The risks of emergency C-section, infant health conditions and postpartum complications in Taiwanese primiparous women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A propensity matched cohort study.

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disorder that can occur during the second trimester of pregnancy. Our main objective was to perform a retrospective propensity-score matched analysis of a general population and to examine commonly occurring adverse maternal and infant outcomes in Taiwanese primiparous women with GDM.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a nationwide population-based, retrospective propensity-score matched cohort study using the claims data from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance program between 2000 and 2015.

Complementary usage of Rhodiola crenulata (L.) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: the effects on cytokines and T cells.

Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory disease predominantly involving T cells, no study of Rhodiola as an immunomodulator in COPD patients has been reported. In this study, COPD patients took Rhodiola crenulata 500 mg (n = 38) or placebo (starch/phosphate buffered saline) (n = 19) daily for 12 weeks and were compared with untreated, age-matched, and sex-matched non-COPD control subjects. Our results showed that serum levels of IL-2, IL-10, and IFN-γ in COPD patients before treatment are significantly higher than levels in non-COPD controls (p < 0.

Selective apoptotic cell death effects of oral cancer cells treated with destruxin B.

Background: Recent studies have revealed that destruxins (Dtx) have potent cytotoxic activities on individual cancer cells, however, data on oral cancer cells especial human are absent.

Methods: Destruxin B (DB) was isolated and used to evaluate the selective cytotoxicity with human oral cancer cell lines, GNM (Neck metastasis of gingival carcinoma) and TSCCa (Tongue squamous cell carcinoma) cells, and normal gingival fibroblasts (GF) were also included as controls. Cells were tested with different concentrations of DB for 24, 48, and 72 h by MTT assay.

Extracellular matrix-regulated neural differentiation of human multipotent marrow progenitor cells enhances functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Background Context: Recent advanced studies have demonstrated that cytokines and extracellular matrix (ECM) could trigger various types of neural differentiation. However, the efficacy of differentiation and in vivo transplantation has not yet thoroughly been investigated.

Purpose: To highlight the current understanding of the effects of ECM on neural differentiation of human bone marrow-derived multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs), regarding state-of-art cure for the animal with acute spinal cord injury (SCI), and explore future treatments aimed at neural repair.

In vitro antagonistic growth effects of Lactobacillus fermentum and lactobacillus salivarius and their fermentative broth on periodontal pathogens.

As lactobacilli possess an antagonistic growth property, these bacteria may be beneficial as bioprotective agents for infection control. However, whether the antagonistic growth effects are attributed to the lactobacilli themselves or their fermentative broth remains unclear. The antagonistic growth effects of Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus fermentum as well as their fermentative broth were thus tested using both disc agar diffusion test and broth dilution method, and their effects on periodontal pathogens, including Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguis, and Porphyromonas gingivalis in vitro at different concentrations and for different time periods were also compared.

In vitro and in vivo anticancer effects of destruxin B on human colorectal cancer.

Aim: The study of the anticancer effects of destruxin B (DB) is rare and its anticancer mechanism remains unknown. The aim of this study was to test the in vitro and in vivo anticancer effects of DB, on human HT-29 colorectal cancer (CRC).

Materials And Methods: DB was isolated and characterized by high pressure liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Anticancer effects of eleven triterpenoids derived from Antrodia camphorata.

Eleven derivatives from Antrodia camphorata were isolated in order to evaluate their selective cytotoxicity toward 14 types of human cancer cell and two non-transformed cell types. Among these triterpenoids, methyl antcinate A (MAA) exhibited the most potent spectrum of anticancer effects in KB cells, four different oral cancer cell lines (TSCCa, GNM, OC-2, and OEC-M1), Panc-1, BT474, PC-3, OVCAR-3, HeLa, and U2OS cells with high selectivity indices (CC(50)/IC(50)). The expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) of PC-3 cells tested by western blotting suggested that MAA exerts cell death through the caspase-dependent cascade and the Bax-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, not only on liver and oral cancer cells but on other types as well, including prostate cancer, in a dose-dependent manner.

Association of estrogen receptor α gene PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms with non-small cell lung cancer.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the estrogen receptor (ER)-α have been found to be associated with various diseases at significantly different frequencies. However, whether any relationship exists between ER-α polymorphisms and lung cancer remains to be determined. In this study, 84 non-smoking, female, non-small cell lung cancer patients with various stages of disease and 234 cancer-free reference controls were enrolled to examine the association of ER-α polymorphisms in lung cancer.

In vivo Th1 and Th2 cytokine modulation effects of Rhodiola rosea standardised solution and its major constituent, salidroside.

Although Rhodiola rosea (L.) is used widely and disseminated in Oriental medicine, its in vivo effects on cytokine modulation remain unclear. Among the biologically active components of Rhodiola rosea, salidroside was suggested to be the most active compound.

In vivo cytokine modulatory effects of cinnamaldehyde, the major constituent of leaf essential oil from Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kaneh.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the major compound in the leaf essential oil of Cinnamomum osmophloeum Kaneh. and to examine its in vivo toxicity and cytokine-modulatory effects. The HS-GC/MS and quantitative HPLC analyses showed the concentrations of the major compounds, cinnamaldehyde, benzaldehyde and 3-phenylpropionaldehyde, in the leaf essential oil of Cinnamomum osmophloeum to be 16.

Methylantcinate A induces tumor specific growth inhibition in oral cancer cells via Bax-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

An ergostane type triterpenoid methylantcinate A (MAA) isolated from the fruiting bodies of Antrodia camphorata inhibited the growth of oral cancer cell lines OEC-M1 and OC-2 in a dose-dependent manner, without cytotoxic to normal oral gingival fibroblast cells. The major mechanism of growth inhibition was apoptosis induction, as shown by flow cytometric analysis of annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide staining, caspase-3 activation and DNA fragmentation. The increased expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, and activated caspase-3 and decreased expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were also observed.

Anti-herpes simplex virus effects of berberine from Coptidis rhizoma, a major component of a Chinese herbal medicine, Ching-Wei-San.

Berberine is an alkaloid extracted from Coptidis rhizome. Among the individual herbal components of a Chinese herb medicine, Ching-Wei-San, Coptidis Rhizoma has the most potent antimicrobial activity. By high-pressure liquid chromatography, the quantitative analysis of berberine from 6.

Possible DNA viral factors of human breast cancer.

Viruses are considered to be one of the high-risk factors closely related to human breast cancer. However, different studies of viruses in breast cancer present conflicting results and some of these works remain in dispute. DNA viruses, such as specific types of human papillomaviruses (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8), have emerged as causal factors of some human cancers.

Pediatric reference intervals for several biochemical analytes in school children in Central Taiwan.

Background/purpose: Reference intervals of biochemical tests for screening for diabetes mellitus and liver and renal function among school children in Central Taiwan have never been documented. Therefore, this study aimed to establish the reference intervals for the above mentioned biochemical tests for pediatric populations.

Methods: A total of 4326 subjects, including 2029 kindergarten children, 1624 elementary-school children, 325 junior-high-school children, and 348 teachers were selected randomly in Central Taiwan.

Apoptotic death mode of mitomycin C-treated HeLa cells and cellular localization of mitomycin C-induced P-glycoprotein.

Mitomycin C (MMC) is an active antineoplastic agent and is suggested to induce apoptosis in a caspase- dependent manner in human gastric, bladder, and breast cancer cells. In this study, the death mode of human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) induced by MMC and the cellular localization of MMC-induced P-glycoprotein (P-gp) were investigated. The results of caspase-3 activity, Annexin V binding, and DNA fragmentation suggested that the degree of caspase-dependent apoptosis induced by MMC was in a dose-, but not time-dependent, manner.

Myasthenia gravis with thymoma and coexistent central hypothyroidism.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a well-known acquired autoimmune neuromuscular disorder. Patients with MG have a higher incidence of autoimmune disease than the normal population. MG is frequently associated with autoimmune thyroid disease, the most common of which is thyrotoxicosis.

MCRS2 represses the transactivation activities of Nrf1.

Background: Nrf1 [p45 nuclear factor-erythroid 2 (p45 NF-E2)-related factor 1], a member of the CNC-bZIP (CNC basic region leucine zipper) family, is known to be a transcriptional activator by dimerization with distinct partners, such as Maf, FosB, c-Jun, JunD, etc. The transcriptional roles of CNC-bZIP family are demonstrated to be involved in globin gene expression as well as the antioxidant response. For example, CNC-bZIP factors can regulate the expression of detoxification proteins through AREs, such as expression of human gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetases (GCS), glutathione S-transferases (GST), UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UDP-GT), NADP (H) quinone oxidoreductase (NQOs), etc.

Immunopathology of hepatitis B virus infection.

The interaction between immune responses and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is coordinated between innate and adaptive immunity. Anti-HBs antibodies protect the host by blocking the binding ability of HBV. Anti-HBc antibodies are detected with persistent HBV infection.

The immunopharmaceutical effects and mechanisms of herb medicine.

In recent years, studies on evaluation of the therapeutic and toxic activity of herbal medicinal products became available and popular. The advances in modern biotechnology have led to discovery of many new active constituents. However, it is a constant challenge to establish the pharmacological basis for efficacy and safety of herbal medicinal products.

Utilizing self-prepared ELISA plates for a cross-population study of different anti-HBe IgG subclass profiles.

Fourteen serum samples obtained from hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronic carriers and patients recovered from hepatitis B infection were used with four sodium dodecyl sulfate-treated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) plates available commercially, and one self-prepared HBcAg analog for evaluation of anti-HBe subclass pattern absorbance. The self-prepared plates had the best performance and were thus used for samples obtained from 104 (60 male and 44 female) HBV chronic carriers and 439 (247 male and 192 female) recovered individuals. Tests for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were also carried out in 21 of the subjects (>25 IU/ml).

Morphological characterization of hantavirus HV114 by electron microscopy.

Objective: This study was sought to investigate the propagation and morphogenesis of a new strain of hantavirus, HV114.

Methods: The urine of patient with epidemic hemorrhagic fever was inoculated to Vero E6 cells for the virus isolation. Electron microscopy was used to observe the isolated virus, HV114 and the variation of infected Vero E6 cells.

Plasma homocysteine status in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Homocysteine (Hcy), a sulfur-containing amino acid, is eliminated through B vitamins-dependent pathways. Hyperhomocysteinemia has been found to be an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases. Recently, psoriasis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis were reported to be associated with hyperhomocysteinemia.

Young stroke, cardiac myxoma, and multiple emboli: a case report and literature review.

Cardiac myxoma is a source of emboli to the vascular tree, especially to the central nervous system. Although it is rare, its early recognition is particularly important because of its unique clinical features of subsequently leading to intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage, even brain metastases, and its potential for surgical cure. Missing the diagnosis may lead to devastating results, including stroke, even sudden death.