Loss-of-function HSD17B13 variants, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and adverse liver outcomes: Results from a multi-ethnic Asian cohort

( Yi-wen Ting ),( Amanda Shen-yee Kong ),( Shamsul Mohd Zain ),( Wah-kheong Chan ),( Hwa-li Tan ),( Zahurin Mohamed ),( Yuh-fen Pung ),( Rosmawati Mohamed ) 대한간학회 2021 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.27 No.3

Background/ Aims: 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) variants were recently reported to have significantly lower odds of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is a two-part study that aimed to evaluate the association of HSD17B13 variants with NAFLD and its histological severity, and to identify the association of the variants with clinical outcomes in a cohort of biopsy-proven NAFLD patients. Methods: Consecutive biopsy-proven NAFLD patients and controls without fatty liver were recruited for this study between 2009 and 2014. Genotyping for HSD17B13 variants was performed using rhAmp assays. A total of 165 patients with NAFLD were monitored up until August 2019. Clinical outcomes were recorded. Results: HSD17B13 rs72613567 TA allele and rs6834314 G allele were associated with lower odds of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in the overall cohort and among ethnic Chinese, but not among ethnic Malays or Indians (P<0.05). During a mean follow-up of 89 months, 32 patients (19.4%) experienced at least one clinical outcome (cardiovascular events, n=22; liver-related complications, n=6; extra-hepatic malignancy, n=5; and mortality, n=6). The rs72613567 homozygous TA allele and the rs6834314 homozygous G allele were independently associated with a lower incidence of liver-related complications (hazard ratio [HR], 0.004; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.00-0.64; P=0.033 and HR, 0.01; 95% CI, 0.00-0.97; P=0.048, respectively) and were associated with lower grade of hepatocyte ballooning among the ethnic Chinese. Conclusion: HSD17B13 rs72613567 and rs6834314 variants were inversely associated with NAFLD and NASH, and were associated with lower incidence of adverse liver outcomes in a cohort of multi-ethnic Asian patients with NAFLD. (Clin Mol Hepatol 2021;27:486-498)

The Influence of Reconstruction Algorithm and Heart Rate on Coronary Artery Image Quality and Stenosis Detection at 64-Detector Cardiac CT

Yi-Ting Wang,Chung-Yi Yang,Jong-Kai Hsiao,Hon-Man Liu,Wen-Jen Lee,Yun Shen 대한영상의학회 2009 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.10 No.3

Objective: We wanted to evaluate the impact of two reconstruction algorithms (halfscan and multisector) on the image quality and the accuracy of measuring the severity of coronary stenoses by using a pulsating cardiac phantom with different heart rates (HRs). Materials and Methods: Simulated coronary arteries with different stenotic severities (25, 50, 75%) and different luminal diameters (3, 4, 5 mm) were scanned with a fixed pitch of 0.16 and a 0.35 second gantry rotation time on a 64-slice multidetector CT. Both reconstruction algorithms (halfscan and multisector) were applied to HRs of 40-120 beats per minute (bpm) at 10 bpm intervals. Three experienced radiologists visually assessed the image quality and they manually measured the stenotic severity. Results: Fewer measurement errors occurred with multisector reconstruction (p = 0.05), a slower HR (p < 0.001) and a larger luminal diameter (p = 0.014); measurement errors were not related with the observers or the stenotic severity. There was no significant difference in measurements as for the reconstruction algorithms below an HR of 70 bpm. More nonassessable segments were visualized with halfscan reconstruction (p = 0.004) and higher HRs (p < 0.001). Halfscan reconstruction had better quality scores when the HR was below 60 bpm, while multisector reconstruction had better quality scores when the HR was above 90 bpm. For the HRs between 60 and 90 bpm, both reconstruction modes had similar quality scores. With excluding the nonassessable segments, both reconstruction algorithms achieved a similar mean measured stenotic severity and similar standard deviations. Conclusion: At a higher HR (above 90 bpm), multisector reconstruction had better temporal resolution, fewer nonassessable segments, better quality scores and better accuracy of measuring the stenotic severity in this phantom study. Objective: We wanted to evaluate the impact of two reconstruction algorithms (halfscan and multisector) on the image quality and the accuracy of measuring the severity of coronary stenoses by using a pulsating cardiac phantom with different heart rates (HRs). Materials and Methods: Simulated coronary arteries with different stenotic severities (25, 50, 75%) and different luminal diameters (3, 4, 5 mm) were scanned with a fixed pitch of 0.16 and a 0.35 second gantry rotation time on a 64-slice multidetector CT. Both reconstruction algorithms (halfscan and multisector) were applied to HRs of 40-120 beats per minute (bpm) at 10 bpm intervals. Three experienced radiologists visually assessed the image quality and they manually measured the stenotic severity. Results: Fewer measurement errors occurred with multisector reconstruction (p = 0.05), a slower HR (p < 0.001) and a larger luminal diameter (p = 0.014); measurement errors were not related with the observers or the stenotic severity. There was no significant difference in measurements as for the reconstruction algorithms below an HR of 70 bpm. More nonassessable segments were visualized with halfscan reconstruction (p = 0.004) and higher HRs (p < 0.001). Halfscan reconstruction had better quality scores when the HR was below 60 bpm, while multisector reconstruction had better quality scores when the HR was above 90 bpm. For the HRs between 60 and 90 bpm, both reconstruction modes had similar quality scores. With excluding the nonassessable segments, both reconstruction algorithms achieved a similar mean measured stenotic severity and similar standard deviations. Conclusion: At a higher HR (above 90 bpm), multisector reconstruction had better temporal resolution, fewer nonassessable segments, better quality scores and better accuracy of measuring the stenotic severity in this phantom study.

Enhancement of Aggregation-Induced Emission in Dye-Encapsulating Polymeric Micelles for Bioimaging

Wu, Wen-Chung,Chen, Ching-Yi,Tian, Yanqing,Jang, Sei-Hum,Hong, Yuning,Liu, Yang,Hu, Rongrong,Tang, Ben Zhong,Lee, Yi-Ting,Chen, Chin-Ti,Chen, Wen-Chang,Jen, Alex K.-Y. WILEY-VCH Verlag 2010 Advanced Functional Materials Vol.20 No.9

<P>Three amphiphilic block copolymers are employed to form polymeric micelles and function as nanocarriers to disperse hydrophobic aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dyes, 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and/or bis(4-(N-(1-naphthyl) phenylamino)-phenyl)fumaronitrile (NPAFN), into aqueous solution for biological studies. Compared to their virtually non-emissive properties in organic solutions, the fluorescence intensity of these AIE dyes has increased significantly due to the spatial confinement that restricts intramolecular rotation of these dyes and their better compatibility in the hydrophobic core of polymeric micelles. The effect of the chemical structure of micelle cores on the photophysical properties of AIE dyes are investigated, and the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the green-emitting donor (HPS) to the red-emitting acceptor (NPAFN) is explored by co-encapsulating this FRET pair in the same micelle core. The highest fluorescence quantum yield (∼62%) could be achieved by encapsulating HPS aggregates in the micelles. Efficient energy transfer (>99%) and high amplification of emission (as high as 8 times) from the NPAFN acceptor could also be achieved by spatially confining the HPS/NPAFN FRET pair in the hydrophobic core of polymeric micelles. These micelles could be successfully internalized into the RAW 264.7 cells to demonstrate high-quality fluorescent images and cell viability due to improved quantum yield and reduced cytotoxicity.</P> <B>Graphic Abstract</B> <P>Highly efficient fluorescence probes are achieved through the encapsulation of aggregation-induced emission molecules, 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and/or bis(4-(N-(1-naphthyl) phenylamino)-phenyl)fumaronitrile (NPAFN) in the core of polymeric micelles. Bright fluorescence cell images are shown with tunable colors of green directly from HPS aggregates and red through efficient fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from HPS aggregates to NPAFN aggregates. <img src='wiley_img_2010/1616301X-2010-20-9-ADFM200902043-content.gif' alt='wiley_img_2010/1616301X-2010-20-9-ADFM200902043-content'> </P>

Mite Prevalence and Mite Sensitivity in China

Wen, Ting Huan,Cal, Li,Xu, Wei Hing,Wang, Hong,Xiang, Li,Hong, Shou Shu,Zhong, Jiang Min,Zhuang, Yi Jun 대한알레르기학회 1991 천식 및 알레르기 Vol.11 No.2

Fluorescence Characteristic Spectra of Domestic Fuel Products through Laser Induced Fluorescence Detection

Ting-Nien Wu,Shui-Ping Chang,Wen-Hsien Tsai,Cian-Yi Lin 한국지하수토양환경학회 2014 지하수토양환경 Vol.19 No.5

Traditional investigation procedures of soil and groundwater contamination are followed by soil gas sampling, soil sampling,groundwater sampling, establishment of monitoring wells, and groundwater monitoring. It often takes several weeks toobtain the analysis reports, and sometimes, it needs supplemental sampling and analysis to delineate the polluted area. Laserinduced fluorescence (LIF) system is designed for the detection of free-phase petroleum pollutants, and it is suitable for onsitereal-time site investigation when coupling with a direct push testing tool. Petroleum products always contain polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds possessing fluorescence characteristics that make them detectable through LIFdetection. In this study, LIF spectroscopy of 5 major fuel products was conducted to establish the databank of LIFfluorescence characteristic spectra, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, marine fuel and low-sulfur fuel. Multivariate statisticaltools were also applied to distinguish LIF fluorescence characteristic spectra among the mixtures of selected fuel products. This study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of identifying fuel species based on LIF characteristic fluorescencespectra, also LIF seemed to be uncovered its powerful ability of tracing underground petroleum leakages.

Mest Attenuates CCl4-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats by Inhibiting the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

( Wen Ting Li ),( Chuan Long Zhu ),( Yi Li ),( Quan Wu ),( Ren Tao Gao ) 대한소화기학회 2014 Gut and Liver Vol.8 No.3

Background/Aims: The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway has been reported to play an important role in liver fibrosis. This study was designed to investigate whether mesoderm-specific transcript homologue (Mest), a strong negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, could inhibit liver fibrosis. Methods: pcDNA-Mest was transfected into hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and rats. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal group (normal saline), treatment group (pcDNA- Mest+CCl4), control group (pcDNA-neo+CCl4), and model group (normal saline+CCl4). Changes in liver pathology were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining. The levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, lactic dehygrogenase, hyaluronic acid, and laminin in the serum and hydroxyproline in the liver were detected by biochemical examination and radioimmunoassay, respectively. The expression and distribution of β-catenin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Smad3, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase type I were determined, and the viability of the HSCs was tested. Results: Our data demonstrate that Mest alleviated CCl4-induced collagen deposition in liver tissue and improved the condition of the liver in rats. Mest also significantly reduced the expression and distribution of β-catenin, α-SMA and Smad3 both in vivo and in vitro, in addition to the viability of HSCs in vitro. Conclusions: We found that Mest attenuates liver fibrosis by repressing β-catenin expression, which provides a new therapeutic approach for treating liver fibrosis.

Feasibility study on using crowdsourced smartphones to estimate buildings’ natural frequencies during earthquakes

Ting Yu Hsu,Yi-Wen Ke,Yo-Ming Hsieh,Chi-Ting Weng 국제구조공학회 2023 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.31 No.2

After an earthquake, information regarding potential damage to buildings close to the epicenter is very important during the initial emergency response. This study proposes the use of crowdsourced measured acceleration response data collected from smartphones located within buildings to perform system identification of building structures during earthquake excitations, and the feasibility of the proposed approach is studied. The principal advantage of using crowdsourced smartphone data is the potential to determine the condition of millions of buildings without incurring hardware, installation, and long-term maintenance costs. This study's goal is to assess the feasibility of identifying the lowest fundamental natural frequencies of buildings without knowing the orientations and precise locations of the crowds' smartphones in advance. Both input-output and output-only identification methods are used to identify the lowest fundamental natural frequencies of numerical finite element models of a real building structure. The effects of time synchronization and the orientation alignment between nearby smartphones on the identification results are discussed, and the proposed approach's performance is verified using large-scale shake table tests of a scaled steel building. The presented results illustrate the potential of using crowdsourced smartphone data with the proposed approach to identify the lowest fundamental natural frequencies of building structures, information that should be valuable in making emergency response decisions.

Deficiency or activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ⍺ reduces the tissue concentrations of endogenously synthesized docosahexaenoic acid in C57BL/6J mice

Wen-Ting Hsiao,Hui-Min Su,Kuan-Pin Su,Szu-Han Chen,Hai-Ping Wu,Yi-Ling You,Ru-Huei Fu,Pei-Min Chao 한국영양학회 2019 Nutrition Research and Practice Vol.13 No.4

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA), is acquired by dietary intake or the in vivo conversion of α-linolenic acid. Many enzymes participating in LCPUFA synthesis are regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα). Therefore, it was hypothesized that the tissue accretion of endogenously synthesized DHA could be modified by PPARα. MATERIALS/METHODS: The tissue DHA concentrations and mRNA levels of genes participating in DHA biosynthesis were compared among PPARα homozygous (KO), heterozygous (HZ), and wild type (WT) mice (Exp I), and between WT mice treated with clofibrate (PPARα agonist) or those not treated (Exp II). In ExpII, the expression levels of the proteins associated with DHA function in the brain cortex and retina were also measured. An n3-PUFA depleted/replenished regimen was applied to mitigate the confounding effects of maternal DHA. RESULTS: PPARα ablation reduced the hepatic Acox, Fads1, and Fads2 mRNA levels, as well as the DHA concentration in the liver, but not in the brain cortex. In contrast, PPARα activation increased hepatic Acox, Fads1, Fads2, and Elovl5 mRNA levels, but reduced the DHA concentrations in the liver, retina, and phospholipid of brain cortex, and decreased mRNA and protein levels of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor in brain cortex. CONCLUSIONS: LCPUFA enzyme expression was altered by PPARα. Either PPARα deficiency or activation-decreased tissue DHA concentration is a stimulus for further studies to determine the functional significance.

A new swarm intelligent optimization algorithm: Pigeon Colony Algorithm (PCA)

Ting-Hua Yi,Kai-Fang Wen,Hong-Nan Li 국제구조공학회 2016 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.18 No.3

In this paper, a new Pigeon Colony Algorithm (PCA) based on the features of a pigeon colony flying is proposed for solving global numerical optimization problems. The algorithm mainly consists of the take-off process, flying process and homing process, in which the take-off process is employed to homogenize the initial values and look for the direction of the optimal solution; the flying process is designed to search for the local and global optimum and improve the global worst solution; and the homing process aims to avoid having the algorithm fall into a local optimum. The impact of parameters on the PCA solution quality is investigated in detail. There are low-dimensional functions, high-dimensional functions and systems of nonlinear equations that are used to test the global optimization ability of the PCA. Finally, comparative experiments between the PCA, standard genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization were performed. The results showed that PCA has the best global convergence, smallest cycle indexes, and strongest stability when solving high-dimensional, multi-peak and complicated problems.

Shielding-benefit Evaluation of Electromagnetic Radiation and UV Radiation for Multifunctional Composite Polypropylene Woven Fabrics

Ting An Lin,Yu-Chun Chuang,Jan-Yi Lin,Mei-Chen Lin,Ching-Wen Lou,Keng Siang Sim,Jia-Horng Lin 한국섬유공학회 2020 Fibers and polymers Vol.21 No.10

People have increasingly rising health consciousness in recent years and researchers are thus devoted themselvesto develop multi-functional textile products. In this study, stainless steel (SS) filaments are used for electromagnetic shieldingeffectiveness (EMSE) while polypropylene (PP) filaments are used for ultraviolet resistance and good mechanical properties. Spinning and weaving continuous formation techniques are employed to produce wrapped yarns with SS and PP filaments,after which a weaving process is employed for the preparation of SS/PP woven fabrics. The woven fabrics are tested forEMSE and UV resistance, examining the effect of the lamination-layer numbers and lamination-layer angles. Test resultsshow that the optimal EMSE and UV resistance occur when SS/PP woven fabrics are laminated with two layers at 90 °. Notonly focus on the mechanical performance, the proposed woven fabrics with good EMSE, UV resistance, and a light weight,and are good candidate for a variety of application as required. The proposed UV resistance and EMSE woven fabricssignificantly increase the additional values of traditional textiles.