Navigation-Assisted Full-Endoscopic Radiofrequency Rhizotomy Versus Fluoroscopy-Guided Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation for Sacroiliac Joint Pain Treatment: Comparative Study

Chien-Min Chen,Jae Hwan Lee,Meng-Yin Yang,Shang-Wun Jhang,Kai-Sheng Chang,Su-Wei Ou,Li-Wei Sun,Kuo-Tai Chen 대한척추신경외과학회 2023 Neurospine Vol.20 No.1

Objective: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is a common cause of chronic low back pain. Full-endoscopic rhizotomy of lateral branches of dorsal rami innervating SIJ is a potential option for patients’ refractory to medical treatment. The full-endoscopic rhizotomy is sometimes challenging under fluoroscopic guidance. This study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the navigation-assisted full-endoscopic rhizotomy for SIJ pain. Methods: The study was a retrospective match-paired study that enrolled consecutive patients undergoing navigation-assisted full-endoscopic rhizotomy for SIJ pain. The patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and operative parameters of endoscopic rhizotomy were compared with conventional cooled radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment. Results: The study enrolled 72 patients, including 36 patients in the endoscopic group. Thirty-six patients in the cooled RFA group were matched by age as the control. The follow-up time was at least 1 year. Patient characteristics were similar between the groups. The navigation-assisted endoscopic rhizotomy operation time was significantly longer than the cooled RFA. The visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) significantly decreased after each treatment. However, the between-group comparison revealed that the VAS and ODI of the patients after endoscopic rhizotomy were significantly lower than those after the cooled RFA group. There were no postoperative complications in the study. Conclusion: Navigation-assisted full-endoscopic rhizotomy is an alternative to SIJ pain treatment. Integrating intraoperative navigation can ensure accurate full-endoscopic rhizotomy to provide better durability of pain relief than the cooled RFA.

An Engineering Approach for Sustainable Peptide Synthesis

Sheng-Sheng Yu,Chen-Yu Chien,Chun-Wei Lai 한국고분자학회 2019 한국고분자학회 학술대회 연구논문 초록집 Vol.44 No.2

Dilution of Position calculation for Accuracy Improvement in Wireless Location Systems

Chien-Sheng Chen,Szu-Lin Su 대한전자공학회 2007 ITC-CSCC :International Technical Conference on Ci Vol.2007 No.7

Self-tuning Fuzzy PI Control for Laser Power Stabilization

Chin-Sheng Chen,Bo-Ming Chiu,Chien-Hsu Chen 제어로봇시스템학회 2011 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2011 No.10

This paper proposes a self-tuning fuzzy PI controller to stabilize the laser power. The laser system is a nonlinear system due to its complexity and easily affected by environment conditions. However, traditional PI controller cannot cope with this nonlinear and time varying system since the parameters of PI controller are fixed. This paper utilizes the fuzzy reasoning engine (FRE) to adjust the parameters of PI controller in order to overcome the above drawbacks. This control algorithm is implemented in Microchip dsPIC33FJ64GS606 microprocessor. The experimental results verify our proposed control algorithm can dramatically stabilize the laser output power and further improve the tracking performance when laser desired power command is changed.

Telbivudine-Induced Myopathy: Clinical Features, Histopathological Characteristics, and Risk Factors

Min-Yu Lan,Hui-Chen Lin,Tsung-Hui Hu,Shu-Fang Chen,Chien-Hung Chen,Yung-Yee Chang,King-Wah Chiu,Tsu-Kung Lin,Shun-Sheng Chen 대한신경과학회 2023 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.19 No.1

Background and Purpose Oral nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) are the mainstay treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Myotoxicity is an important extrahepatic effect related to NA treatment. Telbivudine is the NA for CHB that is frequently associated with muscle-related side effects. The risk factors for telbivudine-induced myopathy (TIM) are not yet clear. Methods This study characterized the clinical, magnetic resonance images (MRI), and pathological features of 12 TIM cases. A group of telbivudine-tolerant (TT) patients with CHB who received regular telbivudine treatment during the same period without the occurrence of myopathy was collected. Demographic and clinical factors were compared between the patients with TIM and the TT controls. Factors independently associated with TIM were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results The patients with TIM (males/females: 7/5, mean age: 57 years) developed myopathy after using telbivudine for a median period of 19.5 months. Muscle histopathology revealed abnormal proliferation, subsarcolemmal or sarcoplasmic accumulations, and ultrastructural defects of mitochondria. When compared with TT cases, patients with TIM had a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and were more frequently positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). Conclusions Mitochondrial abnormalities are characteristic histopathological features, and impaired renal function and HBeAg positivity are risk factors for TIM. Telbivudine-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and immune activation related to mitochondrial damage and HBeAg serostatus changes may underlie TIM. Constant clinical surveillance of myopathy during telbivudine treatment is needed due to the significant latency of its development. Dose adjustment for impaired renal function does not eliminate the risk of TIM occurrence.

The Effect of Agomelatine in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

Carol Sheei-Meei Wang(Carol Sheei-Meei Wang ),Kuo-Sheng Cheng(Kuo-Sheng Cheng),Chia-Hung Tang(Chia-Hung Tang),Ming-Chyi Pai(Ming-Chyi Pai),Pai-Lien Chen(Pai-Lien Chen),Pei-Fang Chien(Pei-Fang Chien) 대한정신약물학회 2022 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.20 No.4

Objective: Moderate and severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) often need medical treatment to improve symptoms. Agomelatine is a selective melatonergic (MT1/MT2) agonist that has normalizing effects on disturbed circadian rhythms and disrupted sleep−wake cycles. Its activity of 5HT-2C receptor antagonism is associated with lessening depression and anxiety and increasing slow-wave sleep. Based on past clinical records and current findings it suggests that agomelatine can improve BPSD for patients. This retrospective cohort study was designed to compare the BPSD before and after using agomelatine. Methods: Records of dementia cases who had ever received agomelatine treatment for BPSD in a general hospital setting during the past 2.5 years were identified and reviewed. Scores from before and after 3 months of treatment with agomelatine were collected for Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) to compare and analyze the difference of psychological and behavioral symptoms pre- and post-agomelatine used. Results: Records of 144 cases of dementia with BPSD who had ever used agomelatine from January 2015 to June 2017 were collected. All of the 112 cases had BPRS and CGI scores, of which 75 cases had additional NPI scores. Among these 112 cases, the BPRS and CGI scores were significantly improved in all types of dementia. NPI scores indicated that the use of agomelatine alleviated obvious symptoms and decreased overall distress, especially in the depression/poor mood, anxiety, and sleep/night behavior. Conclusion: It is consistent with an effective result of agomelatine in improving BPSD.

Conjugation of mono-sulfobetaine to alkyne-PPX films via click reaction to reduce cell adhesion

Chien, Hsiu-Wen,Keng, Ming-Chun,Chen, Hsien-Yeh,Huang, Sheng-Tung,Tsai, Wei-Bor Techno-Press 2016 Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering Vol.3 No.1

A surface resisting protein adsorption and cell adhesion is highly desirable for many biomedical applications such as diagnostic devices, biosensors and blood-contacting devices. In this study, a surface conjugated with sulfobetaine molecules was fabricated via the click reaction for the anti-fouling purpose. An alkyne-containing substrate (Alkyne-PPX) was generated by chemical vapor deposition of 4-ethynyl-[2,2]paracyclophane. Azide-ended mono-sulfobetaine molecules were synthesized and then conjugated on Alkyne-PPX via the click reaction. The protein adsorption from 10% serum was reduced by 57%, while the attachment of L929 cells was reduced by 83% onto the sulfobetaine-PPX surface compared to the protein adsorption and cell adhesion on Alkyne-PPX. In conclusion, we demonstrate that conjugation of mono-sulfobetaine molecules via the click chemistry is an effective way for reduction of non-specific protein adsorption and cell attachment.

Conjugation of mono-sulfobetaine to alkyne-PPX films via click reaction to reduce cell adhesion

Chien, Hsiu-Wen,Keng, Ming-Chun,Chen, Hsien-Yeh,Huang, Sheng-Tung,Tsai, Wei-Bor Techno-Press 2016 Biomaterials and biomedical engineering Vol.3 No.1

A surface resisting protein adsorption and cell adhesion is highly desirable for many biomedical applications such as diagnostic devices, biosensors and blood-contacting devices. In this study, a surface conjugated with sulfobetaine molecules was fabricated via the click reaction for the anti-fouling purpose. An alkyne-containing substrate (Alkyne-PPX) was generated by chemical vapor deposition of 4-ethynyl-[2,2]paracyclophane. Azide-ended mono-sulfobetaine molecules were synthesized and then conjugated on Alkyne-PPX via the click reaction. The protein adsorption from 10% serum was reduced by 57%, while the attachment of L929 cells was reduced by 83% onto the sulfobetaine-PPX surface compared to the protein adsorption and cell adhesion on Alkyne-PPX. In conclusion, we demonstrate that conjugation of mono-sulfobetaine molecules via the click chemistry is an effective way for reduction of non-specific protein adsorption and cell attachment.

Breast density analysis for whole breast ultrasound images : Whole breast ultrasound density analysis

Chen, Jeon-Hor,Huang, Chiun-Sheng,Chien, Kuang-Che Chang,Takada, Etsuo,Moon, Woo Kyung,Wu, Jeffery H. K.,Cho, Nariya,Wang, Yi-Fa,Chang, Ruey-Feng Wiley (John WileySons) 2009 Medical physics Vol.36 No.11

<P>Breast density has been established as an independent risk factor associated with the development of breast cancer. The terms mammographic density and breast density are often used interchangeably, since most breast density studies are performed with projection mammography. It is known that increase in mammographic density is associated with an increased cancer risk. A sensitive method that allows for the measurement of small changes in breast density may provide useful information for risk management. Despite the efforts to develop quantitative breast density measurements from projection mammograms, the measurements show large variability as a result of projection imaging, differing body position, differing levels of compression, and variation of the x-ray beam characteristics. This study used two separate computer-aided methods, threshold-based and proportion-based evaluations, to analyze breast density on whole breast ultrasound (US) imaging and to compare with the grading results of three radiologists using projection mammography. Thirty-two female subjects with 252 images per case were included in this study. Whole breast US images were obtained from an Aloka SSD-5500 ultrasound machine with an ASU-1004 transducer (Aloka, Japan). Before analyzing breast density, an adaptive speckle reduction filter was used for removing speckle noise, and a robust thresholding algorithm was used to divide breast tissue into fatty or fibroglandular classifications. Then, the proposed approaches were applied for analysis. In the threshold-based method, a statistical model was employed to determine whether each pixel in the breast region belonged to fibroglandular or fatty tissue. The proportion-based method was based on three-dimensional information to calculate the volumetric proportion of fibroglandular tissue to the total breast tissue. The experimental cases were graded by the proposed analysis methods and compared with the ground standard density classification assigned by a majority voting of three experienced breast radiologists. For the threshold-based method, 28 of 32 US test cases and for the proportion-based density classifier, 27 of 32 US test cases were found to be in agreement with the radiologist 'ground standard' mammographic interpretations, resulting in overall accuracies of 87.5% and 84.4%, respectively. Moreover, the concordance values of the proposed methods were between 0.0938 and 0.1563, which were less than the average interobserver concordance of 0.3958. The experiment result showed that the proposed methods could be a reference opinion and offer concordant and reliable quantification of breast density for the radiologist.</P>

Full Endoscopic Removal of Cervical Spinal Epidural Abscess: Case Report and Technical Note

Kai-Sheng Chang,Li-Wei Sun,Chun-Yuan Cheng,Shang-Wen Chang,Chien-Min Chen 대한척추신경외과학회 2020 Neurospine Vol.17 No.sup.

Spinal epidural abscess is a rare disease that is less likely to occur in the cervical region. When it occurs here, cervical spondylodiscitis can develop. Surgical treatment is recommended because of possible life-threatening septic and neurological complications. We present a case of an 81-year-old man who suffered from right side paralysis and was subsequently diagnosed with a C4 to C7 epidural abscess. We utilized full endoscopic surgery for patient management. The traditional surgical methods for treating cervical epidural abscesses may cause spinal instability. There has only been one previous case report on the endoscopic-assisted method. Minimal invasive surgery by a full endoscopic method can be done with a small incision and is associated with minimal blood loss and muscle damage. This is the first report on cervical epidural abscess drainage utilization a full endoscopic method. We recommend this alternative minimally invasive method to manage cervical epidural abscess.