Review : Surveillance for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

( Kung Hung Lin ),( Wei Lun Tsai ) 대한간암학회 2013 대한간암학회지 Vol.13 No.2

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. HCC is a suitable disease for surveillance programs because it is relatively common in patients with chronic liver disease, and has very good prognosis if diagnosed at an early stage. When HCC presents with clinical symptoms, the tumor is typically very far advanced and the patient has few therapeutic options. Individuals with chronic viral hepatitis and other forms of liver disease are at risk for developing HCC. Thus, screening and surveillance for HCC would appear to be very appropriate. However, there is no definitive evidence that surveillance improves patient outcomes and the current surveillance tests have less than optimal sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Nonetheless, measurement of alpha-fetoprotein levels in serum and ultrasound of the liver have become routine practice in many countries, despite a lack of evidence of their overall benefit. Clearly, better methods are needed for early diagnosis of HCC. This review outlines the target population at risk for HCC and diagnostic techniques for screening and surveillance.

The EGF/hnRNP Q1 axis is involved in tumorigenesis via the regulation of cell cycle-related genes

Yu-Chu Wang,Kung-Chao Chang,Bo-Wen Lin,Jenq-Chang Lee,Chien-Hsien Lai,Li-Jyuan Lin,Yun Yen,Chang-Shen Lin,Shiang-Jie Yang,Peng-Chan Lin,Chung-Ta Lee,Liang-Yi Hung 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) Q1, an RNA-binding protein, has been implicated in many posttranscriptional processes, including RNA metabolism and mRNA splicing and translation. However, the role of hnRNP Q1 in tumorigenesis remains unclear. We previously performed RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP)-seq analysis to identify hnRNP Q1-interacting mRNAs and found that hnRNP Q1 targets a group of genes that are involved in mitotic regulation, including Aurora-A. Here, we demonstrate that altering the hnRNP Q1 level influences the expression of the Aurora-A protein, but not its mRNA. Stimulation with epidermal growth factor (EGF) enhances both binding between hnRNP Q1 and Aurora-A mRNA as well as the efficacy of the hnRNP Q1-induced translation of Aurora-A mRNA. The EGF/hnRNP Q1-induced translation of Aurora-A mRNA is mediated by the mTOR and ERK pathways. In addition, we show that hnRNP Q1 up-regulates the translation of a group of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) genes. hnRNP Q1 overexpression is positively correlated with the levels of Aurora-A and the SAC genes in human colorectal cancer tissues. In summary, our data suggest that hnRNP Q1 plays an important role in regulating the expression of a group of cell cycle-related genes. Therefore, it may contribute to tumorigenesis by up-regulating the translation of these genes in colorectal cancer.

An approach to evaluate groundwater recharge from streamflow and groundwater records

Wen-Jui Kung,Hsin-Fu Yeh,Hung-I Lin,Wei-Ping Chen,Cheng-Haw Lee 한국지질과학협의회 2013 Geosciences Journal Vol.17 No.3

To assess groundwater recharge, this study provided a composite method combining the recession-curve-displacement method and water-table fluctuation method. First, the initial recharge reference value was determined using the water-table fluctuation method. The corresponding groundwater discharge was then determined from the recharge reference value using the recession-curve-displacement method. Furthermore, the recession segment of the match between groundwater discharge and streamflow was computed. The recharge reference value was repeatedly adjusted to achieve a good fit with the recession segment for groundwater discharge and streamflow, thereby attaining the final groundwater recharge using the proposed method. Finally, the groundwater recharge of the Lanyang Creek basin in Taiwan was estimated as a case study. A comparison of recession-curve-displacement method and proposed composite method are presented. Estimation results show that the number of recharge events, recharge timing of these events, groundwater recharge events that satisfy recession theory, and range of transmissivity can be obtained using the proposed composite method. Comparison results demonstrate that the number of groundwater recharge events obtained with the composite method was greater than that acquired with the recession-curve-displacement method. However, the annual recharge and seasonal recharge obtained with the recession-curve-displacement method and composite method were close.

A Novel High Precision Electromagnetic Flexure-Suspended Positioning Stage with an Eddy Current Damper

Chih-Hsien Lin,Shao-Kung Hung,Mei-Yung Chen,Shan-Tsung Li,Li-Chen Fu 제어로봇시스템학회 2008 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2008 No.10

This paper proposes a novel planar electromagnetic-actuated positioning stage. The stage is suspended by the monolithic parallel flexure mechanism, which motion comes from the deformation of the flexure. A linear electromagnetic actuator which consists of a near-uniform magnetic field and four coils is designed and implementation to provide the propelling force for 3-DOF motions. In order to suppress the vibration of the flexure suspension mechanism, an eddy current damper is designed and integrated with the electromagnetic actuator. The non-contact damper is more advanced than the contact damper used in our previous researches. The design traveling range is 3mm × 3mm in planar motion. The experimental results show the vibration of the flexure mechanism could be suppressed by the designed eddy current damper. The results also show the regulation and tracking performance by a well-designed robust adaptive sliding mode controller, which can overcome the disturbance and modeling uncertainty and guarantee a satisfactory performance.

Design and Characterization of a Capillary-Driven and Parallelized Microfluidic Chip for Distributing a Liquid Plug

Pin-Chuan Chen,Yan-Fong Cheng,Kung-Chia Young,Hung-Lin Hsieh,Chin-Lung Yang 한국정밀공학회 2016 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.17 No.11

To realize a portable, capillary-driven, and parallelized microfluidic chip, how to evenly distribute a liquid plug from the inlet to multiple daughter microchannels is a challenging task. Two approaches were adopted to generate sufficient capillary pressure to allow a liquid plug spontaneously flowing through bifurcation features, including enlarging the contact perimeter between the liquid plug and microchannel walls and applying hydrophilic coating to the microchannel walls. A 1-to-2 bifurcation microfluidic chip and a 1-to-4 bifurcation microfluidic chip were designed and fabricated on PMMA substrates for experiments. Initially red food dye was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the chips, and experiment results revealed that the 1-to-2 microfluidic chip is capable of 100% liquid splitting efficiency with a CV of 5.7% whereas the 1-to-4 microfluidic chip is capable of 83% liquid splitting efficiency with a CV of 6.7%. After successfully conducting experiments with red food dye, human whole blood and blood plasma were introduced into the 1-to-2 microfluidic chips and splitting efficiency was investigated. The experiment results showed a 33% and 67% splitting efficiency for human whole blood and blood plasma, respectively. And the lower splitting efficiency can be attributed to the complex and Non-Newtonian fluidic property of the blood.

Effect of the Circle-Grid Electrodes on Concentrated GaAs Solar Cell Efficiency

Chen-Chen Chung,Binh Tinh Tran,Ming-Hung Han,Kung-Liang Lin,Hung-Wei Yu,Yen-Teng Ho,Chun-Yen Chang,Edward Yi Chang 대한금속·재료학회 2014 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.10 No.5

In this study, we investigate the effect of the shading factor of the front grid pattern on concentrated solar cell efficiency, taking the trade-off between the series resistance of the electrodes and the amount of incident light into consideration. We examine the thermal effect with regard to five different circle-grid electrode patterns of the front contact. The front contacts with different grid patterns affect the characteristics of light-concentratedtype GaAs single-junction solar cells. The device parameters analyzed include the open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), fill factor (FF) and conversion efficiency (η). The results of our study show that for a concentration ratio greater than 60x with AM1.5G, the device with a shading factor of 7.1% has the best cell efficiency of 27.05%, due to the smaller current crowding at the center spot. The results indicate that the conversion efficiency of solar cells can be improved by establishing a compromise between the shading effect and the series resistance effect.

Telbivudine-Induced Myopathy: Clinical Features, Histopathological Characteristics, and Risk Factors

Min-Yu Lan,Hui-Chen Lin,Tsung-Hui Hu,Shu-Fang Chen,Chien-Hung Chen,Yung-Yee Chang,King-Wah Chiu,Tsu-Kung Lin,Shun-Sheng Chen 대한신경과학회 2023 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.19 No.1

Background and Purpose Oral nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) are the mainstay treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Myotoxicity is an important extrahepatic effect related to NA treatment. Telbivudine is the NA for CHB that is frequently associated with muscle-related side effects. The risk factors for telbivudine-induced myopathy (TIM) are not yet clear. Methods This study characterized the clinical, magnetic resonance images (MRI), and pathological features of 12 TIM cases. A group of telbivudine-tolerant (TT) patients with CHB who received regular telbivudine treatment during the same period without the occurrence of myopathy was collected. Demographic and clinical factors were compared between the patients with TIM and the TT controls. Factors independently associated with TIM were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results The patients with TIM (males/females: 7/5, mean age: 57 years) developed myopathy after using telbivudine for a median period of 19.5 months. Muscle histopathology revealed abnormal proliferation, subsarcolemmal or sarcoplasmic accumulations, and ultrastructural defects of mitochondria. When compared with TT cases, patients with TIM had a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and were more frequently positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). Conclusions Mitochondrial abnormalities are characteristic histopathological features, and impaired renal function and HBeAg positivity are risk factors for TIM. Telbivudine-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and immune activation related to mitochondrial damage and HBeAg serostatus changes may underlie TIM. Constant clinical surveillance of myopathy during telbivudine treatment is needed due to the significant latency of its development. Dose adjustment for impaired renal function does not eliminate the risk of TIM occurrence.

The Effect of CdS QDs Structure on the InGaP/GaAs/Ge Triple Junction Solar Cell Efficiency

Chen-Chen Chung,Binh Tinh Tran,Hau-Vei Han,Yen-Teng Ho,Hung-Wei Yu,Kung-Liang Lin,Hong-Quan Nguyen,Peichen Yu,Hao-Chung Kuo,Edward Yi Chang 대한금속·재료학회 2014 ELECTRONIC MATERIALS LETTERS Vol.10 No.2

This work describes optical and electrical characteristics of InGaP/GaAs/Ge triple-junction (T-J) solar cells with CdS quantum dots (QDs) fabricated by a novel chemical solution. With the anti-reflective feature at long wavelength and down-conversion at UV regime, the CdS quantum dot effectively enhance the overall power conversion efficiency more than that of a traditional GaAs-based device. Experimental results indicate that CdS quantum dot can enhance the short-circuit current by 0.33 mA/cm2, which is observed for the triple-junction solar cells with CdS QDs of about 3.5 nm in diameter. Moreover, the solar cell conversion efficiency is improved from 28.3% to 29.0% under one-sun AM 1.5 global illumination I-V measurement.