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Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a one-session sexual health education program using a transtheoretical model to enhance sexual self-efficacy in patients with cervical cancer. Methods: This study recruited patients with cervical cancer from the gynecological wards of a medical center in northern Taiwan. A total of 63 participants were divided into 2 groups: the control group (n = 30) received traditional sexual health education. The intervention group (n = 33) participated in a transtheoretical model (TTM)‐based sexual health education program. Scores from self-report questionnaires for variables of knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy regarding sexual health collected 1 and 6 weeks after the intervention were compared with baseline scores. Results: Patients who received transtheoretical model (TTM)-based sexual health education had significantly greater sexual knowledge (β = 3.794, p < 0.01), sexual attitudes (β = 9.226, p < 0.01), and sexual self-efficacy (β = 17.053, p < 0.01) than those who received traditional sexual health education at 1 and 6 weeks. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a one-session sexual health education using a TTM-based model can enhance sexual knowledge, attitudes, and sexual self-efficacy among patients with cervical cancer. This educational program can be translated into routine clinical practice to help patients with cervical cancer enhance their sexual health and improve confidence in their sexual well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the impact of two educational modules on enhancing the communication confidence, competence and performance of perinatal nurses in the context of palliative care. Concerns have arisen regarding the preparedness of perinatal nurses in delivering palliative care, especially in terms of deficiencies in communication skills and negative attitudes toward making life-support decisions for parents facing neonates with terminal conditions. Bridging this gap necessitates improved perinatal palliative care education for healthcare providers. Research has shown that simulation-based teaching effectively enhances procedural competence, communication skills and confidence among healthcare professionals. However, comprehensive curricula focusing on perinatal palliative communication remain limited. This study used a quasi-experimental design employing a two-group repeated measure approach. It involved a purposive sample of 79 perinatal nurses from a hospital in northern Taiwan. A palliative communication course specifically designed for registered nurses in perinatal units was developed. Participants were allocated to either the experimental group (Scenario-Based Simulation, SBS) or the control group (traditional didactic lecture). Communication confidence and competence were assessed before and immediately after the course through structured questionnaires. Learning satisfaction was collected post-intervention and participants underwent performance evaluation by standardized parents one week later. A significant training gap in palliative care exists among nurses in OB/GYN wards, delivery rooms and neonatal critical care units, highlighting the need for continuing education. All 79 participants completed the training course. Following the intervention, nurses in the SBS group (n=39) exhibited significant improvements in self-reported confidence (p <0.05), competence (p <0.01) and performance (p <0.001) in neonatal palliative communication compared with the traditional didactic lecture group (n=40). The SBS group also received higher satisfaction ratings from nurse learners (p <0.001). The research findings support scenario-based simulation as a more effective educational approach compared with traditional didactic lectures for enhancing communication confidence and competence. These results were further reinforced by evaluation from standardized patients, highlighting the value of direct feedback in enhancing nurses' performance. Tailoring SBS designs to diverse nursing contexts and incorporating a flipped approach can further enrich the overall learning experience. Given its high effectiveness and positive reception, we recommend integrating this educational module into palliative care training programs for perinatal nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Accumulating evidence has linked prolonged exposure to heavy metals to cancer occurrence in the urinary system. However, the specific biological mechanisms responsible for the association of heavy metals with the unusually high incidence of upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Taiwan are complex and incompletely understood. Methods: To elucidate the specific biological mechanism and identify molecular indicators of the unusually high association of upper tract urothelial carcinoma with heavy metal exposure, protein expression following the treatment of T24 human bladder carcinoma and RT4 human bladder papilloma cell line models with arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) was studied. Proteomic changes in these cell models were integrated with data from a human bladder cancer (BLCA) tissue proteome to identify possible protein indicators of heavy metal exposure. Results: After mass spectrometry based proteomic analysis and verification by Western blotting procedures, we identified 66 proteins that were up‐regulated and 92 proteins that were down‐regulated in RT4 cell extracts after treatment with As or Cd. Some 52 proteins were up‐regulated and 136 proteins were down‐regulated in T24 cell extracts after treatment with Cd. We further confirmed that down‐expression of the PML (promyelocytic leukemia) protein was sustained for at least 75 days after exposure of bladder cells to As. Dysregulation of these cellular proteins by As was associated with three biological pathways. Immunohistochemical analyses of paraffin‐embedded BLCA tissue slides confirmed that PML protein expression was decreased in BLCA tumor cells compared with adjacent noncancerous epithelial cells. Conclusions: These data suggest that PML may play an important role in the pathogenesis of BLCA and may be an indicator of heavy metal exposure in bladder cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disease of reproductive-age women, accounting for about 9% to 18% of all women in this age group. Hyperandrogenemia, oligomenorrhea, or amenorrhea or anovulation, and polycystic ovary morphology are the 3 main criteria used to diagnose PCOS currently. Substantial scientific evidence and consensus on treating Taiwanese PCOS was lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics and utilization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among Taiwanese women with PCOS.The data used in this study were derived from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID 2000 and LHID 2005). Demographic characteristics, TCM usage, the frequency, as well as average daily dose of Chinese herbal formulas and the single herbs prescribed for patients with PCOS, were analyzed. Chinese herbal formulas and the single herbs prescribed for PCOS women during 1999 to 2013 were extracted to build up Chinese Herbal Medicine prescription database.In our study, 66.43% (n = 8205) women sought TCM treatment because of PCOS for infertility or menstrual disorders. The most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula was Jia-wei-xiao-yao-san (Supplemented Free Wanderer Powder). The most commonly prescribed single herb was Yi-mu-cao (Leonuri herba). Among top 20 Chinese herbal formulas, Si-wu-tang has the largest average daily dosage (9.60 g).Our study identified the characteristics and prescription patterns of TCM for patients with PCOS in Taiwan. We may need do further longitudinal research for TCM and its long-term response for improvement of pregnancy rate and reduction of metabolic disease rate.

Most cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) develop from visible oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). The latter exhibit heterogeneous subtypes with different transformation potentials, complicating the early detection of OSCC during routine visual oral cancer screenings. To develop clinically applicable biomarkers, we collected saliva samples from 96 healthy controls, 103 low-risk OPMDs, 130 high-risk OPMDs, and 131 OSCC subjects. These individuals were enrolled in Taiwan's Oral Cancer Screening Program. We identified 302 protein biomarkers reported in the literature and/or through in-house studies and prioritized 49 proteins for quantification in the saliva samples using multiple reaction monitoring-MS. Twenty-eight proteins were successfully quantified with high confidence. The quantification data from non-OSCC subjects (healthy controls + low-risk OPMDs) and OSCC subjects in the training set were subjected to classification and regression tree analyses, through which we generated a four-protein panel consisting of MMP1, KNG1, ANXA2, and HSPA5. A risk-score scheme was established, and the panel showed high sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (80.5%) in the test set to distinguish OSCC samples from non-OSCC samples. The risk score >0.4 detected 84% (42/50) of the stage I OSCCs and a significant portion (42%) of the high-risk OPMDs. Moreover, among 88 high-risk OPMD patients with available follow-up results, 18 developed OSCC within 5 y; of them, 77.8% (14/18) had risk scores >0.4. Our four-protein panel may therefore offer a clinically effective tool for detecting OSCC and monitoring high-risk OPMDs through a readily available biofluid., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The present study investigated the chemical composition of Isochrysis galbana Parke, a marine microalga which is widely used as a feedstock in aquaculture. From gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis the mono-sugar compositions of I. galbana were 2.1% fucose, 2.5% rhamnose, 2.7% arabinose, 8.5% xylose, 15.7% mannose, 32.7% galactose and 35.8% glucose. The polysaccharides of I. galbana were able to induce prointerleukin-1beta (pro-IL-1beta) protein expression within murine macrophages. Furthermore, five kinds of chlorophyll and one sterol were separated from the ethanolic extracts, including pheophorbide-a, ethyl pheophorbide-a, 10S-10-hydroxypheophytin-a, 10R-10-hydroxypheophytin-a, (132-R)-pheophytin-a, and brassicasterol. In addition, the major soluble components of the ethanol/n-hexane extract were 9-octadecenoic acid (E) (38.4%), hexadecanoic acid (23.3%), tetradecanoic acid (15.7%), and octadecanoic acid (7.2%), but only a few polyunsaturated fatty acids were found, such as 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid (1.9%), 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z) (3.4%), and docosahexaenoic acid (0.2%). This is the first occasion that polysaccharides from I. galbana have been demonstrated to exert immunomodulatory properties by the induction of IL-1 within macrophages.