J Formos Med Assoc
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Cisplatin-resistant oral cancer is clinically difficult to manage and the dose-dependent toxicities of cisplatin has been widely concerned. Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), known as mustard oil, is a plant-derived compound abundant in cruciferous vegetables. It is reported to have anti-cancer potential as a natural dietary chemopreventive compound against a variety of cancers, but the effect of AITC on cisplatin-resistant cancer cells is still little-known. ⋯ AITC can inhibit Akt/mTOR proliferation signaling and promote mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway through AITC-enhanced activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in CAR cells.
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Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease commonly seen in children and increasingly recognized in adults. With recent advances in the therapeutic development for AD, the Taiwanese Dermatological Association (TDA) established a committee to update the consensus for AD management in Taiwan. This report describes the 2020 updated consensus for the management of AD. ⋯ Topical corticosteroids with long-term emollient-based therapies remain the cornerstone of AD treatment. Systemic treatments are indicated when topical therapies and phototherapy fail to control the disease. The recent approval of dupilumab and emerging targeted therapies are expected to bring significant clinical benefit for patients whose disease is inadequately managed by existing options.
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Pruritus, or itch, is a prevalent symptom causing profound health burden in many dermatological and non-dermatological disorders. Several itch questionnaires have been created to assess itch. Particularly, Eppendorf Itch Questionnaire (EIQ) is widely accepted since it encompasses various aspects of itch, including intensity, affects, coping behavior, and motivation to scratch. ⋯ We demonstrated the reliability and validity of Chinese EIQ in adult patients with chronic itch at the outpatient setting. The study also revealed the diversified aspects of itch across patients with various dermatoses.
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Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease and its conventional treatment has exhibited limited therapeutic efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine has been demonstrated to ameliorate the sicca symptoms of SS by decreasing the level of TH1 and TH2 cytokines and increasing salivary flow rate. A newly designed traditional Chinese medicine, SS-1, showed improved efficacy in alleviating the dryness symptoms of SS patients in the National Taiwan SS cohort investigation. Here, we investigated the effect of SS-1 on T cell responses. ⋯ Our results suggest that SS-1 inhibits T cell activation and diminishes TH1, TH2, and IL-17+IFN-γ+ TH responses in SS patients.
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Cataract surgery in combination with or after trabeculectomy is often required for improving vision in glaucoma patients. Intraocular pressure (IOP) changes may influence refractive outcomes after cataract surgery. We compared refractive outcomes of the combined and sequential approaches in managing glaucoma and cataract. ⋯ Both approaches resulted in similar effective IOP control and accurate intraocular lens predictability. The IOP change affected the postoperative refraction prediction error only in the sequential approach.