015 and 2025), developing strategies to reduce cancer burdens is essential. The data of the study comprised the age-specific bladder cancer cases and total population numbers from age 25 to 85 and above from 1997 to 2016 in Taiwan. An ensemble age–period–cohort model was used to estimate bladder cancer incidence trends and forecast the trends to 2025. For men, the projected age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 people in 2020 and 2025 are 13.0 and 10.4, respectively, with a 16.1% and 32.9% decrease projected from 2016 to 2020 and 2025, respectively. For women, the projected age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 people in 2020 and 2025 are 4.7 and 3.7, respectively, with a 16.1% and 33.9% decrease projected from 2016 to 2020 and 2025, respectively. The age-specific bladder cancer incidence rates demonstrated a consistently downward trend after 2003 for all ages and both sexes. This study projects that the incidence rates of bladder cancer in Taiwan will continue to decrease, and more than a 25% reduction can be achieved from 2016 to 2025.

Physical exercise can minimize dysfunction and optimize functional motor recovery after stroke by modulating cortical plasticity. However, the limitation of physical exercise is that large amounts of time and effort are necessary to significantly improve motor function, and even then, substantial exercise may not be sufficient to normalize the observed improvements. Thus, interventions that could be used to strengthen physical exercise-induced neuroplasticity may be valuable in treating hemiplegia after stroke. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation seems to be a viable strategy for enhancing such plasticity. As a non-invasive cortical stimulation technique, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is able to induce long-term plastic changes in the motor system. Recently, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation was found to optimize the plastic changes caused by motor training, thereby enhancing the long-term effects of physical exercise in stroke patients. Therefore, it is believed that the combination of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and physical exercise may represent a superior method for restoring motor function after stroke.

Abstract Background Air pollution is a global public health concern. The World Health Organization has recently set up a goal of saving 7 million people globally by 2030 from air pollution related death. We conducted an ecological study of geographical variation to explore the association between air pollution (specifically, particulate matter

Background/Purpose: Liver cancer is the second most common cancer in Taiwan. Research on projected cancer incident rates can facilitate appropriate public health planning, and incidence rate studies can offer insights and enable hypotheses about the etiology of particular cancers. Methods: Age-period-cohort models are used to estimate incidence trends in liver cancer from 1997 to 2014 and project trends up to 2035. Results: For men, the age-adjusted incidence rate showed an increasing trend from 1997, which peaked in 2004 (157.6 cases per 100,000 population), and a decreasing trend thereafter. The age-adjusted incidence rate is projected to decrease by 22.2% from 2014 to 2025 and by 37.3% from 2014 to 2035. For women, the age-adjusted incidence rate also showed an increasing trend from 1997, which peaked in 2004 (63.4 cases per 100,000 population), and a decreasing trend thereafter. The age-adjusted incidence rate is projected to decrease by 17.5% from 2014 to 2025 and by 27% from 2014 to 2035. Conclusion: This study revealed a reduction in the incidence rate of liver cancer for both sexes after 2004, and a further decrease until 2035 is projected. Keywords: Liver cancer, Age-period-cohort model, Projection, Cross validation

It is imperative to use clean energy in order to achieve “carbon neutrality” and “carbon peaking”. This research aims to explore the impact of the agricultural mechanization level, the rural infrastructure construction level, and the rural economic development level on the utilization of high-quality straw energy, and, resultingly, this study aims to help provide suggestions for promoting high-quality straw energy utilization, develop the potential of high-quality straw energy, and alleviate China’s energy shortage problem. This paper develops a measurement model using the ridge regression model with panel fixed effects, which overcomes the multi-collinearity problem among the various factors influencing the utilization of high-quality energy from straw. Panel data from 24 provinces and cities, from 2009 to 2017, are used. The results show that the improvements of the agricultural mechanization level, the rural infrastructure construction level, and the rural economic development level all promote the use of high-quality straw energy. Moreover, the level of rural economic development plays a mediating role in the agricultural mechanization level and the rural infrastructure construction level pertaining to straw-based high-quality energy. Policy implications can be easy to derive based on our findings, and these include strengthening governmental investment in agricultural machinery in rural areas, paying more attention to areas with backward rural energy infrastructure construction, ensuring the steady improvement of economic development in rural areas, providing the necessary economic foundation for agricultural supply, and promoting the use of high-quality energy from straw.

In this study, a novel polystyrene-block-quaternized polyisoprene amphipathic block copolymer (PS-b-PIN) is derived from anionic polymerization. Quaternized polymers are prepared through post-quaternization on a functionalized polymer side chain. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of quaternized polymers without red blood cell (RBCs) hemolysis can be controlled by block composition, side chain length, and polymer morphology. The solvent environment is highly related to the polymer morphology, forming micelles or other structures. The polymersome formation would decrease the hemolysis and increase the electron density or quaternized groups density as previous research and our experiment revealed. Herein, the PS-b-PIN with N,N-dimethyldodecylamine as side chain would form a polymersome structure in the aqueous solution to display the best inhibiting bacterial growth efficiency without hemolytic effect. Therefore, the different single-chain quaternized groups play an important role in the antibacterial action, and act as a controllable factor.

Little is known about the annual changes in cancer incidence and survival that occurred after the establishment of the long-form cancer registry database in Taiwan. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the updated incidence and stage-specific relative survival rates (RSRs) among adult cancer patients in Taiwan. Methods: Cancer incidence data from 2002 to 2012 were collected using the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database. Age-standardized incidence rates, average annual percent changes (AAPCs), and sex ratios were calculated for adults. Five-year stage-specific RSRs were estimated for cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 and were followed up to 2013 for major cancers. Results: The overall age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 populations increased from 348.39 in 2002 to 401.18 in 2012, and the AAPC was 1.7% (p

BACKGROUND:The benefit of alpha-Ketoanalogues (KA) supplementation for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients that followed low-protein diet (LPD) remains undetermined. METHODS:We extracted longitudinal data for all CKD patients in the Taiwan National Health Insurance from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2010. A total of 1483 patients with anemic advanced CKD treated with LPD, who started KA supplementation, were enrolled in this study. We analyzed the risks of end stage renal disease and all-cause mortality using Cox proportional hazard models with influential drugs as time-dependent variables. RESULTS:A total of 1113 events of initiating long-term dialysis and 1228 events of the composite outcome of long-term dialysis or death occurred in patients with advanced CKD after a mean follow-up of 1.57 years. Data analysis suggests KA supplementation is associated with a lower risk for long-term dialysis and the composite outcome when daily dosage is more than 5.5 tablets. The beneficial effect was consistent in subgroup analysis, independent of age, sex, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS:Among advanced CKD patients that followed LPD, KA supplementation at an appropriate dosage may substantially reduce the risk of initiating long-term dialysis or of developing the composite outcome. KA supplementation represents an additional therapeutic strategy to slow the progression of CKD.

Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a granulomatous disease with unknown etiology and pathogenesis. Clinically, it is characterized by yellow-brown atrophic plaques with inflammatory rims on shins. Histologically, it shows diffused palisade and interstitial granulomatous dermatitis with focal connective tissue degeneration (necrobiosis). We described three non-diabetic NL cases with unusual histologic features. All patients presented erythematous to brownish plaque(s) on the shin(s). In Case 1, in addition to the characteristics of NL, the biopsy showed dense perineural infiltration, which may explain the pathogenesis of the anesthesia of NL lesions. In Case 2, well-formed tuberculoid granulomas were of special interest. In Case 3, there was conspicuous lobular panniculitis. These histologic features present difficulties in the diagnosis and represent the broad spectrum of NL lesions, histologically.

BACKGROUND:Historically, urinary aldosterone level measurement was a commonly employed confirmatory test to detect primary aldosteronism (PA). However, 24-h urine collection is inconvenient and cumbersome. We hypothesized that random urinary aldosterone measurements with correction for creatinine concentration might be comparable to 24-h urinary aldosterone levels (Uald-24 h) in the diagnosis of PA. METHODS:The non-concurrent prospective study was conducted between June 2006 and March 2008 in patients admitted for confirmation of aldosteronism by salt loading test. A 24-h urine sample, which was collected during hospitalization on the day before saline infusion testing after restoration of serum hypokalemia, was collected from all subjects. Moreover, participants were asked to collect a first bladder voiding random urine sample during clinic visits. Uald-24 h and the random urinary aldosterone-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were calculated accordingly. RESULTS:A total of 102 PA patients (71 patients diagnosed of aldosterone-producing adenoma, 31 with idiopathic hyperaldosteronism) and 65 patients with EH were enrolled. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed comparable areas under the curves of UACR and Uald-24 h. The Bland-Altman plot showed mean bias but no obvious heteroscedasticity between the two tests. When using random UACR >3.0 ng/mg creatinine as the cutoff value, we obtained a specificity of 90.6% to confirm PA from essential hypertension. CONCLUSIONS:Our study reinforce that the diagnostic accuracy of random UACR was comparable to that of Uald-24 h in PA patients. With the quickness and simplicity of the UACR method and its equivalence to Uald-24 h, this assay could be a good alternative diagnostic tool for PA confirmation.

OBJECTIVE: Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium. The condition is commonly associated with rapid disease progression and often results in profound shock. Impaired renal function is the result of impairment in end-organ perfusion and is highly prevalent among critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and identify the relationship between AKI and the prognosis of patients with acute myocarditis. DESIGN, MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of 101 patients suffering from acute myocarditis between 1996 and 2011. Sixty of these patients (59%) developed AKI within 48 hours of being hospitalized. AKI defined as AKIN stage 3 (p = 0.007) and SOFA score (p = 0.03) were identified as predictors of in-hospital mortality in multivariate analysis. The conditional effect plot of the estimated risk against SOFA score upon admission categorized according to the AKIN stages showed that the risk of in-hospital mortality was highest among patients in AKIN stage 3 with a high SOFA score. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with acute myocarditis, AKI defined as AKIN stage 3 and elevated SOFA score were associated with unfavorable outcomes. AKIN classification is a simple, reproducible, and easily applied evaluation tool capable of providing objective information related to the clinical prognosis of patients with acute myocarditis.

Interleukin (IL)-23, an IL-12 cytokine family member, is a hierarchically dominant regulatory cytokine in a cluster of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. We review IL-23 biology, IL-23 signaling in IMIDs, and the effect of IL-23 inhibition in treating these diseases. We propose studies to advance IL-23 biology and unravel differences in response to anti-IL-23 therapy. Experimental evidence generated from these investigations could establish a novel molecular ontology centered around IL-23-driven diseases, improve upon current approaches to treating IMIDs with IL-23 inhibition, and ultimately facilitate optimal identification of patients and, thereby, outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]