Incongruent Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cortisol in Schizophrenia: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial of Laughter Intervention

Shu-Li Cheng,Fu-Chi Yang,Hsuan-Te Chu,Chia-Kuang Tsai,Shih-Chieh Ku,Yu-Ting Tseng,Ta-Chuan Yeh,Chih-Sung Liang 대한신경정신의학회 2020 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.17 No.12

Objective Schizophrenia has been associated with dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Furthermore, alterations in neurotrophic factors might contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a simulated laughter intervention on the levels of cortisol and BDNF and to determine whether the effects associated with simulated laughter could be sustained after discontinuation of the intervention. Methods In this randomized controlled study, patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV clinical criteria were randomly assigned to receive either 8-week-long simulated laughter intervention (n=32) or treatment-as-usual group (control group, n=27). The serum levels of BDNF and cortisol were measured at baseline, week 8, and four weeks after discontinuation (week 12) of the intervention program. Results After an 8-week simulated laughter intervention, the laughter group had significantly higher levels of BDNF; however, four weeks after discontinuation of the intervention, the levels of BDNF significantly dropped. Interestingly, the levels of cortisol did not change significantly at week 8, but they were significantly elevated at week 12. The levels of BDNF and cortisol in the control group did not change significantly between week 0 and week 8. Conclusion These findings suggest that the simulated laughter intervention has an early effect on neurogenesis with a significant delayed effect on stress regulation in subjects with schizophrenia.

Ectopic EBP2 expression enhances cyclin E1 expression and induces chromosome instability in HEK293 stable clones

( Ming Cheng Lee ),( Chan Hsun Hsieh ),( Shu Chen Wei ),( Shu Chen Shen ),( Chiung Nien Chen ),( Vin Cent Wu ),( Li Ying Chuang ),( Fon Jou Hsieh ),( C. H. Herbert Wu ),( Jyy Jih Tsai Wu ) 생화학분자생물학회 2008 BMB Reports Vol.41 No.10

Correlation Between Fiber Orientation and Geometrical Shrinkage of Injected Parts Under the Influence of Flow-Fiber Coupling Effect

Chao-Tsai Huang,Jun-Zheng Wang,Cheng-Hong Lai,Sheng-Jye Hwang,Po-Wei Huang,Hsin-Shu Peng 한국정밀공학회 2023 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.10 No.4

Fiber reinforced thermoplastics (FRP) have been widely used in automotive industry. However, how does the flow-fiber coupling effect influence the micro fiber orientation and further affect the geometrical shrinkage of the final part that is not fully understood yet. In this study, a complex center-gated plate has been applied to study the influence of the flow-fiber coupling effect on the fiber orientation variation and the geometrical change through numerical simulation. Then the practical verification through the micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and image processing technology was carried out. Results show that in the presence of the flow-fiber coupling the required spruce pressure will be higher compared to no coupling case. In addition, the melt flow front pattern will be changed from “convex-flat” to “convex-concave” under the influence of this coupling. Moreover, in the presence of the flow-fiber coupling effect, the wider core width for fiber orientation tensor in the flow direction (A11) can be obtained from upstream to downstream regions for the same model. However, in the downstream region (i.e. in the FR), the flow-fiber coupling effect is more significantly due to the action of less shear rate in that region. Finally, through the measurement of the left–right asymmetrical shape of the FR for Model I (or Model II), the reason is that the flow-fiber coupling effect will switch the fiber orientation from the flow direction (A11) dominate to the cross-flow direction (A22) dominate. This asymmetrical fiber orientation distribution will further create that asymmetrical shrinkage shape of final part. The correlation between fiber orientation and geometrical shrinkage can be achieved.

Interpretation and Use of Natriuretic Peptides in Non-Congestive Heart Failure Settings

Shih-Hung Tsai,Yen-Yue Lin,Shi-Jye Chu,Ching-Wang Hsu,Shu-Meng Cheng 연세대학교의과대학 2010 Yonsei medical journal Vol.51 No.2

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have been found to be useful markers in differentiating acute dyspneic patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and emerged as potent prognostic markers for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The best-established and widely used clinical application of BNP and NT-proBNP testing is for the emergent diagnosis of CHF in patients presenting with acute dyspnea. Nevertheless, elevated NPs levels can be found in many circumstances involving left ventricular (LV) dysfunction or hypertrophy; right ventricular (RV) dysfunction secondary to pulmonary diseases; cardiac inflammatory or infectious diseases;endocrinology diseases and high output status without decreased LV ejection fraction. Even in the absence of significant clinical evidence of volume overload or LV dysfunction, markedly elevated NP levels can be found in patients with multiple comorbidities with a certain degree of prognostic value. Potential clinical applications of NPs are expanded accompanied by emerging reports regarding screening the presence of secondary cardiac dysfunction;monitoring the therapeutic responses, risk stratifications and providing prognostic values in many settings. Clinicians need to have expanded knowledge regarding the interpretation of elevated NPs levels and potential clinical applications of NPs. Clinicians should recognize that currently the only reasonable application for routine practice is limited to differentiation of acute dyspnea, rule-out-diagnostic-tests, monitoring of therapeutic responses and prognosis of acute or decompensated CHF. The rationales as well the potential applications of NPs in these settings are discussed in this review article.

Fabrication and applications of ultraflexible nanostructures using dielectric heating-assisted nanoimprint on PVC films

Tsung-Yeh Wu,Po-Cheng Tsai,Shu-Cheng Lo,Yi-Ru Li,Kuang-Li Lee,Sen-Yeu Yang,Pei-Kuen Wei 한국물리학회 2018 Current Applied Physics Vol.18 No.1

We developed dielectric heating-assisted nanoimprint method for rapid fabrication of ultraflexible nanostructures. Using spin-coating polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) film on the glass slide, the dielectric heating on PVC film helped the pattern transfer from the mold to PVC film in few seconds. Various kinds of nanostructures were successfully made on PVC films with about 20-mm thickness. We demonstrated the applications of ultraflexible metallic nanostructures for bending measurement using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on the curved surfaces. For measuring bending angles using SPR on capped nanowire arrays, the minimum detection angle was 2.4 103 degree under 0.02 nm wavelength resolution. For SERS measurement, the nanorod arrays on a curved substrate can increase SERS signals for two times as compared to planar SERS substrate.

Impact of the COVID-19 vaccine booster strategy on vaccine protection: a pilot study of a military hospital in Taiwan

Wang Yu-Li,Cheng Shu-Tsai,Shen Ching-Fen,Huang Shu-Wei,Cheng Chao-Min 대한백신학회 2023 Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research Vol.12 No.4

Purpose: The global fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has led to widespread vaccination efforts, yet the optimal dosing schedule for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines remains a subject of ongoing research. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of administering two booster doses as the third and fourth doses at different intervals to enhance vaccine protection. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted at a military regional hospital operated by the Ministry of National Defense in Taiwan. A cohort of vaccinated individuals was selected, and their vaccine potency was assessed at various time intervals following their initial vaccine administration. The study participants received booster doses as the third and fourth doses, with differing time intervals between them. The study monitored neutralizing antibody titers and other relevant parameters to assess vaccine efficacy. Results: Our findings revealed that the potency of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine exhibited a significant decline 80 days after the initial vaccine administration. However, a longer interval of 175 days between booster injections resulted in significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers. The individuals who received the extended interval boosters exhibited a more robust immune response, suggesting that a vaccine schedule with a 175-day interval between injections may provide superior protection against SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of optimizing vaccine booster dosing schedules to maximize protection against SARS-CoV-2. The results indicate that a longer interval of 175 days between the third and fourth doses of the vaccine can significantly enhance the neutralizing antibody response, potentially offering improved protection against the virus. These findings have important implications for vaccine distribution and administration strategies in the ongoing battle against the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Further research and large-scale trials are needed to confirm and extend these findings for broader public health implications.

Multimorbidity Pattern and Risk for Mortality Among Patients With Dementia: A Nationwide Cohort Study Using Latent Class Analysis

Che-Sheng Chu,Shu-Li Cheng,Ya-Mei Bai,Tung-Ping Su,Shih-Jen Tsai,Tzeng-Ji Chen,Fu-Chi Yang,Mu-Hong Chen,Chih-Sung Liang 대한신경정신의학회 2023 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.20 No.9

Objective Individuals with dementia are at a substantially elevated risk for mortality; however, few studies have examined multimorbidity patterns and determined the inter-relationship between these comorbidities in predicting mortality risk.Methods This is a prospective cohort study. Data from 6,556 patients who were diagnosed with dementia between 1997 and 2012 using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were analyzed. Latent class analysis was performed using 16 common chronic conditions to identify mortality risk among potentially different latent classes. Logistic regression was performed to determine the adjusted association of the determined latent classes with the 5-year mortality rate.Results With adjustment for age, a three-class model was identified, with 42.7% of participants classified as “low comorbidity class (cluster 1)”, 44.2% as “cardiometabolic multimorbidity class (cluster 2)”, and 13.1% as “FRINGED class (cluster 3, characterized by FRacture, Infection, NasoGastric feeding, and bleEDing over upper gastrointestinal tract).” The incidence of 5-year mortality was 17.6% in cluster 1, 26.7% in cluster 2, and 59.6% in cluster 3. Compared with cluster 1, the odds ratio for mortality was 9.828 (95% confidence interval [CI]=6.708–14.401; p<0.001) in cluster 2 and 1.582 (95% CI=1.281–1.953; p<0.001) in cluster 3.Conclusion Among patients with dementia, the risk for 5-year mortality was highest in the subpopulation characterized by fracture, urinary and pulmonary infection, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and nasogastric intubation, rather than cancer or cardiometabolic comorbidities. These findings may improve decision-making and advance care planning for patients with dementia.