Search

Daryl Jian An Tan,1 Rehena Sultana,2 Sheryl Yu Xuan Chow,3 Chin Wen Tan,1,4 Hon Sen Tan,1,4 Helen Yu Chen,5,6 Tze-Ern Chua,5,6 Ban Leong Sng1,4 1Department of Women’s Anesthesia, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; 2Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; 3Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; 4Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; 5Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; 6Paediatrics Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, SingaporeCorrespondence: Chin Wen Tan, Department of Women’s Anesthesia, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, Singapore, Tel +65 6394 6486, Fax +65 62912661, Email tan.chin.wen@kkh.com.sgPurpose: This study aimed to validate a proposed association model previously published to determine the clinical relevance of pre-operative determinants in the development of PND after Cesarean delivery (CD).Patients and Methods: Parturients undergoing elective CD under neuraxial anesthesia were recruited for a prospective cohort study between Oct 2021 and Oct 2022 at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore. Predelivery pain, psychological and mechanical temporal summation, and demographic data were recorded. A follow-up survey was conducted at 6 to 10 weeks after CD. The primary outcome was the incidence of PND, defined as an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score ≥ 10.Results: A total of 180 patients were recruited for validation. PND 6 to 10 weeks post-delivery occurred in 18.9% of recruited parturients. Multivariate regression analyses showed that higher pre-operative CSI scores (p=0.0156), higher anxiety levels about upcoming surgery (p=0.0429), increased pre-operative pain scores on movement (p=0.0110), and higher pre-operative HADS subscale scores on anxiety (p=0.0041) were independently associated with the development of PND weeks post-CD. Lower anticipation of pain medication needs (p=0.0038) was independently associated with the development of PND post-CD. The area under curve (AUC) of this multivariable model (training cohort), internal cross validation (training cohort) and external cross validation (validation cohort) were 0.818 (95% CI, 0.746 to 0.889), 0.785 (95% CI, 0.707 to 0.864) and 0.604 (95% CI, 0.497 to 0.710) respectively.Conclusion: The proposed model performed well in a local population. Further refinement is necessary to test the proposed model in populations with social and cultural differences.Keywords: anxiety, obstetrics, pain, postnatal depression

Yi-Jan Wu,1,2 Shu-Sen Chang,3 Hsien-Yi Chen,4 Kai-Fan Tsai,2,5 Wen-Chin Lee,2,5 I-Kuan Wang,6,7 Chern-Horng Lee,8 Chao-Yu Chen,1,2 Shou-Hsuan Liu,1,2 Cheng-Hao Weng,1,2 Wen-Hung Huang,1,2 Ching-Wei Hsu,1,2 Tzung-Hai Yen1,2 1Department of Nephrology, Clinical Poison Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, Taoyuan City, Taiwan; 2College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan; 3Institute of Health Behaviors and Community Sciences, Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan; 4Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, Taoyuan City, Taiwan; 5Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Branch, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan; 6Department of Nephrology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan; 7College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan; 8Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, Taoyuan City, TaiwanCorrespondence: Tzung-Hai Yen, Department of Nephrology, Clinical Poison Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, 5 Fu-Hsing Street, Kweishan, Taoyuan City, Taiwan, Tel +886 3 3281200 ext 8181, Fax +886 3 3282173, Email m19570@cgmh.org.twBackground and Purpose: There is an overall paucity of data regarding the human toxicity of chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin pesticide mixture. Both organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides are metabolized by carboxylesterases. Thus, its pesticide combination, organophosphates may boost the toxicity of pyrethroids via inhibited its detoxification by carboxylesterases. This study examined the clinical course, laboratory tests, and outcomes of patients with chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin or their pesticide mixture poisoning, and to determine what association, if any, might exist between these findings.Patients and Methods: Between 2000 and 2021, 121 patients poisoned with chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, or their pesticide mixture were treated at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Patients were categorized as chlorpyrifos (n=82), cypermethrin (n=27) or chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin (n=12) groups. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and mortality data were collected for analysis.Results: The patients experienced a broad range of clinical symptoms, including aspiration pneumonia (44.6%), salivation (42.5%), acute respiratory failure (41.3%), acute kidney injury (13.9%), seizures (7.5%), hypotension (2.6%), etc. Leukocytosis (12,700± 6600 /uL) and elevated serum C-reactive protein level (36.8± 50.4 mg/L) were common. The acute respiratory failure rate was 41.3%, comprising 48.8% in chlorpyrifos, 11.1% in cypermethrin as well as 58.3% in chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin poisoning. Patients with chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin pesticide mixture poisoning suffered higher rates of acute respiratory failure (P=0.001) and salivation (P=0.001), but lower Glasgow Coma Scale score (P=0.011) and serum cholinesterase level (P< 0.001) than other groups. A total of 17 (14.0%) patients expired. The mortality rate was 14.0%, including 17.1% in chlorpyrifos, 3.7% in cypermethrin as well as 16.7% in chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin poisoning. No significant differences in mortality rate were noted (P=0.214).Conclusion: Chlorpyrifos pesticide accounted for the major toxicity of the pesticide mixture. While the data show a higher rate of respiratory failure in the chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin pesticide mixture group than others, other measures of toxicity such as mortality and length of stay were not increased.Keywords: chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, pesticide mixture, poisoning, acute respiratory failure, mortality

Shih-Chieh Shao,1,2 Tzu-Chi Liao,1 Kai-Cheng Chang,1,3 Hui-Yu Chen,3 Swu-Jane Lin,4 Cheng-Yang Hsieh,1,5 Edward Chia-Cheng Lai1 1School of Pharmacy, Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 2Department of Pharmacy, Keelung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan; 3Department of Pharmacy, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; 4Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 5Department of Neurology, Tainan Sin Lau Hospital, Tainan, TaiwanCorrespondence: Cheng-Yang Hsieh, Department of Neurology, Tainan Sin Lau Hospital, 57, Section 1, Dongmen Road, East District, Tainan, 70142, Taiwan, Tel +886-6-274-8316, Ext 4180, Fax +886-6-282-4178, Email chengyanghsieh@gmail.comBackground: The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is associated with vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia (VITT). Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) under hemodialysis are at elevated risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, which shares similar mechanisms with VITT. We aimed to examine the risk of VITT after the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine using a self-controlled case series analysis (SCCS) in the hemodialyzed ESRD population.Methods: Drawing from the largest multi-center electronic medical records database in Taiwan, we identified adult patients, with or without hemodialysis, between 1st December, 2020, and 31st December, 2021, who received a first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and had an outcome of thrombocytopenia, venous thrombosis, or arterial thrombosis. We calculated the incident rate ratios (IRRs) of outcomes in different periods at risk, compared to periods not at risk.Results: We identified 59 hemodialysis patients and 41 non-dialysis patients with an outcome. The SCCS analyses showed, for the hemodialysis group, a significantly increased risk of outcomes during the period 31 to 60 days post-exposure to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (IRR: 2.823; 95% CI: 1.423– 5.600). However, in non-dialysis patients there was no increase in risks during any of the post-exposure risk periods.Conclusion: For ESRD patients under hemodialysis, the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine was associated with a 2.8-fold increase in risk of thrombosis.Keywords: thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, hemodialysis, end-stage renal disease

Pu Yang,1,&ast; Hai-Yan Chen,2,&ast; Xi Zhang,2 Tian Wang,1 Ling Li,2 Hong Su,1 Jing Li,1 Yan-Jun Guo,1 Sheng-Yong Su2,3 1Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Preventive Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Sheng-Yong Su, Email ssy21008@126.comPurpose: Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) is a common neurologic condition that causes chronic neck pain and motor functions, with neuropathic pain (NP) being the primary symptom. Although it has been established that electroacupuncture (EA) can yield an analgesic effect in clinics and synaptic plasticity plays a critical role in the development and maintenance of NP, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we explored the potential mechanisms underlying EA’s effect on synaptic plasticity in CSR rat models.Materials and Methods: The CSR rat model was established by spinal cord compression (SCC). Electroacupuncture stimulation was applied to LI4 (Hegu) and LR3 (Taichong) acupoints for 20 min once a day for 7 days. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) and mechanical pain threshold (MPT) were utilized to detect the pain response of rats. A gait score was used to evaluate the motor function of rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed to investigate the effects of EA.Results: Our results showed that EA alleviated SCC-induced spontaneous pain and gait disturbance. ELISA showed that EA could decrease the concentration of pain mediators in the cervical nerve root. WB, IHC, and IF results showed that EA could downregulate the expression of synaptic proteins in spinal cord tissues and promote synaptic plasticity. TEM revealed that the EA could reverse the synaptic ultrastructural changes induced by CSR.Conclusion: Our findings reveal that EA can inhibit SCC-induced NP by modulating the synaptic plasticity in the spinal cord and provide the foothold for the clinical treatment of CSR with EA.Keywords: electroacupuncture, synaptic plasticity, cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, spinal dorsal horn

Xuan Yue,1,&ast; Xiao-Ming Liu,1,&ast; Jiao Chen,1,&ast; Hai-Yun Chen,2 Qian-Qian Tan,2 Yong Zhou2 1Department of Neurology, XuZhou Children’s Hospital, XuZhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Puluo (Wuhan) Medical Biotechnology Co., LTD, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiao-Ming Liu, Department of Neurology, XuZhou Children’s Hospital, Sudi North Road, No. 18, XuZhou, JiangSu, People’s Republic of China, Tel +18952173923, Email xzlrlxm@163.comObjective: The third generation of antiepileptic medication (ASM) perampanel (PER), is mostly used as an add-on treatment for refractory epilepsy patients, and rarely used as a monotherapy. This study aims to observe the efficacy and assess the cognitive effects of PER monotherapy in patients with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS).Patients and Methods: Through screening, 86 patients who were first diagnosed with SeLECTS and treated with PER monotherapy were included in this study. All patients were followed up at least 12 months, and Evaluated the efficacy and safety of PER by observing the seizures of patients. At the same time, we used the P300 event-related potential (ERP) component and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) to evaluate the cognitive changes in children before and after treatment with PER.Results: Ten percent of the children experienced adverse effects, such as dizziness, gait instability, and irritability. The drug retention rate at the last follow-up was 98.83%. Further more, the P300 ERP component and WISC-IV tests were performed no significant difference before and 12 months after PER monotherapy in SeLECTS children.Conclusion: The third-generation of ASM PER monotherapy had a clear effect in children with SeLECTS. A small dose of PER can control seizures well and has no obvious effect on cognitive development.Keywords: self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes, P300 ERP component, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition, perampanel, monotherapy

Yu Zhang,1,&ast; Xue-Li Wang,2,&ast; Jing-Jing Liu,3 Zhen-Yuan Qian,4 Zheng-Yang Pan,5 Ni-Ping Song,5 Hui-Yan Chen,6 Wei Zhang,7 Xin Zhang8 1Cancer Center, Department of Gastroenterology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 4General Surgery, Cancer Center, Department of Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 5The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 6Clinical Laboratory, Tongxiang First People’s Hospital, Tongxiang, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 8Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xin Zhang, Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), No. 158 Shangtang Road, Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310014, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13758197690, Fax +86 057185893288, Email zhangxin120189@163.com Wei Zhang, Department of Gastrointestinal surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310005, People’s Republic of China, Email zhangweils1968@163.comPurpose: This study aimed to investigate the expression of inducible T-cell co-stimulator (ICOS) and its ligand (ICOSLG), along with their association with clinicopathological features and influence on the immune profile in colorectal cancer (CRC).Patients and Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas Colorectal Adenocarcinoma cohorts were used. We also analyzed 131 clinical samples of colon lesions, including precancerous lesions (hyperplastic polyps, low-grade dysplasia, and high-grade dysplasia) and CRC tissues. We conducted immunohistochemical (IHC) assays and multiple IHC (mIHC) of CD4+, Foxp3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoints in precancerous lesions and CRC samples from our patient subsets to determine changes and correlations in ICOS and ICOSLG expression during progression through the adenoma–carcinoma pathway.Results: High expression of ICOS and ICOSLG was a significant factor in CRC in multiple analyses and was positively correlated with CD4+/Foxp3+ TIL density and PD-1/PD-L1 expression, which increased with the sequential progression of lesions from precancerous tissues to carcinoma. Multivariable logistic regression analysis suggested that the location and expression level of ICOS/ICOSLG may be involved in precancerous–carcinoma progression. The co-expression status of PD-1 and ICOS/ ICOSLG could stratify patients with colorectal lesions into three groups of low, moderate, and high risk of progression. According to this classification and mIHC assays, we found a strong correlation between increased PD-1+ICOS+ or PD-1+ICOSLG+ co-expression and CRC, which might be deemed an independent factor in carcinogenesis.Conclusion: Increased ICOS/ICOSLG expression may be associated with the progressive formation of Foxp3+ TILs in the immune microenvironment and may further promote the development of the abnormal cytology of colorectal lesions from precancerous neoplasia to CRC. Our findings support the interpretation that enhanced co-expression of PD-1+ICOS+ or PD-1+ICOSLG+ contributes to the immune-active microenvironment of the colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence.Keywords: precancerous-carcinoma, immune environment, ICOS/ICOSLG, PD-1/PD-L1, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes

Hai-Ying Chen,1,&ast; Ming-Chao Li,2,&ast; Dan Liao,1 Chi Li,1 Qiu-Ming Ji,1 Ping Guo,1 Zou Su,1 Yu-Hong Yang,1 Wen-Hao Xiao,1 Wen-Hui Zhai1 1Department of Psychiatry, Wuhan Wudong Hospital, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychiatry, Wuhan Mental Health Center, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dan Liao; Chi Li, Department of Psychiatry, Wuhan Wudong Hospital, No. 46 of Wudong Street, Qingshan District, Wuhan, 430084, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 27 5052 8367, Fax +86 27 8643 8247, Email danliaodr@21cn.comObjective: Our study aimed to investigate the effects of computer-assisted cognitive remediation therapy (CCRT) on cognitive function, social function and quality of life in patients with vascular dementia (VD).Methods: Ninety-eight patients with VD were treated with CCRT in four 45-minute sessions per week over a course of 40 sessions to exercise four cognitive functions, including flexibility, working memory, plan execution and social cognition. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP), and Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOL-74) were used to assess before and after treatment.Results: (1) The scores of orientation (5.60 ± 1.35), calculation (2.20 ± 0.79), verbal ability (7.10 ± 0.36), spatial ability (0.78 ± 0.42), immediate memory (2.42 ± 0.53), short-term memory (1.17 ± 0.78) and MMSE (23.36 ± 2.98) were all improved after treatment (P < 0.05) compared with those before treatment; (2) The scores of SDSS, PSP and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) after treatment were 8.23 ± 0.94, 81.36 ± 14.23, and 32.7 ± 12.1, and all of which improved (P < 0.05); (3) The scores of physical health were 68.24 ± 7.44, mental health were 69.75 ± 7.15, social function were 69.08 ± 7.43, material life were 37.46 ± 4.85 and the total score were 230.79 ± 9.56, all of which improved (P < 0.05).Conclusion: For patients with VD, CCRT can improve their cognitive function, social function, daily life ability and quality of life.Keywords: computer-assisted cognitive remediation, vascular dementia, cognitive function, social function, daily life ability

Carolyn Li-Jen Chan,1,* Chin Wen Tan,1,2,* Jason Ju In Chan,1 Rehena Sultana,3 Tze-Ern Chua,4,5 Helen Yu Chen,4,5 Alex Tiong Heng Sia,1,2 Ban Leong Sng1,2 1Department of Women’s Anesthesia, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore; 2Anesthesiology and Perioperative Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; 3Centre for Quantitative Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore; 4Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore; 5Pediatrics Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ban Leong Sng Tel +65 6394 1081Fax +65 62912661Email sng.ban.leong@singhealth.com.sgPurpose: Pre-operative association factors (pain and psychological vulnerability) could significantly contribute to post-Cesarean pain; however, limited information is available on the development of postnatal depression (PND). We aimed to investigate the development of PND and its association with pain vulnerability and psychological vulnerability factors.Patients and Methods: Women undergoing Cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia were given pre-operative questionnaires, psychological and pain assessments including pain on local anesthetic injection during spinal anesthesia and mechanical temporal summation. Post-operative assessments were administered at 6 to 10 weeks post-Cesarean delivery via follow-up survey to assess post-Cesarean psychological and pain outcomes.Results: PND occurred in 21.1% (43 of 205) of patients who underwent elective Cesarean delivery. An increased pre-operative pain score with movement (Odds ratio (OR) 1.65, 95% CI 1.12– 2.44, p = 0.0110), anxiety about upcoming surgery (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00– 1.04, p = 0.0429), higher pre-operative Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) subscale on anxiety (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.07– 1.45, p = 0.0041) and higher pre-operative central sensitization inventory (CSI) scores (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01– 1.09, p = 0.0156) were independently associated with an increased risk of PND. Anticipated pain medication needs were associated with reduced risk of PND (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29– 0.79, p = 0.0038) (Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) = 0.8177).Conclusion: Higher pre-operative anxiety, pain score, central sensitization and lower anticipated pain medication needs were associated with increased risks of PND. Further work using larger sample size will be needed to validate the model in predicting PND development after Cesarean delivery.Keywords: pain, central sensitization, anxiety, anticipated pain medication needs

Wen-Lin Hsu,1,* Hung-Yi Chen,2,* Fung-Wei Chang,3–5 Ren-Jun Hsu6,71Department of Radiation Oncology, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan; 2Divisions of Urology, Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan; 3Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan; 4Tri-Service General Hospital Penghu Branch, National Defense Medical Center, Penghu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan; 5Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; 6Cancer Research Center, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien, Taiwan; 7College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, TaiwanCorrespondence: Ren-Jun HsuCancer Research Center, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, No. 707, Sec. 3, Chung-Yang Road, Hualien 970, TaiwanTel +886 3 856 1825Fax +886 3 856 1825#15620Email hsurnai@gmail.comFung-Wei ChangDepartment of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanEmail doc30666@gmail.com*These authors contributed equally to this workPurpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major pulmonary disease. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between COPD and prostate cancer (PCa). This study aimed to investigate the association between COPD severity and PCa risk.Patients and methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study utilizing data from 2001 to 2013 from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Cox proportional hazards models with 1:1 propensity score-matched analysis were used to investigate the association between COPD and PCa risk. We further divided the COPD group according to severe complications (including acute respiratory failure, cardiopulmonary arrest, pneumonia, and acute exacerbation) to test for the relationship between COPD severity and PCa risk.Results: This study included 47,634 patients (23,817 COPD patients and 23,817 matched non-COPD controls). Among them, 756 (1.59%) were diagnosed with PCa during a mean follow-up period of 7.05±4.13 years; 387 (1.62%) were from the COPD group and 369 (1.55%) were from the control group. Compared with the patients without COPD, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for PCa in the COPD patients was 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95–1.27), while that in the COPD patients with complications was 2.46 (95% CI 1.96–3.61).Conclusions: An increased risk for PCa was found among the COPD patients with complications. COPD complications included acute respiratory failure, cardiopulmonary arrest, pneumonia, and acute exacerbation. These findings may help physicians in treating COPD with complications and in remaining alert to the potential development of PCa.Keywords: National Health Insurance Research Database, prostate cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Rong Lin,1 Hui-Ying Chen,2 Hong Li,1,2 Jing Li21Department of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaPurpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of creative expression (CE) therapy on cognition, communication, emotion, and quality-of-life in people with dementia.Methods: One hundred individuals were included in this study, of whom 91 completed the study (mean age=84.33). The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=43) and a control group (n=48), and received the CE program or standard cognitive (SC) training twice a week for 6 weeks, respectively. Both groups were submitted to extensive neuropsychological tests, as follows – Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), Functional Assessment of Communication Skills (FACS) at baseline, 1-, and 4 -weeks post-intervention, and the Observed Emotion Rating Scale (OERS) was measured during the intervention period at weeks 3 and 6.Results: The participants demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive function, quality-of-life, depression degree, communication ability, and emotion status (P

Jun Gu, Tao Xu, Qin-Hua Huang, Chu-Miao Zhang, Hai-Yan ChenDepartment of Health Check-Up Center, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, People’s Republic of ChinaBackground: Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor that affects women with higher incidence. High-mobility group box 3 (HMGB3) plays critical functions in DNA repair, recombination, transcription and replication. This study aimed to investigate the effects of HMGB3 silence on mammosphere formation and tumor growth of breast cancer.Methods: LV5-HMGB3 and LV3-siHMGB3 vectors were transfected into MCF10A, MDA-MB-231, HCC1937, ZR-75-1 and MCF7 cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to evaluate cell proliferation. Xenograft tumor mice model was established by injection of MDA-MB-231. qRT-PCR and western blot were used to examine the expression of Nanog, Sox2 and OCT-4. Mammosphere forming assay was employed to evaluate mammosphere formation both in vivo and in vitro. Dual luciferase assay was utilized to verify the interaction between HMGB3 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α). CD44+,/CD24−, was assessed with flow cytometry.Results: HMGB3 expression was higher significantly (p

Chi-Chun Huang,1 Hsin-Yi Chen,1 Ruei-Hsin Chang,1 Pen-An Liao,2 Heng-Hui Lien,3,4 Chih-Sheng Hung,5 Sien-Sing Yang,1,3 Jui-Ting Hu1,3 1Liver Center, Cathay General Hospital Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan; 2Department of Radiology, Cathay General Hospital Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan; 3School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; 4Department of Surgery, Cathay General Hospital Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan; 5Department of Gastroenterology, Cathay General Hospital Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan Background: Sorafenib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is indicated for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical outcomes of HCC patients receiving sorafenib in real-life clinical setting in comparison with formal clinical trials.Methods: Patients diagnosed with advanced HCC between 2007 and 2015 at single institute were retrospectively enrolled and evaluated for survival and tolerability following sorafenib treatment. Overall survival (OS) and duration of treatment (TTP) were examined by different stratifications including age, gender, etiology, liver functions, and severities.Results: A total of 67 advanced HCC patients were enrolled for analysis. Of the 67 eligible patients, 66 patients (99%) were diagnosed as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C and 45 (67%) were Child-Pugh A. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection was the main etiology (67%), followed by hepatitis C virus infection (12%) and alcohol liver disease (8%). The median duration of treatment was 3.0 months (95% CI 2.6–3.4 months) and median OS was 8.0 months (95% CI 5.0–11.0 months). By multivariate analysis, female gender (HR =2.462, 95% CI 1.126–5.387, P=0.024), Child-Pugh C (HR =3.913, 95% CI 1.063–14.410, P=0.04), extrahepatic spread (HR =2.123, 95% CI 1.122–4.015, P=0.021), and combined other therapies (HR =0.410, 95% CI 0.117–0.949, P=0.037) were the independent predictors of OS.Conclusion: OS of advanced HCC patients treated with sorafenib was longer than that reported in the Asia-Pacific trial study. Impaired hepatic functions are associated with the shorter survival in real-life setting. Keywords: advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, sorafenib, liver function, tumor burden

Yong-hong Pan, Lin Jiao, Cai-yu Lin, Cong-hua Lu, Li Li, Heng-yi Chen, Yu-bo Wang, Yong He Department of Respiratory Disease, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China Aim: Although EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have shown dramatic effects against sensitizing EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ~20%–30% of NSCLC patients with EGFR-sensitive mutation exhibit intrinsic resistance to EGFR-TKIs. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the enhanced antitumor effect of metformin (Met), a biguanide drug, in combination with gefitinib (Gef) in primary resistant human lung cancer cells and the associated molecular mechanism.Experimental design: H1975 cell line was treated with Met and/or Gef to examine the inhibition of cell growth and potential mechanism of action by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), Ki67 incorporation assay, flow cytometry analysis, small interfering RNA technology, Western blot analysis and xenograft implantation.Results: Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling pathway was markedly activated in EGFR-TKI primary resistant H1975 cells as compared to EGFR-TKI acquired resistance cells (PC-9GR, H1650-M3) and EGFR-TKI sensitivity cells (PC-9, HCC827). Inhibition of IGF-1R activity by AG-1024 (a small molecule of IGF-1R inhibitor), as well as downregulation of IGF-1R by siRNA, significantly enhanced the ability of Gef to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis in H1975 cells via the inhibition of AKT activation and subsequent upregulation of Bcl-2-interacting mediator of cell death (BIM). Interestingly, the observation showed that Met combined with Gef treatment had similar tumor growth suppression effects in comparison with the addition of AG-1024 to therapy with Gef. A clear synergistic antiproliferative interaction between Met and Gef was observed with a combination index (CI) value of 0.65. Notably, IGF-1R silencing mediated by RNA interference (RNAi) attenuated anticancer effects of Met without obviously resensitizing H1975 cells to Gef. Finally, Met-based combinatorial therapy effectively blocked tumor growth in the xenograft with TKI primary resistant lung cancer cells.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that Met combined with Gef would be a promising strategy to overcome EGFR-TKI primary resistance via suppressing IGF-1R signaling pathway in NSCLC. Keywords: metformin, gefitinib, IGF-1R, primary resistance, lung cancer

Yi-Yen Lee,1,2,* Aliaksandr A Yarmishyn,3,4,* Mong-Lien Wang,3,4 Hsiao-Yun Chen,4,5 Shih-Hwa Chiou,3–5 Yi-Ping Yang,4,5 Chun-Fu Lin,1,2 Pin-I Huang,2,6 Yi-Wei Chen,2,6 Hsin-I Ma,7 Ming-Teh Chen1,2 1Department of Neurosurgery, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 2Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, 3Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, 4Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 5Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming University, 6Cancer Center, Radiation Oncology Division, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, 7Department of Neurological Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor, and there is no effective treatment strategy. Patients with GBM have a median overall survival of only 14.6 months. Current treatment consists of safe and maximal surgical excision, followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy. There are several obstacles that hinder the effectiveness of this aggressive treatment. Temozolomide (TMZ) is an oral alkylating drug that acts through alkylating the O6 position of guanine in DNA that leads to cell death. However, the expression and enzymatic activity of the DNA repair protein MGMT limits the therapeutic benefit from treatment with TMZ. MGMT reduces the efficacy of alkylating drugs by removing the methyl or alkyl group from damaged O6-methylguanine. Expression levels of MGMT play an important role in the outcome of GBM patients. miRNAs are a group of small regulatory RNAs that control target gene expression by binding to mRNAs. miR-142-3p has been found to be an important factor in the development and maintenance of the oncogenic state. Results: In this study, we sought to investigate whether miR-142-3p can regulate MGMT gene expression in GBM cells. Here, we show that miR-142-3p downregulates MGMT expression through binding to the 3′-UTR of MGMT mRNA, thus affecting protein translation. Responsiveness to TMZ was significantly enhanced after transfection with miR-142-3p. Overexpression of miR-142-3p also sensitized GBM cells to alkylating drugs. Conclusion: Above all, our findings demonstrate that miR-142-3p plays a critical role in regulating MGMT expression, has great potential for future clinical applications, and acts as a new diagnostic marker for this intractable disease. Keywords: glioblastoma, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase, miR-142-3p, carmustine, temozolomide

Ene-Choo Tan,1,2 Hwee-Woon Lim,1 Tze-Ern Chua,2,3 Hui-San Tan,1 Theresa MY Lee,2,3 Helen Y Chen2,3 1KK Research Centre, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; 2Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme, SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore; 3Department of Psychological Medicine, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Singapore, Singapore Objectives: Depressive symptoms are common during pregnancy and after childbirth. Estrogen levels fluctuate greatly during the course of pregnancy and may contribute to mood instability. The first aim of this case–control study was to investigate whether variants in the two estrogen receptor genes might contribute to the genetic susceptibility to pregnancy-related depression using controls that were screened for postnatal depression. The second aim was to uncover new variants in the two estrogen receptor genes. Patients and methods: Our study sample comprised 554 control subjects who had Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores below 7 at postnatal screening, and 159 patients with clinically diagnosed pregnancy-related depression. They were genotyped for four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a dinucleotide repeat in the two genes: estrogen receptor α (ESR1) and estrogen receptor β (ESR2). Fifty-six cases with personal and/or family history of depression of psychiatric disorders were selected for resequencing of the two genes. Results: There was no statistically significant association with perinatal depression for all five variants. However, there was a trend toward higher frequencies of the genotypes associated with higher risk of depression for rs2077647 and rs4986938 in the case group. From resequencing, two novel ESR1 variants were identified from two different patients. Conclusion: Our study that used screened controls with low EPDS scores and cases with clinically diagnosed pregnancy-related depression could not replicate the association with depression for any of the SNPs for both genotype and allele frequencies. Two novel SNPs were identified and could be further investigated in a larger sample set. Keywords: childbirth, depression, hormone, single-nucleotide polymorphism, postpartum

Chung-Liang Lai,1,* Ming-Miau Tsai,1,* Jia-Yuan Luo,1 Wan-Chun Liao,1 Pi-Shan Hsu,2,3 Han-Yu Chen4 1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, 3Graduate Institute of Microbiology and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University, 4Department of Physical Therapy, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Stroke often causes functional decline in patients. Therefore, after the acute phase, many patients require post-acute care (PAC) to maximize their functional progress, reduce disability, and make it possible for them to return to their home and community. PAC can be provided in different settings. Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) proposed a PAC pilot program, effective since 2014, for stroke patients that allowed patients with the potential for functional improvement to receive PAC rehabilitation in regional or community hospitals. The purpose of this study was to explore the initial achievements and clinical impact of this program in Taiwan. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that mainly analyzed basic hospitalization data and scores for function and quality of life, as recorded immediately after admission and before discharge, for stroke patients in the PAC program in a hospital in Taiwan. Results: This study collected complete data from a total of 168 patients. After an average of 43.57 days in the program, patients showed significant improvement in the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), the Barthel Activity Daily Living Index (B-ADL), the Lawton–Brody Instrumental Activity Daily Living Scale (LB-IADL), the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), and the Mini Nutrition Assessment (MNA), in mobility, self-care, and usual activity, as well as on anxiety/depression in the EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ-5D) and in the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). After discharge, 76.8% of the patients could return to their home and community. Conclusion: This study showed that the pilot PAC program significantly promoted recovery of function in stroke patients and helped them to return to their home and community. Patients with the potential for functional recovery should consider receiving PAC service in a hospital after discharge from acute stroke care. Keywords: post-acute care, rehabilitation, stroke

Hung-Yuan Lin,1,* Hsin-Yang Chen,1,2,* Han Bor Fam,3 Ya-Jung Chuang,1 Ronald Yeoh,4 Pi-Jung Lin5 1Universal Eye Center, Zhongli Branch, Zhongli County, TaoYuan City, Taiwan, Republic of China; 2Ophthalmology Department, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Ophthalmology Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Jalan Tan Tock Seng, 4Ophthalmology Department, Eye and Retina Surgeons, Camden Medical Centre, Singapore; 5Universal Eye Center, Xinnan Branch, Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: To assess the corneal keratometric values obtained using the VERION image-guided surgery system and other devices.Methods: This study evaluated the right eyes of 115 cataract patients before intraocular lens (IOL) implantation through consecutive tests using 5 devices: VERION Reference Unit , Placido-based corneal topography (OPD-Scan III), monochromatic light-emitting diodes (LenStar LS900 and AL-Scan), and rotary prism technology (auto kerato-refractometer KR-8800). Analyzed parameters were corneal steep and flat keratometric values (Ks and Kf) and corneal astigmatism and axis. These parameters were evaluated using the one-sample two-tailed t-test and the 95% limits of agreement (95% LOAs) between the devices.Results: The mean corneal cylinder value measurements were -0.97±0.63 D, -0.88± 0.60 D, -0.90±0.69 D, -0.90±0.67 D, and -0.83±0.60 D with VERION, LenStar, AL-Scan (2.4 mm), OPD III, and KR-8800, respectively. Only KR-8800 showed a significant difference from VERION in the corneal cylinder value (P

Hung-Yuan Lin,1–3 Yi-Ting Fang,4 Ya-Jung Chuang,5 Justin N Karlin,6 Hsin-Yang Chen,7 Szu-Yuan Lin,8 Pi-Jung Lin,9 Ming Chen10 1Universal Eye Center, Zhong-Li, Taiwan, Republic of China; 2Department of Optometry, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China; 3Department of Ophthalmology, Fu-Jian Medical University, People’s Republic of China; 4Universal Eye Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China; 5Universal Eye Center, Long-Tan, Taiwan, Republic of China; 6Department of Ophthalmology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA; 7Department of Ophthalmology, Ningbo First Hospital, People’s Republic of China; 8Department of Ophthalmology, Cathay General Hospital, 9Universal Eye Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; 10Department of Surgery, Division of Ophthalmology, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA Abstract: During toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, surgeons must take particular care to ensure that inaccurate preoperative measurement and intraoperative misalignment do not cause unexpected postoperative residual astigmatism. This retrospective, comparative case series study aimed to analyze the rotational deviation, or cyclotorsion, of three corneal marking methods: VERION digital marker (VDM; reference), horizontal slit beam marking (HSBM), and subjective direct visual marking (SDVM) on the table (using a bevel knife tip). Subjects included 81 eyes of 61 patients (mean age: 65.70±13.14 years; range: 32–91 years) undergoing scheduled cataract surgery. A preoperative reference image was taken of each eye. Subsequently, a slit lamp with the light beam turned to the horizontal meridian was used to align the seated patient’s head, and two reference marks were placed at the 3- and 9-o’clock positions of the corneal limbus using a 27-gauge needle and marking pen (HSBM). Upon transfer to the surgical table, the VDM was used to display a real-time dial scale on the patient’s eye, with the entrance of the temporal clear corneal incision (CCI) at 0° (horizontal meridian). Simultaneously, a bevel knife tip was used to create a marker based on the surgeon’s visual determination of the temporal 0° point (SDVM). We used the VDM to quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of axis alignment via deviation from the horizontal reference meridian. Compared with the reference meridian, the SDVM (–3.46°±7.32°, range: –18° to 13°) exhibited greater average relative cyclotorsion versus the HSBM (0.41°±4.92°, range: –10° to 10°). Furthermore, the mean average misalignment was significantly less in the HSBM group versus the SDVM group (t=4.179, P

Hsin-Yao Chen,1 Chiu-Liang Chen,1,2 Wei-Liang Chen3 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua City, 2Liberal Arts Center of Da Yeh University, Dacun Township, Changhua County, Taiwan; 3Department of Clinical Image, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan Background: Pedicle screw instrumentation for treating spinal disorder is becoming increasingly widespread. Many studies have advocated its use to facilitate rigid fixation for spine; however, adjacent segmental disease is a known complication. Instrumented fusion for osteoporotic spines remains a significant challenge for spine surgeons. Prophylactic vertebroplasty for adjacent vertebra has been reported to reduce the complications of junctional compression fractures but has raised a new problem of vertebral subluxation. This case report is a rare and an extreme example with many surgical complications caused by repeated instrumented fusion for osteoporotic spine in a single patient. This patient had various complications including adjacent segmental disease, vertebral subluxation, and junctional fractures on radiographs and magnetic resonance images.Case presentation: An 81-year-old Taiwanese woman underwent decompression and instrumented fusion of L4-L5 in Taiwan 10 years ago. Due to degenerative spinal stenosis of L3-L4 and L2-L3, she had decompression with instrumented fusion from L5 to L1 at the previous hospital. However, catastrophic vertebral subluxations with severe neurologic compromise occurred, and she underwent salvage surgeries twice with prolonged instrumented fusion from L5 to T2. The surgeries did not resolve her problems of spinal instability and neurologic complications. Eventually, the patient remained with a Frankel Grade C spinal cord injury.Conclusion: Adjacent segmental disease, junctional fracture, and vertebral subluxation are familiar complications following instrumented spinal fusion surgeries for osteoporotic spines. Neurologic injuries following long instrumentation are often serious and difficult to address with surgery alone. Conservative treatments should always be contemplated as an alternative method for patients with poor bone stock. Keywords: osteoporotic spine, vertebral subluxation, junctional fracture, instrumented fusion, complication

Han-Yang Chen,1 Joel M Gore,1,2 Kate L Lapane,1 Jorge Yarzebski,1 Sharina D Person,1 Catarina I Kiefe,1 Robert J Goldberg1,3 1Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, 2Department of Medicine, 3Meyers Primary Care Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine decade-long trends (2001–2011) in, and factors associated with, door-to-balloon time within 90 minutes of hospital presentation among patients hospitalized with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who received a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Residents of central Massachusetts hospitalized with STEMI who received a primary PCI at two major PCI-capable medical centers in central Massachusetts on a biennial basis between 2001 and 2011 comprised the study population (n=629). Multivariable regression analyses were used to examine factors associated with failing to receive a primary PCI within 90 minutes after emergency department (ED) arrival. Results: The average age of this patient population was 61.9 years; 30.5% were women, and 91.7% were White. During the years under study, 50.9% of patients received a primary PCI within 90 minutes of ED arrival; this proportion increased from 2001/2003 (17.2%) to 2009/2011 (70.5%) (P

Kun-Chun Chiang,1,4 Huang-Yang Chen,1 Shu-Yuan Hsu,2 Jong-Hwei S Pang,3 Shang-Yu Wang,4 Jun-Te Hsu,4 Ta-Sen Yeh,4 Li-Wei Chen,5 Sheng-Fong Kuo,6 Chi-Chin Sun,7 Jim-Ming Lee,1 Chun-Nan Yeh,4 Horng-Heng Juang21Department of General Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Keelung, 2Department of Anatomy, 3Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, 4Department of General Surgery, 5Department of Gastroenterology, 6Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 7Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan, Republic of China Abstract: Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a well-known tumor suppressor gene and frequently mutated or lost in breast cancer, possesses the negative regulation function over the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. PTEN insufficiency has been associated with advanced breast cancer and poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Recently, target therapies aimed at PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway to treat breast cancer have got popularity. However, the exact effect of PTEN on breast cancer cells is still not well understood. This study demonstrated that PTEN knockdown in MCF-7 cells strengthened the downstream gene expressions, including p-Akt, p-ERK1/2, p-mTOR, p-p70s6k, and p-GSK3ß. PTEN knockdown MCF-7 cells had increased cell growth and Ki-67 expression. Further Western blot demonstrated that p27 was repressed obviously with p21 slightly inhibited and CDK1, 2, 4, 6, cyclin A, and Cdc25C were upregulated in MCF-7 PTEN knockdown cells, leading to the higher growth rate. More importantly, PTEN knockdown MCF-7 cells had higher tumorigenesis and tumor growth in vivo. From our current work, we provided more detailed PTEN-mediated mechanisms to stimulate ER+ breast cancer cell growth. Our result may pave the way for further target therapy development used alone or in combination with other drugs for ER+ breast cancer with PTEN insufficiency.Keywords: PTEN, breast cancer, MCF-7, cell cycle, tumor growth, target therapy

Han-Yu Chen,1 Shyi-Kuen Wu,1 Chuan-Chin Lu,1,2 Jia-Yuan You,3 Chung-Liang Lai4 1Department of Physical Therapy, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan; 2Department of Rheumatology, Taichung Hospital, Department of Health, Taiwan; 3Department of Physical Therapy, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 4Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Hospital, Department of Health, Taiwan Purpose: Traditionally, the measurement of the maximal mouth opening was regarded as the mobility of the temporomandibular joint. The information, however, was not reliable. Sonography was often used to diagnose disc displacement in the temporomandibular joint and its validity was well established. The tool was also appropriate for measuring the outcome of temporomandibular disorders management. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine completely the reliability and error for evaluating the mobility of the mandibular condyle by sonography. In addition, the existing methods were modified to improve the repeatability.Patients and methods: The reliability examinations included between-image and within-image explorations to represent the reliabilities of the image capturing and the mobility measuring, respectively. Sixty-two subjects were recruited to receive ultrasonic examination for condylar mobility. The images of the condyle in mouth closing and opening were captured and the horizontal displacement of the condyles was measured as the anterior translation of the condyle. To confirm that the probe did not move during mouth opening, a marker was placed between the skin and the ultrasonic probe as the landmark.Results: The results demonstrated that the intrarater and interrater reliabilities in the within-image test were 0.986 and 0.970 and the reliabilities in the between-image test were 0.904 and 0.857, respectively. The standard errors of measurement in the within-image and between-image tests were 0.04 cm and 0.09 cm, respectively.Conclusion: Sonography is a reliable tool to assess condylar mobility and can be used to measure the treatment outcome for temporomandibular disorders. Keywords: temporomandibular disorders, sonography, mandibular condyle, reliability

Jen-Ting Huang,1 Han-Yu Chen,2 Chang-Zern Hong,2 Ming-Ta Lin,3 Li-Wei Chou,4,5 Hsin-Shui Chen,6,7 Chien-Tsung Tsai,8 Wen-Dien Chang9 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 2Department of Physical Therapy, Hung-Kuang University, Sha Lu, 3Kuan-Ta Rehabilitation and Pain Clinic, Taichung, Taiwan; 4Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, China Medical University Hospital, 5School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; 6Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Bei-Gang Hospital, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Yun-Lin, Taiwan; 7School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; 8Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Da-Chien Hospital, Miao-Li City, Taiwan; 9Department of Sports Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan Background and aims: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of lumbar facet joint injection for piriformis myofascial pain syndrome. Methods: Fifty-two patients with chronic myofascial pain in the piriformis muscle each received a lumbar facet injection into the ipsilateral L5–S1 facet joint region, using the multiple insertion technique. Subjective pain intensity, trunk extension range, and lumbar facet signs were measured before, immediately after, and 2 weeks after injection. Thirty-six patients received follow-up for 6 months. Results: Immediately after the injection, 27 patients (51.9%) had complete pain subsidence, 19 patients (36.5%) had pain reduction to a tolerable level, and only 6 patients (11.5%) had no pain relief to a tolerable level. Mean pain intensity was reduced from 7.4±0.9 to 1.6±2.1 after injection (P

Chung-Liang Lai,1,2 Han-Yu Chen,3 Shiuan-Yu Tseng,1,2 Wan-Chun Liao,2 Bing-Tang Liu,2 Meng-Chih Lee,1,4,* Hsin-Shui Chen5,6,* 1Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan; 3Department of Physical Therapy, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan; 4Department of Family Medicine, Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taichung, Taiwan; 5Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, China Medical University Beigang Hospital, Yunlin, Taiwan; 6School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common problem of middle-aged and older adults. Increased arterial stiffness is a CVD risk factor. Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a simple and convenient exercise for middle-aged and older adults; however, there have been few studies investigating the effect of WBV on arterial stiffness. This study mainly investigated the effect of WBV on arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults. Methods: A total of 38 (21 women and 17 men) middle-aged and elderly subjects (average age, 61.9 years) were randomly divided into the WBV group and the control group for a 3-month trial. The WBV group received an intervention of 30 Hz and 3.2 g WBV in a natural full standing posture at a sports center. The brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker of systemic arterial stiffness, and blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after the intervention. Results: After 3 months, there were no significant changes in blood pressure or heart rate in both groups. However, the bilateral baPWV was significantly reduced in the WBV group (decreased by 0.65 m/second [P=0.014]; 0.63 m/second [P=0.041] in either side), but not in the control group. The comparison between the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study found that 3 months of WBV had a positive effect on arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults and could therefore be regarded as a supplementary exercise. Larger-scale studies are needed to confirm the effects of WBV in the future. Keywords: whole-body vibration, arterial stiffness, middle-aged, elderly

Henry SR Kao,1 Lin Zhu,2 An An Chao,3 Hao Yi Chen,4 Ivy CY Liu,5 Manlin Zhang6 1Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 2Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 3International Society of Calligraphy Therapy, Hong Kong; 4Department of Business Administration, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, 5Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan; 6Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China Background: Chinese calligraphic handwriting (CCH) has demonstrated a new role in health and therapy. Meanwhile, meditation is an traditional and effective method for coping with stress and staying healthy. This study compared the effectiveness of CCH and meditation as distinctive and parallel stress reduction interventions. Methods: Thirty graduate students and academic staff members in Taiwan who suffered from stress were selected by the General Health Questionnaire and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, ie, a CCH group, a meditation group, or a control group, for 8 consecutive weeks. Changes in physiological parameters were measured before, during, and after treatment. Results: CCH and meditation showed their strength in the respective indices of stress. There was a significant difference in respiratory rate, heart rate, and electromyographic scores between the groups. Comparing pre- and post-effects, a decrease in heart rate and an increase in skin temperature was seen in subjects who practiced CCH. Increased skin temperature and decreased respiratory rate were also seen in subjects who practiced meditation, along with reduced muscle tension and heart rate. Conclusion: CCH and meditation have good effects in stress reduction. CCH is a particularly promising new approach to reducing stress.Keywords: calligraphic handwriting, meditation, stress reduction, intervention

Hui-Yin Chen,1 Hui-Ru Chang,2 Hui-Chu Lang3 1Department of Auditing, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; 2Department of Social Insurance, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, Taiwan; 3Institute of Hospital and Health Care Administration, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan Objectives: To evaluate the effects on physicians’ prescribing behavior and on the therapeutic outcome of non-insulin-dependent diabetes patients of substituting different generic brands of metformin. Methods: We adopt a retrospective cohort study involving 280 type-2 diabetes patients who regularly used the outpatient services of one medical center and who had changed metformin brands five times between 2003 and 2008. The aim was to examine the effects of switching brands. The generalized estimating equation was used to determine whether drug brand switching affected patient glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, their prescribed daily dose, or their adherence to medication with metformin. Results: HbA1c levels increased from 7.91 to 8.34 throughout the study period, although it was found that brand switching did not adversely affect HbA1c levels after controlling for patient characteristics and the time course of the study. Furthermore, the prescribed daily dose of metformin was stable throughout the study period, and was approximately 0.8 of the defined daily dose. Finally, although adherence was significantly higher with the original metformin than with the four generic brands, patients still maintained high levels of adherence of >0.8. Conclusion: Although switching between different brands of metformin slightly affected the prescribing behavior of the physicians, there was no unfavorable effect on patient HbA1c levels. Thus, the policy of substituting between different generic brands of metformin is a good cost-effective approach that does not adversely affect the quality of diabetes patient care. Keywords: metformin, generic substitution, glycemic control, prescribing behavior, adherence

Han-Yang Chen,1 Jane S Saczynski,1–3 David D McManus,1,4 Darleen Lessard,1 Jorge Yarzebski,1 Kate L Lapane,1 Joel M Gore,4 Robert J Goldberg1,3 1Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, 2Department of Medicine, 3Meyers Primary Care Institute, 4Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA Objectives: The objectives of our large observational study were to describe the prevalence of cardiac and noncardiac comorbidities in a community-based population of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) at all medical centers in central Massachusetts, and to examine whether multiple comorbidities were associated with in-hospital death rates and hospital length of stay. Methods: The study sample consisted of 2,972 patients hospitalized with AMI at all eleven greater Worcester medical centers in central Massachusetts during the three study years of 2003, 2005, and 2007. Results: The average age of this hospitalized population was 71 years, 55% were men, 93% were Caucasian, and approximately one third had developed an ST segment elevation AMI during the years under study. Hypertension (75%) was the most common cardiac condition identified in patients hospitalized with AMI whereas renal disease (22%) was the most common noncardiac comorbidity diagnosed in this study population. Approximately one in every four hospitalized patients had any four or more of the seven cardiac conditions examined, while one in 13 had any three or more of the five noncardiac conditions studied. Patients with four or more cardiac comorbidities were more than twice as likely to have died during hospitalization and have a prolonged hospital length of stay, compared to those without any cardiac comorbidities. Patients with three or more noncardiac comorbidities had markedly increased odds of dying during hospitalization and having a prolonged hospital stay compared to those with no noncardiac comorbidities previously diagnosed. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the need for additional contemporary data to improve the short-term outcomes of patients hospitalized with AMI and multiple concurrent medical illnesses. Keywords: population-based study, chronic conditions, acute coronary syndrome

Reactor neutrino experiments play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge of neutrinos. In this Letter, the evolution of the flux and spectrum as a function of the reactor isotopic content is reported in terms of the inverse-beta-decay yield at Daya Bay with 1958 days of data and improved systematic uncertainties. These measurements are compared with two signature model predictions: the Huber-Mueller model based on the conversion method and the SM2018 model based on the summation method. The measured average flux and spectrum, as well as the flux evolution with the ^{239}Pu isotopic fraction, are inconsistent with the predictions of the Huber-Mueller model. In contrast, the SM2018 model is shown to agree with the average flux and its evolution but fails to describe the energy spectrum. Altering the predicted inverse-beta-decay spectrum from ^{239}Pu fission does not improve the agreement with the measurement for either model. The models can be brought into better agreement with the measurements if either the predicted spectrum due to ^{235}U fission is changed or the predicted ^{235}U, ^{238}U, ^{239}Pu, and ^{241}Pu spectra are changed in equal measure.

We present a new determination of the smallest neutrino mixing angle θ_{13} and the mass-squared difference Δm_{32}^{2} using a final sample of 5.55×10^{6} inverse beta-decay (IBD) candidates with the final-state neutron captured on gadolinium. This sample is selected from the complete dataset obtained by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment in 3158 days of operation. Compared to the previous Daya Bay results, selection of IBD candidates has been optimized, energy calibration refined, and treatment of backgrounds further improved. The resulting oscillation parameters are sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0851±0.0024, Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.466±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the normal mass ordering or Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.571±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the inverted mass ordering.

This Letter reports the first measurement of high-energy reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay, with nearly 9000 inverse beta decay candidates in the prompt energy region of 8-12 MeV observed over 1958 days of data collection. A multivariate analysis is used to separate 2500 signal events from background statistically. The hypothesis of no reactor antineutrinos with neutrino energy above 10 MeV is rejected with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations. A 29% antineutrino flux deficit in the prompt energy region of 8-11 MeV is observed compared to a recent model prediction. We provide the unfolded antineutrino spectrum above 7 MeV as a data-based reference for other experiments. This result provides the first direct observation of the production of antineutrinos from several high-Q_{β} isotopes in commercial reactors.

We present a multi-messenger measurement of the Hubble constant H 0 using the binary-black-hole merger GW170814 as a standard siren, combined with a photometric redshift catalog from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). The luminosity distance is obtained from the gravitational wave signal detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo Collaboration (LVC) on 2017 August 14, and the redshift information is provided by the DES Year 3 data. Black hole mergers such as GW170814 are expected to lack bright electromagnetic emission to uniquely identify their host galaxies and build an object-by-object Hubble diagram. However, they are suitable for a statistical measurement, provided that a galaxy catalog of adequate depth and redshift completion is available. Here we present the first Hubble parameter measurement using a black hole merger. Our analysis results in , which is consistent with both SN Ia and cosmic microwave background measurements of the Hubble constant. The quoted 68% credible region comprises 60% of the uniform prior range [20, 140] km s-1 Mpc-1, and it depends on the assumed prior range. If we take a broader prior of [10, 220] km s-1 Mpc-1, we find (57% of the prior range). Although a weak constraint on the Hubble constant from a single event is expected using the dark siren method, a multifold increase in the LVC event rate is anticipated in the coming years and combinations of many sirens will lead to improved constraints on H 0.

The discovery of a kilonova (KN) associated with the Advanced LIGO (aLIGO)/Virgo event GW170817 opens up new avenues of multi-messenger astrophysics. Here, using realistic simulations, we provide estimates of the number of KNe that could be found in data from past, present, and future surveys without a gravitational-wave trigger. For the simulation, we construct a spectral time-series model based on the DES-GW multi-band light curve from the single known KN event, and we use an average of BNS rates from past studies of 103Gpc-3 yr-1, consistent with the one event found so far. Examining past and current data sets from transient surveys, the number of KNe we expect to find for ASAS-SN, SDSS, PS1, SNLS, DES, and SMT is between 0 and 0.3. We predict the number of detections per future survey to be 8.3 from ATLAS, 10.6 from ZTF, 5.5/69 from LSST (the Deep Drilling/Wide Fast Deep), and 16.0 from WFIRST. The maximum redshift of KNe discovered for each survey is z=0.8 for WFIRST, z=0.8 for LSST, and z=0.8 for ZTF and ATLAS. This maximum redshift for WFIRST is well beyond the sensitivity of aLIGO and some future GW missions. For the LSST survey, we also provide contamination estimates from Type Ia and core-collapse supernovae: after light curve and template-matching requirements, we estimate a background of just two events. More broadly, we stress that future transient surveys should consider how to optimize their search strategies to improve their detection efficiency and to consider similar analyses for GW follow-up programs.

We present a near-infrared spectral sequence of the electromagnetic counterpart to the binary neutron star merger GW170817 detected by Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo. Our data set comprises seven epochs of J+H spectra taken with FLAMINGOS-2 on Gemini-South between 1.5 and 10.5 days after the merger. In the initial epoch, the spectrum is dominated by a smooth blue continuum due to a high-velocity, lanthanide-poor blue kilonova component. Starting the following night, all of the subsequent spectra instead show features that are similar to those predicted in model spectra of material with a high concentration of lanthanides, including spectral peaks near 1.07 and 1.55 μm. Our fiducial model with 0.04 M o of ejecta, an ejection velocity of v = 0.1c, and a lanthanide concentration of X lan = 10-2 provides a good match to the spectra taken in the first five days, although it over-predicts the late-time fluxes. We also explore models with multiple fitting components, in each case finding that a significant abundance of lanthanide elements is necessary to match the broad spectral peaks that we observe starting at 2.5 days after the merger. These data provide direct evidence that binary neutron star mergers are significant production sites of even the heaviest r-process elements.

We present UV, optical, and near-infrared (NIR) photometry of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave source from Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO)/Virgo, the binary neutron star merger GW170817. Our data set extends from the discovery of the optical counterpart at 0.47-18.5 days post-merger, and includes observations with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), Gemini-South/FLAMINGOS-2 (GS/F2), and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The spectral energy distribution (SED) inferred from this photometry at 0.6 days is well described by a blackbody model with T ≈ 8300 K, a radius of R ≈ 4.5 × 1014cm (corresponding to an expansion velocity of v ≈ 0.3c), and a bolometric luminosity of Lbol ≈ 5 × 1041 erg s-1. At 1.5 days we find a multi-component SED across the optical and NIR, and subsequently we observe rapid fading in the UV and blue optical bands and significant reddening of the optical/NIR colors. Modeling the entire data set, we find that models with heating from radioactive decay of 56Ni, or those with only a single component of opacity from r-process elements, fail to capture the rapid optical decline and red optical/NIR colors. Instead, models with two components consistent with lanthanide-poor and lanthanide-rich ejecta provide a good fit to the data; the resulting "blue" component has Mblueej 0.1 M⊙ and vblueej ≈ 0.3c, and the "red" component has and Mredej ≈ 0.04 M⊙ and vredej ≈ 0.1 c. These ejecta masses are broadly consistent with the estimated r-process production rate required to explain the Milky Way r-process abundances, providing the first evidence that binary neutron star (BNS) mergers can be a dominant site of r-process enrichment.

We present the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) discovery of the optical counterpart of the first binary neutron star merger detected through gravitational-wave emission, GW170817. Our observations commenced 10.5 hr post-merger, as soon as the localization region became accessible from Chile. We imaged 70 deg2 in the i and z bands, covering 93% of the initial integrated localization probability, to a depth necessary to identify likely optical counterparts (e.g., a kilonova). At 11.4 hr post-merger we detected a bright optical transient located from the nucleus of NGC 4993 at redshift z = 0.0098, consistent (for km s-1 Mpc-1) with the distance of 40 ±8 Mpc reported by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration (LVC). At detection the transient had magnitudes of and , and thus an absolute magnitude of , in the luminosity range expected for a kilonova. We identified 1500 potential transient candidates. Applying simple selection criteria aimed at rejecting background events such as supernovae, we find the transient associated with NGC 4993 as the only remaining plausible counterpart, and reject chance coincidence at the 99.5% confidence level. We therefore conclude that the optical counterpart we have identified near NGC 4993 is associated with GW170817. This discovery ushers in the era of multi-messenger astronomy with gravitational waves and demonstrates the power of DECam to identify the optical counterparts of gravitational-wave sources.

The coalescence of a binary neutron star pair is expected to produce gravitational waves (GW) and electromagnetic radiation, both of which may be detectable with currently available instruments. We describe a search for a predicted r-process optical transient from these mergers, dubbed the "kilonova" (KN), using griz broadband data from the Dark Energy Survey Supernova Program (DES-SN). Some models predict KNe to be redder, shorter-lived, and dimmer than supernovae (SNe), but the event rate of KNe is poorly constrained. We simulate KN and SN light curves with the Monte-Carlo simulation code SNANA to optimize selection requirements, determine search efficiency, and predict SN backgrounds. Our analysis of the first two seasons of DES-SN data results in 0 events, and is consistent with our prediction of 1.1 ± 0.2 background events based on simulations of SNe. From our prediction, there is a 33% chance of finding 0 events in the data. Assuming no underlying galaxy flux, our search sets 90% upper limits on the KN volumetric rate of 1.0 Gpc-3 yr-1 for the dimmest KN model we consider (peak i-band absolute magnitude mag) and 2.4 Gpc-3 yr-1 for the brightest ( mag). Accounting for anomalous subtraction artifacts on bright galaxies, these limits are ∼3 times higher. This analysis is the first untriggered optical KN search and informs selection requirements and strategies for future KN searches. Our upper limits on the KN rate are consistent with those measured by GW and gamma-ray burst searches.

By analyzing 2.93 fb$^{-1}$ data collected at the center-of-mass energy$\sqrt s=3.773$ GeV with the BESIII detector, we measure the absolute branchingfraction of the semileptonic decay $D^+\rightarrow\bar K^0 e^{+}\nu_{e}$ to be${\mathcal B}(D^{+}\rightarrow\bar K^0 e^{+}\nu_{e})=(8.59 \pm 0.14 \pm0.21)\%$ using $\bar K^0\to K^0_S\to \pi^0\pi^0$, where the first uncertaintyis statistical and the second systematic. Our result is consistent withprevious measurements within uncertainties.

By analyzing 2.93 fb$^{-1}$ data collected at the center-of-mass energy$\sqrt s=3.773$ GeV with the BESIII detector, we measure the absolute branchingfraction of the semileptonic decay $D^+\rightarrow\bar K^0 e^{+}\nu_{e}$ to be${\mathcal B}(D^{+}\rightarrow\bar K^0 e^{+}\nu_{e})=(8.59 \pm 0.14 \pm0.21)\%$ using $\bar K^0\to K^0_S\to \pi^0\pi^0$, where the first uncertaintyis statistical and the second systematic. Our result is consistent withprevious measurements within uncertainties.

The differential cross-section for pair production of top quarks with high transverse momentum is measured in 20.3 fb-1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The measurement is performed for tt¯ events in the lepton+jets channel. The cross-section is reported as a function of the hadronically decaying top quark transverse momentum for values above 300 GeV. The hadronically decaying top quark is reconstructed as an anti-kt jet with radius parameter R=1.0 and identified with jet substructure techniques. The observed yield is corrected for detector effects to obtain a cross-section at particle level in a fiducial region close to the event selection. A parton-level cross-section extrapolated to the full phase space is also reported for top quarks with transverse momentum above 300 GeV. The predictions of a majority of next-to-leading-order and leading-order matrix-element Monte Carlo generators are found to agree with the measured cross-sections.

We report the results of a Dark Energy Camera optical follow-up of the gravitational-wave (GW) event GW151226, discovered by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory detectors. Our observations cover 28.8 deg2 of the localization region in the i and z bands (containing 3% of the BAYESTAR localization probability), starting 10 hr after the event was announced and spanning four epochs at 2-24 days after the GW detection. We achieve point-source limiting magnitudes of and , with a scatter of 0.4 mag, in our difference images. Given the two-day delay, we search this area for a rapidly declining optical counterpart with significance steady decline between the first and final observations. We recover four sources that pass our selection criteria, of which three are cataloged active galactic nuclei. The fourth source is offset by 5.8 arcsec from the center of a galaxy at a distance of 187 Mpc, exhibits a rapid decline by 0.5 mag over 4 days, and has a red color of mag. These properties could satisfy a set of cuts designed to identify kilonovae. However, this source was detected several times, starting 94 days prior to GW151226, in the Pan-STARRS Survey for Transients (dubbed as PS15cdi) and is therefore unrelated to the GW event. Given its long-term behavior, PS15cdi is likely a Type IIP supernova that transitioned out of its plateau phase during our observations, mimicking a kilonova-like behavior. We comment on the implications of this detection for contamination in future optical follow-up observations.

A search for radiative decays of the P-wave spin singlet charmonium resonance h_{c} is performed based on 4.48×10^{8} ψ^{'} events collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII storage ring. Events of the reaction channels h_{c}→γη^{'} and γη are observed with a statistical significance of 8.4σ and 4.0σ, respectively, for the first time. The branching fractions of h_{c}→γη^{'} and h_{c}→γη are measured to be B(h_{c}→γη^{'})=(1.52±0.27±0.29)×10^{-3} and B(h_{c}→γη)=(4.7±1.5±1.4)×10^{-4}, respectively, where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic uncertainties.

From 2011 to 2014, the BESIII experiment collected about 5 fb-1 data at center-of-mass energies around 4 GeV for the studies of the charmonium-like and higher excited charmonium states. By analyzing the di-muon process e+e- → γISR/FSRμ+μ-, the center-of-mass energies of the data samples are measured with a precision of 0.8 MeV. The center-of-mass energy is found to be stable for most of the time during data taking.

We study the decays of the charmonium resonances J/ψ and ψ(3686) to the final states Ξ-Ξ+, Σ(1385) Σ(1385)± based on a single baryon tag method using data samples of (223.7±1.4)×106 J/ψ and (106.4±0.9)×106 ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decay ψ(3686)→Σ(1385) Σ(1385)± is observed for the first time, and the measurements of the other processes, including the branching fractions and angular distributions, are in good agreement with, and much more precise than, the previously published results. Additionally, the ratios B(ψ(3686)→Ξ-Ξ+)B(J/ψ→Ξ-Ξ+), B(ψ(3686)→Σ(1385)-Σ(1385)+)B(J/ψ→Σ(1385)-Σ(1385)+) and B(ψ(3686)→Σ(1385)+Σ(1385)-)B(J/ψ→Σ(1385)+Σ(1385)-) are determined.

We present the first search for the rare decay of η′ into K±π in J/ψ→φη′, using a sample of 1.3×109 J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector. No significant signal is observed, and the upper limit at the 90% confidence level for the ratio B(η′→K±π)B(η′→γπ+π-) is determined to be 1.3×10-4. In addition, we report the measurement of the branching fraction of J/ψ→φη′ to be [5.10±0.03(stat)±0.32(syst)]×10-4, which agrees with previous results from BESII.

Using a data sample of 1.31×109 J/ψ events accumulated with the BESIII detector, the decay J/ψ→ppφ is studied via two decay modes, φ→KS0KL0 and φ→K+K-. The branching fraction of J/ψ→pp φ is measured to be B(J/ψ→pp φ)=[5.23±0.06(stat)±0.33(syst)]×10-5, which agrees well with a previously published measurement, but with a significantly improved precision. No evident enhancement near the pp-mass threshold, denoted as X(pp ), is observed, and the upper limit on the branching fraction of J/ψ→X(pp )φ→pp φ is determined to be B(J/ψ→X(pp )φ→pp φ)