The Presence of Borrelia valaisiana-Related Genospecies in Ticks and a Rodent in Taiwan

Chun-Man Huang,Hsi-Chieh Wang,Ying-Chun Lin,Shih-Hui Chiu,Ying-Shun Kao,Pei-Lung Lee,Hsiu-I Wang,Ruei-Chen Hung,Huang-I Chan,Ho-Sheng Wu,Chuen-Sheue Chiang,Jung-Jung Mu 한국미생물학회 2010 The journal of microbiology Vol.48 No.6

A field survey was conducted to investigate the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) in six counties of Taiwan. Spirochetes were successfully isolated from one rodent ear sample out of 485 rodent ears and 53live, fed tick (Ixodes granulatus) samples. The spirochetes were confirmed to be B. burgdorferi s.l. by real-time PCR. In addition, 23 of 113 tick samples were tested positive for Borrelia DNA according to real-time PCR. The Borrelia isolate from the rodent and the 23 Borrelia DNA samples from the ticks were identified as B. valaisiana-related genospecies by phylogenetic analysis based on flagellin gene sequences. These findings suggest that the Borrelia valaisiana-related strains are maintained in a zoonotic cycle between tick vectors and reservoir hosts in Taiwan.

Curcumin Alleviates Dystrophic Muscle Pathology in mdx Mice

Ying Pan,Chen Chen,Yue Shen,Chun-Hua Zhu,Gang Wang,Xiao-Chun Wang,Hua-Qun Chen,Min-Sheng Zhu 한국분자세포생물학회 2008 Molecules and cells Vol.25 No.4

Abnormal activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) probably plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD). In this report, we evaluated the efficacy of curcumin, a potent NF-κB inhibitor, in mdx mice, a mouse model of DMD. We found that it improved sarcolemmic integrity and enhanced muscle strength after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection. Histological analysis revealed that the structural defects of myofibrils were reduced, and biochemical analysis showed that creatine kinase (CK) activity was decreased. We also found that levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the mdx mice were decreased by curcumin administration. EMSA analysis showed that NF-κB activity was also inhibited. We thus conclude that curcumin is effective in the therapy of muscular dystrophy in mdx mice, and that the mechanism may involve inhibition of NF-κB activity. Since curcumin is a nontoxic compound derived from plants, we propose that it may be useful for DMD therapy.

Graphite-based selectorless RRAM: improvable intrinsic nonlinearity for array applications

Chen, Ying-Chen,Hu, Szu-Tung,Lin, Chih-Yang,Fowler, Burt,Huang, Hui-Chun,Lin, Chao-Cheng,Kim, Sungjun,Chang, Yao-Feng,Lee, Jack C. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 Nanoscale Vol.10 No.33

<P>Selectorless graphite-based resistive random-access memory (RRAM) has been demonstrated by utilizing the intrinsic nonlinear resistive switching (RS) characteristics, without an additional selector or transistor for low-power RRAM array application. The low effective dielectric constant value (<I>k</I>) layer of graphite or graphite oxide is utilized, which is beneficial in suppressing sneak-path currents in the crossbar RRAM array. The tail-bits with low nonlinearity can be manipulated by the positive voltage pulse, which in turn can alleviate variability and reliability issues. Our results provide additional insights for built-in nonlinearity in 1<I>R</I>-only selectorless RRAMs, which are applicable to the low-power memory array, ultrahigh density storage, and in-memory neuromorphic computational configurations.</P>

An Improved Method of Maximum Power Point Tracking Strategy for Wind Power Conversion System

CHEN Ran,CHEN Jie,CHEN Jia-wei,CHEN Zhi-hui,GONG Chun-ying,YAN Yang-guang 전력전자학회 2011 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2011 No.5

The turbine speed loop adjustment is the key link of the designing of the controller for the fixed pitch variable speed wind energy conversion systems (WECS). Because of the strong nonlinear, big inertia and mechanical damping characteristics, it’s difficult to designing the controller of the wind power systems. In this paper, a small signal model is present, and based on the analyzing; a wind turbine speed loop regulator is designed. Then, a method of tracking the peak power conversion system is proposed, which is independent of the turbine parameters and air density. At last, simulation system is built, and the results of the simulation experiments show that, the performance of the controller algorithm meet the requirements of the MPPT without wind measurement.

Internal filament modulation in low-dielectric gap design for built-in selector-less resistive switching memory application

Chen, Ying-Chen,Lin, Chih-Yang,Huang, Hui-Chun,Kim, Sungjun,Fowler, Burt,Chang, Yao-Feng,Wu, Xiaohan,Xu, Gaobo,Chang, Ting-Chang,Lee, Jack C IOP 2018 Journal of Physics. D, Applied Physics Vol.51 No.5

<P>Sneak path current is a severe hindrance for the application of high-density resistive random-access memory (RRAM) array designs. In this work, we demonstrate nonlinear (NL) resistive switching characteristics of a HfO<SUB> <I>x</I> </SUB>/SiO<SUB> <I>x</I> </SUB>-based stacking structure as a realization for selector-less RRAM devices. The NL characteristic was obtained and designed by optimizing the internal filament location with a low effective dielectric constant in the HfO<SUB> <I>x</I> </SUB>/SiO<SUB> <I>x</I> </SUB> structure. The stacking HfO<SUB> <I>x</I> </SUB>/SiO<SUB> <I>x</I> </SUB>-based RRAM device as the one-resistor-only memory cell is applicable without needing an additional selector device to solve the sneak path issue with a switching voltage of ~1 V, which is desirable for low-power operating in built-in nonlinearity crossbar array configurations.</P>

Rapid Microfluidic Mixing-chip System for Sorbic Acid Detection in Foods

( Chun-ying Chen ),( Lung-ming Fu ) 한국농업기계학회 2018 한국농업기계학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.23 No.1

An integrated microfluidic experimental platform is presented for sorbic acid (C₆H₈O₂) concentration detection purposes. The integrated microfluidic platform comprises a mixer and heater zone for species mixing / reaction and a micro-spectrometer system detection zone for C₆H₈O₂concentration detection. The microfluidic reaction chip is patterned on low-cost PMMA substrates using a commercial CO₂lasersystem and is packaged using a hot-press bonding technique. In the proposed platform, the C₆H₈O₂ sample and Iron(III) reagent are mixed under the effects of a high-pressure gas driving force. A colorimetric reaction (oxidation reaction) of the mixed species is then induced by means of an integrated micro heating / cooling system. The microfluidic reaction chip is then transferred to a micro-spectrometer system for detection purposes. Absorbance was measured at 529 nm using a micro-spectrometer wherein a line regression is obtained to determine the C₆H₈O₂concentration. The experimental results show that correlation coefficients of R²=0.9910 is obtained with known concentrations ranging from 10~100 ppm. The real-world applicability of the proposed experimental platform is demonstrated by measuring the C₆H₈O₂ concentration in two commercial food samples. It is shown that the concentration measurements obtained using the proposed system deviate by no more than 5% from those obtained using standard macroscale methods.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Oral Cancer: Evidence from a Meta-analysis

Chen, Fang-Chun,Zhang, Fan,Zhang, Zhi-Jiao,Meng, Si-Ying,Wang, Yang,Xiang, Xue-Rong,Wang, Chun,Tang, Yu-Ying Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Numerous studies have been conducted regarding association between TNF-${\alpha}$ and oral cancer risk, but the results remain controversial. The present meta-analysis is performed to acquire a more precise estimation of relationships. Databases of Pubmed, the Cochrane library and the China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) were retrieved until August 10, 2013. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated with fixed- or random-effect models. The heterogeneity assumption was assessed by I-squared test. Among the eight included case-control studies, all were focused on TNF-${\alpha}$-308G>A and four also concerned the TNF-${\alpha}$-238G>A polymorphism. It was found that oral cancer risk were significant decreased with the TNF-${\alpha}$-308G>A polymorphism in the additive genetic model (GG vs. AA, OR=0.19, 95% CI: [0.04, 1.00], P=0.05, I2=68.9%) and the dominant genetic model (GG+GA vs. AA, OR=0.22, 95% CI: [0.06, 0.82], P=0.03, I2=52.4%); however, no significant association was observed in allele contrast (G vs. A, OR=0.70, 95% CI: [0.23, 2.16], P=0.54, I2=95.9%) and recessive genetic models (GG vs. GA+AA, OR=0.72, 95% CI: [0.33, 1.57], P=0.41, I2=93.1%). For the TNF-${\alpha}$-238G>A polymorphism, significant associations with oral cancer risk were found in the allele contrast (G vs. A, OR=2.75, 95% CI: [1.25, 6.04], P=0.01, I2=0.0%) and recessive genetic models (GG vs. GA+AA, OR=2.23, 95%CI: [1.18, 4.23], P=0.01, I2=0.0%). Conclusively, this meta-analysis indicates that TNF-${\alpha}$ polymorphisms may contribute to the risk of oral cancer. Allele G and the GG+GA genotype of TNF-${\alpha}$-308G>A may decrease the risk of oral cancer, while allele G and the GG genotype of TNF-${\alpha}$-238G>A may cause an increase.

Ginsenoside Rg3 in combination with artesunate overcomes sorafenib resistance in hepatoma cell and mouse models

Ying-Jie Chen,Jia-Ying Wu,Yu-Yi Deng,Ying Wu,Xiao-Qi Wang,Amy Sze-man Li,Lut Yi Wong,Xiuqiong Fu,Zhi-Ling Yu,Chun Liang 고려인삼학회 2022 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.46 No.3

Sorafenib is effective in treating hepatoma, but most patients develop resistance to it. STAT3signaling has been implicated in sorafenib resistance. Artesunate (ART) and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3)have anti-hepatoma effects and can inhibit STAT3 signaling in cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluatethe effects of Rg3 in combination with ART (Rg3-plus-ART) in overcoming sorafenib resistance, and toexamine the involvement of STAT3 signaling in these effects. Methods: Sorafenib-resistant HepG2 cells (HepG2-SR) were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-hepatomaeffects of Rg3-plus-ART. A HepG2-SR hepatoma-bearing BALB/c-nu/nu mouse model was used to assessthe in vivo anti-hepatoma effects of Rg3-plus-ART. CCK-8 assays and Annexin V-FITC/PI double stainingwere used to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Immunoblotting was employed toexamine protein levels. ROS generation was examined by measuring DCF-DA fluorescence. Results: Rg3-plus-ART synergistically reduced viability of, and evoked apoptosis in HepG2-SR cells, andsuppressed HepG2-SR tumor growth in mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that Rg3-plus-ART inhibitedactivation/phosphorylation of Src and STAT3 in HepG2-SR cultures and tumors. The combination alsodecreased the STAT3 nuclear level and induced ROS production in HepG2-SR cultures. Furthermore, overactivation of STAT3 or removal of ROS diminished the anti-proliferative effects of Rg3-plus-ART, andremoval of ROS diminished Rg3-plus-ART's inhibitory effects on STAT3 activation in HepG2-SR cells. Conclusions: Rg3-plus-ART overcomes sorafenib resistance in experimental models, and inhibition of Src/STAT3 signaling and modulation of ROS/STAT3 signaling contribute to the underlying mechanisms. Thisstudy provides a pharmacological basis for developing Rg3-plus-ART into a novel modality for treatingsorafenib-resistant hepatoma.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secreted-Extracellular Vesicles are Involved in Chondrocyte Production and Reduce Adipogenesis during Stem Cell Differentiation

Tsai Yu-Chen,Cheng Tai-Shan,Liao Hsiu-Jung,Chuang Ming-Hsi,Chen Hui-Ting,Chen Chun-Hung,Zhang Kai-Ling,Chang Chih-Hung,Lin Po-Cheng,Huang Chi-Ying F. 한국조직공학과 재생의학회 2022 조직공학과 재생의학 Vol.19 No.6

BACKGROUND: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are derived from internal cellular compartments, and have potential as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in degenerative disease associated with aging. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have become a promising tool for functional EVs production. This study investigated the efficacy of EVs and its effect on differentiation capacity. METHODS: The characteristics of MSCs were evaluated by flow cytometry and stem cell differentiation analysis, and a production mode of functional EVs was scaled from MSCs. The concentration and size of EVs were quantitated by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA). Western blot analysis was used to assess the protein expression of exosomespecific markers. The effects of MSC-derived EVs were assessed by chondrogenic and adipogenic differentiation analyses and histological observation. RESULTS: The range of the particle size of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs)- and Wharton’s jelly -MSCs-derived EVs were from 130 to 150 nm as measured by NTA, which showed positive expression of exosomal markers. The chondrogenic induction ability was weakened in the absence of EVs in vitro. Interestingly, after EV administration, type II collagen, a major component in the cartilage extracellular matrix, was upregulated compared to the EV-free condition. Moreover, EVs decreased the lipid accumulation rate during adipogenic induction. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the production model could facilitate production of effective EVs and further demonstrated the role of MSC-derived EVs in cell differentiation. MSC-derived EVs could be successfully used in cell-free therapy to guide chondrogenic differentiation of ADSC for future clinical applications in cartilage regeneration.

Association between PM2.5 exposure and risk of Parkinson’s disease in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Taiwan: a nested case-control study

Ci-Wen Luo(Ci-Wen Luo),Yu-Hsiang Kuan(Yu-Hsiang Kuan),Wen-Ying Chen(Wen-Ying Chen),Chun-Jung Chen(Chun-Jung Chen),Frank Cheau-Feng Lin(Frank Cheau-Feng Lin ),Stella Chin-Shaw Tsai(Stella Chin-Shaw Tsa 한국역학회 2023 Epidemiology and Health Vol.45 No.-

OBJECTIVES: This cohort study investigated the correlation between Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk under particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure. METHODS: Data from the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan were used in this study. The Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan established an air quality monitoring network for monitoring Taiwan’s general air quality. COPD was indicated by at least 3 outpatient records and 1 hospitalization for COPD. After the implementation of age, sex, and endpoint matching at a 1:4 ratio, 137 patients and 548 patients were included in the case group and control group, respectively. Based on the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) standards, monthly air particle concentration data were classified into the following 4 groups in analyses of exposure–response relationships: normal level, and 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 times the WHO level ([concentration ≥2]×25 μg/m3×number of exposure months). RESULTS: A multivariate logistic regression revealed that the 1.0 and 1.5 WHO level groups did not significantly differ from the normal level group, but the 2.0 WHO level did (odds ratio, 4.091; 95% confidence interval, 1.180 to 14.188; p=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated PM2.5 concentrations were significantly correlated with an increased risk of PD among patients with COPD. Furthermore, exposure to high PM2.5 levels can further increase the risk of PD.