Pin1 catalyzes conformational changes of Thr-187 in p27Kip1 and mediates its stability through a polyubiquitination process.

The cis-trans peptidylprolyl isomerase Pin1 plays a critical role in regulating a subset of phosphoproteins by catalyzing conformational changes on the phosphorylated Ser/Thr-Pro motifs. The phosphorylation-directed ubiquitination is one of the major mechanisms to regulate the abundance of p27(Kip1). In this study, we demonstrate that Pin1 catalyzes the cis-trans conformational changes of p27(Kip1) and further mediates its stability through the polyubiquitination mechanism.

Construction of a quantitative structure-permeability relationship (QSPR) for the transdermal delivery of NSAIDs.

In this study, an empirical model of the quantitative structure-permeability relationship (QSPR) of the transdermal delivery of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was constructed in an attempt to predict the permeability coefficients (k(P)). Thirteen model NSAIDs were selected, and their in vitro permeation through the full skin of nude mice was examined. The biological parameters of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), hydration content (HD), lipid content (SB), resonance running time (RVM), and elasticity (EL) were measured.

Selective decomposition of aqueous nitrate into nitrogen using iron deposited bimetals.

In the case of the reduction of nitrate in groundwater, the problem is how to convert nitrate [N(+V)] selectively to nontoxic dinitrogen [N(O)] and not to completely reduced ammonia [N(-III)]. Unfortunately, near 100% of the total nitrogen in nitrate is reductively converted to ammonia using naked zerovalent iron (ZVI) thus far reported. In this study, deposition of noble metals (Pt, Pd, and Au) and Cu on iron surface to offer favorable pathways for nitrate reduction was fabricated using either the complete mixing orthe successive method with spontaneous redox reactions.

Perspectives on professional values among nurses in Taiwan.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to identify the most important contemporary professional nursing values for nursing clinicians and educators in Taiwan.

Background: Nursing values are constructed by members of political and social systems, including professional nursing organisations and educational institutions. Nurses' personal value systems shape the development of these professional values.

Association of adiponectin and metabolic syndrome among patients taking atypical antipsychotics for schizophrenia: a cohort study.

Introduction: Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived hormone controlling lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, has been suggested to be a biomarker for metabolic syndrome in the general population. This study investigated the association between adiponectin levels and metabolic syndrome in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics.

Methods: Anthropometric and metabolic parameters and serum adiponectin levels were assessed in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia who had used the same atypical antipsychotic for at least 3 months.

Loss of Wip1 sensitizes cells to stress- and DNA damage-induced apoptosis.

In response to various environmental stresses, the stress-responsive MAPKs p38 and JNK are activated and phosphorylate ATF2 and c-Jun transcription factors, thereby affecting cell-fate decision. Targeted gene disruption studies have established that JNK-c-Jun signaling plays a vital role in stress-induced apoptosis. The oncogenic phosphatase Wip1 acts as an important regulator in DNA damage pathway by dephosphorylating a spectrum of proteins including p53, p38, Chk1, Chk2, and ATM.

The relationship between antihypertensive combination therapies comprising diuretics and/or beta-blockers and the risk of new-onset diabetes: a retrospective longitudinal cohort study.

We investigate the associations of antihypertensive drugs in double and triple combination regimens comprising diuretics and/or beta-blockers on the development of new-onset diabetes (NOD). This study was a retrospective cohort study carried out using data from claim forms provided to the central regional branch of the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) in Taiwan from January 2001 to December 2006. We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) of NOD associated with antihypertensive combination therapy use; non-NOD individuals served as the reference group.

Aging effects on glycemic control and inflammation for politicians in Taiwan.

Unlabelled: Insulin sensitivity is deteriorating with age leading to many metabolic complications, yet fasting glucose is the common metabolic predictor in preventive medicine. In this study we compared the differences in fasting glucose, glucose tolerance, and inflammatory markers between two generations in politically active families. Their physical activity levels and dietary intake amounts were also evaluated.

Synthesis, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities of 18beta-glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives as chemical mediators and xanthine oxidase inhibitors.

Twenty 18beta-glycyrrhetic acid (18beta-GA) derivatives 2-21 including 13 new 18beta-GA derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. Compounds 7 and 20 with a 3,4-seco-structure and compound 6 with a lactone moiety showed potent inhibitory effect on superoxide anion generation in rat neutrophils response to fMLP/CB and PMA, respectively. Compound 6 with a lactone moiety revealed stronger inhibitory effect on XO activity than those of compounds 13 and 14 with a 3,4-seco-structure.

Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 gene is associated with major depression and antidepressant treatment response.

Tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) is the rate-limiting biosynthetic isoenzyme for serotonin that is preferentially expressed in the brain and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD) and in the mechanism of antidepressant action. This study aimed to investigate whether common genetic variation in the TPH2 gene is associated with MDD and therapeutic response to antidepressants in a Chinese population. A total of 508 MDD patients and 463 unrelated controls were recruited.

Green tea extract protects rats against myocardial infarction associated with left anterior descending coronary artery ligation.

There is increasing evidence that green tea polyphenols can protect against myocardial damage. Recently, we showed that they bind to cardiac troponin C and alter myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity in cardiac muscle. In the present study, we examined whether green tea extract (GTE) could prevent the progressive remodeling seen in ischemic myocardium and improve cardiac function by modulation of the contractile apparatus utilizing a myocardial infarction (MI) model in the rat involving ligation of the left anterior descending branch.

Weight loss behavior in obese patients before seeking professional treatment in Taiwan.

Objective: To assess weight loss strategies and behaviors in obese patients prior to seeking professional obesity treatment in Taiwan.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2005.

Setting And Subjects: Obese subjects (1060; 791 females; age, ≥18 years; median BMI, 29.

[Applying energy theory to compare community health assessments conducted in urban and rural areas].

Taiwan's high population density frequently blurs the administrative boundaries between communities, leading to indistinct community identifications among the population. The authors used the Helvie energy theory to assess different communities in Taiwan, employing a core (population), four internal energies (chemical, physical, biological, and psychiatric) and nine environment subsystems (transportation, health, education, entertainment, economy, politics, communication, culture, and welfare) in an analysis of urban and rural community samples. Authors found significantly different influences on community health due to different environments and energy exchange factors between the two samples.

Regulatory mechanism of smooth muscle contraction studied with gelsolin-treated strips of taenia caeci in guinea pig.

The potential roles of the regulatory proteins actin, tropomyosin (Tm), and caldesmon (CaD), i.e., the components of the thin filament, in smooth muscle have been extensively studied in several types of smooth muscles.

The polymorphisms of interleukin 17A (IL17A) gene and its association with pediatric asthma in Taiwanese population.

Background: The interleukin 17A (IL17A) gene, located on chromosome 6p and linked to asthma phenotype, is a highly potential candidate gene conferring asthma susceptibility. The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL17A and asthma in Taiwanese children.

Methods: We selected and performed genotyping on nine SNPs that encompass the genomic region of IL17A in Taiwanese children with or without asthma.

The role of DHEA-S in the mood adjustment against negative competition outcome in golfers.

Several lines of evidence suggest that dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) is invariably consumed following different types of acute stress, implicating its role in stress coping and recovery. The role of DHEA-S in the mood adjustment against negative outcome for athletic competition has not previously been investigated. In the current study, 14 elite golfers participating in a major national golf tournament were subsequently divided into two groups according to their competition outcomes: made the cut (n=8) and failed to make the cut (n 8).

Selection of appropriate Chinese terms to represent intensity and types of physical activity terms for use in the Taiwan version of IPAQ.

In order to analyze the health risks of insufficient activity by international comparisons, the first author obtained the permission to translate and develop a Taiwan version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The objective was to determine culturally sensitive Chinese translations for the terms "moderate", "vigorous" and "physical activity" as well as to identify representative types of physical activity for Taiwanese. This study used discussions by 12 expert focus groups, 6 expert audits, a scale survey, field study, Cognitive Aspect Survey Methodology (CASM), dual independent translation and back-translation to establish a consensus on physical activity-related concepts, terminologies and types that define the intensity of common activities of Taiwanese by integrating both local and foreign studies.

The coding-synonymous polymorphism rs1045280 (Ser280Ser) in beta-arrestin 2 (ARRB2) gene is associated with tardive dyskinesia in Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a severe and potentially irreversible adverse effect of long-term antipsychotic treatment. Typical antipsychotics are commonly binding to the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2), but the occurrence of antipsychotic-induced TD is rather delayed; therefore, the development of TD may be associated with mediators or signalling complexes behind DRD2, such as beta-arrestin 2 (ARRB2), an important mediator between DRD2 and serine-threonine protein kinase (AKT) signal cascade.

Methods: A case-control study to evaluate the association between rs1045280 (Ser280Ser) and antipsychotic-induced TD was performed amongst 381 patients (TD/non-TD = 228/153).

Interleukin-1 beta (C-511T) genetic polymorphism is associated with cognitive performance in elderly males without dementia.

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), a proinflammatory cytokine, plays a significant role in age-related changes in long-term potentiation (a biological substrate for learning and/or memory) in the hippocampus of experimental animals. This study tests the hypothesis that a biallelic functional polymorphism in the promoter region (position-511) (rs16944) of the IL-1 beta gene is associated with cognitive performance in elderly males without dementia. A total of 161 elderly male subjects without major psychiatric disorders or dementia participated in this research.

Supported Pd/Sn bimetallic nanoparticles for reductive dechlorination of aqueous trichloroethylene.

A Pd/Sn bimetallic nanoparticles resin (nano-Pd/Sn/resin) was successfully synthesized for reductive transformation of aqueous trichloroethylene (TCE). The physicochemical properties of the prepared resin were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, N(2) isothermal sorption at and X-ray photospectroscopy. The surface-area-normalized rate constants (k(SA)) of Sn particles in the nanoscale range (50-100 nm) were 4.

An association study of 13 SNPs from seven candidate genes with pediatric asthma and a preliminary study for genetic testing by multiple variants in Taiwanese population.

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. It is caused by complex interactions between various genetic factors and exposures to environmental allergens and irritants. Because of the heterogeneity of the disease and the genetic and cultural differences among different populations, a proper association study and genetic testing for asthma and susceptibility genes is difficult to perform.

Local structures of water in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate probed by high-pressure infrared spectroscopy.

We have investigated the aggregation behaviors of water molecules in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/water mixtures using high-pressure methods. Under ambient pressure, the IR spectra indicate that two types of O-H species: free O-H and bonded O-H, existing in ionic liquid/water mixtures. As samples were compressed, a continuous loss of the free O-H band intensity was observed.

The role of false lumen size in prediction of in-hospital complications after acute type B aortic dissection.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether false lumen size predicts in-hospital complications for acute type B aortic dissection.

Background: The incidence of complications developing in patients with acute type B aortic dissection has been high. However, methods for recognizing high-risk patients have not been well-studied.