J Formos Med Assoc
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Meta Analysis
Association between interleukin-8 rs4073 polymorphism and prostate cancer: A meta-analysis.
Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is an inflammatory cytokine and plays important role in development of cancers. We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the association between IL-8 rs4073 polymorphism and risk of prostate cancer. ⋯ The major findings of this meta-analysis suggested that IL-8 rs4073 polymorphism is significantly associated with risk of prostate cancer.
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The prevalence of developmental disabilities in Taiwan remains unclear, especially in young children under the age 3. We aimed to study the prevalence of developmental disabilities and verify a useful developmental screening tool in a community setting in Taiwan. ⋯ The prevalence rate of developmental disabilities in northeastern Taiwan was 11.36%. Low economic status, prematurity and/or small for gestational age and a history of underlying medical disorders were the main risk factors correlated with developmental disabilities. Taipei II is an easy-to-use and effective developmental surveillance tool for Taiwanese children.
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Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is an oral precancerous disorder associated with the habit of areca nut chewing. MiR-10b has been shown to be upregulated in the oral cancer cells and induced by Twist. Our previous work has revealed that Twist participated in the pathogenesis of OSF and therefore we aimed to investigate whether Twist/miR-10b axis was involved in the activation of myofibroblast in the oral cavity. ⋯ MiR-10b upregulation in OSF may be due to the stimulation of areca nut, leading to elevated myofibroblast activation. Our findings showed that the areca nut-induced expression of miR-10b was under the regulation of Twist and inhibition of miR-10b may provide a direction for treatment of OSF.
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The main objective of this study was to investigate the safety of bedside percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) by pulmonologists in critically ill patients, and the factors associated with complications resulting from PDT. ⋯ Our study demonstrated that it was feasible for pulmonologists to perform bedside PDT in critically ill patients. However, antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants use increased the risk of bleeding in PDT patients.