National Health Research Institutes

Carotid energy pulsatility index provides complementary hemodynamic information to renal function in a community-based cohort

Abstract Conventional hemodynamic, including Carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), characteristic impedance (Zc), and brachial pulse pressure, do not directly quantify pulsatile energy transmission through the arterial system. Carotid energy pulsatility index (PI), derived...

Sfp1 Contributes to Fluconazole Responses and Virulence in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen. Previous studies have shown that the transcription factor Sfp1 is involved in regulation of various biological processes in C. albicans, including cell wall maintenance, biofilm formation, oxidative stress responses, and car...

Structure-based identification and biological evaluation of a novel MAPKAPK2 inhibitor for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains a lethal malignancy with few effective treatment options. MAPKAPK2, a downstream effector of p38 signaling, represents a potential target for disrupting tumor survival pathways. Structure-guided computational screening has become an important strategy fo...

Whole-organ single-cell mapping defines growth dynamics and clonal organization in developing and adult zebrafish livers

Vertebrate organs undergo massive growth during the post-embryonic period. Yet, our understanding of how this organ-wide process is organized at single-cell resolution has been limited by an inability to monitor individual cells of different types throughout intact adult organs....

Targeting biglycan–TLR2/TLR4 interaction with synthetic peptides mitigates inflammation and ameliorates renal function in ischemia–reperfusion injury

Renal ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI), characterized by enhanced inflammation, is a leading cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) with limited treatments beyond supportive dialysis. Biglycan through toll-like receptors (TLR)2/TLR4 signaling aggravates tissue damage in acute renal...

Gradient-Free Filter Importance for Structured Pruning of Compact EEG Networks

Deploying EEG classification networks on resource-constrained brain–computer interface (BCI) hardware motivates structured filter pruning, yet which importance criterion to trust in already-compact architectures is unclear. We present a leakage-free, physically materialized compa...

Arsenic-endemic regions correlate with elevated tumor mutational burden and genomic alterations in urothelial carcinoma

Purpose: Urothelial carcinoma includes upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). In Taiwan, the incidence of UTUC is disproportionately high. Environmental carcinogens such as arsenic may contribute to this pattern. This study aimed to...

Nonsurgical Platelet Membrane-Decorated Gold Yarnball Brain Antenna for In Situ Nitric Oxide Generation and Neuronal Regeneration

Bioelectronic implants for brain stimulation are widely used to treat neurological disorders and promote neuronal repair; however, their clinical application is limited by invasive surgical implantation. To address this challenge, here, platelet membrane-decorated gold yarnballs...

LDLR variants and higher LDL-C levels are associated with premature coronary disease requiring revascularization in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia-a TCVGH-TPMI cohort analysis

The specific impacts of LDLR and APOB variants on premature coronary artery disease (CAD) that requires revascularization are less explored in Han Chinese with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We investigated these genetic drivers within the Taichung Veterans General Hospital-...

Oral Fungal Infection Impacts Epithelial Innate Immunity to Promote Local and Distal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression

Abstract Fungi have been detected within human tumors and shown to support tumor progression. A better understanding of how intratumoral fungi evade innate immunity, remodel the tumor microenvironment (TME), and promote tumorigenesis may provide insights into cancer pathogenesis...

Tinea capitis in children in Northern Taiwan: An update from 2020 to 2024

Abstract Background: Tinea capitis is the most common fungal infection in children. The prevalent pathogen differs by region and shifts over time. Objectives: To investigate the current epidemiological, clinical, and mycological characteristics of tinea capitis in children in nor...

Prognostic Role of Adverse Events in a Worldwide Population of Patients with Biliary Tract Cancer Treated with Chemo-Immunotherapy

Background: Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are aggressive malignancies with limited treatment options. The addition of durvalumab or pembrolizumab to cisplatin–gemcitabine improves overall survival (OS), but validated biomarkers of benefit remain limited. Immune-mediated adverse ev...

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...

Phosphorylation Protects Oncogenic RAS from LZTR1-Mediated Degradation

Oncogenic KRAS and NRAS mutations are common in hematologic malignancies, but how they signal is less well characterized than in carcinomas. To uncover novel RAS biology and potential therapeutic vulnerabilities, we employed a multi-omics screening approach in multiple myeloma to...

Rebalancing mitochondrial dynamics restores succinate dehydrogenase activity and reduces succinate release in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics in cancer cells perturbs mitochondrial function and metabolism and promotes cancer progression. Its impacts on the electron transport chain, oxidative phosphorylation, redox balance, and glycolysis are well recognized. However, its...

Influence of baseline nutritional status on ketogenic diet efficacy in children with drug-resistant epilepsy

Nutritional status may influence the efficacy of ketogenic diet (KD) therapy in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. This study enrolled 43 children (25 girls, 18 boys) with drug-resistant epilepsy. Pre-KD nutritional status was assessed using 24-h diet recalls and 3-day food r...

Local Linear Estimation for Covariate‐Dependent Coefficients Model in Disease Mapping

ABSTRACT Spatial regression effects may depend on covariates in disease‐mapping models. For example, the association between infectious disease incidence and risk factors may vary according to climatic factors, such as time, season, and temperature. In this study, we aim to devel...

Temporal patterns and risk factors of clozapine-associated neutropenia: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Background Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but neutropenia concerns continue to limit its use. Large real-world evidence on temporal risk patterns, re-initiation, and patient-level determinants remains limited. Methods We condu...

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...

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...