Comparative Study of Heavy Metal Blood Serum Level Between Organic and Conventional Farmers in Eastern Taiwan.

Numerous studies have indicated that organic fertilizers (OFer) might contain heavy metals (HMs) that present health risks to organic farmers (OFar). This study compared the concentrations of six HMs (Zn, Ni, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr) in the blood of two distinct groups of farmers: 30 OFar from a designated organic area in eastern Taiwan, and 74 conventional farmers (CFar) from neighboring non-organic designated regions. The findings revealed that the OFar exhibited higher levels of Zn (1202.

Sexuality and Quality of Life in Eastern Taiwan People With Schizophrenia.

Objective: Patients with schizophrenia are living at the border of society and their sexuality is often neglected. The aim of the study is to explore the association among The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), quality of life (QoL), Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire, and Sexual Desire Inventory in people with schizophrenia (PwS).

Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with 277 psychiatric inpatients.

Severe cellular stress activates apoptosis independently of p53 in osteosarcoma.

Apoptosis induced by doxorubicin, bortezomib, or paclitaxel, targeting DNA, 26S proteasome, and microtubules respectively, was assessed in two osteosarcoma cells, p53 wild-type U2OS and p53-null MG63 cells. Doxorubicin-induced apoptosis only occurred in U2OS, not in MG63. In contrast, bortezomib and paclitaxel could drive U2OS or MG63 toward apoptosis effectively, suggesting that apoptosis induced by bortezomib or paclitaxel is p53-independent.

Single pulsed electromagnetic field restores bone mass and microarchitecture in denervation/disuse osteopenic mice.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) have been proposed to treat bone loss. However, time-consuming is the main complaint. A time-saving and effective treatment is of expectation.

A single-pulsed electromagnetic field enhances collagen synthesis in tendon cells.

Tendinopathy is a progressive pathology of tendon that is characteristic of imbalance between matrix synthesis and degeneration and is often caused by failure to adapt to mechanical loading. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) are used as a conventional treatment to alleviate pain and swelling in the short term, but the ideal treatment for tendinopathy remains unclear. Here, we show a single pulsed electromagnetic field (SPEMF, 0.

Transcription-independent and -dependent p53-mediated apoptosis in response to genotoxic and non-genotoxic stress.

We previously reported that p53-mediated apoptosis is determined by severity of DNA damage, not by the level of p53, in doxorubicin-treated prostate cancer cells. In addition to doxorubicin, our results here indicated that camptothecin and bortezomib, which are a topoisomerase 1 poison and a 26 S proteasome inhibitor, respectively, could also induce apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner in prostate cancer. Then, we examined whether p53-mediated apoptosis induced by genotoxic and non-genotoxic stress occur in the same or a different way.

P53 enhances apoptosis induced by doxorubicin only under conditions of severe DNA damage.

We previously demonstrated that Bim is the main BH3-only protein replacing Bak/Bax from Bcl-xl to activate apoptosis in a p53-independent manner in response to doxorubicin in prostate cancer. However, the comparison of doxorubicin treatment between LNCaP cells carrying p53-wild type and PC3 cells carrying p53-null suggested that p53 might be essential for maximizing apoptosis. Inhibition of ATM did not affect doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.

Lactobacillus bambusae sp. nov., isolated from traditional fermented ma bamboo shoots in Taiwan.

A Gram-stain-positive strain, BS-W1, was isolated from a traditional fermented ma bamboo shoots (Dendrocalamus latiflorus Munro) product of Taiwan. It was rod-shaped, non-motile, non-haemolytic, asporogenous, facultatively anaerobic, heterofermentative and did not exhibit catalase or oxidase activities. Comparative analysis of 16S rRNA, pheS, rpoA and gyrB gene sequences demonstrated that the novel strain BS-W1 was a member of the genus Lactobacillus.

Bim directly antagonizes Bcl-xl in doxorubicin-induced prostate cancer cell apoptosis independently of p53.

Doxorubicin and other anthracycline compounds exert their anti-cancer effects by causing DNA damage and initiating cell cycle arrest in cancer cells, followed by apoptosis. DNA damage generally activates a p53-mediated pathway to initiate apoptosis by increasing the level of the BH3-only protein, Puma. However, p53-mediated apoptosis in response to DNA damage has not yet been validated in prostate cancers.

Single-pulsed electromagnetic field therapy increases osteogenic differentiation through Wnt signaling pathway and sclerostin downregulation.

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy has been used for more than three decades to treat bone diseases. The main complaint about using PEMF is that it is time-consuming. Previously, we showed single-pulsed electromagnetic field (SPEMF) applied for 3 min daily increased osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and accelerated bone growth in a long bone defect model.

CFS-1686 causes cell cycle arrest at intra-S phase by interference of interaction of topoisomerase 1 with DNA.

CFS-1686 (chemical name (E)-N-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-4-(2-(2-(5-nitrofuran-2-yl)vinyl)quinolin-4-ylamino)benzamide) inhibits cell proliferation and triggers late apoptosis in prostate cancer cell lines. Comparing the effect of CFS-1686 on cell cycle progression with the topoisomerase 1 inhibitor camptothecin revealed that CFS-1686 and camptothecin reduced DNA synthesis in S-phase, resulting in cell cycle arrest at the intra-S phase and G1-S boundary, respectively. The DNA damage in CFS-1686 and camptothecin treated cells was evaluated by the level of ATM phosphorylation, γH2AX, and γH2AX foci, showing that camptothecin was more effective than CFS-1686.

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate improves bone microarchitecture in ovariectomized rats.

Objective: Previously, we reported that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a green tea polyphenol, increased the osteogenic differentiation of murine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by increasing the messenger RNA expression of osteogenesis-related genes, alkaline phosphatase activity, and, eventually, mineralization. The present study further investigated the effects of EGCG on bone microstructure change and possible mechanisms in ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteopenic rats.

Methods: Rats subjected to OVX were administered EGCG systemically for 12 weeks.

Synthesis of aminoalkoxy substituted 4,5-diphenylisoxazole derivatives as potential anti-osteoporotic agents.

Certain 4,5-diarylisoxazole derivatives have been found to possess broad biological effects, including antiinflammatory and anticancer activities. Recently, we have reported preparation of certain isoflavone derivatives and investigated for their anti-osteoporotic and antiproliferative activities in a detailed SAR study. The present report describes the conversion of isoflavones into novel 4,5-diphenylisoxazole derivatives by the treatment with NH2OH.

Discovery of indeno[1,2-c]quinoline derivatives as inhibitors of osteoclastogenesis induced by receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL).

Certain indeno[1,2-c]quinolines were synthesized and evaluated for antiosteoclastogenic activities. Among them, 6,9-dimethoxy-11H-indeno[1,2-c]quinolin-11-one (8a) and 9-methoxy-6-(methylthio)-11H-indeno[1,2-c]quinolin-11-one (16a) inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in Raw 264.7 cells with an IC(50) of 2.

Synthesis and anti-osteoporotic evaluation of certain 3-amino-2-hydroxypropoxyisoflavone derivatives.

We report herein the synthesis and anti-osteoporotic evaluation of certain 3-amino-2-hydroxypropoxyisoflavone derivatives. The results indicated that 3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-(oxiran-2-ylmethoxy)-4H-chromen-4-one (4) and 3-{4-[3-(cyclohexylamino)-2-hydroxypropoxy]phenyl}-7-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one (5a) exhibited significant inhibitory effects on osteoclast activity (TRAP activity in RAW 264.7 with an ED(50) of 0.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate inhibition of osteoclastic differentiation via NF-kappaB.

People who regularly drink tea have been found to have a higher bone mineral density (BMD) and to be at less risk of hip fractures than those who do not drink it. Green tea catechins such as (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) have been reported to increase osteogenic functioning in mesenchymal stem cells. However, its effect on osteoclastogenesis remains unclear.

New lignans and cytotoxic constituents from Wikstroemia lanceolata.

Two new lignans, (-)-aptosimon ( 1) and (-)-diasesamin-di-gamma-lactone ( 2), together with twenty-two known compounds, have been isolated from the stems and roots of Wikstroemia lanceolata. The structures of the new compounds were determined through spectral analyses. The proton and carbon assignments of the known sesquiterpenoid, 1alpha,7alpha,10alpha H-guaia-4,11-dien-3-one ( 24) were revised by 2D NMR techniques.