Assessment of P Availability in Biochar-Amended Soils and the Relation to Soil P Fractionation

Fang-Ju Lin,Kai-Wei Juang 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6

Combined Screening of Cervical Cancer, Breast Cancer and Reproductive Tract Infections in Rural China

Li, Zhi-Fang,Wang, Shao-Ming,Shi, Ju-Fang,Zhao, Fang-Hui,Ma, Jun-Fei,Qiao, You-Lin,Feng, Xiang-Xian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.7

Objectives: To investigate the current prevalence and knowledge of cervical cancer, breast cancer and reproductive tract infections (RTIs) in rural Chinese women, and to explore the acceptance and feasibility of implementing a combined screening program in rural China. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 30 to 59 years old in Xiangyuan County, Shanxi Province from 2009 to 2010. Socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of cervical cancer, breast cancer and RTIs, and the attitude toward single or combined screening were collected by an interview questionnaire. Each participant received a clinical examination of the cervix, breast and reproductive tract. Examinations included visual inspection, mammography, laboratory tests and pathological diagnosis. Results: A total of 1,530 women were enrolled in this study. The prevalence of cervical precancerous lesions, suspicious breast cancer, suspicious benign breast disease and RTIs was 1.4%, 0.2%, 14.0% and 54.3%, respectively. Cervicitis, trichomonas vaginitis, and bacterial vaginitis were the three most common RTIs among our participants. Television, radio broadcast, and public education during screening were the major source of healthcare knowledge in rural China. Moreover 99.7% of women expressed great interest in participating in a combined screening project. The affordable limit for combined screening project was only 50 RMB for more than half of the rural women. Conclusion: A combined screening program would be more effective and popular than single disease screening projects, while appropriate accompanied education and a co-pay model for its successful implementation need to be explored, especially in low-resource settings.

The impact of SSCI and SCI on Taiwan’s academy: an outcry for fair play

Chuing Prudence Chou,Hsiao Fang Lin,Yun-ju Chiu 서울대학교 교육연구소 2013 Asia Pacific Education Review Vol.14 No.1

The increasing importance of the competition in global university ranking has resulted in a paradigm shift in academic governance in East Asia. Many governments have introduced different strategies for benchmarking their leading universities to facilitate global competitiveness and international visibility. A major trend in the changing university governance is the emergence of a regulatory evaluation scheme for faculty research productivity, reflected by the striking features of the recent changing academic profile of publication norms and forms that go beyond the territories of nation-states in the East and West. With the expansion of the Taiwanese higher education system in the last two decades, the maintenance of quality to meet the requirements for international competitiveness has become a key concern for policy makers. Since 2005, the Ministry of Education has introduced a series of university governance policies to enhance academic excellence in universities and established a formal university evaluation policy to improve the competitiveness and international visibility of Taiwanese universities. In so doing, the government has legalized a clear link between evaluation results and public funding allocation. Research performance is assessed in terms of the number of articles published in journals indexed by the Science Citation Index (SCI), the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), and the Arts and Humanities Citation Index and in terms of citation rates and associated factors. Therefore, evaluation has taken on a highly quantitative dimension. Despite the efforts of concerned parties to encourage academic excellence, the abovementioned quantitative evaluation indicators have resulted in bitter complaints from the humanities and social sciences, whose research accomplishments are devalued and ignored by the current quantitative indicators. In this paper, the authors describe the recent petition for collective action initiated by university faculty to protest the privileging of SSCI and SCI publications as critical indicators for academic performance regardless of faculty discipline and specialization. The article concludes its argument with a group petition calling for more diverse and reliable indicators in recognizing the research of different natures and disciplines while creating culturally responsive evaluation criteria for social sciences and humanities in the Taiwanese academe. The article not only sheds light on academic evaluation literature, especially on the uncertain paradox of globalization and market economy, but also proposes alternatives to the evaluation system for humanities and social sciences in higher education.

Quality of Life of Male Spouse Caregivers for Breast Cancer Patients in China

Zhu, Ping,Fu, Ju-Fang,Wang, Bo,Lin, Jing,Wang, Yan,Fang, Ning-Ning,Wang, Dan-Dan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.10

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of male spouse caregivers of breast cancer patients in China, assess their quality of life (QOL), and investigate the influencing factors. Materials and Methods: A total of 243 breast cancer patient-spouse caregiver dyads were recruited from four hospitals in Shanxi and Anhui province of China. A cross-sectional design was applied to collect data and the Chinese version of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) was used to measure caregivers' QOL, and the Chinese version of M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C) was applied to measure patient symptom severity and interference. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the correlations between caregiver burden and QOL. The multiple regression analysis was used to determine the most predictive factors influencing QOL. Results: The scores of all SF-36 scales were above 50.0, which were much lower than that of general mainland Chinese males. Mental QOL was significantly worse than physical QOL. Spouses demographic characteristics, caregiving-related variables and patient symptoms were related to spouse QOL. Caregiver burden has a negative relationship with QOL. Conclusions: A decrease in life events and patient symptoms, as well as increase in spouse sleeping time and family income, ought to improve QOL.

Survival benefit of patients with early-stage ovarian carcinoma treated with paclitaxel chemotherapeutic regimens

Chien-An Chen,Chun-Ju Chiang,Yun-Yuan Chen,San-Lin You,Shu-Feng Hsieh,Chao-Hsiun Tang,Wen-Fang Cheng 대한부인종양학회 2018 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.29 No.1

Objective: Adjuvant chemotherapy was introduced in patients with early-stage ovarian cancer (OC). The benefit of standard chemotherapeutic regimens including taxane has not been established. Methods: Patients with early-stage OC from the National Health Insurance Research database of Taiwan who received platinum plus cyclophosphamide (CP) or platinum plus paclitaxel (PT) for 3–6 cycles were recruited, and the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined. Results: A total of 1,510 early-stage OC patients, including 841 who received CP regimen and 699 who received PT regimen, were included. The 2 groups had a similar estimated probability of 5-year DFS (PT vs. CP, 79.0% vs. 77.6%; p=0.410) and OS (84.6% vs. 84.3%; p=0.691). Patients >50 years of age who received the CP regimen had a lower 5-year DFS than the patients ≤50 years of age who received the CP (p<0.001) or PT regimens (p=0.001). Additionally, patients >50 years of age who received the CP regimen had a worse 5-year OS compared with the other 3 groups (p=0.019) (p=0.179 for patients >50 years of age in the PT group; p=0.002 for patients ≤50 years of age in the CP group; and p=0.061 for patients ≤50 years of age in the PT group). Patients with the CP or PT regimen for 3–5 cycles had a similar 5-year DFS and OS compared to 6 cycles (p>0.050). Conclusion: Chemotherapeutic regimens with taxane could be recommended for early-stage OC patients >50 years of age.

Trends in incidence and survival outcome of epithelial ovarian cancer: 30-year national population-based registry in Taiwan

Ying-Cheng Chiang,Chi-An Chen,Chun-Ju Chiang,Tsui-Hsia Hsu,Ming-Chieh Lin,San-Lin You,Wen-Fang Cheng,Mei-Shu Lai 대한부인종양학회 2013 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.24 No.4

Objective: To investigate the changes of incidence and prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer in thirty years in Taiwan. Methods: The databases of women with epithelial ovarian cancer during the period from 1979 to 2008 were retrieved from the National Cancer Registration System of Taiwan. The incidence and prognosis of these patients were analyzed. Results: Totally 9,491 patients were included in the study. The age-adjusted incidences of epithelial ovarian cancer were 1.01, 1.37, 2.37, 3.24, 4.18, and 6.33 per 100,000 person-years, respectively, in every 5-year period from 1979 to 2008. The age-specific incidence rates increased especially in serous, endometrioid and clear cell carcinoma, and the age of diagnosis decreased from sixty to fifty years old in the three decades. Patients with mucinous, endometrioid, or clear cell carcinoma had better long-term survival than patients with serous carcinoma (log rank test, p<0.001). Patients with undifferentiated carcinoma or carcinosarcoma had poorer survival than those with serous carcinoma (log rank test, p<0.001). The mortality risk of age at diagnosis of 30-39 was significantly higher than that of age of 70 years or more (test for trend, p<0.001). The mortality risk decreased from the period of 1996-1999 (hazard ratio [HR], 0.90; p=0.054) to the period after 2000 (HR, 0.74; p<0.001) as compared with that from the period of 1991-1995. Conclusion: An increasing incidence and decreasing age of diagnosis in epithelial ovarian cancer patients were noted. Histological type, age of diagnosis, and treatment period were important prognostic factors for epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

Hiwi Knockdown Inhibits the Growth of Lung Cancer in Nude Mice

Liang, Dong,Dong, Min,Hu, Lin-Jie,Fang, Ze-Hui,Xu, Xia,Shi, En-Hui,Yang, Yi-Ju Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.2

Hiwi, a human homologue of the Piwi family, plays an important role in stem cell self-renewal and is overexpressed in various human tumors. This study aimed to determine whether an RNA interference-based strategy to suppress Hiwi expression could inhibit tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. A rare population of $SSC^{lo}\;Alde^{br}$ cells was isolated and identified as lung cancer stem cells in our previous study. Plasmids containing U6 promoter-driven shRNAs against Hiwi or control plasmids were successfully established. The xenograft tumor model was generated by subcutaneously inoculating with lung cancer stem cell $SSC^{lo}\;Alde^{br}$ cells. After the tumor size reached about 8 mm in diameter, shRNA plasmids were injected into the mice via the tail vein three times a week for two weeks, then xenograft tumor growth was assessed. In nude mice, intravenously delivery of Hiwi shRNA plasmids significantly inhibited tumor growth compared to treatment with control scrambled shRNA plasmids or the vehicle PBS. No mice died during the experiment and no adverse events were observed in mice administered the plasmids. Moreover, delivery of Hiwi shRNA plasmids resulted in a significant suppressed expression of Hiwi and ALDH-1 in xenograft tumor samples, based on immunohistochemical analysis. Thus, shRNA-mediated Hiwi gene silencing in lung cancer stem cells by an effective in vivo gene delivery strategy appeared to be an effective therapeutic approach for lung cancer, and may provide some useful clues for RNAi gene therapy in solid cancers.

Risks of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or invasive cancers in ASCUS women with different management: a population-based cohort study

Yi-Jou Tai,Yun-Yuan Chen,Huang-Cheng Hsu,Chun-Ju Chiang,San-Lin You,Chi-An Chen,Wen-Fang Cheng,Taiwan Cervical Cancer Control Task Force 대한부인종양학회 2018 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.29 No.4

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the progression risk of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) with different clinical managements. METHODS: Women with their first diagnosis of ASCUS cytology were retrieved from the national cervical cancer screening database and linked to the national health insurance research database to identify the management of these women. The incidences of developing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 and invasive cervical cancer (CIN3+) were calculated, and the hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the National Taiwan University Hospital and is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02063152). RESULTS: There were total 69,741 women included. Various management strategies including colposcopy, cervical biopsies and/or endocervical curettage, and cryotherapy, failed to reduce the risk of subsequent CIN3+ compared with repeat cervical smears. Loop electrosurgical excision procedure/conization significantly decreased risk of subsequent CIN3+ lesions (HR=0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.07–0.68; p=0.010). Women in their 40s–50s had an approximately 30% risk reduction compared to other age groups. Women with a previous screening history >5 years from the present ASCUS diagnosis were at increased risk for CIN3+ (HR=1.24; 95% CI=1.03–1.49; p=0.020). CONCLUSION: In women of first-time ASCUS cytology, a program of repeat cytology can be an acceptable clinical option in low-resource settings. Caution should be taken especially in women with remote cervical screening history more than 5 years.

Metallic Stent Placement in Hemodialysis Graft Patients after Insufficient Balloon Dilation

Huei-Lung Liang,Huay-Ben Pan,Yih-Huie Lin,Chiung-Yu Chen,Hsiao-Min Chung,Tung-Ho Wu,Kang-Ju Chou,Pin-Hong Lai,Chien-Fang Yang 대한영상의학회 2006 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.7 No.2

Objective: We wanted to report our experience of metallic stent placement after insufficient balloon dilation in graft hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three patients (13 loop grafts in the forearm and 10 straight grafts in the upper arm) underwent metallic stent placement due to insufficient flow after urokinase thrombolysis and balloon dilation. The indications for metallic stent deployment included 1) recoil and/or kinked venous stenosis in 21 patients (venous anastomosis: 17 patients, peripheral outflow vein: four patients); and 2) major vascular rupture in two patients. Metallic stents 8 10mm in diameter and 40 80 mm in length were used. Of them, eight stents were deployed across the elbow crease. Access patency was determined by clinical follow-up and the overall rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Results: No procedure-related complications (stent fracture or central migration) were encountered except for a delayed Wallstent shortening/migration at the venous anastomosis, which resulted in early access failure. The overall primary and secondary patency rates ( standard error) of all the vascular accesses in our 23 patients at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months were 69% 9 and 88% 6, 41% 10 and 88% 6, 30% 10 and 77% 10, and 12% 8 and 61% 13, respectively. For the forearm and upper-arm grafts, the primary and secondary patency rates were 51% 16 and 86% 13 vs 45% 15 and 73% 13 at 6 months, and 25% 15 and 71% 17 vs 23% 17 and 73% 13 at 12 months (p = .346 and .224), respectively. Conclusion: Metallic stent placement is a safe and effective means for treating peripheral venous lesions in dialysis graft patients after insufficient balloon dilation. No statistically difference in the patency rates between the forearm and upper-arm patient groups was seen.