The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of special AT-rich binding protein 1 (SATB1) and heparanase in human gastric cancer as well as its relationship to the clinicopathologic factors. Specimens from 102 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy between 2000 and 2002 were studied by immunohistochemistry for SATB1 and heparanase expression. SATB1 and heparanase were positively expressed in 48.0% and 51.0% of gastric cancer cases, respectively. The expression of SATB1 and heparanase was significantly correlated with the depth of invasion, tumor-node-metastatsis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastasis, whereas SATB1 expression was also significantly correlated with distant metastasis. Patients with SATB1-negative expression and heparanase-negative expression had higher survival rates than those with SATB1-positive or heparanase-positive expression. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between SATB1 and heparanase. In multivariable analysis, SATB1 expression was also identified as an independent prognostic indicator for gastric cancer. Our results suggest that combined analysis of SATB1 and heparanase expression may have significant value in determining invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer and assessing prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.

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A phase I/II clinical trial for treating malignant melanoma by boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) was designed to evaluate whether the world’s first in-hospital neutron irradiator (IHNI) was qualified for BNCT. In this clinical trial planning to enroll 30 patients, the first case was treated on August 19, 2014. We present the protocol of this clinical trial, the treating procedure, and the clinical outcome of this first case. Only grade 2 acute radiation injury was observed during the first four weeks after BNCT and the injury healed after treatment. No late radiation injury was found during the 24-month follow-up. Based on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) scan, pathological analysis and gross examination, the patient showed a complete response to BNCT, indicating that BNCT is a potent therapy against malignant melanoma and IHNI has the potential to enable the delivery of BNCT in hospitals.

The domestic surgical robot system which was verified as safe and effective through these trials. The proposed design method is an effective way to solve some of drawbacks that exist in the former generations of the da Vinci surgical system.

BackgroundAlthough numerous epidemiological studies on appendicitis have been conducted worldwide, only a few studies have paid attention to the effect of socioeconomic status on appendicitis, particularly studies focusing on the low-income population (LIP).MethodsWe analyzed the epidemiological features of appendicitis in Taiwan using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2003 to 2011. All cases diagnosed as appendicitis were enrolled.ResultsBetween 2003 and 2011, 2,916 patients from the LIP and 209,206 patients from the normal population (NP) were diagnosed with appendicitis. Our finding revealed that the ratios of comorbidities, complicated appendicitis, and readmissions in LIP patients were slightly higher than those of NP patients. LIP patients were more likely to live in suburban and rural areas, and hence a higher proportion of them were hospitalized in a district or regional hospital compared with NP patients. The crucially finding was that the overall incidence ratios of appendicitis, acute appendicitis, and perforated appendicitis in the LIP were substantially higher than those in the NP (36.25%, 35.33%, and 37.28%, respectively). The mean LOS in LIP patients was longer than that of NP patients. The overall case-fatality ratio of appendectomy in the LIP was higher when compared with the NP (0.41% versus 0.12%, p < 0.05). We also observed that appendicitis was occurred frequently in male patients, with a higher incidence for those aged 15–29 years in both the LIP and NP. The incidences of incidental appendectomy showed a decreasing trend in both the LIP and NP. Finally, a valuable discovery was that the total hospital cost was comparable between the laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) and open appendectomy (OA) (1,178 ± 13 USD versus 1,191 ± 19 USD, p < 0.05) in LIP patients because they saved more hospitalization costs than NP patients when the previous one chose the LA.ConclusionThis study confirmed that a lower socioeconomic status has significantly negative impact on the occurrence and treatment of appendicitis and appendectomy. In terms of hospital costs and LOS, LIP patients benefit more from the LA approach than they do from the OA approach in the treatment of appendicitis.

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The domestic surgical robot system "Micro Hand S" was validated as safe and effective through these clinical cases. The proposed design method is an effective way to make "Micro Hand S" become low-cost and easy-use robot system.