Taipei Veterans General Hospital

About: Taipei Veterans General Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 11878 authors who have published 16478 publications receiving 363424 citations. The organization is also known as: Táiběi Róngmín Zǒngyī Yuàn.

Emergence of extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii complex over 10 years: Nationwide data from the Taiwan Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (TSAR) program

Abstract: Acinetobacter baumannii complex (ABC) has emerged as an important pathogen causing a variety of infections Longitudinal multicenter surveillance data on ABC from different sources in Taiwan have not been published Using data from the Taiwan Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (TSAR) conducted biennially, we investigated the secular change in resistance of 1640 ABC from 2002 to 2010 (TSAR period III to VII) to different antimicrobial agents and identified factors associated with imipenem-resistant and extensively drug-resistant ABC (IRABC and XDRABC) Isolates were collected by TSAR from the same 26 hospitals located in all 4 regions of Taiwan Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined by reference broth microdilution method Isolates nonsusceptible to all tested aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, β-lactam, β-lactam/β-lactam inhibitors, and carbapenems were defined as extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between predictor variables among patients with resistant ABC and patients with non-resistant ABC The prevalence of IRABC increased from 34% in 2002 to 587% in 2010 (P 55%) over the years with some fluctuations before and after TSAR V (2006) on some agents Multivariate analysis revealed that recovery from elderly patients, origins other than blood, from ICU settings, or geographic regions are independent factors associated with IRABC and XDRABC Although the prevalence of XDRABC increased in all four regions of Taiwan over the years, central Taiwan had higher prevalence of XDRABC starting in 2008 Susceptibility to polymyxin remained high (998%) This longitudinal multicenter surveillance program revealed significant increase and nationwide emergence of IRABC and XDRABC in Taiwan over the years This study also identified factors associated with IRABC and XDRABC to help guide empirical therapy and at-risk groups requiring more intense interventional infection control measures with focused surveillance efforts

Impact of the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial on cortical and hippocampal volumes

Abstract: Introduction There is a substantial interest in identifying interventions that can protect and buffer older adults from atrophy in the cortex and particularly, the hippocampus, a region important to memory. We report the 2-year effects of a randomized controlled trial of an intergenerational social health promotion program on older men's and women's brain volumes. Methods The Brain Health Study simultaneously enrolled, evaluated, and randomized 111 men and women (58 interventions; 53 controls) within the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial to evaluate the intervention impact on biomarkers of brain health at baseline and annual follow-ups during the 2-year trial exposure. Results Intention-to-treat analyses on cortical and hippocampal volumes for full and sex-stratified samples revealed program-specific increases in volumes that reached significance in men only ( P 's ≤ .04). Although men in the control arm exhibited age-related declines for 2 years, men in the Experience Corps arm showed a 0.7% to 1.6% increase in brain volumes. Women also exhibited modest intervention-specific gains of 0.3% to 0.54% by the second year of exposure that contrasted with declines of about 1% among women in the control group. Discussion These findings showed that purposeful activity embedded within a social health promotion program halted and, in men, reversed declines in brain volume in regions vulnerable to dementia. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT0038.

Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Chryseobacterium indologenes Bacteremia

Abstract: BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Reports detailing bacteremia caused by Chryseobacterium indologenes remain limited, with most cases reported in Taiwan. The clinical significance of C. indologenes has not been fully established. This retrospective study investigated the clinical features and antimicrobial susceptibility of C. indologenes bacteremia. METHODS: Patients with C. indologenes bacteremia were identified at a medical center/teaching hospital in northern Taiwan between January 1, 2004 and January 31, 2008. Clinical features and the antimicrobial susceptibilities of these patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixteen isolates of C. indologenes from 16 episodes in 16 patients were identified, with all patients having underlying diseases. Two patients (12.5%) had polymicrobial bacteremia. The portal of bacteremia was not determined in most cases. Other clinical syndromes included catheter-related bacteremia, urinary tract infection and peritonitis. The majority of patients had undergone invasive procedures. Other associated conditions included immunosuppression, neutropenia and prolonged use of antibiotics. Only three patients were treated with appropriate antibiotics according to minimum inhibitory concentrations. The susceptibilities of isolates to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (75.0%), levofloxacin (62.5%), piperacillintazobactam (50.0%), ciprofloxacin (43.75%) and cefepime (12.5%) were variable and the bacteremia-related mortality rate was 6.25%. CONCLUSION: C. indologenes isolates are resistant to multiple antibiotics, with newer fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole possibly representing the most appropriate antimicrobial agents to treat infections caused by this pathogen. However, the pathogenicity and factors of virulence for

Mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium facilitates angiogenesis and fracture healing in diabetic rats.

Abstract: The most critical factor for fracture union is the blood supply to the fracture site, which is usually impaired in patients with diabetes. Recently, mesenchymal stem cells-derived conditioned medium (MSC-CM) has shown significantly higher levels of angiogenic factors, such as VEGF and IL-6. We demonstrate in this report that MSC-CM delivered in gelatin sponges stimulates angiogenesis and promotes fracture healing in a diabetic rat model. Subcutaneous implantation of gelatin sponges soaked in MSC-CM demonstrated better tissue ingrowth and higher capillary densities at 2 and 3 weeks than gelatin sponges in minimal essential medium (MEM) or 293 cell-derived conditioned medium (293-CM). Implantation of fibular defects with gelatin sponges soaked in MSC-CM enhanced bone ingrowth and fracture healing rates compared to 293-CM and MEM groups at 8 weeks. Micro-computed tomography analysis further indicated a higher new bone volume in the MSC-CM group compared to the other diabetic groups. Histological analysis with CD31 immunostaining also revealed that MSC-CM increased endothelial cell counts compared to the other groups. Together, these results indicated that gelatin sponges used to deliver MSC-CM promote angiogenesis and fracture healing in a diabetic model and may be an alternative strategy for treating fracture non-union in patients with diabetes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.