Prognostic Value of Anxiety Between Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background Evidence suggests differences in clinical characteristics, causes, and prognoses between heart failure with reduced ejection fraction ( HF r EF ) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Most studies have failed to support the prognostic relevance of anxiety in HF r EF or unclassified HF with mean left ventricular ejection fraction <40%. Meanwhile, the association between anxiety and prognoses in HF p EF remains unexamined.

Exploring the mode of action of inhibitors targeting the PhoP response regulator of through comprehensive pharmacophore approaches.

The PhoQ/PhoP two-component system regulates the physiological and virulence functions of . However, the mode of action of known PhoP inhibitors is unclear. We systematically constructed a pharmacophore model of inhibitors to probe the interface pharmacophore model of the PhoP dimer, coupling it with Ligplot analysis.

Association of Anemia and Iron Parameters With Mortality Among Patients Undergoing Prevalent Hemodialysis in Taiwan: The AIM - HD Study.

Background The Taiwan Health Insurance Bureau has conducted a bundled payment system for hemodialysis reimbursement since 1995. The maximum dose of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents allowed by insurance is capped at 20 000 U of epoetin or 100 μg of darbepoetin alfa per month. Nephrologists have avoided the use of high dosages of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents to achieve a hemoglobin level of 10 to 11 g/dL by iron supplementation.

Fasting serum resistin level positively correlates with metabolic syndrome in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Resistin is an adipocyte-derived polypeptide that provides a link between obesity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between fasting serum resistin levels and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). Fasting blood samples were obtained from 51 patients on PD.

Highly sensitive sensing of hydroquinone and catechol based on β-cyclodextrin-modified carbon dots.

In the proposed study, an efficient method for a carbon dot@β-cyclodextrin (C-dot@β-CD)-based fluorescent probe was developed for the analyses of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) at trace levels in water samples. The properties of C-dot@β-CD nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sensing behaviors of C-dot@β-CD toward CC and HQ were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy.

Serum sclerostin as an independent marker of peripheral artery disease in elderly persons.

Sclerostin is now being recognized as performing a multitude of physiological functions and is associated with coronary artery calcification. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common manifestation of atherosclerosis in elderly persons. This study aimed to determine whether high serum sclerostin is associated with PAD in elderly persons.

Negative correlation between leptin serum levels and sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients.

Leptin is an adipokine secreted from adipocytes that mediate lipid metabolism and inflammation. This cross-sectional study evaluated association between serum leptin level and sarcopenia in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Blood samples and measurement of muscle mass, handgrip strength, and gait speed were obtained from 76 chronic HD patients.

Hypoadiponectemia is associated with metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Adipose tissue-expressed adiponectin levels are inversely related to the degree of adiposity, and a reduction in adiponectin serum levels is accompanied by insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum adiponectin concentration and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Fasting blood samples were obtained from 150 volunteers with type 2 DM.

Positive correlation of serum adipocyte fatty acid binding protein levels with metabolic syndrome in kidney transplantation patients.

Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) is significantly expressed in white and brown adipose tissue, monocytes, and macrophages and is a central regulator of systemic insulin sensitivity. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a risk factor for post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM), chronic graft dysfunction, graft loss, and patient death in kidney transplantation (KT) patients. This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between MetS and fasting serum A-FABP concentration in KT patients.

Endometrial adenomyoma polyp caused postmenopausal bleeding mimicking uterine malignancy.

This case report presents a 66-year-oId postmenopausal woman with a case of endometrial adenomyomatous polyp (EAP) that presented as postmenopausal vaginal bleeding and mimicked endometrial cancer. The ultrasonography revealed a mildly enlarged uterus approximately 7.1 cm × 3.

Plectin deficiency in liver cancer cells promotes cell migration and sensitivity to sorafenib treatment.

Plectin involved in activation of kinases in cell signaling pathway and plays important role in cell morphology and migration. Plectin knockdown promotes cell migration by activating focal adhesion kinase and Rac1-GTPase activity in liver cells. Sorafenib is a multi-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor that improves patient survival on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Exercise Attenuates Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis Associated with Sodium-Hydrogen Exchanger-1 in Rats.

To investigate the role of sodium-hydrogen exchanger-1 (NHE-1) and exercise training on intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiac fibrosis in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), using an animal model mimicking the intermittent hypoxia of OSA. Eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to control (CON), intermittent hypoxia (IH), exercise (EXE), or IH combined with exercise (IHEXE) groups. These groups were randomly assigned to subgroups receiving either a vehicle or the NHE-1 inhibitor cariporide.

Inflammatory Role of ROS-Sensitive AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in the Hypersensitivity of Lung Vagal C Fibers Induced by Intermittent Hypoxia in Rats.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), manifested by airway exposure to intermittent hypoxia (IH), is associated with excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in airways, airway inflammation, and hyperreactive airway diseases. The cause-effect relationship for these events remains unclear. We investigated the inflammatory role of ROS-sensitive AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in IH-induced airway hypersensitivity mediated by lung vagal C fibers (LVCFs) in rats.

MiR-135a and MRP1 play pivotal roles in the selective lethality of phenethyl isothiocyanate to malignant glioma cells.

Amounting evidence has demonstrated that phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is a strong inducer of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and functions as a selective killer to various human cancer cells. However, it remains obscure whether PEITC has potential selective lethality to malignant glioma cells. Thus in this study, we performed multiple analysis such as MTT assay, Hoechst 33258 staining, flow cytometry, foci formation, RT-PCR, Western blot, and transfection to explore the selective lethality of PEITC to malignant glioma cells and the underlying mechanisms.

NADPH Oxidase-Derived ROS Induced by Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia Mediates Hypersensitivity of Lung Vagal C Fibers in Rats.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), manifested by exposure to chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) and excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the airways, is associated with hyperreactive airway diseases. ROS, particularly when created by NADPH oxidase, are known to sensitize lung vagal C fibers (LVCFs), which may contribute to airway hypersensitivity pathogenesis. We investigated whether CIH augments the reflex and afferent responses of LVCFs to chemical stimulants and the roles of ROS and NADPH oxidase in such airway hypersensitivity.

Spectrum of Epstein-Barr virus-associated T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in adolescents and young adults in Taiwan.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a herpesvirus usually infecting B-cells but may occasionally infect T- or natural killer (NK)-cells. EBV-associated T- or NK-cell lymphoproliferations represent a continuous spectrum of diseases ranging from asymptomatic infection, infectious mononucleosis (IM), to clonal and malignant lymphoproliferations including systemic EBV-positive T/NK-cell lymphoproliferative disease (EBV-T/NK-LPD) of childhood and hydroa-vacciniforme-like lymphoma of the skin. The clonal diseases are more prevalent in East Asia and exhibit overlapping clinical and pathological features with chronic active EBV infection.

Haplotype association analysis of combining unrelated case-control and triads with consideration of population stratification.

Combining data when data are collected under different study designs, such as family trios and unrelated case-control samples, gains more power and is cost-effective than analyzing each data separately. However, a potential concern is population stratification (PS) among unrelated case-control samples and analyses integrating data should address this confounding effect. In this paper, we develop a simpler method, haplotype generalized linear model (HGLM), that tests and estimates haplotype effects on disease risk and allows for modification against PS for combining data.

Tumor rupture as an initial manifestation of malignant mesonephric mixed tumor: a case report and review of the literature.

Malignant mesonephric mixed tumor (MMMT), or mesonephric carcinosarcoma, is a rare tumor with malignant epithelial and mesenchymal components, and is found mostly in the uterine cervix. While diagnosed at the early stage in most cases, MMMT can have an aggressive course. The clinical significance of the presence of sarcomatous components remains unsettled.

Analysis of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphisms with cardiovascular diseases in eastern Taiwan.

A few studies have been carried out to address the correlation between the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphisms and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) within the Taiwanese population. However, no report has documented the situations in eastern Taiwan, which has different ethnic groups from those in western Taiwan. In this study, we explored the relationship between polymorphic eNOS alleles and CVD in eastern Taiwan.

Ketamine, but not propofol, anaesthesia is regulated by metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors.

Background: Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) have been reported to regulate N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function in various brain regions. The selective mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP) can potentiate NMDA antagonists such as PCP and MK-801-induced behavioural responses. In the present study, the role of group I mGluRs on ketamine- and propofol-induced general anaesthesia was examined.