Estimation equation of limb lean soft tissue mass in Asian athletes using bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Background: The lean soft tissue mass (LSTM) of the limbs is approximately 63% of total skeletal muscle mass. For athletes, measurement of limb LSTM is the basis for rapid estimation of skeletal muscle mass. This study aimed to establish the estimation equation of LSTM in Asian athletes using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

Chemical Constituents from Soft Coral spp. Demonstrate Antiproliferative Effects on Oral Cancer Cells.

Five new eudensamane-type sesquiterpene lactones, clasamanes A-E (-), three new dolabellane-type diterpenes, clabellanes A-C (-), and fifteen known compounds (-) were isolated from the ethanolic extract of Taiwanese soft coral spp. The structures of all undescribed components (-) were determined by analysis of IR, mass, NMR, and UV spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of new compounds was determined by using circular dichroism and DP4+ calculations.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Aging and Disease.

Mitochondria are considered to have a significant influence on aging due to their critical role in the regulation of bioenergetics, oxidative stress, and cell death [...

Methanol Extract of Exerts Apoptosis and DNA Damage to Oral Cancer Cells.

Antiproliferation effects of -derived natural products against cancer cells have been reported on, but most studies have focused on identifying bioactive compounds, lacking a detailed investigation of the molecular mechanism. Crude extracts generally exhibit multiple targeting potentials for anticancer effects, but they have rarely been assessed for methanol extracts of (MECI). This investigation aims to evaluate the antiproliferation of MECI and to examine several potential mechanisms between oral cancer and normal cells.

analysis combined with sagittal abdominal diameter for abdominal subcutaneous fat measurement.

Abdominal subcutaneous fat tissue (ASFT) is an independent predictor of mortality. This prospective observational study aimed to establish a rapid, safe, and convenient estimation equation for abdominal subcutaneous fat area (SFA) using bioimpedance analysis (BIA) combined with sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD). A total of 520 adult subjects were recruited and were randomly divided into 2/3 ( = 346) and 1/3 ( = 174) to form a modeling group (MG) and a validation group (VG), respectively.

Action of the natural compound gomisin a on Ca movement in human prostate cancer cells.

Gomisin A is a dietary lignan compound isolated from the fruit of Schisandra chinensis and has many pharmacological properties, including hepato-protective, anti-diabetic, and anti-oxidative activities. However, the benefit of gomisin A is still not well understood. The action of gomisin A is diverse.

Exercise Normalized the Hippocampal Renin-Angiotensin System and Restored Spatial Memory Function, Neurogenesis, and Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in the 2K1C-Hypertensive Mouse.

Hypertension is associated with blood-brain barrier alteration and brain function decline. Previously, we established the 2-kidney,1-clip (2K1C) hypertensive mice model by renin-angiotensin system (RAS) stimulating. We found that 2K1C-induced hypertension would impair hippocampus-related memory function and decrease adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Hydroxytyrosol [2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-ethanol], a natural phenolic compound found in the olive, alters Ca signaling and viability in human HepG2 hepatoma cells.

Hepatotoma is the leading type of primary liver cancer in adults and third cause of death in the world. Hydroxytyrosol is a natural phenol existing in olive (Olea europaea L.).

Treadmill workouts alleviate neuropathic allodynia and scratching behavior in rats following thoracotomy.

Background: The aim of the experiment was to investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on postthoracotomy pain and the expression of spinal pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Methods: Animals were randomly distributed into four groups: (a) sham surgery, (b) rats following 60 min thoracotomy and rib retraction (thoracotomy), (c) thoracotomy rats received treadmill training (thoracotomy+treadmill), and (d) sham surgery rats received treadmill training (sham surgery+treadmill). Treadmill workouts were started on postoperative day 10 (POD10) and lasted for 6 weeks (5 days per week).

Factors associated with 14-day hospital readmission in frail older patients: A case-control study.

Frailty is a key predictor of readmission among older patients. However, studies on the factors associated with readmission of frail older patients are lacking. This study aims to examine factors associated with 14-day hospital readmission in frail older patients.

Effects of health-promoting school strategy on dental plaque control and preventive behaviors in schoolchildren in high-caries, rural areas of Taiwan: a quasi-experimental design.

Background: We evaluated the effects of health-promoting school (HPS) strategy on plaque control and behavior change in high-caries schoolchildren in Taitung, Taiwan.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design was adopted; six intervention schools (intervention group [IG]) and six comparison schools (comparison group [CG]) were selected from elementary schools with higher-than-average caries rates (> 68%). The IG was selected using cluster sampling, and the CG was selected to match the IG.

Kinesio Taping Relieves Pain and Improves Isokinetic Not Isometric Muscle Strength in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study investigated the effects of kinesio taping (KT) or KT plus conventional therapy on pain, muscle strength, funrefction, and range of motion in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Data sources: Databases included PubMed, Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Airiti Library, EMBASE, and WOS search engines. Search terms related to KT and knee OA were combined and searched.

Targeted Isolation of Xenicane Diterpenoids from Taiwanese Soft Coral .

Application of LC-MS/MS-based molecular networking indicated the ethanol extract of octocoral is a potential source for the discovery of new xenicane derivatives. A natural product investigation of this soft coral resulted in the isolation of four new xenicane diterpenoids, asterolaurins O‒R (‒), together with six known compounds, xeniolide-A (), isoxeniolide-A (), xeniolide-B (), 7,8-epoxyxeniolide-B (), 7,8-oxido-isoxeniolide-A (), and 9-hydroxyxeniolide-F (). The structures of isolated compounds were characterized by employing spectroscopic analyses, including 2D-NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS).

Comparisons of Left Atrial Functional Parameters with Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in a Large Taiwanese Population with Normal Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction According to Age.

Background: Recent studies have shown that left atrial (LA) volume is a sensitive morphophysiological indicator of the severity of LV dysfunction and may also be a useful index of cardiovascular risk. In this study, we performed comparisons among left atrial (LA) functional parameters for predicting age-related diastolic dysfunction.

Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 2248 healthy participants with a low possibility of heart disease according to the decennium of age, and reference values were established.

Motivation theory-based physical activity programme for older adults in residential care facility: A modified Delphi and single-group pretest-posttest study.

Background: Physical inactivity exposes older adults living in long-term care institutions to a high risk of health deterioration. Developing effective behaviour change interventions based on a theoretical framework is a pressing concern.

Aims: This study developed an 'Easy Walking' intervention programme based on the Wheel of Motivation and aimed to: (1) develop the intervention programme for promoting self-efficacy of older adults living in long-term care facilities; and (2) examine the perceived helpfulness of the intervention programme for encouraging walking behaviours.

Exploration of thioridazine-induced Ca signaling and non-Ca-triggered cell death in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Thioridazine, belonging to first-generation antipsychotic drugs, is a prescription used to treat schizophrenia. However, the effect of thioridazine on intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]) and viability in human liver cancer cells is unclear. This study examined whether thioridazine altered Ca signaling and viability in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Sequential inflammation model for Achilles tendinopathy by elastin degradation with treadmill exercise.

Background & Objective: Tendinopathy is a tendon disease with abnormal mechanical loading to induce chronic repetitive injury. However, lack of a comparable animal model to demonstrate clinical progressions has hindered the understanding of anatomical and pathological changes. The major extracellular matrix (ECM) in the tendon consists of abundant type I collagen (COL) and minimal amount of elastin (ELN).

Clerodane Diterpenoids from and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity.

Plants of the genus are known to possess several medicinal effects. The constituents of the Taiwan endemic plant have never been studied. Therefore, was selected for our phytochemical investigation.

Investigation of effect of tectorigenin (O-methylated isoflavone) on Ca signal transduction and cytotoxic responses in canine renal tubular cells.

Tectorigenin, a traditional Chinese medicine, is isolated from the flower of plants such as Pueraria thomsonii Benth. It is an O-methylated isoflavone, a type of flavonoid. Previous studies have shown that tectorigenin evoked various physiological responses in different models, but the effect of tectorigenin on cytosolic-free Ca levels ([Ca]) and cytotoxicity in renal tubular cells is unknown.

Action of the insecticide cyfluthrin on Ca signal transduction and cytotoxicity in human osteosarcoma cells.

Cyfluthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide and common household pesticide. The effect of cyfluthrin on Ca-related physiology in human osteosarcoma is unclear. This study investigated the effect of cyfluthrin on cytosolic-free Ca concentrations ([Ca]) and viability in MG63 human osteosarcoma cells.

FGF9 induces functional differentiation to Schwann cells from human adipose derived stem cells.

: The formation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) into spheres on a chitosan-coated microenvironment promoted ASCs differentiation into a mixed population of neural lineage-like cells (NLCs), but the underline mechanism is still unknown. Since the fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) and fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) play as key regulators of neural cell fate during embryo development and stem cell differentiation, the current study aims to reveal the interplay of FGF9 and FGFRs for promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. : Different concentration of FGF9 peptide (10, 25, 50, 100 ng/mL) were added during NLCs induction (FGF9-NLCs).

Characterization of gonadal glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) protein expression during sex change in the protogynous orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides.

Steroid hormones have been proven as a key drive of sex change in sequentially hermaphroditic organisms. However, the upstream mechanism of sex steroid hormones regulation that affect sex change remain unknown. The main glucocorticoid in teleost fish is cortisol, which both regulates steroidogenesis and has antistress action.