Performance of Routine Helicobacter pylori Invasive Tests in Patients with Dyspepsia

Background. This study was designed to compare the accuracy of three different invasive methods for the detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in patients with dyspepsia. These tests included culture, histology, and the rapid urease test (CLO test). Methods. H. pylori infection was diagnosed prospectively in 246 untreated dyspeptic patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The gold standard for H. pylori infection was based on a positive culture or both a positive histological examination and a CLO test. Results. H. pylori was diagnosed in 33.3% of the patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and overall accuracy were as follows: histology from the antrum (95.12; 95.12; 90.7; 97.5; 95.12%); histology from the antrum and corpus (95.12; 95.12; 90.7; 97.5; 95.12%); histology from the corpus (76.83; 96.95; 92.65; 89.33; 90.24%); culture (91.46; 100; 100; 95.91; 97.15%); a CLO test from the antrum and corpus (85.59; 100; 100; 93.71; 95.52%); a CLO test from the antrum (64.63; 100; 100; 84.97; 88.21%); a CLO test from the corpus (69.51; 100; 100; 96.77; 89.83%), respectively. Conclusions. Antral biopsy histology and culture are the best methods for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in our cohort of patients with dyspepsia

HOSPITAL MERGER: A CASE STUDY OF TAIPEI CITY HOSPITAL - USING A MIXED METHOD APPROACH TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF INTER-HOSPITAL LINKS AND EMPLOYEE REACTIONS ON QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES

Problem Public hospitals in Taipei City have been impacted by the adoption of a nationwide health insurance system, which has forced hospitals to merge in order to compete in the medical service market. This research examined the effect of inter-hospital links and employee reactions on the quality of hospital care. Methods A mixed methods strategy combining qualitative and quantitative approaches was used for this research. Specifically, the case-study method and the sample survey approach were used to capture the hospital merger process and impact. The qualitative method assists in explaining and interpreting the findings of the quantitative study. All full-time clinical professionals and support staff were invited to complete the survey; a response rate of 83.5% resulted in 1,002 validated study participants. Results Summarizing both qualitative and quantitative evidence, there is no strong evidence to support the hypothesis that structural links enhance the quality of health care. The stepwise results demonstrate that administrative links and resources’ links play significant roles in enhancing the quality of health care. Although the quality of health care has somehow been affected by negative employee reactions, it is later improved by positive employees’ cognitive developments after the merger. Conclusions This research sheds light on findings that hospital mergers are complex integrating processes that encounter managerial challenges from human factors. A successful hospital merger not only improves the quality of health care, but also provides better health care organizations to patients, professional health care workers and the society at large. This requires involvement from leaders and employees during each step of the hospital merger process, at both the organizational restructuring phase (such as structure, administration or resources), as well as the human side, particularly on employee reactions towards hospital mergers. Strategies for employee participation and effective communication are essential and can soften and smooth any negativities arising from the integration process

Cutaneous Type of Nocardiosis Caused by Nocardia brasiliensis in an Elderly Patient

Acute soft tissue infection with Nocardia brasiliensis is an uncommon manifestation in the elderly. A case of cellulitis and an abscess on the foot due to N. brasiliensis in a 77-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is reported. N. brasiliensis was isolated from fluid from the bulla. Treatment with trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole for 6 months led to complete resolution and no evidence of recurrence was noted. Nocardia infection must be considered in the differential diagnosis for elderly patients with soft tissue infection, especially in those with severe underlying diseases, and we suggest that trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole is an effective and safe treatment

Niemann-Pick Type C2 Protein Regulates Free Cholesterol Accumulation and Influences Hepatic Stellate Cell Proliferation and Mitochondrial Respiration Function

Liver fibrosis is the first step toward the progression to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and hepatocellular carcinoma. A high-cholesterol diet is associated with liver fibrosis via the accumulation of free cholesterol in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2) plays an important role in the regulation of intracellular free cholesterol homeostasis via direct binding with free cholesterol. Previously, we reported that NPC2 was downregulated in liver cirrhosis tissues. Loss of NPC2 enhanced the accumulation of free cholesterol in HSCs and made them more susceptible to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1. In this study, we showed that knockdown of NPC2 resulted in marked increases in platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB)-induced HSC proliferation through enhanced extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), and protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation. In contrast, NPC2 overexpression decreased PDGF-BB-induced cell proliferation by inhibiting p38, JNK, and AKT phosphorylation. Although NPC2 expression did not affect caspase-related apoptosis, the autophagy marker light chain 3β (LC3B) was decreased in NPC2 knockdown, and free cholesterol accumulated in the HSCs. The mitochondrial respiration functions (such as oxygen consumption rate, ATP production, and maximal respiratory capacity) were decreased in NPC2 knockdown, and free cholesterol accumulated in the HSCs, while NPC2-overexpressed cells remained normal. In addition, NPC2 expression did not affect the susceptibility of HSCs to lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and U18666A treatment induced free cholesterol accumulation, which enhanced LPS-induced Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) p65 phosphorylation, interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 expression. Our study demonstrated that NPC2-mediated free cholesterol homeostasis controls HSC proliferation and mitochondrial function

Niemann-Pick Type C2 Protein Mediates Hepatic Stellate Cells Activation by Regulating Free Cholesterol Accumulation

In chronic liver diseases, regardless of their etiology, the development of fibrosis is the first step toward the progression to cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the main profibrogenic cells that promote the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, and so it is important to identify the molecules that regulate HSCs activation and liver fibrosis. Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2) protein plays an important role in the regulation of intracellular cholesterol homeostasis by directly binding with free cholesterol. However, the roles of NPC2 in HSCs activation and liver fibrosis have not been explored in detail. Since a high-cholesterol diet exacerbates liver fibrosis progression in both rodents and humans, we propose that the expression of NPC2 affects free cholesterol metabolism and regulates HSCs activation. In this study, we found that NPC2 is decreased in both thioacetamide- and carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis tissues. In addition, NPC2 is expressed in quiescent HSCs, but its activation status is down-regulated. Knockdown of NPC2 in HSC-T6 cells resulted in marked increases in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced collagen type 1 α1 (Col1a1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression, and Smad2 phosphorylation. In contrast, NPC2 overexpression decreased TGF-β1-induced HSCs activation. We further demonstrated that NPC2 deficiency significantly increased the accumulation of free cholesterol in HSCs, increasing Col1a1 and α-SMA expression and activating Smad2, and leading to sensitization of HSCs to TGF-β1 activation. In contrast, overexpression of NPC2 decreased U18666A-induced free cholesterol accumulation and inhibited the subsequent HSCs activation. In conclusion, our study has demonstrated that NPC2 plays an important role in HSCs activation by regulating the accumulation of free cholesterol. NPC2 overexpression may thus represent a new treatment strategy for liver fibrosis

Comparison of surgical resection and transarterial chemoembolization for patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma

AbstractObjectiveCurrent guidelines recommend transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as the standard treatment for patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, choosing the optimal treatments for patients with intermediate stage HCC still remains challenging for clinicians. The purpose of our study was to compare the long-term survival of intermediate stage HCC patients treated with surgical resection or TACE.MethodsWe obtained the baseline characteristics of 210 intermediate stage HCC patients that were recruited for this study. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan–Meier method and a comparison was made by log-rank test. Factors associated with survival rate were analyzed by Cox's regression.ResultsThere were 164 men and 46 women in the study group, with a mean age of 63 ± 11 years (range, 31–92 years). Among them, 67 patients (31.9%) received surgical resection and 143 patients (68.1%) received TACE. Patients receiving surgical resection had a significantly larger mean of maximum tumor size (6.8 ± 2.8 vs. 5.8 ± 3.2 cm, P = 0.016), higher ratio of solitary tumor (68.7% vs. 17.5%, P < 0.001), and Child-Pugh class A (97% vs. 85%, P = 0.009) than those with TACE. Patients receiving surgical resection had a significantly higher 1, 3, and 5 year survival rate compared with those treated with TACE (87.4%, 62.8% and 57.3% vs. 58.1%, 29.9% and 16.6%, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that AFP level >400 ng/ml [hazard ratio (HR):2.141, 95% CI: 1.091–4.203, P = 0.027], Child B cirrhosis (HR: 4.726, 95% CI: 1.021–21.884, P = 0.047), and TACE (HR:3.391, 95% CI: 1.625–7.076, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors associated with poor prognosis.ConclusionsOur results indicated that surgical resection provided superior survival benefit than TACE to patients with intermediate-stage HCC. This is in part attributable to advances in liver surgery which make the resection of intermediate-stage HCC possible. Surgical resection should be considered first for patients with preserved liver function

Risk factors for 1-year mortality in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma treated solely with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

Background/aims: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a main therapy for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of our study was to determine the risk factors for 1-year mortality in patients treated solely with TACE. Methods: A total of 123 patients with intermediate-stage HCC treated solely with TACE were recruited from Ren-ai Branch, Taipei City hospital during the period from January 1998 to June 2013. Baseline characteristics and factors associated with 1-year mortality were analyzed. Results: There were 94 men (76.4%) and 29 women (23.6%) among 123 newly diagnosed intermediate-stage HCC patients treated solely with TACE. The mean age was 63 ± 11 years (range, 31–92 years). The 1–5-year overall cumulative survival rates were 65.9%, 46%, 33.2%, 22%, and 18.4% [median: 23 months, 95% confidence interval (CI): 16.4–29.6 months], respectively. Of these, 42 (34.1%) and 81 (65.9%) patients had survival time shorter (Group 1) and longer (Group 2) than 1 year, respectively. There were no significant differences in sex, age, hepatitis B virus/hepatitis C virus positive rate and tumor number between Group 1 and Group 2 patients. Compared to Group 2, Group 1 patients had a significantly larger mean maximum tumor size (6.8 ± 3.2 cm vs. 5.3 ± 3.1 cm, p = 0.024), lower serum albumin level (3.4 ± 0.45 g/dL vs. 3.6 ± 0.46 g/dL, p = 0.011), higher serum bilirubin level (1.52 ± 1.07 mg/dL vs. 1.07 ± 0.59 mg/dL, p = 0.023), higher ratio of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) > 400 ng/mL (52.4% vs. 24.7%, p = 0.003), and higher ratio of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class B cirrhosis (26.2% vs. 6.2%, p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that AFP level > 400 ng/mL [hazard ratio (HR): 2.663, 95% CI: 1.143–6.205, p = 0.023], CTP class B cirrhosis (HR: 4.69, 95% CI: 1.399–15.715, p = 0.012) and tumor size (HR: 1.153 for each 1 cm increase, 95% CI: 1.015–1.310, p = 0.029) were independently associated with 1-year mortality. Conclusion: One-year mortality in patients with intermediate-stage HCC treated solely with TACE is not uncommon. High serum AFP level (> 400 ng/mL), CTP class B cirrhosis, and tumor size are independent risk factors for 1-year mortality in those patients