J Formos Med Assoc
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Thyroid disorders are common in children with Down syndrome (DS), however, such data have rarely been reported in Taiwanese children. This study presents our experience with the management of these children. ⋯ The prevalence of thyroid disorders is higher in Taiwanese children with DS than in the general population. Because symptoms of hypothyroidism overlap those inherent to DS, regular follow-up of thyroid function in children with DS is indicated.
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Mitochondrial assembly receptor (MasR), a receptor of angiotensin-(1-7), plays an important role in the anti-cancer effect of the peptide hormone. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the crucial role of angiotensin-(1-7)/MasR axis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients who received curative esophagectomy. ⋯ Low expression of MasR may be associated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients receiving curative esophagectomy. Further cohort study with larger population, or a prospective study is warranted to validate this finding.
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This study analyzed the effects of the General Medicine Faculty Training Program (GMFTP), which was implemented in 2009. The training program includes a 7-hour basic training (BT) to introduce ways of teaching and assessing the 6 core competencies identified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and a 40-hour clinical training program. ⋯ Knowledge of teaching core competencies improved immediately after BT, but KIs did not correlate with TCs in long-term follow-up. After the training program, physicians' teaching confidence increased over time.
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Observational Study
A functional recovery profile for patients with stroke following post-acute rehabilitation care in Taiwan.
Functional impairment is frequently seen in patients with stroke. Although the progression of functional recovery after stroke has been proposed, the recovery profile after acute stroke is not well described. The objective of this study is to investigate functional recovery in stroke patients entering post-acute rehabilitation care. ⋯ This study showed that the PAC rehabilitation unit was beneficial for patients with acute stroke who had functional impairments. The study results may call for further investigation to identify and develop better models for the delivery of rehabilitation in the stroke PAC unit.
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Corneal avascularity is critical for corneal transparency; therefore, a tailored process has been presumed to minimize corneal neovascularization (NV). In most cell types, the transcription of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is up-regulated, and the stability of VEGF mRNA is sustained by human antigen R (HuR) during hypoxia; however, whether such response applies to corneal epithelial cells is unclear. ⋯ Our study revealed a distinct regulation of VEGF via HuR in HCECs following hypoxia, which likely contributes to minimizing corneal NV and/or maintenance of corneal avascularity.