Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences

Pheochromocytoma is a tumor that usually originating from adrenal medullary chromaffin cells and producing one or more catecholamines, can manifest as hereditary or sporadic. While the majority pheochromocytomas are sporadic, hereditary forms are often associated with genetic syndromes such as von Hippel-Lindau, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, and neurofibromatosis type 1. This study aims to analyze data from our series of surgically excited pheochromocytoma patients and compare the characteristics between hereditary and sporadic cases...

Autoimmune disease is characterized by the proliferation of harmful immune cells, inducing tissue inflammation and ultimately causing organ damage. Current treatments often lack specificity, necessitating high doses, prolonged usage, and high recurrence rates. Therefore, the identification of innovative and safe therapeutic strategies is urgently required. Recent preclinical studies and clinical trials on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases have evidenced the immunosuppressive properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)...

In 2008, sorafenib became the first approved systemic therapeutic agent for advanced HCC. Although its pharmacological efficacy has been established, reimbursement for such a new, high-cost drug, as well as physicians' awareness and prescription practice, likewise contribute to its clinical effectiveness. We therefore conducted a retrospective study using 38 sorafenib-eligible, advanced HCC patients when sorafenib was approved but not yet reimbursed as a control and 216 patients during the reimbursed era. Study group showed longer survival at 8...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Pulmonary vascular remodeling is a key pathological process of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Bortezomib (BTZ) is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved proteasome inhibitor for multiple myeloma treatment. Recently, there is emerging evidence showing its effect on reversing PAH, although its mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects of BTZ on PASMCs were first examined by different inducers such as fetal bovine serum (FBS), angiotensin II (Ang II) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB, while potential mechanisms including cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial ROS were then investigated; finally, signal transduction of ERK and Akt was examined...

We previously found that the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium was increased after chemotherapy; however, the role of Bifidobacterium longum in chemotherapeutic drug resistance in ovarian cancer (OVC) remains unclear. This study aimed to understand the potential effects and mechanism of B. longum extracellular vesicles (B. longum-EVs) on carboplatin (CBP) resistance in OVC. Eight normal and 11 ovarian tissues were collected and the expression of B. longum genomic DNA and its association with acquired CBP resistance in OVC patients was determined...

Slow transit constipation (STC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in children and adults worldwide. Paeoniflorin (PF), a monoterpene glycoside compound extracted from the dried root of Paeonia lactiflora, has been found to alleviate STC, but the mechanisms of its effect remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of PF on intestinal fluid metabolism and visceral sensitization in rats with compound diphenoxylate-induced STC. Based on the evaluation of the laxative effect, the abdominal withdrawal reflex test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the visceral sensitivity, fluid metabolism-related proteins, and acid-sensitive ion channel 3/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ASIC3/ERK) pathway-related molecules...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Lifestyle modification is the standard of care for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of a short-term lifestyle modification program in the disease course of Taiwanese nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients with paired biopsies. All patients received a 6-month, strict multidisciplinary program of lifestyle modifications led by physicians, dieticians, and nursing staff. The histopathological and clinical features were assessed. The endpoints were normalization of transaminase levels, metabolic parameters, a decrease in the NAFLD activity score (NAS) ≥1, and a decrease in the fibrosis stage ≥1...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Working memory (WM) is a cognitive function important for guiding the on-going or upcoming behavior. A memory-related protein Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) is implicated in long-term memory consolidation. Recent evidence further suggests the involvement of hippocampal Arc in spatial WM. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a key brain region mediating WM. However, the role of mPFC Arc in WM is still uncertain. To investigate whether mPFC Arc protein is involved in WM performance, delayed non-match to sample (DNMS) T-maze task was performed in rats with or without blocking new synthesis of mPFC Arc...

Large cohort studies have disclosed the association between obesity and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk. The sarcopenia prevalence in RA patients can be up to 31%. However, there is little information linking adipokines to sarcopenia in RA, so this study aimed to investigate whether adipokines were indeed involved in secondary sarcopenia in RA with a focus on non-obese females. Sixty-four female patients and 36 controls were included in this study. The serum adipokine levels (leptin and adiponectin) were determined by ELISA kits...

Neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (NTRK3) has pleiotropic functions: it acts not only as an oncogene in breast and gastric cancers but also as a dependence receptor in tumor suppressor genes in colon cancer and neuroblastomas. However, the role of NTRK3 in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is not well documented. This study investigated the association between NTRK3 expression and outcomes in UTUC patients and validated the results in tests on UTUC cell lines. A total of 118 UTUC cancer tissue samples were examined to evaluate the expression of NTRK3...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The above article, published online on 06 August 2020, in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor-in-Chief, Wan-Long Chuang, and John Wiley and Sons Australia, Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to a high degree of similarity and duplication of figures previously published in five identified articles. The authors are unable to determine how the images published were copies of figures from other articles. Following the investigation by the Editors, the conclusions of this article are considered unreliable due to the high degree of duplication and the questionable origin of the data...

Combining epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with an anti- vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent, bevacizumab or ramucirumab, is indicated for advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutation. This study aimed to show the real-world data of combination therapy and compare the effectiveness between bevacizumab and ramucirumab in combination with an EGFR-TKI. This retrospective study enrolled 47 patients diagnosed of stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with exon 19 deletion or L858R point mutation, receiving a first-line EGFR-TKI with anti-VEGF agent, including 34 (72%) and 13 (28%) patients receiving bevacizumab and ramucirumab, respectively...

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the common malignancies. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play regulatory roles in cancer progression. CircITGA7 is a circRNA generated from several exons of ITGA7. The potential role of circITGA7 in BCa remains unknown and needs to be explored. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to assess circITGA7 and miR-330-3p expression in BCa tissues and cell lines. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the overall survival of these BCa patients. The biological function of circITGA7 was examined by overexpression of circITGA7 using CCK-8, EdU, wound-healing, and Transwell assays...