Publications by authors named "Chiou A"

Sour and sweet cherries were evaluated as functional components in bread-making because of their bioactive microconstituent content. Five forms of enrichment for each fruit, including the hydroalcoholic extract, lyophilized pulverized fruit, lyophilized extract, and their combinations, were used for supplementation. The physicochemical (pH, color, moisture, rheology, and texture) and sensory properties of dough and bread were assessed in different environments (biological and chemical leavening).

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Background: Dengue virus (DENV) causes the most significant mosquito-borne viral disease with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestation, including neurological symptoms associated with lethal dengue diseases. Dopamine receptors are expressed in central nervous system, and dopamine antagonists have been reported to exhibit antiviral activity against DENV infection in vivo and in vitro. Although identification of host-cell receptor is critical to understand dengue neuropathogenesis and neurotropism, the involvement of dopamine receptors in DENV infection remains unclear.

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Article Synopsis
  • Frailty is prevalent in heart failure patients, and while existing scales like the Clinical Frailty Scale exist, they lack extensive validation for this specific group.
  • This study developed and validated the Frailty Assessment Scale for Heart Failure (FAS-HF) through expert input and testing on 184 patients in northern Taiwan, resulting in a reliable 15-item scale.
  • The FAS-HF demonstrated good reliability and validity with a high Cronbach's alpha (0.87) and an optimal cutoff score for frailty identified as 20, suggesting it’s a useful tool for assessing frailty in heart failure patients.
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Purpose Of Review: While primary prevention strategies target individuals who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, there is rising interest towards primordial prevention that focuses on preventing the development of risk factors upstream of disease detection. Therefore, we review the advantages of primordial prevention interventions on minimizing future cardiovascular events.

Recent Findings: Primordial prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease involves behavioral, genetic, and environmental strategies, starting from fetal/infant health and continuing throughout childhood and young adulthood.

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Aims: A comparison of diagnostic performance comparing AI-QCT, coronary computed tomography angiography using fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR), and physician visual interpretation on the prediction of invasive adenosine FFR have not been evaluated. Furthermore, the coronary plaque characteristics impacting these tests have not been assessed.

Methods And Results: In a single centre, 43-month retrospective review of 442 patients referred for coronary computed tomography angiography and CT-FFR, 44 patients with CT-FFR had 54 vessels assessed using intracoronary adenosine FFR within 60 days.

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Background: Sarcopenia, a group of muscle-related disorders, leads to the gradual decline and weakening of skeletal muscle over time. Recognizing the pivotal role of gastrointestinal conditions in maintaining metabolic homeostasis within skeletal muscle, we hypothesize that the effectiveness of the myogenic programme is influenced by the levels of gastrointestinal hormones in the bloodstream, and this connection is associated with the onset of sarcopenia.

Methods: We first categorized 145 individuals from the Emergency Room of Taipei Veterans General Hospital into sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups, following the criteria established by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia.

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Importance: Access to timely dermatologic care remains a challenge, especially for patients with new skin lesions. Assessing the efficiency of new triage pathways may assist in better resource allocation and shorter time to care.

Objective: To evaluate whether a rule-based triage system was associated with better skin cancer risk stratification of patients and reduced wait times.

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Corinthian currants are dried fruits produced from var. Apyrena grape. This study investigated the distribution of phenolic compounds in male Wistar rat livers following two distinct Corinthian currant long-term dietary intake protocols (3 and 10% w/w).

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Biomechanical cues could effectively govern cell gene expression to direct the differentiation of specific stem cell lineage. Recently, the medium viscosity has emerged as a significant mechanical stimulator that regulates the cellular mechanical properties and various physiological functions. However, whether the medium viscosity can regulate the mechanical properties of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to effectively trigger osteogenic differentiation remains uncertain.

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Paraoxonase-1 (PON1), a serum antioxidant enzyme, has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis that involves early oxidative damage. Corinthian currants and their components have been shown to display antioxidant and other neuroprotective effects in AD. We evaluated the effect of a Corinthian currant paste-supplemented diet (CurD), provided to 1-month-old 5xFAD mice for 1, 3, and 6 months, on PON1 activity and levels of oxidation markers in serum and the brain of mice as compared to a control diet (ConD) or glucose/fructose-matched diet (GFD).

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Sarcopenia, a prevalent muscle disease characterized by muscle mass and strength reduction, is associated with impaired skeletal muscle regeneration. However, the influence of the biomechanical properties of sarcopenic skeletal muscle on the efficiency of the myogenic program remains unclear. Herein, we established a mouse model of sarcopenia and observed a reduction in stiffness within the sarcopenic skeletal muscle in vivo.

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Article Synopsis
  • Focused on ten notable studies from the 2023 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, this review summarizes advancements in cardiovascular disease research.
  • Included studies evaluated various treatments and interventions, such as semaglutide for weight management in non-diabetic patients, dapagliflozin post-myocardial infarction, and the impact of sodium intake on blood pressure.
  • The findings highlight innovative approaches for preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases, emphasizing novel therapies and techniques to improve patient outcomes.
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  • A study assessed sleep quality over three months in Taiwanese cardiac surgery patients, finding that poor sleep was common before and after surgery, with most patients reporting issues initially.
  • Significant improvements in sleep quality were noted at one and three months post-surgery, along with a notable decrease in daytime sleepiness.
  • Factors like distress symptoms, cardiac function, and medications were linked to sleep quality, indicating the need for patient education on better sleep practices and medication management to enhance recovery.
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Objective: Our study analyzed the impact of civil commitment (CC) laws for substance use disorder (SUD) on opioid overdose death rates (OODR) in the U.S. from 2010-21.

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We report a technique for the noninvasive detection of skin cancer by imprint desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) using a transfer agent that is pressed against the tissue of interest. By noninvasively pressing a tape strip against human skin, metabolites, fatty acids, and lipids on the skin surface are transferred to the tape with little spatial distortion. Running DESI-MSI on the tape strip provides chemical images of the molecules on the skin surface, which are valuable for distinguishing cancer from healthy skin.

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  • Heart failure (HF) significantly impacts patients' quality of life (QOL), with social support, symptom distress, and care needs affecting their overall well-being.
  • A study of 186 HF outpatients found that meaning in life mediates the effects of these factors on QOL.
  • Enhancing meaning in life could be a beneficial intervention to improve QOL for patients struggling with HF symptoms and care demands.
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Objective: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of an upper limb rehabilitation program on the quality of life in patients who had been first diagnosed breast cancer and subsequently underwent mastectomy.

Data Sources: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 48 breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy at a medical center in Taiwan. The patients were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 24) or control group (n = 24).

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Femoropopliteal disease comprises more than one half of lesions in peripheral vascular disease. The treatment modalities for stenosis or occlusion of this anatomic region include femoropopliteal bypass and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with or without stenting. Our patient developed acute leg ischemia 3 years after stenting, secondary to stent fracture, with distal embolization of stent fragments.

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We developed a digital tool for home-based monitoring of skin disease, our digital tool. In the current observational pilot study, we found that DORA is feasible to use in practice, as it has a high patient compliance, retention and satisfaction. Clinicans rated the photos generally good quality or perfect quality.

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