The Role of Macrophages in Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Focusing on Molecular Mechanisms and Potential Treatment Strategies.

Connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) is a severe manifestation of CTD that leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Clinically, ILD can occur in diverse CTDs. Pathologically, CTD-ILD is characterized by various histologic patterns, such as nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, and usual interstitial pneumonia.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 positively associated with bone formation markers and creatine kinase in adults with general physical activity.

Background: The Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is primarily synthesized by hepatocytes in a growth hormone (GH)-dependent manner, it is also produced by bone and muscle. The effects of exercise on the associations between IGF-1 levels and bone turnover markers (BTM) were found in the previous studies. However, the associations between the levels of IGF-1 and BTM, liver function tests, and skeletal muscle markers in adults with general physical activity were not clear.

Genetic Variants in Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Humans: Triggered by Natural Selection and Triggers of Diseases.

Variants of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) constitute an important part of the human genome. Current evidence demonstrates close links between nucleotides within TFBSs and gene expression. There are multiple pathways through which genomic sequences located in TFBSs regulate gene expression, and recent genome-wide association studies have shown the biological significance of TFBS variation in human phenotypes.

Cell lineage-specific methylome and genome alterations in gout.

In this study, we examined data from 69 gout patients and 1,455 non-gout controls using a MethylationEPIC BeadChip assay and Illumina HiSeq platform to identify lineage-specific epigenetic alterations and associated genetic factors that contributed to gouty inflammation. Cell lineage-specific differentially methylated sites were identified using CellDMC after adjusting for sex, age, alcohol drinking, smoking status, and smoking history (total pack-years). Different cell lineages displayed distinct differential methylation.

Systemic Investigation of Promoter-wide Methylome and Genome Variations in Gout.

Current knowledge of gout centers on hyperuricemia. Relatively little is known regarding the pathogenesis of gouty inflammation. To investigate the epigenetic background of gouty inflammation independent of hyperuricemia and its relationship to genetics, 69 gout patients and 1455 non-gout controls were included.

Comparison of the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test v1.0 with v2.0 in HIV-1 viral load quantification.

Roche modified the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) test version 1.0 (CAP/CTM v1.0), resulting in the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test version 2.

Increased Igf-I/Igfbp-3 Ratios in Postmenopausal Taiwanese with Breast Cancer, Irrespective of Er and Pr Statuses and Her2 Expression in a Case-Control Study.

Background: In most research, there were positive associations between the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) status, including IGF-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and ratio of IGF-I/IGFBP-3, and risks of breast cancer (BC), which was influenced by many factors, including hormone statuses and ethnicity. Therefore, the alterations of the IGF-I status in Taiwanese women with BC by menopausal statuses and hormone receptors were investigated.

Methods: The levels of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were determined by the enzyme-labeled chemiluminescent immunometric assay, and the protein expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) on paraffin-embedded sections of tissues with BC were analyzed by the immunohistochemical method.

Effects of the Hb E, Hb H and Hb G-Taichung variants on HbA1c values by the Bio-Rad variant II turbo analyzer.

Objectives: The influences of Hb variants on HbA(1c) values can cause mismanagement of diabetes; therefore, the effects of Hb E, H, and G-Taichung variants were evaluated.

Designs And Methods: HbA(1c) values of 2105 samples, including 37 samples with Hb E, H and G-Taichung variants identified by Hb electrophoresis and the PCR sequence, were evaluated by the ion-exchange (Bio-Rad Variant II Turbo analyzer) and boronate affinity (Primus CLC 385 analyzer) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods.

Results: In the patients with the Hb E and H variants, their HbA(1c) values determined by ion-exchange HPLC were significantly higher than those by boronate affinity HPLC.

ERCC2 2251A>C genetic polymorphism was highly correlated with early relapse in high-risk stage II and stage III colorectal cancer patients: a preliminary study.

Background: Early relapse in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is attributed mainly to the higher malignant entity (such as an unfavorable genotype, deeper tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis and advance cancer stage) and poor response to chemotherapy. Several investigations have demonstrated that genetic polymorphisms in drug-targeted genes, metabolizing enzymes, and DNA-repairing enzymes are all strongly correlated with inter-individual differences in the efficacy and toxicity of many treatment regimens. This preliminary study attempts to identify the correlation between genetic polymorphisms and clinicopathological features of CRC, and evaluates the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and chemotherapeutic susceptibility of Taiwanese CRC patients.

Significance of the glycolytic pathway and glycolysis related-genes in tumorigenesis of human colorectal cancers.

We investigated gene expressions involved in the glycolytic pathways in colorectal cancer. The study was designed to use gene ontology and its relevant bioinformatics tools to analyze the microarray data obtained from CRC tissues and their corresponding normal tissues, in order to explore the correlation between the glycolytic metabolic pathway and possible pathogenesis of this disease. The overexpression of glycolysis-related genes was observed in over 76% of CRC tissues.

Multiple Genetic Polymorphisms of GSTP1 313AG, MDR1 3435CC, and MTHFR 677CC highly correlated with early relapse of breast cancer patients in Taiwan.

Background: Genetic polymorphisms in drug-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, receptors, and other drug targets have been linked to inter-individual differences in the efficacy and toxicity of many medications. In the present study, multiple chemotherapeutic agent-related genetic polymorphisms, including GSTP1, MDR1, MTHFR, and TS tandem repeats, were analyzed in breast cancer patients and studied in correlation with the clinical outcome of patients receiving FEC adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: The genotypes from 192 stage II and III breast cancer patients who underwent operations and received six cycles of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (FEC) were determined by means of PCR-RFLP.

A case-control study of the HER2 Ile655Val polymorphism and risk of breast cancer in Taiwan.

Objectives: To investigate the HER2 Ile655Val polymorphism in relation to risk of breast cancer in a case-control study in Taiwan.

Design And Methods: The HER2 polymorphism at codon 655 was analyzed in 424 patients with breast cancer and 318 controls by using the polymerase chain reaction methodology, followed by the restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis.

Results: There was a 1.

Combination of multiple mRNA markers (PTTG1, Survivin, UbcH10 and TK1) in the diagnosis of Taiwanese patients with breast cancer by membrane array.

Objective: Early detection is a prerequisite to the effective reduction of morbidity and mortality from breast cancer. The present study intended to employ a high-throughput membrane array to detect a panel of mRNA markers expressed by circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of female patients with breast cancer.

Methods: Peripheral blood was sampled from 92 breast cancer patients and 100 normal persons.

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidative status in beta-thalassemia major patients with or without hepatitis C virus infection.

Background: Information pertaining to the lipid peroxidation and antioxidative status of patients with beta-thalassemic major, with or without hepatitis C virus infection, has been scanty.

Methods: We report here the results of our efforts in the evaluation of lipid peroxidative status, antioxidants, and vitamin A, E and C levels in the sera of a group of patients (n=42) with transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemic major with or without HCV infection.

Results: Firstly, plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, a lipid peroxidation product, in these patients was found to be increased significantly when compared to the disease-free controls (p<0.

Falsely low LDL-cholesterol concentrations and artifactual undetectable HDL-cholesterol measured by direct methods in a patient with monoclonal paraprotein.

Introduction: Multiple myeloma is a malignant immunoproliferative disorder with lipoprotein abnormalities. We report a case of falsely low concentrations of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and artifactural undetectable HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) as measured with direct methods in a patient of multiple myeloma with IgGkappa monoclonal gammapathy and significant hyperlipidemia.

Case Report: The patient had HDL-C and LDL-C concentrations in the 0.

Effects of traditional Chinese medicines on serum lipid profiles and homocysteine in the ovariectomized rats.

To investigate the effects of the traditional Chinese medicines, kuei-lu-erh-hsien-chiao and chia-wei-hsiao-yao-san, on the cardiovascular systems of mimic menopausal rats, five groups were formed: group 1 (the control group) was given a sham operation and received distilled water, while groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 were ovariectomized and received distilled water, kuei-lu-erh-hsien-chiao, chia-wei-hsiao-yao-san and 17-beta-estradiol, respectively, for4 months. Our results demonstrated that the mean differences of the estrogen levels in groups 3 or 5 were significantly higher than those of group 2. These data suggest that there might be some estrogen-like substances in kuei-lu-erh-hsien-chiao.

Morphologic change and elevation of cortisol secretion in cultured human normal adrenocortical cells caused by mutant p21K-ras protein.

In our previous study on the tumorigenesis of human functional adrenal tumors, we observed a high frequency of K-ras point mutations in clinical specimens. Furthermore, we cloned the mutated K-ras gene from the tumors and inserted it into vectors to transfect normal bovine adrenocortical cells to express the mutated K-ras gene. The mRNA level of steroidogenic enzymes such as cholesterol sidechain cleavage enzyme (P450SCC), 17alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17), and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3betaHSD) in the mutant K-ras stably transfected cells were elevated.