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1.
Front Plant Sci ; 15: 1310346, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38444537

ABSTRACT

Wolfberry, also known as goji berry or Lycium barbarum, is a highly valued fruit with significant health benefits and nutritional value. For more efficient and comprehensive usage of published L. barbarum genomic data, we established the Wolfberry database. The utility of the Wolfberry Genome Database (WGDB) is highlighted through the Genome browser, which enables the user to explore the L. barbarum genome, browse specific chromosomes, and access gene sequences. Gene annotation features provide comprehensive information about gene functions, locations, expression profiles, pathway involvement, protein domains, and regulatory transcription factors. The transcriptome feature allows the user to explore gene expression patterns using transcripts per kilobase million (TPM) and fragments per kilobase per million mapped reads (FPKM) metrics. The Metabolism pathway page provides insights into metabolic pathways and the involvement of the selected genes. In addition to the database content, we also introduce six analysis tools developed for the WGDB. These tools offer functionalities for gene function prediction, nucleotide and amino acid BLAST analysis, protein domain analysis, GO annotation, and gene expression pattern analysis. The WGDB is freely accessible at https://cosbi7.ee.ncku.edu.tw/Wolfberry/. Overall, WGDB serves as a valuable resource for researchers interested in the genomics and transcriptomics of L. barbarum. Its user-friendly web interface and comprehensive data facilitate the exploration of gene functions, regulatory mechanisms, and metabolic pathways, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of wolfberry and its potential applications in agronomy and nutrition.

2.
ACS Sens ; 9(2): 638-645, 2024 02 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38350035

ABSTRACT

A demonstration of an off-chip capacitance array sensor with a limit of detection of 1 µM trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) to diagnose a chronic metabolism disease in urine is presented. The improved Cole-Cole model is employed to determine the parameters of R_catalyzed, C_catalyzed, and Rp_catalyzed, enabling the prediction of the catalytic resistance of enzyme, reduction effects of the analyte, and characterize the small signal alternating current properties of ionic strength caused by catalysis. Based on the standard solutions, we investigate the effects of pixel geometry parameters, driving electrode width, and sensing electrode width on the electrical field change of the off-chip capacitance sensor; the proposed off-chip sensor with readout system-on-chip exhibits a high sensitivity of 21 analog-to-digital converter counts/µM TMAO (or 2.5 mV/µM TMAO), response time of 1 s, repetition of 98.9%, and drift over time of 0.5 mV. The proposed off-chip sensor effectively discriminates TMAO in a phosphate-buffered saline solution based on minute changes in capacitance induced by the TorA enzyme, resulting in a discernible 2.15% distinction. These measurements have been successfully corroborated using the conventional cyclic voltammetry method, demonstrating a mere 0.024% variance. The off-chip sensor is crafted with a specific focus on detecting TMAO, achieved by excluding any reduction reactions between the TMAO-specific enzyme TorA and the compounds creatine and creatinine present in urine. This deliberate omission ensures that the sensor's attention remains solely on TMAO, thereby enhancing its precision in achieving accurate and reliable TMAO detection.


Subject(s)
Body Fluids , Cardiovascular Diseases , Thrombosis , Humans , Methylamines , Body Fluids/metabolism
3.
Clin Pract ; 13(5): 1236-1243, 2023 Oct 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37887087

ABSTRACT

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients have a high prevalence of coronary artery disease, and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is one of the essential treatments. ESRD patients undergoing CABG surgery have an increased risk of postoperative complications, including acute pancreatitis. Here, we present the unique case of an exceptionally large pancreatic pseudocyst caused by pancreatitis in an ESRD patient after CABG surgery. A 45-year-old male with ESRD under maintenance hemodialysis received CABG surgery for significant coronary artery disease. Two weeks later, he experienced worsening abdominal pain and a palpable mass was noticed in the epigastric region. Computer tomography revealed an unusually large pseudocyst measuring 21 × 17 cm in the retroperitoneum due to necrotizing pancreatitis. The patient underwent percutaneous cystic drainage, and the symptoms were significantly improved without surgical intervention. Factors such as prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time, postoperative hypotension, and intradialytic hypotension appeared to have contributed to the development of severe pancreatitis in this case. This report highlights the rarity of a giant pancreatic pseudocyst in an ESRD patient after CABG surgery and emphasizes the importance of vigilant postoperative care.

4.
Assist Technol ; : 1-8, 2023 Oct 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37796439

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to improve hand performance and play behavior in children with developmental disabilities (DD) using a remodeled glove puppetry approach. Overall, 62 children with DD were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n = 31 each). The experimental group underwent a 12-week rehabilitation program by playing with the remodeled glove puppetry, while the children in the control group played with non-remodeled glove puppetry. The Chinese puppet was remodeled using a Lego EV3® robot. Hand kinematics were analyzed through the Siliconcoach® Pro 7 software, which measured the force produced by the baseline ® hydraulic pinch gauge. Play behavior was measured using the Knox Preschool Play Scale-revised (KPPS-r). The experimental group exhibited significant improvements compared to the control group in hand kinematics (wrist range of motion [ROM], p < .05; metacarpophalangeal ROM, p < .05; proximal interphalangeal ROM, p < .05) and KPPS-r scores (space management, p < .05; material management, p < .05; pretense-symbolic, p < .05; participation, p < .05). After the 12-week rehabilitation with the remodeled glove puppetry, the experimental group exhibited significant improvement in kinematics and KPPS-r scores.

5.
Healthcare (Basel) ; 11(19)2023 Sep 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37830655

ABSTRACT

AIM: With the advent of an aging society and the development of end-of-life care, there is an increasing need to understand the older generation's attitude toward end-of-life resuscitation. The study aimed to develop and validate a novel attitude scale toward end-of-life resuscitation in older inpatients. METHOD: Instrumental development and a psychometric evaluation were used. First, a new attitude scale toward end-of-life resuscitation was formulated from literature views, expert content validity, and face validity. Next, the new scale was evaluated using a principal component analysis and internal consistency reliability in a sample from 106 medical-surgical inpatients in a southern Taiwan hospital 1 enrolled through convenience sampling. Serving as an indicator of concurrent validity, a logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between scores on the scale and intention to discuss end-of-life CPR issues. RESULTS: After being validated by the expert content validity and face validity, a draft of a 20-item scale was created. Throughout the exploratory factor analysis, two items with low factor loadings were removed from the draft scale and an 18-item scale of attitude was generated. This 18-item scale had a three-factor structure that accounted for 64.1% of the total variance; the three components were named 'stress, avoidance, and ignorance', 'a peaceful death', and 'self-determination and ambivalence'. The Cronbach's alpha of the total scale and three components were 0.845, 0.885, 0.879, and 0.857, respectively, which indicated a favorable reliability. Scores on the scale were significantly associated with the intention to discuss end-of-life CPR issues, which also indicated a favorable concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: A 18-item attitude scale with three factors is a valid scale to measure the attitude toward end-of-life resuscitation. The result provides preliminary evidence of the psychometric properties of the scale. Further research with larger samples or other populations is required.

6.
Polymers (Basel) ; 15(18)2023 Sep 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37765553

ABSTRACT

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.24) is common in plants and catalyzes the formation of trans-cinnamic acid and ammonia via phenylalanine deamination. Recombinant Bambusa oldhamii BoPAL3 protein expressed in Escherichia coli was immobilized on an electrospun nanofibrous membrane using dextran polyaldehyde as a crosslinker. The immobilized BoPAL3 protein exhibited comparable kinetic properties with the free BoPAL3 protein and could be recycled for six consecutive cycles compared with the free BoPAL3 protein. The residual activity of the immobilized BoPAL3 protein was 84% after 30 days of storage at 4 °C, whereas the free BoPAL3 protein retained 56% residual activity in the same storage conditions. Furthermore, the resistance of the immobilized BoPAL3 protein to chemical denaturants was greatly increased. Therefore, the BoPAL3 protein can be immobilized using the natural dextran polyaldehyde crosslinker in place of the conventional chemical crosslinker. Nanofibrous membranes made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), nylon 6, and chitosan (CS) are incredibly stable and useful for future industrial applications.

7.
Chembiochem ; 24(10): e202300054, 2023 05 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37098995

ABSTRACT

How should lab heads train their students and what is the role of degree-granting institutions in this process? Chua, Vandana, and Hsieh discuss the needs of graduate students and ways to cultivate purposeful, personalized mentee training in the lab.


Subject(s)
Medical Laboratory Science , Students , Humans , Medical Laboratory Science/education
8.
Curr Issues Mol Biol ; 45(3): 1902-1913, 2023 Feb 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36975493

ABSTRACT

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) catalyzes the irreversible breakdown of active cytokinins, which are a class of plant hormones that regulate cell division. According to conserved sequences of CKX genes from monocotyledons, PCR primers were designed to synthesize a probe for screening a bamboo genomic library. Cloned results of three genes encoding cytokinin oxidase were named as follows: BoCKX1, BoCKX2, and BoCKX3. In comparing the exon-intron structures among the above three genes, there are three exons and two introns in BoCKX1 and BoCKX3 genes, whereas BoCKX2 contains four exons and three introns. The amino acid sequence of BoCKX2 protein shares 78% and 79% identity with BoCKX1 and BoCKX3 proteins, respectively. BoCKX1 and BoCKX3 genes are particularly closely related given that the amino acid and nucleotide sequence identities are more than 90%. These three BoCKX proteins carried putative signal peptide sequences typical of secretion pathway, and a GHS-motif was found at N-terminal flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) binding domain, suggesting that BoCKX proteins might covalently conjugate with an FAD cofactor through a predicted histidine residue.

9.
Healthcare (Basel) ; 11(4)2023 Feb 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36833062

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate whether psychological resilience is an independent factor of self-rated health (SRH) among patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling was designed. Patients with doctor-diagnosed KOA were recruited from the orthopedic outpatient departments of a hospital in southern Taiwan. Psychological resilience was measured by the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and SRH was measured by three items, including the current SRH, the preceding year-related SRH, and age-related SRH. The three-item SRH scale was categorized as "high" and "low-moderate" groups by terciles. Covariates included KOA history, site of knee pain, joint-specific symptoms measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), comorbidity measured by Charlson Comorbidity Index, and demographic variables (i.e., age, sex, education attainment, and living arrangements). A multiple logistic regression was used to detect the independent variables with significant odds ratios that can predict "high" SRH among participants. Results: In total, 98 patients with KOA (66 women and 32 men) with a mean age (±SD) of 68.3 ± 8.5 years were enrolled and were analyzed. A total of 38.8% (n = 38) of participants were categorized as "high SRH", while 61.2% (n = 60) were categorized as "low-moderate SRH". Multiple logistic regression showed that CD-RISC-10 had an increased odds ratio (OR) for high SRH (OR [95% CI] = 1.061 [1.003-1.122]; p = 0.038), whereas bilateral pain (vs. unilateral pain), WOMAC stiffness, and WOMAC physical limitation showed a decreased OR for high SRH (0.268 [0.098-0.732], 0.670 [0.450-0.998], and 0.943 [0.891-0.997], respectively). Our findings provide evidence indicating that psychological resilience plays a significant positive role in the SRH in our study sample. Further research is required to extend the growing knowledge regarding the application of psychological resilience on KOA.

10.
Arch Clin Neuropsychol ; 38(6): 891-903, 2023 Aug 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36796801

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Despite the relatively high prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the impairment of ADHD in women is underestimated due to the different ways the phenomenon manifests compared to traditional male symptoms. In order to close the gender gap in diagnosis and treatment, this study aims to explore the impact of gender on auditory and visual attention in children with and without ADHD. METHOD: A total of 220 children with and without ADHD participated in this study. Their auditory and visual attention performances were analyzed by comparative computerized auditory and visual subtests. RESULTS: Auditory and visual attention performance in children with and without ADHD did affect by gender, including typically developing (TD) boys are better than TD girls at distinguishing visual targets from non-target stimuli. When performing attention tasks, TD girls generally maintained a cautious response, which was different from TD boys, who generally adopted positive response methods. ADHD girls suffered from more serious auditory inattention problems than ADHD boys; however, ADHD boys suffered from more auditory and visual impulsive problems than ADHD girls. The internal attention problems of female ADHD children were broader than that of their male ADHD peers and were also more severe, especially in problems of auditory omission and auditory response acuity. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD children had a significant gap in auditory and visual attention performance compared to TD children. The research results support the impact of gender on the performance of auditory and visual attention in children with and without ADHD.


Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity , Humans , Male , Female , Child , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/complications , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Sex Factors , Neuropsychological Tests , Sex Characteristics
11.
Int J Clin Pract ; 2022: 4736231, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36263233

ABSTRACT

Background: Physical activity (PA) is a basic and initiative conservative management for people with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This study aimed to explore the potential indicators of PA levels in people with KOA. Methods: We designed a cross-sectional study where people with KOA were consecutively approached by the Orthopedic Outpatient Department in a hospital in southern Taiwan. People older than 50 years that could communicate and consent to the present study were enrolled. As a dependent variable, the Chinese version of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE-C) was used to assess the participant's PA levels. Considering differences in sex, a PASE-C score cut-off point of 140 for men and 120 for women was used. Participants were then divided into "active" and "inactive" groups. We measured independent variables consisting of the demographic and clinical characteristics, such as comorbidities measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), depression status measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale-5, body mass index, KOA history (<5, 5-<10, and ≥10 years), knee pain (unilateral or bilateral), the severity of symptoms measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and 6-meter preferred walking speed. Multiple logistic regression was performed to identify significant relationships between PA among people with KOA. Results: We analyzed a total of 188 people with KOA (56 men and 132 women) with a mean age of 69.4 ± 7.9 (range: 51 to 90 years). Approximately 72.9% (n = 137) were categorized as "inactive PA," while 27.1% (n = 51) of participants were categorized as "active PA" (male: 32.1%; female: 25.0%). Multiple logistic regression showed a positive association of 6-meter preferred walking speed with active PA (OR: 7.08; 95% CI:1.14-44.13), whereas advanced age and comorbidity (CCI≥1 vs. CCI<1) were negatively associated with active PA with an OR (95% CI) score of 0.91 (0.86-0.97) and 0.37 (0.15-0.87), respectively. Conclusions: People with KOA require appropriate lifestyle management to increase PA. Walking speed may be an effective factor for predicting PA among people with KOA. Healthcare providers treating KOA patients should be aware of their PA levels, especially those at risk.


Subject(s)
Osteoarthritis, Knee , Humans , Female , Male , Aged , Middle Aged , Osteoarthritis, Knee/epidemiology , Osteoarthritis, Knee/therapy , Osteoarthritis, Knee/complications , Cross-Sectional Studies , Logistic Models , Taiwan/epidemiology , Exercise
12.
ACS Appl Bio Mater ; 5(1): 225-234, 2022 01 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35014814

ABSTRACT

Air plasma and spray technology are common methods for surface modification. In this study, air plasma is used to generate hydroxyl groups on various material surfaces. Then random copolymers of styrene and ethylene glycol methacrylate (PS-r-PEGMA) are spray-coated to achieve coating densities ranging between 0.1 and 0.6 mg/cm2. PS50-r-PEGMA50 led to the best overall antifouling properties, while a coating density of 0.3 mg/cm2 was enough to significantly reduce biofouling. This surface modification technique enabled efficient modification of a wide range of materials and biofouling reduction by at least 75% on polymeric surfaces (polystyrene, polyvinylidene fluoride, poly(tetrafluoroethylene), polydimethylsiloxane), metallic surfaces (steel, titanium alloy), or ceramic surface (glass). Applied to the modification of well plate used for blood-typing, this antifouling modification permitted to greatly increase the signal sensitivity (×4).


Subject(s)
Biofouling , Biofouling/prevention & control , Polymers , Polystyrenes , Titanium , Ultrasonics
13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36612628

ABSTRACT

The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-3 (TIMP3) are not only endogenous regulators of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), but also induce apoptosis and inhibit endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis. The focus of this study was to investigate the relationship between TIMP3 genetic polymorphisms and biochemical recurrence and clinicopathological features of prostate cancer. The TIMP3 rs9619311, rs9862, and rs11547635 genetic polymorphisms were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction to determine their genotypic distributions in 579 patients with prostate cancer. This study found that individuals with the TIMP3 rs9619311 TC or TC + CC genotypes have a significantly higher risk of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer (p = 0.036 and 0.033, respectively). Moreover, in the multivariate analysis, our results showed that pathologic Gleason grade, pathologic T stage, seminal vesicle invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and TIMP3 rs9619311 were associated with increased odds of biochemical recurrence. Patients with a PSA concentration under 7 ng/mL that were found to have the TIMP3 rs9619311 genetic polymorphism were associated with Gleason total score upgrade (p = 0.012) and grade group upgrade (p = 0.023). Compared with the CC homozygous, the TIMP3 rs9862 CT + TT polymorphic variant was found to be associated with clinically advanced tumor stage (p = 0.030) and Gleason total score upgrade (p = 0.002) in prostate cancer patients. In conclusion, the results of our study demonstrated that the TIMP3 rs9619311 genetic polymorphism was significantly associated with susceptibility to biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. TIMP3 genetic polymorphisms, especially rs9619311, can serve as key predictors of biochemical recurrence and disease prognosis of prostate cancer.


Subject(s)
Prostatic Neoplasms , Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-3 , Male , Humans , Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-3/genetics , Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics , Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology , Polymorphism, Genetic , Genotype , Metalloproteases/genetics , Prostate-Specific Antigen
14.
Sci Rep ; 11(1): 19168, 2021 09 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34580404

ABSTRACT

By enhancing vagal activity, auricle transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is developed as a non-invasive therapy for heart failure. Nevertheless, though shoulder TENS used for treating adhesive capsulitis could affect vagal tone, its potential impact on heart functions remains unclear. In this study, electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate (HR) of subjects in response to sham, right-sided, or left-sided shoulder TENS (TENS-S, TENS-R, and TENS-L, respectively; 5 min) were recorded and analyzed. During the stimulation period, TENS-R constantly and TENS-L transiently decreased the HR of subjects; both TENS-R and TENS-L increased powers of the low- and high-frequency spectra. While TENS-R exhibiting no effect, TENS-L increased the ratio of low/high-frequency power spectrum indicating TENS-R decreased the HR through potentiating cardiac vagal tone. Collectively, these results suggest TENS could be an early and non-invasive therapy for heart failure patients before considering implant devices or devices are not feasible; moreover, therapists/physicians need to carefully monitor the potential adverse events during treatment for patient safety.Trial registration: The study protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03982472; 11/06/2019).


Subject(s)
Heart Rate/physiology , Shoulder , Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation/methods , Adult , Electrocardiography , Female , Humans , Male , Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation/adverse effects , Vagus Nerve Stimulation/methods
15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34166195

ABSTRACT

Walking and balance capabilities can be improved upon using repetitive ankle dorsiflexion exercises. Here we developed two types of pedal switches incorporated with training devices to improve their walking and balance performance of children with cerebral palsy. The first type of pedal switch can be used to operate a home appliance, while the second type of pedal switch can connect them to web games. Pedal switches can be used for home rehabilitation. This randomized controlled trial included patients in the intervention (n = 24) and control (n = 24) groups who completed 15 weeks of ankle training. The experimental group performed ankle dorsiflexion using a pressure-activated pedal switch connected to the web games. The control group performed ankle dorsiflexion exercises using a pedal switch that operated a home appliance (a fan). Standing balance and walking performance were estimated using the Zebris FDM system, a pressure force platform, the Pediatric Balance Scale score, and the 1-minute walk test. The pre- and posttest data were analyzed using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance, which revealed that the intervention group had more significant improvements in sway patterns and balance and walking. The developed facility of a modified pedal switch integrated with web games can achieve better exercise adherence to promote balance and walking performance than that with home appliances. Maintaining motivation in children with cerebral palsy plays a very important role in the rehabilitation process.


Subject(s)
Cerebral Palsy , Ankle , Child , Exercise Therapy , Humans , Postural Balance , Walking
16.
Gerontol Geriatr Med ; 7: 23337214211015449, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34104681

ABSTRACT

This pretest-posttest pilot study was to examine the effects of how olfactory stimulation (OS) influenced swallowing function in older adults. Forty-four community-dwelling older residents (24 OS & 20 control) from southern Taiwan were recruited. Participants in the intervention group administered pre-meal OS using odor and flavor inhalation. The study found that physiological responses for different food textures significantly differed between groups at post-test (p ≤ .02). Within the experimental group, swallowing function, and individual satisfaction showed significant differences before and after the odor inhalation over time (p < .01, η p 2 = 0.16-0.33). An individual's satisfaction to their own swallowing capacity was largely enhanced by the significant interaction between time and group (F[1, 42] = 11.34, p = .002, η p 2 = 0.21), but not for physiological response to OS and swallowing function. The results suggest OS may be advantageous to improving physiological response to OS, swallowing function and satisfaction with swallowing capacity in older adults.

17.
Women Health ; 61(6): 581-590, 2021 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34187330

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to assess health concerns after hysterectomy from different perspectives among Taiwanese women with uterine fibroids. A mixed-methods was used in this study. In a cross-sectional study, 95 patients completed a structured questionnaire (Health Concern Questionnaire-HCQ). Face-to-face interviews with 5 patients were implemented for the qualitative component from OBS-GYN outpatient departments at two hospitals in Northern Taiwan. Participants who met the following criteria, 20 years of age or older, conscious alert without mental disturbances were recruited to this study. Descriptive statistics were calculated for social demographic variables and HCQ. A content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The mean age was 46.28 of 95 patients. Findings of the present study showed that the most health concerns among patients with UFs after hysterectomy are hysterectomy-related complications, follow by impacts on daily life, body image and female identity, and intimacy and sexual relations. The findings of qualitative interviews supported the above findings. In addition, the information needs of post-operative self-care were identify in this qualitative interviews. The results of this research study could help healthcare professionals to address women's health concerns and provide adequate care for Taiwanese women with uterine fibroids after hysterectomy.


Subject(s)
Leiomyoma , Uterine Neoplasms , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Hysterectomy , Leiomyoma/surgery , Middle Aged , Surveys and Questionnaires , Uterine Neoplasms/surgery
18.
Life (Basel) ; 11(4)2021 Mar 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33805077

ABSTRACT

Lactic acid bacteria have functions in immunoregulation, antagonism, and pathogen inhibition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in countering oral pathogens and develop related products. After a series of assays to 450 LAB strains, 8 heat-inactivated strains showed a strong inhibitory effect on a caries pathogen, Streptococcus mutans, and 308 heat-inactivated LAB strains showed a strong inhibitory effect on a periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis. The key reasons for inhibiting oral pathogens were bacteriocins produced by LAB and the coaggregation effect of the inactivated cells. We selected Lacticaseibacillus (Lb) paracasei 111 and Lb.paracasei 141, which had the strongest inhibitory effects on the above pathogens, was the main oral health food source. The optimal cultural conditions of Lb. paracasei 111 and Lb. paracasei 141 were studied. An oral tablet with a shelf life of 446 days made of the above strains was developed. A 40 volunteers' clinical study (CSMUH IRB number: CS05065) was conducted with this tablet in the Periodontological Department of the Stomatology Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Chung Shan Medical University (Taiwan). After 8 weeks of testing, 95% and 78.9% of patients showed an effect on reducing periodontal pathogens and improving probing pocket depth, respectively, in the oral tablet group.

20.
Foods ; 10(2)2021 Feb 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33670183

ABSTRACT

After completing the production of preserved eggs, traditionally, the degree of gelling is judged by allowing workers to tap the preserved eggs with their fingers and sense the resulting oscillations. The amount of oscillation is used for the quality classification. This traditional method produces varying results owing to the differences in the sensitivity of the individual workers, who are not objective. In this study, dielectric detection technology was used to classify the preserved eggs nondestructively. The impedance in the frequency range of 2-300 kHz was resolved into resistance and reactance, and was plotted on a Nyquist diagram. Next, the diagram curve was fitted in order to obtain the equivalent circuit, and the difference in the compositions of the equivalent circuits corresponding to gelled and non-gelled preserved eggs was analyzed. A preserved egg can be considered an RLC series circuit, and its decay rate is consistent with the decay rate given by mechanical vibration theory. The Nyquist diagrams for the resistance and reactance of preserved eggs clearly showed that the resistance and reactance of gelled and non-gelled eggs were quite different, and the classification of the eggs was performed using Bayesian network (BN). The results showed that a BN classifier with two variables, i.e., resistance and reactance, can be used to classify preserved eggs as gelled or non-gelled, with an accuracy of 81.0% and a kappa value of 0.62. Thus, a BN classifier based on resistance and reactance demonstrates the ability to classify the quality of preserved egg gel. This research provides a nondestructive method for the inspection of the quality of preserved egg gel, and provides a theoretical basis for the development of an automated preserved egg inspection system that can be used as the scientific basis for the determination of the quality of preserved eggs.

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