Different impacts of physical activity on health in urban and rural older adults.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the impact of physical activity on health among older adults in urban and rural areas in Taiwan.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design and data were analyzed from 2015 to 2019 from the Hualien County Health Bureau. Participants were divided into urban (n = 4780) and rural groups (n = 4983), and logistic regression models were employed to examine how physical activity relates to their health condition in urban and rural older adults.

Utilizing Design Thinking for Effective Multidisciplinary Diabetes Management.

(1) Background: Design thinking, as a human-centered design method, represents a unique framework to support the planning, testing, and evaluation of new clinical spaces for diabetic care throughout all phases of construction. This approach prioritizes the needs and experiences of diabetic patients to create innovative and effective healthcare environments. By applying design-thinking principles, healthcare facilities can optimize the design and functionality of their clinical spaces, ensuring a patient-centered approach to diabetic care.

Microbial metabolites regulate social novelty via CaMKII neurons in the BNST.

Social novelty is a cognitive process that is essential for animals to interact strategically with conspecifics based on their prior experiences. The commensal microbiome in the gut modulates social behavior through various routes, including microbe-derived metabolite signaling. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), metabolites derived from bacterial fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract, have been previously shown to impact host behavior.

Identification of in Spondylitis by Metagenomics Analysis.

Background/aim: Identifying pathogens with culture-negative pyogenic spondylitis is difficult. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing is an unbiased and culture-free approach in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. There are, however, a variety of contaminating factors that can confound the precision of metagenomic sequencing.

Sarcopenia-related gut microbial changes are associated with the risk of complications in people with cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Sarcopenia and gut dysbiosis are common in individuals with cirrhosis. However, the association between sarcopenia and microbial alterations, and the subsequent impact on cirrhotic outcomes are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify muscle-dependent microbial changes and related risks of cirrhotic complications.

Association between Gut Microbiota and Emotional-Behavioral Symptoms in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Previous studies have explored the role of the microbiome in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, whether the microbiome is correlated with emotional-behavioral disturbances, the most common comorbid symptom of ADHD, remains unclear. We established a cross-sectional study in which 6- to 18-year-old children with ADHD who were receiving no medication and a healthy control group of children without ADHD were recruited to analyze their microbiome composition.

Gut microbiota and metabolites associate with outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitor-treated unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are promising agents for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC), but lack effective biomarker to predict outcomes. The gut microbiome can modulate tumor response to immunotherapy, but its effect on HCC remains unclear.

Methods: From May 2018 to February 2020, patients receiving ICI treatment for uHCC were prospectively enrolled; their fecal samples were collected before treatment.

Urban-rural differences in factors affecting mortality and causes of death among older adults.

This study examined the differences in factors affecting mortality between urban and rural areas in Taiwan. A retrospective study design was adopted by using the older adult health examination data during 2013-2019 from Hualien, Taiwan. The overall mortality risk in rural areas was significantly higher than urban areas.

Fecal microbiota changes in NZB/W F1 mice after induction of lupus disease.

The association between the gut microbiota and the development of lupus is unclear. We investigated alterations in the gut microbiota after induction of lupus in a murine model using viral peptide of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Three treatment arms for the animals were prepared: intraperitoneal injection of HCMVpp65 peptide, adjuvant alone, and PBS injection.

Intergenerational Narrative Learning to Bridge the Generation Gap in Humanistic Care Nursing Education.

Background: The development of nursing students' ability to practice humanistic care is extremely important.

Methods: This study explored students' learning experience when providing humanistic care for older adults with chronic diseases while employing intergenerational narrative learning. An exploratory descriptive qualitative study design was adopted.

Dietary Pterostilbene and Resveratrol Modulate the Gut Microbiota Influenced by Circadian Rhythm Dysregulation.

Scope: A causal relationship between circadian misalignment and microbiota dysbiosis has been discussed recently, due to their association to pathogenesis. Herein, the possible impact of pterostilbene (PSB) and resveratrol (RES) on the gut microbiota brought by chronic jet-lag in mice is investigated.

Methods And Results: Dietary supplement of RES and PSB (0.

An Exploratory Study for the Association of Gut Microbiome with Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Gut microbiome has been associated with the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in patients with various types of cancers but not yet in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Aims: To investigate the association between gut microbiome and efficacy of ICI in patients with HCC.

Methods: Patients with HCC who were scheduled to receive ICI were prospectively enrolled.

Gut microbiota modulates COPD pathogenesis: role of anti-inflammatory lipopolysaccharide.

Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global disease characterised by chronic obstruction of lung airflow interfering with normal breathing. Although the microbiota of respiratory tract is established to be associated with COPD, the causality of gut microbiota in COPD development is not yet established. We aimed to address the connection between gut microbiota composition and lung COPD development, and characterise bacteria and their derived active components for COPD amelioration.

The Rumen Specific Bacteriome in Dry Dairy Cows and Its Possible Relationship with Phenotypes.

Most microbiome studies of dairy cows have investigated the compositions and functions of rumen microbial communities in lactating dairy cows. The importance of the relationships among hosts, microbiota, diet composition, and milk production remains unknown in dry dairy cows. Thus, in the present study, the composition of the rumen microbiome in cows from three dairy farms was investigated to identify core bacteria contributing to various physiological roles during rumen fermentation in dry dairy cows.

Fermented Soy Paste Alleviates Lipid Accumulation in the Liver by Regulating the AMPK Pathway and Modulating Gut Microbiota in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Rats.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of liver disease due to lipid accumulation in the hepatocyte. Diet, especially a high-fat diet, is one risk factor that leads to NAFLD. Many natural compounds such as isoflavones have antiobesity effects.

Integration of metagenomics-metabolomics reveals specific signatures and functions of airway microbiota in mite-sensitized childhood asthma.

Background: Childhood asthma is a multifactorial inflammatory condition of the airways, associated with specific changes in respiratory microbiome and circulating metabolome.

Methods: To explore the functional capacity of asthmatic microbiome and its intricate connection with the host, we performed shotgun sequencing of airway microbiome and untargeted metabolomics profiling of serum samples in a cohort of children with mite-sensitized asthma and non-asthmatic controls.

Results: We observed higher gene counts and sample-to-sample dissimilarities in asthmatic microbiomes, indicating a more heterogeneous community structure and functionality among the cases than in controls.

Scale Development and Model Validation for the Process of Exercise Engagement for People with Prediabetes.

Purpose: This study had two objectives: 1) to develop a scale for the process of exercise engagement (SPEE) for prediabetic individuals (PDIs); 2) to validate a structural model for the process of exercise engagement for PDIs.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey with simple random sampling was conducted from September 2013 to December 2015 (in Taiwan). A total of 310 PDIs were enrolled for scale development and model validation via item analysis, factor analyses, and structural equation modeling.

Integrative metagenomic and metabolomic analyses reveal severity-specific signatures of gut microbiota in chronic kidney disease.

Unlabelled: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious healthcare dilemma, associated with specific changes in gut microbiota and circulating metabolome. Yet, the functional capacity of CKD microbiome and its intricate relationship with the host metabolism at different stages of disease are less understood.

Methods: Here, shotgun sequencing of fecal samples and targeted metabolomics profiling of serum bile acids, short- and medium-chain fatty acids, and uremic solutes were performed in a cohort of CKD patients with different severities and non-CKD controls.

Gut Microbiota as Diagnostic Tools for Mirroring Disease Progression and Circulating Nephrotoxin Levels in Chronic Kidney Disease: Discovery and Validation Study.

The interplay of the gut microbes with gut-producing nephrotoxins and the renal progression remains unclear in large human cohort. Significant compositional and functional differences in the intestinal microbiota (by 16S rRNA gene sequencing) were noted among 30 controls and 92 (31 mild, 30 moderate and 31 advanced) patients at different chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages (discovery cohort). A core CKD-associated microbiota consisted of 7 genera (Escherichia_Shigella, Dialister, Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_group, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Roseburia, Paraprevotella and Ruminiclostridium) and 2 species (Collinsella stercoris and Bacteroides eggerthii) were identified to be highly correlated with the stages of CKD.

Podoplanin, a Potential Therapeutic Target for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Introduction: The role of podoplanin (PDPN) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is still unknown. The aims of this study were to investigate the expression and role of PDPN in NPC cells.

Materials And Methods: Immunofluorescence staining and functional tests were used to determine the effects of PDPN knockdown by siRNA in TW01 NPC cells.

Identification of Withaferin A as a Potential Candidate for Anti-Cancer Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Low response rate and recurrence are common issues in lung cancer; thus, identifying a potential compound for these patients is essential. Utilizing an in silico screening method, we identified withaferin A (WA), a cell-permeable steroidal lactone initially extracted from , as a potential anti-lung cancer and anti-lung cancer stem-like cell (CSC) agent. First, we demonstrated that WA exhibited potent cytotoxicity in several lung cancer cells, as evidenced by low IC values.

Gut microbial-derived butyrate is inversely associated with IgE responses to allergens in childhood asthma.

Background: A comprehensive metabolomics-based approach to address the impact of specific gut microbiota on allergen sensitization for childhood rhinitis and asthma is still lacking.

Methods: Eighty-five children with rhinitis (n = 27) and with asthma (n = 34) and healthy controls (n = 24) were enrolled. Fecal metabolomic analysis with H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and microbiome composition analysis by bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing were performed.

A preclinical evaluation of thiostrepton, a natural antibiotic, in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background Thiostrepton, a natural antibiotic, has recently been shown to be a potential anticancer drug for certain cancers, but its study in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is still limited. The aims of this study were to investigate the anticancer effect of thiostrepton on NPC cells and to explore its underlying mechanism. Methods The effects of thiostrepton on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NPC cells were investigated by a WST-1 assay, wound healing assay, and cell invasion assay, respectively.

Compositional and functional variations of oral microbiota associated with the mutational changes in oral cancer.

Objectives: Both genetic and environmental factors are conceivably required to assess the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), yet little is known regarding the relationship between oral microbiome and the mutational spectrum of OSCC.

Materials And Methods: Here, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to study the composition of oral microorganisms in OSCC patients, whose cancer mutational profiles were previously defined by whole-exome sequencing, to evaluate the relationship between oral microbiome and the mutational changes in OSCC.

Results: Analyzing the contributions of the five mutational signatures extracted from the primary tumors revealed three groups of OSCC (mutational signature cluster, MSC1-3) that were significantly associated with demographic and clinical features.