Improved Fixation Stability of a Dedicated Rib Fixation System in Flail Chest: A Retrospective Study.

Background and Objectives: Flail chest typically results from major trauma to the thoracic cage and is accompanied by multiple rib fractures. It has been well documented that surgical fixation of rib fractures can decrease both morbidity and mortality rates. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a dedicated APS Rib Fixation System, which features a pre-contoured design based on anatomical rib data of the Asian population. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 43 consecutive patients, who underwent surgical stabilization for flail chest with the traditional Mini bone plate (n = 20), APS plate (n = 13), or Mini + APS (n = 10). Demographic and injury variables were documented. We used X-ray radiography to determine plate fractures and screw dislocations after surgical fixation. Results: No statistical differences were noted in the demographic or injury variables. APS plates demonstrated fewer cases of plate fractures and screw dislocations than Mini plates (OR = 0.091, p = 0.008). Conclusions: The pre-contoured design of the APS plate demonstrated a superior rib implant failure rate as compared to the traditional Mini bone plate. Our study indicates that the APS plate may serve as an effective surgical tool for the treatment of flail chest.

Up-regulation of proactive control is associated with beneficial effects of a childhood gymnastics program on response preparation and working memory.

The current study focused on the effects of an 8-week motor skill-based physical activity (i.e., gymnastics) program on the contingent negative variation derived from event-related brain potentials (CNV-ERP) during a working memory task in children. Children aged 7-10 years old were assigned to a gymnastics group (n = 26) or a wait-list control group (n = 24). The gymnastics group engaged in a gymnastics program whereas children in the control group were asked to maintain their typical routine during the intervention period. Working memory performance was measured by a delayed-matching working memory task, accompanied by CNV-ERP collection. The results revealed significant improvement of response accuracy from pre-test to post-test in the gymnastic group regardless of memory demands. Moreover, significant increase from pre-test to post-test in the initial CNV was observed in the gymnastic group regardless of memory demands. Bivariate correlations further indicated that, in the gymnastic group, increases in response accuracy from pre-test to post-test were correlated with increases in initial CNV from pre-test to post-test in task conditions with lower and higher memory loads. Overall, the current findings suggest that up-regulation of proactive control may characterize the beneficial effects of childhood motor skill-based physical activity on working memory.

Using a Cellular System to Directly Assess the Effects of Cosmetic Microemulsion Encapsulated DeoxyArbutin.

DeoxyArbutin (dA) is a tyrosinase inhibitor that has effective skin-lightening activity and has no obvious cytotoxicity toward melanocytes. With the aim of directly evaluating the effects of microemulsions containing dA on cells, we developed oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsions with relatively lower cytotoxicities by using polysorbate-series surfactants. Measurement of the transparent properties and particle size analysis at different storage time periods revealed that the developed microemulsions were stable. Moreover, the developed microemulsions had direct effects on B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells. The anti-melanogenesis activities of dA-containing microemulsions were evidently better than that of the free dA group. The results demonstrated that the developed microemulsion encapsulating dA may allow the use of deoxyArbutin instead of hydroquinone to treat dermal hyperpigmentation disorders in the future.

Human Microfibrillar-Associated Protein 4 (MFAP4) Gene Promoter: A TATA-Less Promoter That Is Regulated by Retinol and Coenzyme Q10 in Human Fibroblast Cells.

Elastic fibers are one of the major structural components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in human connective tissues. Among these fibers, microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is one of the most important microfibril-associated glycoproteins. MFAP4 has been found to bind with elastin microfibrils and interact directly with fibrillin-1, and then aid in elastic fiber formation. However, the regulations of the human MFAP4 gene are not so clear. Therefore, in this study, we firstly aimed to analyze and identify the promoter region of the human MFAP4 gene. The results indicate that the human MFAP4 promoter is a TATA-less promoter with tissue- and species-specific properties. Moreover, the promoter can be up-regulated by retinol and coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) in Detroit 551 cells.

Preparation and Evaluation of Novel Transfersomes Combined with the Natural Antioxidant Resveratrol.

Resveratrol (tran-3,5,4'-trihydroxystibene, RSV) is a kind of polyphenol which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-allergy, and anti-cancer properties, as well as being a scavenger of free radicals and preventing cardiovascular diseases. However, it is quite unstable in light, heat, and other conditions, and decays easily due to environmental factors. For these reasons, this study used a new type of carrier, transfersome, to encapsulate RSV. Transfersome consists of phosphatidyl choline (PC) from a liposomal system and non-ionic edge activators (EA). EA are an important ingredient in the formulation of transfersome; they can enhance the flexibility of the lipid bimolecular membrane of transfersome. Due to its ultradeformability, it also allows drugs to penetrate the skin, even through the stratum corneum. We hope that this new encapsulation technique will improve the stability and enhance the permeability of RSV. Concluding all the tested parameters, the best production condition was 5% PC/EA (3:1) and 5% ethanol in distilled water, with an ultrasonic bath and stirring at 500 rpm, followed by high pressure homogenization. The optimal particle size was 40.13 ± 0.51 nm and the entrapment efficiency (EE) was 59.93 ± 0.99%. The results of antioxidant activity analysis showed that transfersomes were comparable to the RSV group (unencapsulated). During in vitro transdermal delivery analysis, after 6 h, D1-20(W) increased 27.59% by accumulation. Cell viability assay showed that the cytotoxicity of D3-80(W) was reduced by 34.45% compared with the same concentration of RSV. Therefore, we successfully prepared RSV transfersomes and also improved the stability, solubility, and safety of RSV.

Fabrication of Zinc Oxide-Based Thin-Film Transistors by Radio Frequency Sputtering for Ultraviolet Sensing Applications.

In this study, zinc indium tin oxide thin-film transistors (ZITO TFTs) were fabricated by the radio frequency (RF) sputtering deposition method. Adding indium cations to ZnO by co-sputtering allows the development of ZITO TFTs with improved performance. Material characterization revealed that ZITO TFTs have a threshold voltage of 0.9 V, a subthreshold swing of 0.294 V/decade, a field-effect mobility of 5.32 cm2/Vs, and an on-off ratio of 4.7 × 105. Furthermore, an investigation of the photosensitivity of the fabricated devices was conducted by an illumination test. The responsivity of ZITO TFTs was 26 mA/W, with 330-nm illumination and a gate bias of -1 V. The UV-to-visible rejection ratio for ZITO TFTs was 2706. ZITO TFTs were observed to have greater UV light sensitivity than that of ZnO TFTs. We believe that these results suggest a significant step toward achieving high photosensitivity. In addition, the ZITO semiconductor system could be a promising candidate for use in high performance transparent TFTs, as well as further sensing applications.

KCNQ1 variants associate with hypertension in type 2 diabetes and affect smooth muscle contractility in vitro.

KCNQ1 encodes a potassium voltage-gated channel and represents a susceptibility locus for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we explored the association between KCNQ1 polymorphisms and hypertension risk in individuals with T2DM, as well as the role of KCNQ1 in vascular smooth muscle cell contraction in vitro. To investigate the relationship between KCNQ1 and the risk of developing hypertension in patients with T2DM, we divided the T2DM cohort into hypertension (n = 452) and non-hypertension (n = 541) groups. The Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and multivariate regression analyses were used to assess the clinical characteristics and genotypic frequencies. In vitro studies utilized the rat aortic smooth muscle A10 cell line. Patients in the hypertension group were significantly older at the time of enrollment and had higher levels of body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, and triglyceride than those in the non-hypertension group. The KCNQ1 rs3864884 and rs12576239 genetic variants were associated with hypertension in T2DM. KCNQ1 expression was lower in the individuals with the CC versus the CT and TT genotypes. Smooth muscle cell contractility was inhibited by treatment with a KCNQ1 inhibitor. These results suggest that KCNQ1 might be associated with hypertension in individuals with T2DM.

Alcohol-Related Dementia: A Systemic Review of Epidemiological Studies.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related dementia (ARD) is a heterogeneous long-term cognitive problem that can develop in the course of alcoholism. Current understanding of ARD remains limited. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to synthesize available data on the epidemiology of ARD, through searching the relevant studies in the PubMed, PsycINFO, and ALOIS. "Alcohol" and "dementia" were used as keywords. RESULTS: We included articles published between January 1, 1991 and February 29, 2016, where language was not limited. Of the 9 identified articles, the prevalence of ARD ranged from 1.19/1000 in multiday admission patients residing in the United Kingdom to 25.6% in elderly clinic alcoholics from the United States. The proportion of ARD in early-onset dementia taken from 3 studies was approximately 10%, whereas only 1.28% in late-onset dementia taken from 1 study. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the relatively high proportion of ARD in early-onset dementia and its potentially reversible course, future investigation into ARD is necessary.

Study of Hydroquinone Mediated Cytotoxicity and Hypopigmentation Effects from UVB-Irradiated Arbutin and DeoxyArbutin.

Arbutin (Arb) and deoxyArbutin (dA) are both effective hypopigmentation agents. However, they are glucoside derivatives of hydroquinone (HQ), which may be decayed into HQ under higher energy environments. Therefore, safety and toxicity are very important issues when considering the usage of these compounds. However, no study has verified the properties of Ultra-Violet B (UVB)-irradiated Arb and dA. In this work, we investigated the cytotoxicity and hypopigmentation effects of UVB-irradiated Arb and dA in Detroit 551 human fibroblast cells and B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells. The results showed that UVB-irradiated Arb and dA have strong cytotoxicity for the fibroblast cells, especially for dA, the caspase-3 is also activated by the treatment of UVB-irradiated dA in Detroit 551 cells. The results correlated with the produced HQ. In addition, UVB-irradiated Arb and dA suppressed the production of melanin in melanoma cells; this is due to the release of HQ that compensates for the UVB triggered Arb and dA decomposition.

Curcumin enhances the production of major structural components of elastic fibers, elastin, and fibrillin-1, in normal human fibroblast cells.

Curcumin is the major component of the yellow extract derived from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa, which is also a main bioactive polyphenol and has been generally used as a spice, food additive, and herbal medicine. In this presented study, we found that curcumin can enhance the production of major structural components of elastic fibers, elastin, and fibrillin-1, in normal human fibroblast cells via increasing ELN and FBN1 promoters' activities. With 2 µM curcumin treatment, the enhanced tropoelastin and fibrillin-1 protein amounts in Detroit 551 cells were approximately 134 and 130% of control, respectively. Therefore, our results demonstrated that curcumin may be used as a functional compound and applied to drugs, foods, and cosmetics in the future.

Development of inhibition of return for eye gaze in adolescents.

Gaze is an important cue in social interaction. Gaze direction can attract attention and produce a cuing effect as well as cause inhibition of return (IOR)--a slower response to an item at a previously attended-to location. Because gaze cue is sensitive to an individual's social interaction ability and such ability matures in adolescents, we examined how social attention by gaze cue varies with age. Three typically developing groups-ages 6 to 8, 9 to 12, and 13 to 15 years--were recruited. Each age group had 27 participants. Three main findings were observed. First, younger participants generated greater cuing effects than older ones. Second, reliable gaze-induced IOR was observed only in the 9- to 12-year and 13- to 15--year age groups, whereas the 6- to 8-year age group paid attention to gaze direction regardless of cue duration. Third, the 13- to 15-year age group showed gaze-induced IOR earlier (1200 ms) in the time course than expected (2400 ms). Our results suggest that the inhibition mechanism develops later than the facilitation mechanism in social attention.

Hair dyes resorcinol and lawsone reduce production of melanin in melanoma cells by tyrosinase activity inhibition and decreasing tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression.

Hair coloring products are one of the most important cosmetics for modern people; there are three major types of hair dyes, including the temporary, semi-permanent and permanent hair dyes. The selected hair dyes (such as ammonium persulfate, sodium persulfate, resorcinol and lawsone) are the important components for hair coloring products. Therefore, we analyzed the effects of these compounds on melanogenesis in B16-F10 melanoma cells. The results proved that hair dyes resorcinol and lawsone can reduce the production of melanin. The results also confirmed that resorcinol and lawsone inhibit mushroom and cellular tyrosinase activities in vitro. Resorcinol and lawsone can also downregulate the protein levels of tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) in B16-F10 cells. Thus, we suggest that frequent use of hair dyes may have the risk of reducing natural melanin production in hair follicles. Moreover, resorcinol and lawsone may also be used as hypopigmenting agents to food, agricultural and cosmetic industry in the future.

Asthma in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Asthma symptoms can interrupt daily activities, disturb sleep, and increase the risk of a child having an attention deficit or irritability, which also are symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the association between ADHD and asthma. This study investigates the possible correlation between asthma and ADHD. METHODS: We retrieved data on 221,068 pediatric patients from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database in 2005, and calculated the prevalence and risk factors of allergic diseases among ADHD patients. RESULTS: The prevalence of asthma in the ADHD group, compared with the control group, was 4.3 fold higher in the age 12 to 17 subgroup (95% CI, 1.71 to 10.6), 1.5-fold higher in males (95% CI, 1.05 to 2.03), and 1.6-fold higher for children living in urban areas (95% CI, 1.12 to 2.28). Multivariate logistic regression models showed the odds ratio of asthma for children with ADHD was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.95) as compared with children without ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric ADHD was associated positively with asthma, but the underlying mechanisms require further clarification.

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in major depressive disorder: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common physical disease among psychiatric patients. OBJECTIVE: We conducted this study to investigate the prevalence and risk of GERD in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in Taiwan. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The study subjects included 4790 patients with MDD and 728,749 people in the general population during 2005. Distributions of GERD as well as age, gender, income, region of residence, and medical comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal disease, hyperlipidemia, and ischemic heart disease, in the 2 groups were examined by χ(2)-tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between MDD and GERD. RESULTS: The 1-year prevalence rates of GERD in patients with MDD and the general population were 3.75% and 1.05%, respectively. The prevalence rate of GERD was significantly higher in patients with MDD in all age, sex, insurance amount, region, and urbanicity subgroups (all p < 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients with MDD were significantly associated with an increased rate for GERD ([Odds Ratio] = 3.16; 95% Confidence Interval = 2.71-3.68; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of GERD was significantly higher in patients with MDD. In clinical practice, psychiatrists should pay attention to the possibility of GERD symptoms, such as heartburn, regurgitation, or dysphagia, and should consider consulting Gastroenterology specialists when clinically indicated.

Effect of Vetiveria zizanioides essential oil on melanogenesis in melanoma cells: downregulation of tyrosinase expression and suppression of oxidative stress.

The major objective of this study was to estimate the hypopigmentation function of the essential oil from Vetiveria zizanioides (VZ-EO). Our results indicated that VZ-EO exhibits potent lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity to moderate the bleaching of ß-carotene and to maintain the cellular glutathione (GSH) levels. VZ-EO can markedly decrease melanin production and tyrosinase activity in α-melanin-stimulating-hormone- (α-MSH-) stimulated B16 cells. The effect of VZ-EO on melanogenesis is achieved by the suppression of cellular tyrosinase expression. The results demonstrated that the activity of VZ-EO on melanogenesis might be the result of its potent antioxidative ability, which was reflected in the decreased cellular oxidant and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and the recovered activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT) in α-MSH-stimulated B16 cells. The most abundant compound in VZ-EO is cedr-8-en-13-ol (12.4%), which has a strong capability to inhibit lipid peroxidation. Therefore, VZ-EO has the potential to become an ingredient in future hypopigmentation drugs, foods, and cosmetics.

Hispolon decreases melanin production and induces apoptosis in melanoma cells through the downregulation of tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expressions and the activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9.

Hispolon is one of the most important functional compounds that forms Phellinus linteus (Berkeley & Curtis) Teng. Hispolon has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and anticancer effects. In this study, we analyzed the functions of hispolon on melanogenesis and apoptosis in B16-F10 melanoma cells. The results demonstrated that hispolon is not an enzymatic inhibitor for tyrosinase; rather, it represses the expression of tyrosinase and the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) to reduce the production of melanin in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-stimulated B16-F10 cells at lower concentrations (less than 2 µM). In contrast, at higher concentration (greater than 10 µM), hispolon can induce activity of caspase-3, -8 and -9 to trigger apoptosis of B16-F10 cells but not of Detroit 551 normal fibroblast cells. Therefore, we suggest that hispolon has the potential to treat hyperpigmentation diseases and melanoma skin cancer in the future.

Effects of Danshensu and Salvianolic Acid B from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Lamiaceae) on cell proliferation and collagen and melanin production.

Danshensu (DSU) and salvianolic acid B (SAB) are the primary water-soluble compounds of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Lamiaceae). In this study, we analyzed the effects of DSU, SAB and a S. miltiorrhiza extract (SME) on cell proliferation. Additionally, the effects of DSU and SAB on collagen synthesis in Detroit 551 human normal fibroblast cells and on melanin production in B16 melanoma cells were verified. The results demonstrated that SME can enhance the proliferation of Detroit 551 cells and that this boost may be caused by DSU and SAB. This research showed that SME, DSU and SAB all have the ability to increase the production of collagen in Detroit 551 cells. The results also confirmed that DSU and SAB can attenuate the α-MSH-stimulated melanin production of B16 cells by inhibiting tyrosinase activity. Therefore, SME, DSU and SAB each have the potential to be utilized as active ingredients in wound healing or cosmetic treatments. In the future, DSU and SAB could also be used as functional components for treating hyperpigmentation.

Synthesis and bioactivity of ß-(1→4)-linked oligomannoses and partially acetylated derivatives.

The synthesis of ß-(1→4)-linked hexa- to octamannoses and their partially acetylated derivatives was efficiently carried out by assembly of appropriate oligomeric fragments using ß-selective glucosylation followed by gluco to manno epimerization at a late stage of the synthetic pathway. In the course of this study, we also observed that 2-O-acetylated oligomannoses coexisted in equilibrium with the 3-O-acetylated isomers due to intramolecular migration of the acetyl group. Bioactivity of the synthetic oligomannoses and partially acetylated derivatives was investigated in order to identify the possible smallest oligomer for induction of cytokines as that shown in the polysaccharides extracted from Dendrobium huoshanense.

Comparative study on the photostability of arbutin and deoxy arbutin: sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation and enhanced photostability by the water-soluble sunscreen, benzophenone-4.

Arbutin and deoxy arbutin may release hydroquinone under some conditions. We therefore investigated the photostability of arbutin and deoxy arbutin in an aqueous solution. The results revealed arbutin and deoxy arbutin to be photolabile in an aqueous solution. Deoxy arbutin was less stable than arbutin when exposed to UV radiation. The hydroquinone concentration was also increased during the radiation period in both solutions. Benzophenone-4 could clearly improve the photostability of arbutin during the period of UV radiation, but only slightly enhance the photostability of deoxy arbutin.

Prevalence of allergic rhinitis in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a population-based study.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is common in children. Characteristic symptoms of AR may result in daytime inattention, irritability, and hyperactivity, which are also components of ADHD. Conflicting data in previous studies exist regarding the relationship between ADHD and AR. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk of AR in ADHD patients in Taiwan. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The study subjects included 469 patients who received psychiatric care for ADHD in 2005 and the general population (n = 220,599). Distributions of age, gender, and living areas as well as allergic diseases in the general population and in the ADHD group were examined by χ2 tests. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the risk factors of AR. The prevalence of AR in ADHD group and the general population was 28.4 and 15.2%, respectively. The prevalence of asthma was 9.6% in ADHD group and 6.4% in the general population. Both the prevalence of AR (p < 0.001) and asthma (p = 0.008) was significantly higher in ADHD group than the general population. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ADHD patients had an increased rate of AR than general population (OR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.48-2.27; p < 0.0001), and asthma was strongly associated with AR (OR = 9.28; 95% CI = 8.95-9.63; p < 0.0001). Our data showed that ADHD patients had an increased rate of AR. Therefore, psychiatrists should be more aware of the comorbidity of AR when treating ADHD patients.