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  1. Article ; Online: Wound Infections from Taiwan Cobra ( Naja atra ) Bites

    Heng Yeh / Shi-Ying Gao / Chih-Chuan Lin

    Toxins, Vol 13, Iss 3, p

    Determining Bacteriology, Antibiotic Susceptibility, and the Use of Antibiotics-A Cobra BITE Study

    2021  Volume 183

    Abstract: Wound necrosis and secondary infection are common complications after Naja atra bites. Clinical tools to evaluate the infection risk after Taiwan cobra bites are lacking. In this Cobra BITE study, we investigated the prevalence of wound infection, ... ...

    Abstract Wound necrosis and secondary infection are common complications after Naja atra bites. Clinical tools to evaluate the infection risk after Taiwan cobra bites are lacking. In this Cobra BITE study, we investigated the prevalence of wound infection, bacteriology, and corresponding antibiotic usage in patients presenting with Taiwan cobra snakebites. Patients with wound infection lacking tissue necrosis were included in developing Cobra BITE score utilizing univariate and multiple logistic regression, as patients with wound necrosis require antibiotics for infection treatment. 8,295,497 emergency department visits occurred in the span of this study, with 195 of those patients being diagnosed as having cobra bites. Of these patients, 23 had wound necrosis, and 30 had wound infection, resulting in a wound infection rate of 27.2% (53/195). Enterococcus faecalis and Morganella morganii were the main bacteria identified in the culture report regardless of whether patients’ wounds had necrosis. As per our Cobra BITE score, the three factors predicting secondary wound infection after cobra bites are hospital admission, a white blood cell count (in 103/µL) × by neu-trophil-lymphocyte ratio value of ≥114.23, and the use of antivenin medication. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the Cobra BITE score system was 0.88; ideal sensitivity and specificity were 0.89 and 0.76. This scoring system enables the assessment of wound infections after N. atra bites, and it could be modified and improved in the future for other Naja spp. bites.
    Keywords wound infections ; snakebites ; Taiwan cobra ; Naja atra ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-03-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  2. Article ; Online: Influential Factors of Local Tissue Necrosis after Taiwan Cobra Bites

    Chih-Chuan Lin / Chung-Hsien Chaou / Shi-Ying Gao

    Toxins, Vol 13, Iss 338, p

    A Secondary Analysis of the Clinical Significance of Venom Detection in Patients of Cobra Snakebites

    2021  Volume 338

    Abstract: Local tissue swelling, inflammation, and wound necrosis are observed in Taiwan cobra bites. Knowledge of the factors influencing local tissue necrosis after cobra bites might improve the cobra bite treatment strategy. Therefore, we aimed to explore the ... ...

    Abstract Local tissue swelling, inflammation, and wound necrosis are observed in Taiwan cobra bites. Knowledge of the factors influencing local tissue necrosis after cobra bites might improve the cobra bite treatment strategy. Therefore, we aimed to explore the factors influencing local tissue necrosis after cobra bites. This was a retrospective observational cohort study. All patients clinical presentations including serum venom levels for determining the influential factors in this study were obtained from Hung et al.’s previous study. Clinical features, such as bite information, initial swelling, patient presentation time, serum venom levels, and antivenom, use were extracted. The measurement outcome was the development of wound necrosis. The factors influencing wound necrosis were investigated using univariate and logistic regression analyses. The influential factors of local tissue necrosis and their areas under the curve were: initial limb swelling, 0.88; presentation time × serum level, 0.80; initial necrosis, 0.75; patient presentation time, 0.70. Serum venom level alone cannot be used as a predictive factor. The development of tissue necrosis might be associated with the venom factor, time factor, and their interaction. These influential factors can be used in future studies to evaluate antivenom efficacy.
    Keywords cobra ; snakebites ; tissue necrosis ; venom ; antivenom ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 616 ; 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-05-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  3. Article ; Online: Hemodynamic and electromechanical effects of paraquat in rat heart.

    Chih-Chuan Lin / Kuang-Hung Hsu / Chia-Pang Shih / Gwo-Jyh Chang

    PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 4, p e

    2021  Volume 0234591

    Abstract: Paraquat (PQ) is a highly lethal herbicide. Ingestion of large quantities of PQ usually results in cardiovascular collapse and eventual mortality. Recent pieces of evidence indicate possible involvement of oxidative stress- and inflammation-related ... ...

    Abstract Paraquat (PQ) is a highly lethal herbicide. Ingestion of large quantities of PQ usually results in cardiovascular collapse and eventual mortality. Recent pieces of evidence indicate possible involvement of oxidative stress- and inflammation-related factors in PQ-induced cardiac toxicity. However, little information exists on the relationship between hemodynamic and cardiac electromechanical effects involved in acute PQ poisoning. The present study investigated the effects of acute PQ exposure on hemodynamics and electrocardiogram (ECG) in vivo, left ventricular (LV) pressure in isolated hearts, as well as contractile and intracellular Ca2+ properties and ionic currents in ventricular myocytes in a rat model. In anesthetized rats, intravenous PQ administration (100 or 180 mg/kg) induced dose-dependent decreases in heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac contractility (LV +dP/dtmax). Furthermore, PQ administration prolonged the PR, QRS, QT, and rate-corrected QT (QTc) intervals. In Langendorff-perfused isolated hearts, PQ (33 or 60 μM) decreased LV pressure and contractility (LV +dP/dtmax). PQ (10-60 μM) reduced the amplitudes of Ca2+ transients and fractional cell shortening in a concentration-dependent manner in isolated ventricular myocytes. Moreover, whole-cell patch-clamp experiments demonstrated that PQ decreased the current amplitude and availability of the transient outward K+ channel (Ito) and altered its gating kinetics. These results suggest that PQ-induced cardiotoxicity results mainly from diminished Ca2+ transients and inhibited K+ channels in cardiomyocytes, which lead to LV contractile force suppression and QTc interval prolongation. These findings should provide novel cues to understand PQ-induced cardiac suppression and electrical disturbances and may aid in the development of new treatment modalities.
    Keywords Medicine ; R ; Science ; Q
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  4. Article ; Online: Venom concentrations in blisters and hemorrhagic bullae in a patient bitten by a Taiwan habu (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus)

    Chih-Chuan Lin / Po-Jung Wang / Chien-Chun Liu

    Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, Vol 52, Iss

    2019  

    Keywords Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ; RC955-962
    Language English
    Publishing date 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  5. Article ; Online: An investigation of snakebite antivenom usage in Taiwan

    Chih-Chuan Lin / Chung-Hsien Chaou / Chiung-Yao Tseng

    Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, Vol 115, Iss 8, Pp 672-

    2016  Volume 677

    Abstract: Four types of antivenom are used to treat snakebites by the six species of venomous snakes native to Taiwan. Research into antivenom use in Taiwan and its outcomes, as well as the utility of current Taiwan Poison Control Center guidelines for antivenom ... ...

    Abstract Four types of antivenom are used to treat snakebites by the six species of venomous snakes native to Taiwan. Research into antivenom use in Taiwan and its outcomes, as well as the utility of current Taiwan Poison Control Center guidelines for antivenom use, has been limited. We aimed to provide increased understanding by investigating the treatment and outcomes of patients treated for snakebite in Taiwan. Methods: On the basis of data collected from the 2009 Taiwan National Health Insurance database, patients with snakebites were identified and categorized into two sets of groups according to types of antivenom administered. The relationships between antivenom types, dosage and the variables of antibiotic use, surgical intervention, acute respiratory failure acute, renal failure, antivenom-related allergic reaction, mortality, need for hospital admission, and length of hospitalization were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression and the Kruskal–Wallis test. Results: The majority of patients were successfully treated by administration of 1 vial of antivenom and discharged without complications. However, patients treated for neurotoxic-type venom snakebite required administration of larger doses of antivenom and > 30% required surgical intervention, particularly those treated for Chinese cobra snakebite. Approximately 10% of patients were administered two types of antivenom. Conclusion: The results partially support Taiwan Poison Control Center guidelines for treating the hemorrhagic-type venom snakebite. However, deficit in the guidelines for treatment of neurotoxic-type venom snakebite is obvious and new guidelines for treatment of neurotoxic-type venom snakebite and diagnosis should be developed.
    Keywords antivenom ; snakebite ; Taiwan ; Medicine (General) ; R5-920
    Subject code 616
    Language English
    Publishing date 2016-08-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Elsevier
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  6. Article ; Online: Rapid and Efficient Enrichment of Snake Venoms from Human Plasma Using a Strong Cation Exchange Tip Column to Improve Snakebite Diagnosis

    Chien-Chun Liu / Ya-Han Yang / Yung-Chin Hsiao / Po-Jung Wang / Jo-Chuan Liu / Chien-Hsin Liu / Wen-Chin Hsieh / Chih-Chuan Lin / Jau-Song Yu

    Toxins, Vol 13, Iss 2, p

    2021  Volume 140

    Abstract: Snake envenomation is a serious public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries. Accurate diagnosis and immediate antivenom treatment are critical for effective management. However, the venom concentration in the victims’ plasma is usually ...

    Abstract Snake envenomation is a serious public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries. Accurate diagnosis and immediate antivenom treatment are critical for effective management. However, the venom concentration in the victims’ plasma is usually low, representing one of the bottlenecks in developing clinically applicable assays for venom detection and snakebite diagnosis. In this study, we attempted to develop a simple method for rapid enrichment of venom proteins from human plasma to facilitate detection. Our experiments showed that several major protein components of both Naja atra ( N. atra ) and Bungarus multicinctus ( B. multicinctus ) venoms have higher isoelectric point (pI) values relative to high-abundance human plasma proteins and could be separated via strong cation exchange–high-performance liquid chromatography (SCX-HPLC). Based on this principle, we developed an SCX tip column-based protocol for rapid enrichment of N. atra and B. multicinctus venom proteins from human plasma. Application of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) led to the identification of cytotoxin and beta-bungarotoxin as the major proteins enriched by the SCX tip column in each venom sample. The entire process of venom enrichment could be completed within 10–15 min. Combination of this method with our previously developed lateral flow strip assays (rapid test) significantly enhanced the sensitivity of the rapid test, mainly via depletion of the plasma protein background, as well as increase in venom protein concentration. Notably, the SCX tip column-based enrichment method has the potential to efficiently enrich other Elapidae snake venoms containing proteins with higher pI values, thereby facilitating venom detection with other assays. This simple and rapid sample preparation method should aid in improving the clinical utility of diagnostic assays for snakebite.
    Keywords snakebite ; venom ; strong cation exchange chromatography ; lateral flow strip ; clinical diagnostic assay ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 500
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-02-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  7. Article ; Online: The Progress of Emergency Medicine in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong

    Ching-Hsing Lee / Chung-Hsien Chaou / Chih-Chuan Lin

    BioMed Research International, Vol

    Perspective from Publications in Emergency Medicine Journals, 1992–2011

    2014  Volume 2014

    Abstract: Study Objective. The progress of emergency medicine (EM) in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong was evaluated from the perspective of publications in EM journals. Methods. This was a retrospective study. All articles published from 1992 to 2011 in all journals ... ...

    Abstract Study Objective. The progress of emergency medicine (EM) in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong was evaluated from the perspective of publications in EM journals. Methods. This was a retrospective study. All articles published from 1992 to 2011 in all journals in the EM category in the 2010 Journal Citation Reports (JCR) were included. A computerized literature search was conducted using the SciVerse Scopus database. The slope (β) of the linear regression was used to evaluate the trends in the numbers of articles as well as the ratios to the total number of EM journal articles. Results. The trends in the numbers of articles from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong were 6.170, 1.908, and 2.835 and the trends in the ratios of their publication numbers to the total number of EM journal articles were 15.0 × 10−4, 4.60 × 10−4, and 6.80 × 10−4, respectively. All P-values were <0.01. The mean, median, and 75th percentiles of the number of citations in all EM journals were greater than those of these three areas. Conclusions. The publications from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong have increased at a higher rate than those of the overall EM field in the past 20 years and indicated the rapid progress in these three areas.
    Keywords Medicine ; R
    Subject code 001
    Language English
    Publishing date 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Hindawi Limited
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  8. Article ; Online: The effectiveness of patient-tailored treatment for acute organophosphate poisoning

    Chih-Chuan Lin / Dong-Zong Hung / Hsien-Yi Chen / Kuang-Hung Hsu

    Biomedical Journal, Vol 39, Iss 6, Pp 391-

    2016  Volume 399

    Abstract: Background: To determine a new pralidoxime (PAM) treatment guideline based on the severity of acute organophosphate intoxication patients, APACHE II score, and dynamic changes in serum butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity. Methods: This is a ... ...

    Abstract Background: To determine a new pralidoxime (PAM) treatment guideline based on the severity of acute organophosphate intoxication patients, APACHE II score, and dynamic changes in serum butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity. Methods: This is a randomization trial. All patients received supportive care measurements and atropinization. Each enrolled patient was treated with 2 gm PAM intravenously as the loading dose. The control group was treated according to the WHO's recommended PAM regimen, and the experimental group was treated according to their APACHE II scores and dynamic changes in BuChE activity. If a patient's APACHE II score was ≧26 or there was no elevation in BuChE activity at the 12th hour when compared to the 6th, doses of 1 g/h PAM (i.e., doubled WHO's recommended PAM regimen) were given. The levels of the serum BuChE and red blood cells acetylcholinesterase and the serum PAM levels were also measured. Results: Forty-six organophosphate poisoning patients were enrolled in this study. There were 24 patients in the control group and 22 patients in the experimental group. The hazard ratio of death in the control group to that of the experimental group was 111.51 (95% CI: 1.17–1.613.45; p = 0.04). The RBC acetylcholinesterase level was elevated in the experimental group but was not in the control group. The experimental group did not exhibit a higher PAM blood level than did the control group. Conclusion: The use of PAM can be guided by patient severity. Thus, may help to improve the outcomes of organophosphate poisoning patients.
    Keywords Organophosphate ; Poisoning severity ; PAM dose ; Medicine (General) ; R5-920 ; Biology (General) ; QH301-705.5
    Subject code 616
    Language English
    Publishing date 2016-12-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Elsevier
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  9. Article ; Online: Wound Infections of Snakebites from the Venomous Protobothrops mucrosquamatus and Viridovipera stejnegeri in Taiwan

    Chih-Chuan Lin / Yen-Chia Chen / Zhong Ning Leonard Goh / Chen-Ken Seak / Joanna Chen-Yeen Seak / Gao Shi-Ying / Chen-June Seak / SPOT investigators

    Toxins, Vol 12, Iss 575, p

    Bacteriology, Antibiotic Susceptibility, and Predicting the Need for Antibiotics—A BITE Study

    2020  Volume 575

    Abstract: Snakebites from Taiwan habus ( Protobothrops mucrosquamatus ) and green bamboo vipers ( Viridovipera stejnegeri ) account for two-thirds of all venomous snakebites in Taiwan. While there has been ongoing optimization of antivenin therapy, the proper ... ...

    Abstract Snakebites from Taiwan habus ( Protobothrops mucrosquamatus ) and green bamboo vipers ( Viridovipera stejnegeri ) account for two-thirds of all venomous snakebites in Taiwan. While there has been ongoing optimization of antivenin therapy, the proper management of superimposed bacterial wound infections is not well studied. In this Bacteriology of Infections in Taiwanese snake Envenomation (BITE) study, we investigated the prevalence of wound infection, bacteriology, and corresponding antibiotic usage in patients presenting with snakebites from these two snakes. We further developed a BITE score to evaluate the probability of wound infections and guide antibiotic usage in this patient population. All snakebite victims who presented to the emergency departments of seven training and research hospitals and received at least one vial of freeze-dried hemorrhagic antivenin between January 2001 and January 2017 were identified. Patient biodata, laboratory investigation results, and treatment modalities were retrieved. We developed our BITE score via univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance of the BITE score. Out of 8,295,497 emergency department visits, 726 patients presented with snakebites from a Taiwan habu or a green bamboo viper. The wound infection rate was 22.45%, with seven positive wound cultures, including six polymicrobial infections. Morganella morganii, Enterococcus spp . , Bacteroides fragilis , and Aeromonas hydrophila were most frequently cultured. There were no positive blood cultures. A total of 33.0% ( n = 106) of snakebite patients who received prophylactic antibiotics nevertheless developed wound infections, while 44.8% ( n = 73) of wound infection patients were satisfactorily treated with one of the following antibiotics: amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, oxacillin, cefazolin, and ampicillin/sulbactam. With the addition of gentamicin, the success of antibiotic therapy increased by up to ...
    Keywords wound infections ; snakebites ; Taiwan habu ; Protobothrops mucrosquamatus ; green bamboo viper ; Viridovipera stejnegeri ; Medicine ; R
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher MDPI AG
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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  10. Article ; Online: Development of sandwich ELISA and lateral flow strip assays for diagnosing clinically significant snakebite in Taiwan.

    Chien-Chun Liu / Jau-Song Yu / Po-Jung Wang / Yung-Chin Hsiao / Chien-Hsin Liu / Yen-Chia Chen / Pei-Fang Lai / Chih-Po Hsu / Wen-Chih Fann / Chih-Chuan Lin

    PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 12, p e

    2018  Volume 0007014

    Abstract: Taiwan is an island located in the south Pacific, a subtropical region that is home to 61 species of snakes. Of these snakes, four species-Trimeresurus stejnegeri, Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, Bungarus multicinctus and Naja atra-account for more than 90% ...

    Abstract Taiwan is an island located in the south Pacific, a subtropical region that is home to 61 species of snakes. Of these snakes, four species-Trimeresurus stejnegeri, Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, Bungarus multicinctus and Naja atra-account for more than 90% of clinical envenomation cases. Currently, there are two types of bivalent antivenom: hemorrhagic antivenom against the venom of T. stejnegeri and P. mucrosquamatus, and neurotoxic antivenom for treatment of envenomation by B. multicinctus and N. atra. However, no suitable detection kits are available to precisely guide physicians in the use of antivenoms. Here, we sought to develop diagnostic assays for improving the clinical management of snakebite in Taiwan. A two-step affinity purification procedure was used to generate neurotoxic species-specific antibodies (NSS-Abs) and hemorrhagic species-specific antibodies (HSS-Abs) from antivenoms. These two SSAbs were then used to develop a sandwich ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and a lateral flow assay comprising two test lines. The resulting ELISAs and lateral flow strip assays could successfully discriminate between neurotoxic and hemorrhagic venoms. The limits of quantification (LOQ) of the ELISA for neurotoxic venoms and hemorrhagic venoms were determined to be 0.39 and 0.78 ng/ml, respectively, and the lateral flow strips were capable of detecting neurotoxic and hemorrhagic venoms at concentrations lower than 5 and 50 ng/ml, respectively, in 10-15 min. Tests of lateral flow strips in 21 clinical snakebite cases showed 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity for neurotoxic envenomation, whereas the sensitivity for detecting hemorrhagic envenomation samples was 36.4%. We herein presented a feasible strategy for developing a sensitive sandwich ELISA and lateral flow strip assay for detecting and differentiating venom proteins from hemorrhagic and neurotoxic snakes. A useful snakebite diagnostic guideline according to the lateral flow strip results and clinical symptoms was proposed to help physicians to use antivenoms appropriately. The two-test-line lateral flow strip assay could potentially be applied in an emergency room setting to help physicians diagnose and manage snakebite victims.
    Keywords Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine ; RC955-962 ; Public aspects of medicine ; RA1-1270
    Subject code 610
    Language English
    Publishing date 2018-12-01T00:00:00Z
    Publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
    Document type Article ; Online
    Database BASE - Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (life sciences selection)

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