Publications by authors named "Yi-Jen Hung"

Background/purpose: Oral cancer is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors in Taiwan. Due to the heterogeneity of oral cancer cells, the five-year survival rate of patients is only 50%. Post-translational modifications contribute to protein diversity and directly influence cell functions.

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: Genomic studies have identified several SNP loci associated with schizophrenia in East Asian populations. Environmental factors, particularly urbanization, play a significant role in schizophrenia development. This study aimed to identify schizophrenia susceptibility loci and characterize their biological functions and molecular pathways in Taiwanese urban Han individuals.

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Background: Studies have confirmed that osteoporosis has been considered as one of the complications of diabetes, and the health hazards to patients are more obvious. This study is mainly based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database (TNHID). Through the analysis of TNHID, it is shown that the combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medicine in patients of diabetes with osteoporosis (T2DOP) with lower related risks.

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Background: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has raised concerns about the sustainability of vaccine-induced immunity. Little is known about the long-term humoral responses and spike-specific T cell memory to Omicron variants, with specific attention to BA.4/5, BQ.

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Viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), a highly conserved molecule in RNA viruses, has recently emerged as a promising drug target for broad-acting inhibitors. Through a Vero E6-based anti-cytopathic effect assay, we found that BPR3P0128, which incorporates a quinoline core similar to hydroxychloroquine, outperformed the adenosine analog remdesivir in inhibiting RdRp activity (EC = 0.66 µM and 3 µM, respectively).

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Background: () urinary tract infections pose a significant challenge in Taiwan. The significance of this issue arises because of the growing concerns about the antibiotic resistance of . Therefore, this study aimed to uncover potential genomic risk factors in Taiwanese patients with urinary tract infections through genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

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Article Synopsis
  • Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex disease influenced by various genetic factors and molecular mechanisms that vary by cell type and ancestry.
  • In a large study involving over 2.5 million individuals, researchers identified 1,289 significant genetic associations linked to T2D, including 145 new loci not previously reported.
  • The study categorized T2D signals into eight distinct clusters based on their connections to cardiometabolic traits and showed that these genetic profiles are linked to vascular complications, emphasizing the role of obesity-related processes across different ancestry groups.
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Background/purpose: Oral cancer is a prevalent malignancy affecting men globally. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory role of miR-34a in oral cancer cells through the Axl/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) pathway and its impact on cellular malignancy.

Materials And Methods: We examined the effects of miR-34a overexpression on the malignancy of oral cancer cells.

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Background/purpose: Dysregulation of receptor tyrosine kinases is implicated in cancer development. This study aimed to investigate the nuclear translocation of Axl, a membrane protein and receptor tyrosine kinase in cancer malignancy.

Materials And Methods: We examined Axl's entry into the cell nucleus and validated it with the nuclear export inhibitor leptomycin.

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Background: The burden of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is greater than that of heart failure; however, a cost-effective tool for asymptomatic LVD screening has not been well validated. We aimed to prospectively validate an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electrocardiography (ECG) algorithm for asymptomatic LVD detection and evaluate its cost-effectiveness for opportunistic screening.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, patients undergoing ECG at outpatient clinics or health check-ups were enrolled in 2 hospitals in Taiwan.

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  • Large-scale whole-genome sequencing (WGS) studies have enhanced our understanding of how rare genetic variants affect complex human traits through better analysis techniques.* -
  • Current methods for analyzing multiple traits are limited in their ability to handle rare variants in large WGS datasets, prompting the development of MultiSTAAR.* -
  • MultiSTAAR enables more powerful analysis by considering relatedness, population structure, and the correlation between traits, leading to the discovery of new genetic associations in lipid traits that single-trait analyses missed.*
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Background: Dedifferentiated fat cells (DFATs) are highly homogeneous and multipotent compared with adipose-derived stromal cells (SCs). Infrapatellar fat pad (IFP)-SCs have advanced chondrogenic potency; however, whether IFP-DFATs could serve as better cell material remains unclear. Here, we aimed to examine the influence of age and body mass index (BMI) on the features of IFPs and IFP-derived cells (IFP-SCs and IFP-DFATs) with exploration of the clinical utilization of IFP-DFATs.

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The Omicron variant of concern (VOC) has surged in many countries and replaced the previously reported VOC. To identify different Omicron strains/sublineages on a rapid, convenient, and precise platform, we report a novel multiplex real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method in one tube based on the Omicron lineage sequence variants' information. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) subvariants were used in a PCR-based assay for rapid identification of Omicron sublineage genotyping in 1000 clinical samples.

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  • Researchers examined genetic factors influencing insulin levels after a glucose challenge in over 55,000 people from different ancestry groups, identifying ten new genetic locations linked to postprandial insulin resistance.
  • * They found that many of these loci share genetics with type 2 diabetes, suggesting a common underlying mechanism.
  • * The study also highlighted nine candidate genes affecting GLUT4, a key glucose transporter, which plays an important role in glucose uptake during the post-meal state.
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Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes. To characterise the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% non-European ancestry), including 428,452 T2D cases.

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This study investigated the effect of a combination of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) and basal insulin (BI) in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus previously treated with premixed insulin. The possible therapeutic benefit of the subject is mainly hoped to provide a direction for optimizing treatment options to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain. A single-arm, open-label study was conducted.

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Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have linked RRBP1 (ribosomal-binding protein 1) genetic variants to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and serum lipoprotein levels. However, how RRBP1 regulates blood pressure is unknown.

Methods: To identify genetic variants associated with blood pressure, we performed a genome-wide linkage analysis with regional fine mapping in the Stanford Asia-Pacific Program for Hypertension and Insulin Resistance (SAPPHIRe) cohort.

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  • Researchers compiled a comprehensive catalog of 355,667 structural variants (SVs) from DNA data, with over half being novel, to better understand the relationship between SVs and diseases.
  • The study involved rigorous methods to ensure high-quality variant identification, showing over 90% accuracy compared to previous genetic assemblies.
  • This catalog reveals significant connections between SVs and various health traits, identifying 690 specific regions that may influence medically relevant genes, providing a crucial resource for disease research.
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Ever larger Structural Variant (SV) catalogs highlighting the diversity within and between populations help researchers better understand the links between SVs and disease. The identification of SVs from DNA sequence data is non-trivial and requires a balance between comprehensiveness and precision. Here we present a catalog of 355,667 SVs (59.

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Introduction: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has emerged as a key player in insulin resistance (IR) progression in skeletal muscle. Recent reports revealed that ER stress-induced the expression of protein disulfide isomerase family a member 4 (PDIA4), which may be involved in IR-related diseases. A previous study showed that metformin modulated ER stress-induced IR.

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Background: Drug repurposing is a fast and effective way to develop drugs for an emerging disease such as COVID-19. The main challenges of effective drug repurposing are the discoveries of the right therapeutic targets and the right drugs for combating the disease.

Methods: Here, we present a systematic repurposing approach, combining Homopharma and hierarchal systems biology networks (HiSBiN), to predict 327 therapeutic targets and 21,233 drug-target interactions of 1,592 FDA drugs for COVID-19.

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  • Tobacco and alcohol use contribute significantly to global mortality rates, with heritability playing a key role in these behaviors.
  • This study utilized genetic data from a diverse population of 3.4 million individuals, including 21% non-European ancestry, to identify genetic variants linked to tobacco and alcohol use.
  • Findings showed that while increased genetic diversity improved the identification of genomic loci, polygenic risk scores were less effective across different ancestries, underscoring the need for larger and more diverse genetic datasets for better predictive outcomes.
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  • A study examined the impact of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) on asthma development in individuals with type 2 diabetes, finding limited existing research on this topic.
  • The research utilized a large cohort from a national health database, enrolling patients on DPP-4i who had no prior asthma diagnosis, and assessed their risk of developing asthma over about five years.
  • Results showed that those on DPP-4i had a significantly lower risk of developing asthma and experienced less severe asthma symptoms, although the effect was not significant for cases requiring intubation.
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