Taiwan has strictly followed infection control measures to prevent spread of coronavirus disease. Meanwhile, nationwide surveillance data revealed drastic decreases in influenza diagnoses in ...outpatient departments, positivity rates of clinical specimens, and confirmed severe cases during the first 12 weeks of 2020 compared with the same period of 2019.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
In Taiwan, lower nonpolio enterovirus activity during the coronavirus disease pandemic in 2020 compared with 2014-2019 might be attributable to adherence to nonpharmaceutical interventions. The ...preventable fraction among unexposed persons indicated that 90% of nonpolio enterovirus activity might have been prevented during 2014-2019 by adopting the same measures enforced in 2020.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The COVID-19 pandemic struck the world unguarded, some places outperformed others in COVID-19 containment. This longitudinal study considered a comparative evaluation of COVID-19 containment across ...50 distinctly governed regions between March 2020 and November 2021. Our analysis distinguishes between a pre-vaccine phase (March-November 2020) and a vaccinating phase (December 2020-November 2021). In the first phase, we develop an indicator, termed lockdown efficiency (LE), to estimate the efficacy of measures against monthly case numbers. Nine other indicators were considered, including vaccine-related indicators in the second phase. Linear mixed models are used to explore the relationship between each government policy & hygiene education (GP&HE) indicator and each vital health & socioeconomic (VH&SE) measure. Our ranking shows that surveyed countries in Oceania and Asian outperformed countries in other regions for pandemic containment prior to vaccine development. Their success appears to be associated with non-pharmaceutical interventions, acting early, and adjusting policies as needed. After vaccines have been distributed, maintaining non-pharmacological intervention is the best way to achieve protection from variant viral strains, breakthrough infections, waning vaccine efficacy, and vaccine hesitancy limiting of herd immunity. The findings of the study provide insights into the effectiveness of emerging infectious disease containment policies worldwide.
The present study aimed to evaluate the association between influenza vaccination and the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among elderly persons. This retrospective cohort study ...used the Geriatric Dataset of Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2000-2013). Patients aged ≥ 65 years who had been hospitalized for the first episodes of myocardial infarction were eligible. The vaccinated cohort comprised patients who received one dose of influenza vaccine within 180 days after discharge. The unvaccinated cohort included those who did not receive influenza vaccination and was propensity score-matched (1:1) for known CVD risk factors. All-cause death, acute myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death, and hospitalization for heart failure were assessed 1 year after the 181st day after hospital discharge. Compared with the matched cohort (n = 4,350), the vaccinated cohort (n = 4,350) had significantly lower incidences of all-cause death (hazard ratios HR 0.82, 95% CI confidence interval 0.73-0.92), myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.74-0.96), and hospitalization for heart failure (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.92). The association between influenza vaccination and reduction of CVDs was similar across different subgroups. Cumulative incidence curves of the CVDs of interest for the two cohorts separated within the initial 3 months of follow-up (P < 0.05). Influenza vaccination was associated with a reduced risk of CVD in the elderly population with previous myocardial infarction.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is associated with nosocomial infections worldwide. Here, we used clinically isolated A. baumannii strains as models to demonstrate whether antibiotic ...resistance is correlated with an increased susceptibility to bacteriophages. In this study, 24 active phages capable of infecting A. baumannii were isolated from various environments, and the susceptibilities of both antibiotic-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant strains of A. baumannii to different phages were compared. In our study, a total of 403 clinically isolated A. baumannii strains were identified. On average, the phage infection percentage of the antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii strains was 84% (from 81-86%), whereas the infection percentage in the antibiotic-sensitive A. baumannii strains was only 56.5% (from 49-64%). In addition, the risk of phage infection for A. baumannii was significantly increased in the strains that were resistant to at least four antibiotics and exhibited a dose-dependent response (p-trend < 0.0001). Among all of the A. baumannii isolates, 75.6% were phage typeable. The results of phage typing might also reveal the antibiotic-resistant profiles of clinical A. baumannii strains. In conclusion, phage susceptibility represents an evolutionary trade-off in A. baumannii strains that show adaptations for antibiotic resistance, particularly in medical environments that have high antibiotic use.
Endoscopy-assisted breast surgery (EABS) performed through minimal axillary and/or periareolar incisions is a possible alternative to open surgery for certain patients with breast cancer. In this ...study, we report the early results of an EABS program in Taiwan.
The medical records of patients who underwent EABS for breast cancer during the period May 2009 to December 2014 were collected from the Taiwan Endoscopic Breast Surgery Cooperative Group database. Data on clinicopathologic characteristics, type of surgery, method of breast reconstruction, complications and recurrence were analyzed to determine the effectiveness and oncologic safety of EABS in Taiwan.
A total of 315 EABS procedures were performed in 292 patients with breast cancer, including 23 (7.8%) patients with bilateral disease. The number of breast cancer patients who underwent EABS increased initially from 2009 to 2012 and then stabilized during the period 2012-2014. The most commonly performed EABS was endoscopy-assisted total mastectomy (EATM) (85.4%) followed by endoscopy-assisted partial mastectomy (EAPM) (14.6%). Approximately 74% of the EATM procedures involved breast reconstruction, with the most common types of reconstruction being implant insertion and autologous pedicled TRAM flap surgery. During the six-year study period, there was an increasing trend in the performance of EABS for the management of breast cancer when total mastectomy was indicated. The positive surgical margin rate was 1.9%. Overall, the rate of complications associated with EABS was 15.2% and all were minor and wound-related. During a median follow-up of 26.8 (3.3-68.6) months, there were 3 (1%) cases of local recurrence, 1 (0.3%) case of distant metastasis and 1 (0.3%) death.
The preliminary results from the EABS program in Taiwan show that EABS is a safe procedure and results in acceptable cosmetic outcome. These findings could help to promote this under-used surgical technique in the field of breast cancer.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Gypenoside XIII is isolated from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino. In mice, G. pentaphyllum extract and gypenoside LXXV have been shown to improve non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). This ...study investigated whether gypenoside XIII can regulate lipid accumulation in fatty liver cells or attenuate NASH in mice. We used HepG2 hepatocytes to establish a fatty liver cell model using 0.5 mM oleic acid. Fatty liver cells were treated with different concentrations of gypenoside XIII to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of lipid metabolism. In addition, a methionine/choline‐deficient diet induced NASH in C57BL/6 mice, which were given 10 mg/kg gypenoside XIII by intraperitoneal injection. In fatty liver cells, gypenoside XIII effectively suppressed lipid accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, gypenoside XIII significantly increased SIRT1 and AMPK phosphorylation to decrease acetyl‐CoA carboxylase phosphorylation, reducing fatty acid synthesis activity. Gypenoside XIII also decreased lipogenesis by suppressing sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 1c and fatty acid synthase production. Gypenoside XIII also increased lipolysis and fatty acid β‐oxidation by promoting adipose triglyceride lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, respectively. In an animal model of NASH, gypenoside XIII effectively decreased the lipid vacuole size and number and reduced liver fibrosis and inflammation. These findings suggest that gypenoside XIII can regulate lipid metabolism in fatty liver cells and improve liver fibrosis in NASH mice. Therefore, gypenoside XIII has potential as a novel agent for the treatment of NASH.
Honokiol, an active natural product derived from Magnolia officinalis, exerted anticancer effects through a variety of mechanisms on multiple types of cancers. In this study, the molecular mechanisms ...of honokiol in suppressing the human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells were evaluated. Treatment of two OSCC cell lines with honokiol resulted in reducing the cell proliferation and arresting the cell cycle at G1 stage which was correlated with the down‐regulation of Cdk2 and Cdk4 and the up‐regulation of cell cycle suppressors, p21 and p27. In addition, the caspase‐dependent programmed cell death was substantially detected, and the autophagy was induced as the autophagosome formation and autophagic flux proceeded. Modulation of autophagy by autophagic inducer, rapamycin or inhibitors, 3‐MA or bafilomycin, potentiated the honokiol‐mediated anti‐OSCC effects where honokiol exerted multiple actions in suppression of MAPK pathway and regulation of Akt/mTOR or AMPK pathways. As compared to clinical therapeutic agent, 5‐FU, honokiol exhibited more potent activity against OSCC cells and synergistically enhanced the cytotoxic effect of 5‐FU. Furthermore, orally administrated honokiol exerted effective antitumour activity in vivo in OSCC‐xenografted mice. Thus, this study revealed that honokiol could be a promising candidate in preventing human OSCCs.
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