Quality of Life for Patients with Esophageal/Gastric Cardia Precursor Lesions or Cancer: A One-year Prospective Study

Wen, Ying,Pan, Xiong-Fei,Huang, Wen-Zhi,Zhao, Zhi-Mei,Wei, Wen-Qiang,Chen, Feng,Lan, Hui,Huang, He,Yang, Chun-Xia,Qiao, You-Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.1

Background: The current study examined health-related quality of life (QoL) for patients with esophageal/gastric cardia precursor lesions or cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved prevention and treatment. Materials and Methods: Patients with different stages of esophageal/gastric cardia lesions completed two QoL questionnaires, EORTC QLQ-C30 and supplemental QLQ-OES 18, before primary treatment, and at 1, 6 and 12 months after treatment. Results: Fifty-nine patients with precursor lesions, 57 with early stage cancer, and 43 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Patients with precursor lesions or early stage cancer reported better QoL overall than those with advanced cancer before treatment (p<0.01). Global QoL scores before treatment and at 1 month after treatment were $71{\pm}9$ versus $69{\pm}9$ (p>0.01), $71{\pm}8$ versus $61{\pm}11$ (p<0.01), $67{\pm}11$ versus $62{\pm}9$ (p<0.01) for three stages of lesions. At 6 months after treatment, some QoL measures recovered gradually in precursor lesion and early cancer patients, while some continuously deteriorated in advanced cancer patients. At 12 months, all QoL scores were comparable to baseline for patients with precursor lesions (p>0.01), while global QoL, social, pain, and insomnia scores for early stage and advanced cancer were inferior to corresponding baseline levels (difference between means>5, p<0.01). At this time point, compared with patients with early stage cancer, those with advanced cancer showed worse QoL with all function and most symptom measures (p<0.01). Conclusions: Patients with precursor lesions or early stage esophageal/gastric cardia cancer show better QoL than those with advanced cancer. This indicates that screening, early diagnosis and treatment may improve the QoL for esophageal/gastric cardia cancer patients. Target intervention and counseling should be given by health care providers during treatment and follow-up to facilitate QoL improvement.

Living Experiences of Male Spouses of Patients with Metastatic Cancer in Taiwan

Lin, Hui-Chen,Lin, Wen-Chuan,Lee, Tzu-Ying,Lin, Hung-Ru Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan. Spouses are generally the main caregivers of affectyed patients but previous studies have seldom investigated the needs of male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer. Purpose: To explore the lived experiences of such male spouses. Methods: A qualitative design using in-depth interviewswasconducted with male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer being treated at the oncology outpatient department in a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Results: Nine participants aged 31-78 were interviewed. Content analysis of the interviews revealed five themes: suffering and struggling, difficulty in focusing on communication and interaction, shouldering responsibility, cherishing the love between husband and wife, and enabling each other to live better. This study demonstrated how male spousse experienced physical and psychological suffering when their wives suffered from metastatic cancer. They had to bear the pain of their wife's suffering, and also had to shoulder the responsibility for everything. All their efforts were put towards enabling each other to live a better life. They cherished the rest of the time they could spend with their wives, even though they had to live a hard life. As the male spouses of patients with metastatic cancer, the participants exhibited both the masculinity of men and the ability to express care and tenderness. Conclusions: The results showed that male spouses need more attention in terms of communication and bearing with suffering. Health care professionals should more actively understand the needs and provide assistance when facing the male spouse of patients with cancer, so as make sure that they possess the ability to take care of their wives. Health care professionals should also assist and properly act as a bridge of communication between husbands and wives.

Positive Association of TEAD1 With Schizophrenia in a Northeast Chinese Han Population

Yang Sun,Lin Wen,Yi-Yang Luo,Wen-Juan Hu,Hui-Wen Ren,Ye Lv,Cong Zhang,Ping Gao,Li-Na Xuan,Guan-Yu Wang,Cheng-Jie Li,Zhi-Xin Xiang,Zhi-Lin Luan 대한신경정신의학회 2023 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.20 No.12

Objective Schizophrenia is a complex and devastating psychiatric disorder with a strong genetic background. However, much uncertainty still exists about the role of genetic susceptibility in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. TEA domain transcription factor 1 (TEAD1) is a transcription factor associated with neurodevelopment and has modulating effects on various nervous system diseases. In the current study, we performed a case–control association study in a Northeast Chinese Han population to explore the characteristics of pathogenic <i>TEAD1</i> polymorphisms and potential association with schizophrenia.Methods We recruited a total of 721 schizophrenia patients and 1,195 healthy controls in this study. The 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene region of <i>TEAD1</i> were selected and genotyped.Results The genetic association analyses showed that five SNPs (rs12289262, rs6485989, rs4415740, rs7113256, and rs1866709) were significantly different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls in allele or/and genotype frequencies. After Bonferroni correction, the association of three SNPs (rs4415740, rs7113256, and rs1866709) with schizophrenia were still evident. Haplotype analysis revealed that two strong linkage disequilibrium blocks (rs6485989-rs4415740-rs7113256 and rs16911710-rs12364619-rs1866709) were globally associated with schizophrenia. Four haplotypes (C-C-C and T-T-T, rs6485989-rs4415740-rs7113256; G-T-A and G-T-G, rs16911710-rs12364619-rs1866709) were significantly different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls.Conclusion The current findings indicated that the human <i>TEAD1</i> gene has a genetic association with schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population and may act as a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia.

Streptomyces Telomeres Contain a Promoter

Lin, Yuh-ru,Hahn, Mi-Young,Roe, Jung-Hye,Huang, Tzu-Wen,Tsai, Hsiu-Hui,Lin, Yung-Feng,Su, Tsung-Sheng,Chan, Yu-Jiun,Chen, Carton W. American Society for Microbiology 2009 Journal of Bacteriology Vol.191 No.3

<B>ABSTRACT</B><P>Bidirectional replication of the linear chromosomes and plasmids of <I>Streptomyces</I> spp. results in single-strand overhangs at their 3′ ends, which contain extensive complex palindromic sequences. The overhangs are believed to be patched by DNA synthesis primed by a terminal protein that remains covalently bound to the 5′ ends of the telomeres. We discovered that in vitro a conserved 167-bp telomere DNA binds strongly to RNA polymerase holoenzyme and exhibits promoter activities stronger than those of an rRNA operon. In vivo, the telomere DNA exhibited promoter activity in both orientations on a circular plasmid in <I>Streptomyces</I>. The telomere promoter is also active on a linear plasmid during exponential growth. Such promoter activity in a telomere has not hitherto been observed in eukaryotic or prokaryotic replicons. <I>Streptomyces</I> telomere promoters may be involved in priming the terminal Okazaki fragment (during replication) replicative transfer (during conjugation), or expression of downstream genes (including a conserved <I>ttrA</I> helicase-like gene involved in conjugal transfer). Interestingly, the <I>Streptomyces</I> telomeres also function as a promoter in <I>Escherichia coli</I> and as a transcription enhancer in yeast.</P>

Differential Impacts on Bacterial Composition and Abundance in Rhizosphere Compartments between Al-Tolerant and Al-Sensitive Soybean Genotypes in Acidic Soil

Wen Zhong-Ling,Yang Min-Kai,Fazal Aliya,Liao Yong-Hui,Cheng Lin-Run,Hua Xiao-Mei,Hu Dong-Qing,Shi Ji-Sen,Yang Rong-Wu,Lu Gui-Hua,Qi Jin-Liang,Zhi Hong,Qian Qiu-Ping,Yang Yong-Hua 한국미생물·생명공학회 2020 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.30 No.8

In this study, two soybean genotypes, i.e., aluminum-tolerant Baxi 10 (BX10) and aluminumsensitive Bendi 2 (BD2), were used as plant materials and acidic red soil was used as growth medium. The soil layers from the inside to the outside of the root are: rhizospheric soil after washing (WRH), rhizospheric soil after brushing (BRH) and rhizospheric soil at two sides (SRH), respectively. The rhizosphere bacterial communities were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of V4 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA gene amplicons via Illumina MiSeq. The results of alpha diversity analysis showed that the BRH and SRH of BX10 were significantly lower in community richness than that of BD2, while the WRH exhibited no significant difference between BX10 and BD2. Among the three sampling compartments of the same soybean genotype, WRH had the lowest community richness and diversity while showing the highest coverage. Beta diversity analysis results displayed no significant difference for any compartment between the two genotypes, or among the three different sampling compartments for any same soybean genotype. However, the relative abundance of major bacterial taxa, specifically nitrogen-fixing and/or aluminum-tolerant bacteria, was significantly different in the compartments of the BRH and/or SRH at phylum and genus levels, indicating genotype-dependent variations in rhizosphere bacterial communities. Strikingly, as compared with BRH and SRH, the WRH within the same genotype (BX10 or BD2) always had an enrichment effect on rhizosphere bacteria associated with nitrogen fixation

Copper as an Antimicrobial Agent against Opportunistic Pathogenic and Multidrug Resistant Enterobacter Bacteria

Wen-Xiao Tian,Shi Yu,Muhammad Ibrahim,Abdul Wareth Almonaofy,Liu He,Qiu Hui,Zhu Bo,Bin Li,Guan-lin Xie 한국미생물학회 2012 The journal of microbiology Vol.50 No.4

Infections by Enterobacter species are common and are multidrug resistant. The use of bactericidal surface materials such as copper has lately gained attention as an effective antimicrobial agent due to its deadly effects on bacteria,yeast, and viruses. The aim of the current study was to assess the antibacterial activity of copper surfaces against Enterobacter species. The antibacterial activity of copper surfaces was tested by overlying 5×106 CFU/ml suspensions of representative Enterobacter strains and comparing bacterial survival counts on copper surfaces at room temperature. Iron, stainless steel, and polyvinylchloride (PVC) were used as controls. The mechanisms responsible for bacterial killing on copper surfaces were investigated by a mutagenicity assay of the D-cycloserin (cyclA gene), single cell gel electrophoresis,a staining technique, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Copper yielded a significant decrease in the viable bacterial counts at 2 h exposure and a highly significant decrease at 4 h. Loss of cell integrity and a significantly higher influx of copper into bacterial cells exposed to copper surfaces, as compared to those exposed to the controls,were documented. There was no increase in mutation rate and DNA damage indicating that copper contributes to bacterial killing by adversely affecting cellular structure without directly targeting the genomic DNA. These findings suggest that copper’s antibacterial activity against Enterobacter species could be utilized in health care facilities and in food processing plants to reduce the bioburden, which would increase protection for susceptible members of the community.

MediaCloud: A New Paradigm of Multimedia Computing

( Wen Hui ),( Chuang Lin ),( Yang Yang ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2012 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.6 No.4

Multimedia computing has attracted considerable attention with the rapid growth in the development and application of multimedia technology. Current studies have attempted to support the increasing resource consumption and computational overhead caused by multimedia computing. In this paper, we propose MediaCloud, a new multimedia computing paradigm that integrates the concept of cloud computing in handling multimedia applications and services effectively and efficiently. MediaCloud faces the following key challenges: heterogeneity, scalability, and multimedia Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning. To address the challenges above, first, a layered architecture of MediaCloud, which can provide scalable multimedia services, is presented. Then, MediaCloud technologies by which users can access multimedia services from different terminals anytime and anywhere with QoS provisioning are introduced. Finally, MediaCloud implementation and applications are presented, and media retrieval and delivery are adopted as case studies to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed MediaCloud design.

Analysis of International Tourist Arrivals Worldwide -The Role of World Heritage Sites-

( Wen Su Yu ),( Lin Lin Hui ) 한국문화관광학회 2012 문화관광연구 Vol.14 No.2

Using the panel data of 66 countries between 2000 and 2009, we study the positive effect of world heritage sites(WHSs) on the international tourism demand, and investigate how this effect changes by different number of WHSs. Our results indicate that a country possessing WHSs would increase its international tourist arrivals, and the positive effect of natural WHSs is slightly bigger than cultural ones. Therefore, a country possessing WHSs would benefit the development of its tourism economy. Moreover, this positive effect declines while the number of WHSs rises, but when a country possesses sufficient WHSs, this effect increases instead. Thus, the marginal effect of WHSs demonstrates a U-curve as the number of WHSs increases. In addition, even though the marginal effect of WHSs has different patterns for each region, based on time periods, the result is quite robust.

Mesoporous Carbon as a Metal-Free Catalyst for the Reduction of Nitroaromatics with Hydrazine Hydrate

Hui-Chun Wang,Bao-Lin Li,Yan-Jun Zheng,Wen-Ying Wang 대한화학회 2012 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.33 No.9

Mesoporous carbons with tailored pore size were prepared by using sucrose as the carbon source and silicas as the templates. The silica templates were obtained from a hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin-silica hybrids using ammonium perchlorate oxidation at different temperatures to remove the organic matter. The structures and surface chemistry properties of these carbon materials were characterized by N2 adsorption, TEM, SEM and FTIR measurements. The catalytic performances of these carbon materials were investigated through the reduction of nitroaromatic using hydrazine hydrate as the reducing agent. Compared with other carbon materials, such as active carbon, and carbon materials from the silica templates obtained by using calcination to remove the organic matter, these carbon materials exhibited much higher catalytic activity, no obvious deactivation was observed after recycling the catalyst four times. Higher surface area and pore volume, and the presence of abundant surface oxygen-containing functional groups, which originate from the special preparation process of carbon material, are likely responsible for the high catalytic property of these mesoporous carbon materials.

Molecular Characterization of Taenia multiceps Isolates from Gansu Province, China by Sequencing of Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 1

Wen Hui Li,Wan Zhong Jia,Zi Gang Qu,Zhi Zhou Xie,Jian Xun Luo,Hong Yin,Xiao Lin Sun,Radu Blaga,Bao Quan Fu 대한기생충학열대의학회 2013 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.51 No.2