Reduced gastric mucosal nerve density in functional dyspepsia: clinical significance and functional correlation.

Background: This study aimed to quantitatively examine gastric mucosal nerve density (GMND) in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) and analyzed its clinical correlation.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 35 patients with FD and 16 age-and gender-matched healthy controls for comparison of GMND on endoscopic biopsy, scores of Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI), and gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES).

Results: Patients with FD had lower GMND than the control subjects in gastric antrum, body, and fundus.

Identification of an 85-kb Heterozygous 4p Microdeletion With Full Genome Analysis in Autosomal Dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease.

Background And Objectives: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a syndrome of a hereditary neurodegenerative condition affecting the peripheral nervous system and is a single gene disorder. Deep phenotyping coupled with advanced genetic techniques is critical in discovering new genetic defects of rare genetic disorders such as CMT.

Methods: We applied multidisciplinary investigations to examine the neurophysiology and nerve pathology in a family that fulfilled the diagnosis of CMT2.

An induced pluripotent stem cell-based model identifies molecular targets of vincristine neurotoxicity.

To model peripheral nerve degeneration and investigate molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration, we established a cell system of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived sensory neurons exposed to vincristine, a drug that frequently causes chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Sensory neurons differentiated from iPSCs exhibit distinct neurochemical patterns according to the immunocytochemical phenotypes, and gene expression of peripherin (PRPH, hereafter referred to as Peri) and neurofilament heavy chain (NEFH, hereafter referred to as NF). The majority of iPSC-derived sensory neurons were PRPH positive/NEFH negative, i.

Distinct Patterns of Amyloid Pathology in Autopsies of Transthyretin S77Y and A97S Amyloidosis: Significance of Symptomatology and Cell Biology.

Hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis is a systemic disease with amyloid deposition in the peripheral and autonomic nervous systems caused by mutation of transthyretin (TTR) gene. The mutant TTR S77Y is the second prevalent mutation in many countries. In Taiwan, A97S mutant accounts for more than 90% of cases.

Too many motives? The interactive effects of multiple motives on organizational citizenship behavior.

Prior research indicates that employees engage in organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) because of prosocial values, organizational concern, and impression management motives. Building upon and extending prior research, we investigate all 3 OCB motives by developing a categorization scheme to differentiate their distinctiveness and by building a contextualized argument regarding their interactive effects on OCB in a more collectivistic culture. In a sample of 379 Chinese employee-supervisor dyads from Taiwan, we found that the relationship between prosocial values motives and OCBs directed at individuals was strengthened by organizational concern motives; likewise, the relationship between organizational concern and OCBs directed at the organization was strengthened by prosocial values motives.

Moderating effect of regulatory focus on burnout and exercise behavior.

Applying Higgins' regulatory focus, which assumes that people pursue goals using means that match their self-regulatory motivation, the authors examined whether individual's promotion- or prevention-focused motivations in work would decrease participation in physical activity. Participants were 197 employees (163 men, 34 women, M age = 39 yr.) in five different Taiwanese manufacturing firms.