Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
-
Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (NH) may be the initial and solitary sign of infectious condition in neonates. This retrospective cohort study aims to evaluate the risk of sepsis or urinary tract infection in well-appearing infants with NH below 7 days old. ⋯ In well-appearing neonates below 7 days old, NH with a higher initial TCB is associated with an increased rate in pyuria and abnormal CRP. No difference was found in the rate of positive urine culture between higher and lower TCB levels. Significant bacteriuria was more common in older NH neonates. Septicemia is rare among well-appearing neonates with NH.
-
This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and the severity of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). ⋯ For patients with T2DM, higher SUA levels are associated with higher UAE, lower eGFR, and higher prevalence of DN, but not DR.
-
In vitro studies have confirmed that cardiac glycosides can induce apoptosis in both hormone-dependent and -independent prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of PCa among patients treated with and without digoxin using a nationwide population-based database in Taiwan. ⋯ The cardiac glycoside digoxin had significant effects on reducing the incidence of PCa in a time-dependent manner. Our findings may imply the potential application of cardiac glycosides in the prevention and management of PCa.
-
The influenza virus is a highly infectious disease, with a notably rapid transmission rate. Autophagy is triggered by viral infection and is a survival mechanism exerted to maintain cellular homeostasis. Catechin is a representative phenolic acid which exerts anti-inflammatory responses against influenza A virus infection. The aim of this study is to explore the anti-H1N1 influenza virus effects by catechin associated with the restoration of autophagy. ⋯ Collectively, the autophagy activated by the H1N1 influenza virus could be reversed after catechin treatment. This study indicates that catechin effectively inhibits H1N1 viral proliferation and thus may be applied as an adjuvant in future clinical application.
-
Non-viral gene delivery, such as using biodegradable polyurethane short-branch polyethylenimine (PU-PEI), has been considered a potentially safer gene delivery system in comparison to conventional virus systems. ⋯ We developed a PU-PEI nanomedicine-based platform to efficiently deliver microRNA in promoting differentiation capacity of stem cells, especially on induced pluripotent stem cells.