Kaohsiung Medical University

Necrotising enterocolitis triggers a TNF-driven gut-blood-brain cascade that disrupts the blood-brain barrier and induces TNFR1-skewed neuronal apoptosis and pyroptosis

Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) in very-low-birthweight (VLBW) infants is associated with neurodevelopmental difficulties, but the mechanisms linking intestinal disease to brain injury remain unclear. We asked whether NEC propagates along a tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-ce...

Haptoglobin is associated with nocturnal blood pressure non-dipping in children with chronic kidney disease

Abstract Background Blood pressure (BP) follows a circadian rhythm that depends partly on endothelial nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Cell-free hemoglobin rapidly scavenges NO, and haptoglobin functions as a capacity-limited plasma buffer facilitating hemoglobin clearance. Whe...

Effects of Dynamic Neck Sensorimotor Biofeedback Training in Individuals With Mechanical Neck Pain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Mechanical neck pain (MNP) is commonly accompanied by pain-related functional limitations, sensorimotor disturbances, and fear of movement, which together may contribute to persistent disability. This preliminary randomized controlled trial study investigated the short-term effec...

Smart Lithotripsy: Lasers, Energy Sources and Efficiency

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To examine the evidence on contemporary lasers and provide a practical framework for platform selection, parameter optimization, and thermal safety based on the principles of smart lithotripsy. RECENT FINDINGS: Holmium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) remains...

Prevalence of dementia and BPSD in community-dwelling older adults with advanced care needs: a nationwide survey in Taiwan

Background Caring for people with both dementia and advanced care needs is complex. This study aimed to elucidate the prevalence of dementia and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in patients receiving advanced care, including tube feeding, respiratory care,...

Diagnostic performance of a field-deployable iiPCR platform and viral load dynamics of MPXV Clade IIb in a cohort with high prevalence of HIV

BACKGROUND: Since 2022, the global outbreak of Mpox caused by the Mpox virus (MPXV) Clade IIb has underscored the need for timely and decentralized molecular diagnostics. Although quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) remains the diagnostic gold standard, its infrastructure requireme...

A Thrombosed Popliteal Artery Aneurysm Masquerading as a Benign Soft-Tissue Mass: A Case Report Emphasizing the Role of Multimodal Imaging

Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAA) lose their pulsatility once thrombosed and may therefore be mistaken for a Baker cyst or a soft-tissue tumor. A 58-year-old male presented with a 6-month history of progressive right popliteal swelling and pain, accompanied by right foot paresthes...

The efficacy and safety of monthly intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy in Taiwanese alopecia areata patients: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background: Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (IVMP) therapy has been widely used for treating severe or recalcitrant alopecia areata (AA), but treatment protocols and efficacy vary. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of IVMP, identify predictive fac...

Tumor-derived RPS19 engages C5AR1+ inflammatory macrophages to drive astrocyte reprogramming and glioblastoma progression

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable brain tumor with poor survival outcomes. Its progression and recurrence are strongly influenced by infiltrative growth of tumor cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) components, particularly tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). To identify pote...

Optimized Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Enhances the Recovery of Anti-Collagenase Phytochemicals from Mitragyna speciosa Korth. Leaves

Mitragyna speciosa Korth. (Kratom) is a plant native to Southeast Asia, traditionally used for its stimulant and analgesic properties. Beyond mitragynine, the principal alkaloid dominating M. speciosa research, this study explored the cosmeceutical and nutraceutical potential of...

Effects of Ageism, Depression, Physical Resilience, and Frailty on Quality of Life Among Older Women

In Taiwan, as a super-aging society, older women face unique challenges that affect their health and quality of life (QoL). The present 1-year longitudinal study was conducted to examine changes in physical and psychosocial health and the relationship between these factors and Qo...

Aldose reductase as a regulator of ocular pathology: Mechanisms and therapeutic potential.

Aldose reductase (AR), the rate-limiting enzyme of the polyol pathway, converts glucose to sorbitol using NADPH and becomes markedly overactive under hyperglycemic conditions. Its widespread expression in ocular tissues links AR to numerous eye disorders through sorbitol accumula...

Autologous hinge-masked anti-TNFα antibody to mitigate immunogenicity, antigen sink effects, and anti-idiotypic antibody interference

Abstract Background Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies are limited by factors affecting their pharmacokinetics (PK), such as anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-ID Abs) and the antigen sink effect. To address this, we developed six pro-anti-TNFα Abs (pro-Infliximab) incorporating un...