Simultaneous probing of transcription, G-quadruplex, and R-loop.

DNA and RNA can form various non-canonical secondary structures, including G-quadruplex (G4) and R-loops. These structures are considered transcriptional regulatory elements due to their enrichment at regulatory regions. During transcription, G-rich sequences in the non-template strand promote R-loop formation in the DNA template strand.

Fructose intake, endogenous biomarkers and latent metabolic construct in adolescents: Exploring path associations and mediating effects.

Background: Uric acid (UA) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) are endogenous biomarkers implicated in metabolic disorders and dysfunction.

Objectives: To investigate the structural associations between sugar-sweetened beverage intake (SSB), UA, HOMA-IR and adolescent latent MetS construct (MetsC) representing paediatric metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: A population-based representative adolescent cohort (n = 1454) was evaluated for risk profiles of MetS.

The molecular mechanism for TERRA recruitment and annealing to telomeres.

Telomeric repeat containing RNA (TERRA) is a noncoding RNA that is transcribed from telomeres. Previous study showed that TERRA trans anneals by invading into the telomeric duplex to form an R-loop in mammalian cells. Here, we elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying TERRA recruitment and invasion into telomeres in the context of shelterin proteins, RAD51 and RNase H using single molecule (sm) assays.

Development of a Predictive Model for Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Older Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are highly susceptible to adverse drug reactions due to age-related physiological changes and the presence of multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs).

Objective: This study aimed to develop a predictive model to identify the use of PIMs in older patients with CVD.

Methods: Data from 2012 to 2021 from the Changhua Christian Hospital Clinical Research Database (CCHRD) and the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital Research Database (KMUHRD) were analyzed.

Medical home healthcare services in Taiwan, 2013-2020.

Taiwan has implemented a Medical Home Healthcare (MHHC) policy to provide home healthcare services to residents in need. First was the Ordinary Medical Home Healthcare (OMHHC) program in 1997 and then expanded to Integrated Medical Home Healthcare (IMHHC) in 2016. The OMHHC is provided care for residents with tubes at home or in institutions by physicians and nurses, and the IMHHC include additional professions, such as pharmacists and dentists.

5'UTR G-quadruplex structure enhances translation in size dependent manner.

Translation initiation in bacteria is frequently regulated by various structures in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). Previously, we demonstrated that G-quadruplex (G4) formation in non-template DNA enhances transcription. In this study, we aim to explore how G4 formation in mRNA (RG4) at 5'UTR impacts translation using a T7-based in vitro translation system and in E.

PLI-Based Connectivity in Resting-EEG is a Robust and Generalizable Feature for Detecting MCI and AD: A Validation on a Diverse Multisite Clinical Dataset.

The high prevalence rate of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been a serious public health threat to the modern society. Recently, many studies have demonstrated the potential of using non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) and machine learning to assist the diagnosis of AD/MCI. However, the majority of these research recorded EEG signals from a single center, leading to significant concerns regarding the generalizability of the findings in clinical settings.

5'UTR G-quadruplex structure enhances translation in size dependent manner.

Translation initiation in bacteria is frequently regulated by various structures in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). Previously, we demonstrated that G-quadruplex (G4) formation in non-template DNA enhances transcription. In this study, we aimed to explore how G4 formation in mRNA (RG4) at 5'UTR impacts translation using a T7-based in vitro translation system and in We showed that RG4 strongly promotes translation efficiency in a size-dependent manner.

Linking metabolic syndrome with low bone mass through insights from BMI and health behaviors.

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS), and bone density in a 30- to 50-year-old Taiwanese population, and to explore the combined effects of BMI and health behaviors on this association. A total of 52,912 individuals aged 30-50 years from the Taiwan Biobank were included in this cross-sectional study. Bone density status was assessed using quantitative ultrasound (QUS).

Exposure to bisphenol A associated with multiple health-related outcomes in humans: An umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic endocrine disruptor, is widely distributed in the environment, and the effects of BPA exposure on human health outcomes are a critical issue. The objective of this study was to perform an umbrella review of published meta-analyses investigating the associations between BPA exposure and human-related health outcomes. The relevant reports were searched from three electronic databases from inception to July 12, 2023 including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Embase.

Effect of a novel telehealth device for dietary cognitive behavioral intervention in overweight or obesity care.

Obesity has become a major public health issue which relate to numerous physical problems and highly comorbid with depression and anxiety. Recently, some studies of technology-based interventions for weight reduction emerged to overcome the barriers from time, cost and distance. Mood component and eating behavior related to obesity are less discussed so far with technology-based intervention though.

Circulating Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Severity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

(1) Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major global health concern. The increasing prevalence of NAFLD has been related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). However, the relationship between short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and NAFLD severity is ambiguous in T2D subjects.

Real-world evidence of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic osteomyelitis.

Background: The effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy for chronic osteomyelitis remains inconclusive. In particular, recent studies have shown that chronic osteomyelitis is a crucial risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, the preventive effect of HBO on cardiovascular events has not been reported in patients with chronic osteomyelitis.

Affective Computing Based on Morphological Features of Photoplethysmography for Patients with Hypertension.

Negative and positive emotions are the risk and protective factors for the cause and prognosis of hypertension. This study aimed to use five photoplethysmography (PPG) waveform indices and affective computing (AC) to discriminate the emotional states in patients with hypertension. Forty-three patients with essential hypertension were measured for blood pressure and PPG signals under baseline and four emotional conditions (neutral, anger, happiness, and sadness), and the PPG signals were transformed into the mean standard deviation of five PPG waveform indices.

Engineered helicase replaces thermocycler in DNA amplification while retaining desired PCR characteristics.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is an essential method in molecular diagnostics and life sciences. PCR requires thermal cycling for heating the DNA for strand separation and cooling it for replication. The process uses a specialized hardware and exposes biomolecules to temperatures above 95 °C.

The Dynamic Properties at Elevated Temperature of the Thermoplastic Polystyrene Matrix Modified with Nano-Alumina Powder and Thermoplastic Elastomer.

The performance improvement of advanced electronic packaging material is an important topic to meet the stringent demands of modern semiconductor devices. This paper studies the incorporation of nano-alumina powder and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) into thermoplastic polystyrene matrix to tune the thermal and mechanical properties after injection molding process. In the sample preparation, acetone was employed as a solvent to avoid the powder escape into surrounding during the mechanical mixing in a twin-screw mixer.

Effects of Betel-Quid-Related Symptoms, Pathological Behaviors, and Use Disorder on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Risk.

The neuroactive alkaloids in betel quid (BQ) can induce BQ addiction. We conducted a case-control study to investigate the effects of BQ-associated symptoms, pathological behaviors, and BQ use disorder (BUD) on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) risk. A total of 233 patients with newly diagnosed and histopathologically confirmed OSCC and 301 sex- and age-matched controls were included.

Breast cancer incidence in a national cohort of female workers exposed to special health hazards in Taiwan: a retrospective case-cohort study of ~ 300,000 occupational records spanning 20 years.

Objective: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. In Taiwan, workers exposed to any of 31 hazardous chemicals or carcinogens in the work environment are designated as especially exposed workers (EEWs) by Taiwan's Ministry of Labor. We assessed the risk of breast cancer in this nationwide female EEW cohort.

Multilevel Understanding of the Impact of Individual- and School-Level Determinants on Lipid Profiles in Adolescents: The Cross-Level Interaction of Food Environment and Body Mass Index.

Adolescents with comparable personal risk factors may have different lipid profiles because of the school’s context. Lipid determinants in adolescents should be considered using a multilevel perspective. This multilevel study investigated the effects of individual-level and school-level factors on lipid profiles in adolescents and evaluated the cross-level influence of lipid determinants.

Stability and Transformation of Metabolic Syndrome in Adolescents: A Prospective Assessment in Relation to the Change of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors.

Underlying pathophysiological mechanisms drive excessive clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors, causing metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS status may transform as adolescents transition to young adulthood. This study investigated the latent clustering structure and its stability for MetS during adolescence, and assessed the anthropometric and clinical metabolic determinants for MetS transformation.

The Effect of Heat Treatment on the Corrosion Resistance of Fe-Based Amorphous Alloy Coating Prepared by High Velocity Oxygen Fuel Method.

In this study, FeCrMoCB amorphous coatings were prepared using high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) technology. Different temperatures were used in the heat treatment (600 °C, 650 °C, and 700 °C) and the annealed coatings were analyzed by DSC, SEM, TEM, and XRD. XRD and DSC results showed that the coating started to form a crystalline structure after annealing at 650 °C.

Polypharmacy Is Significantly and Positively Associated with the Frailty Status Assessed Using the 5-Item FRAIL Scale, Cardiovascular Health Phenotypic Classification of Frailty Index, and Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Scale.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between frailty and polypharmacy using three different frailty screening tools. This was a cross-sectional study of people aged ≥65 years. Participants were included and interviewed using questionnaires.

Identifying Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Working Memory-Induced Intra-Subject Variability of Resting-State EEGs.

Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at high risk of developing into dementia (e. g., Alzheimer's disease, AD).

Probing steps in DNA transcription using single-molecule methods.

Transcriptional regulation is one of the key steps in determining gene expression. Diverse single-molecule techniques have been applied to characterize the stepwise progression of transcription, yielding complementary results. These techniques include, but are not limited to, fluorescence-based microscopy with single or multiple colors, force measuring and manipulating microscopy using magnetic field or light, and atomic force microscopy.

Improvement Prediction on the Dynamic Performance of Epoxy Composite Used in Packaging by Using Nano-Particle Reinforcements in Addition to 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate Toughener.

Epoxy with low viscosity and good fluidity before curing has been widely applied in the packaging of electronic and electrical devices. Nevertheless, its low flexibility and toughness renders the requirement of property improvement before it can be widely acceptable in dynamic loading applications. This study investigates the possible use of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) toughening agent and nano-powders, such as alumina, silicon dioxide, and carbon black, to form epoxy composites for dynamic property improvement.