Common dietary emulsifiers promote metabolic disorders and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis in mice.

Dietary emulsifiers are linked to various diseases. The recent discovery of the role of gut microbiota-host interactions on health and disease warrants the safety reassessment of dietary emulsifiers through the lens of gut microbiota. Lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and mono- and diglycerides (MDG) emulsifiers are common dietary emulsifiers with high exposure levels in the population. This study demonstrates that sucrose fatty acid esters and carboxymethylcellulose induce hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in a mouse model. Lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, and CMC disrupt glucose homeostasis in the in vitro insulin-resistance model. MDG impairs circulating lipid and glucose metabolism. All emulsifiers change the intestinal microbiota diversity and induce gut microbiota dysbiosis. Lecithin, sucrose fatty acid esters, and CMC do not impact mucus-bacterial interactions, whereas MDG tends to cause bacterial encroachment into the inner mucus layer and enhance inflammation potential by raising circulating lipopolysaccharide. Our findings demonstrate the safety concerns associated with using dietary emulsifiers, suggesting that they could lead to metabolic syndromes.

Embryo transfer impact: a comprehensive national cohort analysis comparing maternal and neonatal outcomes across varied embryo stages in fresh and frozen transfers.

Introduction: The utilization of frozen embryo transfer not only enhances reproductive outcomes by elevating the likelihood of live birth and clinical pregnancy but also improves safety by mitigating the risks associated with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and multiple pregnancies. There has been an increasing debate in recent years regarding the advisability of making elective frozen embryo transfer the standard practice. Our study aims to determine the optimal choice between fresh and frozen embryo transfer, as well as whether the transfer should occur at the cleavage or blastocyst stage. Method: In this retrospective cohort study conducted in Taiwan, data from the national assisted reproductive technology (ART) database spanning from January 1st, 2013, to December 31st, 2017, were analyzed. The study included 51,762 eligible female participants who underwent ART and embryo transfer. Pregnancy outcomes, maternal complications, and singleton neonatal outcomes were evaluated using the National Health Insurance Database from January 1st, 2013, to December 31st, 2018. Cases were categorized into groups based on whether they underwent fresh or frozen embryo transfers, with further subdivision into cleavage stage and blastocyst stage transfers. Exposure variables encompassed clinical pregnancy rate, live birth rate, OHSS, pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus (DM), placenta previa, placental abruption, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), gestational age, newborn body weight, and route of delivery. Results: Frozen blastocyst transfers showed higher rates of clinical pregnancy (CPR) and live births (LBR) compared to fresh blastocyst transfers. Conversely, frozen cleavage stage transfers demonstrated lower rates of clinical pregnancy and live birth compared to fresh cleavage stage transfers. Frozen embryo transfers were associated with reduced risks of OHSS but were linked to a higher risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension compared to fresh embryo transfers. Additionally, frozen embryo transfers were associated with a higher incidence of large for gestational age infants and a lower incidence of small for gestational age infants. Conclusion: The freeze-all strategy may not be suitable for universal application. When embryos can develop to the blastocyst stage, FET is a favorable choice, but embryos can only develop to the cleavage stage, fresh embryo transfer becomes a more reasonable option.

High-intensity focused ultrasound treatment for large and small solitary uterine fibroids.

This retrospective study used data from patients treated for uterine fibroids with ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) from April 2015 to April 2019. One hundred and seven patients with solitary fibroids were divided into two groups: (1) the L group with larger fibroids (≥10 cm) and (2) the S group with smaller fibroids (<10 cm). Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we examined the efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation by comparing uterine and fibroid volumes before and three months after the procedure. The three-month follow-up clinical visit used a visual analog scale and a uterine fibroid symptom health-related quality of life questionnaire to evaluate clinical symptoms. Both the L and S groups had significant reduction in uterine and fibroid volumes, but the rate was significantly higher in the S group (p < 0.05). Both groups also had improvements in clinical symptoms, but there was no statistical difference. USgHIFU reduced the size of both large and small fibroids but was most effective on fibroids smaller than 10 cm. Both the L and S groups had improved dysmenorrhea symptoms and quality of life.

Zerumbone Exhibits Antiphotoaging and Dermatoprotective Properties in Ultraviolet A-Irradiated Human Skin Fibroblast Cells via the Activation of Nrf2/ARE Defensive Pathway.

Ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation (320-400 nm range) triggers deleterious consequences in skin cell microenvironment leading to skin damage, photoaging (premature skin aging), and cancer. The accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a key role in this effect. With rapid progress in cosmetic health and quality of life, use of safe and highly effective phytochemicals has become a need of the hour. Zerumbone (ZER), a natural sesquiterpene, from Zingiber zerumbet rhizomes is well-known for its beneficial effects. We investigated the antiphotoaging and dermatoprotective efficacies of ZER (2-8 µM) against UVA irradiation (3 J/cm2) and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms in human skin fibroblast (HSF) cells. ZER treatment prior to low dose of UVA exposure increased cell viability. UVA-induced ROS generation was remarkably suppressed by ZER with parallel inhibition of MMP-1 activation and collagen III degradation. This was due to the inhibition of AP-1 (c-Fos and c-Jun) translocation. Furthermore, ZER alleviated UVA-induced SA-ß-galactosidase activity. Dose- or time-dependent increase of antioxidant genes, HO-1 and γ-GCLC by ZER, was associated with increased expression and nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 as well as decreased cytosolic Keap-1 expressions. Altered luciferase activity of ARE could explain the significance of Nrf2/ARE pathway underlying the dermatoprotective properties of ZER. Pharmacological inhibition of various signaling pathways suppressed nuclear Nrf2 activation in HSF cells confirming that Nrf2 translocation was mediated by ERK, JNK, PI3K/AKT, PKC, AMPK, casein kinase II, and ROS signaling pathways. Moreover, increased basal ROS levels and Nrf2 translocation seem crucial in ZER-mediated Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. This was also evidenced from Nrf2 knocked-out studies in which ZER was not able to suppress the UVA-induced ROS generation in the absence of Nrf2. This study concluded that in the treatment of UVA-induced premature skin aging, ZER may consider as a desirable food supplement for skin protection and/or preparation of skin care products.

Essential Oil of Mentha aquatica var. Kenting Water Mint Suppresses Two-Stage Skin Carcinogenesis Accelerated by BRAF Inhibitor Vemurafenib.

The v-raf murine sarcoma viral homolog B1 (BRAF) inhibitor drug vemurafenib (PLX4032) is used to treat melanoma; however, epidemiological evidence reveals that it could cause cutaneous keratoacanthomas and squamous cell carcinoma in cancer patients with the most prevalent HRASQ61L mutation. In a two-stage skin carcinogenesis mouse model, the skin papillomas induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (DT) resemble the lesions in BRAF inhibitor-treated patients. In this study, we investigated the bioactivity of Mentha aquatica var. Kenting Water Mint essential oil (KWM-EO) against PDV cells, mouse keratinocytes bearing HRASQ61L mutation, and its effect on inhibiting papilloma formation in a two-stage skin carcinogenesis mouse model with or without PLX4032 co-treatment. Our results revealed that KWM-EO effectively attenuated cell viability, colony formation, and the invasive and migratory abilities of PDV cells. Induction of G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in PDV cells was also observed. KWM-EO treatment significantly decreased the formation of cutaneous papilloma further induced by PLX4032 in DT mice (DTP). Immunohistochemistry analyses showed overexpression of keratin14 and COX-2 in DT and DTP skin were profoundly suppressed by KWM-EO treatment. This study demonstrates that KWM-EO has chemopreventive effects against PLX4032-induced cutaneous side-effects in a DMBA/TPA-induced two-stage carcinogenesis model and will be worth further exploration for possible application in melanoma patients.

Predictability effect on N400 reflects the severity of reading comprehension deficits in aphasia.

Predictability effect on N400, in which low predictability words elicited a larger N400 than high predictability words did over central to posterior electrodes, has been used to index difficulty of lexical retrieval and semantic integration of words in sentence comprehension. This study examined predictability effect on N400 in aphasic patients to determine if the properties of N400 are suited to indexing the severity of reading comprehension deficits. Patients with aphasia were divided into high and low ability groups based on scores on the reading comprehension subtest in the Chinese Concise Aphasia Test (CCAT). The two aphasia groups, a group of healthy elders who were age-matched to the aphasic participants, and a group of young adults, were requested to read sentences that either ended with highly predictable words or unexpected but plausible words, while undergoing electroencephalography (EEG). The young adult and healthy elderly groups exhibited the typical centro-parietal distributed effect of predictability on N400; however, healthy elders exhibited a reduced N400 effect in a delayed time window compared to the young adults. Compared with the elderly control, the high ability aphasia group exhibited a comparable N400 effect in a more restricted time window; by contrast, the low ability aphasia group exhibited a frontal distributed N400 in a much later time window (400-700 ms). These data suggest that the severity of reading comprehension deficits affects predictability effect on a set of N400 characteristics (i.e., amplitude, time window, and topographic distribution), which may be effective as ERP signatures in the evaluation of language recovery in aphasia.

BNCT treatment planning for superficial and deep-seated tumors: Experience from clinical trial of recurrent head and neck cancer at THOR.

Under the collaboration between National Tsing Hua University and Taipei Veterans General Hospital, clinical trial of recurrent head-and-neck cancer by Boron neutron capture therapy at Tsing Hua open-pool reactor started on August 11, 2010. Up to January 2014, 17 patients were treated. Based on the treatment planning experiences of clinical trials using in-house designed THORplan, different setups should be used for superficial and deep-seated tumors. Superficial tumor treatment gains benefits from the use of patient collimator, while direct irradiation is a better choice for deep-seated tumor.

A meta-analysis of acculturation/enculturation and mental health.

This meta-analytic study examined the relationship among the constructs of acculturation, enculturation, and acculturation strategies (i.e., integration, assimilation, separation, marginalization), and mental health. Data from 325 studies (163 journal articles and 162 dissertation studies) were analyzed using a random-effects model, across a broad spectrum of negative mental health (NM: depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and negative affect) and positive mental health (PM: self-esteem, satisfaction with life, and positive affect). Overall, acculturation was favorably associated with both NM (negatively) and PM (positively), whereas enculturation was favorably related only to PM (positively). In fact, enculturation was positively related to anxiety. The specifics of these relations were further examined using the following moderators: (a) researchers' operationalization of acculturation/enculturation (i.e., linearity, dimensionality); (b) contextual influences (i.e., when and where the study was conducted); and (c) sample characteristics (i.e., voluntariness of residency, race, gender, age). Overall, bilinear measures of acculturation indicated a positive association with PM, while unilinear measures did not. External acculturation (e.g., language, behaviors) and internal enculturation (e.g., identity) were most favorably related to mental health. The place of study had differential effects on the relation of enculturation and NM. Acculturation appeared to be especially important to Asian Americans, whereas enculturation was to African Americans. Differential effects of age suggested the need to consider life-span development of needs and social roles in relation to acculturation and enculturation. Both correlational analyses and mean comparisons affirmed that integration was the most favorable acculturation strategy to mental health. Implications for research, practice, and theory are discussed.