Controlled Release of Clenbuterol from a Hydroxyapatite Carrier for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Yi-Wen Lin,Chih-Hsiang Fang,Ya-Jyun Liang,Ching-Yun Yang,Wei-Ting Kuo,Feng-Huei Lin 한국생체재료학회 2023 생체재료학회지 Vol.27 No.00

Background Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, and Aβ aggregation is considered to be the central process implicated in its pathogenesis. Current treatments are faced by challenges such as serious side effects and reduced drug bioavailability. In this study, we developed a drug delivery system for intramuscular injection that uses cellular activity to achieve constant and long-term drug release. Methods Synthesized mesoporous hydroxyapatite (SHAP) was prepared via co-precipitation, and hydrophobic surface modification using stearic acid was then used to load clenbuterol by physical absorption, thus creating the drug delivery system. Clenbuterol release was achieved through cellular activity, with macrophage uptake triggering lysosome/endosome disruption, cytoplasmic release, extracellular exocytosis, and subsequent systemic circulation. Results We found that clenbuterol-loaded SHAP enabled sustained release for more than 2 weeks and effectively modulated inflammation, reduced Aβ oligomer-induced toxicity, and prevented Aβ aggregation. Conclusions Our findings suggest that treatment with clenbuterol loaded in this SHAP delivery system could be a promising strategy for treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Synthesis of mesoporous SiO2 xerogel/chitosan mixed-matrix membranes for butanol dehydration

Yi-Feng Lin,Chang-Yu Wu,Ting-Yu Liu,Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,Kuo-Lun Tung,Tsair-Wang Chung 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.57 No.-

Novel mesoporous SiO2 xerogel/chitosan (CS) mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) were successfully prepared by incorporating sol–gel synthesized SiO2 xerogels into glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linked CS membranes. The effects of the SiO2 doping amount and the feed temperature on the performance of the separation of butanol and water was also investigated in this study. The 0.25 wt% SiO2 xerogel/CS MMMs possessed the best pervaporation performance and the largest PSI value of 1102 kg/m2h with a permeate flux of 736 g/m2h (Permeability of 3.25 × 10−5 g m m−2 h −1 Pa−1) and a separation factor of 1498 at a feed temperature of 50 °C. This PSI value is not only comparable but also exceeds that of other membranes reported in the literature. The separation factor and the flux of the SiO2 xerogel/CS MMMs in this study clearly exceed the upper limit of the previously reported MMMs. As a result, the as-prepared novel SiO2 xerogel/CS MMMs showed an improved performance during the butanol and water separation process, which raises the possibility of future pervaporation applications using this novel SiO2 xerogel/CS MMMs.

Novel AgCl/Ag2SO3 Hybrids as a Visible-Light-driven Photocatalyst: Preparation, Characterization, and Degradation of Rhodamine-B and Methyl Orange

Xiang-Feng Wu,Yi-Jin Wang,Zuo-Lin Cao,Yan-Mei Feng,Hui Li,Chen-Xu Zhang,Jun-Zhang Su,Jia-Rui Zhang,Yi-Wei Wang,Kai-Yuan Wang,Guo-Wen Sun 대한화학회 2018 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.39 No.7

The novel AgCl/Ag2SO3 hybrids as an efficient photocatalyst had been fabricated by an in situ synthetic method. The correlations between the structure and the photocatalytic properties of the as-fabricated hybrids were analyzed. Experimental results exhibited that with increasing the amount of Ag2SO3, the degradation rate of the as-obtained samples was firstly increased and then decreased under the visible light irradiation. When the mass ratio of AgCl to Ag2SO3 was 1:2, in 30?min, it displayed the highest degradation rate of 99.2% for rhodamine-B, which was obviously higher than 46.1, 60.5, and 14.6% of pure AgCl, Ag2SO3, and TiO2 (P25), respectively. Similar results could be found in degradation of methyl orange. It had the maximum of 97.4% in 90?min, which was higher than 55.2, 48.7, and 12.7% of pure AgCl, Ag2SO3, and P25, respectively. Moreover, the as-prepared hybrids possessed the enhanced separation and transfer of photo-generated electron?hole pairs compared to the pure samples. In addition, the holes and superoxide radicals played the dominant role and the hydroxyl radicals played the secondary role during the process of photocatalytic degradation.

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.

Significance of Expression of Human METCAM/MUC18 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinomas and Metastatic Lesions

Lin, Jin-Ching,Chiang, Cheng-Feng,Wang, Shur-Wern,Wang, Wen-Yi,Kwan, Po-Cheung,Wu, Guang-Jer Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Human METCAM/MUC18, a cell adhesion molecule (CAM) in the immunoglobulin-like gene super family, plays a dual role in the progression of several epithelium cancers; however, its role in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. To initiate the study we determined human METCAM/MUC18 expression in tissue samples of normal nasopharynx (NP), NPCs, and metastatic lesions, and in two established NPC cell lines. Immunoblotting analysis was used for the determination in lysates of frozen tissues, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 7 normal nasopharynx specimens, 94 NPC tissue specimens, and 3 metastatic lesions. Human METCAM/MUC18 was expressed in 100% of the normal NP, not expressed in 73% of NPC specimens (or expressed at very low levels in only about 27% of NPC specimens), and expressed again in all of the metastatic lesions. The level of human METCAM/MUC18 expression in NPC tissues was about one fifth of that in the normal NP and metastatic lesions. The low level of human METCAM/MUC18 expression in NPC specimens was confirmed by a weak signal of RT-PCR amplification of the mRNA. Low expression levels of human METCAM/MUC18 in NPC tissues were also reflected in the seven established NPC cell lines. These findings provided the first evidence that diminished expression of human METCAM/MUC18 is an indicator for the emergence of NPC, but increased expression then occurs with metastatic progression, suggesting that huMETCAM/MUC18, perhaps similar to TGF-${\beta}$, may be a tumor suppressor, but a metastasis promoter for NPC.

Multiple damage detection of maglev rail joints using time-frequency spectrogram and convolutional neural network

Yi-Qing Ni,Su-Mei Wang,Gao-Feng Jiang,Yang Lu,Guobin Lin,Hong-Liang Pan,Junqi Xu,Shuo Hao 국제구조공학회 2022 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.29 No.4

Maglev rail joints are vital components serving as connections between the adjacent F-type rail sections in maglev guideway. Damage to maglev rail joints such as bolt looseness may result in rough suspension gap fluctuation, failure of suspension control, and even sudden clash between the electromagnets and F-type rail. The condition monitoring of maglev rail joints is therefore highly desirable to maintain safe operation of maglev. In this connection, an online damage detection approach based on three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural network (CNN) and time-frequency characterization is developed for simultaneous detection of multiple damage of maglev rail joints in this paper. The training and testing data used for condition evaluation of maglev rail joints consist of two months of acceleration recordings, which were acquired in-situ from different rail joints by an integrated online monitoring system during a maglev train running on a test line. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) method is applied to transform the raw monitoring data into time-frequency spectrograms (TFS). Three CNN architectures, i.e., small-sized CNN (S-CNN), middle-sized CNN (M-CNN), and large-sized CNN (L-CNN), are configured for trial calculation and the M-CNN model with excellent prediction accuracy and high computational efficiency is finally optioned for multiple damage detection of maglev rail joints. Results show that the rail joints in three different conditions (bolt-loosenesscaused rail step, misalignment-caused lateral dislocation, and normal condition) are successfully identified by the proposed approach, even when using data collected from rail joints from which no data were used in the CNN training. The capability of the proposed method is further examined by using the data collected after the loosed bolts have been replaced. In addition, by comparison with the results of CNN using frequency spectrum and traditional neural network using TFS, the proposed TFSCNN framework is proven more accurate and robust for multiple damage detection of maglev rail joints.

Design of A Downlink Power Control Scheme in Unequal Error Protection Multi-Code CDMA Mobile Medicine System

Lin Chin-Feng,Lee Hsin-Wang,Hung Shih-Ii,Li Ching-Yi 한국정보기술응용학회 2005 한국정보기술응용학회학술대회 Vol.2005 No.1

Indoor Robot Navigation Based on DWA

Yi-Chun Lin,Chih-Chung Chou,Feng-Li Lian 제어로봇시스템학회 2009 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2009 No.8

Robot navigation methods can be divided into two classes: global path planning and local reactive methods. Global path planning methods find an optimal path to a specified goal, while local reactive methods compute proper control commands for the robot according to recent sensory information. In this paper, a new navigation method is presented, the new method integrates dynamic window approach (DWA) and best-first search (BFS), therefore, the robot can react to dynamic environments and the path optimality can be maintained.

CONTROL OF BLISTER RUST OF TAIWAN RED PINE IN TAIWAN

Peng,Lin Feng,Chung Yi Tsai,Zuei Ching Chen 한국산림과학회 1985 한국산림과학회지 Vol.71 No.1

In 1966, the outbreak of a rust disease was discovered from the young plantation of Taiwan red pine (Pines taiwanensis Hay.) at the northeastern part of Taiwan Island. The plantation of about 2,000㏊ planted with 3-4 years old saplings is located on the mountain slopes of a valley of the upper stream of Ta-Chia River. The rust disease was first discovered sporadically from the narrow margin of plantation surrounding the pine nursery which was located at the center of valley. The disease spread rapidly and the total infected area in 1968 had been recorded for 186 ha. The rust fungus was first identified as Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fischer. The alternative hosts of this rust fungus, Ribes spp. were not recovered from the area of infectian sites nor from the area of 20Km radius from the infected site. Instead of Ribes host, Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. were planted in the nursery near by the pine nursery from 1966. It was thus identified the rust fungus as Cronartium flaccidum (Alb. et Schw.) Wint. The extensive control measures were practiced from 1968 and the eradication of infected saplings, shrubs and weeds of forest floors was given the first priority. In total, 111,852 trees infected were felled down from 1966 to 1971. All infected branches or parts of the trees were first wrapped with the vinyl film to prevent the dispersion of rust spores and then trees were felled down and finally were burnt at the site. Rest of pine trees of the whole plantation were sprayed with the fungicides; 0.2% Dithane Z-78 or 4-4 Bordeux mixture with addition of 1% Uspulun. Spraying of fungicides was carried out at least twice a month and continued to 1971. In 1973 and 1974, reforestation by some resistance tree species such as Pines armandi Fr., Taiwania, Cryptomeria, or Chamaecyparis, etc, were practiced. In total, 148,500 seedlings of tree species mentioned above were replaced the infected pine trees. Since the first outbreak of the disease in 1966, 20 years have been passed without any new outbreak of the rust disease by C. flaccidum in the same site or any other plantations in Taiwan. The control of the rust disease erupted in Taiwan red pine plantation in 1966 in thus concluded as very successful.

Association of Measures of Glucose Metabolism with Colorectal Cancer Risk in Older Chinese: A 13-Year Follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-Cardiovascular Disease Substudy and Meta-Analysis

Shu Yi Wang,Wei Sen Zhang,Chao Qiang Jiang,Ya Li Jin,Tong Zhu,Feng Zhu,Lin Xu 대한당뇨병학회 2024 Diabetes and Metabolism Journal Vol.48 No.1

Background: Abnormal glucose metabolism is a risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, association of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) with CRC risk remains under-reported. We examined the association between glycemic indicators (HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, 2-hour glucose, 2-hour insulin, and homeostasis model of risk assessment-insulin resistance index) and CRC risk using prospective analysis and meta-analysis.Methods: Participants (<i>n</i>=1,915) from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study-Cardiovascular Disease Substudy were included. CRC events were identified through record linkage. Cox regression was used to assess the associations of glycemic indicators with CRC risk. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association between HbA1c and CRC risk.Results: During an average of 12.9 years follow-up (standard deviation, 2.8), 42 incident CRC cases occurred. After adjusting for potential confounders, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) of CRC for per % increment in HbA1c was 1.28 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.63) in overall population, 1.51 (95% CI, 1.13 to 2.02) in women and 1.06 (95% CI, 0.68 to 1.68) in men. No significant association of other measures of glycemic indicators and baseline diabetes with CRC risk was found. Meta-analyses of 523,857 participants including our results showed that per % increment of HbA1c was associated with 13% higher risk of CRC, with the pooled risk ratio being 1.13 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.27). Subgroupanalyses found stronger associations in women, colon cancer, Asians, and case-control studies.Conclusion: Higher HbA1c was a significant predictor of CRC in the general population. Our findings shed light on the pathology of glucose metabolism and CRC, which warrants more in-depth investigation.