Background: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence, profile, and severity of dementia and the relative impact of these factors on caregiver burden in a selected population of persons with dementia and their caregivers. Methods: A convenience sample of 100 outpatients and their family caregivers dyads who presented to a memory clinic in one medical center during one consecutive year were recruited. The diagnosis and severity of dementia were determined according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version IV, Text Revision. The clinical dementia rating scale, mini-mental status examination, and Clinical Global Impression of severity were also administered. The caregiver strain index was used to assess caregiver burden. Results: Caregiver burden is related to the severity of dementia, impairment of cognitive function, and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The caregivers who were younger, nonspousal family members, had a poor relationship with the dementia patient, and psychosomatic symptoms after caring for the patient, or provided longer hours of care-giving, experienced greater strains. Hiring foreign helpers was not associated with a lower caregiver burden. Conclusions: Greater caregiver burden is associated with several factors related to persons with dementia and their caregivers. A possible over-burden on caregivers should be of concern in Taiwan. Hiring foreign helpers was not associated with a lower caregiver burden.

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Objective: The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in cancer diagnosis and treatment is a rapidly developing area of nanotechnology. The main objective of this research work is to synthesize copper oxide (CuO) NPs and to investigate its vitro anticancer and antibacterial property. Methods: The CuO NPs were synthesized via a facile and cost-effective precipitation method using cupric acetate (monohydrate) (CuAc ₂ .2H ₂ O), sodium hydroxide, and glacial acetic acid. By varying the pH of the precursor solution, the morphology, particle size, and reaction rate of the NPs could be well tailored. The prepared CuO NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Results: The results revealed a well crystalline structure with leaf-like morphology. By controlling the pH of the solution, particle size and morphology of the NPs are altered. The synthesized CuO NPs have been screened for its antibacterial potency against Gram-positive (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Salmonella Paratyphi, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Enterobacter aerogenes) bacterial strains. The as-synthesized NPs were found to be remarkable in inhibiting pathogenic bacteria. The anticancer activity reveals the dose-dependent influence of CuO NPs against human breast cancer cell line Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7). Conclusions: The results suggested that CuO NPs have a wide range of antibacterial applications which can be used to control the spread and infection of a variety of bacterial strains. The CuO NPs showed promising anticancer activity against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Overall, CuO NPs are an effective candidate for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and environmental applications.

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Background: Military personnel are confronted with physiological and psychological changes caused by stress and exposure to trauma. Although resilience may be protective against psychopathology, very few studies have explored the relationships between the resilience and coping strategies. The study aims to assess how different coping strategies affect resilience, psychological well-being (PWB), and perceived health among military personnel. Subjects and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey. Nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) soldiers and nurses in the military medical center were recruited in Taiwan in November 2015. The survey comprised the Brief COPE Scale, Ryff's PWB Scale, and the Resilience Scale for Adults, which examined the relationships among coping strategies, PWB, resilience, and perceived health. Path analysis was applied. Results: We recruited 200 participants (145 male and 177 single) aged 24.6 ± 4.7 years (range, 18–46 years). Resilience (coefficient = 0.60, P < 0.001) and PWB (coefficient = 0.33, P < 0.001) were better when using more approach-oriented coping strategies and fewer avoidant coping strategies, whereas the opposite pattern was seen when using avoidant coping (coefficient = −0.31, P < 0.001 for resilience and coefficient = −.20, P < 0.1 for PWB). PWB significantly predicted perceived health (coefficient = 0.45, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Resilience is higher when positive approach-oriented coping strategies are used, which directly affects PWB, and in turn, predicts better-perceived health. Our conceptual model indicates that interventions designed to promote approach-oriented coping strategies may help military personnel develop improved resilience, PWB, and perceived health status.

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Aim: This study was aimed at assessing dispositions, attitudes, and behavioral tendencies for HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination among health-care providers in Specialist Hospital Gombe, Northern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Out of a total of 397 health personnel of the hospital, a sample of 201 health-care providers of various professional backgrounds was drawn using quota sampling technique. A descriptive exploratory survey method was adopted. Using a structured questionnaire, relevant data were collected from the subjects. Reliability test on key segments of the instrument yielded alpha Cronbach's internal consistency test values of not <7.0. The significance level for findings was set at 0.05. Results: The subjects were aged between 18 and 59 years with a mean of 39.11 ± 10.60 years. There were more females (123, 61.2%) than males (78, 38.8%), and majority (113, 56.2%) of them were diploma certificate holders, whereas a good number (62, 30.8%) had degree education. Seventy-two (35.8%) of them opined that “A person who contract HIV should be ashamed” and another 31 (15.4%) of them believe that such a person should be rejected. Although this tendency appeared to be more among doctors (31, 15.4%) and laboratory workers (4, 25.0%) than others, this was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). If given the choice, 34 (16.9%) of the personnel would not treat a patient with HIV. Conclusion: A prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS-related stigma of 15.4% among the health personnel is quite worrisome. Stigma reduction seminars and workshops would go a long way toward mitigating this trend.

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Background: Morbid obesity is associated with various diseases, and the weight control surgery (WCS) is one of the treatments for morbid obesity. However, the association between the WCS and psychiatric disorders has yet to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the association between the WCS and the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. Materials and Methods: A total of 53,052 enrolled participants with 13,263 patients who received WCS and 39,789 controls with matched for sex and age, between January 1 and December 31, 2000, were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. After adjusting for confounding factors, Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to compare the risk of developing psychiatric disorders during 10 years of follow-up. Results: Of the study patients, 1170 (8.82%) developed psychiatric disorders when compared to 3490 (8.77%) in the control group. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that the study patients were more likely to develop psychiatric disorders (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.952, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.756–3.163, P < 0.001). After adjusting for gender, age, monthly income, urbanization level, geographic region, and comorbidities, the adjusted HR was 2.901 (95% CI = 2.701–3.115, P < 0.001). Among these psychiatric disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and sleep disorders are with significantly increased risk. Conclusions: Patients who received the WCS have a higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, and the risk was increased in the durations of <1 year and 1–3 years, especially within the duration of 1 year. Regular psychiatric follow-up might be needed for those patients.

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Purpose: Intentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning has become the commonly used method of suicide in some Asian countries. The objective of this study was to identify the predictors that impact the outcome of intentional CO-poisoned patients with acute respiratory failure. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of 796 consecutive patients diagnosed with acute CO poisoning that presented to the emergency department (ED). Patients who were CO poisoned with intentional exposure and acute respiratory failure were enrolled and divided into two groups. The poor outcome group consisted of in-hospital death, the presence of persistent neurological sequelae, and the presence of delayed neurologic sequelae. The good outcome group consisted of other enrolled patients. Demographic and clinical data of the two groups were extracted for analysis. Results: A total of 148 patients were enrolled in this study. Of the eligible subjects, 67.6% (100) were identified with positive toxicology screening results. On arriving ED, parameters associated with patients with a poor outcome included hypotension, myocardial injury, prolonged lag times from the first ED arrival to initiation of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, higher white blood cell count, and higher serum levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatine kinase, and troponin-I (P < 0.05). Positive toxicology screening result did not relate to the outcome. Multivariate analysis showed that the myocardial injury was an independent factor for poor outcome (odds ratio, 2.750; 95% confidence interval, 1.168-6.474; P = 0.021). Conclusions: Myocardial injury is an independent predictor of in-hospital death and neurologic sequelae in patients with intentional CO poisoning and acute respiratory failure.

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Context: Under morphogenesis-inducing conditions, Candida spp. begins to undergo yeast-to-hypha switch. This shift from commensal to pathogenic state is dependent on several virulence factors. Aim: To find out whether the isolated Candida spp. were pathogens causing vulvovaginal candidiasis or mere bystanders. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional observational study conducted on 275 symptomatic hospital patients in Tripura between August 2012 and April 2015. Subjects and Methods: Discharge was collected from patients and identified by Grams staining and wet mount test. Culturing was done in Sabouraud dextrose agar followed by speciation. To test for virulence factors, assays for adherence, plasma coagulase, phospholipase, lipase, protease, hemolysin, and biofilm formation were carried out. Statistical Analysis Used: Significance between two groups was compared using one-way analysis of variance along with Tukey test, and Chi-square 2 × 2 contingency table at 95% confidence interval. Results: Fifty-six Candida spp. could be isolated in the study which was used for further virulence tests. One hundred percent of isolates expressed adherence. Among other virulence factors, maximum virulence 25 (45%) was shown through protease production. Hemolysin production and biofilm formation were the second most 22 (39%) expressed virulence factors. In a comparison of virulence factors between biofilm-forming isolates and planktonic cells, significant difference was seen for plasma coagulase and hemolysin production. Conclusions: All the isolates expressed one or more virulence factors. Adherence was expressed in all isolates but highest number was observed for Candida albicans. Furthermore, C. albicans strain number was highest for protease, hemolysin and coagulase expression and biofilm formation. Candida krusei isolates were the least in number for expressing any of the virulence factors. Significantly higher number of biofilm forming isolates produced hemolysin and coagulase in comparison to planktonic cells.

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Background: The multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDRGNBs) have emerged as important pathogens recently. Cefoperazone-sulbactam is active against a great proportion of those MDRGNBs. However, the susceptibilities data of cefoperazone-sulbactam are lacking in Taiwan. Object: This study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibilities data of cefoperazone-sulbactam aganist commonly encountered clinical pathogens in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: 2272 isolates were collected from various clinical specimens from five centers in Taiwan in 2012. The agar dilution method was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the isolated pathogens to cefoperazone and cefoperazone-sulbactam. Result: cefoperazone-sulbactam showed better activity against various GNBs, including MDRGNBs and part of carbapenem-resistant isolates tested compared to cefoperazone alone. Conclusion: Cefoperazone-sulbactam is active against most commonly encountered clinical pathogens, including MDRGNBs and part of carbapenem-esistant A. baumannii complex. It can be a potentially therapeutic agent for treating infections caused by these pathogens in Taiwan.

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Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the validity of the coin-in-the-hand (CIH) test with other neuropsychological tests for the detection of malingering in the memory. Materials and Methods: A simulated scenario design was developed to investigate the validity of the CIH test, entitled the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), associated with the Clinical Dementia Rating, the cognitive abilities screening instrument, the Mini-Mental Status Examination, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF. The performances of the patients with dementia (n = 25) were compared with one group of normal controls (n = 9), and another group instructed to simulate malingering dementia (n = 19). Results: The CIH test demonstrated good validity and displayed a better sensitivity and a positive likelihood ratio than the TOMM, while patients with dementia could provide, on average, more than nine correct answers, in comparison to only more than six correct answers in the simulated malingering group. The optimal cutoff score of the CIH test is ≤8. Conclusions: This pilot study showed that the CIH test is a quick and practical test for detecting malingering in the memory.

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More than 50% of the marketed drugs today are derived from natural sources. There are various cancers and diseases which cannot be managed well with the current available drugs. It is, therefore, important to identify new sources of drugs for the future. The biological diversity offered by the oceans shows promise in expressing some lead compounds for diseases which show a dearth of drug options for management. A handful of marine products have been approved by the United States – Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) because of the involvement of academia and the pharmaceutical industry. However, there are many challenges involved which deter a better and faster process for drug development from marine sources. The current scenario in India is in a nascent phase, but steps are being taken in the right direction to develop a potential source of new drugs. In this review article, we try to give an overview over the history and impending potential of marine pharmacology, with an overlook on the current approved marine-sourced drugs by the US-FDA. We also take a brief look over the challenges involved in the field of marine pharmacology, its current progress in India and possible future scope.

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Objective and Study Design: Early identification of high-risk disease could greatly reduce both mortality and morbidity due to oral cancer. Hence, screening of such lesions and their early detection could improve prognosis. Metachromatic dye toluidine blue, which stains nuclear material in dysplastic epithelium, is widely used for screening of potentially malignant lesions. Visually enhanced lesion scope (VELscope) that identifies reduction in tissue fluorescence in dysplasia can also prove to be effective in screening for potentially malignant lesions. Hence, this study was done to compare the reliability of VELscope and toluidine blue as a screening tool in the diagnosis of malignant and potentially malignant lesions as compared to histopathological diagnosis which is gold standard. Materials and Methods: 90 patients with tobacco associated hyperkeratotic red and white lesion, ulcerative lesion, and frank malignancy included in study. Patients were subject to Tissue Autofluorescence (Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope) and Toluidine Blue stain tests. Nature of Autofluorescence and Toluidine Blue staining of tissue was recorded. Based on findings tissue was biopsied and examined under microscope from confirmatory diagnosis. Results: In this study, ninety patients with malignant and potentially malignant lesions were studied, VELscope showed 85.36% sensitivity and 75% specificity as compared to toluidine blue which showed 83.13% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity. The results were statistically significant (P < 0.001) with a mean deviation of ± 3. Conclusion: From the study, we concluded that VELscope was more effective as a screening tool for the detection of oral malignant lesions as compared to toluidine blue.

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Background: Depression is one of the more common mental health conditions found among people suffering from chronic diseases. Its presence in patients with type 2 diabetes could hinder the adherence to and effectiveness of treatment. Most studies on depression among patients with diabetes are hospital-based suggesting the need for a community-based study to assess the correlates of depression among patients with diabetes. Aim: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and to identify the factors influencing depression among patients with type 2 diabetes in Udupi taluk situated in southern India. Subjects and Methods: This study recruited 200 patients with type 2 diabetes from both rural and urban areas. Demographic, clinical, and diabetes-related information were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Depression was assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire-9; a standardized questionnaire developed in the United States of America and validated in the Indian population. Results: The prevalence of depression among patients with diabetes in the community was found to be 37.5%. Most frequently, depression was mild (42, 21%) in nature with severe depression (9, 4.5%) seen the least. Several factors were found to be positively associated with depression including female gender, rural residence, unemployment, and the status of being unmarried. The presence of diabetic complications and other chronic diseases such as hypertension and obesity also were found to be associated with depression. Conclusion: Depression was found to be particularly high among the study population. Since depression could significantly hinder patient's adherence to treatment, there is an urgent need for early diagnosis and treatment. This calls for the integration of mental health care into the management of diabetes.

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Background: Anesthesia technique may contribute to the improvement of operation room (OR) efficiency by reducing anesthesia-controlled time (ACT). We compared the difference between propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and desflurane (DES) anesthesia for gynecologic laparoscopic surgery undergoing general anesthesia. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study using data collected in our hospital to compare the ACT of gynecologic laparoscopic surgery using either TIVA via target-controlled infusion (TCI) with propofol/fentanyl or DES/fentanyl-based anesthesia between January 2010 and December 2011. The various time intervals (waiting for anesthesia, operation time, anesthesia time, emergence time, exit from OR after extubation, total OR time and postanesthesia care unit stay time) and the incidence of prolonged extubation (≥15 min) were compared between the two anesthetic techniques. Results: We included data from 926 patients, with 377 patients receiving TIVA and 549 patients receiving DES. The only significant difference is emergence time, TIVA was faster than the DES group (7.3 ± 3.3 min vs. 8.3 ± 3.1 min; P < 0.001). The factors of prolonged extubation are DES anesthesia, body mass index, surgical time, and anesthesia time. Conclusion: In our hospital, propofol-based TIVA by TCI provide faster emergence compared with DES anesthesia in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.

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Background: Chronic inflammation has been linked to stroke, but it is not known whether atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronically inflammatory skin disease, is related to stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of AD and stroke. Materials and Methods: In this population-based, cohort study, data were collected from a Longitudinal Health Insurance Database released from the National Health Research Institute in Taiwan in 2011. All patients with AD between 2000 and 2006 without prior stroke were included and an age- and gender-matched cohort without prior stroke, 4-fold of the AD sample size, was served as the control group. The two cohorts were followed until the end of 2010 for stroke incidence. Cox's proportional hazards regressions were used to assess the difference in stroke risk between groups. Results: During the follow-up period of 4–11 years, 471 (incidence: 4.46/1,000 person-years) and 1497 (incidence: 3.56/1,000 person-years) stroke incidents were noted in the study and control cohort, respectively. The patients with AD had an increased incidence of ischemic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–1.36) but not hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.74–1.29). The severity of AD was significantly correlated with the risk of ischemic stroke. Conclusions: These results suggest that AD is independently associated with ischemic stroke but not with hemorrhagic stroke. The risk of ischemic stroke is correlated significantly with the severity of AD. Further research is necessary to explore the underlying mechanism.

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The nutritional status of an individual is usually a result of multiple factors that interact with each other at different levels. Recognizing the role of diet at the onset of many diseases and assessing the nutritional status of an individual, family and community are important for public health. The nutritional assessment is done to obtain information about the prevalence and geographic distribution of nutritional disorders within a community or a specified population group. It can also be used to identify high-risk groups and to assess the role of different epidemiological factors in nutritional deficiency. Assessment of the nutritional status aids assessing the prevalence of nutritional disorders, planning corrective measures, and evaluating the effectiveness of the implemented strategies simultaneously.

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Metastatic bone pain is among the most commonly reported pain conditions in cancer patients and pharmacological therapy frequently fails to provide satisfactory pain relief. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) is a minimally invasive procedure and may be an effective alternative. However, there is little published data evaluating PRF treatment of metastatic pain. PRF therapy of select lumbar dorsal root ganglia was performed on two patients suffering from uncontrolled metastatic lumbar bone pain. After PRF therapy, the patients reported markedly improved back pain, and the effect lasted for months until they deceased. No complications or adverse events were noted from this minimally invasive procedure. PRF may be considered a potential intervention in treating certain neuropathic cancer pain conditions.

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Background: The epidemiologic studies of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in Taiwan are lacking. Aim: This study aimed to provide the epidemiologic and pathologic information of BCC among the northern Taiwanese population and try to identify the association of patient demographic characteristics with histopathological findings. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 103 BCC cases diagnosed between December 1985 and December 2011 at the Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. The patients' age and sex, and anatomic distribution, subtype, depth, and pigmentation of the lesions were analyzed. Results: Of the patients, 59 were men and 44 were women (male-to-female ratio, 1.34). The overall mean age was 69.5 ± 12.91 years; with the mean age of the women lower than that of the men (66.9 vs. 71.4 years). The frequency of microscopic pigmentation in BCC was 52.4%. Nodular BCC was more inclined to develop microscopic pigmentation. The BCCs with depths greater than 3.3 mm tended to have no microscopic pigmentation. Superficial BCCs tended to involve the trunk and to occur in people younger than 60 years of age. Conclusions: This updated analysis study of BCC showed the mean age of BCC had a trend to increase in northern Taiwan. The male-to-female ratio in our study was slightly higher than those of other Asian countries. We suggest that excision of BCC without pigmentation could be deeper than pigmented BCC.

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Background: Taiwan is located in a subtropical area where there are approximately 50 kinds of land snakes and six principal kinds of venous snakes. Snakebite envenomation is not an uncommon issue in Taiwan. We design a study to obtain an understanding of the characteristics of snakebites and snakebite patients in a medical center in northern Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective medical records study of an 8-year period. We used the key word “snake” to search the emergency department (ED) diagnosis of all patients and then used antivenom management codes to select patients for inclusion. The species of snake involved, time and site of the bite, geographic data of the patients and patient outcomes were recorded. Results: In total, there were 125 snakebite patients (male 70%, female 30%). The snakes involved were Protobothrops mucrosquamatus (50%), followed by Trimeresurus stejnegeri (7%). The feet and ankles were the most frequently bitten areas (42.4%). The peak months were July and October. The average ED stasis time was 2 hours and 45 minutes, and 65.6% of snakebite patients received antivenom. In patients bitten by P. mucrosquamatus, there was a high surgical rate, 23.8% higher than those reported in other studies. No mortalities or side effects of antivenom were reported in these patients. Conclusion: We propose a clinical flow chart for physicians who are treating patients bitten by P. mucrosquamatus. Snakebites, especially those inflicted by P. mucrosquamatus, induce severe soft tissue swelling, which can mimic compartment syndrome. Antivenom for P. mucrosquamatus is the first and only choice of treatment. The amount of antivenom needs to match the clinical symptoms. Patients bitten by P. mucrosquamatus may need longer observation times than patients bitten by other species of snakes, in addition to toxicologist consultations, sonographic examinations, and measurement of the objective compartment pressure before surgery.

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The overall goal of treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is to target the underlying cause of the disease and prevent, or at least slow down, the loss of vision, which requires the preservation of the choroid, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and photoreceptors. At present, there is no proven drug treatment for dry AMD; however, the cessation of smoking and treatments based on the age-related eye diseases study vitamin formula combined with a healthy diet are considered the only options for slowing disease progression. A number of pharmaceutical agents are currently under evaluation for the treatment of dry AMD using strategies such as reduction RPE and photoreceptor loss, neuroprotection, visual cycle modulators, suppression of inflammation, prevention of oxidative damage, and choroidal perfusion enhancers. The hope is that some of these therapies will achieve significant improvement to current management and prevent future loss of vision in this devastating eye condition.

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Tremors are common especially in the elderly population. However, tremors occurring secondary to cervical myelopathy are rarely reported. We report the case of a 91-year-old gentleman who was admitted to the neurology service with chief complaints of bilateral upper- and lower-limb tremors. This had progressed rapidly over 2 weeks to the extent that he was not able to feed himself and was unable to walk without support. An initial working diagnosis of Parkinson's disease was made but was later dismissed because of the atypical features. A magnetic resonance imaging of cervical spine was subsequently performed which revealed a large disc herniation at C3–C4 level, causing severe spinal canal stenosis and cord compression. Given this radiological presentation and the absence of other objective pathologies on further investigations, we correlated his symptoms to the underlying cervical cord compression. He underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion which led to complete resolution of tremors by 8 weeks postsurgery. His unsteadiness eventually resolved, and there was no recurrence of tremors throughout our follow-up period. This case highlights a rare atypical presentation of cervical myelopathy as peripheral limb tremors. The diagnostic dilemma, management strategies, and hypothesis to explain this phenomenon are discussed.

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Objective: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) has been reported in persons with major depressive disorder (MDD), but the results obtained are inconsistent. Little is known about the impact of comorbid anxiety disorders on HRV in MDD patients. Both issues necessitate further investigation. Materials and Methods: Forty-nine unmedicated, physically healthy, MDD patients without comorbidity, 21 MDD patients with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), 24 MDD patients with comorbid panic disorder (PD), and 81 matched controls were recruited. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale are employed to assess the severity of depression and anxiety, respectively. The cardiac autonomic function was evaluated by measuring the HRV parameters. The frequency-domain indices of HRV were obtained. Results: MDD patients without comorbidity had lower high-frequency (HF)-HRV (which reflected vagal control of HRV) than controls. Any comorbid anxiety disorder (GAD or PD) was associated with significantly faster heart rates, relative to the controls, and caused greater reductions in HF-HRV among MDD patients. MDD participants with comorbid GAD displayed the greatest reductions in HF-HRV, relative to controls. Correlation analyses revealed that the severity of both depression and anxiety were significantly associated with the mean R wave to R wave (R-R) intervals, variance, low-frequency (LF)-HRV, and HF-HRV. Conclusion: The present results show decreased HRV in MDD patients, suggesting that reduction in HRV is a psychophysiological marker of MDD. MDD patients with comorbid GAD had the greatest reductions in HRV. Further investigation of the links between MDD and comorbid GAD, HRV, and cardiovascular disease is warranted.

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Background: Duodenal contents reflux through the pylorus into the stomach can cause chronic gastritis and gastric cancer. This study aims to propose a new classification of endoscopic findings of duodenogastric reflux (DGR) in symptomatic patients. Patients and Methods: Eighty-eight patients with symptoms of DGR were included. Endoscopic findings, Helicobacter pylori, and mucosa pathological were recorded. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy was performed to quantify the DGR. Results: Among the 88 patients, 41 patients had normal mucosa (control group), 36 patients had bile lake (BL) (Group A), and 11 patients had bile stain (BS) (Group B). Group A significantly increases in postprandial DGR at 50 and 60 min. Group B significantly increases in fasting DGR at 50 and 60 min and postprandial DGR at 30, 40, 50, and 60 min. Group A and Group B had significant high intestine metaplasia and mucosal inflammation score than those in control group. Group B had a significantly higher incidence of gastric polyp than those patients in Group A and control group. Conclusions: Endoscopic findings of BS increased both fasting and postprandial DGR. BL had significant increased postprandial DGR. DGR increased the intestine metaplasia, mucosal inflammation, and gastric polyp in the stomach.

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Context: Breast cancer subtype (BCS) and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) have both been independently demonstrated as prognostic factors. Aims: The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the prognostic power of LVI among BCSs. Settings and Design: From an institutional database, 2017 women with a histopathologically confirmed the diagnosis of breast cancer treated between January 2006 and December 2014 were consecutively selected. Subjects and Methods: Information recorded for each patient included age at diagnosis, year of diagnosis, and date of death or last contact. Total incidences of recurrence or death from breast cancer were ascertained from follow-up lasting until 31 June 2013. Institutional review board approval was obtained through our institution's human investigations committee. Statistical Analysis Used: Univariate and multivariate survival analysis were performed using the Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model with a stepwise backward elimination to derive a final model of variables with a significant independent relationship with overall survival (OS) and recurrent-free survival (RFS). All statistical analyses were two-sided with significance defined as P < 0.05. Results: For the entire cohort, the median follow-up OS period was 43.2 months. Tumor size, LVI, lymph node status, and treatment factors (operation type, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy) differed among subtypes with respect to OS and RFS. The highest incidence of LVI positivity (26.4% vs. 26.9%, respectively) and lymph node involvement (39.7% vs. 36.4%, respectively) occurred in the luminal B and luminal HER2 subtypes. There were significant differences in the OS and RFS rates according the LVI among the BCS. On multivariate analysis, there were significant differences in OS according to the status of lymph node-negative and LVI-positive in the luminal HER2 subtype, as well as lymph node-positive and LVI-positive in the triple negative (TN) subtype. There were also significant differences in RFS according to the status of lymph node-negative and LVI-positive in the luminal A subgroup. Conclusions: LVI in BCS was an important prognostic factor for OS and RFS. LVI and lymph node status were important prognostic factor for OS and RFS among BCSs. There were significant differences in OS according to the lymph node-negative and LVI-positive in the distribution of luminal HER2, the lymph node-positive, and LVI-positive in the distribution of TN. There were also significant differences in the RFS according to the lymph node-negative and LVI-positive in the luminal A.

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Background: Concerns regarding stroke safety associated with the use of atypical antipsychotics among dementia patients have been raised. Although observational studies have found conflicting associations of stroke risk with the use of typical or atypical antipsychotics among the elderly with or without dementia, patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a high-risk for the stroke population, have not been examined. Little evidence has been provided regarding comparison of the stroke risk between the two antipsychotic classes. This study aimed to evaluate the comparative stroke risk with atypical versus typical antipsychotic use among CVD patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a population-based nested case-control study analyzing the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2007. A total of 7,460 CVD patients was followed-up, among which 580 hospitalized cases with stroke were identified and matched to 5,398 randomly selected controls. Conditional logistic regressions were employed to quantify the difference in stroke risk associated with atypical versus typical antipsychotics. Results: Any use and current use of atypical antipsychotics were associated with a 1.67-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-2.30) and a 2.30-fold (95% CI, 1.56-3.40) increased risk of stroke relative to any typical antipsychotic use, respectively. The stroke risk associated with current use of atypical antipsychotics persisted even compared with current use of typical antipsychotics (adjusted odds ratio, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.02-2.33). Conclusions: Use of atypical antipsychotics is associated with an increased risk of stroke requiring hospitalization compared to typical antipsychotic use among CVD patients. Healthcare professionals should take this risk into account when choosing between typical and atypical antipsychotic treatments among CVD patients.

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Background: In our previous study, HSA-PEI demonstrated high pDNA transfection efficiency and low cytotoxicity. Materials and Methods: In this study, the relationship between albumin receptors and the high pDNA transfection efficiency of HSA-PEI was investigated by fluorescent microscopy and flow-cytometer in A549 cells. Results: According to our results, the presence of an albumin receptor on A549 cells was confirmed via the application of a fluorescent tracer, FITC-HSA, and the dose-dependent competition of HSA. The transfection efficiency of HSA-PEI/pEGFP showed a dose-dependent inhibition when different amounts of HSA were added to the culture medium of the A549 cells. However, the inhibitory effect of HSA did not affect the transfection efficiency of some cationic transfection enhancement reagents, such as lipofectamine, jetPEI-RGD or PEI; their transfection was a result of contact between the positively charged reagents and the negatively charged cell surface. Conclusion: It was determined that, unlike other cationic reagents, the high transfection efficiency of HSA-PEI was not from the electronic effect but, instead, predominantly from its ligand effect.

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