Tenofovir Alafenamide for Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Advanced Fibrosis and Partial Virologic Responses to Oral Nucleos(T)Ide Analogues- Interim Report

( Ming-lung Yu ),( Ming-lun Yeh ),( Chi-yi Chen ),( Pin-nan Cheng ),( Ming-jong Bair ),( Jyh-jou Chen ),( Ching-chu Lo ),( Chi-ming Tai ),( Ching-yang Tsai ),( Kuo-chih Tseng ),( Chien-hung Chen ),( C 대한간학회 2020 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2020 No.1

Aims: Insufficient data regarding the treatment strategy for partial response to nucleot(s)ide analogue (NUC) raised the aim of investigating tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) switching for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with advanced fibrosis and partial response to other NUCs. Methods: CHB patients with advanced fibrosis (stage 3 or 4) and under NUC (except TAF) therapy with detectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA for >52 weeks are enrolled to TAF 25 mg/day for 96 weeks. The objectives are viral suppression, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization and safety. Results: From Feb. 2019, 34 patients, including 21 (61.8%) with entecavir, 10 (29.4%) TDF and 3 (8.8%) lamivudine or adefovir, were enrolled (15 [44.1%] male, median 53 years). The fibroscan demonstrated a mean of 10.5 kPa (7 [20.6%] cirrhotic). Sixteen (47.1%) patients were HBV e antigen positive, seven (20.6%) had YMDD mutation. The median HBV DNA level declined from 68.5 IU/mL at enrollment to 27.0 IU/mL at 4^th week, and undetectable at 12^th, 24^th, 36^th week, respectively, after TAF switching, with undetectable HBV DNA in 14/34 (41.2%), 17/33 (51.5%), 15/25 (60.0%), and 9/15 (60.0%) patients and rate of ALT normalization (≤40 U/L) of 85.3%, 85.3%, 84.8%, 92.0%, and 80.0%, respectively, after TAF switching. (figure 1) Two patients experienced transient virological breakthrough and another one developed at the final time follow up. Serum creatinine and eGFR levels were stable after TAF switching (figure 1). Two patients early terminated including one at 12^th week due to personal reason, and another one accidently died at 20^th week due to acute heart attack. Others suffered only mild degrees of adverse events which were considered unrelated to treatment. Conclusions: The preliminary results demonstrated the TAF switching is effective and safe in viral suppression for CHB patients with advanced fibrosis and partial virologic responses to other NUCs.

Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C - A Subgroup Analysis from A Nationwide Real-World HCV Registry Program (TACR) in Taiwan

( Ming-Lung Yu ),( Chi-Yi Chen ),( Kuo-Chih Tseng ),( Ching-Chu Lo ),( Pin-Nan Cheng ),( Cheng-Yuan Peng ),( Ming-Jong Bair ),( Chih-Lang Lin ),( Chi-Ming Tai ),( Chi-Chieh Yang ),( Chih-Wen Lin ),( C 대한간학회 2020 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2020 No.1

Aims: TASL HCV Registry (TACR) is a nationwide registry program organized and supervised by Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL), which aims to setup the database and biobank of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Taiwan. The present study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcome of sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) in Taiwanese CHC patients in TACR. Methods: By May 2020, 19 tertiary hospitals, 23 community hospitals and one primary care clinic join the TACR program. The baseline characteristics, prior liver and non-liver related medical history, DAA regimens, laboratory results, treatment course and outcome were recorded. The primary objective was sustained virological response, defined as undetectable HCV RNA 3 months after end-of-treatment (SVR12). Results: A total of 4742 SOF/LDV+ ribavirin treated CHC patients with available SVR12 data from 39 sites were enrolled in the current analysis. The mean age was 61.3 years, and female accounted for 54.8% of the population. The dominant viral genotypes were GT1b (52.6%) and GT2 (35.6%). 1354 (28.6%) patients had liver cirrhosis, including 156 (3.3%) with liver decompensation, 552 (11.6%) had preexisting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before DAAs treatment and 413 (8.7%) had hepatitis B virus dual infections. The overall SVR12 rate was 98.5%, with 98.5%, 98.2%, 99.7% and 98.6% in treatment- naïve non-cirrhotics, treatment-naïve cirrhotics, treatment- experienced non-cirrhotics and treatment-experienced cirrhotics patients, respectively. While patients were stratified by HCV genotype, the SVR12 was 98.5%, 98.4% and 98.5% among those with GT1, GT2 and GT6 infection, respectively. The strongest factor independent associated with treatment failure was DAA adherence < 60% (odds ratio [OR]/95% confidence intervals [CI]: 125.4/25.7-612.4, P<0.0001), followed by active HCC (OR/CI: 6.20/2.57-14.97, P<0.0001), HIV co-infection (OR/CI: 3.01/1.14-7.92, P=0.026), and male gender (OR/ CI: 1.85/1.09-3.13, P=0.023). The eGFR decreased significantly at the end of treatment (EOT) (89.3 ml/min/1.73㎡ vs. 93.2 ml/min/1.73㎡, P< 0.001) and remained stable 3 months after EOT (89.3 ml/min/1.73㎡). However, the decreased eGFR was observed only in patients whose baseline eGFR > 90 ml/ min/1.73㎡. Instead, patients with chronic kidney diseases whose pretreatment eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73㎡ had improved eGFR after SOF/LDV. Conclusions: SOF/LDV is highly effective in treating CHC patients in real-world setting of Taiwan. The satisfactory result could be explicitly generalized to patients with different viral genotypes and liver disease severities.

On the die face design for stamping an automotive engine hood

Ming-Zhi Chen,Fuh-Kuo Chen,Shi-Wei Wang,Ching-I Lin 한국소성가공학회 2010 기타자료 Vol.2010 No.6

The die face design for stamping an engine hood was examined in the present study using both the finite element analysis and the experimental approach. Since the engine hood is mainly manufactured in the drawing operation, the die addendum design is the key to the success of manufacturing a defect free product. In order to analyze the addendum design, the existing die addendum designs corresponding to those engine hoods were reviewed first and the design parameters were established. The preliminary study was then performed to determine favorable operation conditions including the suitable stamping die angle, blank-holder surface shape, and die open line. The optimum design for the die addendum face was then investigated with the use of finite element simulations. The effects of the design parameters constructed in the present study on the occurrence of the defects were examined and a systematic design guideline was proposed. In order to validate the proposed die design, the actual stamping tooling was manufactured according to the finite element analysis and the engine hoods were produced. The part shape, thickness distribution, and the stretch at the central region of the production part were compared with those obtained from the finite element simulations. The consistent agreement between the product parts and the simulation results confirms the validity of the design guide proposed in the present study for stamping an engine hood.

Issues in Simulating Falling Weight Deflectometer Test on Concrete Pavements

Chen-Ming Kuo,Chih-Chiang Lin,Cheng-Hao Huang,Yi-Cheng Lai 대한토목학회 2016 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.20 No.2

Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) produces pavement responses using a falling mass drop. This study investigated the features involved in the finite element modeling of FWD tests to help in the calibration of backcalculation. Falling mass, model size, subgrade damping, and boundary conditions were studied to reveal the significances of these factors on pavement responses. By modeling the falling mass in finite element models, this study has justified the idea that field-measured time history of impact force can be used as an alternative to falling mass. It is also concluded that subgrade damping, self-weight of slab, and boundary conditions are significant in modeling and interpretation of FWD finite element analysis. Finite element model with at least six times radius of relative stiffness is required to simulate dynamic responses of a continuously reinforced concrete slab.

Comparison of Residual Stress in Relaxed and Non-relaxed Weldments of Steel Plates

Chen-Ming Kuo,Chiung-Hung Yang 한국강구조학회 2016 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.16 No.1

In this study, two methods, X-ray diffraction (nondestructive) and hole-drilling (destructive) are applied to measure the residual stress of gas metal arc welded steel plate. Both non-relaxed and relaxed (local heating, furnace annealing and bead blasting) weldments are examined to understand the residual stress distributions before and after elimination of residual stresses. Results show that the heat affected zone of gas metal arc welding method is about 10 mm from the weld centerline. The local heating method is very effective in reducing the residual stress caused by the cold work of the original steel plate. The furnace annealing method reduces the residual stress to compressive but not uniformly distributed. The detrimental fluctuation of residual stress is successfully reduced and uniformly relaxed to be beneficially compressive in the bead blasting. Most importantly, X-ray diffraction shows more precise and better handling than hole-drilling method in terms of data error.

A Novel Active Image AuthenticationSchemefor Block Truncation Coding

Chang-Ming Wu,Yu-Chen Hu,Kuo-Yu Liu,Jun-Chou Chuang 보안공학연구지원센터 2014 International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Vol.7 No.5

In this paper, a simple active image authentication scheme for the compressed images of block truncation coding (BTC) is proposed. In this scheme, the authentication codes of the compressed blocks are generated from the random value induced by the random seed. The authentication code of each compressed block is embedded into the bit map. The bit length of each authentication code can be chosen according to the user’s requirement. The experimental results indicate that the proposed scheme detects the tampered areas clearly and keeps good image qualities of the embedded images. Meanwhile, a low computational cost is required in the proposed scheme.

The Effect of Agomelatine in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

Carol Sheei-Meei Wang(Carol Sheei-Meei Wang ),Kuo-Sheng Cheng(Kuo-Sheng Cheng),Chia-Hung Tang(Chia-Hung Tang),Ming-Chyi Pai(Ming-Chyi Pai),Pai-Lien Chen(Pai-Lien Chen),Pei-Fang Chien(Pei-Fang Chien) 대한정신약물학회 2022 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.20 No.4

Objective: Moderate and severe behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) often need medical treatment to improve symptoms. Agomelatine is a selective melatonergic (MT1/MT2) agonist that has normalizing effects on disturbed circadian rhythms and disrupted sleep−wake cycles. Its activity of 5HT-2C receptor antagonism is associated with lessening depression and anxiety and increasing slow-wave sleep. Based on past clinical records and current findings it suggests that agomelatine can improve BPSD for patients. This retrospective cohort study was designed to compare the BPSD before and after using agomelatine. Methods: Records of dementia cases who had ever received agomelatine treatment for BPSD in a general hospital setting during the past 2.5 years were identified and reviewed. Scores from before and after 3 months of treatment with agomelatine were collected for Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) to compare and analyze the difference of psychological and behavioral symptoms pre- and post-agomelatine used. Results: Records of 144 cases of dementia with BPSD who had ever used agomelatine from January 2015 to June 2017 were collected. All of the 112 cases had BPRS and CGI scores, of which 75 cases had additional NPI scores. Among these 112 cases, the BPRS and CGI scores were significantly improved in all types of dementia. NPI scores indicated that the use of agomelatine alleviated obvious symptoms and decreased overall distress, especially in the depression/poor mood, anxiety, and sleep/night behavior. Conclusion: It is consistent with an effective result of agomelatine in improving BPSD.

Relationship between Thermal Properties of Muscle Proteins and Pork Quality

Kuo, Hsiu-Lan,Chen, Ming-Tsao,Liu, Deng-Cheng,Lin, Lieh-Chin Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.3

The purpose of this study was performed as model study using four animals to investigate the correction between the changes in Differential Scanning Calorimetry thermogram of muscle proteins during storage and meat freshness. M. longissimus dorsi of pork was obtained immediately after slaughter and chilled/stored at either $-2^{\circ}C$ or $25^{\circ}C$ for up to 96 h for analyses. DSC thermograms were determined and compared with pH values, ATP-related compounds, K-values, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) levels, bacterial counts and electrophoretic behavior. Changes in pH, bacterial counts, VBN and K-values were associated with increased storage temperature and time. The levels of pH values, bacterial counts, VBN and K-values of pork samples stored at $25^{\circ}C$ were higher than those of the pork samples stored at $-2^{\circ}C$. ATP concentration decreased faster in samples stored at $25^{\circ}C$. Only IMP increased in samples stored at $-2^{\circ}C$, whereas the concentration of hypoxanthine and inosine increased in samples stored at $25^{\circ}C$. One exothermic peak and two endothermic peaks appeared on the thermograms of pork stored at either temperature. Lower transition temperature of myosin, sarcoplasmic protein and actin peaks were observed. The freshness parameters of K-value, VBN and hypoxanthine showed highly negative correlations (-0.742- -0.9980) to the changes in transition temperature. Therefore, the shift temperature on DSC thermogram can be used as an indicator of the freshness parameters of meat.

ANALYZING ISUAL SPECTROPHOTOMETER DATA USING A TWO-COLOR DIAGRAM METHOD

CHEN ALFRED BING-CHIH,CHIANG PO-SHIH,HUANG TIAN-HSIANG,KUO CHENG-LING,WANG SHI-CHUN,SU HAN-TZONG,HSU RUE-RoN,CHANG MING-HUI,CHANG YEOU-SHIN,LIU TIE-YUE,MENDE STEPHEN B.,FREY HARALD U.,FUKUNISHI HIROSH The Korean Astronomical Society 2005 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.38 No.2

Transient luminous events (TLEs; sprites, elves, jets and etc.) are lightning-related optical flashes occurring above thunderstorms. Since the first discovery of sprites in 1989, scientists have learned a great deal about the morphological, spectroscopic and electromagnetic characteristics of TLEs through ground and spacecraft campaigns. However, most of the TLE studies were based on events recorded over US High Plains. To elucidate the possible biasing effects, space-borne observations are needed and have their merits. Imager of sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL) on the FORMOSAT-2 satellite is the first instrument to carry out a true global measurement of TLEs from a low- earth orbit. In this short paper, we apply a common astronomical data analysis technique, two-color diagram, on the ISUAL spectrophotometer (SP) data. By choosing appropriated bandpasses and converting the measured flux of TLEs into the unit of magnitude, two-color diagrams of TLEs can be constructed. We demonstrate that two-color diagrams, which were constructed from the narrow-band spectrophotometer data, can be used to classify different types of TLEs and trace their temporal evolution. The amount of reddening due to Earth's atmosphere can also be estimated from two-color diagrams assembled from the broad-band spectrophotometer data.

Characteristics and heterostructure of metal-doped TiO2/ZnO nanocatalysts

Chen Wu-Jhang,Hsu Kuo-Chin,Fang Te-Hua,Chen Tao-Hsing,Li Ming-Hao 한국물리학회 2022 Current Applied Physics Vol.38 No.-

In this study, Ag or Al-doped TiO2/ZnO heterostructure nanocatalysts were prepared using a sol-gel method for photocatalysis to evaluate the degradability. The photocatalytic behavior was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Photocatalytic studies suggested that 1 mol% Agdoped TiO2/ZnO (TiO2/ZnO = 0.75/0.25) heterostructure nanocatalysts showed higher photocatalytic activity, and that the degradation efficiency can reach 83% in 4 h, 14% higher than that for pure TiO2. Finally, the photocatalysis mechanism for the Ag-doped TiO2/ZnO heterostructure nanocatalysts is discussed.