Radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy increases the risk of herpes zoster in patients with gynecological cancers: a nationwide cohort study

Peng-Yi Lee,Jung-Nien Lai,Shang-Wen Chen,Ying-Chun Lin,Lu-Ting Chiu,Yu-Ting Wei 대한부인종양학회 2021 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.32 No.2

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of radiotherapy (RT) on the risk of herpeszoster (HZ) in patients with gynecological cancers via a nationwide population-based study. Methods: Based on patient data obtained from the National Health Insurance ResearchDatabase, 1928 gynecological cancer patients were identified with 1:1 matching for RT andnon-RT cohorts by age, index date, and cancer type. Another cohort consisting of 964 non cancer individuals matched was used as normal control. The incidence of HZ was comparedbetween cancer patients with and without RT. Age, comorbidities, cancer-related surgery andchemotherapy (CT), and cancer type were adjusted as confounders. Results: The risk of HZ in cancer patients was higher than that of non-cancer individuals(14.23 versus 8.34 per 1,000 person-years [PY], the adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]=1.38,p=0.044). In the cancer population, the incidence of HZ for the RT and non-RT cohorts was20.55 versus 10.23 per 1,000 PY, respectively (aHR=1.68, p=0.009). Age >50 years was anindependent factor for developing HZ. The 5-year actuarial incidence for patients receivingneither RT nor CT, RT alone, CT alone, and combined modalities was 5.4%, 6.9%, 3.7%,and 9.9%, respectively (p<0.001). In the RT cohort, the risk rose rapidly in the first year,becoming steady thereafter. Conclusion: This population-based study showed that gynecological cancer patientsreceiving RT combined with CT had the highest cumulative risk of HZ. Health careprofessionals should be aware of the potential toxicities.

Obovatol improves cognitive functions in animal models for Alzheimer’s disease

Choi, Dong‐,Young,Lee, Jae Woong,Peng, Jin,Lee, Young Jung,Han, Jin‐,Yi,Lee, Yeon Hee,Choi, Im Seop,Han, Sang Bae,Jung, Jae Kyung,Lee, Woong Soo,Lee, Seung‐,Ho,Kwon, Byoung‐,Mo Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012 Journal of Neurochemistry Vol.120 No.6

<P><I>J. Neurochem.</I> (2012) <B>120</B>, 1048–1059.</P><P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>Etiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is obscure, but neuroinflammation and accumulation of β‐amyloid (Aβ) are implicated in pathogenesis of AD. We have shown anti‐inflammatory and neurotrophic properties of obovatol, a biphenolic compound isolated from <I>Magnolia obovata</I>. In this study, we examined the effect of obovatol on cognitive deficits in two separate AD models: (i) mice that received intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of Aβ<SUB>1–42</SUB> (2.0 μg/mouse) and (ii) Tg2576 mice‐expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (K670N, M671L). Injection of Aβ<SUB>1–42</SUB> into lateral ventricle caused memory impairments in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tasks, being associated with neuroinflammation. Aβ<SUB>1–42</SUB>‐induced abnormality was significantly attenuated by administration of obovatol. When we analyzed with Tg2576 mice, long‐term treatment of obovatol (1 mg/kg/day for 3 months) significantly improved cognitive function. In parallel with the improvement, treatment suppressed astroglial activation, BACE1 expression and NF‐κB activity in the transgenic mice. Furthermore, obovatol potently inhibited fibrillation of Aβ<I>in vitro</I> in a dose‐dependent manner, as determined by Thioflavin T fluorescence and electron microscopic analysis. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that obovatol prevented memory impairments in experimental AD models, which could be attributable to amelioration of neuroinflammation and amyloidogenesis by inhibition of NF‐κB signaling pathway and anti‐fibrillogenic activity of obovatol.</P>

Life Science : Obovatol improves cognitive functions in animal models for Alzheimer`s disease

( Dong Yong Chou ),( Jae Woong Lee ),( Jin Peng ),( Young Jung Lee ),( Jin Peng ),( Young Jung Lee ),( Jin Yi Han ),( Yeon Hee Lee ),( Im Seop Choi ),( Sang Bae Han ),( Jae Kyung Jung ),( Woong Soo Le 영남대학교 약품개발연구소 2012 영남대학교 약품개발연구소 연구업적집 Vol.22 No.0

Etiology of Alzheimer`s disease (AD) is obscure, but neuroinflammation and accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) are implicated in pathogenesis of AD. We have shown anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic properties of obovatol, a biphenolic compound isolated from Magnolia obovata. In this study, we examined the effect of obovatol on cognitive deficits in two separate ADmodels: (i) mice that received intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of Aβ(1-42) (2.0 μg/mouse) and (ii) Tg2576 mice-expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (K670N, M671L). Injection of Aβ(1-42) into lateral ventricle caused memory impairments in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tasks, being associated with neuroinflammation. Aβ(1-42) -induced abnormality was significantly attenuated by administration of obovatol. When we analyzed with Tg2576 mice, long-term treatment of obovatol (1 mg/kg/day for 3 months) significantly improved cognitive function. In parallel with the improvement, treatment suppressed astroglial activation, BACE1 expression and NF-κB activity in the transgenic mice. Furthermore, obovatol potently inhibited fibrillation of Aβin vitro in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by Thioflavin T fluorescence and electron microscopic analysis. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that obovatol prevented memory impairments in experimental AD models, which could be attributable to amelioration of neuroinflammation and amyloidogenesis by inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway and anti-fibrillogenic activity of obovatol.

Enhanced charge collection with passivation of the tin oxide layer in planar perovskite solar cells

Lee, Yonghui,Paek, Sanghyun,Cho, Kyung Taek,Oveisi, Emad,Gao, Peng,Lee, Seunghwan,Park, Jin-Seong,Zhang, Yi,Humphry-Baker, Robin,Asiri, Abdullah M.,Nazeeruddin, Mohammad Khaja Royal Society of Chemistry 2017 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Vol.5 No.25

<P>Tin oxide is an excellent candidate to replace mesoporous TiO2electron transport layers (ETLs) in perovskite solar cells. Here, we introduced a SnO2layer by a low-temperature solution process, and investigated its morphology, opto-physical and electrical properties affecting the device performance. We reveal that low-temperature processed SnO2is self-passivating in nature, which leads to a high efficiency. To further enhance the blocking effect, we combined a compact TiO2underlayer with the SnO2contact layer, and found that the bi-layered ETL is superior compared to single layers. The best device shows photovoltaic values in a planar structure with a short-circuit current density (<I>J</I>sc) of 22.58 mA cm<SUP>−2</SUP>, an open-circuit voltage (<I>V</I>oc) of 1.13 V, a fill factor (FF) of 0.78, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.80% under 1 sunlight illumination.</P>

왕복 조건에서 3D 프린팅 용 PLA의 마찰 및 마모 특성

홍이(Yi Hong),장붕(Peng Zhang),이광희(Kwang-Hee Lee),이철희(Chul-Hee Lee) 한국트라이볼로지학회 2015 한국트라이볼로지학회 학술대회 Vol.2015 No.10

High-Performance Bottom-Contact Organic Thin-Film Transistors Based on Benzo[<i>d</i>,<i>d</i>′]thieno[3,2-<i>b</i>;4,5-<i>b</i>′]dithiophenes (BTDTs) Derivatives

Huang, Peng-Yi,Chen, Liang-Hsiang,Kim, Choongik,Chang, Hsiu-Chieh,Liang, You-jhih,Feng, Chieh-Yuan,Yeh, Chia-Ming,Ho, Jia-Chong,Lee, Cheng-Chung,Chen, Ming-Chou American Chemical Society 2012 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.4 No.12

<P>Three benzo[<I>d</I>,<I>d</I>′]thieno[3,2-<I>b</I>;4,5-<I>b</I>′]dithiophene (<B>BTDT</B>) derivatives, end-functionalized with benzothiophenyl (<B>BT-BTDT</B>; <B>2</B>), benzothieno[3,2-b]thiophenyl (<B>BTT-BTDT</B>; 3), and benzo[<I>d</I>,<I>d</I>′]thieno[3,2-<I>b</I>;4,5-<I>b</I>′]dithiophenyl (<B>BBTDT</B>; <B>4</B>), were prepared for bottom-contact/bottom-gate organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). An improved one-pot [2 + 1 + 1] synthetic method of <B>BTDT</B> with improved synthetic yield was achieved, which enabled the efficient realization of new <B>BTDT</B>-based semiconductors. All of the <B>BTDT</B> compounds exhibited high performance p-channel characteristics with carrier mobilities as high as 0.34 cm<SUP>2</SUP>/(V s) and a current on/off ratio of 1 × 10<SUP>7</SUP>, as well as enhanced ambient stability. The device characteristics have been correlated with the film morphologies and microstructures of the corresponding compounds.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/aamick/2012/aamick.2012.4.issue-12/am3022448/production/images/medium/am-2012-022448_0010.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/am3022448'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>

Major Determinants and Long-Term Outcomes of Successful Balloon Dilatation for the Pediatric Patients with Isolated Native Valvular Pulmonary Stenosis: A 10-Year Institutional Experience

Meng-Luen Lee,Jui-Wen Peng,Guo-Jhueng Tu,San-Yi Chen,Jyong-You Lee,Shu-Lin Chang 연세대학교의과대학 2008 Yonsei medical journal Vol.49 No.3

Purpose: We report herein major determinants and long- term outcomes of balloon dilatation (BD) for 27 pediatric patients with isolated native valvular pulmonary stenosis (VPS). Materials and Methods: From May 1997 to May 2003, 27 pediatric patients with VPS (pressure gradients≧ 40mmHg) were enrolled in this retrospective study. Single- balloon maneuver was applied in 26 patients, and double- balloon maneuver in 1. After BD, the pressure gradients were documented simultaneously by pullback maneuver by cardiac catheterization and echocardiography within 24 hours, at 1- month, 3-month, 1-year, and 4-to-10-year follow-ups. Results: Before BD, the echocardiographic gradients ranged from 40 to 101mmHg (61±19, 55), and from 40 to 144mmHg (69 ±32, 60) by pressure recordings. After BD, the gradients ranged from 12 to 70mmHg (29±13, 27) by pressure recording (p<0.001), and from 11 to 64mmHg (27±12, 26) by echocardiography within 24 hrs (p<0.001). The ratios of the systolic pressure of the right ventricle to those of the left ventricle were 55 to 157% (89±28, 79%) before BD, and 30 to 79% (47±13, 42%) after BD (p<0.001). Follow-up (7.7±5.7, 4.5 years) echocardiographic gradients ranged from 11 to 61mmHg (25±11, 24). Two patients did not have immediate success owing to infundibular spasm. Improved right ventricular compliance could be accounted for the ultimate success in these 2 patients. The ultimate successful rate was 100%. Conclusion: BD can achieve excellent long-term outcomes in the pediatric patients with isolated native VPS.

Acceleration of the development of Alzheimer's disease in amyloid beta-infused peroxiredoxin 6 overexpression transgenic mice.

Yun, Hyung-Mun,Jin, Peng,Han, Jin-Yi,Lee, Moon-Soon,Han, Sang-Bae,Oh, Ki-Wan,Hong, Sung-Han,Jung, Eun-Yong,Hong, Jin Tae Humana Press 2013 Molecular Neurobiology Vol.48 No.3

<P>The amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is cytotoxic to neurons and has a central role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) is an antioxidant protein and could act as a cytoprotective protein. However, the role of Prdx6 in neurodegenerative disease has not been studied. Thus, the roles and action mechanisms in the development of AD were examined. Aβ1-42-induced memory impairment in Prdx6 transgenic mice was worse than C57BL/6 mice, and the expression of amyloid precursor protein cleavage, C99, β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 was greatly increased. In addition, the astrocytes and microglia cells of Aβ-infused Prdx6 transgenic mice were more activated, and Aβ also significantly increased lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl levels, but decreased glutathione levels. Furthermore, we found that translocation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) to the nucleus was increased in Aβ-infused Prdx6 transgenic mice. These results suggest that the overexpression of Prdx6 could accelerate the development of AD through increased amyloidogenesis through independent PLA2 activation and Nrf2 transcription.</P>

Using Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Vegetation Indices to Predict the Timing of Nitrogen Demand in Pentas lanceolata

Wu, Chun-Wei,Lin, Kuan-Hung,Lee, Ming-Chih,Peng, Yung-Liang,Chou, Ting-Yi,Chang, Yu-Sen Korean Society of Horticultural Science 2015 원예과학기술지 Vol.33 No.6

The objective of this study was to predict the timing of nitrogen (N) demand through analyzing chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF), soil-plant analysis development (SPAD), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which are positively correlated with foliar N concentration in star cluster (Pentas lanceolata). The plants were grown in potting soil under optimal conditions for 30 d, followed by weekly irrigation with five concentrations (0, 4, 8, 16, and 24 mM) of N for an additional 30 d. These five N application levels corresponded to leaf N concentrations of 2.62, 3.48, 4.00, 4.23, and 4.69%, respectively. We measured 13 morphological and physiological parameters, as well as the responses of these parameters to various N-fertilizer treatments. The general increases in Dickson's quality index (DQI), above-ground dry weight (DW), total DW, flowering rate, ${\Delta}F/Fm$', and qP in response to treatment with 0 to 8 mM N were similar to those of SPAD, NDVI, and Fv/Fm. Consistent and strong correlations ($R^2$= 0.60 to 0.85) were observed between leaf N concentration (%) and SPAD, NDVI, ${\Delta}F/Fm$', and above-ground DW. Validation of leaf S PAD, NDVI, and ${\Delta}F/Fm$' revealed that these vegetation indices are accurate predictors of leaf N concentration that can be used for non-destructive estimation of the proper timing for N-solution irrigation of P. lanceolata. Moreover, irrigation with 8 mM N-fertilizer i s recommended w hen leaf N concentration, SPAD, NVDI, and ${\Delta}F/Fm$' ratios are reduced from their saturation values of 4.00, 50.68, 0.64, and 0.137%, respectively.

Toxoplasma gondii induces autophagy and apoptosis in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells via downregulation of Mcl−1

Chu, Jia-Qi,Jing, Kai-Peng,Gao, Xiang,Li, Peng,Huang, Rui,Niu, Yan-Ru,Yan, Shou-Quan,Kong, Jun-Chao,Yu, Cai-Yuan,Shi, Ge,Fan, Yi-Ming,Lee, Young-Ha,Zhou, Yu,Quan, Juan-Hua Landes Bioscience 2017 Cell Cycle Vol.16 No.5

<P>Autophagy and apoptosis are critical for controlling Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection. T. gondii infection during pregnancy can damage the fetus and cause birth defects; however, the molecular mechanisms of this process are poorly understood. This study aims to determine the activities of autophagy and apoptosis as well as their regulatory mechanisms during T. gondii infection by using human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) as a model of congenital diseases. LC3B, a hallmark protein of autophagy was incrementally upregulated with the infection duration, whereas p62 was downregulated in T. gondii-infected hUC-MSCs. Concurrent to this result, the invasion of T. gondii into hUC-MSCs increased in a time-dependent manner. The expression levels of Bcl-2 family proteins including Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bim, Bax, Bid and Bak were not altered; however, Mcl-1 levels in hUC-MSCs were dramatically decreased upon T. gondii infection. In addition, at 24h post-infection, cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase-3 protein levels were elevated in hUC-MSCs. Importantly, Mcl-1 overexpression reduced the levels of autophagy- and apoptosis-related proteins in T. gondii-infected hUC-MSCs. Mcl-1 proteins were primarily expressed in the fraction containing mitochondria and strongly interacted with Beclin-1 under normal conditions; however, these interactions were remarkably attenuated by T. gondii infection. These results suggest that mitochondrial Mcl-1 is an essential signaling mediator regulating the activation of autophagy and apoptosis during T. gondii infection.</P>