110023 research outputs found
Sort by
Effects of H1-Antihistamines on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
No full text[[abstract]]Purpose: H1-antihistamines (AHs) may exert protective effects against cancer. We investigated the association of AH use with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients without hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
Methods: The data of patients with T2DM enrolled from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database were examined for the period of January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression to evaluate the AH use-HCC risk association.
Results: After 1:1 propensity score matching was performed, the two cohorts were each divided into AH users (n = 47,990) and nonusers (n = 47,990). The risk of HCC was significantly lower in AH users than in AH nonusers (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.55 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.46 to 0.67; IRR: 0.70; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.84), respectively. The dose-response relationship between AH use and HCC risk was also observed (aHRs: 0.58, 0.56, 0.50, and 0.41 for 28-35, 36-49, 50-77, and >77 cumulative defined daily doses of AH, respectively).
Conclusion: AH use can reduce HCC risk in T2DM patients without HBV or HCV infection in a dose-dependent manner
Establishment of an appropriate method for determining multiple heterocyclic amines in soy products processed with various methods
No full text[[abstract]]A method using UPLC-MS/MS and a core–shell C18 column was developed to simultaneously determine 21 heterocyclic amines (HAs) in 15 min. Appropriate QuEChERS conditions were also established to conveniently extract HAs from soy products cooked with various methods. These conditions presented good analytical performance; limit of detection, limit of quantification, recovery (%), repeatability (coefficient of variation (CV) %) and intermediate precision (CV%) were 0.008 ? 0.150 ng/g, 0.025 ? 0.500 ng/g, 62 ? 91%, ? 28% and ? 23% for tofu sample, and 0.003 ? 0.100 ng/g, 0.010 ? 0.350 ng/g, 64 ? 93%, ? 19% and ? 20% for soy milk sample, respectively. HAs contents in the samples increased with cooking temperature and time. The tofu samples cooked by frying had much higher HAs content than those cooked by boiling and roasting. Norharman and Harman mainly contributed HAs content in all samples. For the general population in Taiwan, the highest estimated level of HAs consumed from the samples is 373.67 ng/day
Ethanol Extracts of Rice Bran and Whole Grain Adlay Seeds Mitigate Colonic Inflammation and Damage in Mice with Colitis
No full text[[abstract]]Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with frequent relapsing inflammation in the colon. Whole grains have been promoted as healthy and sustainable foods; however, the use of whole gains in UC is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ethanol extracts of rice bran (RBE) and whole-grain adlay seeds (ADE) on inflammation, oxidative stress, and colonic damage in UC. Male C57BL/6JNarl mice were intra-rectal injected twice with 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid to induce (day 0) and reactivate (day 21) UC. Control mice were fed AIN-93M diet (R group) and injected with a vehicle. UC mice were fed AIN-93M diet (UC group) supplemented with RBE (RBE group) or ADE (ADE group) for 21 days. The results showed that the UC group had an increased disease activity index, plasma interleukin (IL)-6 and glutathione levels, microscopic injury scores, and inflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels in the colon and decreased colonic claudin-4 compared to the R group. RBE and ADE supplementation significantly reduced UC-elevated plasma IL-6 and colonic glutathione and pro-inflammatory cytokines and a chemokine. In addition, RBE and ADE supplementation significantly decreased T-helper-cell-associated cytokines in the plasma and colon. Moreover, RBE supplementation increased colonic IL-10 and tight junction protein claudin-4 levels, and ADE supplementation alleviated diarrhea in UC mice. In conclusion, these results suggest that RBE and ADE may mitigate colonic inflammation, oxidative stress, and damage in UC relapse
Evaluating the asymmetric effects of nuclear energy on carbon emissions in Pakistan
No full text[[abstract]]Achieving sustainable development requires an increasing share of green technologies. World energy demand is expected to rise significantly especially in developing economies. The increasing energy demands will be entertained with conventional energy sources at the cost of higher emissions unless eco-friendly technologies are used. This study examines the asymmetric effects of nuclear energy on carbon emissions for Pakistan from 1974 to 2019. Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) unit root tests suggest that variables are integrated of order one and bound test of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and nonlinear ARDL confirm a long-run relationship among selected variables. The ARDL, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) results show that the coefficient of nuclear energy has a negative and significant impact on emissions in both short and long run. Further, the NARDL finding shows that there exists an asymmetric long-run association between nuclear energy and CO2 emissions. The vector error correction method (VECM) results indicate that there exists a bidirectional causal relationship between nuclear energy and carbon emissions in both the short and long run. Additionally, the impact of nuclear energy on ecological footprint has been examined and our findings remain robust
SECO-ABIETANOIDS FROM Cryptomeria japonica AND THEIR INHIBITORY ACTIVITY TOWARD XANTHINE OXIDASE
No full text[[abstract]]A new seco-abietanoid, 12-methoxy-7-oxo-6,7-secoabieta-8,11,13-trien-6-oic acid (1), and a known seco-abietanoid,12-hydroxy-6,7-secoabieta-8,11,13-triene-6,7-dial (2), were isolated from the methanol extract of the bark of Cryptomeria japonica. Structure determination of the two compounds was accomplished by spectroscopic analyses including 1D and 2D NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) and EI-MS. At a concentration of 50 μM, the inhibitory effects of compounds 1 and 2 on xanthine oxidase were 30.4 ± 0.9% and 32.0 ± 1.7%, respectively
Significant Contribution of Interleukin-18 Genotypes to Lung Cancer Risk in Taiwanese
No full text[[abstract]]Background/aim: The elevated expression of interleukin-18 (IL-18) among lung cancer patients raised our curiosity to examine the role of IL-18 genotypes in lung cancer.
Materials and methods: IL-18 -656 (rs1946519), -607 (rs1946518), and -137 (rs187238) genotypes of 358 lung cancer cases and 716 controls were determined via the PCR-RFLP methodology.
Results: The distributions of genotypic and allelic frequencies of IL-18 -607, but not those of -656 or -137, were differentially distributed between cases and controls. IL-18 -607 AC and CC genotypes were both lower (45.8% and 16.2%) in lung cancer patients compared to controls (51.4% and 24.7%). In addition, IL-18 -607 AC and CC genotypes were of significantly lower percentages both among non-smokers and smokers. Otherwise, no differential distribution was found regarding IL-18 -656 or -137.
Conclusion: IL-18 -607 C allele can serve as a protective predictor for lung cancer risk in Taiwanese
The influence of economic factors on the sustainable energy consumption: evidence from China
No full text[[abstract]]Recently, sustainable energy consumption has been a significant factor in reducing environmental degradation due to the high economic growth, and this phenomenon demands more attention of scholars and policymakers. Thus, the current literature examines the impact of economic factors such as economic growth, foreign direct investment (FDI), inflation, and population growth on sustainable energy consumption (SEC), particularly in renewable energy consumption (REC) in China. This study used secondary data collection methods extracted from world development indicators (WDI), incorporating stationary tests like Phillips-Perron (PP) and Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) to check the unit root of the constructs. The time-series data involved are from 1981 to 2019. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was utilized to examine the association among the variables. The results indicated that economic growth, FDI, inflation, and population growth were positively associated with SEC in China. This study provides the guidelines to the policymakers to develop policies related to the SEC
資源基礎理論觀點檢視金融控股公司企業社會責任與創造共享價值之關係
No full text[[abstract]]本研究旨在導入資源基礎理論觀點探討金融控股公司企業社會責任對創造共享價值之關係；本研究採用問卷調查，並以層級迴歸分析進行分析，實證結果指出企業社會責任會顯著正向影響創造共享價值；且導入資源基礎理論後，對企業社會責任與創造共享價值關係具有干擾效果；亦即從資源基礎理論觀點，金融控股公司若能增強內部資源，即可增強企業的核心能力，提升企業社會責任，進一步達成創造共享價值的目標。[[abstract]]The purpose of this study is to introduce the perspective of resource-based theory to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility of financial holding companies and the creation of shared value. This study uses the questionnaire survey and the hierarchical regression analysis to analyze. The empirical results pointed out that corporate social responsibility will significantly and positively affect the creation of sharing value. After the introduction of resource-based theory, it will interfere with the relationship between corporate social responsibility and the creation of shared value. That is, from the perspective of resource-based theory, if a financial holding company can enhance internal resources, it can enhance the core capabilities of the enterprise to improve the corporate social responsibility. Then, the goal of creating shared value will be achieved
Use of Preoperative FDG PET/CT and Survival of Patients with Resectable Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
No full text[[abstract]]Use of preoperative PET/CT was associated with lower risk of death in patients with stage IIIA–IIIB non–small cell lung cancer.
Background
The added value of preoperative PET/CT for the overall survival of patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown.
Purpose
To investigate the association of the use of preoperative PET/CT on survival of patients with resectable stage I–IIIB NSCLC.
Materials and Methods
In this retrospective study, patients with resectable stage I–IIIB NSCLC who underwent thoracic surgery from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2018, from the Taiwan Cancer Registry were included. The last follow-up date was December 31, 2019. Patients were categorized into two groups according to whether they underwent preoperative metabolic imaging with fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT. Patients who did not undergo preoperative imaging were used as the control group. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality. Patients in both groups were propensity score matched at a ratio of 1:1. Matching variables used were sex, age, histologic findings, American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical stage, cT stage, cN stage, current and past smoker history, adjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant chemoradiation, Charlson comorbidity index, and hospital type. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test.
Results
In the matched cohort, 6754 patients (3349 men, mean age ± SD: 64 years ± 11) underwent PET/CT and 6754 did not (3362 men, mean age: 64 years ± 11). In adjusted analysis, patients with stage IIIA or IIIB NSCLC and preoperative PET/CT had a lower risk of death versus those without PET/CT (for stage IIIA: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.90 [95% CI: 0.79, 0.94], P = .02; for stage IIIB: HR = 0.80 [95% CI: 0.71, 0.90], P < .01). There was no improvement in a lower risk of death for patients with stage I–II NSCLC (after multivariable adjustment, the HR was 1.19 [95% CI: 0.89, 1.30], P = .65).
Conclusion
Use of preoperative PET/CT was associated with lower risk of death in patients with stage IIIA–IIIB non–small cell lung cancer compared with those without preoperative PET/CT
Anti-Oxidative Effect of Pu-erh Tea in Animals Trails: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full text[[abstract]]This study adopted systematic literature review and meta-analysis methodology to explored anti-oxidative effect of pu-erh tea. Study authors have systemically searched seven databases up until 21 February 2020. In performing the literature search on the above-mentioned databases, the authors used keywords of pu-erh AND (superoxide dismutase OR glutathione peroxidase OR malondialdehyde). Results derived from meta-analyses showed statistically significant effects of pu-erh tea on reducing serum MDA levels (SMD, -4.19; 95% CI, -5.22 to -3.15;?p?< 0.001; I2?= 93.67%); increasing serum SOD levels (SMD, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.61 to 3.20;?p?< 0.001; I2?= 91.36%); and increasing serum GSH-Px levels (SMD, 4.23; 95% CI, 3.10 to 5.36;?p?< 0.001; I2?= 93.69%). Results from systematic review and meta-analyses validated that various ingredients found in pu-erh tea extracts had anti-oxidation effects, a long-held conventional wisdom with limited supporting evidence