Personalization of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder According to the Existing Psychiatric Comorbidity

Po-Han Chou,Yen-Feng Lin,Ming-Kuei Lu,Hsin-An Chang,Che-Sheng Chu,Wei Hung Chang,Taishiro Kishimoto,Alexander T. Sack,Kuan-Pin Su 대한정신약물학회 2021 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.19 No.2

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) are evidenced-based treatments for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who fail to respond to standard first-line therapies. However, although various TMS protocols have been proven to be clinically effective, the response rate varies across clinical applications due to the heterogeneity of real-world psychiatric comorbidities, such as generalized anxiety dis-order, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, or substance use disorder, which are often observed in patients with MDD. Therefore, individualized treatment approaches are important to increase treatment response by assigning a given patient to the most optimal TMS treatment protocol based on his or her individual profile. This literature review summarizes different rTMS or TBS protocols that have been applied in researches investigating MDD patients with certain psychiatric comorbidities and discusses biomarkers that may be used to predict rTMS treatment response. Furthermore, we highlight the need for the validation of neuroimaging and electrophysiological biomarkers associated with rTMS treatment responses. Finally, we discuss on which directions future efforts should focus for developing the personalization of the treatment of depression with rTMS or iTBS.

Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Evaluating Residual Breast Tissue After Robotic-Assisted Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy in Women With Early Breast Cancer

Wu Wen-Pei,Lai Hung-Wen,Liao Chiung-Ying,Lin Joseph,Huang Hsin-I,Chen Shou-Tung,Chou Chen-Te,Chen Dar-Ren 대한영상의학회 2023 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.24 No.7

Objective: Prospective studies on postoperative residual breast tissue (RBT) after robotic-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy (R-NSM) for breast cancer are limited. RBT presents an unknown risk of local recurrence or the development of new cancer after curative or risk-reducing mastectomies. This study investigated the technical feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate RBT after R-NSM in women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: In this prospective pilot study, 105 patients, who underwent R-NSM for breast cancer at Changhua Christian Hospital between March 2017 and May 2022, were subjected to postoperative breast MRI to evaluate the presence and location of RBT. The postoperative MRI scans of 43 patients (age, 47.8 ± 8.5 years), with existing preoperative MRI scans, were evaluated for the presence and location of RBT. In total, 54 R-NSM procedures were performed. In parallel, we reviewed the literature on RBT after nipple-sparing mastectomy, considering its prevalence. Results: RBT was detected in 7 (13.0%) of the 54 mastectomies (6 of the 48 therapeutic mastectomies and 1 of the 6 prophylactic mastectomies). The most common location for RBT was behind the nipple-areolar complex (5 of 7 [71.4%]). Another RBT was found in the upper inner quadrant (2 of 7 [28.6%]). Among the six patients who underwent RBT after therapeutic mastectomies, one patient developed a local recurrence of the skin flap. The other five patients with RBT after therapeutic mastectomies remained disease-free. Conclusion: R-NSM, a surgical innovation, does not seem to increase the prevalence of RBT, and breast MRI showed feasibility as a noninvasive imaging tool for evaluating the presence and location of RBT.

Investigations of δ -Doped In0.52Al0.48As/InxGa1-xAs/InP HEMTs with Different Channel Structures

Ching-Sung Lee,Hsin-Hung Chen,Jun-Chin Huang,Wei-Chou Hsu,Yeong-Jia Chen 한국물리학회 2005 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.47 No.6

The device characteristics of -doped In0.52Al0.48As/InGaAs/InP high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with different channel designs, grown by using the low-pressure metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) technique, have been studied. The InxGa1.xAs channel structures include a step-graded channel (SGC) with x = 0.56/0.53/0.5, a lattice-matched channel (LMC) with x = 0.53, and an inverse linearly-graded channel (ILGC) with x = 0.5 ! 0.56. Improvements in the device’s threshold, extrinsic conductance, saturation current density, gate-voltage swing (GVS), output conductance, voltage gain, and high-frequency and high-temperature performances have been comprehensively investigated and compared with respect to the specific channel design.

Management of Crohn`s disease in Taiwan: consensus guideline of the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

( Shu-Chen Wei ),( Ting-An Chang ),( Te-Hsin Chao ),( Jinn-Shiun Chen ),( Jen-Wei Chou ),( Yenn-Hwei Chou ),( Chiao-Hsiung Chuang ),( Wen-Hung Hsu ),( Tien-Yu Huang ),( Tzu-Chi Hsu ),( Chun-Chi Lin ) 대한장연구학회 2017 Intestinal Research Vol.15 No.3

Crohn`s disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing and remitting inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. CD is rare in Taiwan and other Asian countries, but its prevalence and incidence have been steadily increasing. A steering committee was established by the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease to formulate statements on the diagnosis and management of CD taking into account currently available evidence and the expert opinion of the committee. Thorough clinical, endoscopic, and histological assessments are required for accurate diagnosis of CD. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are complementary to endoscopic evaluation for disease staging and detecting complications. The goals of CD management are to induce and maintain remission, reduce the risk of complications, and improve quality of life. Corticosteroids are the mainstay for inducing re-mission. Immunomodulating and biologic therapies should be used to maintain remission. Patients should be evaluated for hepatitis B virus and tuberculosis infection prior to treatment and receive regular surveillance for cancer. These consensus statements are based on current local evidence with consideration of factors, and could be serve as concise and practical guidelines for supporting clinicians in the management of patients with CD in Taiwan. (Intest Res 2017;15:285-310)

Outcomes of limited period of adalimumab treatment in moderate to severe Crohn’s disease patients: Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study

( Wei-chen Lin ),( Jen-wei Chou ),( Hsu-heng Yen ),( Wen-hung Hsu ),( Hung-hsin Lin ),( Jen-kou Lin ),( Chiao-hsiung Chuang ),( Tien-yu Huang ),( Horng-yuan Wang ),( Shu-chen Wei ),( Jau-min Wong ) 대한장연구학회 2017 Intestinal Research Vol.15 No.4

Background/Aims: In Taiwan, due to budget limitations, the National Health Insurance only allows for a limited period of biologics use in treating moderate to severe Crohn’s disease (CD). We aimed to access the outcomes of CD patients following a limited period use of biologics, specifically focusing on the relapse rate and remission duration; also the response rate to second use when applicable. Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study and we enrolled CD patients who had been treated with adalimumab (ADA) according to the insurance guidelines from 2009 to 2015. Results: A total of 54 CD patients, with follow-up of more than 6 months after the withdrawal of ADA, were enrolled. The average period of treatment with ADA was 16.7±9.7 months. After discontinuing ADA, 59.3% patients suffered a clinical relapse. In the univariate analysis, the reason for withdrawal was a risk factor for relapse (P=0.042). In the multivariate analysis, current smoker became an important risk factor for relapse (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.2-14.8; P=0.044) and male sex was another risk factor (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.1-8.6; P=0.049). For those 48 patients who received a second round of biologics, the clinical response was seen in 60.4%, and 1 anaphylaxis occurred. Conclusions: Fifty-nine percent of patients experienced a relapse after discontinuing the limited period of ADA treatment, and most of them occurred within 1 year following cessation. Male sex and current smoker were risk factors for relapse. Though 60.4% of the relapse patients responded to ADA again. (Intest Res 2017;15:487-494)

Management of ulcerative colitis in Taiwan: consensus guideline of the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

( Shu-Chen Wei ),( Ting-An Chang ),( Te-Hsin Chao ),( Jinn-Shiun Chen ),( Jen-Wei Chou ),( Yenn-Hwei Chou ),( Chiao-Hsiung Chuang ),( Wen-Hung Hsu ),( Tien-Yu Huang ),( Tzu-Chi Hsu ),( Chun-Chi Lin ) 대한장연구학회 2017 Intestinal Research Vol.15 No.3

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic mucosal inflammation of the colon, and the prevalence and incidence of UC have been steadily increasing in Taiwan. A steering committee was established by the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease to formulate statements on the diagnosis and management of UC taking into account currently available evidence and the expert opinion of the committee. Accurate diagnosis of UC requires thorough clinical, endoscopic, and histological assessment and careful exclusion of differential diagnoses, particularly infectious colitis. The goals of UC therapy are to induce and maintain remission, reduce the risk of complications, and improve quality of life. As outlined in the recommended treatment algorithm, choice of treatment is dictated by severity, extent, and course of disease. Patients should be evaluated for hepatitis B virus and tuberculosis infection prior to immunosuppressive treatment, especially with steroids and biologic agents, and should be regularly monitored for reactivation of latent infection. These consensus statements are also based on current local evidence with consideration of factors, and could be serve as concise and practical guidelines for supporting clinicians in the management of UC in Taiwan. (Intest Res 2017;15:266-284)

On the Maximum Buffer Size Achieved in a Class of Constructions of Optical Priority Queues

Cheng, Jay,Huang, Shin-Shiang,Chou, Hsin-Hung,Tang, Ming-Che 한국통신학회 2023 Journal of communications and networks Vol.25 No.4

The design of optical buffers is an important issuein all-optical packet switching. One of the most general types ofbuffering schemes is priority queues, which includes first-in first-out (FIFO) queues and last-in first-out (LIFO) queues as specialcases (where the packet arrival times are used for the assignmentof packet priorities). Recently, it was shown in our previous workthat an optical priority queue with buffer size 2O(√αM) can beimplemented by using an optical (M + 2) × (M + 2) (bufferless)crossbar switch and M fiber delay lines under a simple priority-based routing policy, where α is a constant that depends onthe parameters used in the constructions. This achieved buffersize 2O( √αM) (which is exponential in √M) is the best resultcurrently known in the literature and significantly improveson all previous results (all of which are only polynomial inM). In this paper, we focus on our previous constructions ofoptical priority queues. The first contribution of this paper is toderive a closed-form expression for the maximum buffer sizethat can be achieved in our previous constructions. Such anexpression is of sufficient theoretical interest itself and can beused to directly compute the maximum buffer size (in contrast,the maximum buffer size has to be computed recursively inour previous work). The second contribution of this paper isto use the closed-form expression to show that in the regimethat s ≥ 2, k ≥ 2s + 1, and m ≥ 2, where s, k, and m areparameters used in the constructions, the maximum buffer sizeUk is given by Uk = 2O(√M log2 (2s+2) log2 m/((2s+1)m)) undera mild constraint that is applicable in practical scenarios. Thisresult can be regarded as a complement to the approximate resultUk ≈ 2O( √M log2 (2s+2) log2 m/((2s+1)m)) in our previous work.

Real-time, Economical Identification of Microplastics Using Impedance-based Interdigital Array Microelectrodes and k-Nearest Neighbor Model

Congo Tak Shing Ching,Pei-Yuan Lee,Nguyen Van Hieu,Hsin-Hung Chou,Fiona Yan-Dong Yao,Cheng Sha-Yen,Lin Yung-Kai,Thien Luan Phan 한국생물공학회 2023 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.28 No.3

Microplastic, being a direct carrier of many pollutants, has caused grave concern and become a public issue. This gives rise to the need of a quick method for quantifying and identifying microplastics in the environment. This study uses impedance spectroscopy, particularly the imaginary part of impedance, for detection and identification of sample microplastics. Two type of common microplastic contaminants, Polyethylene and Polystyrene, diameter 20 m and 150 m, were chosen for this study. The results confirm accurate identification of microplastic material in question, by using self-normalized ratio between two characteristic frequencies of 7MHz and 8.9 MHz, Zf = 7 MHz / Zf = 8.9 MHz. 3-kNN classifier built with the ratio Zf = 7 MHz / Zf = 8.9 MHz, and Zf = 8 MHz /Zf = 8.9 MHz, demonstrates accuracy upto 90% for the identification of single or both microplastic types in samples. These results confirm impedance spectroscopy, permitting rapid identification of microplastic without labeling and skillful techniques, as a potential rapid sensor.

Increased Readmission Risk and Healthcare Cost for Delirium Patients without Immediate Hospitalization in the Emergency Department

I Chun Ma,Kao Chin Chen,Wei Tseng Chen,Hsin Chun Tsai,Chien-Chou Su,Ru-Band Lu,Po See Chen,Wei Hung Chang,Yen Kuang Yang 대한정신약물학회 2018 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.16 No.4

Objective: Hospitalization of patients with delirium after visiting the emergency department (ED) is often required. However, the readmission risk after discharge from the ED should also be considered. This study aimed to explore whether (i) immediate hospitalization influences the readmission risk of patients with delirium; (ii) the readmission risk is affected by various risk factors; and (iii) the healthcare cost differs between groups within 28 days of the first ED visit. Methods: Using the National Health Insurance Research Database, the data of 2,780 subjects presenting with delirium at an ED visit from 2000 to 2008 were examined. The readmission risks of the groups of patients (i.e., patients who were and were not admitted within 24 hours of an ED visit) within 28 days were compared, and the effects of the severities of different comorbidities (using Charlson’s comorbidity index, CCI), age, gender, diagnosis and differences in medical healthcare cost were analyzed. Results: Patients without immediate hospitalization had a higher risk of readmission within 3, 7, 14, or 28 days of discharge from the ED, especially subjects with more severe comorbidities (CCI≥3) or older patients (≥65 years). Subjects with more severe comorbidities or older subjects who were not admitted immediately also incurred a greater healthcare cost for re-hospitalization within the 28-day follow-up period. Conclusion: Patients with delirium with a higher CCI or of a greater age should be carefully considered for immediate hospitalization from ED for further examination in order to reduce the risk of re-hospitalization and cost of healthcare.

Quadrature Oscillators with Grounded Capacitors and Resistors Using FDCCIIs

Jiun-Wei Horng,Chun-Li Hou,Chun-Ming Chang,Hung-Pin Chou,Chun-Ta Lin,Yao-Hsin Wen 한국전자통신연구원 2006 ETRI Journal Vol.28 No.4

Two current-mode and/or voltage-mode quadrature oscillator circuits each using one fully-differential secondgeneration current conveyor (FDCCII), two grounded capacitors, and two (or three) grounded resistors are presented. In the proposed circuits, the current-mode quadrature signals have the advantage of high-output impedance. The oscillation conditions and oscillation frequencies are orthogonally (or independently) controllable. The current-mode and voltage-mode quadrature signals can be simultaneously obtained from the second proposed circuit. The use of only grounded capacitors and resistors makes the proposed circuits ideal for integrated circuit implementation. Simulation results are also included.