The relatively high incidence of gastric cancer in Taiwan warranted the need of a disease-specific quality of life (QOL) instrument. We translated the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-STO22 according to the guidelines from the EORTC. A total of 100 patients were interviewed. Convergent and discriminant validity, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and known-groups comparisons were used to examine the reliability and validity. We found good reliability for multi-item subscales of the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-STO22 (Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.70-0.94) except cognitive functioning of the QLQ-C30 and eating restriction of the QLQ-STO22. Patients in the active treatment group experienced compromised functional status and worse treatment-associated symptoms than those in the follow-up group. Similar results were found in comparisons based on Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status and dysphagia grades. The study has ascertained the cross-cultural validity, reliability and clinical applicability of the Taiwan Chinese version of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-STO22.

The variation rate within the coding region of UDPglucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) gene in Taiwan Chinese was found to be 29.3%. This study sought to determine whether that high variation rate of UGT1A1 gene is a risk factor for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The study subjects consisted of 123 newborn infants suffering from unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia who had no known risk factors for hyperbilirubinemia and 218 healthy control neonates. The promoter area, exons 1 to 4, coding region of exon 5, and the flanking intronic regions in UGT1A1 gene were determined by the PCR in all subjects. Wild UGT1A1 gene, variation in the promoter, variation at nucleotide 211, variation at nucleotide 1091, and compound heterozygous variation of UGT1A1 gene were found. The percentage of neonates with wild UGT1A1 gene and the percentage of neonates with variation at nucleotide 211 were significantly different between the study subjects and controls. The percentages with bilirubin м342 M (20.0 mg/dL) and with persistent hyperbilirubinemia in the subjects carrying homozygous variation at nucleotide 211 (Gly71Arg) were significantly higher than the neonates carrying wild type or other genotypes. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that variation at nucleotide 211 of the UGT1A1 gene is a risk factor for the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Pediatricians should closely follow hyperbilirubinemic newborn infants who carry homozygous 211 G to A variation in UGT1A1 gene. UDP-glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) is the key enzyme for bilirubin conjugation. Defects in this enzyme can cause a nonhemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia such as Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 1 (CN 1), type 2 (CN 2) and Gilbert's syndrome. Because UGT1A1 is too labile to be measured by classic biochemical methods, nonhemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia is ideally studied at the genetic level (1). The cDNA of human UGT1A1 gene was found to be located at chromosome 2q37 and was cloned in 1991 (1). This led to the detection of genetic defects in patients with CN 1 (2), CN 2 (3), and Gilbert's syndrome (4). CN 1 and Gilbert's syndrome have been shown to be mainly associated with mutations in exons 2 to 5 and promoter area, respectively (5).CN 2 and Gilbert's syndrome may be inherited as a recessive trait or as a dominant trait (4, 6, 7).The peak serum levels of unconjugated bilirubin in full-term Asian (Japanese, Korean, or Chinese) and American Indian neonates are double those in Caucasian and black populations (8). The incidence of kernicterus is also higher among Asian newborn infants (9). These findings suggest that genetic factors are involved in the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Recently, homozygous A(TA) 7 TAA variation in promoter of UGT1A1 gene was found to be associated with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in Sephardic Jews (10), Americans (11), Italians (12,13), and British (14). However, in Japanese studies, the high allele-frequency of Gly71Arg in UGT1A1 gene was found to be responsible for neonatal hyperbilirubin...

We demonstrate that indium nitride (InN) can be used as ion selective electrode (ISE) for anion concentration measurements. The InN ISE reveals remarkable selectivity, response time, signal stability, and repeatability for chlorine and hydroxyl ions. The selective interaction of Lewis bases in solutions with the N-polarity InN epitaxial layer grown on silicon is confirmed by potentiometric responses. The Helmholtz potential of the InN ISE, generated at the InN/solution interface, satisfies the Nernst equation. The observation of anion attraction to the InN surface further demonstrates the existence of donor-type surface states on InN.

Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the gold standard for the management of gallstone disease, the application of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) for choledocholithiasis has been slower. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of LCBDE. A retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare LCBDE (n = 82) with conventional common bile duct exploration (CCBDE) (n = 75) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) (n = 80) in the management of choledocholithiasis. All our LCBDEs were performed through choledochotomy with T-tube placement. The mean operative time of the LCBDE group (124 +/- 48 minutes) was not significantly longer then the CCBDE group (118 +/- 35 minutes), while the postoperative hospitalization was shorter in both the LCBDE (8 +/- 5 days) and EST (9 +/- 4 days) groups than in the CCBDE (13 +/- 6 days) group. In the LCBDE group, 14 patients (17.1%) required postoperative choledochoscopy to clear residual stones through the T-tube tract. The only mortality occurred in the CCBDE group. The morbidity rate was 3.7% (3/82) in the LCBDE group, including bile leakage in 1 case and bile peritonitis in 2 cases; 6.7% (5/75) in the CCBDE group, including atlectasis in 2 cases, sepsis in 1, and wound infection in 2. There were 2 cases of postoperative pancreatitis (2.5%; 2/80) in the EST group. The difference in the average number of sessions needed for complete clearance of choledocholithiasis in each group was statistically significant (EST, 1.46 +/- 0.67; LCBDE, 1.23 +/- 0.42; and CCBDE, 1.09 +/- 0.28; P < 0.0001). Our results suggested that EST and LCBDE tended to require more therapeutic sessions then CCBDE, although these sessions were less invasive. The benefits of LCBDE include minimal invasiveness, concurrent treatment of gallbladder stone and CBD stones in a single session, and a shorter postoperative hospital stay. However a longer learning curve is needed. Selection of the most suitable therapeutic option for individual patients by an experienced surgeon gives the most benefits to patients.