families to facilitate these discussions and protect patients' autonomy. There are significant differences in nurses' willingness to discuss palliative care with patients and their family members. Further research is needed to evaluate factors associated with nurses' willingness to discuss palliative care with patients and their families to facilitate these discussions and protect patients' autonomy. Dexamethasone (DEX) implant has been shown to improve visual and anatomic function in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of DEX implant between refractory and naive eyes with DME. We retrospectively reviewed data from pseudophakic patients with center-involved DME who received DEX implant (1 + as needed retreatment) from May 2015 to May 2017. Baseline clinical characteristics, changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT) were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Adverse events were recorded. Thirty-four eyes of 31 patients refractory to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents and 41 eyes of 38 treatment-naive patients were reviewed. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups (p > 0.05). In the refractory eyes, significant improvements in both BCVA and CFT were observed at 1 month post DEX implant and sustained throughout 6 months. Mean change from basrst study comparing DEX implant between treatment-naive and refractory Asian patients with DME. Intravitreal DEX implant can effectively treat refractory and treatment-naive patients with DME. In addition, superior visual outcomes were observed in the naive group comparing to the refractory group following DEX implant treatment in Taiwanese pseudophakic eyes with DME. The World Health Organization (WHO) set out to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030, a goal Taiwan might achieve before 2025. Using effective direct antiviral agents (DAAs) against chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Taiwan, the treatment of CHC has been initiated in rural areas. Here, we aimed to elucidate the clinical and virological characteristics of HCV infection, and the treatment efficacy of DAAs in patients from Pingtung county in southern Taiwan. A total of 152 chronic hepatitis patients treated with DAAs were consecutively enrolled. Baseline characteristics and therapeutic efficacy were evaluated. HCV genotype 2 was the most common viral genotype (39.5%), followed by 1b (36.8%), 6 (10.5%), and 1a (9.2%). The sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 98.7%. Hakka patients accounted for 22.4% of the study cohort, of which 14.7% had HCV genotype 6. There were no differences in clinical characteristics between Hakka and non-Hakka patients. Patients with HCV genotype 6 were younger in age (OR/CI 0.95/0.91-1.00, p = 0.04) and composed of more people who inject drugs (PWID) (OR/CI 17.6/3.6-85.5, p <0.001), when compared with other patients. We demonstrated that DAA therapy can achieve a 98.7% SVR rate among CHC patients in Pingtung county of southern Taiwan, with a relative higher prevalence of genotype 6. The most important factor attributed to genotype 6 infection was PWID. We demonstrated that DAA therapy can achieve a 98.7% SVR rate among CHC patients in Pingtung county of southern Taiwan, with a relative higher prevalence of genotype 6. The most important factor attributed to genotype 6 infection was PWID. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and with a single tumor <2 cm in size are classified as having Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 HCC. We aimed to investigate the role of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade in predicting outcomes in patients with BCLC stage 0 HCC. We retrospectively enrolled patients with BCLC stage 0 HCC in Taipei Veterans General Hospital from 2007 to 2015. Prognostic factors were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. There were 420 patients enrolled, including 207 with ALBI grade 1, and 213 with ALBI grade 2 or 3. After a median follow-up of 60.0 months (interquartile range, 37.2-84.6 months), 179 patients died. The cumulative 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 80.6% in patients with ALBI grade 1 and 53.7% in those with ALBI grade 2 or 3, respectively (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age >65 years, negative hepatitis B surface in serum, creatinine >1.0 mg/dL, platelet count ≤105/mm3, tumor size >1.5 cm, nonsurgical resection (SR) therapy, and higher ALBI grade were independent risk factors related to poor OS. Patients who underwent SR had a better OS and recurrence-free survival than those who received radiofrequency ablation, which was confirmed by a multivariate analysis and PSM analysis. The ALBI grade can determine OS for patients with BCLC stage 0 HCC. SR can also provide a better outcome than nonsurgical treatment. The ALBI grade can determine OS for patients with BCLC stage 0 HCC. SR can also provide a better outcome than nonsurgical treatment. Remarkable progress has been made in immunotherapy, specifically antibodies for programmed death 1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), for treating advanced cancers. In this study, we explored whether circulating immune cells can be used as biomarkers of the efficacy of such therapy. We enrolled patients who received nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in clinical trials and who consented to the collection of their peripheral blood. Using flow cytometry, we analyzed lymphocyte subclasses and the PD-1 or PD-L1 positivity of immune cells. These results were compared between patients with disease control (complete response, partial response, or stable disease) and those with disease progression. This study included 16 patients. The objective response rate was 19%, and the disease control rate was 75%. The hemogram results and the percentage of total αβ T cells or CD4 T cells did not significantly change after nivolumab treatment; moreover, they were not associated with treatment outcomes. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gsk2830371.html The number of CD8 T cells significantly increased after 4 weeks (p = 0.016); however, this change was not associated with treatment outcomes. Patients with disease control exhibited peripheral B cells with significantly lower pretreatment PD-1 positivity than did patients with disease progression (p = 0.042). Patients with disease progression were more likely to exhibit monocytes with increased PD-L1 positivity after 28 (p = 0.020) or 42 (p = 0.008) days of treatment. The low pretreatment PD-1 positivity of peripheral B cells and the constant posttreatment PD-L1 positivity of monocytes were associated with disease control after nivolumab treatment for advanced HCC. The low pretreatment PD-1 positivity of peripheral B cells and the constant posttreatment PD-L1 positivity of monocytes were associated with disease control after nivolumab treatment for advanced HCC.