Harm Avoidance is Correlated with the Reward System in Adult Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Tsung-Hua Lu(Tsung-Hua Lu),Shih-Hsien Lin(Shih-Hsien Lin),Mei Hung Chi(Mei Hung Chi),Ching-Lin Chu(Ching-Lin Chu),Dong-Yu Yang(Dong-Yu Yang),Wei Hung Chang(Wei Hung Chang),Po See Chen(Po See Chen),Yen 대한정신약물학회 2023 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.21 No.1

Objective: Hypoactivity in the reward system among patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a well-known phenomenon. Whether the activity in the reward pathway is related to harm avoidance, such as in sensitivity to punishment, is unclear. Evidence regarding the potential difference between ADHD patients and controls in terms of this association is scarce. Methods: Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted on subjects performing the Iowa gambling test. Fourteen adults with ADHD and 14 controls were enrolled in the study. Results: Harm avoidance was found to be positively correlated with the activities of the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and right insula in individuals with ADHD. A group difference was also confirmed. Conclusion: Understanding the roles of harm avoidance and brain activation during risk tasks is important.

Comparative Study of Heavy Metal Blood Serum Level Between Organic and Conventional Farmers in Eastern Taiwan

Chung Mei-Hua,Hung Kuo-Hsiang,Ma Mi-Chia,Liu Mei-Yu,Lin Ru-Wei 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원 2024 Safety and health at work Vol.15 No.1

Numerous studies have indicated that organic fertilizers (OFer) might contain heavy metals (HMs) that present health risks to organic farmers (OFar). This study compared the concentrations of six HMs (Zn, Ni, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr) in the blood of two distinct groups of farmers: 30 OFar from a designated organic area in eastern Taiwan, and 74 conventional farmers (CFar) from neighboring non-organic designated regions. The findings revealed that the OFar exhibited higher levels of Zn (1202.70 ± 188.74 μg/L), Cr (0.20 ± 0.09 μg/L), and Ni (2.14 ± 1.48 μg/L) in their blood compared to the CFar (988.40 ± 163.16 μg/L, 0.18 ± 0.15 μg/L, and 0.77 ± 1.23 μg/L), respectively. The disparities in Zn, Cr, and Ni levels were measured at 214.3 μg/L, 0.02 μg/L, and 1.37 μg/L, respectively. Furthermore, among the OFar, those who utilized green manures (GM) displayed significantly elevated blood levels of Zn (1279.93 ± 156.30 μg/L), Cr (0.24 ± 0.11 μg/L), and Ni (1.94 ± 1.38 μg/L) compared to individuals who exclusively employed chemical fertilizers (CFer) (975.42 ± 165.35 μg/L, 0.19 ± 0.16 μg/L, and 0.74 ± 1.20 μg/L), respectively. The differences in Zn, Cr, and Ni levels were measured at 304.51 μg/L, 0.05 μg/L, and 1.20 μg/L, respectively. As a result, OFar should be careful in choosing OFer and avoid those that may have heavy metal contamination.

DAZL binds to the transcripts of several Tssk genes in germ cells

Mei Zeng,Wen Qian Deng,Xin Ying Wang,Wei Min Qiu,Yan Yan Liu,Hua Qin Sun,Da Chang Tao,Si Zhong Zhang,Yong Xin Ma 한국생화학분자생물학회 2008 BMB Reports Vol.41 No.4

OTX1 Contributes to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Regulation of ERK/MAPK Pathway

Hua Li,Qian Miao,Chun-wei Xu,Jian-hui Huang,Yue-fen Zhou,Mei-juan Wu 대한의학회 2016 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.31 No.8

Orthodenticlehomeobox 1 (OTX1) overexpression had previously been associated with the progression of several tumors. The present study aimed to determine the expression and role of OTX1 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression level of OTX1 was examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 10 samples of HCC and paired adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in 128 HCC samples and matched controls. The relationship between OTX1 expression and the clinicopathological features werealso analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of OTX1 knockdown on cell proliferation and migration were determined in HCC cell lines. Axenograft mouse model was also established to investigate the role of OTX1 in HCC tumor growth. TheqRT-PCR and IHC analyses revealed that OTX1 was significantly elevated in HCC tissues compared with the paired non-cancerous controls. Expression of OTX1 was positively correlated with nodal metastasis status (P = 0.009) and TNM staging (P = 0.001) in HCC tissues. In addition, knockdown of OTX1 by shRNA significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration, and induced cell cycle arrest in S phase in vitro. Tumor growth was markedly inhibited by OTX1 silencing in the xenograft. Moreover, OTX1 silencing was causable for the decreased phosphorylation level of ERK/MAPK signaling. In conclusion, OTX1 contributes to HCC progression possibly by regulation of ERK/MAPK pathway. OTX1 may be a novel target for molecular therapy towards HCC.

Down-regulated serum microRNA-101 is associated with aggressive progression and poor prognosis of cervical cancer

Wei Jiang,Jia-Jia Pan,Ying-Hui Deng,Mei-Rong Liang,Li-Hua Yao 대한부인종양학회 2017 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.28 No.6

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in pathogenesis and progression of many cancers, including cervical cancer. However, importance of serum level of miR-101 in cervical cancer has rarely been studied. In the present study, clinical significance and prognostic value of serum miR-101 for cervical cancer was investigated. Methods: Association between miR-101 level in cervical cancer tissues and prognosis of patients was analyzed by using data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, which was followed with our clinical study in which miR-101 serum level comparison between cervical cancer patients and healthy controls was conducted by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: TCGA database demonstrated that miR-101 was down-regulated in cervical cancer tissues compared with normal cervical tissues, and univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that decreased miR-101 expression was a highly significant negative risk factor. Similar trend was found in the serum miR-101. Serum level of miR-101 was associated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (p=0.003), lymph node metastasis (p=0.001), and serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level >4 (p=0.007). The overall survival time of cervical cancer patients with a higher level of serum miR-101 was significantly longer than that of patients with a lower level of serum miR-101. Moreover, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the down-regulated serum level of miR-101 was an independent predictor for the unfavorable prognosis of cervical cancer. Conclusion: Serum level of miR-101 is closely associated with metastasis and prognosis of cervical cancer; and, hence could be a potential biomarker and prognostic predictor for cervical cancer.

Sexuality and Quality of Life in Eastern Taiwan People With Schizophrenia

Mei Hua Chung,Jian-Kang Chao,Mi Chia Ma,Ru Wei Lin 대한신경정신의학회 2023 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.20 No.1

Objective Patients with schizophrenia are living at the border of society and their sexuality is often neglected. The aim of the study is to explore the association among The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), quality of life (QoL), Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire, and Sexual Desire Inventory in people with schizophrenia (PwS). Methods This study used a cross-sectional design with 277 psychiatric inpatients. A descriptive analysis, difference analysis, and logistic regression model were presented to identify relevant variables that may affect the probability of good QoL. Results The study showed that male PwS had higher scores of standard deviation (SD) than females in PwS. The study also showed that smoking, early illness onset age, and shorter illness duration demonstrated a significantly higher SD. The logistic regression analysis showed that BPRS, depression, and SD significantly affected the probability of QoL. By structural equation model, SD would be positively correlated with mental status and SD would indirectly influence QoL. Conclusion Our results showed psychological and sociological factors interactions may contribute to the QoL and SD for PwS. This study also demonstrated a close relationship between SD, depression, and BPRS. These factors may predict the probability of good life quality for the PwS.

Three-Port Laparoscopic Exploration is not Sufficient for Patients with T4 Gastric Cancer

Huang, Hua,Jin, Jie-Jie,Long, Zi-Wen,Wang, Wei,Cai, Hong,Liu, Xiao-Wen,Yu, Hong-Mei,Zhang, Li-Wen,Wang, Ya-Nong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

Gastric cancer continues to be a leading cause of cancer death. The majority of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma in China present with advanced disease. Ruling out unresectable cancers from an unnecessary "open" exploration is very important. The aim of this study was to assess the value of five-port anatomical laparoscopic exploration in T4 gastric cancer in comparison with three-port laparoscopic exploration and laparotomy exploration. We conducted a retrospective study on 126 patients with T4 stage scheduled for D2 curative gastrectomy based on computed tomography (CT) staging at Department of Gastric Cancer and Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, from Apr. 2011 to Apr. 2013. Laparotomy exploration (Group I), three-port laparoscopic exploration (Group II) or five-port anatomical laparoscopic exploration (Group III) were performed prior to radical gastrectomy. Accuracy rate for feasibility of D2 curative gastrectomy in laparotomy exploration and five-port anatomical laparoscopic exploration groups was higher than that in the three-port laparoscopic exploration group. Five-port anatomical laparoscopic exploration group had the highest accuracy resection rate (Group I vs Group II vs Group III,92.6% vs78.6% vs 97.7%; p<0.05) and shorter length of hospitalization (Group I vs Group II vs Group III, $9.58{\pm}4.17$ vs $6.13{\pm}2.85$ vs $5.00{\pm}1.81$; p<0.001). Three-port laparoscopic exploration has low accuracy rate for assessing feasibility of D2 curative gastrectomy and five-port anatomical laparoscopic exploration should be performed on patients with T4 gastric cancer.

Electrochemical Behavior of Sm(III) on the Aluminium-Gallium Alloy Electrode in LiCl-KCl Eutectic

Ye, Chang-Mei,Jiang, Shi-Lin,Liu, Ya-Lan,Xu, Kai,Yang, Shao-Hua,Chang, Ke-Ke,Ren, Hao,Chai, Zhi-Fang,Shi, Wei-Qun Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2021 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.19 No.2

In this study, the electrochemical behavior of Sm on the binary liquid Al-Ga cathode in the LiCl-KCl molten salt system is investigated. First, the co-reduction process of Sm(III)-Al(III), Sm(III)-Ga(III), and Sm(III)-Ga(III)-Al(III) on the W electrode (inert) were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), square-wave voltammetry (SWV) and open circuit potential (OCP) methods, respectively. It was identified that Sm(III) can be co-reduced with Al(III) or Ga(III) to form Al_zSm_y or Ga_xSm_y intermetallic compounds. Subsequently, the under-potential deposition of Sm(III) at the Al, Ga, and Al-Ga active cathode was performed to confirm the formation of Sm-based intermetallic compounds. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses indicated that Ga₃Sm and Ga₆Sm intermetallic compounds were formed on the Mo grid electrode (inert) during the potentiostatic electrolysis in LiCl-KCl-SmCl₃-AlCl₃-GaCl₃ melt, while only Ga₆Sm intermetallic compound was generated on the Al-Ga alloy electrode during the galvanostatic electrolysis in LiCl-KCl-SmCl₃ melt. The electrolysis results revealed that the interaction between Sm and Ga was predominant in the Al-Ga alloy electrode, with Al only acting as an additive to lower the melting point.

Identification of Cisplatin-Resistance Associated Genes through Proteomic Analysis of Human Ovarian Cancer Cells and a Cisplatin-resistant Subline

Zhou, Jing,Wei, Yue-Hua,Liao, Mei-Yan,Xiong, Yan,Li, Jie-Lan,Cai, Hong-Bing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Chemoresistance to cancer therapy is a major obstacle to the effective treatment of human cancers with cisplatin (DDP), but the mechanisms of cisplatin-resistance are not clear. In this study, we established a cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line (COC1/DDP) and identified differentially expressed proteins related to cisplatin resistance. The proteomic expression profiles in COC1 before and after DDP treatment were examined using 2-dimensional electrophoresis technology. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem MS (NanoUPLC-ESI-MS/MS). 5 protein spots, for cytokeratin 9, keratin 1, deoxyuridine triphosphatase (dUTPase), aarF domain containing kinase 4 (ADCK 4) and cofilin1, were identified to be significantly changed in COC1/DDP compared with its parental cells. The expression of these five proteins was further validated by quantitative PCR and Western blotting, confirming the results of proteomic analysis. Further research on these proteins may help to identify novel resistant biomarkers or reveal the mechanism of cisplatin-resistance in human ovarian cancers.

Two New Acorane Sesquiterpenes from Illicium henryi

Tai-Fa Song,Wei-Dong Zhang,Xin-Hua Xia,Yun-Heng Shen,Chun-Mei Liu,Sheng Lin,Hui-zi Jin,Hui-Liang Li 대한약학회 2009 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.32 No.9

Two new acorane sesquiterpenes, 10-hydroxyacoronene (1) and 1β-isopropyl-4β-methyl-9β-hydroxy spiro[4.5]dec-6-en-8-one (2), one new natural product, 4-hydroxy-4, 6-dimethyl-1-tetralone (3), and one known acorane sesquiterpene, acoradiepoxide (4) were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Illicium henryi. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated primarily on the basis of analysis of spectroscopic data. In addition, the inhibitory effect on NO production of these compounds were tested. Compounds 1 and 4 exhibited slight inhibitory effects on NO production with IC50 values of 82.4 μg/mL and 76.5 μg/mL, respectively.