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BackgroundCandida infection is prevalent in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SjS), which usually takes years to reach diagnosis. Is the link a two-way street? The role of Candida infection before SjS has not been examined clearly. This study was conducted to provide epidemiological evidence regarding the relationship between the first acquisition of Candida infection and subsequent SjS.MethodsTotally, 23,494 individuals newly diagnosed with Candida infection were enrolled from 2000, to 2012. Controls (N = 93,976) were selected at a 1:4 ratio through propensity score matched (PSM) using the greedy algorithm. Exposure was defined according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes.Main Outcomes and MeasuresSjS was recorded in the Registry for Catastrophic Illness Patients Database (RCIPD). Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the association and sensitivity analyses for cross-validation.ResultsOf 117,470 individuals (106,077 [89%] women), 23,494 individuals (20.0%) had Candida infection and 104 individuals (0.1%) developed SjS. The incidence of SjS was higher in the exposed group compared with the controls (1.92 vs. 0. 98 per 10,000 person-years) with adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.90 (95% CI, 1.25–2.87). The aHRs in subgroups of aged 18–30 years, oral candidiasis and depression were 4.30 (95% CI, 1.60–11.55), 4.70 (4.70–13.93) and 6.34 (2.16–18.66). Sensitivity analyses yield consistent results.ConclusionsResidents in Taiwan with Candida infection have higher risk of SjS. For early diagnosis of SjS, clinicians are advised to take Candida infection into account in some situation.

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A novel design of optical wavelength switch, based on an asymmetric switching architecture for edge node implementation, is presented in this paper. Compared to previous research for optical core transport network applications, the proposed work has a unique aspect to build dynamic multicasting and spectral equalization, vital functionalities for optical wavelength switch in the edge of optical access networks. An optical wavelength switch was experimentally implemented and evaluated in a 4x16 switching architecture to demonstrate the concept. This dynamic multicasting and spectral equalization were achieved by utilizing liquid crystal on a silicon spatial light modulator (LCoS-SLM) device. An optimal design of computer-generated holograms (CGHs) through an improved GS algorithm was used to perform the beam steering and wavelength switching. A variety of wavelength switching scenarios has been experimentally evaluated. The measurement results showed an average insertion loss of around -12.5 dB, and the calculated crosstalks were all less than -28 dB. Its applications in digital data transmissions were evaluated to achieve a transmission speed larger than 2.5 Gbps. The eye diagram measurement results showed that most wavelength switching scenarios have nearly bit-error-free transmission. The scenario includes the multicasting with spectral equalization within the proposed asymmetrical switching architecture.

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