Development of Graphene-based Sensors on Paper Substrate for the Measurement of pH Value of Analyte

Chia-Yi Lee,Kin Fong Lei,Shiao-Wen Tsai,Ngan-Ming Tsang 한국바이오칩학회 2016 BioChip Journal Vol.10 No.3

With excellent properties of graphene material, a number of graphene-based devices have been developed with excellent performance in the past decades. However, difficulty of processing graphene material is a hurdle for its practical realization. In this work, we propose to use vacuum filtration process as the major technique to fabricate graphene-based devices. This technique is simple and effective to practically realize graphene-based sensors on paper substrate, which are equipped with the advantages of low cost, simplicity, flexibility, and disposability. In order to show the functionality of the sensor, determination of pH value of analyte was demonstrated by direct measurement of the resistance across the sensor. Results showed that the sensor has the sensitivity of 30.8 Ω/pH and high linearity (R2=0.9282). Since graphene material can be functionalized by various molecules, it is expected that the graphene-based sensor can be further developed to realize more chemical and biological assays with high sensitivity and specificity for remote environment.

REVIEW : Mass Eradication of Helicobacter pylori to Prevent Gastric Cancer: Theoretical and Practical Considerations

( Yi Chia Lee ),( Tsung Hsien Chiang ),( Jyh Ming Liou ),( Hsiu Hsi Chen ),( Ming Shiang Wu ),( David Y Graham ) 대한간학회 2016 Gut and Liver Vol.10 No.1

Although the age-adjusted incidence of gastric cancer is declining, the absolute number of new cases of gastric cancer is increasing due to population growth and aging. An effective strategy is needed to prevent this deadly cancer. Among the available strategies, screen-and-treat for Helicobacter pylori infection appears to be the best approach to decrease cancer risk; however, implementation of this strategy on the population level requires a systematic approach. The program also must be integrated into national healthcare priorities to allow the limited resources to be most effectively allocated. Implementation will require adoption of an appropriate screening strategy, an efficient delivery system with a timely referral for a positive test, and standardized treatment regimens based on clinical efficacy, side effects, simplicity, duration, and cost. Within the population, there are subpopulations that vary in risk such that a "one size fits all" approach is unlikely to be ideal. Sensitivity analyses will be required to identify whether the programs can be utilized by heterogeneous populations and will likely require adjustments to accommodate the needs of subpopulations. (Gut Liver 2016;10:12-26)

Unrecognized History of Transient Atrial Fibrillation at the Time of Discharge from an Index Stroke Hospitalization Is Associated with Increased Recurrent Stroke Risk

Chia-Yu Hsu,Daniel E. Singer,Hooman Kamel,Yi-Ling Wu,Pei-Chun Chen,Jiann-Der Lee,Meng Lee,Bruce Ovbiagele 대한뇌졸중학회 2019 Journal of stroke Vol.21 No.2

Background and Purpose Preceding episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) among stroke patients can be easily overlooked in routine clinical practice. We aim to determine whether an unrecognized history of paroxysmal AF is associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke. Methods We retrospectively identified all adult patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke who had no AF diagnosis on their discharge records, using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between January 2001 and December 2012. Patients were categorized into two groups: unrecognized AF history and no AF. Patients with unrecognized AF history were defined as having documented AF preceding the index ischemic stroke hospitalization, but not recording at the index ischemic stroke. Primary endpoint was recurrent stroke within 1 year after the index stroke. Results Among 203,489 hospitalized ischemic stroke patients without AF diagnosed at discharge, 6,731 patients (3.3%) had an unrecognized history of prior transient AF. Patients with an unrecognized AF history, comparing to those without AF, had higher adjusted risk of all recurrent stroke ([original cohort: hazard ratio (HR), 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30 to 1.53], [matched cohort: HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.37 to 1.68]) and recurrent ischemic stroke ([original cohort: HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.30 to 1.55], [matched cohort: HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.40 to 1.74]) during the 1-year follow-up period. Conclusions Unrecognized history of AF among patients discharged after an index ischemic stroke hospitalization is associated with higher recurrent stroke risk. Careful history review to uncover a paroxysmal AF history is important for ischemic stroke patients.

Overall and cause-specific mortality in patients with dementia: a population-based cohort study in Taiwan

Chia-Lun Kuo,Pei-Chen Lee,Li-Jung Elizabeth Ku,Yu Sun,Tsung-Hsueh Lu,Muhammad Atoillah Isfandiari,Chung-Yi Li 한국역학회 2023 Epidemiology and Health Vol.45 No.-

OBJECTIVES: Information regarding the underlying causes of death (UCODs) and standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of dementia is instrumental in formulating medical strategies to prolong life in persons with dementia (PWD). We examined the leading UCODs among PWD and estimated the overall and cause-specific SMRs in relation to dementia in Taiwan. METHODS: Data were retrieved from 2 national datasets: the Taiwan Death Registry and the medical claim datasets of the National Health Insurance program. The observed person-years for each study participant were counted from the date of cohort enrollment to either the date of death or the final day of 2016. Sex-specific and age-specific SMRs were then calculated. RESULTS: The leading UCOD was circulatory disease, accounting for 26.0% of total deaths (n=3,505), followed by respiratory disease at 21.3% (n=2,875). PWD were at significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (SMR, 2.01), with SMR decreasing with advancing age. A cause-specific analysis revealed that the highest SMRs were associated with nervous system diseases (SMR, 7.58) and mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders (SMR, 4.80). Age appeared to modify SMR, suggesting that younger age at cohort enrollment was linked to higher SMRs for nearly all causes of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Circulatory and respiratory diseases were the leading UCODs among PWD. The particularly elevated mortality due to nervous system diseases and mental disorders suggests that allocating more resources to neurological and psychiatric services is warranted. The elevated SMRs of various UCODs among younger PWD underscore the need for clinicians to pay particular attention to the medical care provided to these patients.

Folic Acid in Stroke Prevention in Countries without Mandatory Folic Acid Food Fortification: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Chia-Yu Hsu,Shao-Wen Chiu,Keun-Sik Hong,Jeffrey L. Saver,Yi-Ling Wu,Jiann-Der Lee,Meng Lee,Bruce Ovbiagele 대한뇌졸중학회 2018 Journal of stroke Vol.20 No.1

Background and Purpose Additional folic acid (FA) treatment appears to have a neutral effect on reducing vascular risk in countries that mandate FA fortification of food (e.g., USA and Canada). However, it is uncertain whether FA therapy reduces stroke risk in countries without FA food fortification. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of FA therapy on stroke prevention in countries without FA food fortification. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and clinicaltrials.gov from January 1966 to August 2016 were searched to identify relevant studies. Relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as a measure of the association between FA supplementation and risk of stroke, after pooling data across trials in a random-effects model. Results The search identified 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving treatment with FA that had enrolled 65,812 participants, all of which stroke was reported as an outcome measure. After all 13 RCTs were pooled, FA therapy versus control was associated with a lower risk of any future stroke (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.95). FA alone or combination of FA and minimal cyanocobalamin (≤0.05 mg/day) was associated with a lower risk of future stroke (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.86) whereas combination of FA and cyanocobalamin (≥0.4 mg/day) was not associated with a lower risk of future stroke (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.05). Conclusions FA supplement reduced stroke in countries without mandatory FA food fortification. The benefit was found mostly in patients receiving FA alone or combination of FA and minimal cyanocobalamin.

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)

Origins of Kerr phase and orientational phase in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

Chang, Chia-Ming,Lin, Yi-Hsin,Reshetnyak, Victor,Park, Chui Ho,Manda, Ramesh,Lee, Seung Hee The Optical Society 2017 Optics express Vol.25 No.17

Sexual Abuse Is Associated With an Abnormal Psychological Profile and Sleep Difficulty in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Taiwan

( Hsing-feng Lee ),( Pei-yi Liu ),( Yen-po Wang ),( Chia-fen Tsai ),( Full-young Chang ),( Ching-liang Lu ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회(구 대한소화관운동학회) 2018 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.24 No.1

Background/Aims Both sexual and physical abuse history have been reported to be associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Western countries. The impact of abuse history in IBS patients in Asia remains unclear. We aim to determine the prevalence of abuse history, its associated psychological profiles, and sleep problems among IBS patients in Taiwan. Methods In total, 194 Rome III-defined IBS patients were invited to participate. Age- and sex- matched healthy carriers of chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C without chronic abdominal symptoms were identified as disease-controls. We administered a validated questionnaire to evaluate bowel symptoms, physical/sexual abuse history, anxiety/depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), and sleep quality. Results IBS patients had a significantly higher prevalence of sexual abuse history than the disease-control group both before (16.5% vs 6.7%, P < 0.05) and after (16.0% vs 6.6%, P < 0.05) adolescence. These significant differences were mainly observed in women (13.4% vs 3.4%, P < 0.05). No difference was noted in history of physical abuse between the 2 groups. IBS patients with a history of sexual abuse had significantly higher HADS scores and higher frequencies of sleep difficulty than those without. Conclusions In Taiwan, sexual abuse history was more prevalent in female IBS patients than controls. Sexual abuse history may contribute to higher anxiety/depression levels and sleep difficulties, which are commonly experienced in IBS patients. In Asia, abuse history should be obtained when approaching IBS patients to facilitate better management. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2018;24:79-86)

Comparison of the Efficacy of Two Microsphere Embolic Agents for Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Shao-Hua Lee,Chia-Ying Lin,Ya-Chun Hsu,Yi-Sheng Liu,Ming-Tsung Chuang,Ming-Ching Ou 대한암학회 2020 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.52 No.1

Purpose Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) delivers cytotoxic drugs intra-arterially and induces ischemic necrosis by arterial embolization. Embolization is achieved using a variety of agents that differ widely in particle size and range, deformation, and in vivo arterial distribution. The clinical significance of these differences has not been thoroughly characterized. The present study is to compare the efficacy of Embosphere and Embozene microspheres in TACE therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and Methods This retrospective study includes 108 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who received TACE/doxorubicin with Embozene (70 patients) or Embosphere (38 patients) at a single medical center. Patient outcomes, including liver function, tumor size, tumor response, and complications after treatment, were analyzed. The change in total target lesion size and tumor response was evaluated according to embolization agent and clinical characteristics. Results The postoperative glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (mean, 194.5 vs. 147.5; p=0.032) and bilirubin (mean, 1.11 mg/dL vs. 0.73 mg/dL; p=0.016) were higher among patients treated with Embozene, the decrease in the number (55.86±25.55% vs. 41.81±38.51%, p=0.027) and size (56.37±25.91 mm vs. 43.44±37.89 mm, p=0.001) of liver tumors relative to baseline was greater in these patients than in those treated with Embosphere. These greater antitumor effects were achieved using lower doses of doxorubicin than for treatment with Embozene. Minor complications were more common among patients treated with Embosphere than with Embozene. Conclusion These results suggest that Embozene is more efficacious than Embosphere for HCC treatment using TACE/doxorubicin.

High-Performance Bottom-Contact Organic Thin-Film Transistors Based on Benzo[<i>d</i>,<i>d</i>′]thieno[3,2-<i>b</i>;4,5-<i>b</i>′]dithiophenes (BTDTs) Derivatives

Huang, Peng-Yi,Chen, Liang-Hsiang,Kim, Choongik,Chang, Hsiu-Chieh,Liang, You-jhih,Feng, Chieh-Yuan,Yeh, Chia-Ming,Ho, Jia-Chong,Lee, Cheng-Chung,Chen, Ming-Chou American Chemical Society 2012 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.4 No.12

<P>Three benzo[<I>d</I>,<I>d</I>′]thieno[3,2-<I>b</I>;4,5-<I>b</I>′]dithiophene (<B>BTDT</B>) derivatives, end-functionalized with benzothiophenyl (<B>BT-BTDT</B>; <B>2</B>), benzothieno[3,2-b]thiophenyl (<B>BTT-BTDT</B>; 3), and benzo[<I>d</I>,<I>d</I>′]thieno[3,2-<I>b</I>;4,5-<I>b</I>′]dithiophenyl (<B>BBTDT</B>; <B>4</B>), were prepared for bottom-contact/bottom-gate organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). An improved one-pot [2 + 1 + 1] synthetic method of <B>BTDT</B> with improved synthetic yield was achieved, which enabled the efficient realization of new <B>BTDT</B>-based semiconductors. All of the <B>BTDT</B> compounds exhibited high performance p-channel characteristics with carrier mobilities as high as 0.34 cm<SUP>2</SUP>/(V s) and a current on/off ratio of 1 × 10<SUP>7</SUP>, as well as enhanced ambient stability. The device characteristics have been correlated with the film morphologies and microstructures of the corresponding compounds.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/aamick/2012/aamick.2012.4.issue-12/am3022448/production/images/medium/am-2012-022448_0010.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/am3022448'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>