Exploring quantum phase transitions by the cross derivative of the ground state energy

In this work, the cross derivative of the Gibbs free energy, initially proposed for phase transitions in classical spin models [Phys. Rev. B 101, 165123 (2020)], is extended for quantum systems. We take the spin-1 XXZ chain with anisotropies as an example to demonstrate its effectiveness and convenience for the Gaussian-type quantum phase transitions therein. These higher-order transitions are very challenging to determine by conventional methods. From the cross derivative with respect to the two anisotropic strengths, a single valley structure is observed clearly in each system size. The finite-size extrapolation of the valley depth shows a perfect logarithmic divergence, signaling the onset of a phase transition. Meanwhile, the critical point and the critical exponent for the correlation length are obtained by a power-law fitting of the valley location in each size. The results are well consistent with the best estimations in the literature. Its application to other quantum systems with continuous phase transitions is also discussed briefly.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Gender differences in ankylosing spondylitis-associated cumulative healthcare utilization: a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is one of the most common rheumatic diseases with gender differences in prevalence and clinical presentation. This study aimed to examine whether such gender differences are correlated with cumulative healthcare utilization in Taiwan. METHODS: The National Health Insurance Research Database supplied claim records of one million individuals from 1996 to 2007. Selected cases included patients aged >16 years. Certified rheumatologists diagnosed the patients in three or more visits and gave prescriptions for AS. Multivariate adjusted logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the influence of gender on cumulative healthcare utilization associated with AS. RESULTS: The study included 228 women and 636 men. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, men had more cumulative outpatient visits associated with AS (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.13 -2.23; p = 0.008). Men also exhibited a trend for higher frequency of AS-related hospitalization (p = 0.054). CONCLUSION: Men are more likely to have high cumulative AS-associated healthcare utilization than women. Further investigation of the causal factors is warranted

Urban-Rural Disparity of Generics Prescription in Taiwan: The Example of Dihydropyridine Derivatives

The aim of the current study was to investigate the urban-rural disparity of prescribing generics, which were usually cheaper than branded drugs, within the universal health insurance system in Taiwan. Data sources were the cohort datasets of National Health Insurance Research Database with claims data in 2010. The generic prescribing ratios of dihydropyridine (DHP) derivatives (the proportion of DHP prescribed as generics to all prescribed DHP) of medical facilities were examined against the urbanization levels of the clinic location. Among the total 21,606,914 defined daily doses of DHP, 35.7% belonged to generics. The aggregate generic prescribing ratio rose from 6.7% at academic medical centers to 15.3% at regional hospitals, 29.4% at community hospital, and 66.1% at physician clinics. Among physician clinics, the generic prescribing ratio in urban areas was 63.9 ± 41.0% (mean ± standard deviation), lower than that in suburban (69.6 ± 38.7%) and in rural (74.1% ± 35.3%). After adjusting the related factors in the linear regression model, generic prescribing ratios of suburban and rural clinics were significantly higher than those of urban clinics (β=0.043 and 0.077; P=0.024 and 0.008, resp.). The generic prescribing ratio of the most popular antihypertensive agents at a clinic was reversely associated with the urbanization level

Prescriptions of Chinese Herbal Medicines for Insomnia in Taiwan during 2002

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been commonly used for treating insomnia in Asian countries for centuries. The aim of this study was to conduct a large-scale pharmaco-epidemiologic study and evaluate the frequency and patterns of CHM use in treating insomnia. We obtained the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) outpatient claims from the National Health Insurance in Taiwan for the year 2002. Patients with insomnia were identified from the diagnostic code of International Classification of Disease among claimed visiting files. Corresponding prescription files were analyzed, and an association rule was applied to evaluate the co-prescription of CHM. Results showed that there were 16 134 subjects who visited TCM clinics for insomnia in Taiwan during 2002 and received a total of 29 801 CHM prescriptions. Subjects between 40 and 49 years of age comprised the largest number of those treated (25.3%). In addition, female subjects used CHMs for insomnia more frequently than male subjects (female : male = 1.94 : 1). There was an average of 4.8 items prescribed in the form of either an individual Chinese herb or formula in a single CHM prescription for insomnia. Shou-wu-teng (Polygonum multiflorum) was the most commonly prescribed single Chinese herb, while Suan-zao-ren-tang was the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal formula. According to the association rule, the most commonly prescribed CHM drug combination was Suan-zao-ren-tang plus Long-dan-xie-gan-tang, while the most commonly prescribed triple drug combination was Suan-zao-ren-tang, Albizia julibrissin, and P. multiflorum. Nevertheless, further clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these CHMs for treating insomnia

Cataract surgery utilization after acute stroke: A nationwide cohort study

AbstractBackgroundCataract is a common and correctable ophthalmological condition that is associated with a poor quality of life and shortened life expectancy in older people. However, little is known regarding the use of cataract surgery in stroke patients after the incident event.MethodsA national cohort of 5462 patients who had experienced an acute stroke event without severe physical disability between 2000 and 2003, and 26,434 randomly selected age- and sex-matched controls were obtained from a random population-based sample of the National Health Insurance database in Taiwan. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to assess the association between stroke events and cataract surgery.ResultsAfter a 5-year follow-up, 482 stroke patients (8.8%) and 1897 controls (7.2%) had received cataract surgery after the index dates of their stroke. The incidence of subsequent cataract surgery following acute stroke was 27% higher than that in the comparison group (crude hazard ratio 1.27; p < 0.001). Adjusted for age, sex, co-morbid medical diseases, use of systemic steroids, exposure to radiation during computed tomography, and socioeconomic status, the incidence of cataract surgery in the stroke patients was 30% higher than that in the comparison group (adjusted hazard ratio 1.30; p < 0.001).ConclusionA 30% increase in the use of cataract surgery was noted among the survivors of acute stroke with mild-to-moderate disabilities, which may result from the increased need for better vision after stroke

Therapeutic potential of HMGB1-targeting agents in sepsis

Sepsis refers to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome resulting from a microbial infection. The inflammatory response is partly mediated by innate immune cells (such as macrophages, monocytes and neutrophils), which not only ingest and eliminate invading pathogens but also initiate an inflammatory response upon recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The prevailing theories of sepsis as a dysregulated inflammatory response, as manifested by excessive release of inflammatory mediators such as tumour necrosis factor and high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), are supported by extensive studies employing animal models of sepsis. Here we review emerging evidence that support extracellular HMGB1 as a late mediator of experimental sepsis, and discuss the therapeutic potential of several HMGB1-targeting agents (including neutralising antibodies and steroid-like tanshinones) in experimental sepsis

Novel cancerization marker, TP53, and its role in distinguishing normal tissue adjacent to cancerous tissue from normal tissue adjacent to benign tissue

Foundation of Xiamen Science and Technology Bureau [3502Z20104032, 3502Z20100002]; Medical innovation Foundation of Fujian Health Department [2011-CXB-38]; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province [2010J05137, 2012J01414]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [81272445, 61100106]Background: The histopathological and molecular heterogeneity of normal tissue adjacent to cancerous tissue (NTAC) and normal tissue adjacent to benign tissue (NTAB), and the availability of limited specimens make deciphering the mechanisms of carcinogenesis challenging. Our goal was to identify histogenetic biomarkers that could be reliably used to define a transforming fingerprint using RNA in situ hybridization. Methods: We evaluated 15 tumor-related RNA in situ hybridization biomarkers using tumor microarray and samples of seven tumor-adjacent normal tissues from 314 patients. Biomarkers were determined using comprehensive statistical methods (significance of support vector machine-based artificial intelligence and area under curve scoring of classification distribution). Results: TP53 was found to be a most reliable index (P 87%) for distinguishing NTAC from NTAB, according to the results of a significance panel (BCL10, BECN1, BRCA2, FITH, PTCH11 and TP53). Conclusions: The genetic alterations in TP53 between NTAC and NTAB may provide new insight into the field of cancerization and tumor transformation