Efficacy and Safety of 12 Weeks of Daclatasvir, Asunaprevir Plus Ribavirin for the Treatment of HCV Genotype 1b Infection without Baseline NS5A Resistance-Associated Variants (DARING)-Interim Report

( Ming-lung Yu ),( Chao-hung Hung ),( Yi-hsiang Huang ),( Cheng-yuan Peng ),( Chun-yen Lin ),( Pin-nan Cheng ),( Rong-nan Chien ),( Shih-jer Hsu ),( Chen-hua Liu ),( Jee-fu Huang ),( Chung-feng Huang 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: The current study aims to elucidate the treatment efficacy (defined as undetectable HCV RNA throughout 12 weeks of post-treatment follow-up, SVR12) and safety DCV/ASV plus ribavirin for 12 weeks in HCV-1b patients without NS5A RAS. Methods: This is a single-arm, open-label phase 2 study. Seventy directly acting antivirals (DAA)-naïve HCV-1b patients without L31/Y93 RAS are planned to receive daclatasvir (60 mg/ day) and asunaprevir (100 mg twice daily) plus weight-based ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day) for 12 weeks. After treatment they were followed up for 12 weeks. Results: As of 31 Oct 2017, 58 eligible patients are allocated to treatment, with a mean age of 59.3 years and female predominance (67.2%, 39/58). The mean HCV RNA was 5.87+0.77 log10 IU/mL; 23 patients (39.7 %) had significant hepatic fibrosis (>F2). In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of undetectable HCV at week 1, week 2, week 4, week 8 and endof- treatment was 25 % (14/56), 84.8 % (39/46), 100 % (46/46), 100 % (38/38) and 100 % (27/27), respectively. Undetectable HCV RNA were observed in all of the patients with HCV RNA assessable 4 weeks (SVR4, 18/18) and 12 weeks (SVR12, 12/12) post treatment. None of the 18 patients who completed the 12-week treatment experienced relapse during post-treatment follow-up. The most common adverse event was fatigue (78.3 %), followed by pruritus (65.2 %) and dizziness (52.2 %), of which were considered as ribavirin related. None of the participating subjects withdrew treatment or follow-up throughout the trial peroid. Three serious adverse events were reported which included urosepsis, appendicitis and left ureteral stone. All were unrelated to the investigating drugs. Conclusions: 12 weeks of DCV/ASV plus ribavirin was highly effective and safe in HCV-1b patients without NS5A RAS in the interim analysis. The satisfactory results would be anticipated in the full patient set.

Genetic Diversity of a Novel Oil Crop, Camellia brevistyla, Revealed by ISSR DNA Markers

Mong-Huai Su,Te-Hua Hsu,Chun-Neng Wang,Kuan-Hung Lin,Ming-Chang Chiang,Ren-Dong Kang,Khiem M. Nguyen,Hoang Nguyen 한국원예학회 2017 원예과학기술지 Vol.35 No.5

Camellia brevistyla plants are used as food oil in Taiwan. To provide a method for identifying germplasm and assessing the genetic diversity of C. brevistyla , 102 individuals were collected from 29 populations in 11 counties throughout the main island of Taiwan. Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) DNA markers were analyzed and a total of 176 bands were amplified. Of these, 175 bands were found to be polymorphic in these populations. Genetic similarities among populations ranged between 34.1-95.1%. Cluster analysis revealed seven groups of populations plus one outlier (C. kissii ). Five individuals from two populations in the southern region were grouped into cluster V, and six populations from both regions were grouped into cluster VII. The remaining populations from the northern region were separated into different clusters from V and VII. Results of an analysis of molecular variance indicated that the variation within populations (75%) was predominantly greater than variations among counties (18%) and among regions (7%). Overall, the gene flow (Nm = 0.509) estimated from genetic differentiation (Gst = 0.534) suggested that gene flow among regions was limited. Higher genetic diversity (H = 0.317), Shannon’s index (I = 0.477), and gene flow (Nm = 0.538) of populations were found in the northern region compared to the southern region. The DNA sequences of C. brevistyla amplified by two oil-biosynthesis genes showed 99-100% homology with those of C. oleifera. Camellia brevistyla populations are highly differentiated and can serve as a basis for the food oil industry as a germplasm resource.

Polypropylene/Carbon Fiber Composite Layered Materials: Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effect and Mechanical Performance

Mei-Feng Lai,Chen-Hung Huang,Jia-Horng Lin,Yu-Chun Chuang,Ching-Hua Wang,Ching-Wen Lou 한국섬유공학회 2021 Fibers and polymers Vol.22 No.9

In this study, conductive polymer composites and conductive functional fabrics are combined to serve aselectromagnetic shielding planks. Polypropylene (PP), carbon black (CB), and short carbon fibers (SCF) are blended atdifferent ratios to form conductive polymer composites (i.e. PCS series). The mechanical property, electrical property,morphology, and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the PCS series are evaluated. The testresults show that with 20 wt% of conductive fillers (i.e. CB and SCF), PCS20 exhibits the optimal tensile strength, flexuralstrength, and electrical property that is 7 order of magnitude higher than that of pure PP plates. Moreover, the EMI SE of thisgroup also reaches -30 dB, which meets level one of civil EMI SE standard. Therefore, PCS20 is used to combine with fourconductive sandwiches. The resulting multilayered functional PCS-sandwich planks are tested in terms of mechanicalproperty, morphology, and EMI SE. The test results show that the planks composed of a pure conductive woven sandwichhave the maximum tensile property and significantly improved impact resistance. All of the multilayered functional plankshave EMI SE that is higher than -50 dB and are qualified for the protection level of standard EMI SE electronic devices.

Study on the Wind-induced Interference Effect of a Large-span Roof Structure Building Group

Yong Hao,Tian-jiao Han,Hang-fei Wu,Hua-hai Dong,Yin Zhou,Chun-hui Du,Yun-hui Han 대한토목학회 2024 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.28 No.4

The wind-induced interference effects existing during the construction of a building group were studied in the context of the Zhangjiakou Olympic Sports Center project. Based on CFD numerical simulations, 120 and 96 different working conditions during construction of a swimming pool and speed skating hall were simulated and analyzed respectively, and the numerical simulation results were found to be in high agreement with the wind tunnel test results, which verified the accuracy and feasibility of the numerical simulation. By comparing the wind-induced interference effects of the surrounding buildings on the swimming pool and the speed skating hall during different construction periods, it was found that the swimming pool was more affected by the interference of the surrounding buildings than the speed skating hall, and the wall area was more affected by the interference than the roof area. The wind-induced response of the swimming pool structure during different construction periods was analyzed, and it was found that the interference effect under some working conditions had a greater impact on the structural stress, and it was suggested that the wind interference effect brought about by the construction of the building should not be ignored in such projects.

Cis-3-O-p-hydroxycinnamoyl Ursolic Acid Induced ROS-Dependent p53-Mediated Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Oral Cancer Cells

Ching-Ying Wang,Chen-Sheng Lin,Chun-Hung Hua,Yu-Jen Jou,Chi-Ren Liao,Yuan-Shiun Chang,Lei Wan,Su-Hua Huang,Mann-Jen Hour,Cheng-Wen Lin 한국응용약물학회 2019 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.27 No.1

Cis-3-O-p-hydroxycinnamoyl ursolic acid (HCUA), a triterpenoid compound, was purified from Elaeagnus oldhamii Maxim. This traditional medicinal plant has been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis and lung disorders as well as for its anti-inflammation and anticancer activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic-inducing activities of HCUA in oral cancer cells. HCUA exhibited anti-proliferative activity in oral cancer cell lines (Ca9-22 and SAS cells), but not in normal oral fibroblasts. The inhibitory concentration of HCUA that resulted in 50% viability was 24.0 μM and 17.8 μM for Ca9-22 and SAS cells, respectively. Moreover, HCUA increased the number of cells in the sub-G1 arrest phase and apoptosis in a concentrationdependent manner in both oral cancer cell lines, but not in normal oral fibroblasts. Importantly, HCUA induced p53-mediated transcriptional regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bak, Bim, Noxa, and PUMA), which are associated with mitochondrial apoptosis in oral cancer cells via the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. HCUA triggered the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) that was ascertained to be involved in HCUA-induced apoptosis by the ROS inhibitors YCG063 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine. As a result, HCUA had potential antitumor activity to oral cancer cells through eliciting ROS-dependent and p53-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Overall, HCUA could be applicable for the development of anticancer agents against human oral cancer.

Enhancing elderly long-term care service using Kinect exergame

Tien-Lung Sun,Ta-Min Hung,Chia-Hsuan Lee,Chien-Hua Huang,Chun Pei 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Kinect based somatosensory exergame is useful to support long-term care as it can motivate chronic rehabilitation patients or elderly with decreasing motor ability to do physical exercise in a pleasant and interesting gaming environment. Dynamic game difficulty adjustment (DDA) technique is implemented in all games to keep players engaged and adhered to the game. For long-term care service, game difficulty has to be manually adjusted as players are not able to or not willing to adjust game settings by themselves. To support manually difficulty adjustment, it is important to conduct player experience study to understand the impact of different game settings or gaming parameters on game difficulty. This paper evaluates the difficulty of a Kinect exergame using objective player experiences derived from Kinect sensor and gameplay based player experience. Specifically, a Kinect exergame for upper arm exercise is developed and deployed to a nursing center at central Taiwan. The challenge (psychological difficulty) and intensity (physiological difficulty) of the game are analyzed using hand movement speed derived from Kinect sensor (objective player experience) and game score (gameplay based experience). The results show that the objective player experience derived from Kinect sensor can help understand the exergame intensity. With cross reference to game performance, subjects who are more engaged in the exergame can be identified. Specifically, analysis of the hand movement speed shows that the Kinect exergame considered in this work does not present enough physiological difficulty (intensity) to elderly with level-4 muscle power but does present difficulty to elderly with level-3 muscle power. Subjects with level-3 muscle power who are engaged in the game can be identified from their game scores. As the optimum difficulty level as well as other game settings varies from individual to individual, an important task in exergame design is to dynamically adjust its challenge and intensity so that elderly players can be engaged in and adhered to the game. The results of this paper show that player experiences derived from Kinect sensor and gameplay performance can help game developers better understand, and hence adjust, the game difficulty levels.

Enhancing Elderly Long-Term Care Service Uing Kinect Exergame

( Tien Lung Sun ),( Ta Min Hung ),( Chien Hua Huang ),( Chia Hsuan Lee ),( Chun Pei ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

Kinect based somatosensory exergame is useful to support long-term care as it can motivate chronic rehabilitation patients or elderly with decreasing motor ability to do physical exercise in a pleasant and interesting gaming environment. Dynamic game difficulty adjustment (DDA) technique is implemented in all games to keep players engaged and adhered to the game. For long-term care service, game difficulty has to be manually adjusted as players are not able to or not willing to adjust game settings by themselves. To support manually difficulty adjustment, it is important to conduct player experience study to understand the impact of different game settings or gaming parameters on game difficulty. This paper evaluates the dif-ficulty of a Kinect exergame using objective player experiences derived from Kinect sensor and gameplay based player experience. Specifically, a Kinect exergame for upper arm exercise is developed and deployed to a nursing center at central Taiwan. The challenge (psychological difficulty) and intensity (physiological difficulty) of the game are analyzed using hand movement speed derived from Kinect sensor (objective player experience) and game score (gameplay based experi-ence). The results show that the objective player experience derived from Kinect sensor can help understand the exergame intensity. With cross reference to game performance, subjects who are more engaged in the exergame can be identified.

Use of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and severe renal impairment

Desmond Y. H. Yap,Kevin S. H. Liu,Yu-Chun Hsu,Grace L. H. Wong,Ming-Chang Tsai,Chien-Hung Chen,Ching-Sheng Hsu,Yee Tak Hui,Michael K. K. Li,Chen-Hua Liu,Yee-Man Kan,Ming-Lung Yu,Man-Fung Yuen 대한간학회 2020 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.26 No.4

Background/Aims: Data on treatment efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Asian patients with severe renal impairment are limited. This study aimed to study the treatment and side effects of GLE/PIB in these patients infected with non-1 genotype (GT) HCV. Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with Child’s A cirrhosis and eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 in Hong Kong and Taiwan during 2017–2018 to receive GLE/PIB treatment. Results: Twenty-one patients (GT2, n=7; GT3, n=6; and GT6, n=8) received GLE/PIB for 11.2±1.8 weeks. All except one were treatment-naïve. GLE/PIB was initiated in 16 patients while on dialysis (seven on peritoneal dialysis [PD] and nine on hemodialysis) and in five patients before dialysis. One patient died of PD-related peritonitis during treatment and two were lost to follow up. The SVR12 rate in the remaining 18 patients was 100%. All patients achieved undetectable levels at 4-, 12-, 24- and 48-week after treatment. Patients with deranged alanine aminotransferase showed normalization after 4 weeks and the response was sustained for 48 weeks. No significant adverse event was observed. Conclusions: GLE/PIB treatment was associated with high efficacy and tolerability in HCV-infected patients with severe renal impairment.