This study processed the recent in vivo survey results for over a thousand patients and optimized their neck and head CT angiography triggered timing (CTA-TT) via the inverse problem algorithm, which ensured the maximal ratio of both left and right arterial to upper sinuses (LRA/US). These results are instrumental in examining the ischemic stroke syndromes along the neck and head. These 1001 patients were randomly categorized into test surveyed (802 patients) and verification group (199 patients), then a six factors semi-empirical formula was constructed by the STATISTICA program. The six factors were assigned a patient’s biological data and preset of the CTA facility; namely Age, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), contrast media dose (CMD), Pre (injected pressure of CMD), and body surface area (BSA). Each factor was normalized into dimensionless values and incorporated into the dataset matrix [Formula: see text] to analyze the coefficient matrix [Formula: see text]. The derived semi-empirical formula closely correlated with experimental data, according to the loss function [Formula: see text], correlation coefficient [Formula: see text], and variance of 0.8965. The formula verification for 199 more patients (verification group) yielded a correlation coefficient [Formula: see text]. Thus, it can be used for the CTA-TT estimation of patients without their preliminary tests, avoiding unnecessary irradiation. The estimated LRA/US was [Formula: see text] for the verification group in this study. A simplified three-factor formula, featuring only age, MAP, and BSA, was also proposed.

Objective: The minimum detectable difference (MDD) of computed tomography (CT) scanned images was quantified and optimized according to an indigenous hepatic phantom, line group gauge and Taguchi [Formula: see text] optimization analysis in this work. Methods: Optimal combinations of CT scan factors in every group with the level organization were judged using the Taguchi analysis, in which every factor was organized into only 18 groups, creating evaluated outcomes with the same confidence as if every factor was analyzed independently. The five practical factors of the CT scan were (1) kVp, (2) mAs, (3) pitch increment, (4) field of view (FOV) and (5) rotation time for one loop of CT scan. Insofar as each factor had two or three levels, the total number of 162 (i.e., [Formula: see text]) combinations was considered. Results: The optimal setting was 120[Formula: see text]kVp, 300[Formula: see text]mAs, 0.641 pitch, 320[Formula: see text]mm FOV and 1.0[Formula: see text]s of rotation time of CT scan. The minimal MDD was 2.65[Formula: see text]mm under 0.39[Formula: see text]mm of the slit depth from the revised Student’s [Formula: see text]-test with a 95% confidence level. In contrast, the MDD of conventional and the best one (no. 7) among all original 18 groups were 3.27[Formula: see text]mm and 2.93[Formula: see text]mm for 0.43[Formula: see text]mm and 0.41[Formula: see text]mm slit depths, respectively. Conclusion: The Taguchi analysis was found very lucrative for the design of imaging analysis in practical diagnosis. The indigenous line group gauge and hepatic phantom also proved to be suitable in simulating the human body in real hepatic carcinoma examination.

A 74-year-old man with cardiac failure and renal impairment was admitted to the cardiothoracic intensive care unit with metformin-induced lactic acidosis and shock. He was successfully treated with high-dose (80 ml/kg/hour) continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration. Lactic acidosis is a known complication of metformin and is associated with a high mortality. The use of high-dose continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration for this condition has not previously been reported.

Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic systemic inflammation disease with clinical presentation of dry eye, dry mouth, and polyarthralgia. Active inflammation is associated with an increased risk of associated arterial stiffness or subclinical atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular events. We used the longitudinal health insurance database of Taiwan, which includes one million participants, to evaluate the relationship between the clinical medication of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). In total, 1674 patients with SS receiving HCQ medication were included after exclusion for previous CAD. Altogether, 1142 SS patients were included for evaluation after follow-up for more than one year. After adjusting for age, gender, medications, and chronic comorbidities, a significantly decreased hazard ratio (HR) for developing CAD was found among SS patients with higher medication possession ratio (MPR) of HCQ (HR = 0.49, 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.26–0.94) when compared with low MPR of HCQ. A low HR for CAD was observed in SS patients with a high cumulative dose of at least 100,267 mg of HCQ (HR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.09–0.66). Long-term HCQ therapy may decrease the HR of CAD in SS patients. The significant cardiovascular protective effect of HCQ therapy was observed in our study.