JNM : Original Article ; Relevance of Ultrastructural Alterations of Intercellular Junction Morphology in Inflamed Human Esophagus

( Chia Chin Liu ),( Jeng Woei Lee ),( Tso Tsai Liu ),( Chih Hsun Yi ),( Chien Lin Chen ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회(구 대한소화관운동학회) 2013 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.19 No.3

Background/Aims Detailed characterization of the ultrastructural morphology of intercellular space in gastroesophageal reflux disease has not been fully studied. We aimed to investigate whether subtle alteration in intercellular space structure and tight junction proteins might differ among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Methods Esophageal biopsies at 5 cm above the gastroesophageal junction were obtained from 6 asymptomatic controls, 10 patients with reflux symptoms but without erosions, and 18 patients with erosions. The biopsies were morphologically evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, and by using immunohistochemistry for tight junction proteins (claudin-1 and claudin-2 proteins). Results The expressions of tight junction proteins did not differ between asymptomatic controls and gastroesophageal reflux disease patients. In patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, altered desmosomal junction morphology was only found in upper stratified squamous epithelium. Dilated intercellular space occurred only in upper stratified squamous epithelium and in patients with erosive esophagitis.Conclusions This study suggests that dilated intercellular space may not be uniformly present inside the esophageal mucosa and predom - inantly it is located in upper squamous epithelium. Presence of desmosomal junction alterations is associated with increased severity of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Besides dilated intercellular space, subtle changes in ultrastructural morphology of intercellular space allow better identification of inflamed esophageal mucosa relevant to acid reflux. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2013; 19:324-331)

Mathematical Analysis of the Parallel Packet Switch with a Sliding Window Scheme

Liu, Chia-Lung,Wu, Chin-Chi,Lin, Woei The Korea Institute of Information and Commucation 2007 Journal of communications and networks Vol.9 No.3

This work analyzes the performance of the parallel packet switch (PPS) with a sliding window (SW) method. The PPS involves numerous packet switches that operate independently and in parallel. The conventional PPS dispatch algorithm adopts a round robin (RR) method. The class of PPS is characterized by deployment of parallel low-speed switches whose all memory buffers run more slowly than the external line rate. In this work, a novel SW packet switching method for PPS, called SW-PPS, is proposed. The SW-PPS employs memory space more effectively than the existing PPS using RR algorithm. Under identical Bernoulli and bursty data traffic, the SW-PPS provided significantly improved performance when compared to PPS with RR method. Moreover, this investigation presents a novel mathematical analytical model to evaluate the performance of the PPS using RR and SW method. Under various operating conditions, our proposed model and analysis successfully exhibit these performance characteristics including throughput, cell delay, and cell drop rate.

Chronic pain assessment tool for the older adults

Wang-Chin Tsai,Chan-Yu Liu,Chia-Ling Chang,Hsuan Lin,Hsinfu Huang 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Chronic pain is expected to affect approximately 72 million older adults by the year 2030. It is one of the top causes of disability, mobility problems and chronic pain among older adults. With so many individuals affected, it is important to identify how to effectively manage the pain associated with chronic pain. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the factors and knowledge critical to the successful management of chronic pain and to evaluate the management tools currently available to the general public using these criteria as well as general human factors principles. We conduct ed usability analysis of the comparison of three types for the electronic chronic pain assessment applications, My Pain Diary, Chronic Pain Tracker and Catch my pain. In order to transform universal design concepts into usability testing, so that is capable of providing the suitable functions with older adults. This investigation analyzed several tasks and collects the related information and opinion from observation and interview. Research findings as below are based on the outcome of the investigation: 1. The worse quality of interface was thought to be Chronic Pain Tracker than My Pain Diary and Catch my pain, commented by the older adults. My Pain Diary and Catch my pain applications had the intuitive interface. 2. The easiest one to perform was thought to be My Pain Diary than the other two applications. 3. The Chronic Pain Tracker application considered was found to be lacking in several key areas, such as failing to include critical variables and difficulty integrating the data collected into a meaningful representation of one’s pain experience. Resolving these issues will improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from chronic pain.

Chronic Pain Assessment Tool for the Older Adults:Perceived Difficulties, Behavior and Usability

( Wang Chin Tsai ),( Cian Yu Liu ),( Chia Ling Chang ),( Hsuan Lin ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

Chronic pain is expected to affect approximately 72 million older adults by the year 2030. It is one of the top causes of disability, mobility problems and chronic pain among older adults. With so many individuals affected, it is important to identify how to effectively manage the pain associated with chronic pain. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the factors and knowledge critical to the successful management of chronic pain and to evaluate the management tools currently available to the general public using these criteria as well as general human factors principles. We conducted usability analysis of the comparison of three types for the electronic chronic pain assessment applications, My Pain Diary, Chronic Pain Tracker and Catch my pain In order to transform universal design concepts into usability testing, so that is capable of providing the suitable functions with older adults. This investigation encounters to problems with performing several tasks and collects the related information and opinion from observation at one time. Research findings as below are based on the outcome of the experiment: 1.

Combined Assessment of Serum Alpha-Synuclein and Rab35 is a Better Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease

Hung-Li Wang,Chin-Song Lu,Tu-Hsueh Yeh,Yu-Ming Shen,Yi-Hsin Weng,Ying-Zu Huang,Rou-Shayn Chen,Yu-Chuan Liu,Yi-Chuan Cheng,Hsiu-Chen Chang,Ying-Ling Chen,Yu-Jie Chen,Yan-Wei Lin,Chia Chen Hsu,Huang-Li 대한신경과학회 2019 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.15 No.4

Background and Purpose It is essential to develop a reliable predictive serum biomarker for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Te accumulation of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) and up-regulated expression of Rab35 participate in the etiology of PD. Te purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the combined assessment of serum αSyn and Rab35 is a useful predictive biomarker for PD. Methods Serum levels of αSyn or Rab35 were determined in serum samples from 59 sporadic PD patients, 19 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients, 20 multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, and 60 normal controls (NC). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were calculated to determine the diagnostic accuracy of αSyn or/and Rab35 in discriminating PD patients from NC or atypical parkinsonian patients. Results The levels of αSyn and Rab35 were increased in PD patients. The serum level of Rab35 was positively correlated with that of αSyn in PD patients. Compared to analyzing αSyn or Rab35 alone, the combined analysis of αSyn and Rab35 produced a larger area under the ROC curve and performed better in discriminating PD patients from NC, MSA patients, or PSP patients. When age was dichotomized at 55, 60, 65, or 70 years, the combined assessment of αSyn and Rab35 for classifying PD was better in the group below the cutof age than in the group above the cutof age. Conclusions Combined assessment of serum αSyn and Rab35 is a better biomarker for discriminating PD patients from NC or atypical parkinsonian patients, and is a useful predictive biomarker for younger sporadic PD patients.

A Systemic Review and Experts’ Consensus for Long-acting Injectable Antipsychotics in Bipolar Disorder

Yuan-Hwa Chou,Po-Chung Chu,Szu-Wei Wu,Jen-Chin Lee,Yi-Hsuan Lee,I-Wen Sun,Chen-Lin Chang,Chien-Liang Huang,I-Chao Liu,Chia-Fen Tsai,Yung-Chieh Yen 대한정신약물학회 2015 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.13 No.2

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a major psychiatric disorder that is easily misdiagnosed. Patient adherence to a treatment regimen is of utmost importance for successful outcomes in BD. Several trials of antipsychotics suggested that depot antipsychotics, including long-acting first- and second-generation agents, are effective in preventing non-adherence, partial adherence, and in reducing relapse in BD. Various long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are available, including fluphenazine decanoate, haloperidol decanoate, olanzapine pamoate, risperidone microspheres, paliperidone palmitate, and aripiprazole monohydrate. Due to the increasing number of BD patients receiving LAI antipsychotics, treatment guidelines have been developed. However, the clinical applicability of LAI antipsychotics remains a global cause for concern, particularly in Asian countries. Expert physicians from Taiwan participated in a consensus meeting, which was held to review key areas based on both current literature and clinical practice. The purpose of this meeting was to generate a practical and implementable set of recommendations for LAI antipsychotic use to treat BD; target patient groups, dosage, administration, and adverse effects were considered. Experts recommended using LAI antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia, rapid cycling BD, BD I, and bipolar-type schizoaffective disorder. LAI antipsychotic use was recommended in BD patients with the following characteristics: multiple episodes and low adherence; seldom yet serious episodes; low adherence potential per a physician’s clinical judgment; preference for injectable agents over oral agents; and multiple oral agent users still experiencing residual symptoms.