Hepatitis C virus-free endoscope procedures project: An in-hospital elimination approach.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in the care cascades for patients receiving invasive procedures remains elusive. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of HCV-free Endoscope Procedures Project (CEPP) in the effort toward hospital HCV micro-elimination in Taiwan. An electronic medical record (EMR)-based remind system was introduced into gastrointestinal, surgical, urological, and gynecological departments prior to the endoscopy procedures.

Heat-Killed subsp. 557 Extracts Protect Chondrocytes from Osteoarthritis Damage by Reducing Inflammation: An In Vitro Study.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition characterized by joint pain and disability, driven by excessive oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine production in chondrocytes, resulting in cell death and cartilage matrix breakdown. Our previous study showed that in monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA rats, oral administration of heat-killed subsp. 557 (LDL557) could significantly decrease OA progression.

The Oral Administration of subsp. 557 (LDL557) Ameliorates the Progression of Monosodium Iodoacetate-Induced Osteoarthritis.

Low-grade body inflammation is a major cause of osteoarthritis (OA), a common joint disease. Gut dysbiosis may lead to systemic inflammation which can be prevented by probiotic administration. The subsp.

S-Equol Ameliorates Menopausal Osteoarthritis in Rats through Reducing Oxidative Stress and Cartilage Degradation.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease leading to articular cartilage destruction. Menopausal and postmenopausal women are susceptible to both OA and osteoporosis. S-equol, a soy isoflavone-derived molecule, is known to reduce osteoporosis in estrogen-deficient mice, but its role in OA remains unknown.

Evaluating the Therapeutic Effect of Hispidin on Prostate Cancer Cells.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the primary treatment for advanced prostate cancer (PCa). However, prolonged ADT inevitably results in therapy resistance with the emergence of the castration-resistant PCa phenotype (CRPC). Hence, there is an urgent need to explore new treatment options capable of delaying PCa progression.

Anisotropy component of DTI reveals long-term neuroinflammation following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in rats.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI) with varying inter-injury intervals by measuring diffusion tensor metrics, including mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), and diffusion magnitude (L) and pure anisotropy (q).

Methods: Eighteen rats were randomly divided into three groups: short-interval rmTBI (n = 6), long-interval rmTBI (n = 6), and sham controls (n = 6). MD, FA, L, and q values were analyzed from longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging at days 50 and 90 after rmTBI.

Parylene Double-Layer Coated Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode for Label-Free and Reagentless Capacitive Aptasensing of Gliadin.

Celiac patients are required to strictly adhere to a gluten-free diet because even trace amounts of gluten can damage their small intestine and leading to serious complications. Despite increased awareness, gluten can still be present in products due to cross-contamination or hidden ingredients, making regular monitoring essential. With the goal of guaranteeing food safety for consuming labeled gluten-free products, a capacitive aptasensor was constructed to target gliadin, the main allergic gluten protein for celiac disease.

Brain clearance is reduced during sleep and anesthesia.

It has been suggested that the function of sleep is to actively clear metabolites and toxins from the brain. Enhanced clearance is also said to occur during anesthesia. Here, we measure clearance and movement of fluorescent molecules in the brains of male mice and show that movement is, in fact, independent of sleep and wake or anesthesia.

Nitrocellulose/acrylic resin coated screen-printed carbon electrode to construct a capacitive immunosensor for anti-BSA.

The capacitive immunosensor, known for its label-free simplicity, has great potential for point-of-care diagnostics. However, the interaction between insulation and recognition layers on the sensing electrode greatly affects its performance. This study introduces a pioneering dual-layer strategy, implementing a novel combination of acrylic resin (AR) and nitrocellulose (NC) coatings on screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs).

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Traditional Chinese Version of the VISA-P Questionnaire.

Background: The Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Patella (VISA-P) questionnaire is a widely accepted instrument for measuring the severity of symptoms and pain in patients having sustained patellar tendinopathy.

Purpose: To adapt the VISA-P questionnaire cross-culturally to a traditional Chinese version (VISA-P-Ch) and validate its psychometric properties.

Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.

: a computer vision program to evaluate strain in flexible crystals.

The program (flexural ɛ for xtals) has been developed for a quick, easy and accurate evaluation of the maximum deformation reached in flexible crystals from a simple optical microscope picture. The program takes advantage of computer vision libraries to find the contours of a bent crystal and fit these to semicircles. It can then calculate the theoretical maximum deformation along its long axis using equations from the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory.

Effects of down-regulated carbonic anhydrase 8 on cell survival and glucose metabolism in human colorectal cancer cell lines.

Carbonic anhydrase 8 (CA8) is a member of the α-carbonic anhydrase family but does not catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. In the present study, we examined the effects of CA8 on two human colon cancer cell lines, SW480 and SW620, by suppressing CA8 expression through shRNA knockdown. Our results showed that knockdown of CA8 decreased cell growth and cell mobility in SW620 cells, but not in SW480 cells.

Enhancing the Spermidine Synthase-Based Polyamine Biosynthetic Pathway to Boost Rapid Growth in Marine Diatom .

Diatoms, efficient carbon capture organisms, contribute to 20% of global carbon fixation and 40% of ocean primary productivity, garnering significant attention to their growth. Despite their significance, the synthesis mechanism of polyamines (PAs), especially spermidine (Spd), which are crucial for growth in various organisms, remains unexplored in diatoms. This study reveals the vital role of Spd, synthesized through the spermidine synthase (SDS)-based pathway, in the growth of the diatom .

Selenium Lessens Osteoarthritis by Protecting Articular Chondrocytes from Oxidative Damage through Nrf2 and NF-κB Pathways.

Osteoarthritis (OA) causes joint pain and disability due to the abnormal production of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in chondrocytes, leading to cell death and cartilage matrix destruction. Selenium (Se) intake can protect cells against oxidative damage. It is still unknown whether Se supplementation is beneficial for OA.

Efficacy of Adjuvant Sublingual Immunotherapy After Septomeatoplasty.

Background: The efficacy of adjuvant sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in correcting structural problems in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) caused by mite who have undergone septomeatoplasty (SMP) has not been studied.

Methods: This non-randomized controlled study recruited patients with AR (caused by mite) and concurrent septal deviation and inferior turbinate hypertrophy, at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan. SMP was performed on all patients as a surgical intervention.

Development of validated sandwich ELISA for detecting peanut allergen Ara h 3 in food.

Peanut is an important food that can cause food allergies, often leading to moderate and severe allergic symptoms such as skin rashes, asthma, and even anaphylactic shock.Research indicates that Ara h 3 is one of the major peanut allergen. In order to establish a simple analytical method for detecting Ara h 3, we developed a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with antibodies that were induced from purified Ara h 3.

Clinical feature-based diagnosis criteria of eosinophil and non-eosinophil chronic rhinosinusitis in Taiwan.

Background: The prevalence of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) has increased in Taiwan with a higher recurrence rate of nasal polyps after surgery. Therefore, we aimed to formulate the pre-operative diagnostic criteria for patients with ECRS in Taiwan.

Methods: This case-control study included patients diagnosed with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan.

Higher cumulative dose of topical corticosteroids is associated with osteoporosis and major osteoporotic fracture: A nationwide case-control study.

Background: Connections between long-term use of topical corticosteroids (TCSs) of varying potency and osteoporosis and major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) are unclear. Susceptibility to adverse bone effects of TCSs in different sex, age and ethnic groups is unknown too.

Objectives: To demonstrate the association between cumulative dose of TCSs of varying potency and osteoporosis and MOF in Taiwanese population, with stratified analysis of sex and age.

Tenon excision with fibrin glue-assisted reattachment of conjunctiva flap (T.E.F.A.R.C) for the treatment of conjunctivochalasis.

To observe the surgical outcome of "Tenon Excision with Fibrin Glue-Assisted Reattachment of Conjunctiva Flap" (T.E.F.

Somatostatin neurons in prefrontal cortex initiate sleep-preparatory behavior and sleep via the preoptic and lateral hypothalamus.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) enables mammals to respond to situations, including internal states, with appropriate actions. One such internal state could be 'tiredness'. Here, using activity tagging in the mouse PFC, we identified particularly excitable, fast-spiking, somatostatin-expressing, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (PFC) cells that responded to sleep deprivation.

Determination of o-phthalaldehyde for dose verification of the clinical disinfectant by fluorescent sequential injection analysis.

A new automated, generic analytical approach for determining the clinical disinfectant o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) is reported in this study. The proposed sequential injection analysis (SIA) is based on the online reaction of the OPA with glycine/N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in a neutral medium (pH = 7.0) to form a highly fluorescent isoindole derivative.

Development of advanced photon calibrator for Kamioka gravitational wave detector (KAGRA).

The Kamioka Gravitational wave detector (KAGRA) cryogenic gravitational-wave observatory has commenced joint observations with the worldwide gravitational wave detector network. Precise calibration of the detector response is essential for accurately estimating parameters of gravitational wave sources. A photon calibrator is a crucial calibration tool used in laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory, Virgo, and KAGRA, and it was utilized in joint observation 3 with GEO600 in Germany in April 2020.

Bacteriology of Different Phenotypes of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Objectives: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) reduces the health-related quality of life and subsequently causes a tremendous socio-economic impact. Although many studies have been conducted, few have identified a relationship between bacteriological characteristics and different phenotypes or endotypes. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the recent trends in bacterial cultures from different types of CRS in the Asian population.

Spatial transcriptomics stratifies psoriatic disease severity by emergent cellular ecosystems.

Whereas the cellular and molecular features of human inflammatory skin diseases are well characterized, their tissue context and systemic impact remain poorly understood. We thus profiled human psoriasis (PsO) as a prototypic immune-mediated condition with a high predilection for extracutaneous involvement. Spatial transcriptomics (ST) analyses of 25 healthy, active lesion, and clinically uninvolved skin biopsies and integration with public single-cell transcriptomics data revealed marked differences in immune microniches between healthy and inflamed skin.