Fabrication of a Biodegradable Multi-layered Polyvinyl Alcohol Stent

Mei-Chen Lin,Ching-Wen Lou,Jan-Yi Lin,Ting An Lin,Yueh-Sheng Chen,Jia-Horng Lin 한국섬유공학회 2018 Fibers and polymers Vol.19 No.8

This study aims to develop biodegradable vascular stents that prevent permanent damage caused by rejection of the immune system of the human body. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) yarns are twisted to enhance their strength. The twisted yarns are braided and then coated with chitosan (CS). The CS-coated PVA vascular stents are chemically crosslinked with genipin (GP) to improve their flexibility and biodegradability. Their morphological characteristics are also observed using a stereoscopic microscope, and their properties are evaluated through scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, bending test, biodegradability test, drug release measurement, and MTT assay. Results reveal that wet PVA-CS-GP vascular stents coated with multiple CS layers can maintain a tubular structure when they are bent. After crosslinking is performed, the compressive strength of the PVA-CS-GP stents is 17.04 times higher than that of pure PVA. The weight loss rate of the PVA-CS-GP vascular stents as <3 % after 30 days. The PVA-CS-GP vascular stents composed of 0.10 % heparin sodium show a good drug release effect. Biological activity test indicates that these stents exhibit good proliferation, and our structural model verifies that they are good vascular stents.

Polyester/Polylactic Acid/Stainless Steel Composite Bone Scaffolds Made by Electrochemical Treatment: Process Design and Property Evaluations

Mei-Chen Lin,Ching-Wen Lou,Jan-Yi Lin,Ting An Lin,Shih-Peng Wen,Jia-Horng Lin 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.2

This study combines and twists 75D polyester (PET) multi-filaments and polylactic acid (PLA) multi-filaments with twist coefficients of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to form 150D PET/PLA plied yarns. The 0.08-mm-diameter stainless steel (SS) fibers are made into SS braids with a 60-tooth braid gear and a take-up gear with 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 teeth. PET/PLA plied yarn and SS braids are then combined and electrochemically treated with an electric current of 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 mA at 60 ℃ for 24 hours, forming the PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds. PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds are observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS), and tested for weight increase rate and biocompatibility. The experiment results show that the optimal twist coefficient for PET/PLA plied yarn is 4 and the optimal tooth number on the take-up gear for SS braids is 80. SEM observation result shows that hydroxyapatite (HA) deposits on the surface of PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds and attaches to the PET/PLA plied yarns. Finally, regardless of electric currents, all PET/PLA/SS composite bone scaffolds possess good biocompatibility.

Using Team resource management to improve the execution rate of cardiac rehabilitation exercise

Chen Mei-Jia,Chen Mei-Jia,Yu Chen-Yi,Chou Yi-Ling,Lin Hsin-Yi,Chang Hui-Mei 한국간호과학회 2023 한국간호과학회 학술대회 Vol.2023 No.11

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.

Reinforcing Techniques and Property Evaluations of Electromagnetic Shielding Effective Fabrics Based on Polypropylene-coated Carbon Fibers

Jan-Yi Lin,Mei-Chen Lin,Yan-Yu Lin,Ting An Lin,Chen-Hung Huang,Ching-Wen Lou,Jia-Horng Lin 한국섬유공학회 2021 Fibers and polymers Vol.22 No.3

In this study, the coating process is employed on metal wire to help improve the friction resistant property ofcarbon fibers, thereby provides more application feasibility. The yarn coating technique for reinforcement and woven fabricprocess are used to produce carbon/stainless steel/polyester/polypropylene/acrylic (CSPPA) woven fabrics that arecharacterized with softness and a light weight. The constituent coated yarns exhibit good conductivity after being coated witha PP layer, and likewise strengthen the woven fabrics in terms of mechanical behavior of tensile strength, elongation, bendingtorsion, creep resistance, and wear-resistant properties. The test results indicate that in the woven process, samples retaingood morphology. Due to PP sheath, the tensile strength of woven fabrics increases from 23 MPa to 42 MPa. Although thelamination layer numbers does not improve the EMI SE of woven fabrics, the EMI SE still reaches over 40 dB. Themanufacturing design proposed in this study provides an innovative finishing for carbon fibers without affecting the intrinsicproperties, and provides a greater range of application for carbon fibers.

Upregulation of MicroRNA 181c Expression in Gastric Cancer Tissues and Plasma

Cui, Mei-Hua,Hou, Xiao-Lin,Lei, Xiao-Yan,Mu, Fang-Hong,Yang, Gui-Bin,Yue, Lin,Fu, Yi,Yi, Guo-Xing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Objective: To test the microRNA-181c (miR-181c) expression in tissues and plasma of gastric cancer (GC) cases, analyze any correlations, and explore the possibility of miR-181c as a potential molecular marker for GC diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Relative miR-181c expression levels in cancers and plasma from 30 GC patients was tested using reverse transcription-real-time fluorescent quantitation PCR and compared to that in samples from 30 gastric ulcer and 30 chronic gastritis patients. Results: The miR-181c expression level in the GC tissues was significantly higher than that in the gastric ulcer and chronic gastritis tissues (P = 0.000), as was the miR-181c expression level in the GC plasma (P = 0.000). We determined that miR-181c expression in GC plasma was positively correlated to its expression in the GC tissues (P = 0.000). Conclusions: The expression of miR-181c is upregulated in GC tissues and plasma, and the miR-181c expression level in GC plasma is positively correlated to that in the corresponding cancer tissues. Plasma miR-181c is possibly a new serological marker for GC diagnosis.

Shielding-benefit Evaluation of Electromagnetic Radiation and UV Radiation for Multifunctional Composite Polypropylene Woven Fabrics

Ting An Lin,Yu-Chun Chuang,Jan-Yi Lin,Mei-Chen Lin,Ching-Wen Lou,Keng Siang Sim,Jia-Horng Lin 한국섬유공학회 2020 Fibers and polymers Vol.21 No.10

People have increasingly rising health consciousness in recent years and researchers are thus devoted themselvesto develop multi-functional textile products. In this study, stainless steel (SS) filaments are used for electromagnetic shieldingeffectiveness (EMSE) while polypropylene (PP) filaments are used for ultraviolet resistance and good mechanical properties. Spinning and weaving continuous formation techniques are employed to produce wrapped yarns with SS and PP filaments,after which a weaving process is employed for the preparation of SS/PP woven fabrics. The woven fabrics are tested forEMSE and UV resistance, examining the effect of the lamination-layer numbers and lamination-layer angles. Test resultsshow that the optimal EMSE and UV resistance occur when SS/PP woven fabrics are laminated with two layers at 90 °. Notonly focus on the mechanical performance, the proposed woven fabrics with good EMSE, UV resistance, and a light weight,and are good candidate for a variety of application as required. The proposed UV resistance and EMSE woven fabricssignificantly increase the additional values of traditional textiles.

Altered Auditory P300 Performance in Parents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Offspring

Mei Hung Chi,Ching-Lin Chu,I Hui Lee,Yi-Ting Hsieh,Ko Chin Chen,Po See Chen,Yen Kuang Yang 대한정신약물학회 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.17 No.4

Objective: Altered event-related potential (ERP) performances have been noted in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and reflect neurocognitive dysfunction. Whether these ERP alterations and correlated dysfunctions exist in healthy parents with ADHD offspring is worth exploring. Methods: Thirteen healthy parents with ADHD offspring and thirteen healthy controls matched for age, sex and years of education were recruited. The auditory oddball paradigm was used to evaluate the P300 wave complex of the ERP, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and continuous performance test were used to measure neurocognitive performance. Results: Healthy parents with ADHD offspring had significantly longer auditory P300 latency at Fz than control group. However, no significant differences were found in cognitive performance. Conclusion: The presence of a subtle alteration in electro-neurophysiological activity without explicit neurocognitive dysfunction suggests potential candidate of biological marker for parents with ADHD offspring.

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.

Antithrombotic Effect of Fermented Ophiopogon japonicus in Thrombosis-Induced Rat Models

Yi-Lin Zhang,Mei-Zhu Xi,최영빈,이복희 한국식품영양과학회 2017 Journal of medicinal food Vol.20 No.7

In this study, the antithrombotic and thrombolytic ability of second fermented extract of Ophiopogon japonicus (FEOJ) was verified in thrombosis-induced rats. Thrombosis was induced by oral administration of 2% carrageenan for 4 weeks. Five experimental groups (n = 9/group) involved in the study were control group, thrombosis group, low-dose FEOJ group (2 mL/kg, low-dose Ophiopogon japonicus [LOJ]), middle-dose FEOJ group (6 mL/kg, medium-dose Ophiopogon japonicus [MOJ]), and high-dose FEOJ group (12 mL/kg, high-dose Ophiopogon japonicus [HOJ]). The clotting time (CT), bleeding time (BT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and fibrinogen (FBG) were assessed in blood samples, and histological studies were performed on liver and lung tissues. The results demonstrated delayed CT only in MOJ and HOJ groups and delayed BT in all FEOJ groups compared with those in thrombosis and control groups (P < .05). Similarly, APTT was significantly delayed only in MOJ and HOJ groups, and PT was significantly delayed in all FEOJ groups, compared with those in control and thrombosis groups (P < .05). Although concentrations of FBG were similar in control, thrombosis, and LOJ groups, the tendency for decreased concentration of FBG (statistically nonsignificant) in MOJ and HOJ groups has been observed. Histological examination of livers and lungs revealed that thrombosis was partially improved in FEOJ group compared with the thrombosis group. In conclusion, CT, BT, PT, and APTT were prolonged in FEOJ group more than in control and thrombosis groups, thereby, depicting antithrombotic and thrombolytic effects. However, concentration-dependent effects of FEOJ were more prominent in MOJ and HOJ groups than in the LOJ group.