Unusual Exchange Bias Effects Induced in NiFe/Mn Thin Films via Ion-beam Bombardment: Superlattice vs. Nanocomposite

Chi-Hsin Liu,Chin Shueh,Tien-Chi Lan,Ko-Wei Lin,Wen-Chen Chen,Te-Ho Wu,R. D. Desautels,J. van Lierop 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.62 No.12

The interplay between interlayer coupling and exchange bias coupling in [NiFe/Mn] multilayerbasedthin films was investigated by using ion-beam bombardment during deposition to control theconfigurations from superlattice to nanocomposite or hybrid-structured thin films. Results showedthat well-defined interfaces in the superlattice [NiFe/Mn] thin film exhibited an interlayer couplingbehavior. In contrast, an enhanced coercivity was observed in the nanocomposite [NiFe-Mn] thinfilm. However, the hybrid [NiFe-Mn]/[NiFe/Mn] thin film with an intermixed NiFeMn alloyed filmcomponent gave rise to unusual positive exchange bias coupling.

Lower Levels of Urinary Nerve Growth Factor Might Predict Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections in Women

Fei-Chi Chuang,Hsin-Tzu Liu,Hann-Chorng Kuo 대한배뇨장애요실금학회 2016 International Neurourology Journal Vol.20 No.1

Purpose: To investigate the changes in urinary nerve growth factor (uNGF) levels after acute urinary tract infection (UTI) and to assess the role of uNGF in predicting UTI recurrence in women. Methods: Women with uncomplicated, symptomatic UTIs were enrolled. Cephalexin 500 mg (every 6 hours) was administered for 7–14 days to treat acute UTIs. Subsequently, the patients were randomized to receive either sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim 800 mg/160 mg daily at bedtime, or celecoxib 200 mg daily for 3 months and were monitored for up to 12 months. NGF levels in the urine were determined at baseline, 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the initiation of prophylactic therapy, and were compared between women with first-time UTIs and recurrent UTIs, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and celecoxib-treated women, and no UTI recurrence and UTI recurrence that occurred during the follow-up period. Twenty women free of UTIs served as controls. Results: A total of 139 women with UTI and 20 controls were enrolled in the study, which included 50 women with a firsttime UTI and 89 women with recurrent UTIs. Thirty-seven women completed the study. Women with recurrent UTIs (n=23) had a trend of lower uNGF levels than women with first-time UTIs (n=14). During follow-up, 9 women had UTI recurrence. The serial uNGF levels in women with UTI recurrence were significantly lower than those in women who did not have UTI recurrence during the follow-up period. Conclusions: The lower levels of uNGF in women with recurrent UTI and the incidence of UTI recurrence during follow-up suggest that lower uNGF might reflect the defective innate immunity in women with recurrent UTI.

Determination of the quality of stripe-marked and cracked eggs during storage

Yu Chi Liu,Ter Hsin Chen,Ying Chen Wu,Fa Jui Tan 아세아·태평양축산학회 2017 Animal Bioscience Vol.30 No.7

Objective: Stripe marks, which occasionally occur on the shell, do not cause breakage to the shell and shell membranes of eggs. This study investigated the quality of intact eggs (IEs), minor stripe-marked eggs (MEs), severe stripe-marked eggs (SEs), and cracked eggs (CEs) during 3-week storage at 25°C. Methods: Shell eggs were collected the day after being laid and were washed. Among them, eggs without any visual cracks or stripe marks on the shells were evaluated as IEs by the plant employees using candling in a darkened egg storage room; the remaining eggs exhibited some eggshell defects. At day 3, the eggs were further categorized into IEs, MEs, SEs, CEs, and broken eggs (BEs) on the basis of the description given. Except BEs, which were discarded, the remaining eggs were stored at 25°C (approximate relative humidity 50%) and then analyzed. Results: Stripe marks were observed primarily within the first 3 days after washing. At day 3, CEs had significantly (p<0.05) lower Haugh unit values, but all eggs had grades AA or A, according to the United States Department of Agriculture standard. As storage time increased, differences in egg quality between groups were more obvious. IEs had the highest eggshell breaking strength. During storage, the total plate counts and pathogens, namely Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp., were not detectable in the internal content of IEs and SEs. Conclusion: In conclusion, cracks degraded egg quality severely and minor stripe marks only slightly influenced the egg quality.

Doxorubicin Promotes Migration and Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells through the Upregulation of the RhoA/MLC Pathway

Chien-Liang Liu,Ming-Jen Chen,Jiunn-Chang Lin,Chi-Hsin Lin,Wen-Chien Huang,Shih-Ping Cheng,Shan-Na Chen,Yuan-Ching Chang 한국유방암학회 2019 Journal of breast cancer Vol.22 No.2

Purpose: Cancer cells develop acquired resistance induced by chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study, we investigated the effects of brief treatment with cytotoxic drugs on the phenotype of breast cancer cells. Methods: Breast cancer cells MCF7 and BT-474 were briefly treated with paclitaxel or doxorubicin. Clonogenic, migration, and invasion assays were performed on the treated cells. Western blot analysis and RhoA activity assay were also performed. Results: Breast cancer cells when briefly treated with paclitaxel or doxorubicin showed reduced clonogenic ability. Doxorubicin, but not paclitaxel, augmented cell migration and invasion. The invasion-promoting effects of doxorubicin were lost when the two drugs were sequentially used in combination. Myosin light chain (MLC) 2 phosphorylation and RhoA activity were upregulated by doxorubicin and downregulated by paclitaxel. Pretreatment with RhoA inhibitors abolished the migration- and invasion-promoting effects of doxorubicin. Conclusion: Doxorubicin activates the RhoA/MLC pathway and enhances breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Therefore, this pathway might be explored as a therapeutic target to suppress anthracycline-enhanced tumor progression.

A New Method for Three-dimensional Measurement with Two Horizontally-aligned Omni-directional Cameras

Sheng-Fuu Lin,Jau-Chi Ke,Hsin-Yi Liu,Jiao-Rou Liao 제어로봇시스템학회 2014 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2014 No.10

In this paper, a new method for three-dimensional measurement with two horizontally-aligned omni-directional cameras is proposed. Some omni-camera stereo vision systems calculate three-dimensional information which always considers either azimuth angles or elevation angles causing inaccuracy easily. The proposed method takes into account both azimuth angles and elevation angles in order to reduce errors. Besides, the range of interest (ROI) is 3 to 8 meters around cameras in the system. The proposed method has better performance than the vertically- or horizontally-aligned in the 3D measurement.

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-α Subunit Targeting Suppresses Metastasis in Advanced Thyroid Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo

( Ching-ling Lin ),( Ming-lin Tsai ),( Yu-hsin Chen ),( Wei-ni Liu ),( Chun-yu Lin ),( Kai-wen Hsu ),( Chien-yu Huang ),( Yu-jia Chang ),( Po-li Wei ),( Shu-huey Chen ),( Li-chi Huang ),( Chia-hwa Lee 한국응용약물학회 2021 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.29 No.5

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancers, such as papillary and follicular cancers, have a favorable prognosis. However, poorly differentiated thyroid cancers, such as medullary, squamous and anaplastic advanced thyroid cancers, are very aggressive and insensitive to radioiodine treatment. Thus, novel therapies that attenuate metastasis are urgently needed. We found that both PDGFC and PDGFRA are predominantly expressed in thyroid cancers and that the survival rate is significantly lower in patients with high PDGFRA expression. This finding indicates the important role of PDGF/PDGFR signaling in thyroid cancer development. Next, we established a SW579 squamous thyroid cancer cell line with 95.6% PDGFRA gene insertion and deletions (indels) through CRISPR/Cas9. Protein and invasion analysis showed a dramatic loss in EMT marker expression and metastatic ability. Furthermore, xenograft tumors derived from PDGFRA geneedited SW579 cells exhibited a minor decrease in tumor growth. However, distant lung metastasis was completely abolished upon PDGFRA gene editing, implying that PDGFRA could be an effective target to inhibit distant metastasis in advanced thyroid cancers. To translate this finding to the clinic, we used the most relevant multikinase inhibitor, imatinib, to inhibit PDGFRA signaling. The results showed that imatinib significantly suppressed cell growth, induced cell cycle arrest and cell death in SW579 cells. Our developed noninvasive apoptosis detection sensor (NIADS) indicated that imatinib induced cell apoptosis through caspase-3 activation. In conclusion, we believe that developing a specific and selective targeted therapy for PDGFRA would effectively suppress PDGFRA-mediated cancer aggressiveness in advanced thyroid cancers.

Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Increased Autonomic Activation and Improved Symptoms of Depression and Insomnia among Patients with Major Depression Disorder

I-Mei Lin,Sheng-Yu Fan,Cheng-Fang Yen,Yi-Chun Yeh,Tze‐Chun Tang,Mei-Feng Huang,Tai-Ling Liu,Peng-Wei Wang,Huang-Chi Lin,Hsin-Yi Tsai,Yu-Che Tsai 대한정신약물학회 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.17 No.2

Objective: Autonomic imbalance is considered a psychopathological mechanism underlying major depressive disorder (MDD). Heart rate variability (HRV) is an index for autonomic activation. Poor sleep quality is common among patients with MDD. HRV biofeedback (BF) has been used for regulating autonomic balance among patients with physical illness and mental disorders. The purpose of present study was to examine the effects of HRV-BF on depressive symptoms, sleep quality, pre-sleep arousal, and HRV indices, in patients with MDD and insomnia. Methods: In this case-controlled study, patients with MDD and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score higher than 6 were recruited. The HRV-BF group received weekly 60-minute protocol for 6 weeks, and the control group who have matched the age and sex received medical care only. All participants were assessed on Beck Depression Inventory-II, Back Anxiety Inventory, PSQI, and Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale. Breathing rates and electrocardiography were also performed under resting state at pre-testing, and post-testing conditions and for the HRV-BF group, also at 1-month follow-up. Results: In the HRV-BF group, symptoms of depression and anxiety, sleep quality, and pre-sleep arousal were significantly improved, and increased HRV indices, compared with the control group. Moreover, in the HRV-BF group, significantly improved symptoms of depression and anxiety, decreased breathing rates, and increased HRV indices were detected at post-testing and at 1-month follow-up, compared with pre-testing values. Conclusion: This study confirmed that HRV-BF is a useful psychosocial intervention for improving autonomic balance, baroreflex, and symptoms of depression and insomnia in MDD patients.