Initial Factors Influencing Duration of Hospital Stay in Adult Patients With Peritonsillar Abscess

Yu-Hsi Liu,Hsing-Hao Su,Yi-Wen Tsai,Yu-Yi Hou,Kuo-Ping Chang,Chao-Chuan Chi,Ming-Yee Lin,Pi-Hsiung Wu 대한이비인후과학회 2017 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.10 No.1

Objectives. To review cases of peritonsillar abscess and investigate the initial clinical factors that may influence the duration of hospitalization. To determine the predictive factors of prolonged hospital stay in adult patients with peritonsillar abscess. Methods. Subjects were adults hospitalized with peritonsillar abscess. We retrospectively reviewed 377 medical records from 1990 to 2013 in a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan. The association between clinical characteristics and the length of hospital stay was analyzed with independent t-test, univariate linear regression and multiple linear regression analysis. Results. The mean duration of hospitalization was 6.2±6.0 days. With univariate linear regression, a prolonged hospital stay was associated with several variables, including female gender, older ages, nonsmoking status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, band forms in white blood cell (WBC) counts, and lower hemoglobin levels. With multiple linear regression analysis, four independent predictors of hospital stay were noted: years of age (P<0.001), history of diabetes mellitus (P<0.001), ratio of band form WBC (P<0.001), and hemoglobin levels (P<0.001). Conclusion. In adult patients with peritonsillar abscess, older ages, history of diabetes mellitus, band forms in WBC counts and lower hemoglobin levels were independent predictors of longer hospitalization.

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.

Using the Juice of Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) as Culture Medium to Increase the Cell Density and the Production of Microbial Lipid

Yu-Hsien Lien,Fu-Yao Liu,Jyy-Ning Chen,Yu-Shan Huang,Yu-Hong Wei,Chiyang Yu,Che-Chi Shu 한국생물공학회 2019 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.24 No.2

Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is one of the most well-known aquatic weeds as it causes problems in watercourses all over the world. This invasive species is fast-growing and thus has the potential for its use in preparing growth medium of microorganisms. Toward it, the pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification are positively the decisive processes. But there are other crucial processes, which are usually ignored by researchers. To the best of my knowledge, this presented work is the first time discovering that the juice obtained from water lettuce is valuable. Except for sterilization, no treatment is needed for the water lettuce’s juice and it can be directly served for cell growth. For Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia pastoris, Bacillus subtilis, Lactococcus Lactis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus plantarum, the cell density in the broth of water lettuce’s juice as the only carbon source is 10-60% higher than that in LB, YPD, BHI, M17, MRS. We then examined the production of microbial lipid by YM prepared in the juice of water lettuce. In comparison to commercial medium YM broth, the YM with juice caused 84% increase in the production of microbial lipid. A simple process of collecting juice notably increased productivity.

Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir plus ribavirin for Child-Pugh B and Child-Pugh C hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis

( Chen-hua Liu ),( Chi-yi Chen ),( Wei-wen Su ),( Chun-jen Liu ),( Ching-chu Lo ),( Ke-jhang Huang ),( Jyh-jou Chen ),( Kuo-chih Tseng ),( Chi-yang Chang ),( Cheng-yuan Peng ),( Yu-lueng Shih ),( Chia 대한간학회 2021 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.27 No.4

Background/Aims: Real-world studies assessing the effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) plus ribavirin (RBV) for Child-Pugh B/C hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis are limited. Methods: We included 107 patients with Child-Pugh B/C HCV-related cirrhosis receiving SOF/VEL plus RBV for 12 weeks in Taiwan. The sustained virologic response rates at off-treatment week 12 (SVR₁₂) for the evaluable population (EP), modified EP, and per-protocol population (PP) were assessed. The safety profiles were reported. Results: The SVR₁₂ rates in the EP, modified EP and PP were 89.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.5-94.2%), 94.1% (95% CI, 87.8-97.3%), and 100% (95% CI, 96.2-100%). Number of patients who failed to achieve SVR₁₂ were attributed to virologic failures. The SVR₁₂ rates were comparable regardless of patient characteristics. One patient discontinued treatment because of adverse events (AEs). Twenty-four patients had serious AEs and six died, but none were related to SOF/VEL or RBV. Among the 96 patients achieving SVR₁₂, 84.4% and 64.6% had improved Child-Pugh and model for endstage liver disease (MELD) scores. Multivariate analysis revealed that a baseline MELD score ≥15 was associated with an improved MELD score of ≥3 (odds ratio, 4.13; 95% CI, 1.16-14.71; P=0.02). Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 1 had more significant estimated glomerular filtration rate declines than patients with CKD stage 2 (-0.42 mL/min/1.73 ㎡/month; P=0.01) or stage 3 (-0.56 mL/min/1.73 ㎡/month; P<0.001). Conclusions: SOF/VEL plus RBV for 12 weeks is efficacious and well-tolerated for Child-Pugh B/C HCV-related cirrhosis. (Clin Mol Hepatol 2021;27:575-588)

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.

The Lived Experience of First-time Mothers with Congenital Heart Disease

Liu Yu-Ting,Lu Chun-Wei,Mu Pei-Fan,Shu Ying-Mei,Chen Chi-Wen 한국간호과학회 2022 Asian Nursing Research Vol.16 No.3

Purpose: Nowadays most children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are expected to survive to adulthood. The healthcare focus needs to pay close attention to the important developmental tasks during their growth process. The women with CHD face some challenges in their critically developmental stages during pregnancy, delivery, and even motherhood. The lived experience of being a mother needs to be further concerned. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of first-time mothers with CHD. Methods: Descriptive phenomenological design was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from April to August 2018 with 11 primiparous women with CHD, who were recruited from the pediatric and adult cardiology outpatient departments at a medical center and who had a child aged between 6 months and 3 years. Giorgi's phenomenological analysis method was employed. Results: Six main themes arose from the analysis: (1) recognizing pregnancy risks, (2) performing selfcare for health, (3) building self-worth from my baby, (4) adapting to postpartum life and adjusting priorities, (5) enjoying being a first-time mother, and (6) the factors contributing to success in high-risk childbirth. Conclusions: The experiences that occurred prior to and after labor that were identified in this study can assist women with CHD to more capably prepare for and understand the process of becoming a mother, including recognition of the importance of a prepregnancy evaluation. The findings of this study can help women with CHD to better understand the path to becoming a mother and prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

An Image Hiding Scheme by Linking Pixels in the Circular Way

( Chi-shiang Chan ),( Yuan-yu Tsai ),( Chao-liang Liu ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2012 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.6 No.6

The proposed method in this paper is derived from Mielikainen`s hiding method. However, there exist some significant differences between two methods. In Mielikainen`s method, pixels are partitioned into pairs and a LSB matching function is applied to two pixels for hiding. On the contrary, the proposed method partitions pixels into groups with three pixels in each group. The bits of pixels in each group are linked by using an exclusive OR (XOR) operator in a circular way. If the number of different values between the calculated XOR values and the secret bits is smaller than or equal to 2 in a group, the proposed method can guarantee that at most one pixel is needed to be modified by adding/subtracting its value to/from one, and three secret bits can be embedded to three pixels. Through theoretical analysis, the amount of the embedded secret data in the proposed method is larger than those in other methods under the same amount of pixel modifications. Taking real images in our experiments, the quality of stego-images in the proposed method is higher than those in other methods.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced Autophagy Increases SOX2-positive Astrocytes While Decreasing Neuronal Differentiation in the Adult Hippocampus

Liu Wen-Chung,Wu Chih-Wei,Fu Mu-Hui,Tain You-Lin,Liang Chih-Kuang,Chen I-Chun,Hung Chun-Ying,Lee Yu-Chi,Wu Kay L.H. 한국뇌신경과학회 2022 Experimental Neurobiology Vol.31 No.5

Inflammation alters the neural stem cell (NSC) lineage from neuronal to astrogliogenesis. However, the underlying mechanism is elusive. Autophagy contributes to the decline in adult hippocampal neurogenesis under E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. SRY-box transcription Factor 2 (SOX2) is critical for NSC self-renewal and proliferation. In this study, we investigated the role of SOX2 in induced autophagy and hippocampal adult neurogenesis under LPS stimulation. LPS (5 ng•100 g-1•hour-1 for 7 days) was intraperitoneally infused into male Sprague–Dawley rats (8 weeks old) to induce mild systemic inflammation. Beclin 1 and autophagy protein 12 (Atg12) were significantly upregulated concurrent with decreased numbers of Ki67- and doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells in the dentate gyrus. Synchronically, the levels of phospho(p)-mTOR, the p-mTOR/mTOR ratio, p-P85s6k, and the p-P85s6k/P85s6k ratio were suppressed. In contrast, SOX2 expression was increased. The fluorescence micrographs indicated that the colocalization of Beclin 1 and SOX2 was increased in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus. Moreover, increased S100β-positive astrocytes were colocalized with SOX2 in the SGZ. Intracerebroventricular infusion of 3-methyladenine (an autophagy inhibitor) effectively prevented the increases in Beclin 1, Atg12, and SOX2. The SOX2+-Beclin 1+ and SOX2+-S100β+ cells were reduced. The levels of p-mTOR and p-P85s6k were enhanced. Most importantly, the number of DCX-positive cells was preserved. Altogether, these data suggest that LPS induced autophagy to inactivate the mTOR/P85s6k pathway, resulting in a decline in neural differentiation. SOX2 was upregulated to facilitate the NSC lineage, while the autophagy milieu could switch the SOX2-induced NSC lineage from neurogenesis to astrogliogenesis.

Metabolism of Safrole, a Betel Quid Component, and its Role in the Development of Oral Cancer in Taiwan

Liu, Tsung-Yun,Chen, Chiu-Lan,Chung, Yu-Ting,Chi, Chin-Wen The Korean Society of Toxicology Korea Environment 2001 Toxicological Research Vol.17 No.-

Chewing betel quid is associated with an increased risk of oral cancer. The betel quid chewed in Taiwan includes the inflorescence of Piper betle, which contains high concentrations of safrole (15 mg/fresh weight). Piper betle leaf is also used in betel quid; however, the concentration of safrole in betel leaf has not been documented. Chewing betel quid may contribute to safrole exposure in man (420 mm in saliva). Using $a^{32}$P-postlabeling method, we have recently demonstrated the presence of stable safrole-like DNA adducts in human oral tissues following betel quid chewing. Safrole is a rodent hepatocar-cinogen, and the real nature of safrole-DNA adducts in human tissues beside oral has not been elucidated. In this paper, we tested the safrole DNA adducts forming potential in human hepatic and oral derived cells by the ${32}^P$-postlabeling technique. The results suggest that oral cancer derived cell OC-2 alone is not able to form safrole-DNA adduct. However, safrole DNA adducts can be detected following I'-hydroxysafrole, a proximate safrole metabolite, treatment. In addition, pretreament of cytochrome P450 inducers also enhanced the formation of previously undetectable safrole DNA adducts. This finding couples with our previous results suggest that oral may serve as a target tissue for safrole, and safrole may be involved in oral carcinogenesis.

The development of Taiwan Fracture Liaison Service network

Lo-Yu Chang,Keh-Sung Tsai,Jen-Kuei Peng,Chung-Hwan Chen,Gau-Tyan Lin,Chin-Hsueh Lin,Shih-Te Tu,I-Chieh Mao,Yih-Lan Gau,Hsusan-Chih Liu,Chi-Chien Niu,Min-Hong Hsieh,Jui-Teng Chien,Wei-Chieh Hung,Rong-S 대한골다공증학회 2018 Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia Vol.4 No.2

Osteoporosis and its associated fragility fractures are becoming a severe burden in the healthcare system globally. In the Asian-Pacific (AP) region, the rapidly increasing in aging population is the main reason accounting for the burden. Moreover, the paucity of quality care for osteoporosis continues to be an ongoing challenge. The Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) is a program promoted by International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) with a goal to improve quality of postfracture care and prevention of secondary fractures. In this review article, we would like to introduce the Taiwan FLS network. The first 2 programs were initiated in 2014 at the National Taiwan University Hospital and its affiliated Bei-Hu branch. Since then, the Taiwan FLS program has continued to grow exponentially. Through FLS workshops promoted by the Taiwanese Osteoporosis Association (TOA), program mentors have been able to share their valuable knowledge and clinical experience in order to promote establishments of additional programs. With 22 FLS sites including 11 successfully accredited on the best practice map, Taiwan remains as one of the highest FLS coverage countries in the AP region, and was also granted the IOF Best Secondary Fracture Prevention Promotion award in 2017. Despite challenges faced by the TOA, we strive to promote more FLS sites in Taiwan with a main goal of ameliorating further health burden in managing osteoporotic patients.