Analysis of 16s rRNA Gene Sequencing in Feces: The Impact of Bariatric Surgery on the Gut Microbiota in Patients with Obesity.

Purpose: Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of bariatric surgery on the gut microbiota from patients with obesity.

Materials And Methods: The microbiota composition from stool samples before and after bariatric surgery were identified using bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Investigating the change in gene expression profile of blood mononuclear cells post-laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in Chinese obese patients.

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is a sustainable technique that effectively treats morbid obesity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the improvement of metabolic health following this process warrants more investigation. This study investigates LSG-related molecules and uses bulk RNA-sequencing high-throughput analysis to unravel their regulatory mechanisms.

Fighting the Pandemic with "Shields": Successful COVID-19 Securitization and Mask Policy in Taiwan.

Facemasks have been proven an effective non-pharmaceutical measure against coronavirus disease-19. Against the backdrop of global mask shortages, Taiwan distinguished herself from other countries in that Taiwan took a whole-of-nation approach to masks and mobilized the society quickly to become self-sufficient in masks. This paper argues that successful virus securitization as a threat to national security was what enabled Taiwan to effectively mobilize the private sector to carry out the state's will in ensuring adequate mask supply.

The imperative of state capacity in public health crisis: Asia's early COVID-19 policy responses.

Preexisting political institutions influence governments' responses to public health crises in different ways, creating national variations. This article investigates how state capacity, a country's fundamental ability to organize bureaucracy and allocate societal resources, affects the timing and configuration of governments' COVID-19 policy responses. Through comparative case study analysis of five of China's neighboring countries early in the COVID-19 crisis, the paper shows that more-capable states (Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan) initiated crisis response faster, mobilized national resources more extensively, and utilized diverse policy tools when the virus risk level was still low.

Crafting Compliance Regime under COVID-19: Using Taiwan's Quarantine Policy as a Case Study.

One year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, governments around the world adopt similar practices in containing the COVID-19 spread. Nevertheless, variation exists in the level of policy compliance, which directly contribute to policy success/failure across countries. As the pandemic continues, pandemic fatigue also decreases the public's willingness to comply.

Six Cs of pandemic emergency management: A case study of Taiwan's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A review of the disaster literature indicates that emergency responses to pandemics are often understudied; the current COVID-19 crisis provides an important opportunity to improve awareness and understanding about this and other contagious and disruptive diseases. With this in mind, this study examines Taiwan's response to COVID-19 because it was successful in spite of a high probability of contagion. The paper first explores the assertion that cognition, communication, collaboration, and control are vital for effective disaster response; it then indicates the need to consider two additional Cs: confidence (trust of government's competency) and coproduction (public participation in disaster transmission prevention).

No time for composting: Subjective time pressure as a barrier to citizen engagement in curbside composting.

Citizen engagement in waste management and recycling programs is crucial in achieving environmental sustainability. Existing studies have explored the determinants of waste management and recycling behavior as well as the adoption of selected waste management and recycling programs at both the individual and organizational levels. However, existing research has not explored, from a civic engagement perspective, why individuals who possess selected waste management and recycling tools fail to use them.

In vivo metabolic profiles of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang, a famous traditional Chinese medicine prescription, in rats by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang (BZYQT), a famous traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP), has been extensively used for conditioning sub-health status and diseases caused by spleen-qi deficiency in China for over 700 years. BZYQT is prevalent not only in China, but also in Japan and South Korea for the clinical treatment of chronic diseases, such as fatigue, tuberculosis and loss of appetite after surgery. However, due to a lack of research on the holistic metabolism of BZYQT, the in vivo bioactive components of BZYQT remain unclear, hindering further study of its in vivo mechanism of action and quality control.

Mucosal immunomodulatory evaluation and chemical profile elucidation of a classical traditional Chinese formula, Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang.

Ethnopharmacological Evidence: With fast development and high pace life in modern society, autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease had become increasingly common. Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang (BZYQT), a famous traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP), has been used for 700 years mainly in Eastern Asia countries for the treatment of gastrointestinal and respiratory disorder, and weakness after serious diseases. These diseases were proved to be closely related to human immune system, among which, mucosal immune system is the largest immune system.

Quantification and semiquantification of multiple representative components for the holistic quality control of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus (named Xiebai in China) is a folk medicine with medicinal values for the treatment of thoracic obstruction and cardialgia, and a food additive as well. However, there is even no quantitative standard for Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus recorded in the current edition of the Chinese Pharmacopeia. Hence, simultaneous assay of multiple components is urgent.

Cytotoxic triterpenoid glycosides (saikosaponins) from the roots of Bupleurum chinense.

As a part of our ongoing studies on cytotoxic triterpenoid saponins from herbal medicines, phytochemical investigation of the roots of Bupleurum chinense DC. afforded four new saikosaponins (1-4), along with 16 known ones (5-20). Their structures were established by direct interpretation of their spectral data, mainly HR-ESI-MS, 1D NMR and 2D NMR, and by comparison with literature data.

Metabolites characterization of timosaponin AIII in vivo and in vitro by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Timosaponin AIII, a major saponin found in Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge., exhibits a wide spectrum of bioactivities. It is believed that it may be further developed into a promising new drug.

[Cloning, expression and characterization of a novel lipase gene lipB from Aspergillus niger F044].

Objective: We cloned, expressed and characterized a novel lipase gene lipB from Aspergillus niger F044, to facilitate the large scale production and application of that enzyme.

Method: We cloned lipB gene and the cDNA sequence by PCR and RT-PCR, and then cloned the open reading frame of lipB into pET28a vector and expressed by isopropyl beta-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) induction. After Ni-agarose purification, the characteristics were determined and the conformation change was checked by circular dichroism methods.