Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Increases Peritonsillar Abscess Susceptibility: Real-World Evidence

Ching-Lung Wu,Ming-Shao Tsai,Ta-Jen Lee,Yun-Ting Wang,Chia-Yen Liu,Yao-Hsu Yang,Yao-Te Tsai,Cheng-Ming Hsu,Ching-Yuan Wu,Pey-Jium Chang,Geng-He Chang 대한이비인후과학회 2021 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.14 No.3

Objectives. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for deep neck infection (DNI) and leads to complications and poor outcomes. Our study aimed to investigate the risk, prognosis, and complications of peritonsillar abscess (PTA) in patients with T2DM. Methods. We extracted data of patients newly diagnosed as having T2DM between January 2000 and December 2011 from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. These patients were matched with patients without T2DM, and PTA incidence was compared between both cohorts. Results. In total, 67,852 patients with and 135,704 patients without T2DM were enrolled. PTA incidence was significantly higher in patients with T2DM (incidence rate ratio, 1.91; P<0.001); moreover, PTA incidence was higher at 1 to 5 years after T2DM diagnosis than at <1 and >5 years after T2DM diagnosis. Cox regression analysis showed that patients with T2DM had an approximately 2-fold higher PTA risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.89, P<0.001). Patients with a higher adapted Diabetes Complications Severity Index (aDCSI) had higher PTA risk than those with a lower aDCSI (aHRs: 2.17 for aDCSI ≥1, P=0.006 and 1.81 for aDCSI=0, P=0.002). T2DM patients with a high aDCSI (≥1) had a nonsignificantly longer hospitalization duration and a higher rate of DNI complications than did those with a low aDCSI (=0). Conclusion. In patients with T2DM, PTA incidence was relatively high, and it increased with T2DM severity. Moreover, T2DM patients should be particularly careful about PTA within 1 to 5 years after the diagnosis, and physicians should keep in mind that the prognosis of PTA was correlated with T2DM severity.

Growing pigs developed different types of diabetes induced by streptozotocin depending on their transcription factor 7-like 2 gene polymorphisms

Ching-Fu Tu,Chi-Yun Hsu,Meng-Hwan Lee,Bo-Hui Jiang,Shyh-Forng Guo,Chai-Ching Lin,Tien-Shuh Yang 한국실험동물학회 2018 Laboratory Animal Research Vol.34 No.4

The different polymorphisms of the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene promote variances in diabetes susceptibility in humans. We investigated whether these genotypes also promote differences in diabetic susceptibility in commercial pigs. Growing pigs (Landrace, both sex, 50-60 kg) with the C/C (n=4) and T/T (n=5) TCF7L2 genotypes were identified and intravenously injected with streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg) twice in weekly intervals, then a high-energy diet was offered. Oral glucose tolerance tests, blood analyses and the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index calculations were performed. The animals were sacrificed at the end of 12 weeks of treatment to reveal the pancreas histomorphometry. The results showed that all of the treated pigs grew normally despite exhibiting hyperglycemia at two weeks after the induction. The glycemic level of the fasting or postprandial pigs gradually returned to normal. The fasting insulin concentration was significantly decreased for the T/T carriers but not for the C/C carriers, and the resulting HOMA-IR index was significantly increased for the C/C genotype, indicating that the models of insulin dependence and resistance were respectively developed by T/T and C/C carriers. The histopathological results illustrated a significant reduction in the pancreas mass and insulin active sites, which suggested increased damage. The results obtained here could not be compared with previous studies because the TCF7L2 background has not been reported. Growing pigs may be an excellent model for diabetic in children if the animals are genetically pre-selected.

GROUND OBSERVATIONS OF SPRITES AND OTHER TLES IN TAIWAN

WANG YUN-CHING,HSU RUE-RON,SU HAN-TZONG,CHEN ALFRED BING-CHIH,LEE YI-JEN,KUO CHENG-LING,TSAY WEAN-SHUN,CHANG CHAN-KAO,WANG SHI-CHUN,LEE LOU-CHUANG,LIU TIE-YUE The Korean Astronomical Society 2005 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.38 No.2

Sprites, elves and blue jets are collectively denominated as the upper atmospheric transient luminous events (TLEs). They are recently discovered optical flashes between active thunderstorms and the ionosphere. In this report, a brief introduction to the most important characteristics of TLEs is given. Since 2001, scientists from the National Cheng Kung University have been performing yearly summer campaigns from various locations in Taiwan. The main achievements of their yearly campaign are presented.

Chlorophyll-Related Compounds Inhibit Cell Adhesion and Inflammation in Human Aortic Cells

Kuan-Hung Lin,Ching-Yun Hsu,Ya-Ping Huang,Jun-You Lai,Wen-Bin Hsieh,Meng-Yuan Huang,Chi-Ming Yang,Pi-Yu Chao 한국식품영양과학회 2013 Journal of medicinal food Vol.16 No.10

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of chlorophyll-related compounds (CRCs) and chlorophyll (Chl) a + b on inflammation in human aortic endothelial cells. Adhesion molecule expression and interleukin (IL)-8, nuclear factor (NF)-jB p65 protein, and NF-jB and activator protein (AP)-1 DNA binding were assessed. The effects of CRCs on inflammatory signaling pathways of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4, respectively induced by IL-6 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-b, in human aortic smooth muscle cells cultured in vitro were also investigated. HAECs were pretreated with 10 lM of CRCs, Chl a + b, and aspirin (Asp) for 18 h followed by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a (2 ng/mL) for 6 h, and U937 cell adhesion was determined. TNF-a–induced monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion was significantly inhibited by CRCs. Moreover, CRCs and Chl a + b significantly attenuated vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and IL-8 expressions. Treatments also significantly decreased in NF-jB expression, DNA binding, and AP-1 DNA binding by CRCs and Asp. Thus, CRCs exert anti-inflammatory effects through modulation of NF-jB and AP-1 signaling. Ten micromoles of CRCs and Asp upregulated the expression of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (Drosophila) (SMAD4) in the TGF-b receptor signaling pathway, and SMAD3/4 transcription activity was also increased. Ten micromoles of CRCs were able to potently inhibit STAT3-binding activity by repressing IL-6–induced STAT3 expression. Our results provide a potential mechanism that explains the anti-inflammatory activities of these CRCs.

The Effect of a Scenario-Based Spiritual Care Course on Spiritual Care Competence among Clinical Nurses

Suh-Ing Hsieh,Li-Ling Hsu,Hui-Ling Lin,Chen-Yi Kao,Yi-Ping Tseng,Li-Yun Szu,Ching-Yun Lee,Lun-Hui Ho,Shu-Ling Yeh,Shu-Hua Kao,Yen-Fang Chou,Tzu-Hsin Huang 한국성인간호학회 2021 성인간호학회 학술대회 Vol.2021 No.8

Aim(s): Clinical nurses are facing patients’ biopsychosocial and spiritual problems at diverse clinical settings, but they are lack of knowledge, skills, and confidence on providing spiritual care. However, no studies adopted simulated educational program and objective structure clinical examination (OSCE) to educate nurses and to assess the outcomes. Therefore, this study was to validate the effect of a scenario-based spiritual care course on spiritual care competence in clinical nurses. Methods: This non-equivalent quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and two post-tests (end of the intervention and three months later) was conducted between August 2019 and February 2021 (11 sessions). The recruitment posters with a QR code were distributed to different units at three branches of a large medical institute for recruiting clinical nurses, who provided direct patient care. The attendees of one-day scenario-based spiritual care course are the experimental group (n=53) and the control group (n=85) was matched with the experimental group (1:1-3 ratio) by similar units, ages, working experience, and clinical ladder. Instruments include basic information, self-evaluated and head nurses evaluated spiritual care competence scale (SCCS), spiritual perspective scale (SPS), and spiritual care perspective scale-revised (SCPSR) for both groups and reflective log, course satisfaction scale, OSCE checklist, and standardized patient feedback scale for the experimental group. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA, linear regression, and paired t test. Results: After controlling for pre-test scores and interest in attending spirituality/spiritual care, the experimental group showed significant higher SPS (p=0.012) and self-evaluated SCCS (p=0.002) and lower SCPSR (p=0.015) than the control group at the 2nd post-test. Repeated measure ANOVA also showed significant within-subject effects across three time points of the experimental group on SPS (p<0.001), SCPSR (p<0.001), and self-evaluated SCCS (p<0.001), but paired t test showed non-significant differences on SPS, SCPSR, and self-evaluated SCCS between pre-test and post-test with an exception of head nurse evaluated SCCS (p=0.035). The mean overall course satisfaction of the experimental group was 4.34±0.62. The mean global performance of OSCE was 3.40±0.91 and the majority of experimental group was pass (43.4%) and good (35.8%). 64.5% and 26.1% of standardized patients were partial and strongly agreed with examinees’ performance in spiritual care assessment respectively. Conclusions: The scenario-based spiritual care course is effectively to enhance clinical nurses’ spiritual care competence. It may cultivate clinical preceptors with better spiritual care pedagogy through simulation and OSCE for bedside teaching of nurse post-graduate year.