Characteristics and Effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Management of Female Infertility: A Hospital-Based Study.

Background: In Taiwan, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is used to treat female infertility. Evidence indicates that the absence of monotherapy efficacy assessment and comparison with mainstream interventions may lead to the improper use of CHM for female infertility.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study enrolled female patients at a hospital undergoing CHM intervention to treat infertility from 2012 to 2020 in order to determine the outcomes of CHM monotherapy for female infertility.

Cloning, identification, and functional characterization of novel prophenoloxidases (ShproPO) from the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense in response to cadmium exposure and Aeromonas hydrophila infection.

Prophenoloxidase (proPO) is essential in the prophenoloxidase-activating system (proPO-AS) which is important for defense against foreign infection in crustaceans. However, most studies have focused on expression in the presence of a single pathogenic bacterium, and very few have addressed the presence of environmental contaminants simultaneously, such as cadmium (Cd) and Aeromonas hydrophila. Our study aimed to investigate the function of proPO in the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense and the changes in its expression by Cd and infection of A.

A novel type II crustin in the innate immune response of the freshwater crab (Sinopotamon henanense) against infection and its expression changes by cadmium.

Antibacterial peptide (AMP), an effector of the innate immune system, is an essential component of invertebrate innate immunity. Crustin is a family of antimicrobial peptides that are widely studied in crustaceans. Here we report a novel crustin (designated Shcrustin) from the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense.

Cadmium-induced ultrastructural changes and apoptosis in the gill of freshwater mussel Anodonta woodiana.

This study investigated the acute toxicity of cadmium (Cd) to the freshwater mussel Anodonta woodiana. The freshwater mussels were exposed to five concentrations of Cd (0 mg/L, 8.43 mg/L, 16.

Study on metal binding capacity of the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense's recombinant copper specific binding metallothionein expressed in Escherichia coli.

The copper specific binding metallothionein (CuMT) is a type of cysteine-rich, metal-binding, small protein which plays an important role in Cu metabolism in vertebrates. In this study, we investigated the metal tolerance and removing ability of recombinant strains harboring CuMT obtained in vivo from the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense (ShCuMT) in order to study its physiological functions and metal binding capacity. We performed a 3D modeling of ShCuMT and created its structural and functional models using the I-TASSER program.

Outpatient Percutaneous Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A Single-Center Experience.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of outpatient percutaneous endovascular abdominal aortic repair (PEVAR) versus inpatient PEVAR without or with adjunct procedures.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2012 and June 2019, a cohort of 359 patients comprising 168 (46.8%) outpatients and 191 (53.

Comparative study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) in corals, sediments and seawater from coral reefs of Hainan, China.

This work investigated levels of PAHs and HMs in fourteen species from seven genera of scleractinian corals, adjacent sediments, and surface seawater in Hainan, China. The sources of contaminations were analyzed as well. The results showed that scleractinian corals had a relatively higher bioaccumulation capacity for PAHs from sediments than for HMs.

Analysis of spectrometry and thermodynamics of the metallothionein in freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense for its binding ability with different metals.

The metal binding nature of heterologously expressed metallothionein of Sinopotamon henanense (ShMT) had been demonstrated previously. In this study, we analysed the stoichiometry of ShMT yielded in vivo and exchange reactions of the Zn-ShMT with Cd, Pb and Cuin vitro via electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The results of ESI-TOF-MS analyses showed that metal-ShMT synthesized in vivo had three major forms, namely Zn-, Cd-, and Pb-ShMT.

Comparative study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) in corals, surrounding sediments and surface water at the Dazhou Island, China.

This study investigated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content in corals (Acropora sp.), surficial sediments, and surface seawater, and heavy metals (HMs) contents in corals and sediments from Dazhou Island, Hainan, China. Concentrations of PAHs in seawater and sediment seasonally ranged from 191.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning infection control among travelers between Taiwan and mainland China.

With an increase in the number of travelers around the world in recent years, widespread efforts to control the human-transmissible influenza and increased surveillance among poultry and humans should be given the highest priority. The purpose of this article is to describe an examination of the passengers traveling via "mini links" from Xiamen (China) to Kinmen (Taiwan) with reference to their knowledge and practice on infection control measures and satisfaction with public health policies. A survey of perceptions, attitudes, and practices was accordingly carried out.