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Nodal fine needle aspiration (FNA) is usually the first procedure in the work-up of malignancy of unknown primary. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive cutaneous cancer more common in Caucasians but rare among Asians. It is a diagnostic challenge in evaluating FNA from a metastatic MCC without the knowledge of a current or prior history of skin cancer. We report the case of a Taiwanese male with cervical and axillary masses. The diagnosis of the FNA from the axillary lymph node was lymphoproliferative lesion suspicious for lymphoma. The histopathological evaluation of nodal biopsy revealed a metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma and the subsequent excision of the right palm tumor confirmed MCC. Retrospective review of the FNA and imprint cytology smears of the nodal biopsy showed nuclear molding, Indian filing and rare cytoplasmic pale bodies, but no lymphoglandular bodies. Cytologically metastatic MCC may mimic small round cell tumor including lymphoma, we consider these three cytological features as additional diagnostic clues for metastatic MCC. In this report, we present the cytologic and pathological features of this metastatic MCC and discuss the differential diagnosis of the cytologic mimickers., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Bone mass density (BMD) has been used universally in osteoporosis diagnosis and management. Adherence to anti-osteoporosis medication is related to mortality risk. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mortality and low BMD of the femoral neck and vertebra among patients self-discontinuing anti-osteoporosis medication. Between June 2016 and June 2018, this single-center retrospective study recruited 596 participants who self-discontinued anti-osteoporosis medication. Patients were categorized into four groups by BMD of the right femoral neck and lumbar spine. Occurrence and causes of mortality were obtained from medical records. Independent risk factors and the five-year survival of various levels of BMD were analyzed by Cox regression and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. BMD value and serum calcium level were significantly lower in the mortality group ( p < 0.001). Compared to the reference, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality in patients with lower BMD of both the lumbar spine and femoral neck was 3.03. The five-year cumulative survival rate was also significantly lower (25.2%, p < 0.001). A low calcium level was also associated with mortality (HR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76-0.99, p = 0.033). In conclusion, lower BMD and calcium levels were associated with higher mortality risk in patients with poor adherence. Hence, patients self-discontinuing anti-osteoporosis medication should be managed accordingly.

Rationale: Primary nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma is a rare nasopharyngeal neoplasm with a good prognosis and a low propensity for regional recurrence. To date, only few cases of primary nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma have been reported in the literature., Patient Concerns: A 24-year-old female patient presented with intermittent hemoptysis and blood tinge nasal discharge., Diagnosis: An exophytic and pedunculated mass over the roof of the nasopharynx was found on nasopharyngoscope. Biopsy was done and the pathology confirmed well-differentiated primary nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma, strongly positive for CK7, and transcription termination factor 1; but negative for thyroglobulin. The final diagnosis was primary nasopharyngeal papillary adenocarcinoma, well-differentiated, pT1N0M0, stage I., Interventions: The patient underwent excision of nasopharyngeal tumor under sinuscopic assistance., Outcomes: : No local recurrence or distant metastasis was noted during the 6 months of follow-up., Lessons: We aim at highlighting the importance of a thorough differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal tumor. Further investigation is still needed for providing evidence to standardize the treatment protocol., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is frequently an incidental finding during X-ray examination. Although it has been shown to be associated with several chronic diseases, the hazard of cerebrovascular disease has seldom been explored. Our study aimed at determining the risk of stroke conferred by DISH, which is a retrospective cohort study adopting the largest medical database in Taiwan. Patients with a diagnosis of DISH at least three times from 2005 to 2010 were identified as the study group, and those in the control group were selected by matching age and gender. Patients were followed up until the end of 2015 to trace the incidence of stroke. Cox regression analysis was performed to compute the hazard ratio of stroke. Among the included 5300 patients, 1060 had a diagnosis of DISH. Significantly higher prevalence rates of stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were noted in these patients. Overall, DISH conferred a 1.68 times higher risk of developing stroke. The significantly higher hazard ratio could be identified in both genders whether hypertension existed or not. Even in those without comorbidities, DISH still conferred a significantly higher risk of cerebrovascular disease in the future, which should never be ignored when encountered during clinical practice., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The most common ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) originate from the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), but the molecular mechanisms of altered cytoskeletons of VPC-induced cardiomyopathy remain unexplored. We created a RVOT bigeminy VPC pig model ( n = 6 in each group). Echocardiography was performed. The histopathological alternations in the LV myocardium were analyzed, and next generation sequencing (NGS) and functional enrichment analyses were employed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) responsible for the histopathological alternations. Finally, a cell silencing model was used to confirm the key regulatory gene and pathway. VPC pigs had increased LV diameters in the 6-month follow-up period. A histological study showed more actin cytoskeleton disorganization and actin accumulation over intercalated disc, Z-line arrangement disarray, increased β-catenin expression, and cardiomyocyte enlargement in the LV myocardium of the VPC pigs compared to the control pigs. The NGS study showed actin cytoskeleton signaling, RhoGDI signaling, and signaling by Rho Family GTPases and ILK Signaling presented z-scores with same activation states. The expressions of Rac family small GTPase 2 (Rac2), the p-cofilin/cofilin ratio, and the F-actin/G-actin ratio were downregulated in the VPC group compared to the control group. Moreover, the intensity and number of actin filaments per cardiomyocyte were significantly decreased by Rac2 siRNA in the cell silencing model. Therefore, the Rac2/cofilin pathway was found to play a crucial role in the sarcomere morphology and Z-line arrangement disarray induced by RVOT bigeminy VPCs.

Photochemical redox reactions of Cu(II) complexes of eight amino acid ligands (L) with nonpolar side chains have been systematically investigated in deaerated aqueous solutions. Under irradiation at 313 nm, the intramolecular carboxylate-to-Cu(II) charge transfer within Cu(II)-amino acid complexes leads to Cu(I) formation and the concomitant decomposition of amino acids. All amino acid systems studied here can produce ammonia and aldehydes except proline. For the 1:1 Cu(II) complex species (CuL), the Cu(I) quantum yields at 313 nm (Φ Cu(I),CuL ) vary by fivefold and in the sequence (0.10 M ionic strength at 25 °C) alanine (0.094) > valine (0.059), leucine (0.059), isoleucine (0.056), phenylalanine (0.057) > glycine (0.052) > methionine (0.032) > proline (0.019). This trend can be rationalized by considering the stability of the carbon-centered radicals and the efficient depopulation of the photoexcited state, both of which are dependent on the side-chain structure. For the 1:2 Cu(II) complex species (CuL 2 ), the Cu(I) quantum yields exhibit a similar trend and are always less than those for CuL. The photoformation rates of ammonia, Cu(I), and aldehydes are in the ratio of 1:2.0 ± 0.2:0.7 ± 0.2, which supports the proposed mechanism. This study suggests that the direct phototransformation of Cu(II)-amino acid complexes may contribute to the bioavailable nitrogen for aquatic microorganisms and cause biological damage on cell surfaces in sunlit waters., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Objective: Scales for evaluating the teaching and behavioural skills of parents enrolled in aural and oral rehabilitation programs for children with hearing loss are lacking. This study developed and validated scales for assessing parental teaching and behavioural skills of those parents for use in guiding their child to develop language and communication skills., Design: Scales were constructed and evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The performance of parents in teaching and behavioural skills was also explored., Study Sample: The teaching and behavioural skills of 344 parents (179 for scale development and 165 for validation) were rated by their intervention therapists using parental teaching skill (PTS) and parental behavioural skill (PBS) scales., Results: Good reliability and model fit (validity) were observed for both scales, which ultimately included 13 and 10 items, respectively. Maternal educational level was a significant indicator of their performance ratings., Conclusions: The PTS and PBS scales were validated and can be used by early intervention professionals to evaluate the relative interaction and behavioural skills of parents of children with hearing loss, and enrolled in listening and spoken language intervention programs.

Hypomelanosis of Ito (HMI) is part of a neuroectodermal syndrome characterized by distinctive skin manifestations with or without multisystemic involvements. In our undiagnosed diseases program, we have encountered a 3-year-old girl presenting with characteristic skin hypopigmentation suggesting HMI and developmental delay. An exome and genome approach utilizing next-generation sequencing revealed a heterozygous de novo frameshift variant in the KIF13A gene, i.e., NM&#95;022113.6: c.2357dupA, resulting in nonsense-mediated decay. The low mutant allelic ratio suggested that the mutation has occurred postzygotically leading to embryonic mosaicism. Functionally, K1F3A regulates cell membrane blebbing and migration of neural crest cells by controlling recycling of RHOB to the plasma membrane and is also involved in melanosome biogenesis. Importantly, hypopigmentation of the skin has been reported in chr 6p22.3-p23 microdeletion syndrome supporting the association of KIF13A haploinsufficiency with the novel neuroectodermal syndrome. With the increased availability of genome sequencing, we envisage more genetic causes of HMI will be identified in the future., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japan Society of Human Genetics.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for models that can project epidemic trends, explore intervention scenarios, and estimate resource needs. Here we describe the methodology of Covasim (COVID-19 Agent-based Simulator), an open-source model developed to help address these questions. Covasim includes country-specific demographic information on age structure and population size; realistic transmission networks in different social layers, including households, schools, workplaces, long-term care facilities, and communities; age-specific disease outcomes; and intrahost viral dynamics, including viral-load-based transmissibility. Covasim also supports an extensive set of interventions, including non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as physical distancing and protective equipment; pharmaceutical interventions, including vaccination; and testing interventions, such as symptomatic and asymptomatic testing, isolation, contact tracing, and quarantine. These interventions can incorporate the effects of delays, loss-to-follow-up, micro-targeting, and other factors. Implemented in pure Python, Covasim has been designed with equal emphasis on performance, ease of use, and flexibility: realistic and highly customized scenarios can be run on a standard laptop in under a minute. In collaboration with local health agencies and policymakers, Covasim has already been applied to examine epidemic dynamics and inform policy decisions in more than a dozen countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The melanogenesis inhibition effect in zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) and antityrosinase activity of the ethanolic extract and its phytochemicals from Ceylon olive ( Elaeocarpus serratus Linn.) leaves were investigated in this study. Among the leaf extract and four soluble fractions, the ethyl acetate soluble fraction exhibits the best antityrosinase and antimelanogenesis activities. One phenolic acid, gallic acid, and two flavonoids, myricetin and mearnsetin, are isolated from the active subfractions through the bioassay-guided isolation; their structures are elucidated based on the 1D and 2D NMR, FTIR, UV, and MS spectroscopic analyses. These compounds have significant antityrosinase activity whether using l-tyrosine or l-DOPA as the substrate; mearnsetin shows the optimal activity. In the enzyme kinetic investigation, both gallic acid and mearnsetin are the competitive-type inhibitors against mushroom tyrosinase, and myricetin acts as a mixed-type tyrosinase inhibitor. Leaf extract and an ethyl acetate soluble fraction show effective performance in the inhibition of melanin formation in zebrafish embryos. Mearnsetin also possesses a promising antimelanogenesis effect, which is superior to the positive control, arbutin. Results reveal that the Ceylon olive leaf extract and its phytochemicals, especially mearnsetin, have the potential to be used as antimelanogenesis and skin-whitening ingredients.

Table tennis athletes and non-athletes potentially differ in stereopsis and eye-hand response times (RT), but whether stereopsis correlates with response time has scarcely been discussed. We aimed to compare stereopsis and RT between collegiate table tennis athletes and non-athletes and to examine the correlation between stereopsis and RT. From December 2016 to October 2019, table tennis athletes ( n = 80) and non-athletes ( n = 56) were recruited. Stereopsis was measured in four modes (A25, A50, R25, R50: approaching and receding directions at 25 mm/s or 50 mm/s). RT was measured with simple and choice tasks at zero, shoulder, and random distance. For stereopsis, the judged deviations were smaller during the approaching phases. Men had smaller A25 than women ( p =0.012), whereas table tennis athletes showed smaller R25 and A50 than non-athletes ( p = 0.03, 0.01, respectively). RT increased from simple to choice conditions and from zero to random, followed by shoulder distance. Men were significantly faster than women in choice tasks ( p < 0.01). Table tennis athletes performed better in RT than the non-athletes ( p < 0.05). No correlation was observed between stereopsis and RT ( r = -0.01 to 0.12). In conclusion, athletes from table tennis sports showed better stereopsis and RT than non-athletes. Men had better stereopsis and RT than women. There was no correlation between stereopsis and RT.

Cinnamomum plants (Lauraceae) are a woody species native to South and Southeast Asia forests, and are widely used as food flavors and traditional medicines. This study aims to evaluate the chemical constituents of Cinnamomum osmophloeum ct. linalool leaf oil, and its antidepressant and motor coordination activities and the other behavioral evaluations in a rodent animal model. The major component of leaf oil is linalool, confirmed by GC-MS analysis. Leaf oil would not induce the extra body weight gain compared to the control mice at the examined doses after 6 weeks of oral administration. The present results provide the first evidence for motor coordination and antidepressant effects present in leaf oil. According to hypnotic, locomotor behavioral, and motor coordination evaluations, leaf oil would not cause side effects, including weight gain, drowsiness and a diminishment in the motor functions, at the examined doses. In summary, these results revealed C. osmophloeum ct. linalool leaf essential oil is of high potential as a therapeutic supplement for minor/medium depressive syndromes.

This work demonstrates the first example of interfacial manipulation in a hybrid photocatalyst based on poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) nanoparticle and graphene oxide (GO) bulk heterojunctions to efficiently reduce CO 2 into selective industrial hydrocarbons under gas-phase reaction and visible-light illumination. High selectivity of chemical products (methanol and acetaldehyde) was observed. Moreover, the hybrid photocatalyst's solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency was 13.5 times higher than that of pure GO. The increased production yield stems from the co-catalytic and sensitizing role of P3HT in the hybrid system due to its ability to extend light absorption to the visible range and improve interfacial charge transfer to GO. The hybrid P3HT-GO formed a type II heterojunction, and its static and dynamic exciton behaviors were examined using fluorescence spectroscopy and exciton lifetime mapping. A reduced fluorescence decay time was observed by interfacial manipulation for improved dispersion, indicating a more efficient charge transfer from the excited P3HT to GO. Thus, the conducting polymer nanoparticles, 2D nanocarbon, have demonstrated superior performance as a metal-free, non-toxic, low-cost, and scalable heterogeneous photocatalyst for CO 2 reduction to solar fuel, a solid-gas system.

Due to the increasing incidence of malignant gliomas, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a simple and reliable GBM diagnosis is needed to screen early the death-threaten patients. This study aimed to identify a protein that can be used to discriminate GBM from low-grade astrocytoma and elucidate further that it has a functional role during malignant glioma progressions. To identify proteins that display low or no expression in low-grade astrocytoma but elevated levels in GBM, glycoprotein fibronectin (FN) was particularly examined according to the mining of the Human Protein Atlas. Web-based open megadata minings revealed that FN was mainly mutated in the cBio Cancer Genomic Portal but dominantly overexpressed in the ONCOMINE (a cancer microarray database and integrated data-mining platform) in distinct tumor types. Furthermore, numerous different cancer patients with high FN indeed exhibited a poor prognosis in the PrognoScan mining, indicating that FN involves in tumor malignancy. To investigate further the significance of FN expression in glioma progression, tumor specimens from five malignant gliomas with recurrences that received at least two surgeries were enrolled and examined. The immunohistochemical staining showed that FN expression indeed determined the distinct progressions of malignant gliomas. Furthermore, the expression of vimentin (VIM), a mesenchymal protein that is strongly expressed in malignant cancers, was similar to the FN pattern. Moreover, the level of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducer transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) was almost recapitulated with the FN expression. Together, this study identifies a protein FN that can be used to diagnose GBM from low-grade astrocytoma; moreover, its expression functionally determines the malignant glioma progressions via TGF-β-induced EMT pathway.

Background: Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is a useful marker for identifying thyroid and lung cancers in diagnostic pathology, particularly for the investigation of unknown primary cancers. However, some other tumors such as colorectal cancer might aberrantly express TTF-1, particularly with the less specific clone SPT24. Occasional diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cases have been reported to be TTF-1-positive, yet there is no information on TTF-1 expression in peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL)., Methods: We investigated a series of PTCL and DLBCL by immunohistochemistry for TTF-1 expression using 2 commercially available clones., Results: We found that 33% (5/15) adult T-cell leukemia/lymphomas (ATLLs) and 25% (2/8) angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphomas (AITLs) were positive by clone SPT24 and only 2ATLL cases were positive by clone 8G7G3/1. Overall TTF-1 expression rates of PTCL by SPT24 and 8G7G3/1 were 16% (7/43) and 5% (2/43), respectively. All DLBCLs were negative., Conclusion: Although TTF-1 is a relatively specific marker for thyroid and lung cancers, it might be expressed in some lymphomas, particularly PTCL when using clone SPT24. Pathologist should be aware of this possible diagnostic pitfall when using TTF-1 in investigating tumors of unknown origin.

Background: Global aphasia without hemiparesis (GAWH) is a rare stroke syndrome characterized by the dissociation of motor and language functions. Here, we present a case of GAWH with the patient later regaining speech fluency., Case Presentation: A 73-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department immediately after an episode of syncope. On arrival, we noted his global aphasia but without any focal neurologic signs. Computed tomography (CT) perfusion scans showed a large hypodense region over his left perisylvian area. Under the impression of acute ischaemic stroke, he received recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) injection and was treated as an inpatient. The patient was later discharged with GAWH status and received regular speech rehabilitation. After 14 months of rehabilitation, the patient gradually recovered his language expression ability. The degree of aphasia was evaluated with the Concise Chinese Aphasia Test (CCAT), and we obtained brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans to assess cerebral blood flow., Conclusion: A patient with severe impairments of Broca's and Wernicke's areas was able to talk fluently despite being unintelligible. SPECT revealed relative high level of radioactivity uptake in the right frontal lobe, suggesting the deficits in speech fluency could have been compensated by the right hemisphere. Although this is a single case demonstration, the results may strengthen the role of the right hemisphere in GAWH patients and suggests additional study that examines the possible benefits of stimulating activity at right homologous regions for recovering language function after global aphasia.

Rationale: The Pisa syndrome (PS) is defined as a kind of reversible postural deformity which causes a lateral trunk flexion of 10 degrees or more. A prevalence of approximately 7.4% to 10.3% of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) also have PS. Though unbalanced function of the basal ganglia network and impaired visual-spatial functions including parietal cortices in PS is known, the pathophysiology of PS remains to be unclear., Patient Concerns: A 67-year-old male patient with PD visited our Rehabilitation outpatient department because of his trunk which involuntarily deviated to the left side when he stood up., Diagnoses: Based on the history, physical examination, X-ray images, Tc-99m brain TRODAT-1 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and regional cerebral perfusion Tc-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer SPECT, the patient was diagnosed with PD with PS., Interventions: The patient refused our recommendation of admission for pharmaceutical treatment due to personal reasons and was only willing to accept physical training programs at our outpatient department., Outcomes: We arranged functional neuroimaging of the brain to survey possible neurologic deficits. The patient's images of ethyl cysteinate dimer SPECT and TRODAT SPECT showed abnormalities, including hypoperfusion and diminished dopamine transporter uptake, in the areas of the basal ganglia network and other brain regions., Lessons: Based on previous literature and the imaging of our patient, we hypothesize that PS results from unbalanced function of the basal ganglia network and impaired visual-spatial functions of bilateral parietal cortices., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose, (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The thermal degradation of linalool-chemotype Cinnamomum osmophloeum leaf essential oil and the stability effect of microencapsulation of leaf essential oil with β-cyclodextrin were studied. After thermal degradation of linalool-chemotype leaf essential oil, degraded compounds including β-myrcene, cis -ocimene and trans -ocimene, were formed through the dehydroxylation of linalool; and ene cyclization also occurs to linalool and its dehydroxylated products to form the compounds such as limonene, terpinolene and α-terpinene. The optimal microencapsulation conditions of leaf essential oil microcapsules were at a leaf essential oil to the β-cyclodextrin ratio of 15:85 and with a solvent ratio (ethanol to water) of 1:5. The maximum yield of leaf essential oil microencapsulated with β-cyclodextrin was 96.5%. According to results from the accelerated dry-heat aging test, β-cyclodextrin was fairly stable at 105 °C, and microencapsulation with β-cyclodextrin can efficiently slow down the emission of linalool-chemotype C. osmophloeum leaf essential oil.

Background/aim: Quinazolinone is a privileged chemical structure employed for targeting various types of cancer. This study aimed to demonstrate the antitumor activity of synthesized 6,7-disubstituted-2-(3-fluorophenyl) quinazolines (HoLu-11 to HoLu-14)., Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity was assessed by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The cell cycle was examined by flow cytometry. The expression levels of cell cycle- and apoptosis-related proteins were estimated by western blotting. A xenograft animal model was used to explore the antitumor effects of HoLu-12., Results: Among four synthetic quinazolinone derivatives, HoLu-12 significantly reduced the viability of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. HoLu-12 induced G 2 /M arrest and increased the expression of cyclin B, histone H3 (Ser10) phosphorylation, and cleaved PARP, indicating that HoLu-12 could induce mitotic arrest and then apoptosis. Moreover, the combination of HoLu-12 and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) displayed synergistic toxic effect on OSCC cells. HoLu-12 significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo., Conclusion: HoLu-12 induces mitotic arrest and leads to apoptosis of OSCC cells. Furthermore, HoLu-12 alone or in combination with 5-FU is a potential therapeutic agent for OSCC., (Copyright© 2021, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim is to determine whether serial post-systolic shortening (PSS) using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) could predict major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), especially symptom-driven infarct-related artery (IRA) revascularization and improvement in segmental function in post-myocardial infarction patients., Methods/results: Ninety-four patients (average age 61.1 ± 12.5 y, 84 [84.9%] male) with new-onset acute myocardial infarction were enrolled. Serial echocardiography was performed during the initial presentation, and at 3, 6 and 12 months after admission. PSS, strain and systolic strain rate were calculated using STE. Improvement in segmental function was defined as a decrease of ≧1 grade in wall motion score. During the follow-up (29.4 ± 12.7months), 22 patients (23.4%) had MACE and 17 patients had symptom-driven IRA revascularization. In multivariate model, PSS at 3 months was independently predictive for symptom-driven IRA revascularization (Hazard ratio (HR) = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.26-0.97) and for MACE (HR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.24-0.67) (p < 0.05). Segmental function improvements were found in 255 segments (66.1%) and ROC curve analyses showed that AUC (95% CI) of the initial PSS was 0.7(0.65-0.77) (cut-off values = -1.08, sensitivity = 58%, specificity = 73% specificity)., Conclusions: Post-systolic shortening at 3 months is an independent predictor for symptom-driven IRA revascularization and MACE. Regional wall motion recovery also could be predicted by initial PSS. Serial assessment of two-dimensional STE should be investigated in post-myocardial infarction patients in the future., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Accurate assays for the detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) are essential for the control of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Here, we report antibody and antibody-avidity assays, relying on near-infrared-fluorescence amplification by nanostructured plasmonic gold substrates, for the simultaneous detection of antibodies to the S1 subunit of the spike protein and to the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 in human serum and saliva, and for quantifying immunoglobulin avidities against coronavirus antigens from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1 and the common-cold viruses OC43, HKU1, NL63 and 229E. The antibody assay detected immunoglobulin M in 87% (52 of 60) COVID-19-positive serum samples collected 6 or more days after symptom onset (and the immunoglobulins M and G in all 33 samples collected at least 15 days after symptom onset), and correctly classified 456 out of the 457 COVID-19-negative serum samples tested (424 of them collected before the pandemic, including 73 that were positive for other viruses). We used the antibody-avidity assay to study antibody-maturation patterns, anamnestic responses, and cross-immunity to the common-cold coronaviruses.

Purpose: Excellent vision is essential to performing well in sports. Sports vision includes visual, perceptual, cognitive, and oculomotor tasks that enable athletes to process and respond to what is seen. We aimed to examined how sports vision parameters - dynamic visual acuity (DVA), eye movement (EM), peripheral vision (PV), and momentary vision (MV) - varied with age and sex and assessed how static visual acuity (SVA) affect sports vision performance., Materials and Methods: Sports vision was assessed at 45 cm distance at best-corrected SVA in 310 nonathletic participants (age, 6-60 years). Among these 310 participants, 108 university students underwent their sports vision test at 45 cm and 2.5 m distance, with and without glasses. The 4 sports vision parameters were measured by Athlevision software package installed to a laptop. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare sports vision performance in relation to age group and sex. Repeated-measures ANOVA with 1 within-factor (4 conditions) were used to analyze how sports vision varied among the near/far distance with/without glasses conditions., Results: DVA increased during childhood, peaked during the 20s or 30s, and gradually decreased during middle age ( P < 0.0001). DVA was significantly better in males than in females ( P = 0.0001). The other 3 sport vision parameters - EM, PV, and MV - exhibited similar age trends ( P < 0.001) but did not differ between two sexes. The university students with mild myopia had similar DVA, EM, and PV at both near and far distances, with and without correction; but moderate or severe myopic students with uncorrected vision had worse DVA, EM, and PV at 2.5 m than at 45 cm., Conclusion: Low SVA in uncorrected myopia significantly interferes the performance in sport vision tests applied in this study, especially in far distance. Improve static vision, such as myopic correction, may significantly improve sports vision, which is important in athletic performance and safety., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interests of this papers., (Copyright: © 2020 Taiwan J Ophthalmol.)

A simple band model using higher order non-parabolic effect was adopted for single layer molybdenum tungsten alloy disulfide (i.e., Mo 1- x W x S₂). The first-principles method considering 2 × 2 supercell was used to study band structure of single layer alloy Mo 1- x W x S₂ and a simple band (i.e., effective mass approximation model, EMA) model with higher order non-parabolic effect was used to fit the first-principle band structures in order to calculate corresponding the hole mobility. In addition, we investigate the alloy scattering effect on the hole mobility of Mo 1- x W x S₂.

Methods to directly inhibit gene expression using small molecules hold promise for the development of new therapeutics targeting proteins that have evaded previous attempts at drug discovery. Among these, small molecules including the drug-like compound PF-06446846 (PF846) selectively inhibit the synthesis of specific proteins, by stalling translation elongation. These molecules also inhibit translation termination by an unknown mechanism. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and biochemical approaches, we show that PF846 inhibits translation termination by arresting the nascent chain (NC) in the ribosome exit tunnel. The arrested NC adopts a compact α-helical conformation that induces 28 S rRNA nucleotide rearrangements that suppress the peptidyl transferase center (PTC) catalytic activity stimulated by eukaryotic release factor 1 (eRF1). These data support a mechanism of action for a small molecule targeting translation that suppresses peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis promoted by eRF1, revealing principles of eukaryotic translation termination and laying the foundation for new therapeutic strategies.

Aims: The implications of ablation for atrial fibrillation in preventing stroke are controversial, and no studies have investigated whether ablation prevents ischaemic stroke (IS) in atrial flutter (AFL)., Methods and Results: This study analysed data contained in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for 16 765 patients with a first diagnosis of solitary AFL during 2001-2013. Eligible patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not they had received ablation. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to mitigate the effects of potential confounding factors. The primary outcome was occurrence of IS during follow-up. After 1:2 PSM, the analysis included 1037 patients in the ablation group and 2074 patients in the non-ablation group. The incidence of IS was lower in the ablation group compared to the non-ablation group [subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-0.90] during the 2-year follow-up period but not thereafter (SHR 1.03, 95% CI 0.72-1.48). When grouping by stroke history, it revealed that ablation affected the incidence of stroke in patients without history of stroke (SHR 0.59, 95% CI 0.38-0.91) but not in patients with history of stroke. When each group was stratified by CHA2DS2-VASc score, ablation lowered the incidence of stroke in patients with CHA2DS2-VASc ≤3 (SHR 0.31, 95% CI 0.16-0.60) but not in patients with CHA2DS2-VASc ≥4 in the initial 2-year follow-up., Conclusion: The different incidence of IS in patients with/without ablation indicates that ablation reduces the risk of IS in AFL patients., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2020. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Interactions between endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through the Notch signal pathway causing diabetic microvasculopathy have been reported., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effect of high glucose on VSMCs through the Notch-2 signaling pathway could induce extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, VSMC proliferation and migration and thus directly mediate diabetic macrovasculopathy., Methods: Rat smooth muscle cells (SV40LT-SMC Clone HEP-SA cells) were cultured in different concentrations of D-glucose to evaluate the impact of high glucose on ECM accumulation including fibronectin and collagen I measured by Western blot analysis, and on VSMC proliferation and migration evaluated by MTT assay and wound healing assay. The expression of Notch-2 intra-cellular domain (Notch-2 ICD) protein was also checked in high glucose-stressed VSMCs. N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-l-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT), an inhibitor of γ-secretase, was used to modulate the Notch-2 signaling pathway., Results: High glucose (D-glucose 25 mM) induced fibronectin and collagen I expressions in VSMCs, promoted VSMC proliferation/migration, and enhanced the expression of Notch-2 ICD. DAPT inhibited Notch-2 signal to abolish the expressions of fibronectin and collagen I in VSMCs, and also prevented the proliferation/migration of VSMCs under high glucose (D-glucose 25 mM) stress., Conclusions: Our study suggests that high glucose can enhance the Notch-2 signaling pathway thereby directly mediating diabetic macrovasculopathy. Blocking the Notch-2 signaling pathway decreased fibronectin and collagen I expressions secreted by VSMCs, and reduced the proliferation and migration of VSMCs under high glucose stress. Inhibition of Notch-2 signaling represents a promising target for treating diabetic macrovasculopathy.

Nonnoble metal catalysts are low-cost alternatives to Pt for the oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs), which have been studied for various applications in electrocatalytic systems. Among them, transition metal complexes, characterized by a redox-active single-metal-atom with biomimetic ligands, such as pyrolyzed cobalt-nitrogen-carbon (Co-N x /C), have attracted considerable attention. Therefore, we reported the ORR mechanism of pyrolyzed Vitamin B12 using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy coupled with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, which enables operando monitoring of the oxygen binding site on the metal center. Our results revealed the preferential adsorption of oxygen at the Co 2+ center, with end-on coordination forming a Co 2+ -oxo species. Furthermore, the charge transfer mechanism between the catalyst and reactant enables further Co-O species formation. These experimental findings, corroborated with first-principle calculations, provide insight into metal active-site geometry and structural evolution during ORR, which could be used for developing material design strategies for high-performance electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications.

Scarlet fever has resurged in China starting in 2011, and the environment is one of the potential reasons. Nationwide data on 655,039 scarlet fever cases and six air pollutants were retrieved. Exposure risks were evaluated by multivariate distributed lag nonlinear models and a meta-regression model. We show that the average incidence in 2011-2018 was twice that in 2004-2010 [RR = 2.30 (4.40 vs. 1.91), 95% CI: 2.29-2.31; p < 0.001] and generally lower in the summer and winter holiday (p = 0.005). A low to moderate correlation was seen between scarlet fever and monthly NO 2 (r = 0.21) and O 3 (r = 0.11). A 10 μg/m 3 increase of NO 2 and O 3 was significantly associated with scarlet fever, with a cumulative RR of 1.06 (95% CI: 1.02-1.10) and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.07), respectively, at a lag of 0 to 15 months. In conclusion, long-term exposure to ambient NO 2 and O 3 may be associated with an increased risk of scarlet fever incidence, but direct causality is not established.

Introduction: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is usually a nodal lymphoma expressing CD10, rarely with leukaemic presentation (FL-LP)., Materials and Methods: We searched for FL-LP in our institution from 2000 to 2018 and characterised the neoplastic cells by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Thirteen (6.1%) of 212 FL cases were FL-LP, all de novo neoplasms. The leukaemic cells were small in 12 cases and large in one. All had concurrent FL, mostly (92%; 12/13) low-grade. The single case with large leukaemic cells had a concurrent primary splenic low-grade FL and a double-hit large B-cell lymphoma in the marrow., Results: CD10 was expressed in the leukaemic cells in 38% (5/13) cases by flow cytometry and in 77% (10/13) cases in tumours (p= 0.0471). IGH/BCL2 reciprocal translocation was identified in 85% (11/13) cases. Most patients were treated with chemotherapy. In a median follow-up time of 36 months, nine patients were in complete remission. The 2- and 5-year survival rates were at 100% and 83%, respectively. In this study, we characterised a series of de novo FL-LP in Taiwan. All patients had concurrent nodal and/or tissue tumours, which might suggest that these patients seek medical help too late., Conclusion: The lower CD10 expression rate by flow cytometry than by immunohistochemistry might be due to different epitopes for these assays. Alternatively, loss of CD10 expression might play a role in the pathogenesis of leukaemic change. The clinical course of FL-LP could be aggressive, but a significant proportion of the patients obtained complete remission with chemotherapy.

Background: Primary intestinal follicular lymphoma (PI-FL) is a rare and indolent lymphoma and is challenging for diagnosis with endoscopic biopsy specimens. Whole slide imaging (WSI) has been increasingly used for assisting pathologic diagnosis, but not for lymphoma yet, probably because there are usually too many immunostained sections in a single case. In this study we attempted to identify morphological clues of PI-FL in the endoscopic biopsy specimens by measuring various parameters using WSI., Methods: We retrospectively investigated 21 PI-FL cases, and scanned the HE sections from 17 of these cases with endoscopic biopsy specimens. Sections from 17 intestinal biopsies showing reactive lymphoid hyperplasia were scanned for comparison. The density and diameter of lymphoid follicles and the shortest distance of these follicles to the surface epithelia were measured on WSI. Comparisons of the aforementioned parameters were made between the neoplastic and reactive follicles., Results: The density of follicles was significantly higher in PI-FL than that of reactive hyperplasia (median 0.5 vs. 0.2/mm 2 ; p < 0.01). Furthermore, the neoplastic follicles were significantly larger (median diameter 756.9 vs. 479.7 μm; p < 0.01). The shortest distance of follicles to the surface epithelia tended to be closer in PI-FL (104.7 vs. 177.8 μm, p = 0.056), but not statistically significant., Conclusions: In this study we found that in PI-FL the density and diameter of lymphoid follicles as measured from WSI were significantly different from that of intestinal reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. When facing the diagnostic challenge between these two entities in routine practice, pathologists might be alerted by these morphological clues and request for immunohistochemistry for differential diagnosis.

Study Objective: Evaluate racial/ethnic variation in hysterectomy surgical route in women likely eligible for minimally invasive hysterectomy., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Multistate including Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York., Patients: Women aged ≥18 years without diagnoses of leiomyomas, obesity, or previous abdominopelvic surgery who underwent hysterectomy for benign conditions from the State Inpatient and Ambulatory Surgery Databases, 2010-2014., Interventions: None. Primary exposure is race/ethnicity., Measurements and Main Results: Racial/ethnic variation in annual hysterectomy rates and surgical route. To calculate hysterectomy rates per 100 000 women/year, denominators were adjusted for the proportion of women with previous hysterectomy. A marginal structural log binomial regression model was used to estimate adjusted standardized prevalence ratios (aPRs) for vaginal or laparoscopic vs abdominal hysterectomy, controlling for clustering within hospitals. In addition, hospitals were stratified into quintiles to examine surgical route in hospitals that serve a higher vs lower proportion of African American patients. A total of 133 082 adult women underwent hysterectomy for benign conditions from 2010 to 2014. Annual laparoscopic rates increased more slowly for African Americans (1.6-fold) than for whites (1.8-fold) and Hispanics (1.9-fold). African American and Hispanic women were less likely to undergo vaginal (aPR = 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90-0.96 and aPR = 0.95; 95% CI 0.93-0.97, respectively) and laparoscopic hysterectomy (aPR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94 and aPR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.98, respectively) than white women; Asian/Pacific Islander women were less likely to undergo vaginal hysterectomy (aPR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.81-0.96). Hospitals serving a higher proportion of African American persons performed more abdominal and fewer vaginal procedures across all groups, and more racial/ethnic minority women sought care at those hospitals than white women., Conclusion: African American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander women eligible for minimally invasive hysterectomy were more likely than white women to receive abdominal hysterectomy. The proportion of all women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy was highest at hospitals serving higher proportions of African American persons. This difference in treatment type can lead to disparities in outcomes, in part owing to their association with complications., (Copyright © 2019 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate whether strength or aerobic training can offer significantly more benefits with regarding the activities of daily living of elderly patients with dementia as well as to determine the effects of exercise on cognition, depression, and biochemical markers., Design: Single-blind randomized controlled trial., Setting: A nursing home for veterans., Participants: A volunteer sample of participants (N=80) whose scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination were between 15 and 26 were included. Because of cardiopulmonary or orthopedic conditions that prohibit exercise training, along with any cognitive problems that may impede answering the contents of our questionnaires, 11 participants were excluded. During the exercise training period, 8 participants voluntarily dropped out of the study., Interventions: The participants were randomly assigned to perform either strength or aerobic training for a total of 4 weeks., Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measure was the Barthel Index. Other outcome measures included the Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Geriatric Depression Scale, plasma monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels, insulin-like growth factor-1 levels, and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels., Results: After completion of the program, we discovered a significant improvement in the patients' Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and plasma monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels in the strength-training group. For the patients who had received aerobic training, their serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor also improved significantly. However, the degree of improvement regarding these outcome measures did not achieve significant statistical difference between the 2 groups., Conclusions: Through our study, an intensive 4-week exercise program, whether it be strength or aerobic training, is evidenced to bring significant benefits to elderly patients with dementia, while the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor was additionally improved through aerobic training., (Copyright © 2020 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Determine inter-observer variability among radiologists in assigning Cambridge Classification (CC) of chronic pancreatitis (CP) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and contrast-enhanced CT (CECT)., Methods: Among 422 eligible subjects enrolled into the PROCEED study between 6/2017 and 8/2018, 39 were selected randomly for this study (chronic abdominal pain (n = 8; CC of 0), suspected CP (n = 22; CC of 0, 1 or 2) or definite CP (n = 9; CC of 3 or 4). Each imaging was scored by the local radiologist (LRs) and three of five central radiologists (CRs) at other consortium sites. The CRs were blinded to clinical data and site information of the participants. We compared the CC score assigned by the LR with the consensus CC score assigned by the CRs. The weighted kappa statistic (K) was used to estimate the inter-observer agreement., Results: For the majority of subjects (34/39), the group assignment by LR agreed with the consensus composite CT/MRCP score by the CRs (concordance ranging from 75 to 89% depending on cohort group). There was moderate agreement (63% and 67% agreed, respectively) between CRs and LRs in both the CT score (weighted Kappa [95% CI] = 0.56 [0.34, 0.78]; p-value = 0.57) and the MR score (weighted Kappa [95% CI] = 0.68 [0.49, 0.86]; p-value = 0.72). The composite CT/MR score showed moderate agreement (weighted Kappa [95% CI] = 0.62 [0.43, 0.81]; p-value = 0.80)., Conclusion: There is a high degree of concordance among radiologists for assignment of CC using MRI and CT.

This preliminary clinical study demonstrates the possibility of a new species of probiotic for improvement of the degeneration of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). TCI633 ( Streptococcus thermophil us ) is a newly founded bacterium from human breast milk, and it is able to produce hyaluronate (HA) in gastrointestinal (GI) tract. A recent study has proved that TCI633 can substantially alleviate synovial tissue inflammation and cartilage damage in the animal models, but so far it has never been applied in clinical intervention. In this study, we recruited 80 subjects and conducted 12 weeks clinical trial to validate the efficacy of TCI633 for improvement of the progression of KOA. TCI633 could improve serum collagen type II C-telopeptide (sCTX-II) and serum C-reactive protein (sCRP) by 41.58% and 39.58%, respectively, after the study. The improvement rates for sCTX-II and sCRP in TCI633 group were 54% and 57%, respectively, at 12 weeks. Compared to the results of placebo, the indistinct improvement progresses of sCTX-II and sCRP might be caused by the uneventful distribution of K/L populations between the TCI633 and placebo groups, a short term of study period, and few recruited subjects. Moreover, the results of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) questionnaires show that TCI633 might retard the progression and development of KOA after the trial. In brief, this preliminary research may provide an alternative approach to the improvement of KOA by probiotics although more detailed investigations should be conducted for solid conclusions., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

In this study, biomimetic Mg-N x -C y from Pachira aquatica leaves were mixed with carbon black (L/C catalyst), in which the mixture was treated by a conventional microwave oven at 700 W and 2 min, exhibiting high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). By using a microwave-assisted process, it not only offers a cheaper and faster way to synthesize the catalyst compared to the conventional furnace process but also avoids the decomposition of the N 4 -structure. Using the optimized conditions, the L/C catalyst exhibits an electron transfer number of 3.90 and an HO 2 - yield of only 5% at 0.25 V vs. RHE, which is close to the perfect four electron-transfer pathway. Besides, the L/C catalyst offers superior performance and long-term stability up to 20 000 s. The L/C catalyst contains a high proportion of quaternary-type nitrogen, Mg-N x -C y , and -C-S-C- which can be the active sites for the ORR., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Pleomorphic mantle cell lymphoma (PMCL) can closely mimic diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) morphologically, and expression of CD5 and cyclin D1 is helpful for differential diagnosis. To date, no cases of CD5/cyclin D1 double-negative PMCL have been reported. Four cases of B-cell lymphoma with an immunophenotype of CD5(-) cyclin D1(-) SOX11(+) and morphologic features compatible with DLBCL were included. Two were previously identified, and the other 2 were screened from 500 cases of B-cell lymphoma. We analyzed their clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic, genetic, and gene expression features. Cases of cyclin D1-positive PMCL, cyclin D1-negative PMCL, germinal center B-cell (GCB) DLBCL, and activated B cell (ABC) DLBCL were also studied for comparison. Similar to other PMCL cases, these 4 patients were mainly elderly male individuals with an aggressive clinical course. None of these tumors had detectable translocations involving CCND1, CCND2, CCND3, CCNE1, CCNE2, MYC, BCL2, or BCL6. The genome-wide copy number profile of these 4 cases was similar to that of cyclin D1-negative PMCL. None of these tumors had high expression of cyclin D1, cyclin D2, or cyclin D3. Similar to cyclin D1-negative PMCL, these cases had higher expression of cyclin E1 and cyclin E2 compared with cyclin D1-positive PMCL. The gene expression pattern of these tumors was also similar to that of cyclin D1-negative PMCL. Here we report for the first time 4 cases of CD5/cyclin D1 double-negative PMCL. SOX11 positivity is useful to identify these rare tumors, and further genetic and gene expression analysis can be used to confirm the diagnosis.

Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at higher risk of developing stroke due to augmented systemic inflammation. While regular exercise has been shown to reduce inflammation in human subjects, the purpose of our study is to determine whether increased frequency of rehabilitation is protective against stroke or not., Methods: A total of 16,224 rheumatoid arthritis patients with a catastrophic illness certificate were identified in our database from 2000 to 2006, and 663 of them developed stroke before the end of 2013. After statistically matching for age, sex, and the time interval between the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and stroke, 642 patients without stroke were identified as the control group. Analyses with Student's t test and Chi-square test were done to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with and without stroke, and logistic regression analysis was then performed to evaluate the odds ratio of stroke., Results: Higher odds ratio of stroke was revealed in patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and moderate degree of rheumatoid arthritis disease severity. Furthermore, more than 40 rehabilitation sessions per year reduced the risk of developing stroke in patients with moderate disease severity., Conclusions: Physical activities brought by more rehabilitation sessions are beneficial and should be encouraged in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly for those with higher disease activity but not taking biologic agents., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

We investigated the concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and C:N:P stoichiometry in soil and litter of Pinus massoniana forest under four different management patterns: inefficient forest transformation, mixture of arbor with shrub and herb, shallow ditch grass planting, and being banned in serious erosion and degradation of red soil in southern China. Our findings could provide scientific basis for soil erosion control and vegetation restoration in this area. The results showed that there were significant differences in soil organic carbon (SOC), TN, TP and litter nutrient content among different management patterns. The nutrient contents in soil and litter under all the four management patterns were significantly higher than that of control, with mixture of arbor with shrub and herb having the highest concentrations. The concentrations of SOC, TN and TP decreased with the increases of soil layer. However, the shallow ditch grass planting mana-gement pattern presented as follows: the concentrations of SOC, TN and TP decreased first and then increased with the increases of soil layer, with the lowest value in 5-20 cm soil layer. There were significant differences in soil C:N, C:P, N:P and litter C:P among different management patterns, and the soil spatial variation was C:N>C:P>N:P. Excepted for mixture of arbor with shrub and herb, C:N was still at a lower level in the other management patterns, and soil C:P and N:P showed higher values overall. Litter C:N, C:P and N:P had opposite change pattern, with inefficient forest transformation and mixture of arbor with shrub and herb being much smaller than the control. Soil C:N and C:P were mainly controlled by SOC content and litter C content, and soil N:P was mainly controlled by soil TP content and litter P content. Soil stoichiometry was affected by soil water content, soil bulk density, pH, and other factors. The relationship between litter and soil nutrients was closely related and showed similar changes.

Background and Purpose: Patients with vertebral compression fracture (VCF) usually exhibit impaired postural control and consequently are at an increased risk of falling. This study aimed to assess the sensory and kinematic components of the limits of stability (LOS) test in patients with VCF., Methods: This study enrolled 13 adults with VCF (VCF group), 13 older adults without spinal deformity (NE group), and 13 young adults (NY group). The Biodex balance system was employed to calculate the balance score and the LOS of participants. An inertia motion system was used to record kinematic data. The center of pressure signals of postural stability and LOS were used to calculate the frequency power spectrum for interpreting the sensory component., Results: Compared with the NY group, the VCF group exhibited a longer reaction time and lower balance scores and used a higher median frequency in the medial-lateral and anterior-posterior direction of body acceleration to perform the LOS test. The required ranges of hip rotation and pelvic pitch were significantly higher in the older adult group than in the NY group. In the postural stability test, the VCF group exhibited significantly higher frequency power in the 0.01- to 0.5-Hz band (visual and vestibular) under both the eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions than the other groups. In the LOS test, the VCF group also exhibited lower sensory component activity than the other groups, particularly in vestibular function (0.1-0.5 Hz)., Conclusions: Both musculoskeletal degeneration and sensory integration impairment may contribute to poor direction control and a longer reaction time in patients with VCF.

In the analysis of survival data, the problems of competing risks arise frequently in medical applications where individuals fail from multiple causes. Semiparametric mixture regression models have become a prominent approach in competing risks analysis due to their flexibility and easy interpretation of resultant estimates. The literature presents several semiparametric methods on the estimations for mixture Cox proportional hazards models, but fewer works appear on the determination of the number of model components and the estimation of baseline hazard functions using kernel approaches. These two issues are important because both incorrect number of components and inappropriate baseline functions can lead to insufficient estimates of mixture Cox hazard models. This research thus proposes four validity indices to select the optimal number of model components based on the posterior probabilities and residuals resulting from the application of an EM-based algorithm on a mixture Cox regression model. We also introduce a kernel approach to produce a smooth estimate of the baseline hazard function in a mixture model. The effectiveness and the preference of the proposed cluster indices are demonstrated through a simulation study. An analysis on a prostate cancer dataset illustrates the practical use of the proposed method.

Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana is a species indigenous to Taiwan and has been used as a medicinal plant. It has been claimed that the hot water extracts of C. obtusa var. formosana leaves (CoLE) with flavonoids and proanthocyanidins have anti-oxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activities in vitro . This study further examines the anti-hyperglycemic activity of CoLE and its possible mechanisms in hyperglycemic rats. Hyperglycemia of rats was induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and high-fat diets (HFD). Hyperglycemic rats treated orally with 30 and 150 mg/kg CoLE were classified into LCO and HCO groups, respectively. After three-month treatment, both LCO and HCO groups showed improved glucose metabolism in oral glucose tolerance and postprandial blood glucose tests. Decrease in HOMA-IR, leptin and adiponectin levels of the HCO group revealed amelioration of insulin and leptin resistance. Obesity and accumulation of visceral fats induced by STZ and HFD could be alleviated in both HCO and LCO groups. These anti-diabetic effects might be contributed by inhibition of intestinal digested enzymes and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). Although other studies are necessary, these findings suggest that CoLE could be potentially used as a health complement for treating diabetes without significant toxicity., Competing Interests: None., (© 2019 Center for Food and Biomolecules, National Taiwan University. Production and hosting by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.)

Monolayer black phosphorous (BP) is a commonly used semiconducting two-dimensional material, thanks to its unique electronic properties of an atomically thin two-dimensional layered structure and its ability to be applied in a novel nanoscale metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect device. In this paper, we focus on a new compact band structure model and apply it to electron mobility calculations for monolayer BP. We propose a new compact band model based on an effective mass approximation considering a second-order non-parabolic correction to calculate the band structure, density of states, velocity squared, and other physical quantities of monolayer BP. Electron mobility using the Kubo-Greenwood formula is calculated based on the new corrected compact band model. Our new compact band model is very useful to TCAD simulation and design of future transistor devices with monolayer BP.

Background and Aims: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has a higher mortality than ischemic stroke. Statin is beneficial for stroke, but high potency statin treatment has been associated with the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of initiating statin therapy after ICH on cardiovascular outcomes., Methods: Dyslipidemic patients were retrieved from the ICH population from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. We retrospectively compared patients prescribed with and without statin treatment after ICH. Outcomes of interest were mortality, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke during 5 years of follow-up., Results: Of 17,980 adult patients with ICH and dyslipidemia, 8927 were eligible for analysis over the study period, including 1613 patients receiving statin therapy and 7314 patients not taking statins. After propensity score matching, the mean age was 61.2 ± 12.2 years in the statin group and 61.6 ± 13.0 years in the non-statin group. Hypertension was dominant, followed by diabetes mellitus, and the mean estimated NIHSS score was 12.9. The patients who received statin therapy were associated with lower risks of all-cause mortality (12.7% vs. 21.3%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-0.65), cardiovascular death (4.0% vs. 7.1%; HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.39-0.75) and ICH (5.4% vs. 8.5%; HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46-0.83) compared to those who did not receive statins., Conclusions: Initiating statin therapy after ICH was associated with a decreased risk of recurrent ICH and mortality for dyslipidemia patients., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Chamaecyparis formosensis (Cupressaceae) is among the most precious endemic conifers in Taiwan. Field study was conducted on seasonal variations in emission rates and compositions of terpenoids from this tree species of two different ages. A total of 21 terpenoids were detected, of which there were 13 monoterpenoids (MTs), 4 sesquiterpenoids (STs), and 4 diterpenoids (DTs). MTs dominated the emissions in both saplings and adult trees and produced more than 80% of terpene emissions. Contrasting seasonal pattern between saplings and adult trees was found. Total actual emissions from saplings were higher in cold seasons (range, 64.40 ± 13.18 to 140.74 ± 18.90 ng g -1 h -1 ) than in warm seasons (range, 55.63 ± 15.84 to 63.48 ± 11.85 ng g -1 h -1 ). Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was found to be the most important factor affecting terpene emissions from saplings. On the contrary, higher emissions were found in warm seasons for adult trees (range, 101.49 ± 12.29 to 181.35 ± 80.15 ng g -1 h -1 ), and the emissions were mainly in response to temperature. Some compounds in C. formosensis of both ages (e.g., β-myrcene, α-terpinene, trans-β-ocimene, terpinen-4-ol, α-cedrene and trans-β-farnesene) showed comparably higher contents in cold seasons. Results presented here provide important fundamental information for better understanding of forest bathing and estimating air quality in Taiwan., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received substantial attention as alternatives to indium tin oxide for the production of transparent conductors. However, problems associated with the dewetting of liquid thin films have hindered the reliable fabrication of networked conducting CNT films via solution-based processes. In this study, the dewetting of liquid thin films containing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on substrates is successfully retarded by simply adding ethylene glycol to the SWCNT dispersion, and highly uniform SWCNT thin films are obtained using the meniscus-dragging deposition (MDD) method. The dewetting-free coating conditions for the uniform SWCNT films are determined by calculating the dewetting and drying times of the liquid thin films formed by the MDD method. When the dewetting time was 2.5 times longer than the drying time of the liquid thin layers, uniform SWCNT films are formed over the entire substrates without breakage or rupture of the films. In addition, the transmittance and sheet resistance of the transparent SWCNT films are easily controlled over a wide range by varying the coating parameters.

Background: Methanol poisoning is a serious public health issue in developing countries, but few data are available in the literature on acute kidney injury (AKI) after methanol intoxication., Methods: This study examined the clinical features, spectrum and outcomes of AKI in patients with methanol intoxication and evaluated the predictors of mortality after methanol intoxication. A total of 50 patients with methanol intoxication were seen at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 2000 and 2013. Patients were grouped according to the status of renal damage as AKI (n = 33) or non-AKI (n = 19). Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and mortality data were obtained for analysis., Results: Most patients were middle-aged (47.8 ± 14.9 years), predominantly male (74.0%), and habitual alcohol consumers (70.0%). Most incidents were oral exposures (96.0%) and unintentional (66.0%). Two (4.0%) patients attempted suicide by intravenous injection of methanol. Five (10.0%) patients suffered methanol intoxication after ingestion of methomyl pesticide that contained methanol as a solvent. Compared to non-AKI patients, the AKI patients were older (50.9 ± 13.7 versus 41.6 ± 15.6 years, P = 0.034), predominantly male (90.9% versus 42.8%, P = 0.000), more habitual alcohol users (84.8% versus 41.2%, P = 0.001) and had more unintentional exposures (82.8% versus 35.3%, P = 0.001). Furthermore, there was a higher incidence of respiratory failure (63.6% versus 29.4%, P = 0.022) in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group, respectively. The laboratory studies revealed that the AKI patients suffered from more severe metabolic acidosis than the non-AKI patients. By the end of this study, 13 (39.5%) AKI patients and 1 (5.9%) non-AKI patient had died. The overall in-hospital hospital mortality rate was 28%. In a multivariate binary logistic regression model, it was demonstrated that AKI (odds ratio 19.670, confidence interval 1.026-377.008, P = 0.048) and Glasgow coma scale score (odds ratio 1.370, confidence interval 1.079-1.739, P = 0.010) were significant factors associated with mortality. The Kaplan-Meier analysis disclosed that AKI patients suffered lower cumulative survival than non-AKI patients (log-rank test, chi-square = 5.115, P = 0.024)., Conclusions: AKI was common (66.0%) after methanol intoxication and was predictive of in-hospital hospital mortality. The development of AKI was associated with a 19.670-fold higher risk of in-hospital mortality.

Increased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) can improve endothelial function. This may help reduce cardiovascular risks and mortality. Evidence has been provided on the association between cardiometabolic traits, such as HDL-C and exercise modalities. However, there is the absence of studies investigating this association in Taiwan. We assessed the relationship between exercise type and HDL-C among Taiwanese adults. Data were collected from Taiwan Biobank (TWB), a national biomedical research database that contains the genetic information of ethnic Taiwanese residents gathered from 2008 to 2016. We enrolled 24,856 participants aged 30 to 70 years who completed a questionnaire about their recent health behaviors including smoking, drinking, and exercise. Regular exercise was categorized as non-aerobic exercise (separated as weight training, ball game, and mixed exercise) and strict aerobic exercise. Linear regression models were used to assess the effects of exercise in a questionnaire-based manner. After multivariate adjustments, HDL-C was positively associated with aerobic (β = 1.33748, p < 0.0001) and non-aerobic (β = 2.56210; p < 0.0001) exercise. Positive associations were also found for resistance training (β = 4.01828, p = 0.0020), ballgame (β = 2.43815, p = 0.0001), and mixed exercise (β = 2.47021, p < 0.0001). This study demonstrated that both aerobic and non-aerobic exercise have positive effects on HDL-C among Taiwanese adults. Among the non-aerobic exercise groups, resistance training had the greatest effect.