Gender differences? Internet use and parent-child communication about sex toward sexual attitudes among early adolescents in Taiwan.

Background: With the progress of information technology, early adolescents are able to access sex-related information through the Internet easily. This information has been shown to have a significant influence on the sexual health of this population. In addition, parent-child communications about sex affect the sexual health of adolescents.

Evaluation of uraemic pruritus in long-term dialysis patients using a modified Chinese scale.

Aim: To examine the reliability and validity of a modified Chinese version of the uraemic pruritus scale for measurement of different degrees of itching, as well as to identify the predictors for the severity of uraemic pruritus among long-term dialysis patients.

Methods: Long-term dialysis patients (n = 110) were recruited for a cross-sectional study from a medical centre in Taiwan. A modified Chinese version of the uraemic pruritus scale was used to evaluate sleep disturbance and the severity, frequency and distribution of itching.

MeCP2 plays an analgesic role in pain transmission through regulating CREB / miR-132 pathway.

Background: The Methyl CpG binding protein 2 gene (MeCP2 gene) encodes a critical transcriptional repressor and is widely expressed in mammalian neurons. MeCP2 plays a critical role in neuronal differentiation, neural development, and synaptic plasticity. Mutations and duplications of the human MECP2 gene lead to severe neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Rett syndrome and autism.

Perpetrators and context of child sexual abuse in Kenya.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) interventions draw from a better understanding of the context of CSA. A survey on violence before age 18 was conducted among respondents aged 13-17 and 18-24 years. Among females (13-17), the key perpetrators of unwanted sexual touching (UST) were friends/classmates (27.

Low efficacy of delthamethrin-treated net against Singapore Aedes aegypti is associated with kdr-type resistance.

There has been a worldwide surge in the number and severity of dengue in the past decades. In Singapore, relentless vector control efforts have been put in to control the disease since the 1960's. Space spraying, fogging, chemical treatment and source reduction are some commonly used methodologies for controlling its vectors, particularly Aedes aegypti.

A novel analgesic approach to optogenetically and specifically inhibit pain transmission using TRPV1 promoter.

Chronic pain is a pathological condition that results in significant loss of life quality, but so far no specific treatment for chronic pain has been developed. Currently available analgesia drugs are either not specific enough or have severe side effects. Therefore a non-invasive approach with high specificity to inhibit nociception becomes essential.

Synthesis and photoluminescent properties of geometrically hindered cis-tris(diphenylaminofluorene) as precursors to light-emitting devices.

A novel highly luminescent tris-fluorenyl ring-interconnected chromophore tris(DPAF-C9) was synthesized using a C3 symmetrical triaminobenzene core as the synthon. This structure bears three light-harvesting 2-diphenylamino-9,9-dialkylfluorenyl (DPAF) ring moieties with each attached by two branched 3',5',5'-trimethylhexyl (C9) arms. A major stereoisomer was chromatographically isolated and characterized to possess a 3D structural configuration of cis-conformer in a cup-form.

Single chain antibody fragment with serine protease inhibitory property capable of neutralizing toxicity of Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus venom.

Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus (TM) is one of majorities of snake envenomation with necrotic and hemorrhagic toxin in Taiwan. In this study, chickens were used as an alternative animal model for immunization with TM venom. Using phage display technology to process four rounds of panning, selected single chain variable fragments (scFv) could specifically recognize TM venom proteins, which were later identified as a group of homogeneous venom serine protease.

A home-based training programme improves family caregivers' oral care practices with stroke survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Stroke survivors experience poor oral health when discharged from the hospital to the community. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based oral care training programme on knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and practice behaviour of family caregivers.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted.

Potentiation of antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation mediated by a cationic fullerene by added iodide: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Background: Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation with fullerenes bearing cationic charges may overcome resistant microbes.

Methods & Results: We synthesized C60-fullerene (LC16) bearing decaquaternary chain and deca-tertiary-amino groups that facilitates electron-transfer reactions via the photoexcited fullerene. Addition of the harmless salt, potassium iodide (10 mM) potentiated the ultraviolet A (UVA) or white light-mediated killing of Gram-negative bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, Gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and fungal yeast Candida albicans by 1-2+ logs.

The immunomodulatory parasitic worm product ES-62 reduces lupus-associated accelerated atherosclerosis in a mouse model.

ES-62 is an anti-inflammatory phosphorylcholine-containing glycoprotein secreted by the filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae. Accelerated atherosclerosis frequently occurs in systemic lupus erythematosus, resulting in substantial cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We examined the effects of ES-62 in the gld.

Influential factors of insufficient physical activity among adolescents with asthma in Taiwan.

Purpose: Little research has been reported concerning insufficient physical activity in Taiwanese adolescents with asthma. The aims of this paper are to compare the amount of physical activity between asthmatic and non-asthmatic adolescents in Taiwan, as well as to investigate the influential factors associated with insufficient physical activity in asthmatic adolescents.

Methods: Self-reporting structured questionnaires (socio-economic status, scale of family support for physical activity, amount of physical activity) and peak expiratory flow were assessed from 286 adolescents with asthma and 588 non-asthmatic adolescents in a cross-sectional design.

Functionalized fullerenes in photodynamic therapy.

Since the discovery of C60 fullerene in 1985, scientists have been searching for biomedical applications of this most fascinating of molecules. The unique photophysical and photochemical properties of C60 suggested that the molecule would function well as a photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT uses the combination of non-toxic dyes and harmless visible light to produce reactive oxygen species that kill unwanted cells.

DNA barcoding: complementing morphological identification of mosquito species in Singapore.

Background: Taxonomy that utilizes morphological characteristics has been the gold standard method to identify mosquito species. However, morphological identification is challenging when the expertise is limited and external characters are damaged because of improper specimen handling. Therefore, we explored the applicability of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene-based DNA barcoding as an alternative tool to identify mosquito species.

Systematic review of impact of lifestyle-modification programs on metabolic risks and patient-reported outcomes in adults with metabolic syndrome.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is primarily attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle, which is a modifiable risk factor. Researchers have been exploring various strategies, including lifestyle-modification programs (LMPs), to prevent the progression of MetS. However, the effectiveness of LMPs on metabolic risks and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among adults with MetS remains inconclusive.

Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation with decacationic functionalized fullerenes: oxygen-independent photokilling in presence of azide and new mechanistic insights.

Functionalized fullerenes are gaining wide interest for mediating photodynamic therapy (PDT) of diseases such as cancers and infections. We recently reported the synthesis of two new decacationic fullerene monoadducts: C60[>M(C3N6(+)C3)2]-(I(-))10(LC14) and its derivative with a light-harvesting antenna conjugated as a C60[>CPAF-(MN6(+)C3)2]-(I(-))10 nanostructure (LC15). We studied the ability of these compounds to mediate PDT of human cancer cells in vitro when excited by UVA light or by white light.

Structural basis of clade-specific HIV-1 neutralization by humanized anti-V3 monoclonal antibody KD-247.

Humanized monoclonal antibody KD-247 targets the Gly(312)-Pro(313)-Gly(314)-Arg(315) arch of the third hypervariable (V3) loop of the HIV-1 surface glycoprotein. It potently neutralizes many HIV-1 clade B isolates, but not of other clades. To understand the molecular basis of this specificity, we solved a high-resolution (1.

[Improving care for transitional-stage clients in the emergency department: a family-centered approach].

The focus of emergency departments on resolving immediate threats to patient survival and wellbeing distinguishes their services from those provided by all other hospital departments. The high-pressure environment in the emergency department is a source of significant stress for patients and their families, with some experiencing serious physical and mental impacts that result in high tension, acute stress, anxiety, and other mental and physical reactions. The concepts of family-centered care and transition theory have been shown to help promote a sense of wellbeing and adjustment to unfamiliar experiences.

Moderate physical activity level as a protective factor against metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older women.

Aims And Objectives: To investigate whether physical activity is a protective factor against metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older women.

Background: Socio-demographic and lifestyle behaviour factors contribute to metabolic syndrome. To minimise the risk of metabolic syndrome, several global guidelines recommend increasing physical activity level.

Influence of ligand flexibility on the electronic structure of oxidized Ni(III)-phenoxide complexes.

One-electron-oxidized Ni(III)-phenoxide complexes with salen-type ligands, [Ni(salen)py2](2+) ([1(en)-py](2+)) and [Ni(1,2-salcn)py2](2+) ([1(cn)-py](2+)), with a five-membered chelate dinitrogen backbone and [Ni(salpn)py2](2+) ([2(pn)-py](2+)), with a six-membered chelate backbone, have been characterized with a combination of experimental and theoretical methods. The five-membered chelate complexes [1(en)-py](2+) and [1(cn)-py](2+) were assigned as Ni(III)-phenoxyl radical species, while the six-membered chelate complex [2(pn)-py](2+) was concluded to be a Ni(II)-bis(phenoxyl radical) species with metal-centered reduction in the course of the one-electron oxidation of the Ni(III)-phenoxide complex [2(pn)-py](+). Thus, the oxidation state of the one-electron-oxidized Ni(III) salen-type complexes depends on the chelate ring size of the dinitrogen backbone.

[A new vision of nursing: the evolution and development of evidence-based nursing].

The concept and principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM), first introduced in 1996 in the UK and Canada, have greatly impacted healthcare worldwide. Evidence-based care is a new approach to healthcare that works to reduce the gap between evidence and practice in order to further the scientific credentials and practices of the nursing profession. The revolution in healthcare has perhaps most noticeably impacted the nursing sciences.

Poor sleep quality measured by polysomnography in non-obese asthmatic children with or without moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: The co-effect of asthma and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on sleep quality among children remained unclear.

Objective: To compare sleep quality and emotional/behavioral problems among asthmatic and non-asthmatic children with or without moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Method: An AHI-range-matched BMI-range-matched cross-sectional design was used to examine polysomnographic evaluation and emotional/behavioral problems in 102 non-obese children aged between 6 and 12 years old, categorized as with or without asthma and sleep disordered breathing.

Development of online diary and self-management system on e-Healthcare for asthmatic children in Taiwan.

Objective: Many regional programs of the countries educate asthmatic children and their families to manage healthcare data. This study aims to establish a Web-based self-management system, eAsthmaCare, to promote the electronic healthcare (e-Healthcare) services for the asthmatic children in Taiwan. The platform can perform real time online functionality based upon a five-tier infrastructure with mutually supportive components to acquire asthma diaries, quality of life assessments and health educations.

[Polypharmacy issues in older adults].

Polypharmacy is a major concern in the care of older adults. People over 65 years of age frequently have multiple medical conditions and may have cancer, which requires multiple medications for treatment. The use of multiple medications increases the risk of drug-drug interactions, non-adherence, and adverse drug reactions.