An Effective Sensor Deployment Scheme that Ensures Multilevel Coverage of Wireless Sensor Networks with Uncertain Properties.

The coverage problem is a fundamental problem for almost all applications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Many applications even impose the requirement of multilevel () coverage of the region of interest (ROI). In this paper, we consider WSNs with uncertain properties.

Association of traditional Chinese medicine body constitution and moderate-to-severe cancer-related fatigue in cancer patients.

Background And Purpose: Fatigue is one of the most prevalent adverse events reported by cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between traditional Chinese medicine body constitution (TCMBC) and moderate-to-severe cancer-related fatigue in cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on cancer patients recruited from a regional hospital in southern Taiwan.

Effects of a 12-week program of Tai Chi exercise on the kidney disease quality of life and physical functioning of patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis.

Background: Previous studies have shown that exercise training in patients with end-stage renal disease could improve their physical functioning and quality of life. Nevertheless, few studies have evaluated the effects of Tai Chi exercise in patients on hemodialysis.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a Tai Chi exercise intervention on the quality of life and physical functioning in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis.

Panax ginseng Fraction F3 Extracted by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Protects against Oxidative Stress in ARPE-19 Cells.

In our previous work, the ethanolic extract of C. A. Meyer was successively partitioned using supercritical carbon dioxide at pressures in series to yield residue (R), F1, F2, and F3 fractions.

Corrigendum to "Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation Course on Learning and Cognitive Performance among University Students in Taiwan".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/254358.].

Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation Course on Learning and Cognitive Performance among University Students in Taiwan.

Mindfulness training has recently gained much research interest because of its putative benefits for both mental and physical health. However, little is available in its effects on Asian students. Therefore, a quasi-experimental pre/posttest design was used to assess the effects of a one-semester mindfulness meditation course in 152 first-year Taiwanese university students and compared with 130 controls.

Luteolin attenuates TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung cancer cells by interfering in the PI3K/Akt-NF-κB-Snail pathway.

Aims: Luteolin is a natural flavonoid that possesses a variety of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer abilities. Whether luteolin regulates the transformation ability of lung cancer cells remains unclear. The current study aims to uncover the effects and underlying mechanisms of luteolin in regulation of and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung cancer cells.

Interleukin-6 upregulates paraoxonase 1 gene expression via an AKT/NF-κB-dependent pathway.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and atherosclerosis-related inflammation. In this study, human hepatoma HepG2 cell line was used as a hepatocyte model to examine the effects of the pro-inflammatory cytokines on PON1 expression. The results showed that IL-6, but not TNF-α and IL-1β, significantly increased both the function and protein level of PON1; data from real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that the IL-6-induced PON1 expression occurred at the transcriptional level.

Antithrombin regulates matriptase activity involved in plasmin generation, syndecan shedding, and HGF activation in keratinocytes.

Matriptase, a membrane-associated serine protease, plays an essential role in epidermal barrier function through activation of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored serine protease prostasin. The matriptase-prostasin proteolytic cascade is tightly regulated by hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor (HAI)-1 such that matriptase autoactivation and prostasin activation occur simultaneously and are followed immediately by the inhibition of both enzymes by HAI-1. However, the mechanisms whereby matriptase acts on extracellular substrates remain elusive.

Gallic Acid Induces a Reactive Oxygen Species-Provoked c-Jun NH2-Terminal Kinase-Dependent Apoptosis in Lung Fibroblasts.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung disorder characterized by fibroblasts proliferation and extracellular matrix accumulation. Induction of fibroblast apoptosis therefore plays a crucial role in the resolution of this disease. Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid), a common botanic phenolic compound, has been reported to induce apoptosis in tumor cell lines and renal fibroblasts.

[Factors associated with non-utilization of mammographic screening services in middle-aged and elderly women in Taiwan].

Background: Breast cancer is currently the type of cancer with the highest annual incidence among women in Taiwan, resulting in a median age of death of 57 years. Nevertheless, the proportion of Taiwanese women with a history of mammographic screening is relatively low. The international literature associates participation in mammographic screening with factors such as age, education level, ethnicity, and previous cancer history.

Analgesic and Antiinflammatory Activities of the Aqueous Extract from Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. Both In Vitro and In Vivo.

Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. is a native Labiatae plant of Taiwan.

Luteolin ameliorates experimental lung fibrosis both in vivo and in vitro: implications for therapy of lung fibrosis.

Lonicera japonica (Caprifoliaceae) has been known as an anti-inflammatory herb in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is used constantly for upper respiratory tract infections. Luteolin, an active flavonoid compound isolated from Lonicera japonica, has a spectrum of biological activities, especially with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. However, whether luteolin has a direct inhibitory effect on lung fibrosis has not been established.

Gallic acid induces apoptosis of lung fibroblasts via a reactive oxygen species-dependent ataxia telangiectasia mutated-p53 activation pathway.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive chronic disorder characterized by the activation of fibroblasts and the overproduction of extracellular matrix. Fibroblast resistance to apoptosis leads to increased fibrosis. Targeting fibroblasts with apoptotic agents represents a major therapeutic intervention for debilitating IPF.

Honeybee venom induces calcium-dependent but caspase-independent apoptotic cell death in human melanoma A2058 cells.

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom (BV) has been reported to exhibit anticancer effects, but its mode of action at the cellular and molecular levels remains largely unknown. We found that honeybee venom induced apoptosis in human melanoma A2058 cells but not in normal skin fibroblast Detroit 551 cells. The BV-induced apoptosis was accompanied by generation of reactive oxygen species and alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential transition.

Berberine inhibits platelet-derived growth factor-induced growth and migration partly through an AMPK-dependent pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is released from vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), endothelial cells, or macrophages after percutaneous coronary intervention and is related with neointimal proliferation and restenosis. Berberine is a well-known component of the Chinese herb medicine Huanglian (Coptis chinensis), and is capable of inhibiting growth and endogenous PDGF synthesis in VSMCs after in vitro mechanical injury. We analyzed the effects of berberine on VSMC growth, migration, and signaling events after exogenous PDGF stimulation in vitro in order to mimic a post-angioplasty PDGF shedding condition.

Luteolin suppresses inflammation-associated gene expression by blocking NF-kappaB and AP-1 activation pathway in mouse alveolar macrophages.

Luteolin, a plant flavonoid, has potent anti-inflammatory properties both in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular mechanism of luteolin-mediated immune modulation has not been fully understood. In this study, we examined the effects of luteolin on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), as well as the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in mouse alveolar macrophage MH-S and peripheral macrophage RAW 264.