Publications by authors named "Lu Ru"

BACKGROUND Odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a common odontogenic cyst, and it occurs more frequently in the mandible, with the posterior region of the dental arch, the angle, or the ramus being the most commonly affected sites. Odontogenic keratocyst occurring within the maxillary sinus is extremely rare, accounting for only about 1% of cases. CASE REPORT A 20-year-old female patient without any clinical symptoms underwent an oral examination, during which a dense dental shadow was identified within the maxillary sinus, surrounded by a low-density shadow.

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Background: Evidence has indicated that dysregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) is a critical factor in the occurrence of many diseases, including cancer. The lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 has been shown to participate in oncogenesis, metastasis, or drug resistance in many types of cancer. However, the potential role of AFAP1-AS1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been fully elucidated.

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Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignant tumor in the world. Studies in recent years have demonstrated that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are present in many tumor tissues, including HNSCC, and CSCs are the root cause of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Thus, taking new treatment measures to target the killing of CSCs that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy is key to the success of cancer treatment.

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Central dopaminergic hyperactivity has been one of the main hypotheses of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia since the 1970s. Excess dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the striatum is hypothesized to alter the processing of information and result in psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) provides in vivo indices of DA neurotransmission.

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Background: Valproate (VPA) is a mood stabilizer for treating patients with bipolar disorder (BD). It may cause metabolic abnormalities in certain bipolar patients. However, the genetic factors that influence the susceptibility remain unclear.

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Background: Although studies have indicated that the frontal lobe plays an important role in performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and that basal ganglia play a specific role in frontal lobe function, the role of striatal dopamine (DA) activity in performance on the WCST remains unclear.

Methods: We assessed the relation between the availability of striatal dopamine transporters (DATs) and performance on the WCST as a measure of executive function in healthy individuals. We approximated the availability of DATs in 53 healthy volunteers aged 19-61 years by use of single photon emission computed tomography with technetium-99m (99mTc)-TRODAT-1 as the ligand.

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Objectives: Dopamine has been implicated in the etiology of bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to explore striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in euthymic bipolar patients.

Methods: Seventeen drug-free euthymic bipolar patients were recruited.

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Background: Our previous report showed that patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have higher prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and obesity in Taiwan. To confirm whether the metabolic disturbances is associated with the disease itself or the medications used for treating BD, we further compared the metabolic status among the valproate (VPA) treated BD patients, drug-free BD patients and healthy controls in Taiwan.

Method: This cross-sectional study included 119 healthy controls and 77 BD patients diagnosed according to the DSMIV-TR criteria in a university hospital.

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Objectives: Although patients' social support is a critical factor for the prognosis of mental disorder treatments, biological mechanisms responsible for the impact of social support remain scarcely explored. We speculated that there may be an association between social support and central dopaminergic activities in humans.

Methods: A total of 65 medicated patients with schizophrenia and their primary first-degree caregivers and 54 healthy volunteers were recruited for Studies 1 and 2, respectively.

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Background: Both ethnicity and lifestyle may contribute to these abnormalities. High prevalences of obesity and metabolic disturbances in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have been reported in western countries. However, reports about the prevalences in Asian countries remain scant.

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The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the daily life events and the availabilities of serotonin transporters (SERT) and dopamine transporters (DAT) in healthy volunteers. Thirty-seven volunteers, 19 males and 18 females, were recruited. The SERT availability was approximated using SPECT and [123I] ADAM while the DAT availability was approximated using SPECT and [99mTc] TRODAT-1.

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Objective. Instruments to assess aggressive behaviors in the psychiatric ward are crucial for monitoring risky behaviors. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS).

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Objective. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of the misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder in outpatients who had been treated for unipolar depression with antidepressants in Taiwan and to verify the validity of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) in this population. Method.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the selective and progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the midbrain substantia nigra. Currently, available treatment is unable to alter PD progression. Previously, we demonstrated that valproic acid (VPA), a mood stabilizer, anticonvulsant and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, increases the expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in astrocytes to protect DA neurons in midbrain neuron-glia cultures.

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Background: Metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance and increased leptin levels, were noted in patients with schizophrenia who had received antipsychotics. In this study, we examined the leptin levels of antipsychotic-naïve schizophrenic patients.

Method: Seventeen antipsychotic-naïve patients with schizophrenia and 16 sex-, age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched subjects were recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic and community, respectively.

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In order to explore the neuropathology of the pre- and post-synaptic dopamine neurons of patients with major depression, we examined striatal D(2)/D(3) receptor uptake and dopamine transporter (DAT) availability simultaneously in drug-free depressed patients using a dual-isotope single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging technique. Ten unmedicated patients with unmediated depression and ten healthy controls were recruited. The striatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) receptor availability was measured using SPECT and [(123)I] IBZM, while DAT was measured using SPECT and [(99m)Tc] TRODAT-1.

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Recent lines of research suggest that, in addition to hypothalamic sites, the striatum dopaminergic system may be a target for regulating homeostasis that may be represented by the body mass index (BMI). Although it has been reported that the striatal dopamine receptor (DRD2) availability of very obese individuals was reduced in proportion to their BMI, the correlation between the striatal dopamine system and the BMI in healthy individuals remains unclear. To investigate this relationship, the striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability of 50 healthy volunteers was measured using single position emission computational topography (SPECT) and [99mTc]-TRODAT-1.

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Introduction: Although the mesolimbic dopaminergic system has been shown to play a role in reinforcing tobacco smoking, results of imaging studies that examine the relationship between tobacco smoking and the central dopamine system remain discrepant. To delineate the role of tobacco addiction in central pre- and post-synaptic dopaminergic activities, we analyzed the central D2-family receptors, the dopamine transporters (DAT), and degrees of dependence in male smokers.

Methods: Eleven male smokers and 11 healthy non-smokers were recruited.

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The present study examined the relationship between serotonin transporter (SERT) availability and hostility scores in healthy volunteers. SERT availability was measured by using SPECT with [(123)I] ADAM in 10 healthy participants. Hostility was measured with the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale.

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Medically, insight is a multidimensional concept. Results of previous studies are inconclusive regarding the relationship between insight and global and cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among insight, patients' global function, cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia and their key caregivers' perception about this disorder.

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