Using an ATR-FTIR Technique to Detect Pathogens in Patients with Urinary Tract Infections: A Pilot Study.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a leading hospital-acquired infection. Although timely detection of causative pathogens of UTIs is important, rapid and accurate measures assisting UTI diagnosis and bacterial determination are poorly developed. By reading infrared spectra of urine samples, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) may help detect urine compounds, but its role in UTI diagnosis remains uncertain.

Quantitative urinary tract infection diagnosis of leukocyte esterase with a microfluidic paper-based device.

Leukocyte esterase (LE) is a useful marker that can be used in establishing a diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The development of a UTI diagnostic method with quantitative determinations of biomarkers across all age groups is becoming more important. In this report, microfluidic resistance sensors based on silver ink (Ag ink) and silver ink mixed with ZnO nanoparticles (Ag-ZnO ink) were synthesized and coated on cellulose paper, namely LE-Ag-μPADs and LE-Ag-ZnO-μPADs, respectively, for the sensitive detection of LE.

Recent Findings on Cell-Based Therapies for COVID19-Related Pulmonary Fibrosis.

COVID-19 has spread worldwide, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy, along with its site of origin in China, since 2020. The virus was first found in the Wuhan seafood market at the end of 2019, with a controversial source. The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and respiratory tract inflammation, with some severe patients developing an acute and chronic lung injury, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Predictors of delayed extubation following lung resection: Focusing on preoperative pulmonary function and incentive spirometry.

Background: Delayed extubation is one of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Preoperative pulmonary function test (PFT) is an important assessment for patients undergoing lung resection. Volume-oriented incentive spirometry (IS) is one of physiotherapies to prevent PPCs.

Depression and recovery of IL-17A secretion in mitogen responses in patients with active tuberculosis-a prospective observational study.

Background/purpose: T-helper cell 17 (Th17) is a distinct subset of CD4+ T lymphocytes that is important in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of interleukin (IL)-17A and Th17-related cytokines after stimulation with phytohemagglutinin in patients with active tuberculosis (TB).

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled patients with culture-confirmed active TB.

Quantitative determination of leukocyte esterase with a paper-based device.

The commercially-available colorimetric urine dipstic for the early detection of urinary tract infection (UTI) has several limitations. The quantitative determination of urinary leukocyte esterase (LE) for predicting UTI remains uncertain. This study presents a paper-based analytical device to detect LE (LE-PAD) as a point-of-care quantitative test for UTI.

Post-intensive care unit respiratory failure in older patients liberated from intensive care unit and ventilator: The predictive value of the National Early Warning Score on intensive care unit discharge.

Aim: The older adult population is continuously growing worldwide and there is increasing use of medical recourse in older patients, especially for those requiring intensive care unit (ICU) care and mechanical ventilation (MV). The present study aimed to investigate the burden and predictors of post-ICU respiratory failure in older ICU patients weaned from MV.

Methods: In the present retrospective study, older ICU patients aged ≥60 years, who were successfully weaned from MV and discharged to the general ward from the ICU of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, in 2011, were included.

Non-Canonical Regulation of Type I Collagen through Promoter Binding of SOX2 and Its Contribution to Ameliorating Pulmonary Fibrosis by Butylidenephthalide.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal respiratory disease that gradually leads to dyspnea, mainly accompanied by excessive collagen production in the fibroblast and myofibroblast through mechanisms such as abnormal alveolar epithelial cells remodeling and stimulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Our results show that a small molecule, butylidenephthalide (BP), reduces type I collagen (COL1) expression in Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β)-induced lung fibroblast without altering downstream pathways of TGF-β, such as Smad phosphorylation. Treatment of BP also reduces the expression of transcription factor Sex Determining Region Y-box 2 (SOX2), and the ectopic expression of SOX2 overcomes the inhibitory actions of BP on COL1 expression.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy of Pulmonary Fibrosis: Improvement with Target Combination.

Although the clinical application of new drugs has been shown to be effective in slowing disease progression and improving the quality of life in patients with pulmonary fibrosis, the damaged lung tissue does not recover with these drugs. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish regenerative therapy, such as stem cell therapy or tissue engineering. Moreover, the clinical application of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has been shown to be safe in humans with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Levels of exhaled carbon monoxide measured during an intervention program predict 1-year smoking cessation: a retrospective observational cohort study.

Unlabelled: Life-long smoking cessation is a critical public health objective, but it is difficult for numerous people. This study aimed to identify the independent predictors of 1-year abstinence in smokers motivated to quit and participating in an intervention program. This 6-year retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in smokers who participated in an intervention program.

Isochaihulactone-induced DDIT3 causes ER stress-PERK independent apoptosis in glioblastoma multiforme cells.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a major site of cellular homeostasis regulation. Under the ER stress condition, Glioblastoma multiform (GBM) cells activate the unfolded protein response. In this study, we discovered isochaihulactone, a natural compound extracted from the Chinese traditional herb Nan-Chai-Hu, which can disrupt ER homeostasis in GBM cell lines.

The Role of Butylidenephthalide in Targeting the Microenvironment Which Contributes to Liver Fibrosis Amelioration.

The treatment of liver fibrosis has clinical limitations because of its multiple etiologies, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotion, cell regeneration and remodeling dysfunction, inflammatory cell activation, and scar tissue deposition. These factors might be considered as a new target for the fibrotic microenvironment, leading to increased fibrogenesis and liver fibrosis. Here, we investigate a small molecule named butylidenephthalide (BP) and its multiple effects on liver fibrosis treatment.

Synergistic impact of acute kidney injury and high level of cervical spinal cord injury on the weaning outcome of patients with acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.

Introduction: Respiratory neuromuscular impairment severity is known to predict weaning outcome among patients with cervical spinal cord injury; however, the impact of non-neuromuscular complications remains unexplored. This study was to evaluate possible neuromuscular and non-neuromuscular factors that may negatively impact weaning outcome.

Methods: From September 2002 to October 2012, acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury patients who had received mechanical ventilation for >48h were enrolled and divided into successful (n=54) and unsuccessful weaning groups (n=19).

Current proceedings of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a complicated disease with varying causes and outcomes. It has created significant burden to both affected families and societies, not to mention the quality of life of the patients themselves. There is no cure for the disease; therefore, development of effective therapeutic strategies is in great demand.

Tai Chi intervention increases progenitor CD34(+) cells in young adults.

Tai Chi has been shown to have many great health benefits. However, few research attempts have been made to explore the effects of practicing TCC on life span. This study provides direct evidence of Tai Chi's antiaging effects.

ADSC therapy in neurodegenerative disorders.

Neurodegenerative disorders, chronic diseases that can severely affect the patient's daily life, include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases. However, these diseases all have the common characteristic that they are due to degenerative irreversibility, and thus no efficient drugs or therapy methods can mitigate symptoms completely. Stem cell therapy, such as adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs), is a promising treatment for incurable disorders.

The use of ADSCs as a treatment for chronic stroke.

Stroke is one of the disorders for which clinically effective therapeutic modalities are most needed, and numerous ways have been explored to attempt to investigate their feasibilities. However, ischemic- or hemorrhagic-induced inflammatory neuron death causes irreversible injuries and infarction regions, and there are currently no truly effective drugs available as therapy. It is therefore urgent to be able to provide a fundamental treatment method to regenerate neuronal brain cells, and therefore, the use of stem cells for curing chronic stroke could be a major breakthrough development.

Polyglutamine (PolyQ) diseases: genetics to treatments.

The polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders caused by expanded cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats encoding a long polyQ tract in the respective proteins. To date, a total of nine polyQ disorders have been described: six spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) types 1, 2, 6, 7, 17; Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3); Huntington's disease (HD); dentatorubral pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA); and spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, X-linked 1 (SMAX1/SBMA). PolyQ diseases are characterized by the pathological expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeat in the translated region of unrelated genes.

The possible role of stem cells in acupuncture treatment for neurodegenerative diseases: a literature review of basic studies.

This review reports on recent findings concerning the effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA) on stem cell mobilization and differentiation, in particular with regard to neurogenesis. Traditional Chinese acupuncture has a history of over 2,500 years and is becoming more popular worldwide. Evidence has demonstrated that acupuncture may be of benefit in stroke rehabilitation, parkinsonism, dementia, and depression.

Brain tumor senescence might be mediated by downregulation of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 via butylidenephthalide leading to decreased cell viability.

Developing an effective drug for treating human glioblastoma multiform (GBM) has been investigated persistently. A pure compound butylidenephthalide (BP), isolated from Angelica sinensis, has been shown the activities to arrest the growth and initiate apoptosis of GBM in our previous reports. In this study, we further demonstrated that BP treatment accelerates the cell senescence in a dose-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo.

Impact and predictors of prolonged chest tube duration in mechanically ventilated patients with acquired pneumothorax.

Background: Prolonged chest tube duration is less well studied in patients who are supported by mechanical ventilation and have acquired pneumothorax. We investigated the impact of prolonged chest tube duration on patient outcomes and the risk factors associated with prolonged chest tube duration.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included 106 ventilated subjects who had been treated with thoracostomy for pneumothorax between May 2004 and December 2011.

Butylidenephthalide suppresses human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in human glioblastomas.

Background: Telomerase is widely expressed in most human cancers, but is almost undetectable in normal somatic cells and is therefore a potential drug target. Using the human telomerase promoter platform, the naturally occurring compound butylidenephthalide (BP) was selected for subsequent investigation of antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: We treated human glioblastoma cells with BP and found a dose-dependent decrease in human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA expression and a concomitant increase in p16 and p21 expression.

Overexpression of the orphan receptor Nur77 and its translocation induced by PCH4 may inhibit malignant glioma cell growth and induce cell apoptosis.

Background: In previous study, n-butylidenephthalide (BP), a natural compound from Angelica sinensis, has anti-glioblastoma multiform (GBM) cell effects. In this study, we modified BP structure to increase anti-GBM cell effects. The anti-GBM cell effects of one derivative of BP, (Z)-N-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-2-(3-((3-oxoisobenzofuran-1(3H)-ylidene)methyl)phenoxy)acetamide (PCH4) were tested in vitro and in vivo.

Expression of Nur77 induced by an n-butylidenephthalide derivative promotes apoptosis and inhibits cell growth in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

In spite of numerous advances, the 5-year survival rate for head and neck squamous cell cancer has remained largely stagnant and few new anti-tumor drugs have been developed. PCH4, a derivative of n-butylidenephthalide, has been investigated for its anti-tumor effects on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-tumor mechanism of a potential target gene, Nur77, in OSCC cells, which can be induced by PCH4 treatment.