Publications by authors named "Li-Ru Chen"

Myasthenia gravis (MG) presents with symptoms that significantly affect patients' daily lives. Long-term MG therapies may lead to substantial side effects, predominantly due to prolonged immune suppression. Sirt6, which plays a vital role in maintaining cellular homeostasis and is recognised for its involvement in cytokine production in immune cells, has not yet been explored in relation to MG.

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Primary osteoporosis is closely linked to hormone deficiency, which disrupts the balance of bone remodeling. It affects postmenopausal women but also significantly impacts older men. Estrogen can promote the production of osteoprotegerin, a decoy receptor for RANKL, thereby preventing RANKL from activating osteoclasts.

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The multifaceted role of hyaluronic acid (HA) across diverse biomedical disciplines underscores its versatility in tissue regeneration and repair. HA hydrogels employ different crosslinking including chemical (chitosan, collagen), photo- initiation (riboflavin, LAP), enzymatic (HRP/H2O2), and physical interactions (hydrogen bonds, metal coordination). In biophysics and biochemistry, HA's signaling pathways, primarily through CD44 and RHAMM receptors, modulate cell behavior (cell migration; internalization of HA), inflammation, and wound healing.

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Osteoporosis resulting from an imbalance of bone turnover between resorption and formation is a critical health issue worldwide. Estrogen deficiency following a nature aging process is the leading cause of hormone-related osteoporosis for postmenopausal women, while glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis remains the most common in drug-induced osteoporosis. Other medications and medical conditions related to secondary osteoporosis include proton pump inhibitors, hypogonadism, selective serotonin receptor inhibitors, chemotherapies, and medroxyprogesterone acetate.

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Background: Preterm labor and the following preterm births, which account for most of the perinatal deaths, are an important issue in public health. The study aims to assess the risk of subsequent preterm labor in pregnant females who have prepregnancy polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: This study has enrolled 1,000,000 randomly sampled females retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) during 1998−2012.

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Osteoporosis is a serious health issue among aging postmenopausal women. The majority of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis have bone loss related to estrogen deficiency. The rapid bone loss results from an increase in bone turnover with an imbalance between bone resorption and bone formation.

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Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and its metabolite, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate ester (DHEAS), are the most abundant circulating steroid hormones, and are synthesized in the zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex, in the gonads, and in the brain. The precise physiological role of DHEA and DHEAS is not yet fully understood, but these steroid hormones can act as androgens, estrogens, and neurosteroids, and perform many roles in the human body. Since both levels decline with age, use of DHEA supplements have gained more attention due to being advertised as an antidote to aging in postmenopausal women, who may have concerns on age-related diseases and overall well-being.

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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adolescent depression are both prevalent social problems that can increase the risk of several negative health consequences throughout life. The original definition of ACEs misdirects the focus of intervention efforts for ACEs to only family dysfunction and parenting practices. We used a broader definition of ACEs and a latent class analysis (LCA) model to examine ACE patterns, aiming to overcome the shortcomings of cumulative and single adversity approaches based on the special social context of China.

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Background: Adolescence is a life stage with a high risk of depression, sleep disorders and school bullying. The aim of this study is to examine the longitudinal relationships between school bullying (bullying victimization and bullying perpetration), depressive symptoms and sleep problems among adolescents and to consider whether the direct pathways vary by gender.

Methods: The study included 1687 7th grade students (60.

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: To assess the risk of subsequent miscarriage in pregnant women with a prior diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). : Using a nationwide, population-based database (Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database) during 1998-2012, the study retrieved 1,000,000 randomly-sampled insured citizens as research subjects. The women with a diagnosis of pre-pregnancy PCOS ( = 13,562) who had chromosomal anomalies, artificial abortion, inconsistent diagnoses, and who were initially diagnosed with PCOS at >45 or <15 year-old were excluded, respectively.

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Xenoestrogens (XEs) are substances that imitate endogenous estrogens to affect the physiologic functions of humans or other animals. As endocrine disruptors, they can be either synthetic or natural chemical compounds derived from diet, pesticides, cosmetics, plastics, plants, industrial byproducts, metals, and medications. By mimicking the chemical structure that is naturally occurring estrogen compounds, synthetic XEs, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), bisphenol A (BPA), and diethylstilbestrol (DES), are considered the focus of a group of exogenous chemical.

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Based on their nutrient composition, soybeans and related foods have been considered to be nutritious and healthy for humans. Particularly, the biological activity and subsequent benefits of soy products may be associated with the presence of isoflavone in soybeans. As an alternative treatment for menopause-related symptoms, isoflavone has gained much popularity for postmenopausal women who have concerns related to undergoing hormone replacement therapy.

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Little is known about the life course prevalence of bullying among university students. The current study examined the prevalence of bullying in different life periods among multi-university students. Our study included 4,034 university students from four types of universities.

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Cesarean delivery is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in women throughout the world. However, the most optimal technique to minimize maternal and fetal morbidities is still being debated due to various clinical situations and surgeons' preferences. The contentious topics are the use of vacuum devices other than traditional fundal pressure to assist in the delivery of the fetal head and the techniques of uterine repair used during cesarean deliveries.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with the development of mineral bone disorder (MBD), osteoporosis, and fragility fractures. Among CKD patients, adynamic bone disease or low bone turnover is the most common type of renal osteodystrophy. The consequences of CKD-MBD include increased fracture risk, greater morbidity, and mortality.

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Osteoporosis is a major concern worldwide and can be attributed to an imbalance between osteoblastic bone formation and osteoclastic bone resorption due to the natural aging process. Heritable factors account for 60-80% of optimal bone mineralization; however, the finer details of pathogenesis remain to be elucidated. Micro RNA (miRNA) and long-non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are two targets that have recently come into the spotlight due to their ability to control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and provide epigenetic modification.

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Purpose: To study outcomes among survivors of the mass-casualty powder explosion on 27 June 2015, at Formosa Fun Coast Waterpark, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Methods: Using retrospective data on Taiwanese survivors, we analyzed prehospital management, burns assessment and prognosis, functional recovery, and medical costs, followed-up through 30 June 2017. We related outcomes to burn extent, categorized according to the percentages of total body surface area with second/third-degree burns (%TBSA) or autologous split-thickness skin grafts (%STSG), and an investigational scale: f{SASG} = (%TBSA + %STSG)/2, stratified by %STSG.

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(1) Objective: To assess the risks of gestational hypertension/preeclampsia (GH-PE) in women with prepregnancy endocrine and autoimmune disorders such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). (2) Methods: In a nationwide population-based longitudinal study, data were retrieved from the 1998 to 2012 Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. ICD9-CM codes 256.

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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major public health emergency with obvious characteristics of human-to-human transmission, and there are infective asymptomatic carriers. Early identification and proper management of patients with COVID-19 are important. Features in chest computed tomography (CT) can facilitate identifying newly infected individuals.

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: A proportion of women with pregnancies complicated by gestational hypertension/preeclampsia (GH-PE) will have persistent postpartum chronic hypertension (CHTN). Common risk factors for postpartum CHTN include older age, pre-existing CHTN, smoking, pre-pregnancy obesity (elevated BMI), and co-morbidities such as thyroid disorders. However, most of explored risk factors are pre-pregnancy factors, and were mainly based on studies with small sample size.

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Osteoporosis is a vital healthcare issue among elderly people. During the aging process, a gradual loss of bone mass results in osteopenia and osteoporosis. Heritable factors account for 60%-80% of optimal bone mineralization, whereas modifiable factors such as nutrition, weight-bearing exercise, body mass, and hormonal milieu affect the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis in adulthood.

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Isoflavones have gained popularity as an alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms for people who cannot or are unwilling to take hormone replacement therapy. However, there is still no consensus on the effects of isoflavones despite over two decades of vigorous research. This systematic review aims to summarize the current literature on isoflavone supplements, focusing on the active ingredients daidzein, genistein, and S-equol, and provide a framework to guide future research.

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