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Payne SJ. Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is governed by two time constants: Arterial transit time and feedback time constant. J Physiol 2024. [PMID: 38630963 DOI: 10.1113/jp285679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) is the mechanism that describes how the brain maintains cerebral blood flow approximately constant in response to short-term changes in arterial blood pressure. This is known to be impaired in many different pathological conditions, including ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, dementia and traumatic brain injury. Many different approaches have thus been used both to analyse and to quantify this mechanism in a range of healthy and diseased subjects, including data-driven models (in both the time and the frequency domain) and biophysical models. However, despite the substantial body of work on both biophysical models and data-driven models of dCA, there remains little work that links the two together. One of the reasons for this is proposed to be the discrepancies between the time constants that govern dCA in models and in experimental data. In this study, the processes that govern dCA are examined and it is proposed that the application of biophysical models remains limited due to a lack of understanding about the physical processes that are being modelled, partly due to the specific model formulation that has been most widely used (the equivalent electrical circuit). Based on the analysis presented here, it is proposed that the two most important time constants are arterial transit time and feedback time constant. It is therefore time to revisit equivalent electrical circuit models of dCA and to develop a more physiologically realistic alternative, one that can more easily be related to experimental data. KEY POINTS: Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is governed by two time constants. The first time constant is the arterial transit time, rather than the traditional 'RC' time constant widely used in previous models. This arterial transit time is approximately 1 s in the brain. The second time constant is the feedback time constant, which is less accurately known, although it is somewhat larger than the arterial transit time. The equivalent electrical circuit model of dynamic cerebral autoregulation should be replaced with a more physiologically representative model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Payne
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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2
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Dong C, Lu LS, Lin YC, Robinson JA. Air-Stable, Large-Area 2D Metals and Semiconductors. ACS Nanosci Au 2024; 4:115-127. [PMID: 38644964 PMCID: PMC11027125 DOI: 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.3c00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) materials are popular for fundamental physics study and technological applications in next-generation electronics, spintronics, and optoelectronic devices due to a wide range of intriguing physical and chemical properties. Recently, the family of 2D metals and 2D semiconductors has been expanding rapidly because they offer properties once unknown to us. One of the challenges to fully access their properties is poor stability in ambient conditions. In the first half of this Review, we briefly summarize common methods of preparing 2D metals and highlight some recent approaches for making air-stable 2D metals. Additionally, we introduce the physicochemical properties of some air-stable 2D metals recently explored. The second half discusses the air stability and oxidation mechanisms of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides and some elemental 2D semiconductors. Their air stability can be enhanced by optimizing growth temperature, substrates, and precursors during 2D material growth to improve material quality, which will be discussed. Other methods, including doping, postgrowth annealing, and encapsulation of insulators that can suppress defects and isolate the encapsulated samples from the ambient environment, will be reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengye Dong
- 2-Dimensional
Crystal Consortium, The Pennsylvania State
University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Li-Syuan Lu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Yu-Chuan Lin
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Joshua A. Robinson
- 2-Dimensional
Crystal Consortium, The Pennsylvania State
University, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
- Center
for Atomically Thin Multifunctional Coatings, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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3
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Taklu B, Su WN, Chiou JC, Chang CY, Nikodimos Y, Lakshmanan K, Hagos TM, Serbessa GG, Desta GB, Tekaligne TM, Ahmed SA, Yang SC, Wu SH, Hwang BJ. Mechanistic Study on Artificial Stabilization of Lithium Metal Anode via Thermal Pyrolysis of Ammonium Fluoride in Lithium Metal Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024; 16:17422-17431. [PMID: 38557067 PMCID: PMC11009921 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c17559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The use of the "Holy Grail" lithium metal anode is pivotal to achieve superior energy density. However, the practice of a lithium metal anode faces practical challenges due to the thermodynamic instability of lithium metal and dendrite growth. Herein, an artificial stabilization of lithium metal was carried out via the thermal pyrolysis of the NH4F salt, which generates HF(g) and NH3(g). An exposure of lithium metal to the generated gas induces a spontaneous reaction that forms multiple solid electrolyte interface (SEI) components, such as LiF, Li3N, Li2NH, LiNH2, and LiH, from a single salt. The artificially multilayered protection on lithium metal (AF-Li) sustains stable lithium stripping/plating. It suppresses the Li dendrite under the Li||Li symmetric cell. The half-cell Li||Cu and Li||MCMB systems depicted the attributions of the protective layer. We demonstrate that the desirable protective layer in AF-Li exhibited remarkable capacity retention (CR) results. LiFePO4 (LFP) showed a CR of 90.6% at 0.5 mA cm-2 after 280 cycles, and LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 (NCM523) showed 58.7% at 3 mA cm-2 after 410 cycles. Formulating the multilayered protection, with the simultaneous formation of multiple SEI components in a facile and cost-effective approach from NH4F as a single salt, made the system competent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bereket
Woldegbreal Taklu
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Sustainable
Electrochemical Energy Development (SEED) Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Nien Su
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Sustainable
Electrochemical Energy Development (SEED) Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Jeng-Chian Chiou
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Yu Chang
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Yosef Nikodimos
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Keseven Lakshmanan
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Teklay Mezgebe Hagos
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Gashahun Gobena Serbessa
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Battery
Research Center of Green Energy, Ming-Chi
University of Technology, New Taipei
City 24301, Taiwan
| | - Gidey Bahre Desta
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Teshager Mekonnen Tekaligne
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Shadab Ali Ahmed
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Chiang Yang
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - She-Huang Wu
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Sustainable
Electrochemical Energy Development (SEED) Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Bing Joe Hwang
- Nano-Electrochemistry
Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Sustainable
Electrochemical Energy Development (SEED) Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- National
Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), Hsin-Chu 30076, Taiwan
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Palmer LD, Lee W, Dong CL, Liu RS, Wu N, Cushing SK. Determining Quasi-Equilibrium Electron and Hole Distributions of Plasmonic Photocatalysts Using Photomodulated X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. ACS Nano 2024; 18:9344-9353. [PMID: 38498940 PMCID: PMC10993415 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c08181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Most photocatalytic and photovoltaic devices operate under broadband, constant illumination. Electron and hole dynamics in these devices, however, are usually measured by using ultrafast pulsed lasers in a narrow wavelength range. In this work, we use excited-state X-ray theory originally developed for transient X-ray experiments to study steady-state photomodulated X-ray spectra. We use this method to attempt to extract electron and hole distributions from spectra collected at a nontime-resolved synchrotron beamline. A set of plasmonic metal core-shell nanoparticles is designed as the control experiment because they can systematically isolate photothermal, hot electron, and thermalized electron-hole pairs in a TiO2 shell. Steady-state changes in the Ti L2,3 edge are measured with and without continuous-wave illumination of the nanoparticle's localized surface plasmon resonance. The results suggest that within error the quasi-equilibrium carrier distribution can be determined even from relatively noisy data with mixed excited-state phenomena. Just as importantly, the theoretical analysis of noisy data is used to provide guidelines for the beamline development of photomodulated steady-state spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi Daniel Palmer
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, California, United States
| | - Wonseok Lee
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, California, United States
| | - Chung-Li Dong
- Department
of Physics, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan
| | - Ru-Shi Liu
- Department
of Chemistry, National Taiwan University
and Advanced Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Nianqiang Wu
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Amherst 01003−9303, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Scott Kevin Cushing
- Division
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, California, United States
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Kung PC, Huang HL, Hsu WC, Huang HL, Chang HJ, Shyu YIL. Coexisting with anomie: Experiences of persons living with early-stage dementia: A grounded theory study. Int J Ment Health Nurs 2024; 33:452-462. [PMID: 37985929 DOI: 10.1111/inm.13256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Individuals in the early stages of dementia often endure elevated levels of stress and anxiety, which can hinder their ability to adapt to the progression of dementia. To mitigate the negative impacts of dementia more effectively, it is necessary to explore the trajectory of the adaptation process of persons living with dementia. This study aimed to construct a theoretical framework for the adaptation process of individuals in the early stages of dementia. Participants were dyads of persons diagnosed with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment (≥ 60 years of age) and their primary family caregivers. This longitudinal study used a grounded theory approach to explore the adaptation trajectory changes in persons with mild dementia over a 3-year period. Data were collected from dyads with face-to-face interviews. Analysis of the interview data revealed the core category was 'Coexisting with anomie: Progressive disappointment and striving', which was comprised of three categories: awareness of alienation, unsettled feelings, and restorative avoidance coping. Categories changed depending on levels of cognition and constituted progressive and cyclical dynamic processes. Four contextual factors positively or negatively influenced adaptation: level of insight about dementia, personal traits, caregiving style of the caregiver, and level of social interactions. These findings provide a new perspective about the mental health of persons in early-stage dementia. Understanding coexisting with anomie and related influencing factors could facilitate the development of support interventions by mental health nursing staff, which could improve emotional safety, promote psychological well-being, and increase quality of life for persons living with dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pen-Chen Kung
- Department of Gerontology and Health Care Management, College of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Huei-Ling Huang
- Department of Gerontology and Health Care Management, College of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chuin Hsu
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Li Huang
- Department of Long-Term Care, College of Health Technology, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Jer Chang
- National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yea-Ing L Shyu
- School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Neurology, Dementia Center, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Gerontology and Health Care Management, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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6
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Sun SJ, Chen S, Federle W, Kilner RM. Biomechanical adaptations enable phoretic mite species to occupy distinct spatial niches on host burying beetles. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240230. [PMID: 38503335 PMCID: PMC10950469 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Niche theory predicts that ecologically similar species coexist by minimizing interspecific competition through niche partitioning. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of niche partitioning is essential for predicting interactions and coexistence between competing organisms. Here, we study two phoretic mite species, Poecilochirus carabi and Macrocheles nataliae that coexist on the same host burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides and use it to 'hitchhike' between reproductive sites. Field observations revealed clear spatial partitioning between species in distinct host body parts. Poecilochirus carabi preferred the ventral side of the thorax, whereas M. nataliae were exclusively found ventrally at the hairy base of the abdomen. Experimental manipulations of mite density showed that each species preferred these body parts, largely regardless of the density of the other mite species on the host beetle. Force measurements indicated that this spatial distribution is mediated by biomechanical adaptations, because each mite species required more force to be removed from their preferred location on the beetle. While P. carabi attached with large adhesive pads to the smooth thorax cuticle, M. nataliae gripped abdominal setae with their chelicerae. Our results show that specialist biomechanical adaptations for attachment can mediate spatial niche partitioning among species sharing the same host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syuan-Jyun Sun
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- International Degree Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Simon Chen
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Walter Federle
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Rebecca M. Kilner
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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Kuo CY, Yang WW, Su ECY. Improving dengue fever predictions in Taiwan based on feature selection and random forests. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:334. [PMID: 38509486 PMCID: PMC10953060 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09220-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dengue fever is a well-studied vector-borne disease in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Several methods for predicting the occurrence of dengue fever in Taiwan have been proposed. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the relationship between air quality indices (AQIs) and dengue fever in Taiwan. RESULTS This study aimed to develop a dengue fever prediction model in which meteorological factors, a vector index, and AQIs were incorporated into different machine learning algorithms. A total of 805 meteorological records from 2013 to 2015 were collected from government open-source data after preprocessing. In addition to well-known dengue-related factors, we investigated the effects of novel variables, including particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 µm (PM10), PM2.5, and an ultraviolet index, for predicting dengue fever occurrence. The collected dataset was randomly divided into an 80% training set and a 20% test set. The experimental results showed that the random forests achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9547 for the test set, which was the best compared with the other machine learning algorithms. In addition, the temperature was the most important factor in our variable importance analysis, and it showed a positive effect on dengue fever at < 30 °C but had less of an effect at > 30 °C. The AQIs were not as important as temperature, but one was selected in the process of filtering the variables and showed a certain influence on the final results. CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to demonstrate that AQI negatively affects dengue fever occurrence in Taiwan. The proposed prediction model can be used as an early warning system for public health to prevent dengue fever outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Yang Kuo
- Smart Healthcare Interdisciplinary College, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, No.365, Mingde Road, Beitou District, Taipei City, 112303, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, No.301, Yuantong Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, 23564, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Wen Yang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, No.301, Yuantong Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, 23564, Taiwan
| | - Emily Chia-Yu Su
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, No.301, Yuantong Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, 23564, Taiwan.
- Clinical Big Data Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, No.252 Wuxing Street, Xinyi District, Taipei City, 110, Taiwan.
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Chen CA, Chen PH, Zheng YX, Chen CH, Hsu MK, Hsu KC, Lai YY, Chuu CS, Deng H, Lee YH. Tunable Single-Photon Emission with Wafer-Scale Plasmonic Array. Nano Lett 2024; 24:3395-3403. [PMID: 38359157 PMCID: PMC10958497 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c05155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Bright, scalable, and deterministic single-photon emission (SPE) is essential for quantum optics, nanophotonics, and optical information systems. Recently, SPE from hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has attracted intense interest because it is optically active and stable at room temperature. Here, we demonstrate a tunable quantum emitter array in h-BN at room temperature by integrating a wafer-scale plasmonic array. The transient voltage electrophoretic deposition (EPD) reaction is developed to effectively enhance the filling of single-crystal nanometals in the designed patterns without aggregation, which ensures the fabricated array for tunable performances of these single-photon emitters. An enhancement of ∼500% of the SPE intensity of the h-BN emitter array is observed with a radiative quantum efficiency of up to 20% and a saturated count rate of more than 4.5 × 106 counts/s. These results suggest the integrated h-BN-plasmonic array as a promising platform for scalable and controllable SPE photonics at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-An Chen
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Po-Han Chen
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Xiang Zheng
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chiao-Han Chen
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Mong-Kai Hsu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Chieh Hsu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Yu Lai
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Department
of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2122, United
States
| | - Chih-Sung Chuu
- Department
of Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Hui Deng
- Department
of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2122, United
States
| | - Yi-Hsien Lee
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
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Tsai WH, Su CK. 4D-Printed Elution-Peak-Guided Dual-Responsive Monolithic Packing for the Solid-Phase Extraction of Metal Ions. Anal Chem 2024; 96:4469-4478. [PMID: 38380612 PMCID: PMC10955517 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c04961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Four-dimensional printing (4DP) technologies are revolutionizing the fabrication of stimuli-responsive devices. To advance the analytical performance of conventional solid-phase extraction (SPE) devices using 4DP technology, in this study, we employed N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)-incorporated photocurable resins and digital light processing three-dimensional printing to fabricate an SPE column with a [H+]/temperature dual-responsive monolithic packing stacked as interlacing cuboids to extract Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb ions. When these metal ions were eluted using 0.5% HNO3 solution as the eluent at a temperature below the lower critical solution temperature of polyNIPAM, the monolithic packing swelled owing to its hydrophilic/hydrophobic transition and electrostatic repulsion among the protonated units of polyNIPAM. These effects resulted in smaller interstitial volumes among these interlacing cuboids and improvements in the elution peak profiles of the metal ions, which, in turn, demonstrated the reduced method detection limits (MDLs; range, 0.2-7.2 ng L-1) during analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We studied the effects of optimizing the elution peak profiles of the metal ions on the analytical performance of this method and validated its reliability and applicability by analyzing the metal ions in reference materials (CASS-4, SLRS-5, 1643f, and Seronorm Trace Elements Urine L-2) and performing spike analyses of seawater, groundwater, river water, and human urine samples. Our results suggest that this 4D-printed elution-peak-guided dual-responsive monolithic packing enables lower MDLs when packed in an SPE column to facilitate the analyses of the metal ions in complex real samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hsiu Tsai
- Department of Chemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Cheng-Kuan Su
- Department of Chemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, R.O.C
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10
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Yang LT, Wang WJ, Huang WT, Wang LC, Hsu MC, Kan CD, Huang CY, Wong TW, Li WP. Photo-Responsive Ascorbic Acid-Modified Ag 2S-ZnS Heteronanostructure Dropping pH to Trigger Synergistic Antibacterial and Bohr Effects for Accelerating Infected Wound Healing. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024; 16:12018-12032. [PMID: 38394675 PMCID: PMC10921379 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c17424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Nonantibiotic approaches must be developed to kill pathogenic bacteria and ensure that clinicians have a means to treat wounds that are infected by multidrug-resistant bacteria. This study prepared matchstick-like Ag2S-ZnS heteronanostructures (HNSs). Their hydrophobic surfactants were then replaced with hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and thioglycolic acid (TGA) through the ligand exchange method, and this was followed by ascorbic acid (AA) conjugation with TGA through esterification, yielding well-dispersed PEGylated Ag2S-ZnS@TGA-AA HNSs. The ZnS component of the HNSs has innate semiconductivity, enabling the generation of electron-hole pairs upon irradiation with a light of wavelength 320 nm. These separate charges can react with oxygen and water around the HNSs to produce reactive oxygen species. Moreover, some holes can oxidize the surface-grafted AA to produce protons, decreasing the local pH and resulting in the corrosion of Ag2S, which releases silver ions. In evaluation tests, the PEGylated Ag2S-ZnS@TGA-AA had synergistic antibacterial ability and inhibited Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Additionally, MRSA-infected wounds treated with a single dose of PEGylated Ag2S-ZnS@TGA-AA HNSs under light exposure healed significantly more quickly than those not treated, a result attributable to the HNSs' excellent antibacterial and Bohr effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ting Yang
- Department
of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung
Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Jyun Wang
- Department
of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung
Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Ting Huang
- Department
of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of
Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan
| | - Liu-Chun Wang
- Department
of Chemistry, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Chien Hsu
- Department
of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung
Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Dann Kan
- Division
of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung
University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Yung Huang
- Department
of Seafood Science, National Kaohsiung University
of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Tak-Wah Wong
- Department
of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of
Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan
- Department
of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
- Center
of Applied Nanomedicine, National Cheng
Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Peng Li
- Department
of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung
Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center
of Applied Nanomedicine, National Cheng
Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
- Department
of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University
Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Drug
Development and Value Creation Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
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11
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Huang MR, Chen YF, Gautam B, Hsu YS, Ho JH, Hsu HH, Chen JT. Hollow Hafnium Oxide (HfO 2) Fibers: Using an Effective Combination of Sol-Gel, Electrospinning, and Thermal Degradation Pathway. Langmuir 2024; 40:4732-4738. [PMID: 38374656 PMCID: PMC10919084 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, hafnium oxide (HfO2) has gained increasing interest because of its high dielectric constant, excellent thermal stability, and high band gap. Although HfO2 bulk and film materials have been prepared and well-studied, HfO2 fibers, especially hollow fibers, have been less investigated. In this study, we present a facile preparation method for HfO2 hollow fibers through a unique integration of the sol-gel process and electrospinning technique. Initially, polystyrene (PS) fibers are fabricated by using electrospinning, followed by dipping in a HfO2 precursor solution, resulting in HfO2-coated PS fibers. Subsequent thermal treatment at 800 °C ensures the selective pyrolysis of the PS fibers and complete condensation of the HfO2 precursors, forming HfO2 hollow fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations reveal HfO2 hollow fibers with rough surfaces and diminished diameters, a transformation attributed to the removal of the PS fibers and the condensation of the HfO2 precursors. Our study also delves into the influence of precursor solution molar ratios, showcasing the ability to achieve smaller HfO2 fiber diameters with reduced precursor quantities. Validation of the material composition is achieved through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping. Additionally, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis provides insights into the crystallinity of the HfO2 hollow fibers, highlighting a higher crystallinity in fibers annealed at 800 °C compared with those treated at 400 °C. Notably, the HfO2 hollow fibers demonstrate a water contact angle (WCA) of 38.70 ± 5.24°, underscoring the transformation from hydrophobic to hydrophilic properties after the removal of the PS fibers. Looking forward, this work paves the way for extensive research on the surface properties and potential applications of HfO2 hollow fibers in areas such as filtration, energy storage, and memory devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Ru Huang
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
| | - Yi-Fan Chen
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
| | - Bhaskarchand Gautam
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
| | - Yen-Shen Hsu
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
| | - Jhih-Hao Ho
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
| | - Hsun-Hao Hsu
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
| | - Jiun-Tai Chen
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming
Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
- Center
for Emergent Functional Matter Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan 300093
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12
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Tsai C, Hoque MA, Vineis P, Ahmed KM, Butler AP. Salinisation of drinking water ponds and groundwater in coastal Bangladesh linked to tropical cyclones. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5211. [PMID: 38433257 PMCID: PMC10909877 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54446-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Salinity is a widespread problem along the Asian coast, mainly in reclaimed lands where most people live. These low-lying areas are vulnerable to impacts from tropical cyclone induced storm surges. The role of such surges on the long-term salinity of water resources, particularly the salinisation of drinking water ponds, a key water resource, requires further investigation. Here we show, using high-resolution measurements of pond hydrology and numerical modelling, that episodic inundation events cause the widespread salinisation of surface water and groundwater bodies in coastal areas. Sudden salt fluxes in ponds cause salinity build-up in the underlying sediments and become a source of salinity. Rapid clean-up of drinking ponds immediately after a surge event can significantly minimize these salinity impacts, which are likely to increase under climate change. Our study has implications for coastal land use and water resources management in tropical deltas.
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Affiliation(s)
- ChiSan Tsai
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Environmental Systems Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mohammad A Hoque
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
- School of the Environment, Geography & Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Adrian P Butler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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13
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Lin PS, Lin JM, Tung SH, Higashihara T, Liu CL. Synergistic Interactions in Sequential Process Doping of Polymer/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites for Enhanced n-Type Thermoelectric Performance. Small 2024; 20:e2306166. [PMID: 37847895 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
This study focuses on the fabrication of nanocomposite thermoelectric devices by blending either a naphthalene-diimide (NDI)-based conjugated polymer (NDI-T1 or NDI-T2), or an isoindigo (IID)-based conjugated polymer (IID-T2), with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). This is followed by sequential process doping method with the small molecule 4-(2,3-dihydro-1,3-dimethyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)-N,N-dimethylbenzenamine (N-DMBI) to provide the nanocomposite with n-type thermoelectric properties. Experiments in which the concentrations of the N-DMBI dopant are varied demonstrate the successful conversion of all three polymer/SWCNT nanocomposites from p-type to n-type behavior. Comprehensive spectroscopic, microstructural, and morphological analyses of the pristine polymers and the various N-DMBI-doped polymer/SWCNT nanocomposites are performed in order to gain insights into the effects of various interactions between the polymers and SWCNTs on the doping outcomes. Among the obtained nanocomposites, the NDI-T1/SWCNT exhibits the highest n-type Seebeck coefficient and power factor of -57.7 µV K-1 and 240.6 µW m-1 K-2 , respectively. However, because the undoped NDI-T2/SWCNT exhibits a slightly higher p-type performance, an integral p-n thermoelectric generator is fabricated using the doped and undoped NDI-T2/SWCNT nanocomposite. This device is shown to provide an output power of 27.2 nW at a temperature difference of 20 K.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Shen Lin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Jhih-Min Lin
- National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, 30076, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Huang Tung
- Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Tomoya Higashihara
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Graduate School of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Jonan, Yonezawa, Yamagata, 992-8510, Japan
| | - Cheng-Liang Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Advanced Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
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14
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Huang CC, Lin CH, Lin YC, Chang HX. Application of bulk segregant RNA-Seq (BSR-Seq) and allele-specific primers to study soybean powdery mildew resistance. BMC Plant Biol 2024; 24:155. [PMID: 38424508 PMCID: PMC10905810 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-04822-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the important soybean diseases, and host resistance could practically contribute to soybean PM management. To date, only the Rmd locus on chromosome (Chr) 16 was identified through traditional QTL mapping and GWAS, and it remains unclear if the bulk segregant RNA-Seq (BSR-Seq) methodology is feasible to explore additional PM resistance that might exist in other varieties. RESULTS BSR-Seq was applied to contrast genotypes and gene expressions between the resistant bulk (R bulk) and the susceptible bulk (S bulk), as well as the parents. The ∆(SNP-index) and G' value identified several QTL and significant SNPs/Indels on Chr06, Chr15, and Chr16. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) located within these QTL were identified using HISAT2 and Kallisto, and allele-specific primers (AS-primers) were designed to validate the accuracy of phenotypic prediction. While the AS-primers on Chr06 or Chr15 cannot distinguish the resistant and susceptible phenotypes, AS-primers on Chr16 exhibited 82% accuracy prediction with an additive effect, similar to the SSR marker Satt431. CONCLUSIONS Evaluation of additional AS-primers in the linkage disequilibrium (LD) block on Chr16 further confirmed the resistant locus, derived from the resistant parental variety 'Kaohsiung 11' ('KS11'), not only overlaps with the Rmd locus with unique up-regulated LRR genes (Glyma.16G213700 and Glyma.16G215100), but also harbors a down-regulated MLO gene (Glyma.16G145600). Accordingly, this study exemplified the feasibility of BSR-Seq in studying biotrophic disease resistance in soybean, and showed the genetic makeup of soybean variety 'KS11' comprising the Rmd locus and one MLO gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Chun Huang
- Master Program for Plant Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106319, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Hsiang Lin
- Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. Ministry of Agriculture, Taoyuan, 327005, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Cheng Lin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106319, Taiwan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Hao-Xun Chang
- Master Program for Plant Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106319, Taiwan.
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106319, Taiwan.
- Center of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 106319, Taiwan.
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15
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Demeku A, Kabtamu DM, Chen GC, Ou YT, Huang ZJ, Hsu NY, Ku HH, Wang YM, Wang CH. High-Entropy Oxide of (BiZrMoWCeLa)O 2 as a Novel Catalyst for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024; 16:10019-10032. [PMID: 38374647 PMCID: PMC10910445 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c15783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
In this study, new fluorite high-entropy oxide (HEO), (BiZrMoWCeLa)O2, nanoparticles were produced using a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal technique followed by calcination and were used as novel catalytic materials for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The HEO calcined at 750 °C (HEO-750) demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity toward V3+/V2+ and VO2+/VO2+ redox couples compared to those of cells assembled with other samples. The charge-discharge tests further confirm that VRFBs using the HEO-750 catalyst demonstrate excellent Coulombic efficiency, voltage efficiency, and energy efficiency of 97.22, 87.47, and 85.04% at a current density of 80 mA cm-2 and 98.10, 74.76, and 73.34% at a higher current density of 160 mA cm-2, respectively. Moreover, with 500 charge-discharge cycles, there is no discernible degradation. These results are attributed to the calcination heat treatment, which induces the formation of a new single-phase fluorite structure, which facilitates the redox reactions of the vanadium redox couples. Furthermore, a high surface area, wettability, and plenty of oxygen vacancies can give more surface electroactive sites, improving the electrochemical performance, the charge transfer of the redox processes, and the stability of the VRFBs' electrode. This is the first report on the development of fluorite structure HEO nanoparticles in VRFBs, and it opens the door to further research into other HEOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aknachew
Mebreku Demeku
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
| | - Daniel Manaye Kabtamu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
- Department
of Chemistry, Debre Berhan University, P.O. Box: 445, 000000 Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
| | - Guan-Cheng Chen
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
| | - Yun-Ting Ou
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
| | - Zih-Jhong Huang
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
| | - Ning-Yih Hsu
- Chemistry
Division, National Atomic Research Institute, 325207 Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Hsien Ku
- Chemistry
Division, National Atomic Research Institute, 325207 Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yao-Ming Wang
- Maritime
Innovation & Industry Promotion Department, Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, Kaohsiung 811160, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Hao Wang
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
- Hierarchical
Green-Energy Materials (Hi-GEM) Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701401, Taiwan
- Center of
Automation and Control, National Taiwan
University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, Taiwan
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16
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Sharma S, Wang SA, Yang WB, Lin HY, Lai MJ, Chen HC, Kao TY, Hsu FL, Nepali K, Hsu TI, Liou JP. First-in-Class Dual EZH2-HSP90 Inhibitor Eliciting Striking Antiglioblastoma Activity In Vitro and In Vivo. J Med Chem 2024; 67:2963-2985. [PMID: 38285511 PMCID: PMC10895674 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Structural analysis of tazemetostat, an FDA-approved EZH2 inhibitor, led us to pinpoint a suitable site for appendage with a pharmacophoric fragment of second-generation HSP90 inhibitors. Resultantly, a magnificent dual EZH2/HSP90 inhibitor was pinpointed that exerted striking cell growth inhibitory efficacy against TMZ-resistant Glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines. Exhaustive explorations of chemical probe 7 led to several revelations such as (i) compound 7 increased apoptosis/necrosis-related gene expression, whereas decreased M phase/kinetochore/spindle-related gene expression as well as CENPs protein expression in Pt3R cells; (ii) dual inhibitor 7 induced cell cycle arrest at the M phase; (iii) compound 7 suppressed reactive oxygen species (ROS) catabolism pathway, causing the death of TMZ-resistant GBM cells; and (iv) compound 7 elicited substantial in vivo anti-GBM efficacy in experimental mice xenografted with TMZ-resistant Pt3R cells. Collectively, the study results confirm the potential of dual EZH2-HSP90 inhibitor 7 as a tractable anti-GBM agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin Sharma
- School
of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Shao-An Wang
- School
of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Bin Yang
- TMU
Research Center of Neuroscience, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Yi Lin
- Graduate
Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Jung Lai
- TMU
Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Hsien-Chung Chen
- TMU
Research Center of Neuroscience, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Department
of Neurosurgery, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Ph.D.
Program in Medical Neuroscience, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research
Institutes, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Yuan Kao
- School
of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Ph.D.
Program in Medical Neuroscience, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research
Institutes, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Lin Hsu
- School
of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Kunal Nepali
- School
of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- TMU
Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Ph.D.
Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-I Hsu
- TMU
Research Center of Neuroscience, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- TMU
Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Ph.D.
Program in Medical Neuroscience, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and National Health Research
Institutes, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- International
Master Program in Medical Neuroscience, College of Medical Science
and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- TMU
Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei 110 Taiwan
| | - Jing-Ping Liou
- School
of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- TMU
Research Center for Drug Discovery, Taipei
Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- TMU
Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei 110 Taiwan
- Ph.D.
Program in Drug Discovery and Development Industry, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
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17
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Liu YH, Chen YH, Chen CM. Fulminant Leptospirosis Presenting with Rapidly Developing Acute Renal Failure and Multiorgan Failure. Biomedicines 2024; 12:435. [PMID: 38398036 PMCID: PMC10886720 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the Leptospira genus, is a common zoonosis in tropical and subtropical regions and can lead to an epidemic following heavy rainfall or flooding. The primary reservoirs of Leptospira include rodents, wild animals, dogs, cats, amphibians, and others, but the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) remains the main source of human Leptospirosis. Humans are often accidental hosts and they can be infected through cuts, abrasions, mucosa, conjunctiva, or by ingesting contaminated water. The clinical manifestation of leptospirosis can vary from mild, nonspecific symptoms to a fatal outcome involving liver and renal failure, pulmonary hemorrhage, meningitis, and septic shock. The severity of fatal outcomes is likely to be due to virulence factors, host susceptibility, and epidemiological conditions. L. interrogans are associated with high-risk individuals, particularly patients older than 60 years of age in clinical settings. The current case study showed a foreign worker who presented with rapidly deteriorating clinical signs of fever, jaundice, impaired consciousness, and oliguric acute renal failure. Drawing from our experience, it is advisable to consider the possibility of leptospirosis diagnosis in patients who show clinical symptoms such as fever, hepatic failure with jaundice, and acute renal failure. This is particularly important for those individuals with a prior history of pathogen exposure. This case study had a strong suspicion of leptospirosis, which was confirmed by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and, later, the patient's recovery following treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hsien Liu
- Department of Life Sciences, Doctorial Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (Y.-H.L.); (Y.-H.C.)
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jen-Ai Hospital, Dali Branch, Jen-Ai Medical Foundation and Chang Gung Medical Foundation Cooperation Alliance, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsuan Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, Doctorial Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (Y.-H.L.); (Y.-H.C.)
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jen-Ai Hospital, Dali Branch, Jen-Ai Medical Foundation and Chang Gung Medical Foundation Cooperation Alliance, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Chuan-Mu Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, Doctorial Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (Y.-H.L.); (Y.-H.C.)
- The iEGG and Animal Biotechnology Research Center, The Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
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18
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Neu YC, Lin YS, Weng YH, Chen WC, Liu CL, Lin BH, Lin YC, Chen WC. Reversible Molecular Conformation Transitions of Smectic Liquid Crystals for Light/Bias-Gated Transistor Memory. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024; 16:7500-7511. [PMID: 38300744 PMCID: PMC10875644 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, organic photonic field-effect transistors have made remarkable progress with the rapid development of conjugated polycrystalline materials. Liquid crystals, with their smooth surface, defined layer thickness, and crystalline structures, are commonly used for these advantages. In this work, a series of smectic liquid crystalline molecules, 2,9-didecyl-dinaphtho-thienothiophene (C10-DNTT), 2,7-didecyl-benzothieno-benzothiopene (C10-BTBT), 3,9-didecyl-dinaphtho-thiophene (C10-DNT), and didecyl-sexithiophene (C10-6T), have been used in photonic transistor memory, functioning as both hole-transport channels and electron traps to investigate systematically the reasons and mechanisms behind the memory behavior of smectic liquid crystals. After thermal annealing, C10-BTBT and C10-6T/C10-DNTT are homeotropically aligned from the smectic A and smectic X phases, respectively. The 3D-ordered structure of these smectic-aligned crystals contributed to efficient photowriting and electrical erasing processes. Among them, the device performance of C10-BTBT was particularly significant, with a memory window of 21 V. The memory ratio could reach 1.5 × 106 and maintain a memory ratio of over 3 orders after 10,000 s, contributing to its smectic A structure. Through the research, we confirmed the memory and light/bias-gated behaviors of these smectic liquid crystalline molecules, attributing them to reversible molecular conformation transitions and the inherent structural inhomogeneity inside the polycrystalline channel layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chieh Neu
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan
University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Sa Lin
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan
University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsun Weng
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan
University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Cheng Chen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan
University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Liang Liu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, National
Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
- Advanced
Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Bi-Hsuan Lin
- National
Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan
| | - Yan-Cheng Lin
- Advanced
Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng
Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chang Chen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan
University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
- Advanced
Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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19
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Yen CC, Wu PY, Ou-Yang H, Chen HL, Chong KY, Chang RL, Chen CM. Production of Bioactive Porcine Lactoferrin through a Novel Glucose-Inducible Expression System in Pichia pastoris: Unveiling Antimicrobial and Anticancer Functionalities. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1818. [PMID: 38339093 PMCID: PMC10855427 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Lactoferrin (LF) stands as one of the extensively investigated iron-binding glycoproteins within milk, exhibiting diverse biological functionalities. The global demand for LF has experienced consistent growth. Biotechnological strategies aimed at enhancing LF productivity through microbial expression systems offer substantial cost-effective advantages and exhibit fewer constraints compared to traditional animal bioreactor technologies. This study devised a novel recombinant plasmid, wherein the AOX1 promoter was replaced with a glucose-inducible G1 promoter (PG1) to govern the expression of recombinant porcine LF (rpLF) in Pichia pastoris GS115. High-copy-number PG1-rpLF yeast clones were meticulously selected, and subsequent induction with 0.05 g/L glucose demonstrated robust secretion of rpLF. Scaling up production transpired in a 5 L fermenter, yielding an estimated rpLF productivity of approximately 2.8 g/L by the conclusion of glycerol-fed fermentation. A three-step purification process involving tangential-flow ultrafiltration yielded approximately 6.55 g of rpLF crude (approximately 85% purity). Notably, exceptional purity of rpLF was achieved through sequential heparin and size-exclusion column purification. Comparatively, the present glucose-inducible system outperformed our previous methanol-induced system, which yielded a level of 87 mg/L of extracellular rpLF secretion. Furthermore, yeast-produced rpLF demonstrated affinity for ferric ions (Fe3+) and exhibited growth inhibition against various pathogenic microbes (E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans) and human cancer cells (A549, MDA-MB-231, and Hep3B), similar to commercial bovine LF (bLF). Intriguingly, the hydrolysate of rpLF (rpLFH) manifested heightened antimicrobial and anticancer effects compared to its intact form. In conclusion, this study presents an efficient glucose-inducible yeast expression system for large-scale production and purification of active rpLF protein with the potential for veterinary or medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Ching Yen
- Department of Internal Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, College of Health Care, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan;
- Department of Life Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (P.-Y.W.); (H.O.-Y.)
| | - Pei-Ying Wu
- Department of Life Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (P.-Y.W.); (H.O.-Y.)
| | - Huan Ou-Yang
- Department of Life Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (P.-Y.W.); (H.O.-Y.)
| | - Hsiao-Ling Chen
- Department of Biomedical Science, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 515, Taiwan;
| | - Kowit-Yu Chong
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Medical Research Laboratory, Bone and Joint Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
| | - Ro-Lin Chang
- Department of Life Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (P.-Y.W.); (H.O.-Y.)
| | - Chuan-Mu Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan; (P.-Y.W.); (H.O.-Y.)
- The iEGG and Animal Biotechnology Center, Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
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20
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Wu CC, Tsai YX, Chu LK, Chen IC. Investigation of Electronic Structures of Triplet States Using Step-Scan Time-Resolved Fourier-Transform Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:912-918. [PMID: 38241171 PMCID: PMC10839901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Triplet transitions of light-emitting materials, including rose bengal, tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium(III) [Ir(ppy)3], tris(1-phenylisoquinoline)iridium(III) [Ir(piq)3], and bis[2-(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridinato-C2,N](picolinato)iridium(III) (FIrpic), were studied using step-scan time-resolved Fourier-transform near-infrared spectroscopy. The samples were excited to their singlet excited states by a 355 nm laser and then underwent efficient conversions/crossings to their triplet manifolds. For rose bengal, a transient absorption band appeared at 9400 cm-1, attributed to the T3 ← T1 transition based on the corresponding time evolution and the theoretical calculations. For Ir(ppy)3, Ir(piq)3, and FIrpic, the most intense bands were observed at 7700, 7500, and 7500 cm-1 and assigned to T7 ← T1, T6 ← T1, and T6 ← T1 transitions, respectively. For Ir(ppy)3, the most intense band involved transitions between different triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) states, while for Ir(piq)3 and FIrpic, they involved a metal center to 3MLCT transition. These T1 states were assigned to 3MLCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia Chun Wu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300044, Republic
of China
| | - Yu-Xiang Tsai
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300044, Republic
of China
| | - Li-Kang Chu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300044, Republic
of China
| | - I-Chia Chen
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 300044, Republic
of China
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21
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Wang JW, Yu CH, Hou WC, Hsiao TC, Lin YP. Characterization of Fe-Containing and Pb-Containing Nanoparticles Resulting from Corrosion of Plumbing Materials in Tap Water Using a Hyphenated ATM-DMA-spICP-MS System. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:2038-2047. [PMID: 38241248 PMCID: PMC10832032 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c07592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) has been used to characterize metallic nanoparticles (NPs) assuming that all NPs are spherical and composed of pure element. However, environmental NPs generally do not meet these criteria, suggesting that spICP-MS may underestimate their true sizes. This study employed a system hyphenating the atomizer (ATM), differential mobility analyzer (DMA), and spICP-MS to characterize metallic NPs in tap water. Its performance was validated by using reference Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and Ag-shelled AuNPs. The hyphenated system can determine the actual size and metal composition of both NPs with additional heating after ATM, while stand-alone spICP-MS misidentified the Ag-shelled AuNPs as smaller individual AgNPs and AuNPs. Dissolved metal ions could introduce artifact NPs after heating but could be eliminated by centrifugation. The hyphenated system was applied to characterize Fe-containing and Pb-containing NPs resulting from the corrosion of plumbing materials in tap water. The mode sizes of Fe-containing and Pb-containing NPs were determined to be 110 and 100 nm and the particle number concentrations were determined to be 4.99 × 107 and 1.40 × 106 #/mL, respectively. Cautions should be paid to potential changes in particle size induced by heating for metallic NPs with a low melting point or a high organic content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Wen Wang
- Graduate
Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hung Yu
- Graduate
Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Che Hou
- Department
of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng
Kung University, No. 1 University Road, Tainan City 70101, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Chih Hsiao
- Graduate
Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Pin Lin
- Graduate
Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
- NTU
Research Center for Future Earth, National
Taiwan University, No.
1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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22
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Siboro P, Sharma AK, Lai PJ, Jayakumar J, Mi FL, Chen HL, Chang Y, Sung HW. Harnessing HfO 2 Nanoparticles for Wearable Tumor Monitoring and Sonodynamic Therapy in Advancing Cancer Care. ACS Nano 2024; 18:2485-2499. [PMID: 38197613 PMCID: PMC10811684 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c11346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Addressing the critical requirement for real-time monitoring of tumor progression in cancer care, this study introduces an innovative wearable platform. This platform employs a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film embedded with hafnium oxide nanoparticles (HfO2 NPs) to facilitate dynamic tracking of tumor growth and regression in real time. Significantly, the synthesized HfO2 NPs exhibit promising characteristics as effective sonosensitizers, holding the potential to efficiently eliminate cancer cells through ultrasound irradiation. The TPU-HfO2 film, acting as a dielectric elastomer (DE) strain sensor, undergoes proportional deformation in response to changes in the tumor volume, thereby influencing its electrical impedance. This distinctive behavior empowers the DE strain sensor to continuously and accurately monitor alterations in tumor volume, determining the optimal timing for initiating HfO2 NP treatment, optimizing dosages, and assessing treatment effectiveness. Seamless integration with a wireless system allows instant transmission of detected electrical impedances to a smartphone for real-time data processing and visualization, enabling immediate patient monitoring and timely intervention by remote medical staff. By combining the dynamic tumor monitoring capabilities of the TPU-HfO2 film with the sonosensitizer potential of HfO2 NPs, this approach propels cancer care into the realm of telemedicine, representing a significant advancement in patient treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Putry
Yosefa Siboro
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing
Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Amit Kumar Sharma
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing
Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Pei-Jhun Lai
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing
Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Jayachandran Jayakumar
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing
Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Fwu-Long Mi
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College
of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 23142, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Hsin-Lung Chen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing
Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Yen Chang
- Taipei
Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation and School of
Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan (ROC)
| | - Hsing-Wen Sung
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing
Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (ROC)
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23
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Tsai HJ, Yang YK, Chen PC, Liao YH, Hsu WK. Production of Large Specific Capacitance by Electrodes with Low Active Mass and Synergistic Mechanisms. ACS Omega 2024; 9:3923-3930. [PMID: 38284021 PMCID: PMC10809675 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Decoration of vanadium nitride nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes creates electrodes with three different energy storage mechanisms that operate synergistically to give a high specific capacitance with a low active mass. Calculation and measurements further indicate the power and energy density to be as high as 105-106 W/kg and 102 Wh/kg, respectively. Particle attachment also greatly improves the capacitive coefficient, including ionic transmittance, charge transfer, porosity, and conductivity. Corrosion tests based on the Tafel method reveal the corrosion potential and current of electrodes as low as -0.721 V and 7.53 × 10-4 A, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Jung Tsai
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsin-Hua University, Hsinchu City 300044, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Kai Yang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsin-Hua University, Hsinchu City 300044, Taiwan
| | - Ping-Chun Chen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsin-Hua University, Hsinchu City 300044, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsiang Liao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsin-Hua University, Hsinchu City 300044, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Kuang Hsu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsin-Hua University, Hsinchu City 300044, Taiwan
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24
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Chua ZQ, Prabhu GRD, Wang YW, Raju CM, Buchowiecki K, Ochirov O, Elpa DP, Urban PL. Moderate Signal Enhancement in Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry by Focusing Electrospray Plume with a Dielectric Layer around the Mass Spectrometer's Orifice. Molecules 2024; 29:316. [PMID: 38257229 PMCID: PMC10821223 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29020316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrospray ionization (ESI) is among the commonly used atmospheric pressure ionization techniques in mass spectrometry (MS). One of the drawbacks of ESI is the formation of divergent plumes composed of polydisperse microdroplets, which lead to low transmission efficiency. Here, we propose a new method to potentially improve the transmission efficiency of ESI, which does not require additional electrical components and complex interface modification. A dielectric plate-made of ceramic-was used in place of a regular metallic sampling cone. Due to the charge accumulation on the dielectric surface, the dielectric layer around the MS orifice distorts the electric field, focusing the charged electrospray cloud towards the MS inlet. The concept was first verified using charge measurement on the dielectric material surface and computational simulation; then, online experiments were carried out to demonstrate the potential of this method in MS applications. In the online experiment, signal enhancements were observed for dielectric plates with different geometries, distances of the electrospray needle axis from the MS inlet, and various compounds. For example, in the case of acetaminophen (15 μM), the signal enhancement was up to 1.82 times (plate B) using the default distance of the electrospray needle axis from the MS inlet (d = 1.5 mm) and 12.18 times (plate C) using a longer distance (d = 7 mm).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Qing Chua
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Gurpur Rakesh D. Prabhu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Yi-Wun Wang
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Chamarthi Maheswar Raju
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Krzysztof Buchowiecki
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Ochir Ochirov
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Decibel P. Elpa
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
| | - Pawel L. Urban
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan (Y.-W.W.); (C.M.R.); (K.B.); (O.O.); (D.P.E.)
- Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
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25
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Bai YL, Shyu YIL, Huang HL, Chiu YC, Hsu WC. The enrichment process for family caregivers of persons living with dementia: A grounded theory approach. J Adv Nurs 2024; 80:252-263. [PMID: 37515365 DOI: 10.1111/jan.15809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
AIM Many persons living with dementia (PLWD) reside in the community and are cared for by family members. The aim of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding the enrichment process for family caregivers of PLWD in Taiwan. DESIGN A grounded theory approach with face-to-face semi-structured interviews was conducted with family caregivers of PLWD in Taiwan. METHODS Interview data from 30 family caregivers of PLWD recruited from dementia clinics or support groups in Taiwan were obtained from the first wave of a larger study conducted from January 2018 to September 2021. Glaser's grounded theory approach with theoretical sampling was used to understand the enrichment process of family caregivers of PLWD. RESULTS Analysis indicated the core category that characterized the process of enrichment was 'holding together'. Caregivers were able to maintain their connection to the person with dementia through activities that deepened their relationship and strengthened their bond. 'Holding together' included four components: maintaining continuity, creative interactions, interacting with humour and sharing pleasurable activities. Through these components, family caregivers generated positive interactions and relationships with the person living with dementia and sustained their motivation for caregiving. Three modifying elements facilitated or impeded the process of holding together: 'previous daily interactions', 'caregiving beliefs' and 'filial piety'. CONCLUSION Through the enrichment process of 'holding together', family caregivers used different strategies to conduct pleasurable and meaningful activities with the person living with dementia to maintain and improve their relationship and enhance their happiness in life. IMPACT To facilitate the enrichment process, health care providers should encourage activities between family caregivers and PLWD that promote continuity, increase interactions, provide humour and foster pleasurable activities. REPORTING METHOD This study adhered to the COREQ guideline checklist. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION No patient or public contribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Lin Bai
- School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- NTU BioMedical Park Hospital Zhubei Campus, Zhubei, Taiwan
| | - Yea-Ing L Shyu
- School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Dementia Center, Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Department of Gerontological Care and Management, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Huei-Ling Huang
- Dementia Center, Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Gerontological Care and Management, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Geriatric and Long-Term Care Research Center, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chen Chiu
- School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Dementia Center, Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chuin Hsu
- Dementia Center, Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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26
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Huang WC, Hsu CY, Chang CM, Yang AC, Liao SC, Chang SS, Wu CS. Psychiatrist density and risk of suicide: a multilevel case-control study based on a national sample in Taiwan. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 78:69-76. [PMID: 37812045 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.13607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
AIM No previous studies, to our knowledge, have investigated the association between psychiatrist density and suicide, accounting for individual- and area-level characteristics. METHODS We investigated all suicide cases in 2007-2017 identified from the national cause-of-death data files, with each suicide case matched to 10 controls by age and sex and each suicide case/control assigned to one of the 355 townships across Taiwan. Our primary outcome was the odds ratio (OR) of suicide and its 95% confidence interval (CI) estimated via multilevel models, which included both individual- and area-level characteristics. Townships with no psychiatrists were compared with the quartiles of townships with psychiatrists (density per 100,000 population): quartile 1 (Q1) (0.01-3.02); quartile 2 (Q2) (3.02-7.20); quartile 3 (Q3) (7.20-13.82); and quartile 4 (Q4) (>13.82). RESULTS A total of 40,930 suicide cases and 409,300 age- and sex-matched controls were included. We found that increased psychiatrist density was associated with decreased suicide risk (Q1: adjusted OR [aOR], 0.95 [95% CI, 0.90-1.01]; Q2: aOR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.85-0.96]; Q3: aOR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.83-0.94]; Q4: aOR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.83-0.95]) after adjusting for individual-level characteristics (employment state, monthly income, physical comorbidities, and the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders) and area socioeconomic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS The psychiatrist density-suicide association suggests an effect of increased availability of psychiatric services on preventing suicide. Suicide prevention strategies could usefully focus on enhancing local access to psychiatric services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Chia Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Master of Public Health Degree Program, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Yueh Hsu
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ming Chang
- Department of Psychiatry and Suicide Prevention Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Lin-Ko, Taiwan
| | - Albert C Yang
- Digital Medicine Center/Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Cheng Liao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch, Hsin-Chu Hospital, Hsin-Chu City, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Sen Chang
- Psychiatric Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Health Behaviors and Community Sciences, and Global Health Program, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Population Health Research Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Shin Wu
- National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
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27
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Ko JT, Li YY, Chen PY, Liu PY, Ho MY. Use of 16S rRNA gene sequences to identify cyanobacteria that can grow in far-red light. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13871. [PMID: 37772760 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Although most cyanobacteria use visible light (VL; λ = 400-700 nm) for photosynthesis, some have evolved strategies to use far-red light (FRL; λ = 700-800 nm). These cyanobacteria are defined as far-red light-utilizing cyanobacteria (FRLCyano), including two groups: (1) chlorophyll d-producing Acaryochloris spp. and (2) polyphyletic cyanobacteria that produce chlorophylls d and f in response to FRL. Numerous ecological studies examine pigments, such as chlorophylls d and f, to investigate the presence of FRLCyano in the environment. This method is not ideal because it can only detect FRLCyano that have made chlorophylls d or f. Here we develop a new method, far-red cyanobacteria identification (FRCI), to identify FRLCyano based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. From public databases and published articles, 62 16S rRNA gene sequences of FRLCyano were extracted. Comparing with related lineages, we determined that 97% sequence identity is the optimal cut-off for distinguishing FRLCyano from other cyanobacteria. To test the method experimentally, we collected samples from 17 sites in Taipei, Taiwan, and conducted VL and FRL enrichments. Our results demonstrate that FRCI can detect FRLCyano during FRL enrichments more sensitively than pigment analysis. FRCI can also resolve the composition of FRLCyano at the genus level, which pigment analysis cannot do. In addition, we applied FRCI to published datasets and discovered putative FRLCyano in diverse environments, including soils, hot springs and deserts. Overall, our results indicate that FRCI is a sensitive and high-resolution method using 16S rRNA gene sequences to identify FRLCyano.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Tse Ko
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Yang Li
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Plant Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pa-Yu Chen
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Po-Yu Liu
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Yang Ho
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Plant Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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28
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Wang YC, Yu SE, Su YL, Cheng IC, Chuang YC, Chen YS, Chen JZ. NiFe 2O 4 Material on Carbon Paper as an Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Water Electrolysis Module. Micromachines (Basel) 2023; 15:62. [PMID: 38258181 PMCID: PMC10819468 DOI: 10.3390/mi15010062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
NiFe2O4 material is grown on carbon paper (CP) with the hydrothermal method for use as electrocatalysts in an alkaline electrolyzer. NiFe2O4 material is used as the anode and cathode catalysts (named NiFe(+)/NiFe(-) hereafter). The results are compared with those obtained using CP/NiFe as the anode and CP/Ru as the cathode (named NiFe)(+)/Ru(-) hereafter). During cell operation with NiFe(+)/Ru(-), the current density reaches 500 mA/cm2 at a cell voltage of 1.79 V, with a specific energy consumption of 4.9 kWh/m3 and an energy efficiency of 66.2%. In comparison, for NiFe(+)/NiFe(-), the current density reaches 500 mA/cm2 at a cell voltage of 2.23 V, with a specific energy consumption of 5.7 kWh/m3 and an energy efficiency of 56.6%. The Faradaic efficiency is 96-99%. With the current density fixed at 400 mA/cm2, after performing a test for 150 h, the cell voltage with NiFe(+)/Ru(-) increases by 0.167 V, whereas that with NiFe(+)/NiFe(-) decreases by only 0.010 V. Good, long-term stability is demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Chyi Wang
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan; (Y.-C.W.); (Y.-L.S.)
| | - Shuo-En Yu
- Graduate School of Advanced Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan;
| | - Yu-Lun Su
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan; (Y.-C.W.); (Y.-L.S.)
| | - I-Chun Cheng
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan;
- Innovative Photonics Advanced Research Center (i-PARC), National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Cheng Chuang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Institute of Manufacturing with High-Tech Innovations, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621301, Taiwan; (Y.-C.C.); (Y.-S.C.)
| | - Yong-Song Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Institute of Manufacturing with High-Tech Innovations, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621301, Taiwan; (Y.-C.C.); (Y.-S.C.)
| | - Jian-Zhang Chen
- Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan; (Y.-C.W.); (Y.-L.S.)
- Graduate School of Advanced Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan;
- Innovative Photonics Advanced Research Center (i-PARC), National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan
- Advanced Research Center for Green Materials Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 106319, Taiwan
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29
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Ye L, Li J, Richter FU, Jahani Y, Lu R, Lee BR, Tseng ML, Altug H. Dielectric Tetramer Nanoresonators Supporting Strong Superchiral Fields for Vibrational Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy. ACS Photonics 2023; 10:4377-4384. [PMID: 38533249 PMCID: PMC10961839 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.3c01186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Chirality (C) is a fundamental property of objects, in terms of symmetry. It is extremely important to sense and distinguish chiral molecules in the fields of biochemistry, science, and medicine. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy, obtained from the differential absorption of left- and right- circularly polarized light (CPL) in the infrared range, is a promising technique for enantiomeric detection and separation. However, VCD signals are typically very weak for most small molecules. Dielectric metasurfaces are an emerging platform to enhance the sensitivity of VCD spectroscopy of chiral molecules via superchiral field manipulation. Here, we demonstrate a dielectric metasurface consisting of achiral germanium (Ge) tetramer nanoresonators that provide a proper and accessible high C enhancement (CE). We realize a maximum C enhancement (CE_max) with respect to the incident CPL (CE_max = Cmax/CRCP) of more than 750. The volume-averaged C enhancement (CE_ave = Cave/CRCP) is 148 in the 50 nm thick region above the sample surface and 215 in the central region of the structure. Especially, the corresponding CE_ave values are more than 89 and 183 even when a 50 nm thick chiral lossy molecular layer is coated on the metasurface. The metasurface benefits from geometrically achiral nanostructure design to eliminate intrinsic background chiral-optical signal from the substrate, which is useful in chiral sensing, enantioselectivity, and VCD spectroscopy applications in the mid-infrared range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longfang Ye
- Institute
of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, School of Electronic Science and
Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jingyan Li
- Institute
of Electromagnetics and Acoustics, School of Electronic Science and
Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People’s Republic of China
| | - Felix Ulrich Richter
- Laboratory
of Bionanophotonic Systems, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Yasaman Jahani
- Laboratory
of Bionanophotonic Systems, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Rui Lu
- Jiangsu
Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse,
School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bo Ray Lee
- Institute
of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao
Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Ming Lun Tseng
- Institute
of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao
Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Hatice Altug
- Laboratory
of Bionanophotonic Systems, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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30
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Sandler S, Horne RI, Rocchetti S, Novak R, Hsu NS, Castellana Cruz M, Faidon Brotzakis Z, Gregory RC, Chia S, Bernardes GJL, Keyser UF, Vendruscolo M. Multiplexed Digital Characterization of Misfolded Protein Oligomers via Solid-State Nanopores. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25776-25788. [PMID: 37972287 PMCID: PMC10690769 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c09335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Misfolded protein oligomers are of central importance in both the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. However, accurate high-throughput methods to detect and quantify oligomer populations are still needed. We present here a single-molecule approach for the detection and quantification of oligomeric species. The approach is based on the use of solid-state nanopores and multiplexed DNA barcoding to identify and characterize oligomers from multiple samples. We study α-synuclein oligomers in the presence of several small-molecule inhibitors of α-synuclein aggregation as an illustration of the potential applicability of this method to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods for Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah
E. Sandler
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Maxwell Centre, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Robert I. Horne
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Sara Rocchetti
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Maxwell Centre, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Robert Novak
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Maxwell Centre, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Nai-Shu Hsu
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Marta Castellana Cruz
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Z. Faidon Brotzakis
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Rebecca C. Gregory
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Sean Chia
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Bioprocessing
Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR), Singapore 138668
| | - Gonçalo J. L. Bernardes
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Ulrich F. Keyser
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Maxwell Centre, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Michele Vendruscolo
- Centre
for Misfolding Diseases, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
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31
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Li KSM, Lau SKP, Woo PCY. Bats-The Magnificent Virus Player: SARS, MERS, COVID-19 and Beyond. Viruses 2023; 15:2342. [PMID: 38140583 PMCID: PMC10747191 DOI: 10.3390/v15122342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Irrespective of whether COVID-19 originated from a natural or a genetically engineered virus, the ultimate source of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is bats [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth S. M. Li
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (K.S.M.L.); (S.K.P.L.)
| | - Susanna K. P. Lau
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (K.S.M.L.); (S.K.P.L.)
| | - Patrick C. Y. Woo
- Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China; (K.S.M.L.); (S.K.P.L.)
- Doctoral Program in Translational Medicine and Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- The iEGG and Animal Biotechnology Research Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
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32
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Liao ML, Yeh CC, Lue JH, Lai IR, Chang MF. Impact of modified teaching strategies used in a gross anatomy course on the academic performance of dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eur J Dental Education 2023; 27:1077-1087. [PMID: 36976652 DOI: 10.1111/eje.12901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Modified teaching strategies (MTS), asynchronous online teaching and smaller dissection groups, were applied to a gross anatomy course for dental students in the National Taiwan University in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the effects and perceptions of MTS on dental students. MATERIALS AND METHODS Scores for anatomy examinations for 2018-2019 (without MTS) and 2019-2020 (with MTS) cohorts were compared to explore the effect on academic performance. Moreover, questionnaire from the 2019-2020 cohort was analysed to determine dental students' perceptions about MTS. RESULTS The lecture performance in the final examination of the second semester for the 2019-2020 cohort was significantly higher than that of the first semester (pre-COVID-19) and that for the 2018-2019 cohort. However, the laboratory performance in the midterm examination of the second semester for the 2019-2020 cohort was significantly lower than that for the 2018-2019 cohort and showed no difference in the final examination of the first semester. The questionnaires revealed that the majority of students displayed positive attitudes towards MTS and agreed with the importance of peer discussion during laboratory dissection. CONCLUSIONS Asynchronous online learning for anatomy lecture may be beneficial for dental students; however, a smaller dissection group accompanied by reduced peer discussion may temporarily exert negative effects on their laboratory performance at the beginning of the application. Furthermore, more dental students exhibited positive perceptions towards smaller dissection groups. These findings could illuminate the learning condition of dental students in anatomy education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Lin Liao
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chuan Yeh
- Departments of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - June-Horng Lue
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - I-Rue Lai
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Departments of Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Fong Chang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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33
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Chou CY, Li ZQ, Huang HC, Hung CH, Weng SL, Tzou SC. Development of an Albumin-Masked mutPD-1Ig as a Tumor Lesion-Selective Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor. ACS Omega 2023; 8:40911-40920. [PMID: 37929112 PMCID: PMC10621011 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The antitumor effects elicited by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatments. However, severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs) resulting from these treatments have restricted the application of ICIs. To overcome the adverse events, we developed a tumor lesion-selective pro-PD-1Ig that is activated by proteases overexpressed in tumors. We genetically linked albumin to the N-terminus of a modified PD-1Ig (termed mutPD-1Ig hereafter) via an MMP substrate sequence to form Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig. We demonstrate that the binding activity of nondigested Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig is approximately 11-folds lower than mutPD-1Ig. However, digestion by type IV collagenase restored the binding activity of Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig to a level comparable to that of native mutPD-1Ig. In order to enhance the masking efficiency of Alb-mutPD-1Ig, we simulated the effects of diverse MMP substrate linkers for connecting albumin and PD-1 at various starting positions by bioinformatics tools. Our validation experiments indicate Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig displayed the best masking efficiency among all simulated constructs. Our study suggests that albumin may be best applicable to mask a target protein whose binding motif is centralized and in the proximity of the N-terminus of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Yu Chou
- Institute
of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Bo-Ai Street, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Zhi-Qin Li
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Hsiao-Chen Huang
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Chung-Heng Hung
- Institute
of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Bo-Ai Street, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Shun-Long Weng
- Department
of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 207, Taiwan, Republic
Of China
- MacKay
Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and
Management, Taipei City 100-116, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu MacKay
Memorial Hospital, 690
Section 2, Guan-Fu Road, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Shey-Cherng Tzou
- Institute
of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Bo-Ai Street, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Drug Development
and Value Creation Research Center, and Department of Biomedical Science
and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical
University, Kaohsiung 800-852, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Center
for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic
Of China
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34
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Le NQK, Xu L. Optimizing Hyperparameter Tuning in Machine Learning to Improve the Predictive Performance of Cross-Species N6-Methyladenosine Sites. ACS Omega 2023; 8:39420-39426. [PMID: 37901522 PMCID: PMC10600906 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c05074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
DNA N6-methyladenosine (6 mA) modification carries significant epigenetic information and plays a pivotal role in biological functions, thereby profoundly impacting human development. Precise and reliable detection of 6 mA sites is integral to understanding the mechanisms underpinning DNA modification. The present methods, primarily experimental, used to identify specific molecular sites are often time-intensive and costly. Consequently, the rise of computer-based methods aimed at identifying 6 mA sites provides a welcome alternative. Our research introduces a novel model to discern DNA 6 mA sites in cross-species genomes. This model, developed through machine learning, utilizes extracted sequence information. Hyperparameter tuning was employed to ascertain the most effective feature combination and model implementation, thereby garnering vital information from sequences. Our model demonstrated superior accuracy compared to the existing models when tested using five-fold cross-validation. Thus, our study substantiates the reliability and efficiency of our model as a valuable tool for supplementing experimental research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Quoc Khanh Le
- Professional
Master Program in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, College of
Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Research
Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- AIBioMed
Research Group, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Translational
Imaging Research Center, Taipei Medical
University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Ling Xu
- NUS-ISS,
National University of Singapore, Singapore, 119615, Singapore
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35
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Sakai H, Yung TM, Mure T, Kurono N, Fujii S, Nakamura Y, Hayakawa T, Li MC, Hirai T. Controlling Circularly Polarized Luminescence Using Helically Structured Chiral Silica as a Nanosized Fused Quartz Cell. JACS Au 2023; 3:2698-2702. [PMID: 37885578 PMCID: PMC10598828 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is typically achieved with a chiral luminophore. However, using a helical nanosized fused quartz cell consisting of chiral silica, we could control the wavelength and helical sense of the CPL of an achiral luminophore. Chiral silica with a helical nanostructure was prepared by calcining a mixture of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-functionalized isotactic poly(methacrylate) (it-PMAPOSS) and a small amount of chiral dopant. The chiral silica encapsulated functional molecules, including luminophores, along the helical nanocavity, leading to induced circular dichroism (ICD) and induced circularly polarized luminescence (iCPL). Because chiral silica can act as a helical nanosized fused quartz cell, it can encapsulate not only the luminophore but also solvent molecules. By changing the solvent in the luminophore-containing nanosized fused quartz cell, the wavelength of the CPL was controlled. This method provides an effective strategy for designing novel CPL-active materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hinari Sakai
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of
Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
| | - Tsz-Ming Yung
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, Center for Intelligent Drug
Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Tomoki Mure
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of
Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
| | - Naoki Kurono
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of
Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
| | - Syuji Fujii
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of
Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Nakamura
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of
Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
| | - Teruaki Hayakawa
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical
Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-S8-36 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Ming-Chia Li
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, Center for Intelligent Drug
Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Tomoyasu Hirai
- Department
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Graduate School of
Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
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Du JC, Chang MH, Yeh CJ, Lee MT, Lee HJ, Chuang SH, Chiou LC. Pivotal Role of Slitrk1 in Adult Striatal Cholinergic Neurons in Mice: Implication in Tourette Syndrome. Ann Neurol 2023. [PMID: 37776102 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The SLIT and NTRK-like 1 (SLITRK1) gene mutation and striatal cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) loss are associated with Tourette syndrome (TS). ChIs comprise only 1 to 2% of striatal neurons but project widely throughout the stratum to impact various striatal neurotransmission, including TS-related dopaminergic transmission. Here, we link striatal Slitrk1, ChI function, and dopaminergic transmission and their associations with TS-like tic behaviors. METHODS Slitrk1-KD mice were induced by bilaterally injecting Slitrk1 siRNA into their dorsal striatum. Control mice received scrambled siRNA injection. Their TS-like tic behaviors, prepulse inhibition, sensory-motor function and dopamine-related behaviors were compared. We also compared dopamine and ACh levels in microdialysates, Slitrk protein and dopamine transporter levels, and numbers of Slitrk-positive ChIs and activated ChIs in the striatum between two mouse groups, and electrophysiological properties between Slitrk-positive and Slitrk-negative striatal ChIs. RESULTS Slitrk1-KD mice exhibit TS-like haloperidol-sensitive stereotypic tic behaviors, impaired prepulse inhibition, and delayed sensorimotor response compared with the control group. These TS-like characteristics correlate with lower striatal Slitrk1 protein levels, fewer Slitrk1-containing ChIs, and fewer activated ChIs in Slitrk1-KD mice. Based on their electrophysiological properties, Slitrk1-negative ChIs are less excitable than Slitrk1-positive ChIs. Slitrk1-KD mice have lower evoked acetylcholine and dopamine levels, higher tonic dopamine levels, and downregulated dopamine transporters in the striatum, increased apomorphine-induced climbing behaviors, and impaired methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion compared with controls. INTERPRETATION Slitrk1 is pivotal in maintaining striatal ChIs activity and subsequent dopaminergic transmission for normal motor functioning. Furthermore, conditional striatal Slitrk1-KD mice may serve as a translational modality with aspects of TS phenomenology. ANN NEUROL 2023.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Chieh Du
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Pediatrics, Taipei City Hospital, Zhongxiao Branch, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Man-Hsin Chang
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Jiun Yeh
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming Tatt Lee
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Center of Research for Mental Health and Wellbeing, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Hsin-Jung Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Hui Chuang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Lih-Chu Chiou
- Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
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37
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Wu CY, Huang CK, Hong WS, Liu YH, Shih MC, Lin JC. Influence of Symbiotic Fermentation Broth on Regulating Metabolism with Gut Microbiota and Metabolite Profiles Is Estimated Using a Third-Generation Sequencing Platform. Metabolites 2023; 13:999. [PMID: 37755279 PMCID: PMC10535509 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13090999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Overnutrition with a high-fat or high-sugar diet is widely considered to be the risk factor for various metabolic, chronic, or malignant diseases that are accompanied by alterations in gut microbiota, metabolites, and downstream pathways. In this study, we investigated supplementation with soybean fermentation broth containing saponin (SFBS, also called SAPOZYME) in male C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat-fructose diet or normal chaw. In addition to the lessening of weight gain, the influence of SFBS on reducing hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia associated with a high-fat-fructose diet was estimated using the results of related biological tests. The results of gut microbial profiling indicated that the high-fat-fructose diet mediated increases in opportunistic pathogens. In contrast, SFBS supplementation reprogrammed the high-fat-fructose diet-related microbial community with a relatively high abundance of potential probiotics, including Akkermansia and Lactobacillus genera. The metagenomic functions of differential microbial composition in a mouse model and enrolled participants were assessed using the PICRUSt2 algorithm coupled with the MetaCyc and the KEGG Orthology databases. SFBS supplementation exerted a similar influence on an increase in the level of 4-aminobutanoate (also called GABA) through the L-glutamate degradation pathway in the mouse model and the enrolled healthy population. These results suggest the beneficial influence of SFBS supplementation on metabolic disorders associated with a high-fat-fructose diet, and SFBS may function as a nutritional supplement for people with diverse requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Yin Wu
- Department of Family Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City 116, Taiwan;
| | - Chun-Kai Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan;
| | - Wei-Sheng Hong
- Sagittarius Life Science Corporations, Taipei 115, Taiwan; (W.-S.H.); (Y.-H.L.); (M.-C.S.)
| | - Yin-Hsiu Liu
- Sagittarius Life Science Corporations, Taipei 115, Taiwan; (W.-S.H.); (Y.-H.L.); (M.-C.S.)
| | - Ming-Chi Shih
- Sagittarius Life Science Corporations, Taipei 115, Taiwan; (W.-S.H.); (Y.-H.L.); (M.-C.S.)
| | - Jung-Chun Lin
- School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City 235, Taiwan
- PhD Program in Medical Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City 235, Taiwan
- Pulmonary Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
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38
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Deng LY, Lim XY, Luo TY, Lee MH, Lin TC. Application of Deep Learning Techniques for Detection of Pneumothorax in Chest Radiographs. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:7369. [PMID: 37687825 PMCID: PMC10490570 DOI: 10.3390/s23177369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and even more so recently in the field of Machine Learning (ML), there has been rapid progress across the field. One of the prominent examples is image recognition in the medical category, such as X-ray imaging, Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). It has the potential to alleviate a doctor's heavy workload of sifting through large quantities of images. Due to the rising attention to lung-related diseases, such as pneumothorax and nodules, ML is being incorporated into the field in the hope of alleviating the already strained medical resources. In this study, we proposed a system that can detect pneumothorax diseases reliably. By comparing multiple models and hyperparameter configurations, we recommend a model for hospitals, as its focus on minimizing false positives aligns with the precision required by medical professionals. Through our cooperation with Poh-Ai Hospital, we acquired a total of over 8000 X-ray images, with more than 1000 of them from pneumothorax patients. We hope that by integrating AI systems into the automated process of scanning chest X-ray images with various diseases, more resources will be available in the already strained medical systems. Our proposed system showed that the best model that is used for transfer learning from our dataset performed with an AP of 51.57 and an AP75 of 61.40, with accuracy at 93.89%, a false positive of 1.12%, and a false negative of 4.99%. Based on the feedback from practicing doctors, they are more wary of false positives. For their use case, we recommend another model due to the lower false positive rate and higher accuracy compared with other models, which in our test shows a rate of only 0.88% and 95.68%, demonstrating the feasibility of the research. This promising result showed that it could be utilized in other types of diseases and expand to more hospitals and medical organizations, potentially benefitting more people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence Y. Deng
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, Tamkang University, Tamsui, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan;
| | - Xiang-Yann Lim
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Tamkang University, Tamsui, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan; (X.-Y.L.); (T.-C.L.)
| | - Tang-Yun Luo
- Office of Physical Education, Tamkang University, Tamsui, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan;
| | - Ming-Hsun Lee
- Department of Radiology, Lotung Poh-Ai Hospital, Yilan 265501, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Ching Lin
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Tamkang University, Tamsui, New Taipei City 251301, Taiwan; (X.-Y.L.); (T.-C.L.)
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Dang HH, Ta HDK, Nguyen TTT, Wang CY, Lee KH, Le NQK. Identification of a Novel Eight-Gene Risk Model for Predicting Survival in Glioblastoma: A Comprehensive Bioinformatic Analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3899. [PMID: 37568715 PMCID: PMC10417140 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15153899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most progressive and prevalent cancers of the central nervous system. Identifying genetic markers is therefore crucial to predict prognosis and enhance treatment effectiveness in GBM. To this end, we obtained gene expression data of GBM from TCGA and GEO datasets and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were overlapped and used for survival analysis with univariate Cox regression. Next, the genes' biological significance and potential as immunotherapy candidates were examined using functional enrichment and immune infiltration analysis. Eight prognostic-related DEGs in GBM were identified, namely CRNDE, NRXN3, POPDC3, PTPRN, PTPRN2, SLC46A2, TIMP1, and TNFSF9. The derived risk model showed robustness in identifying patient subgroups with significantly poorer overall survival, as well as those with distinct GBM molecular subtypes and MGMT status. Furthermore, several correlations between the expression of the prognostic genes and immune infiltration cells were discovered. Overall, we propose a survival-derived risk score that can provide prognostic significance and guide therapeutic strategies for patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy-Hoang Dang
- International Ph.D. Program for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan;
| | - Hoang Dang Khoa Ta
- Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 110, Taiwan; (H.D.K.T.); (C.-Y.W.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Truc Tran Thanh Nguyen
- Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan;
| | - Chih-Yang Wang
- Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 110, Taiwan; (H.D.K.T.); (C.-Y.W.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Kuen-Haur Lee
- Ph.D. Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 110, Taiwan; (H.D.K.T.); (C.-Y.W.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Cancer Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Nguyen Quoc Khanh Le
- Professional Master Program in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- AIBioMed Research Group, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Translational Imaging Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
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Lin CH, Wei CL, Ho SL, Lo L. Ocean temperature drove changes in the mesopelagic fish community at the edge of the Pacific Warm Pool over the past 460,000 years. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadf0656. [PMID: 37418515 PMCID: PMC10328404 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf0656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Field observations and theoretical modeling suggest that ongoing anthropogenic ocean warming will lead to marine ecosystem degradation. Mesopelagic fish are a fundamental component of the pelagic ecosystem, and their role in linking the surface- and deep-ocean ecosystems is essential for the biological carbon pump. However, their response to a warmer ocean is unconstrained because of data scarcity. Using extraordinarily well-preserved fish otoliths, we reconstruct a continuous mesopelagic fish community record in the Pacific Warm Pool region over 460,000 years. Fish production and diversity followed hump-shaped temperature gradients, with lower tipping point temperatures for the diversity than the production by ~1.5° to 2.0°C. During warmer-than-present interglacial periods, both production and diversity declined drastically. Our findings imply that the temperature-sensitive mesopelagic fish community at the southwestern margin of the Pacific Warm Pool, and possibly other hydrographically similar regions, may be especially affected if ocean warming continues unabated in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Hsiang Lin
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Greenhouse Building R246, 128 Academia Road, Sec. 2, Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Lin Wei
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Sze Ling Ho
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Li Lo
- Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
- Research Center for Future Earth, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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Uddin M, Dhanta R, Pitti T, Barsasella D, Scholl J, Jian WS, Li YCJ, Hsu MH, Syed-Abdul S. Incidence and Mortality of Malignant Brain Tumors after 20 Years of Mobile Use. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3492. [PMID: 37444602 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Objective: This population-based study was performed to examine the trends of incidence and deaths due to malignant neoplasm of the brain (MNB) in association with mobile phone usage for a period of 20 years (January 2000-December 2019) in Taiwan. (2) Methods: Pearson correlation, regression analysis, and joinpoint regression analysis were used to examine the trends of incidence of MNB and deaths due to MNB in association with mobile phone usage. (3) Results: The findings indicate a trend of increase in the number of mobile phone users over the study period, accompanied by a slight rise in the incidence and death rates of MNB. The compound annual growth rates further support these observations, highlighting consistent growth in mobile phone users and a corresponding increase in MNB incidences and deaths. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest a weaker association between the growing number of mobile phone users and the rising rates of MNB, and no significant correlation was observed between MNB incidences and deaths and mobile phone usage. Ultimately, it is important to acknowledge that conclusive results cannot be drawn at this stage and further investigation is required by considering various other confounding factors and potential risks to obtain more definitive findings and a clearer picture.
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Grants
- 106-2923-E-038-001-MY2, 107-2923-E-038-001 -MY2, 106-2221-E-038-005, 108-2221-E-038-013, 110-2923-E-038-001-MY3 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- 106-3805-004-111, 106-3805-018-110, 108-3805-009-110 Taipei Medical University, Taiwan
- 108-6604-002-400 Ministry of Education, Taiwan
- 106TMU-WFH-01-4 Wanfang hospital, Taiwan
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohy Uddin
- Research Quality Management Section, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rozy Dhanta
- Faculty of Management Sciences and Liberal Arts, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan 508976, India
| | - Thejkiran Pitti
- International Center for Health Information Technology (ICHIT), College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Diana Barsasella
- International Center for Health Information Technology (ICHIT), College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, 15F., No. 172-1, Sec. 2, Keelung Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Records and Health Information, Health Polytechnic of Health Ministry Tasikmalaya, Tasikmalaya 6574, Indonesia
| | | | - Wen-Shan Jian
- International Center for Health Information Technology (ICHIT), College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- School of Gerontology Health Management, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- School of Health Care Administration, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chuan Jack Li
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, 15F., No. 172-1, Sec. 2, Keelung Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Department of Dermatology, Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Min-Huei Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Data Science, College of Management, Taipei Medical University, 15F., No. 172-1, Sec. 2, Keelung Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wan-Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | - Shabbir Syed-Abdul
- International Center for Health Information Technology (ICHIT), College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Taipei Medical University, 15F., No. 172-1, Sec. 2, Keelung Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei 110, Taiwan
- School of Gerontology Health Management, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
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Nancy AA, Ravindran D, Vincent DR, Srinivasan K, Chang CY. Fog-Based Smart Cardiovascular Disease Prediction System Powered by Modified Gated Recurrent Unit. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2071. [PMID: 37370966 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13122071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The ongoing fast-paced technology trend has brought forth ceaseless transformation. In this regard, cloud computing has long proven to be the paramount deliverer of services such as computing power, software, networking, storage, and databases on a pay-per-use basis. The cloud is a big proponent of the internet of things (IoT), furnishing the computation and storage requisite to address internet-of-things applications. With the proliferating IoT devices triggering a continual data upsurge, the cloud-IoT interaction encounters latency, bandwidth, and connectivity restraints. The inclusion of the decentralized and distributed fog computing layer amidst the cloud and IoT layer extends the cloud's processing, storage, and networking services close to end users. This hierarchical edge-fog-cloud model distributes computation and intelligence, yielding optimal solutions while tackling constraints like massive data volume, latency, delay, and security vulnerability. The healthcare domain, warranting time-critical functionalities, can reap benefits from the cloud-fog-IoT interplay. This research paper propounded a fog-assisted smart healthcare system to diagnose heart or cardiovascular disease. It combined a fuzzy inference system (FIS) with the recurrent neural network model's variant of the gated recurrent unit (GRU) for pre-processing and predictive analytics tasks. The proposed system showcases substantially improved performance results, with classification accuracy at 99.125%. With major processing of healthcare data analytics happening at the fog layer, it is observed that the proposed work reveals optimized results concerning delays in terms of latency, response time, and jitter, compared to the cloud. Deep learning models are adept at handling sophisticated tasks, particularly predictive analytics. Time-critical healthcare applications reap benefits from deep learning's exclusive potential to furnish near-perfect results, coupled with the merits of the decentralized fog model, as revealed by the experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Angel Nancy
- Department of Computer Science, St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620002, India
| | - Dakshanamoorthy Ravindran
- Department of Computer Science, St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620002, India
| | - Durai Raj Vincent
- School of Information Technology and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
| | - Kathiravan Srinivasan
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, India
| | - Chuan-Yu Chang
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliu City 64002, Taiwan
- Service Systems Technology Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 310401, Taiwan
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Yang PJ, Chen TG, Bracher SB, Hui A, Hu DL. Urinary flow through urethras with a rough lumen. Neurourol Urodyn 2023. [PMID: 37190877 DOI: 10.1002/nau.25186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
AIMS This study investigates how lumen roughness and urethral length influence urinary flow speed. METHODS We used micro-computed tomography scans to measure the lumen roughness and dimensions for rabbits, cats, and pigs. We designed and fabricated three-dimensional-printed urethra mimics of varying roughness and length to perform flow experiments. We also developed a corresponding mathematical model to rationalize the observed flow speed. RESULTS We update the previously reported relationship between body mass and urethra length and diameter, now including 41 measurements for urethra length and 10 measurements for diameter. We report the relationship between lumen diameter and roughness as a function of position down the urethra for rabbits, cats, and pigs. The time course of urinary speed from our mimics is reported, as well as the average speed as a function of urethra length. CONCLUSIONS Based on the behavior of our mimics, we conclude that the lumen roughness in mammals reduces flow speed by up to 25% compared to smooth urethras. Urine flows fastest when the urethra length exceeds 25 times its diameter. Longer urethras do not drain faster due to viscous effects counteracting the additional gravitational head. However, flows with our urethra mimics are still 6 times faster than those observed in nature, suggesting that further work is needed to understand flow resistance in the urethra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia J Yang
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Tony G Chen
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sarah B Bracher
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | - Aaron Hui
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - David L Hu
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Yang SY, Jan HC, Chen CY, Wang MS. CNN-Based QR Code Reading of Package for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:4707. [PMID: 37430619 DOI: 10.3390/s23104707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
This paper plans to establish a warehouse management system based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to scan the QR codes printed on packages. This UAV consists of a positive cross quadcopter drone and a variety of sensors and components, such as flight controllers, single-board computers, optical flow sensors, ultrasonic sensors and cameras, etc. The UAV stabilizes itself by proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control and takes pictures of the package as it reaches ahead of the shelf. Through convolutional neural networks (CNNs), the placement angle of the package can be accurately identified. Some optimization functions are applied to compare system performance. When the angle is 90°, that is, the package is placed normally and correctly, the QR code will be read directly. Otherwise, image processing techniques that include Sobel edge computing, minimum circumscribed rectangle, perspective transformation, and image enhancement is required to assist in reading the QR code. The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm provided good performance of a recognition rate of 94% for the stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and 95% for Adadelta optimization functions. After that, successful QR code reading was presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szu-Yueh Yang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Che Jan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Yu Chen
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Shyan Wang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan
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Liu WT, Wang HT, Yeh YH, Wong TW. An Update on Recent Advances of Photodynamic Therapy for Primary Cutaneous Lymphomas. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15051328. [PMID: 37242570 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary cutaneous lymphomas are rare non-Hodgkin lymphomas consisting of heterogeneous disease entities. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizing photosensitizers irradiated with a specific wavelength of light in the presence of oxygen exerts promising anti-tumor effects on non-melanoma skin cancer, yet its application in primary cutaneous lymphomas remains less recognized. Despite many in vitro data showing PDT could effectively kill lymphoma cells, clinical evidence of PDT against primary cutaneous lymphomas is limited. Recently, a phase 3 "FLASH" randomized clinical trial demonstrated the efficacy of topical hypericin PDT for early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. An update on recent advances of photodynamic therapy in primary cutaneous lymphomas is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ting Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Cancer Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan
| | - Han-Tang Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Cancer Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Yeh
- School of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
| | - Tak-Wah Wong
- Department of Dermatology, Cancer Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 704, Taiwan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
- Center of Applied Nanomedicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
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Chiang MR, Shelomi M. Anatomical changes of the beetle digestive tract during metamorphosis correspond to dietary changes. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21575. [PMID: 36826409 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
During pupation, the tissues of holometabolous insects change in preparation for the adult lifestyles, although little literature exists examining this hidden process in detail. Using beetles as a model, we hypothesized that species where the adult and larva have the same diets will show less pronounced changes of the digestive tract during metamorphosis than species where the adults diets differ. We also wanted to observe these changes and document them at a level of detail missing from the current record. We compared the structure of the digestive tracts of scarab beetles Oryctes rhinoceros, Thaumastopeus shangaicus, and Protaetia spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)-where the larvae eat wood, soil, or compost while the adults feed on soft plant matter, tree sap, and rotting fruits-with the tortoise beetle, Cassida circumdata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), which feeds on leaves as both larva and adult. In the scarab beetles we observed considerable changes in the digestive tracts during the pupal stage, which we could divide into distinct stages, while in the leaf beetle pupae, the gut did not change. This information can provide new insight into metamorphosis, and the illustrations of what occurs during pupation are novel contributions to this field that will facilitate future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Rou Chiang
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Matan Shelomi
- Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Lee MT, Mackie K, Chiou LC. Alternative pain management via endocannabinoids in the time of the opioid epidemic: Peripheral neuromodulation and pharmacological interventions. Br J Pharmacol 2023; 180:894-909. [PMID: 34877650 PMCID: PMC9170838 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of opioids in pain management is hampered by the emergence of analgesic tolerance, which leads to increased dosing and side effects, both of which have contributed to the opioid epidemic. One promising potential approach to limit opioid analgesic tolerance is activating the endocannabinoid system in the CNS, via activation of CB1 receptors in the descending pain inhibitory pathway. In this review, we first discuss preclinical and clinical evidence revealing the potential of pharmacological activation of CB1 receptors in modulating opioid tolerance, including activation by phytocannabinoids, synthetic CB1 receptor agonists, endocannabinoid degradation enzyme inhibitors, and recently discovered positive allosteric modulators of CB1 receptors. On the other hand, as non-pharmacological pain relief is advocated by the US-NIH to combat the opioid epidemic, we also discuss contributions of peripheral neuromodulation, involving the electrostimulation of peripheral nerves, in addressing chronic pain and opioid tolerance. The involvement of supraspinal endocannabinoid systems in peripheral neuromodulation-induced analgesia is also discussed. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Advances in Opioid Pharmacology at the Time of the Opioid Epidemic. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v180.7/issuetoc.
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Grants
- MOST 108-2321-B-002-005 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- MOST 107-2811-B-002-008 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- R01 DA041229 NIDA NIH HHS
- MOST 107-2321-B-002-010 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- R01 DA047858 NIDA NIH HHS
- 107M4022-3 Ministry of Education, Taiwan
- MOST 106-2321-B-002-019 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- NHRI-EX111-11114NI National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan
- FRGS/1/2021/WAB13/UCSI/02/1 Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia
- R21 DA042584 NIDA NIH HHS
- REIG-FPS-2020/065 UCSI University Research Excellence and Innovation Grant, Malaysia
- NHRI-EX109-10733NI National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan
- MOST 104-2745-B-002-004 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- MOST 109-2320-B-002-042-MY3 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- MOST 107-2811-B-002 -008 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
- MOST 108-2320-B-002-029-MY3 Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Tatt Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
| | - Ken Mackie
- Gill Center for Biomolecular Research, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
| | - Lih-Chu Chiou
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10051, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
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Chen TH, Cheng CY, Huang CK, Ho YH, Lin JC. Exploring the Relevance between Gut Microbiota-Metabolites Profile and Chronic Kidney Disease with Distinct Pathogenic Factor. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0280522. [PMID: 36475922 PMCID: PMC9927243 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02805-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The intimate correlation of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with structural alteration in gut microbiota or metabolite profile has been documented in a growing body of studies. Nevertheless, a paucity of demonstrated knowledge regarding the impact and underlying mechanism of gut microbiota or metabolite on occurrence or progression of CKD is unclarified thus far. In this study, a liquid chromatography coupled-mass spectrometry and long-read sequencing were applied to identify gut metabolites and microbiome with statistically-discriminative abundance in diabetic CKD patients (n = 39), hypertensive CKD patients (n = 26), or CKD patients without comorbidity (n = 40) compared to those of healthy participants (n = 60). The association between CKD-related species and metabolite was evaluated by using zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regression. The predictive utility of identified operational taxonomic units (OTUs), metabolite, or species-metabolite association toward the diagnosis of incident chronic kidney disease with distinct pathogenic factor was assessed using the random forest regression model and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The results of statistical analyses indicated alterations in the relative abundances of 26 OTUs and 41 metabolites that were specifically relevant to each CKD-patient group. The random forest regression model with only species, metabolites, or its association differentially distinguished the hypertensive, diabetic CKD patients, or enrolled CKD patients without comorbidity from the healthy participants. IMPORTANCE Gut dysbiosis-altered metabolite association exhibits specific and convincing utility to differentiate CKD associated with distinct pathogenic factor. These results present the validity of pathogenesis-associated markers across healthy participants and high-risk population toward the early screening, prevention, diagnosis, or personalized treatment of CKD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tso-Hsiao Chen
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Taipei Medical University-Research Center of Urology and Kidney (RCUK), School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yi Cheng
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Taipei Medical University-Research Center of Urology and Kidney (RCUK), School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Kai Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsien Ho
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Chun Lin
- School of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Pulmonary Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Barman SR, Chan SW, Kao FC, Ho HY, Khan I, Pal A, Huang CC, Lin ZH. A self-powered multifunctional dressing for active infection prevention and accelerated wound healing. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadc8758. [PMID: 36696504 PMCID: PMC9876552 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adc8758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Interruption of the wound healing process due to pathogenic infection remains a major health care challenge. The existing methods for wound management require power sources that hinder their utilization outside of clinical settings. Here, a next generation of wearable self-powered wound dressing is developed, which can be activated by diverse stimuli from the patient's body and provide on-demand treatment for both normal and infected wounds. The highly tunable dressing is composed of thermocatalytic bismuth telluride nanoplates (Bi2Te3 NPs) functionalized onto carbon fiber fabric electrodes and triggered by the surrounding temperature difference to controllably generate hydrogen peroxide to effectively inhibit bacterial growth at the wound site. The integrated electrodes are connected to a wearable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to provide electrical stimulation for accelerated wound closure by enhancing cellular proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. The reported self-powered dressing holds great potential in facilitating personalized and user-friendly wound care with improved healing outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Snigdha Roy Barman
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- International Intercollegiate Ph.D. Program, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Shuen-Wen Chan
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Cheng Kao
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Spine Section, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Yu Ho
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Imran Khan
- Institute of NanoEngineering and Microsystems, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Arnab Pal
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- International Intercollegiate Ph.D. Program, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Ching Huang
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202301, Taiwan
- Center of Excellence for the Oceans, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202301, Taiwan
- School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Zong-Hong Lin
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
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Shen HC, Feng JY, Sun CY, Huang JR, Chen YM, Chen WC, Yang KY. Analysis of the effect of cytomegalovirus infection in clinical outcomes and prolonged duration of SARS-CoV-2 shedding in intensive care unit patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Ther Adv Respir Dis 2023; 17:17534666231209150. [PMID: 37949827 PMCID: PMC10640799 DOI: 10.1177/17534666231209150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global outbreak disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can occur in critical COVID-19 patients and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics and outcome of CMV infection in critical COVID-19 patients. DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort study. METHODS From May to September 2021, SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 patients with intensive care unit (ICU) admission were enrolled. CMV infection was confirmed by PCR. Baseline characteristics, critical illness data and clinical outcomes were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS Seventy-two RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients with ICU admission were included during the study period and 48 (66.7%) patients required mechanical ventilation (MV). Overall, in-hospital mortality was 19.4%. Twenty-one (29.2%) patients developed CMV infection. Patients with CMV infection had a higher likelihood of diabetes, higher lactate dehydrogenase and lactate levels, and higher proportions of MV, anticoagulant, and steroid use. Patients with CMV infection were associated with longer duration of SARS-CoV-2 shedding, longer ICU and hospital stay, and fewer ventilator-free days. The independent risk factor for development of CMV infection was a higher accumulative steroid dose. CONCLUSION CMV infection adversely impacted the outcomes of critical COVID-19 patients, resulting in longer ICU stays, longer mechanical ventilation uses and prolonged shedding of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Chin Shen
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
- Department of Medical Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
| | - Jia-Yih Feng
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei
| | - Chuan-Yen Sun
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
| | - Jhong-Ru Huang
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
| | - Yuh-Min Chen
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei
| | - Wei-Chih Chen
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei
- Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei
| | - Kuang-Yao Yang
- Department of Chest Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Cancer Progression Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, #201, Sec. Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 11217
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