For liver metastases (LM), image guided percutaneous ablative procedures such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), laser induced thermal therapy (LITT) and trans-arterial chemo-embolisation (TACE) are increasingly being used because they are relatively safer, less invasive and equally effective. CT scan guided interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) with a single large dose of radiation by high dose rate...

BACKGROUND Interferon-based therapy (IBT) has been the standard of care for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, conflicting results exist regarding the effects of IBT on risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis-associated complications, and most included highly selected patients. METHODS This 8-year cohort study was based on the Longitudinal Health Insurance Dat...

BACKGROUND We evaluated the long-term outcome in patients harboring intracranial ependymomas treated with interstitial brachytherapy (IBT). METHODS Twenty-one patients (M/F = 9/12; median age: 29 years; range: 8-70 years), diagnosed with intracranial ependymoma (1 WHO I, 11 WHO II, 9 WHO III) were treated with IBT using stereotactically implanted (125)Iodine seeds between 1987 and 2010, eithe...

PURPOSE Peri-urethral cancer (PUC) in females is a rare malignancy. Surgery is not usually contemplated due to associated morbidity. Radiation therapy (RT) can be employed in the form of interstitial brachytherapy (IBT) alone for early lesions, and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with or without IBT for advanced lesions. We report our first experience in the literature to evaluate the ro...

Fourteen Trichoderma isolates were evaluated for their tolerance to two heavy metals, nickel and cadmium. Three isolates, MT-4, UBT-18, and IBT-I, showed high levels of nickel tolerance, whereas MT-4, UBT-18, and IBT-II showed better tolerance of cadmium than the other isolates. Under nickel stress, biomass production increased up to a Ni concentration of 60ppm in all strains but then decreased...

Fals-Stewart, Birchler, and O'Farrell (1996) found that married or cohabiting substance-abusing men (n = 40) who participated in behavioral couples therapy (BCT) in addition to individual-based treatment (IBT) for substance abuse had fewer days of substance use and, along with their partners, reported higher levels of dyadic adjustment during and 1-year after treatment than husbands who receive...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, it remains unclear whether interferon-based therapy (IBT) for HCV was associated with reduced risk of CKD.From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 919 patients who received 3 months or more of IBT as our treated cohort. This cohort was propensity score-matched 1:4 with...

BACKGROUND The anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, omalizumab, is approved in the US as add-on therapy for patients ≥12 years of age with moderate-to-severe persistent allergic asthma. Omalizumab is administered according to the US Food and Drug Administration approved dosing table included in the prescribing information. The dosing table was developed using Genentech's free IgE assay and is designed...

This report shows methods to fabricate polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic systems for long-term (up to 10 day) cell culture. Undesired bubble accumulation in microfluidic channels abruptly changes the microenvironment of adherent cells and leads to the damage and death of cells. Existing bubble trapping approaches have drawbacks such as the need to pause fluid flow, requirement for extern...

BACKGROUND It is debated whether interferon-based therapy (IBT) would affect the incidence of active tuberculosis (TB) among hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients. Although some case reports have demonstrated a possible association, the results are currently inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted a nation-wide population study to investigate the incidence of active TB in HCV infected patient...