Publications by authors named "Kuan Hung Chen"

We examined whether combined exogenous mitochondria (Ex) and cellular prion protein overexpression (Ove-PrP) in adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (Ove-PrP in ADMSCs) therapy is superior to a single therapy for protecting the brain against intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. In vitro, compared with the control group, Ex transfusion into recipient cells (i.e.

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Background: Both the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) can be influenced by physical training and are associated with body composition and aerobic capacity. Although a correlation between the two is expected, this relationship has not been explored. Our hypothesis is that a higher BMR is correlated with lower EPOC.

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  • The study examined the effects of ceftriaxone and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) on protecting the spinal cord from acute spinal infection (ASI) in rats.
  • Results showed that the combination treatment of ceftriaxone and ADMSCs led to significantly lower inflammatory markers and bacterial counts compared to the individual treatments, indicating better inflammation control and tissue preservation.
  • By day 28, the combination therapy demonstrated superior results in protecting vertebral bone and spinal cord integrity compared to each treatment alone, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for ASI.
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  • A phase II randomized controlled trial investigated the safety and potential benefits of intracarotid arterial administration (ICAA) of autologous CD34+ cells in patients recovering from acute ischemic stroke (IS) within 14 ± 7 days after the event.
  • Out of 28 patients, those in the cell-treated group showed significant improvement in angiogenesis and better overall recovery scores compared to a control group that received only standard medical therapy.
  • The treatment was found to be 100% safe without any long-term complications, suggesting that ICAA of CD34+ cells could be an effective option for enhancing recovery after IS.
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Growing an ultrathin hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite film while maintaining high efficiency and addressing photostability challenges for commercial devices remains a significant hurdle. In this study, we explore the incorporation of organometallic copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and (a previously published spiro-based interfacial material for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), featuring an ortho-oriented carbazole donor) as an addition to the hole-transporting layer (HTL) in all-vacuum-deposited CsFAPb(IBr) PSCs. By innovatively introducing a 3 nm-thin layer at the CuPc-perovskite interface, we achieve a deeper understanding of the crystallographic dynamics of perovskites, resulting in a uniform and pinhole-free film.

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  • - This study explores using the C1 nerve root as a key surgical guide for identifying the shunting point of craniocervical junction spinal dural arteriovenous fistulas (CCJ-SDAVF) during surgery, based on data from 7 patients treated from January 2017 to June 2023.
  • - Of the 7 patients, most (71.4%) were male, and all showed complete obliteration of the CCJ-SDAVFs post-surgery, with follow-up assessments revealing no recurrences within two years.
  • - The findings suggest that interrupting CCJ-SDAVFs surgically yields high success rates and good functional recovery for most patients, emphasizing the importance of identifying the C1 nerve
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This study tested the hypothesis that empagliflozin (EMPA) therapy effectively protected renal and heart functions via downregulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activating AMPK signaling in cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) (induced by doxorubicin-5/6 nephrectomy) rats. In vitro result showed that underwent p-Cresol treatment, the H9C2/NRK-52E cell viabilities, were significantly suppressed, whereas cellular levels of ROS and early/late apoptosis of these cells were significantly increased that were significantly reversed by EMPA treatment (all p < 0.001).

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Background: This study investigates whether phloretin, a brain-edema inhibitor, can enhance the therapeutic effects of human-derived platelet-rich plasma (hPRP) in reducing brain hemorrhagic volume (BHV) and preserving neurological function in rodents following acute traumatic brain damage (TBD)

Methods: Forty rats were divided into five groups: sham-control, TBD, TBD + phloretin (80 mg/kg/dose intraperitoneally at 30 minutes and on days 2/3 post-TBD), TBD + hPRP (80μL by left intra-carotid-artery injection at 3 hours post-TBD), and TBD + phloretin + hPRP. Cerebral tissues were harvested on day 28 post-TBD for analysis.

Results: Brain MRI on day 28 showed the lowest BHV in the sham-control group and the highest in the TBD group.

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The insufficient availability and activity of interfacial water remain a major challenge for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we propose an "on-site disruption and near-site compensation" strategy to reform the interfacial water hydrogen bonding network via deliberate cation penetration and catalyst support engineering. This concept is validated using tip-like bimetallic RuNi nanoalloys planted on super-hydrophilic and high-curvature carbon nanocages (RuNi/NC).

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Nociceptors are key sensory receptors that transmit warning signals to the central nervous system in response to painful stimuli. This fundamental process is emulated in an electronic device by developing a novel artificial nociceptor with an ultrathin, nonstoichiometric gallium oxide (GaO)-silicon oxide heterostructure. A large-area 2D-GaO film is printed on a substrate through liquid metal printing to facilitate the production of conductive filaments.

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Heart failure remains the leading cause of human death worldwide. After a heart attack, the formation of scar tissue due to the massive death of cardiomyocytes leads to heart failure and sudden death in most cases. In addition, the regenerative ability of the adult heart is limited after injury, partly due to cell-cycle arrest in cardiomyocytes.

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Background: We examined the impact of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC)-facilitated empagliflozin (EMPA) therapy for alleviating hyperglycemic induced neuropathy [i.e., diabetic neuropathy (DN)].

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Background: Programmable valve (PV) has been shown as a solution to the high revision rate in pediatric hydrocephalus patients, but it remains controversial among adults. This study is to compare the overall revision rate, revision cause, and revision-free survival between PV and non-programmable valve (NPV) in adult patients with different hydrocephalus etiologies.

Method: We reviewed the chart of all patients with hydrocephalus receiving index ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt operations conducted at a single institution from January 2017 to December 2017.

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  • The prognosis for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is poor due to its challenging tumor microenvironment, leading to the development of a new targeted treatment using β-glucans-functionalized zinc-doxorubicin nanoparticles (βGlus-ZnD NPs).
  • The nanoparticles can be taken orally, effectively targeting and passing through intestinal barriers to reach the tumor tissue by utilizing macrophages to transport them through the body.
  • This treatment not only delivers the drug to the tumor but also activates the macrophages to modify the tumor microenvironment and recruit immune cells, enhancing tumor cell death and reducing metastasis when combined with immune checkpoint blockade.
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Rapid and sensitive diagnostics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is of utmost importance to control the widespread coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) upsurge. This study demonstrated a novel one-pot surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based immunoassay to detect SARS-CoV-2, without any washing process using a portable Raman spectrometer. The SERS-immune assay was designed using a regular digital versatile disk (DVD) substrate integrated with Raman reporter labeled silver nanoparticles for double clamping effects.

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In this work, the ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) indium oxide (InO) with a large area of more than 100 μm and a high degree of uniformity was automatically peeled off from indium by the liquid-metal printing technique. Raman and optical measurements revealed that 2D-InO has a polycrystalline cubic structure. By altering the printing temperature which affects the crystallinity of 2D-InO, the mechanism of the existence and disappearance of memristive characteristics was established.

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Vascularized composite allotransplantation has great potential in face transplantation by supporting functional restoration following tissue grafting. However, the need for lifelong administration of immunosuppressive drugs still limits its wide use. Modified mRNA (modRNA) technology provides an efficient and safe method to directly produce protein .

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Vascularized composite allotransplantation is an emerging strategy for the reconstruction of unique defects such as amputated limbs that cannot be repaired with autologous tissues. In order to ensure the function of transplanted limbs, the functional recovery of the anastomosed peripheral nerves must be confirmed. The immunosuppressive drug, tacrolimus, has been reported to promote nerve recovery in animal models.

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This study tested whether combined hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and allogenic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) would be superior to either one for improving the locomotor recovery in rat after acute traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in rat. Adult-male Sprague-Dawley rats were equally categorized into group 1 (sham-operated control), group 2 (TSCI), group 3 (TSCI + HBO for 1.5 h/day for 14 consecutive days after TSCI), group 4 (TSCI + ADMSCs/1.

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This study investigated the hypothesis that probiotics enhanced the therapeutic effect of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) on alleviating neuropathic pain (NP) due to chronic constriction injury (CCI) mainly through regulating the microbiota in rats. SD rats (n = 50) were categorized into group 1 (sham-control), group 2 (NP), group 3 (NP + probiotics (i.e.

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We previously developed chicken interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mutants as single-dose adjuvants that induce protective immunity when co-administered with an avian vaccine. However, livestock such as pigs may require a vaccine adjuvant delivery system that provides long-lasting protection to reduce the need for successive booster doses. Therefore, we developed chitosan-coated alginate microparticles as a carrier for bovine serum albumin (BSA) or porcine IL-1β (pIL-1β) and assessed their physical, chemical, and biological properties.

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Activated effector T cells (Teff) and/or compromised regulatory T cells (Treg) underlie many chronic inflammatory diseases. We discovered a novel pathway to regulate survival and expansion of Teff without compromising Treg survival and a potential therapeutic to treat these diseases. We found dimethylguanidino valeric acid (DMGV) as a rheostat for Teff survival: while cell-intrinsic DMGV generated by Alanine-Glyoxylate Aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2) is essential for survival and expansion by inducing mitochondrial ROS and regulation of glycolysis, an excessive (or exogenous) DMGV level inhibits activated Teff survival, thereby the AGXT2-DMGV-ROS axis functioning as a switch to turn on and off Teff expansion.

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The transformation of low-toxicity precursors into a chemotherapeutic agent at a tumor site to enhance the efficacy of its treatment has long been an elusive goal. In this work, a zinc-based zeolitic imidazolate framework that incorporates pharmaceutically acceptable precursors is prepared as a nanoreactor (NR) system for the localized synthesis of an antitumor drug. The as-prepared NRs are administered intratumorally in a tumor-bearing mouse model and then irradiated with ultrasound (US) to activate the chemical synthesis.

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Background: This study tested whether two doses of human umbilical-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) were superior to one dose for protecting the brain against intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) induced by intracranial injection collagenase and the capacity of ironic-magnetic-nanoparticles (Ir-MNa) coated hUC-MSCs tracked by MRI.

Methods And Results: Adult male SD rats (n = 40) were equally categorized into group 1 (sham-operated-control), group 2 (ICH), group 3 [ICH + Ir-MNa-coated hUC-MSCs/1.2 × 10 cells with an extracorporeal magnet over rat head (eCMag)/administered by left internal carotid artery (LICA) at post-3 h ICH], and group 4 (ICH + Ir-MNa-coated hUC-MSCs/1.

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