Carbon disulfide induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in Sertoli-germ cells coculture

Wei Wang,Zhen Zhang,Yinsheng Guo,Yu Dong,Xiaoyu Huang1,Yijun Zhou,Guoyuan Chen 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2015 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.11 No.2

Carbon disulfide (CS2), a common organic solvent, induces a variety of adverse effects in the male reproductive system. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity, ultrastructural changes, and potential apoptotic induction mechanisms of CS2 in mixed cultures of Sertoli and germ cells. Sertoli and germ cells were cocultured and treated with CS2 for 24 h. Growth rates were noted, and apoptotic cells were identified by Hoechst 33258 staining. Ultrastructure changes were observed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mitochondrial membrane potential and expressions of apoptosis-related factors (cytochrome c, Bax, Bcl- 2, caspase-3 and caspase-9) were examined by JC-1 staining, western blot, and real-time PCR. The results showed that CS2 treatment was associated with reduced growth rates of Sertoli-germ cells. Ultrastructure changes in Sertoli-germ cells treated with CS2 were typical of apoptosis. In addition, CS2 treatment depolarized mitochondrial membrane potential, upregulated Bax levels and downregulated Bcl-2 levels, released cytochrome c from the mitochondrial intermembrane space to the cytosol, and triggered mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Subsequently, caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated, resulting in Sertoli-germ cells apoptosis. The above data suggest that CS2 has adverse effect on the viability of Sertoli-germ cells and induces apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway.

Radix et Rhizoma Ginseng chemoprevents both initiation and promotion of cutaneous carcinoma by enhancing cell-mediated immunity and maintaining redox homeostasis

Yu, Suyun,Wang, Siliang,Huang, Shuai,Wang, Wei,Wei, Zhonghong,Ding, Yushi,Wang, Aiyun,Huang, Shile,Chen, Wenxing,Lu, Yin The Korean Society of Ginseng 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.4

Background: Radix et Rhizoma Ginseng (thereafter called ginseng) has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years to maintain people's physical vitality and is also a non-organ-specific cancer preventive and therapeutic traditional medicine in several epidemiologic and preclinical studies. Owing to few toxic side effects and strong enhancement on body immunity, ginseng has admirable application potential and value in cancer chemoprevention. The study aims at investigating the chemopreventive effects of ginseng on cutaneous carcinoma and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The mouse skin cancer model was induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Ultraperformance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry was used for identifying various ginsenosides, the main active ingredients of ginseng. Comprehensive approaches (including network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental verification) were used to explore the potential targets of ginseng. Results: Ginseng treatment inhibited cutaneous carcinoma in terms of initiation and promotion. The content of Rb1, Rb2, Rc, and Rd ginsenosides was the highest in both mouse blood and skin tissues. Ginseng and its active components well maintained the redox homeostasis and modulated the immune response in the model. Specifically, ginseng treatment inhibited the initiation of skin cancer by enhancing T-cell-mediated immune response through upregulating HSP27 expression and inhibited the promotion of skin cancer by maintaining cellular redox homeostasis through promoting nuclear translocation of Nrf2. Conclusion: According to the study results, ginseng can be potentially used for cutaneous carcinoma as a chemopreventive agent by enhancing cell-mediated immunity and maintaining redox homeostasis with multiple components, targets, and links.

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.

Concurrent Weekly Docetaxel Chemotherapy in Combination with Radiotherapy for Stage III and IVA-B Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Wei, Wei-Hong,Cai, Xiu-Yu,Xu, Tao,Zhang, Guo-Yi,Wu, Yong-Feng,Feng, Wei-Neng,Lin, Li,Deng, Yan-Ming,Lu, Qiu-Xia,Huang, Zhe-Li Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Background and Purpose: Cisplatin is the most common chemotherapeutic agent for loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, toxicity is a limiting factor for some patients. We retrospectively compared the efficacy and toxicity of weekly docetaxel-based and cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy in loco-regionally advanced NPC. Methods and Materials: Eighty-four patients with Stage III and IVA-B NPCs, treated between 2007 and 2008, were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty received weekly docetaxel-based concurrent chemotherapy, and 43 were given weekly cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy. Radiotherapy was administered using a conventional technique (seven weeks, 2.0 Gy per fraction, total dose 70-74 Gy) with 6-8 Gy boosts for some patients with locally advanced disease. Results: Median follow-up time was 42.3 months (range, 8.6-50.8 months). There were no significant differences in the 3-year loco-regional failure-free survival (85.6% vs. 92.3%; p=0.264), distant failure-free survival (87.0% vs. 92.5%; p=0.171), progression-free survival (85.7% vs. 88.4%; p=0.411) or overall survival (86.5% vs. 92.5%, p=0.298) of patients treated concurrently with docetaxel or cisplatin. Severe toxicity was not common in either group. Conclusions: Weekly docetaxel-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy is potentially effective and has a tolerable toxicity; however, further investigations are required to determine if docetaxel is superior to cisplatin for advanced stage NPC.

Validation of the Chinese Version of Penn Alcohol Craving Scale for Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder

Yu-Yu Ko,Su-Chen Fang,Wei-Chien Huang,Ming-Chyi Huang,Hu-Ming Chang 대한신경정신의학회 2024 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.21 No.2

Objective The Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) is a five-item, single-dimension questionnaire that is used to measure a patient’s alcohol craving. We sought to develop the Chinese version of the PACS (PACS-C) and assess its reliability and validity.Methods A total of 160 Taiwanese patients with alcohol use disorder were enrolled in this study. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the PASC-C with the visual analogue scale (VAS) for craving, the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for heavy drinking (YBOCS-hd), and the Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ) were assessed. The test–retest reliability of the PASC-C was evaluated 1 day after the baseline measurements. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the psychometric properties of the PACS-C.Results The PACS-C exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.95) and test–retest reliability (r=0.97). This scale showed high correlations with the VAS (r=0.81) and YBOCS-hd (r=0.81 and 0.79 for the obsession and compulsion subscales, respectively), and moderate correlation with the SADQ-C (r=0.47). Furthermore, CFA results revealed that the PACS-C had good fit indices under various models.Conclusion The PACS-C appears to be a reliable and valid tool for assessing alcohol craving in patients with alcohol use disorder in Taiwan.

Outcomes of limited period of adalimumab treatment in moderate to severe Crohn’s disease patients: Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study

( Wei-chen Lin ),( Jen-wei Chou ),( Hsu-heng Yen ),( Wen-hung Hsu ),( Hung-hsin Lin ),( Jen-kou Lin ),( Chiao-hsiung Chuang ),( Tien-yu Huang ),( Horng-yuan Wang ),( Shu-chen Wei ),( Jau-min Wong ) 대한장연구학회 2017 Intestinal Research Vol.15 No.4

Background/Aims: In Taiwan, due to budget limitations, the National Health Insurance only allows for a limited period of biologics use in treating moderate to severe Crohn’s disease (CD). We aimed to access the outcomes of CD patients following a limited period use of biologics, specifically focusing on the relapse rate and remission duration; also the response rate to second use when applicable. Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study and we enrolled CD patients who had been treated with adalimumab (ADA) according to the insurance guidelines from 2009 to 2015. Results: A total of 54 CD patients, with follow-up of more than 6 months after the withdrawal of ADA, were enrolled. The average period of treatment with ADA was 16.7±9.7 months. After discontinuing ADA, 59.3% patients suffered a clinical relapse. In the univariate analysis, the reason for withdrawal was a risk factor for relapse (P=0.042). In the multivariate analysis, current smoker became an important risk factor for relapse (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.2-14.8; P=0.044) and male sex was another risk factor (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.1-8.6; P=0.049). For those 48 patients who received a second round of biologics, the clinical response was seen in 60.4%, and 1 anaphylaxis occurred. Conclusions: Fifty-nine percent of patients experienced a relapse after discontinuing the limited period of ADA treatment, and most of them occurred within 1 year following cessation. Male sex and current smoker were risk factors for relapse. Though 60.4% of the relapse patients responded to ADA again. (Intest Res 2017;15:487-494)

Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome after endovascular stent graft reconstruction for postirradiated carotid blowout syndrome: a case report

Huang Yu-Cheng,Lin Yen-Heng,Lee Chung-Wei,Liao Ting-Wei 대한신경집중치료학회 2022 대한신경집중치료학회지 Vol.15 No.2

Background: Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS) is a failure of autoregulation after a revascularization procedure. It has rarely been reported in patients with no pre-existing cerebral hypoperfusion. Case Report: We present a rare case of a patient who underwent stent graft implantation to treat postirradiated carotid blowout syndrome. The patient developed hypertension, focal neurological deficit, and seizures after the procedure; neuroimages revealed ipsilateral cerebral edema, swelling, and increased cerebral perfusion. CHS was diagnosed based on clinical and radiological findings. The patient recovered gradually after receiving supportive care. Conclusion: Owing to the risk of CHS, monitoring for cerebral perfusion and prevention of hypertension is suggested for patients who undergo stent graft placement for postirradiated carotid blowout syndrome.

Validation of the Chinese Version of the Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale

Kuan-Wei Huang,Pao-Yen Lin,Yu Lee,Yu-Chi Huang,Chi-Fa Hung,Sheng-Yu Lee,Chih-Ken Chen,Liang-Jen Wang 대한신경정신의학회 2022 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.19 No.7

Objective The Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) is an interview-based assessment tool for evaluating the cognitive deficit and daily functioning of patients with schizophrenia.Methods Sixty-eight patients with schizophrenia and 68 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were recruited to validate the Chinese version of SCoRS in this study. All participants underwent cognitive assessment using the SCoRS, which was verified by the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), and the UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment, Brief Version (UPSA-B). Patients with schizophrenia were additionally assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).Results SCoRS ratings reported by patients (SCoRS-S), those reported by the interviewer (SCoRS-I), and SCoRS global scores (SCoRS-G) showed significant correlation with all subscales of the BACS and the UPSA-B. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, SCoRS-S, SCoRS-I, and SCoRS-G significantly differentiated patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Moreover, SCoRS-S and SCoRS-I ratings showed positive correlation with the negative symptoms and general symptoms of PANSS.Conclusion The Chinese version of SCoRS showed good discriminant, concurrent, and external validity, suggesting that it is a useful and convenient tool for assessment of cognitive function among Mandarin-speaking patients with schizophrenia in clinical practice.

Advanced Application of Centralized Control for a Scanning Mirror System Based on EtherCAT Fieldbus

Ruei-Yu Huang,Yen-Jen Chen,Yu-Xian Chen,Chung-Wei Cheng,Mi-Ching Tsai,An-Chen Lee 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2021 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.19 No.3

Distributed control is the most popular control strategy for controlling numerous slave devices. However, the performance of slave devices is hard to improve because the control algorithm is handled by the commercial slave devices. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid control structure that follows the concept of centralized control strategy and handles part of the control loop on the master computer in a distributed control system through EtherCAT fieldbus. In this study, different advanced control methods such as robust control and learning control were applied to handle the position control loop of a scanning mirror system in a selective laser melting (SLM) system with stringent demand of position error around 40 µm based on EtherCAT fieldbus. By designing a proper controller, the experiment results showed that the tracking performance was significantly improved. The tracking error dropped by about 80% after the proposed hybrid control structure was applied. By applying the proposed hybrid control structure, one can improve the high-performance-requirement devices, while reducing the calculationburden of the master computer for other low-performance-requirement devices by retaining the benefit of distributed Control.

Associations of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in miR-146a, miR-196a, miR-149 and miR-499 with Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility

Du, Wei,Ma, Xue-Lei,Zhao, Chong,Liu, Tao,Du, Yu-Liang,Kong, Wei-Qi,Wei, Ben-Ling,Yu, Jia-Yun,Li, Yan-Yan,Huang, Jing-Wen,Li, Zi-Kang,Liu, Lei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of endogenous small non-coding RNAs of 20-25 nucleotides in length that function as negative gene regulators. MiRNAs play roles in most biological processes, as well as diverse human diseases including cancer. Recently, many studies investigated the association between SNPs in miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-149 rs229283, miR-499 rs3746444 and colorectal cancer (CRC), which results have been inconclusive. Methodology/Principal Findings: PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI databases were searched with the last search updated on November 5, 2013. For miR-196a2 rs11614913, a significantly decreased risk of CRC development was observed under three genetic models (dominant model: OR = 0.848, 95%CI: 0.735-0.979, P = 0.025; recessive model: OR = 0.838, 95%CI: 0.721-0.974, P = 0.021; homozygous model: OR = 0.754, 95%CI: 0.627-0.907, P = 0.003). In the subgroup analyses, miR-$196a2^*T$ variant was associated with a significantly decreased susceptibility of CRC (allele model: OR = 0.839, 95%CI: 0.749-0.940, P = 0.000; dominant model: OR = 0.770, 95%CI: 0.653-0.980, P = 0.002; recessive model: OR = 0.802, 95%CI: 0.685-0.939, P = 0.006; homozygous model: OR = 0.695, 95%CI: 0.570-0.847, P = 0.000). As for miR-149 rs2292832, the two genetic models (recessive model: OR = 1.199, 95% CI 1.028-1.398, P = 0.021; heterozygous model: OR = 1.226, 95% CI 1.039-1.447, P = 0.013) demonstrated increased susceptibility to CRC. On subgroup analysis, significantly increased susceptibility of CRC was found in the genetic models (recessive model: OR = 1.180, 95% CI 1.008-1.382, P = 0.040; heterozygous model: OR = 1.202, 95% CI 1.013-1.425, P = 0.013) in the Asian group. Conclusions: These findings supported that the miR-196a2 rs11614913 and miR-149 rs2292832 polymorphisms may contribute to susceptibility to CRC.