Licochalcone a improves cardiac functions after ischemia-reperfusion via reduction of ferroptosis in rats.

Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury triggers several cell death types, including apoptosis, autophagy, and ferroptosis. Licochalcone A (LCA), a natural flavonoid compound isolated from the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, has been demonstrated to exert potential pharmacological benefits, such as antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory activities. The present study aimed to investigate the involvement of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of I/R and determine whether LCA can inhibit ferroptosis to prevent the myocardial I/R injury in rats.

Addressing Unmet Needs in Vaccination for Older Adults in the Asia Pacific: Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The impact of vaccinating the older population against vaccine-preventable diseases in terms of health, social and economic benefits has been increasingly recognised. However, there is a gap in the utilisation of vaccines worldwide. The population is ageing at an unprecedented pace in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with the number of persons older than 65 years set to double by 2050 to around 1.

A Retrospective Study of the Safety and Immunogenicity of MVC-COV1901 Vaccine for People Living with HIV.

Background: This study aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of MVC-COV1901, a recombinant COVID-19 protein vaccine, containing S-2P protein adjuvanted with CpG 1018 and aluminum hydroxide, for people living with HIV (PWH).

Methods: A total of 57 PWH of ≥20 years of age who are on stable antiretroviral therapy were compared with 882 HIV-negative participants. Participants received two doses of MVC-COV1901 28 days apart.

Baicalein and luteolin inhibit ischemia/reperfusion-induced ferroptosis in rat cardiomyocytes.

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is associated with severe cellular damage and death. Ferroptosis, a new form of regulated cell death caused by the accumulation of iron-mediated lipid peroxidation, has been found in several diseases including I/R injury, which was reported to be suppressed by flavonoids. Baicalein (BAI) and luteolin (Lut) are flavonoids and were shown to reduce the myocardial I/R injury.

Activation of progesterone receptor is essential for folic acid-regulated cancer cell proliferation and migration.

We previously demonstrated that activation of progesterone receptor (PR) is essential for folic acid (FA)-inhibited proliferation in colorectal cancer cell lines. In the present study, we further investigated whether the requirement of PR activation for the FA-regulated cell proliferation and migration is a general phenomenon for all cancer cell lines or specific for colorectal cancer cell lines only. Initially, we examined the expression of PR in various cancer cell lines using Western blot analyses and RT-PCR technique, and then investigated the effects of FA on these cancer cell lines.

Xanthohumol Protects the Rat Myocardium against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury-Induced Ferroptosis.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of cell death caused by the inactivation of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and accumulation of lipid peroxides. Ferroptosis has been found to participate in the ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, leading to heart dysfunction and myocardial cell death. Xanthohumol (XN), a prenylated flavonoid isolated from , has multiple pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

Analysis of Fungal and Bacterial Co-Infections in Mortality Cases among Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Fungal or bacterial co-infections in patients with H1N1 influenza have already been reported in many studies. However, information on the risk factors, complications, and prognosis of mortality cases with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are limited. We aimed to assess 36 mortality cases of 178 hospitalized patients among 339 patients confirmed to have had SARS-CoV-2 infections in a medical center in the Wenshan District of Taipei, Taiwan, between January 2020 and September 2021.

Two Benzene Rings with a Boron Atom Comprise the Core Structure of 2-APB Responsible for the Anti-Oxidative and Protective Effect on the Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Rat Heart Injury.

To identify the core structure of 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) responsible for the anti-oxidative and protective effect on the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced heart injury, various 2-APB analogues were analyzed, and several antioxidant assays were performed. Cell viability was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Myocardial infarct size was quantified using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining.

Cytomegalovirus proctitis in non-human immunodeficiency virus infected patients: A case report and literature review.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. CMV is a ubiquitous Herpesviridae virus with a wide spectrum of pathologies in humans. Immunocompetent patients generally develop a benign, self-limited mononucleosis-like syndrome, whereas gastrointestinal tissue-invasive disease is more frequently seen in immunocompromised.

The link between abnormalities of calcium handling proteins and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a rare autosomal dominant or recessive disease, usually results in syncope or sudden cardiac death. Most CPVT patients do not show abnormal cardiac structure and electrocardiogram features and symptoms, usually onset during adrenergically mediated physiological conditions. CPVT tends to occur at a younger age and is not easy to be diagnosed and managed.

Safety and immunogenicity of CpG 1018 and aluminium hydroxide-adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 S-2P protein vaccine MVC-COV1901: interim results of a large-scale, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial in Taiwan.

Background: MVC-COV1901, a recombinant protein vaccine containing pre-fusion-stabilised spike protein S-2P adjuvanted with CpG 1018 and aluminium hydroxide, has been shown to be well tolerated with a good safety profile in healthy adults aged 20-49 years in a phase 1 trial, and provided a good cellular and humoral immune responses. We present the interim safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity results of a phase 2 clinical trial of the MVC-COV1901 vaccine in Taiwan.

Methods: This is a large-scale, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial done at ten medical centres and one regional hospital in Taiwan.

Palmitic Acid Methyl Ester Enhances Adipogenic Differentiation in Rat Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells through a G Protein-Coupled Receptor-Mediated Pathway.

Adipogenic differentiation from stem cells has become a research target due to the increasing interest in obesity. It has been indicated that adipocytes can secrete palmitic acid methyl ester (PAME), which is able to regulate stem cell proliferation. However, the effects of PAME on adipogenic differentiation in stem cell remain unclear.

National surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibilities to dalbavancin, telavancin, tedizolid, eravacycline, omadacycline and other comparator antibiotics and serotype distribution of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in adults: results from the Surveillance of Multicenter Antimicrobial Resistance in Taiwan (SMART) programme in 2017-2020.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the trends in serotypes and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing adult invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) to dalbavancin, telavancin, tedizolid, eravacycline, omadacycline and other comparator antibiotics from 2017-2020 following implementation of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) and during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.

Methods: During the study period, 237 S. pneumoniae isolates were collected from non-duplicate patients, covering 15.

Nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in invasive isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Taiwan from 2017 to 2019.

Background/purpose: Streptococcus pneumoniae causes pneumonia and other invasive diseases, and is a leading cause of mortality in the elderly population. The present study aimed to provide current antimicrobial resistance and epidemiological profiles of S. pneumoniae infections in Taiwan.