Effects of direct-acting antiviral therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and concomitant hepatitis C-A population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed real-world data to elucidate the effects of anti-Hepatitis C virus (HCV) direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy on survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and concomitant HCV infection treated with sorafenib. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and the Registration System for Patients Treated with Oral Hepatitis C Antivirals to identify patients with advanced HCC and concomitant HCV infection who received initial targeted therapy (sorafenib) in 2018-2019. The overall survival (OS) of the DAA and non-DAA groups were compared using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Propensity score matching was performed using a ratio of 1:4 to reduce confounding between the DAA and non-DAA groups. RESULTS: The study included 1,684 patients (122 DAA and 1,562 non-DAA users) with HCC and concomitant HCV infection who used sorafenib for the first time in 2018-2019. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that advanced HCC patients who used DAAs had longer OS compared to non-DAA patients. The mean survival times were 20.7 months for DAA and 12.5 months for non-DAA. Results obtained after propensity matching indicated a significant difference in OS between the DAA and non-DAA groups. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of big data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database revealed that advanced HCC patients on sorafenib benefited from DAAs as a treatment for HCV infection. Patients whose HCV infection was cured had better OS.

A magneto-microfluidic platform for fluorescence immunosensing using quantum dot nanoparticles.

This study reports the online fluorescent detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) biomarker proteins in microfluidic channels using functional nanoparticles. Functional magnetic nanoparticles labeled with two antibodies were predeposited on separated microfluidic channels. Antigens were passed through each microfluidic channel to react with the respective antibodies. Two types of fluorescent nanoparticles labeled with antibodies were then used to detect and confirm antigens in the immunocomplex. Results indicate that online fluorescent detection of proteins can provide advantages for real-time monitoring and diagnostic applications. The running time was less than 20 min for each trial. The detection limits of CEA and AFP were found to be 0.6 and 0.2 pg ml-1. These detection limits are lower than those of ELISA. The linear ranges of CEA and AFP detection were from 1.8 pg ml-1 to 1.8 ng ml-1 and from 0.68 pg ml-1 to 0.68 ng ml-1 for two deposition zones in a magnetic sandwich immunoassay. The linear ranges of this method are wider than those of ELISA and those of most other methods. The measurements of CEA and AFP in serum samples from this method differed from ELISA results by 11% and 9.4%, respectively. The detection limit of online detection has achieved the same range as those of previous offline detection. This method has a good potential for automation and multichannel analysis to increase the throughput with some modifications in the future. The proposed method can provide simple, fast, and sensitive online detection for biomarkers.

VE/VCO2 Slope and Functional Capacity in Patients Post-Heart Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The ventilatory efficiency represented cardiovascular, pulmonary, and musculoskeletal performance into an integrate index has been used as long-term and short-term prognostic variables in congestive heart failure. The heart failure patients post heart transplantation, whether the ventilatory efficiency was also normalized is still unknown. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. We measured ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope and oxygen consumption in peak exercise (peak VO2) by cardiopulmonary exercise test, which represented ventilatory efficiency and functional capacity respectively. Strength of hand grip, the 30-second chair stand test, and 6-minute walking test were also evaluated. Patients with ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope <30 were defined as the normal group; others were defined as the abnormal group. Independent t tests and paired t tests were used when appropriate. The level of statistical significance was set at .05. RESULTS: There were 51 clinically stable post-heart transplantation patients (age 53 ± 12.4 years; 86.3% were male) at 65.14 ± 41.17 months after transplantation. The ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope was 29.2 ± 5.6, which significantly improved compared to that recorded 1 month after heart transplantation (32.6 ± 6.4). There were 20 patients in the abnormal group, characterized by lower 6-minute walking test distance (normal vs abnormal, 422.5 ± 97.8 vs 532.6 ± 87.6 m) and peak VO2 (normal vs abnormal, 14.9 ± 5.3 vs 18.8 ± 5.1 mL/kg/min). The abnormal ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope was significantly correlated with 6-minute walking test distances in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope is partially abnormal among patients post-heart transplantation. A ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope above the normal range is characterized by a lower peak VO2 during cardiopulmonary exercise test and lower 6-minute walking test distance. The ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope is also significantly negatively correlated with peak VO2, peak work rate, and 6-minute walking test distance. The prognostic utility of the ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope for patients post-heart transplantation requires further investigation.

Oxygen Consumption at Anaerobic Threshold Predicts Cardiac Events After Heart Transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: The ventilatory efficiency and functional capacity measured by the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) have been used as important prognostic variables in congestive heart failure. This study sought to identify whether these predictors before heart transplantation (HTX) play a key role in predicting adverse events in patients with heart failure after HTX. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study design. HTX recipients were included for analysis. Ventilation to carbon dioxide production slope (VE/VCO2 slope) and oxygen consumption (VO2) during exercise were collected by CPET, which represented ventilator efficiency and functional capacity respectively. Cardiac-related events 2 years after HTX were recorded by chart review. We divided patients into 2 groups based on VE/VCO2 slope = 34, peak VO2 = 14 mL/kg/min and VO2 at aerobic threshold (AT) = 11 mL/kg/min. Kaplan-Meier survival curves was used to represent the events rate between groups and Log rank test was used to test significance. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients after HTX were included. Mean (SD) age was 48 (11) years and 73 were male; 28 subjects suffered from events, and 76 cardiac events were recorded. The mean (SD) data of peak VO2, VO2 at AT, and VE/VCO2 slope analyzed from CPET were 17.8 (5.6) mL/kg/min, 15.4 (4.4) mL/kg/min, and 33.1 (8.2) mL/kg/min, respectively. Lower VO2 at AT contributed to increase events rate (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Aerobic capacity may better predict 2-year cardiac events in patients after HTX. Strategies to improve aerobic capacity should be focused on in the cohort.

Magnetofluorescent nanocomposites and quantum dots used for optimal application in magnetic fluorescence-linked immunoassay.

Magnetofluorescent nanocomposites with optimal magnetic and fluorescent properties were prepared and characterized by combining magnetic nanoparticles (iron oxide@polymethyl methacrylate) with fluorescent nanoparticles (rhodamine 6G@mSiO2). Experimental parameters were optimized to produce nanocomposites with high magnetic susceptibility and fluorescence intensity. The detection of a model biomarker (alpha-fetoprotein) was used to demonstrate the feasibility of applying the magnetofluorescent nanocomposites combined with quantum dots and using magnetic fluorescence-linked immunoassay. The magnetofluorescent nanocomposites enable efficient mixing, fast re-concentration, and nanoparticle quantization for optimal reactions. Biofunctional quantum dots were used to confirm the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) content in sandwich immunoassay after mixing and washing. The analysis time was only one third that required in ELISA. The detection limit was 0.2 pg mL-1, and the linear range was 0.68 pg mL-1-6.8 ng mL-1. This detection limit is lower, and the linear range is wider than those of ELISA and other methods. The measurements made using the proposed method differed by less than 13% from those obtained using ELISA for four AFP concentrations (0.03, 0.15, 0.75, and 3.75 ng mL-1). The proposed method has a considerable potential for biomarker detection in various analytical and biomedical applications. Graphical abstract Magnetofluorescent nanocomposites combined with fluorescent quantum dots were used in magnetic fluorescence-linked immunoassay.

TCF7 is suppressed by the androgen receptor via microRNA-1-mediated downregulation and is involved in the development of resistance to androgen deprivation in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Resistance to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) represents a key step in the malignant progression of prostate cancer, and mutation to androgen receptor (AR) is one major driver to an androgen-independent phenotype. However, alternative oncogenic pathways that bypass AR signaling have emerged as an important mechanism promoting resistance to ADT. It is known that AR activation can prevent the interaction between ß-catenin and T cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (TCF/LEF) family, inhibiting the Wnt signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to determine the role of transcription factor 7 (TCF7), a transcription factor best known as a Wnt effector that forms a complex with ß-catenin, in the development of advanced prostate cancer. We further investigated the molecular mechanisms by which TCF7 is induced when AR signaling is inactivated. METHODS: A novel AR signaling pathway that induces microRNA-1 (miR-1) to suppress metastatic prostate cancer was recently demonstrated (AR-miR-1 signaling axis), and its regulation of Wnt signaling was explored in the current study. Clinical data sets were analyzed for potential targets of AR-miR-1 signaling in the TCF/LEF family, and tissue samples were utilized to validate the relationship. The molecular mechanism and biological functions were demonstrated in prostate cancer cell lines and a mouse xenograft model. RESULTS: We demonstrated a molecular mechanism of AR signaling suppressing TCF7 partly through miR-1-mediated downregulation. TCF7 exhibited oncogenic properties and compromised the tumor-suppressive effects of miR-1. Our results also showed that overexpression of TCF7 or disruption of miR-1 function promoted androgen-independent proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that the AR-miR-1 axis negatively regulates the novel oncogenic factor, TCF7. Dysregulation of TCF7 promoted a survival advantage and resistance to androgen deprivation, suggesting its therapeutic potential for castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Sensorimotor and visual perceptual functioning in school-aged children with Williams syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to describe sensorimotor profile and visual perceptual performance in school-aged (6-12 years) children with Williams syndrome (WS). The impacts of sensorimotor and visual perception on participation in WS were examined as well to guide research and evidence-based practices. METHODS: A total of 38 children with WS aged 6 to 12 years were evaluated with measures of motor performance (Bruininks-Oseretsky of Motor Proficiency-Second Edition), sensory processing (Sensory Profile), visual perceptual abilities (Test of Visual Perception Skills-Third Edition) and activity participation (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, School Function Assessment). RESULTS: Children with WS performed significantly less well on all sensorimotor and visual perceptual measures, and 71% of children scored in the impaired range on six or more (one third of ) out of 18 measures. They had weaker fine motor skills than gross motor skills. Sensory modulation was the most impaired among the sensory processing functions. Visual perceptions were all moderately impaired. All the sensorimotor measures and visual perceptual functions correlated to the cognitive functions (IQ) and linked to activity participation measures in WS. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings characterised the profiles of body functions (sensorimotor functions and visual organisation) of children with DS, and revealed their correlations with activity participation. Interventions focused on improving body functions are needed while stressing the acquisition of functional skills that increase participation in age-appropriate activities.

KLF4 functions as an activator of the androgen receptor through reciprocal feedback.

In prostate cancer, Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) depletion occurs frequently, suggesting a role as suppressor tumor. KLF4 is a transcription factor associated with androgen receptor (AR) expression; however, its cellular functions and signaling regulation mechanism remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that activated AR binds to the KLF4 promoter and enhances KLF4 expression, which reciprocally targets the AR promoter, thus sustaining KLF4 activity. Ectopic KLF4 expression in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells induced AR expression and decreased cell proliferation, invasion and bone metastasis. We previously showed that increased microRNA (miR)-1 expression is associated with reduced bone metastasis of prostate cancer cells. Here we observed that KLF4 targets the primary miR-1-2 stem-loop promoter and stimulates miR-1 expression. In clinical prostate cancer specimens, KLF4 levels were positively correlated with miR-1 and AR levels. These data suggest that the loss of KLF4 expression is one mechanistic link between aggressive prostate cancer progression and low canonical AR output through miR-1 inactivation.

Detection of c-reactive protein based on a magnetic immunoassay by using functional magnetic and fluorescent nanoparticles in microplates.

We report the preparation and application of biofunctional nanoparticles to detect C-reactive protein (CRP) in magnetic microplates. A CRP model biomarker was used to test the proposed detection method. Biofunctional magnetic nanoparticles, CRP, and biofunctional fluorescent nanoparticles were used in a sandwich nanoparticle immunoassay. The CRP concentrations in the samples were deduced from the reference plot, using the fluorescence intensity of the sandwich nanoparticle immunoassay. When biofunctional nanoparticles were used to detect CRP, the detection limit was 1.0 ng ml(-1) and the linear range was between 1.18 ng ml(-1) and 11.8 µg ml(-1). The results revealed that the method involving biofunctional nanoparticles exhibited a lower detection limit and a wider linear range than those of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and most other methods. For CRP measurements of serum samples, the differences between this method and ELISA in CRP measurements of serum samples were less than 13%. The proposed method can reduce the analysis time to one-third that of ELISA. This method demonstrates the potential to replace ELISA for rapidly detecting biomarkers with a low detection limit and a wide dynamic range.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) gene are associated with growth-related traits in farmed Atlantic salmon.

Understanding the genetic basis of variation in traits related to growth and fillet quality in Atlantic salmon is of importance to the aquaculture industry. Several growth-related QTL have been identified via the application of genetic markers. The IGF1 gene is considered a highly conserved and crucial growth-regulating gene in salmonid species. However, the association between polymorphisms in the IGF1 gene and growth-related traits in Atlantic salmon is unknown. Therefore, in this study, regions of the Atlantic salmon IGF1 gene were sequenced, aligned and compared across individuals. Three SNPs were identified in the putative promoter (SNP1, g.5763G>T; GenBank no. AGKD01012745), intron 1 (SNP2, g.7292C>T; GenBank no. AGKD01012745) and intron 3 (SNP3, g.4671A>C; GenBank no. AGKD01133398) regions respectively. These SNPs were genotyped in a population of 4800 commercial Atlantic salmon with data on several weight and fillet traits measured at harvest (at approximately 3 years of age). In a mixed model, association analysis of individual SNPs, SNP1 and SNP3 were both significantly associated with several weight traits (P < 0.05). The estimated additive effect on overall harvest weight was approximately 35 and 110 g for SNPs 1 and 3 respectively. A haplotype analysis confirmed the association between genetic variation in the IGF1 gene with overall body weight (P < 0.05) and fillet component traits (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest the identified nucleotide polymorphisms of the IGF1 gene may either affect farmed Atlantic salmon growth directly or be in population-wide linkage disequilibrium with causal variation, highlighting their possible utility as candidates for marker-assisted selection in the aquaculture industry.

Prognostic value of oxygen consumption and ventilatory equivalent slope in female candidates referred for heart transplantation--experience of a single Asian center.

BACKGROUND: Ventilatory equivalent (ventilation/CO2 production, VE/VCO2) slope has been suggested to be a much more accurate predicator than peak oxygen consumption (VO2) during exercise for prognosis in patients with heart failure. However, patients tested were predominately male. METHODS: To investigate whether peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 slope predict the prognosis of female patients with heart failure, we retrospectively collected data of 39 female candidates referred for heart transplantation (HTx) from 2004 to 2011. Both peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 slope were obtained from the results of an exercise pulmonary function test. The outcome was death or mechanical devices implantation or HTx. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Mean age and heart failure survival score were 55.8 ± 13.7 years and 7.3 ± 0.7, respectively. Each increment of VE/VCO2 slope decreased 2-year event-free rate (odds ratio [OR] = 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.79 to 0.98) in the female group. The predictions of VE/VCO2 slope for 1-year event-free survival did not reach statistical significance (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.84 to 1.00). On the other hand, peak VO2 was not a strong predictor for 1- and 2-year event-free survival (OR = 1.22 and 1.16, 95% CI = 0.96 to 1.55 and 0.94 to 1.44, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Impairment in exercise ventilation holds a clinical and long-term prognostic impact in female patients with heart failure. The role of peak VO2 during exercise in prognostic prediction among the cohort should be further investigated.

Pneumonia caused by Aeromonas species in Taiwan, 2004-2011.

We investigated the clinical characteristics of patients with pneumonia caused by Aeromonas species. Patients with pneumonia caused by Aeromonas species during the period 2004 to 2011 were identified from a computerized database of a regional hospital in southern Taiwan. The medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Of the 84 patients with pneumonia due to Aeromonas species, possible Aeromonas pneumonia was diagnosed in 58 patients, probable Aeromonas pneumonia was diagnosed in 18 patients, and pneumonia due to Aeromonas was conclusively diagnosed in 8 patients. Most of the cases of Aeromonas pneumonia developed in men and in patients of advanced age. A. hydrophila (n = 50, 59.5 %) was the most common pathogen, followed by A. caviae (n = 24, 28.6 %), A. veronii biovar sobria (n = 7, 8.3 %), and A. veronii biovar veronii (n = 3, 3.6 %). Cancer (n = 37, 44.0 %) was the most common underlying disease, followed by diabetes mellitus (n = 27, 32.1 %). Drowning-associated pneumonia developed in 6 (7.1 %) patients. Of 47 patients who were admitted to the intensive care ward, 42 patients developed acute respiratory failure and 24 of those patients died. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was significantly associated with liver cirrhosis, cancer, initial presentation of shock, and usage of mechanical ventilation. In conclusion, Aeromonas species should be considered as one of the causative pathogens of severe pneumonia, especially in immunocompromised patients, and should be recognized as a cause of drowning-associated pneumonia. Cirrhosis, cancer, and shock as the initial presenting symptom are associated with poor outcome.

Endoplasmic reticulum ribosome-binding protein 1 (RRBP1) overexpression is frequently found in lung cancer patients and alleviates intracellular stress-induced apoptosis through the enhancement of GRP78.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths and is the most occurring malignancy worldwide. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in lung tumorigenesis will greatly improve therapy. During early tumorigenesis, rapid proliferating tumor cells require increased activity of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for protein synthesis, folding and secretion, thereby are subjected to ER stress. Ribosome-binding protein 1 (RRBP1) was originally identified as a ribosome-binding protein located on the rough ER and associated with unfolding protein response (UPR). In this report, we investigated the role of RRBP1 in lung cancer. RRBP1 was highly expressed in lung cancer tissue, as compared with adjacent normal tissues as assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using lung cancer tissue array (n=87). Knockdown of RRBP1 by short-hairpin RNAs caused ER stress and significantly reduced cell viability and tumorigenicity. This effect was associated with a significant reduction in the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). UPR regulator GRP78, an anti-apoptotic protein that is widely upregulated in cancer, has a critical role in chemotherapy resistance in some cancers. According to our results, cells with a higher level of RRBP1 were more resistant to ER stress. Ectopic expression of RRBP1 alleviated apoptosis that was induced by the ER-stress agent tunicamycin, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) or doxorubicin via enhancing GRP78 protein expression. A strong correlation was observed between the expression of RRBP1 and GRP78 in tumor biopsies using the database GSE10072. Our results also indicated that RRBP1 may involve in the regulation of mRNA stability of UPR components including ATF6 and GRP78. Taken together, RRBP1 could alleviate ER stress and help cancer cell survive. RRBP1 is critical for tumor cell survival, which may make it a useful target in lung cancer treatment and a candidate for the development of new targeted therapeutics.

Prediction of nodal metastasis in head and neck cancer using a 3T MRI ADC map.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The detection of cervical nodal metastases is important for the prognosis and treatment of head and neck tumors. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of ADC values at 3T to distinguish malignant from benign lymph nodes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 2009 to June 2010, twenty-two patients (21 men and 1 woman; mean age, 49.8±9.5 years; age range, 28-66 years) scheduled for surgical treatment of biopsy-proved head and neck cancer were prospectively and consecutively enrolled in this study. All patients were scanned on a 3T imaging unit (Verio) by using a 12-channel head coil combined with a 4-channel neck coil. Histologic findings were the reference standard for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: The ADC values derived from the signal intensity averaged across images obtained with b-values of 0 and 800 s/mm2 were 1.086±0.222×10(-3) mm2/s for benign lymph nodes and 0.705±0.118×10(-3) mm2/s for malignant lymph nodes (P<.0001). When an ADC value of 0.851×10(-3) mm2/s was used as a threshold value for differentiating benign from malignant lymph nodes, the best results were obtained with an accuracy of 91.0%, sensitivity of 91.3%, and specificity of 91.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The ADC value is a sensitive and specific parameter that can help to differentiate malignant from benign lymph nodes.

Evaluation of documented drug interactions and contraindications associated with herbs and dietary supplements: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The use of herbs and dietary supplements (HDS) alone or concomitantly with medications can potentially increase the risk of adverse events experienced by the patients. This review aims to evaluate the documented HDS-drug interactions and contraindications. METHODS: A structured literature review was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, tertiary literature and Internet. RESULTS: While 85 primary literatures, six books and two web sites were reviewed for a total of 1,491 unique pairs of HDS-drug interactions, 213 HDS entities and 509 medications were involved. HDS products containing St. John's Wort, magnesium, calcium, iron, ginkgo had the greatest number of documented interactions with medications. Warfarin, insulin, aspirin, digoxin, and ticlopidine had the greatest number of reported interactions with HDS. Medications affecting the central nervous system or cardiovascular system had more documented interactions with HDS. Of the 882 HDS-drug interactions being described its mechanism and severity, 42.3% were due to altered pharmacokinetics and 240 were described as major interactions. Of the 152 identified HDS contraindications, the most frequent involved gastrointestinal (16.4%), neurological (14.5%), and renal/genitourinary diseases (12.5%). Flaxseed, echinacea, and yohimbe had the largest number of documented contraindications. CONCLUSIONS: Although HDS-drug interactions and contraindications primarily concerned a relatively small subset of commonly used medications and HDS entities, this review provides the summary to identify patients, HDS products, and medications that are more susceptible to HDS-drug interactions and contraindications. The findings would facilitate the health-care professionals to communicate these documented interactions and contraindications to their patients and/or caregivers thereby preventing serious adverse events and improving desired therapeutic outcomes.

Bacteremia caused by Acinetobacter junii at a medical center in Taiwan, 2000-2010.

We investigated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of 43 patients with Acinetobacter junii bacteremia at a 2,500-bed tertiary care center in northern Taiwan. These organisms were confirmed to the species level by an array assay and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The antimicrobial susceptibilities of the 43 A. junii isolates to 13 agents were determined using the agar dilution method. Susceptibility testing for tigecycline was determined using the broth microdilution method. Most of the patients were hospital-acquired (n = 36, 83.7 %) or healthcare facility-related infections (n = 6, 13.9 %), and 55.8 % had impaired immunity. Central venous access devices were present in 35 (81.4 %) patients; among the total of 43 patients with A. junii bacteremia, 8 patients were diagnosed as catheter-related bloodstream infection and 19 patients were diagnosed as catheter-associated bloodstream infection. Shock requiring inotropic agents occurred in 2 patients (4.6 %). Most patients developed bacteremia in general wards (n = 36, 83.7 %). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was low (7 %), despite the low rate of removal of central venous devices, low rate of holding usage of original central venous devices, and high rate of inappropriate antimicrobial regimens. Carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, and amikacin had potent activity (>95 % susceptible rate) against A. junii isolates. Interestingly, 35 % of the A. junii isolates were resistant to colistin. Tigecycline exhibited low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (range, 0.06-2 µg/ml, MIC(90), 1 µg/ml) against the A. junii isolates.

Effects of particle characteristics on magnetic immunoassay in a thin channel.

The effects of size and porosity of particles on magnetic immunoassay in a thin channel were studied. Experimental parameters were investigated and compared using a model immunoassay complex of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)/anti-CEA. The rate constant for the affinity reaction between functional particles increased as the size of magnetic nanoparticles (800-80 nm) decreased. The affinity reaction between functional particles had no significant effect on the sizes of microparticles (1.0-4.4 µm) at commonly used thin channel flow-rates of 0.001-0.025 ml/min. Competitive and sandwich reactions of CEA/anti-CEA were studied for CEA detection. Microparticles of different porosities produced similar linear ranges of detection and limits of detection. The limits of detection for CEA were 0.29 pg/ml and 0.21 pg/ml for competitive and sandwich reactions, respectively. The linear ranges of detection were from 0.49 pg/ml to 4.9 ng/ml for both competitive and sandwich reactions. The detection limits were lower, and the linear ranges were wider than those of literature. There was a 9% difference in CEA detection measurements between competitive and sandwich magnetic immunoassay. The measurements of two magnetic immunoassays differed by less than 13% from the ELISA reference measurements. The running time was less than 30 min. Magnetic immunoassay in a thin channel has great potential for biochemical analysis and immunoassay-related applications.

Determination of voxel phantom for reference Taiwanese adult from CT image analyses.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 103 recommended that ionising radiation doses should be assessed based on voxel phantoms. An anthropomorphic voxel phantom for the Reference Taiwanese Adult was built from analyses of computed tomography (CT) images. Thirty representative adult individuals were selected from normal patients in the hospital, with body mass index between 19.6 and 25.6 for males and 18.8 and 27.0 for females and body height between 163 and 175 cm for males and 152 and 162 cm for females. The Reference Taiwanese Adult was determined from these individuals by analysing their CT images for parameters characterising the size, position and orientation of several organs. Analysed parameters included the volume, surface area, major and minor axes, mean chord length, position relative to the body centre, and orientation with respect to the body axis, for liver, spleen, kidney, stomach, gallbladder and bladder. The person with the highest score was designated the Reference Taiwanese Adult.

Steric stabilization of thermally responsive N-isopropylacrylamide particles by poly(vinyl alcohol).

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used as a steric stabilizer for the dispersion polymerization of cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) in water. A series of reactions were carried out using PVA of varying molecular weight and degree of hydrolysis. Under appropriate conditions, PNIPAM particles of uniform and controllable size were produced using PVA as the stabilizer. The colloidal stability was investigated by measuring changes in particle size with temperature in aqueous suspensions of varying ionic strength. For comparison, parallel colloidal stability measurements were conducted on PNIPAM particles synthesized with low-molecular-weight ionic surfactants. PVA provides colloidal stability over a wide range of temperature and ionic strength, whereas particles produced with ionic surfactants flocculate in moderate ionic strength solutions upon collapse of the hydrogel as the temperature is increased. Experimental results and theoretical consideration indicate that sterically stabilized PNIPAM particles resulted from the grafting of PVA to the PNIPAM particle surface. The enhanced colloidal stability afforded by PVA allows the temperature-responsive PNIPAM particles to be used under physiological conditions where electrostatic stability is ineffective.

Dystocia in Formosan sambar deer (Cervus unicolor swinhoei) in semi-domesticated herds.

Over a nine-year period (2000 to 2008), 22 instances of dystocia and 50 normal fawnings in Formosan sambar deer (Cervus unicolor swinhoei) hinds from semi-domesticated herds were investigated. The majority of the hinds (17, 77.3 per cent) that suffered dystocia were categorised as having a body condition score (BCS) in the medium range (between 2.5 and 3.5 inclusive), indicating that there was no significant relationship between obesity (BCS >3.5) in hinds and the occurrence of dystocia. In addition, maternal body condition had no effect on the birthweight of the offspring. Among the 22 instances of dystocia, 16 of the fawns (72.7 per cent) did not survive; one of these deaths was anteparturient and the other 15 were parturient. Eighteen (81.8 per cent) of the cases of dystocia involved male fawns, and 15 (93.8 per cent) of the deaths were of male fawns (P=0.044). Nine (40.9 per cent) of the instances of dystocia resulted from maternal excitement, mainly attributable to disturbances caused by human beings. In 12 of the cases that resulted in the death of the fawn, the request for veterinary assistance had been delayed at least one day. There were six cases in which the fawns survived; these were the ones that had received assistance within six hours after the onset of parturition.