Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) Prevents Insulin Resistance and Restores Neuron Autophagy by Regulating Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 and Thus Improving Hippocampal Function

Chien-Ning Huang,Chi-Li Lin,Hsin-Hua Li,Sing-Hua Tsou,Chiung-Huei Peng 한국식품영양과학회 2023 Journal of medicinal food Vol.26 No.7

Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) Prevents Insulin Resistance and RestoresNeuron Autophagy by Regulating Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4and Thus Improving Hippocampal Function

Angelica dahurica attenuates melanogenesis in B16F0 cells by repressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Fang Chien-Liang,Goswami Debakshee,Kuo Chia-Hua,Day Cecilia Hsuan,Lin Mei-Yi,Ho Tsung-Jung,Yang Liang-Yo,Hsieh Dennis Jine-Yuan,Lin Tzu-Kai,Huang Chih-Yang 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2023 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.19 No.1

Background Melanogenesis is a complex process which is tightly regulated by several enzymes. However, abnormal melanogenesis can cause severe dermatological problems. Roots of Angelica dahurica have been used for skin care as a part of traditional Chinese medicine for many generations. However, the role of A. dahurica in melanogenesis remains unclear. Objective Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that NK-1R exerts positive effects in melanogenesis via the Wnt/βcatenin signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated the effects of A. dahurica ethanol extract (ADE) on NK-1R and Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and evaluated the effect of NK-1R on melanogenesis in B16F0 cells. Results Angelica dahurica ethanol extract efficiently downregulated Neurokinin-1 receptor and Wnt/β-catenin signaling by decreasing the expression of β-catenin, MITF, LEF-1, TYR, TRP1, and TRP2 and increasing the expression of GSK3β, which resulted from the weakened expression of the Neurokinin-1 receptor inhibitor [Sar9,Met(O2 )11]-Substance P (SMSP). Furthermore, the intracellular melanin assay and cellular tyrosinase activity confirmed these findings. Conclusion This study suggests that ADE has potential to downregulate Neurokinin-1 receptor in SMSP-induced B16F0 cells, thereby repressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling and reduces melanin production.

Enhancing Elderly Long-Term Care Service Uing Kinect Exergame

( Tien Lung Sun ),( Ta Min Hung ),( Chien Hua Huang ),( Chia Hsuan Lee ),( Chun Pei ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

Kinect based somatosensory exergame is useful to support long-term care as it can motivate chronic rehabilitation patients or elderly with decreasing motor ability to do physical exercise in a pleasant and interesting gaming environment. Dynamic game difficulty adjustment (DDA) technique is implemented in all games to keep players engaged and adhered to the game. For long-term care service, game difficulty has to be manually adjusted as players are not able to or not willing to adjust game settings by themselves. To support manually difficulty adjustment, it is important to conduct player experience study to understand the impact of different game settings or gaming parameters on game difficulty. This paper evaluates the dif-ficulty of a Kinect exergame using objective player experiences derived from Kinect sensor and gameplay based player experience. Specifically, a Kinect exergame for upper arm exercise is developed and deployed to a nursing center at central Taiwan. The challenge (psychological difficulty) and intensity (physiological difficulty) of the game are analyzed using hand movement speed derived from Kinect sensor (objective player experience) and game score (gameplay based experi-ence). The results show that the objective player experience derived from Kinect sensor can help understand the exergame intensity. With cross reference to game performance, subjects who are more engaged in the exergame can be identified.

Efficacy and Safety of 12 Weeks of Daclatasvir, Asunaprevir Plus Ribavirin for the Treatment of HCV Genotype 1b Infection without Baseline NS5A Resistance-Associated Variants (DARING)-Interim Report

( Ming-lung Yu ),( Chao-hung Hung ),( Yi-hsiang Huang ),( Cheng-yuan Peng ),( Chun-yen Lin ),( Pin-nan Cheng ),( Rong-nan Chien ),( Shih-jer Hsu ),( Chen-hua Liu ),( Jee-fu Huang ),( Chung-feng Huang 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: The current study aims to elucidate the treatment efficacy (defined as undetectable HCV RNA throughout 12 weeks of post-treatment follow-up, SVR12) and safety DCV/ASV plus ribavirin for 12 weeks in HCV-1b patients without NS5A RAS. Methods: This is a single-arm, open-label phase 2 study. Seventy directly acting antivirals (DAA)-naïve HCV-1b patients without L31/Y93 RAS are planned to receive daclatasvir (60 mg/ day) and asunaprevir (100 mg twice daily) plus weight-based ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day) for 12 weeks. After treatment they were followed up for 12 weeks. Results: As of 31 Oct 2017, 58 eligible patients are allocated to treatment, with a mean age of 59.3 years and female predominance (67.2%, 39/58). The mean HCV RNA was 5.87+0.77 log10 IU/mL; 23 patients (39.7 %) had significant hepatic fibrosis (>F2). In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of undetectable HCV at week 1, week 2, week 4, week 8 and endof- treatment was 25 % (14/56), 84.8 % (39/46), 100 % (46/46), 100 % (38/38) and 100 % (27/27), respectively. Undetectable HCV RNA were observed in all of the patients with HCV RNA assessable 4 weeks (SVR4, 18/18) and 12 weeks (SVR12, 12/12) post treatment. None of the 18 patients who completed the 12-week treatment experienced relapse during post-treatment follow-up. The most common adverse event was fatigue (78.3 %), followed by pruritus (65.2 %) and dizziness (52.2 %), of which were considered as ribavirin related. None of the participating subjects withdrew treatment or follow-up throughout the trial peroid. Three serious adverse events were reported which included urosepsis, appendicitis and left ureteral stone. All were unrelated to the investigating drugs. Conclusions: 12 weeks of DCV/ASV plus ribavirin was highly effective and safe in HCV-1b patients without NS5A RAS in the interim analysis. The satisfactory results would be anticipated in the full patient set.

Enhancing elderly long-term care service using Kinect exergame

Tien-Lung Sun,Ta-Min Hung,Chia-Hsuan Lee,Chien-Hua Huang,Chun Pei 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Kinect based somatosensory exergame is useful to support long-term care as it can motivate chronic rehabilitation patients or elderly with decreasing motor ability to do physical exercise in a pleasant and interesting gaming environment. Dynamic game difficulty adjustment (DDA) technique is implemented in all games to keep players engaged and adhered to the game. For long-term care service, game difficulty has to be manually adjusted as players are not able to or not willing to adjust game settings by themselves. To support manually difficulty adjustment, it is important to conduct player experience study to understand the impact of different game settings or gaming parameters on game difficulty. This paper evaluates the difficulty of a Kinect exergame using objective player experiences derived from Kinect sensor and gameplay based player experience. Specifically, a Kinect exergame for upper arm exercise is developed and deployed to a nursing center at central Taiwan. The challenge (psychological difficulty) and intensity (physiological difficulty) of the game are analyzed using hand movement speed derived from Kinect sensor (objective player experience) and game score (gameplay based experience). The results show that the objective player experience derived from Kinect sensor can help understand the exergame intensity. With cross reference to game performance, subjects who are more engaged in the exergame can be identified. Specifically, analysis of the hand movement speed shows that the Kinect exergame considered in this work does not present enough physiological difficulty (intensity) to elderly with level-4 muscle power but does present difficulty to elderly with level-3 muscle power. Subjects with level-3 muscle power who are engaged in the game can be identified from their game scores. As the optimum difficulty level as well as other game settings varies from individual to individual, an important task in exergame design is to dynamically adjust its challenge and intensity so that elderly players can be engaged in and adhered to the game. The results of this paper show that player experiences derived from Kinect sensor and gameplay performance can help game developers better understand, and hence adjust, the game difficulty levels.

A Correlation between the Severity of Lung Lesions on Radiographs and Clinical Findings in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Yung-Liang Wan,Pei-Kwei Tsay,Yun-Chung Cheung,Ping-Cherng Chiang,Chun-Hua Wang,Ying-Huang Tsai,Han-Ping Kuo,Kuo-Chien Tsao,Tzou-Yien Lin 대한영상의학회 2007 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.8 No.6

Objective: The purpose of this study was to quantify lesions on chest radiographs in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and analyze the severity of the lesions with clinical parameters. Materials and Methods: Two experienced radiologists reviewed chest radiographs of 28 patients with SARS. Each lung was divided into upper, middle, and lower zones. A SARS-related lesion in each zone was scored using a four-point scale: zero to three. The mean and maximal radiographic scores were analyzed statistically to determine if the scorings were related to the laboratory data and clinical course. Results: Forward stepwise multiple linear regression showed that the mean radiographic score correlated most significantly with the number of hospitalized days (p < 0.001). The second most significant factor was the absolute lymphocyte count (p < 0.001) and the third most significant factor was the number of days of intubation (p = 0.025). The maximal radiographic score correlated best with the percentage of lymphocytes in a leukocyte count (p < 0.001), while the second most significant factor was the number of hospitalized days (p < 0.001) and the third most significant factor was the absolute lymphocyte count (p = 0.013). The mean radiographic scores of the patients who died, with comorbidities and without a comorbidity were 11.1, 6.3 and 2.9, respectively (p = 0.032). The corresponding value for maximal radiographic scores were 17.7, 9.7 and 6.0, respectively (p = 0.033). Conclusion: The severity of abnormalities quantified on chest radiographs in patients with SARS correlates with the clinical parameters.