Mackay Memorial Hospital

Multi-Locus Molecular Findings in Pediatric-Onset Inherited Metabolic Disorders: An Eight-Year Series of Outsourced Genomic Testing in Taiwan

Background/Objectives: Outsourced genomic testing can identify additional findings in patients with inherited metabolic disorders (IEMs), including lysosomal storage diseases. We examined these findings in a selected Taiwanese series. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 13 patie...

Transthoracic Echocardiography-Assisted, Low-Fluoroscopy Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing: A Comparison of Implantation Approaches and Lead Types

Background: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE)-assisted left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is a potential supplementary to fluoroscopy-guided implantation and may reduce radiation. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and long-term stability of TTE-assisted, low-fluorosc...

Game element appraisals and learning outcomes in a game-based child development course for medical students

Educational games are often evaluated as unitary interventions, and little is known about how learners appraise individual game elements or how these appraisals relate to experiential and cognitive outcomes. We examined these associations in a board game–based child-development c...

Association between the overnight urinary cortisol-to-creatinine ratio and self-reported osteoporosis in community-dwelling Taiwanese adults: a population-based cross-sectional study

Chronic psychosocial stress is increasingly recognized as an important determinant of healthy aging and may contribute to osteoporosis through activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. However, the association between physiological variation in endogenous corti...

Myostatin‐dependent detrusor remodelling mediates contractility impairment in diabetic rats’ bladder – a maximal elastance analysis

Abstract The role of myostatin, an endogenous myokine mediating the pathological progression of myopathy, in contractility impairments of the chronically diabetic bladder remains unclear. This study examined whether maximal elastance (mE) reliably and validly assesses bladder con...

A mixed-methods study of a combined modeling video and OSCE-based teaching intervention for prenatal nutrition counseling self-efficacy among nursing–midwifery students

With this study, we examined changes in prenatal nutrition counseling self-efficacy among nursing–midwifery students through a modeling video and Objective Structured Clinical Examination-based intervention during prenatal medical visits. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods de...

Mitochondrial Quality Control in Inherited Mitochondrial Cardiomyopathy: Convergent Pathobiology and a Testable Therapeutic Framework

Inherited mitochondrial cardiomyopathies arise from pathogenic variants affecting oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial DNA maintenance, cardiolipin remodeling, protein import, cofactor metabolism, and mitochondrial dynamics or proteostasis. These disorders may be cardiac-pred...

Mistreatment, gender differences, and reporting behaviors among medical students in clinical training in Taiwan: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Mistreatment in the clinical learning environment remains a serious threat to medical students’ professional development and well-being, yet Taiwan lacks nationwide evidence to inform reform. This study aimed to examine the prevalence, patterns, and gender-specific features of mi...

Automated alveolar bone and teeth 3D segmentation on the cone-beam computed tomographic images using the convolutional neural network

Abstract Background Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is widely used in dental diagnosis and implant planning. The accurate segmentation of teeth and alveolar bone from CBCT images is essential for precise diagnosis and treatment planning. In this study, we propose two distinc...

EXPRESS: Effects of Aerobic, Resistance, and Combined Exercise on Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: The comparative effectiveness of different exercise modalities on systemic inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains poorly defined. OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate and rank the effects of aerobic exercise (AE), resistance training (RT), an...

Two Faces of the Right Ventricle in Fabry Cardiomyopathy: Septal-Coupled and Atrial-Coupled Strain Patterns and Their Differential Associations with Enzyme Replacement Therapy

Right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RVGLS) and right ventricular free-wall longitudinal strain (RVFWLS) are both used to assess right ventricular involvement, but they include different myocardial components. We examined their cross-sectional correlates and longitudinal...

Early Antiviral Therapy in Pediatric Outpatients and Risk of Influenza-Related Hospitalization

OBJECTIVES: Evidence on the effectiveness of antiviral therapy in preventing influenza-related severe illness and hospitalization among children remains limited. We hypothesized that early administration of antiviral therapy within 48 hours of symptom onset would significantly re...

Disproportionate Subgaleal Hemorrhage in an Infant: Abuse or Bleeding Disorder?

Subgaleal hemorrhage is uncommon in infants beyond the newborn period and, when disproportionate to the reported causal trauma, raises suspicion for child abuse. We describe a 9-month-old girl who developed a large right subgaleal and small epidural hematoma after a 50 cm fall. I...