Long-term predictive models of risk factors for early chronic kidney disease: a longitudinal study.

Background: The high incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Taiwan have produced tremendous burdens on health care resources. The work environment of air force special operations personnel engenders high psychological stress, and the resulting increased blood pressure can lead to glomerular hypertension and accelerated glomerular injury in the long term. The aim of the study was to establish the predictive models to define the predictors of CKD.

Clinical stage and risk of recurrence and mortality: interaction of DNA methylation factors in patients with colorectal cancer.

Aberrant DNA methylation plays a crucial role in cancer development; however, prospective evidence of an interaction between molecular biomarkers and cancer staging for predicting the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is still limited. We examined DNA methylation in tumors and adjacent normal tissues from patients who underwent CRC surgical resection, and evaluated the interaction between cancer staging (advanced vs local) and DNA methylation to predict the prognosis of CRC. We recruited 132 patients with CRC from Tri-Service General Hospital in Taiwan and used the candidate gene approach to select 3 tumor suppressor genes involved in carcinogenesis pathways.

MOLECULAR DETECTION OF HUMAN BOCAVIRUS 1 AND 2 IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS IN TAIWAN.

Human bocaviruses (HBoVs) have been detected in human gastrointestinal infections worldwide. Although HBoV global prevalence and strains diversity have been reported, but epidemiological data from Taiwan is largely unavailable to date. A total of 110 fecal samples from stools of diarrheic children at a general hospital, Taiwan, obtained from August 2012 to July 2013, were analyzed by nested PCR targeting a partial fragment (576 bp) of HBoV VP1/VP2 gene, which revealed 4 positive fecal samples.

Mevalonate Pathway Antagonist Suppresses Formation of Serous Tubal Intraepithelial Carcinoma and Ovarian Carcinoma in Mouse Models.

Purpose: Statins are among the most frequently prescribed drugs because of their efficacy and low toxicity in treating hypercholesterolemia. Recently, statins have been reported to inhibit the proliferative activity of cancer cells, especially those with TP53 mutations. Because TP53 mutations occur in almost all ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), we determined whether statins suppressed tumor growth in animal models of ovarian cancer.

DNA methylation combinations in adjacent normal colon tissue predict cancer recurrence: evidence from a clinical cohort study.

Accumulating evidence has suggested the requirement for further stratification of patients in the same tumor stage according to molecular factors. We evaluate the combination of cancer stage and DNA methylation status as an indicator of the risk of recurrence and mortality among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). A cohort study of 215 patients with CRC (mean age 64.

Turmeric improves post-prandial working memory in pre-diabetes independent of insulin.

Background And Objectives: Cognitive impairment develops with pre-diabetes and dementia is a complication of diabetes. Natural products like turmeric and cinnamon may ameliorate the underlying pathogenesis.

Methods: People ≥ 60 years (n=48) with newly-recognised untreated pre-diabetes were randomised to a double-blind metabolic study of placebo, turmeric (1 g), cinnamon (2 g) or both (1 g & 2 g respectively), ingested at a white bread (119 g) breakfast.

Elevated uric acid level as a significant predictor of chronic kidney disease: a cohort study with repeated measurements.

Background: Cohort studies evaluating increased serum uric acid (SUA) level as a chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk factor have yielded variable results. We aimed to assess the association between the pattern of longitudinal changes in SUA and incident CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)].

Predictive value of serum apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio in metabolic syndrome risk: a Chinese cohort study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I (apoB/apoA-I) ratio is a promising risk predictor of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and to determine the optimal cut-off value of this ratio in detecting subjects with MetS in a Chinese population. A prospective study was conducted using a representative sample of non-institutionized people in Taiwan. A total of 3,343 participants with mean age (±SD) of 39.

Predicting the progress of colon cancer by DNA methylation markers of the p16 gene in feces - Evidence from an animal model.

A new noninvasive screening tool for colorectal neoplasia detects epigenetic alterations exhibited by gastrointestinal tumor cells shed into stool. There is insufficient existing data to determine temporal associations between colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and aberrant DNA methylation. To evaluate the feasibility of using fecal DNA methylation status to determine CRC progression, we collected stool samples from 14 male SD rats aged six weeks, and administered subcutaneous injections of either 1,2-dimethylhydrazine or saline weekly.