13856 research outputs found
Sort by
Association between paraben exposure and thyroid indicators in Taiwanese pregnancy women
No full text[[abstract]]Parabens have been found in various environmental samples, particularly in indoor dust. Previous studies have linked exposure to parabens with thyroid dysfunction in pregnant women. We recruited 97 pregnant women and collected urine and blood samples at three visits in a medical center in Taiwan from 2013 to 2014. MeP and PrP were the major compounds in the second visit. A linear regression model was applied to investigate the effect of longitudinal paraben exposure on thyroid hormones. During the second visit, we found that exposure to all parabens was positively associated with Ln-TSH. Furthermore, exposure to EtP and BuP were both negatively associated with the Ln-TSH/FreeT4 ratio. Additionally, we observed that EtP and BuP were significantly associated with a decrease in Jostel's TSH index and SPINA-GT, while EtP and BuP were significantly associated with an increase in SPINA-GT. These findings emphasize the significance of unnegligible paraben exposure during pregnancy
[[alternative]]Oncogenic RARγ isoforms promote head and neck cancer proliferation through vinexin-β-mediated cell cycle acceleration and autocrine activation of EGFR signal
No full text[[abstract]]Results of retinoid-based therapies in head and neck cancer (HNC) are generally disappointing, indicating a lack of understanding of retinoic acid signaling. The role of retinoic acid receptor gamma (RARγ) and its isoforms in HNC is yet to be established. In this study, we found that RARγ1, 2, 4 are the predominant RARγ isoforms expressed in various types of human cancers, including HNC. The mechanistic study revealed that RARγ1, 2, 4 enhanced the proliferation of HNC cells by accelerating cell cycle progression through interaction with vinexin-β, as well as by ligand-dependent activation of EGFR with downstream Akt, ERK, Src, and YAP signaling pathways. Retinoic acid binding and CDK7-dependent phosphorylation on specific serine residue at the AF-1 domain are mandatory for RARγ-mediated growth promotion of HNC. Knockdown of RARγ abolished proliferation of cultured HNC cells, and completely prevented tumor growth in xenografted nude mice. Similar effects were observed in various human cancer types other than HNC. Our results indicate that RARγ-targeting approach could be a promising therapeutic and chemopreventive strategy for human cancers
Enhancing safety with an AI-empowered assessment and monitoring system for BSL-3 facilities
No full text[[abstract]]Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent demand for research, which has spurred the development of enhanced biosafety protocols in biosafety level (BSL)-3 laboratories to safeguard against the risks associated with handling highly contagious pathogens. Laboratory management failures can pose significant hazards. Methods: An external system captured images of personnel entering a laboratory, which were then analyzed by an AI-based system to verify their compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) regulations, thereby introducing an additional layer of protection. A deep learning model was trained to detect the presence of essential PPE items, such as clothing, masks, hoods, double-layer gloves, shoe covers, and respirators, ensuring adherence to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The internal laboratory management system used a deep learning model to delineate alert zones and monitor compliance with the imposed safety protocols. Results: The external detection system was trained on a dataset consisting of 4112 images divided into 15 PPE compliance classes. The model achieved an accuracy of 97.52 % and a recall of 97.03 %. The identification results were presented in real time via a visual interface and simultaneously stored on the administrator's dashboard for future reference. We trained the internal management system on 3347 images, achieving 90 % accuracy and 85 % recall. The results were transmitted in JSON format to the internal monitoring system, which triggered alerts in response to violations of safe practices or alert zones. Real-time notifications were sent to the administrators when the safety thresholds were met. Conclusion: The BSL-3 laboratory monitoring system significantly reduces the risk of exposure to pathogens for personnel during laboratory operations. By ensuring the correct use of PPE and enhancing adherence to the imposed safety protocols, this system contributes to maintaining the integrity of BSL-3 facilities and mitigates the risk of personnel becoming infection vectors
The impact of pay-for-performance care on the mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a nationwide population-based cohort study
No full text[[abstract]]Objectives: To evaluate the long-term effects of pay-for-performance (P4P) care in the geriatric population with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D). Design: Retrospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting and Participants: A total of 6607 propensity score-matched pairs of patients with newly diagnosed T2D who received either P4P care or standard care as identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019. Methods: Cox regression models were used to assess differences in risk of outcomes between P4P and non-P4P care. Primary outcomes and measures include all-cause mortality, hospital admissions due to cardiovascular events, dialysis initiation, severe hyperglycemia, and severe hypoglycemia. Multivariable Cox regression models were performed to calculate hazard ratios among and within groups. Results: The multivariable-adjusted model showed that patients with P4P care had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 0.37; 95% CI, 0.35–0.39], stroke (aHR, 0.80 95% CI, 0.72–0.88), myocardial infarction (aHR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.48–0.67), heart failure (aHR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.69–0.81), and dialysis (aHR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53–0.82) compared with those not receiving P4P care. However, there were no significant differences in the risk of severe hyperglycemia (aHR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.82–1.03) and severe hypoglycemia (aHR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.92–1.17) between the 2 groups. Conclusions and Implications: This nationwide cohort study suggests that the P4P program may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, dialysis needs, and mortality in older patients with T2D without increasing the risk of severe hypoglycemia. P4P may be an effective management strategy for older patients with T2D
[[alternative]]Dual-function antibodies targeting vegfr2 and vegfr3
No full text[[abstract]]發明係關於一種單離抗體，包含重鏈互補決定區CDR1、CDR2、CDR3與輕鏈互補決定區CDR1、CDR2、CDR3，其重鏈互補決定區係包含於具有SEQ ID NO: 1或3之重鏈可變區序列，輕鏈互補決定區係包含於具有SEQ ID NO: 2或4之輕鏈可變區序列，該抗體可與血管內皮生長因子受體-2 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, VEGFR2)及VEGFR3特異性結合
[[alternative]]Aminothiazole compounds as protein kinase inhibitors
No full text[[abstract]]本案揭露一種如下式(I)之胺基噻唑化合物及含有這些化合物之一的醫藥組成物。本案也揭露一種以胺基噻唑化合物之一者抑制酪氨酸激酶和治療與酪氨酸激酶相關的癌症的方法
[[alternative]]cpg-oligodeoxynucleotide, immunogenic composition comprising the same, and use of preparation of medicament for treatment instimulating immune response
No full text[[abstract]]於此揭露一種CpG寡去氧核苷酸(CpG-ODN)，其係作為開發用於在不同物種中使用作為佐劑的有效免疫刺激。TLR9為CpG-ODN的細胞受體，且當前開發的CpG-ODN對兔子的TLR9具有低活性。本文中，包含約11-14個去氧核苷酸的GACGTT或AACGTT基序之CpG-ODN類型係展現出對兔子的TLR9具有有效之免疫刺激活性，且能夠在兔子中提升較少毒性且有效的抗體反應
CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide compounds in combination with immune modulators for cancer immunotherapy
No full text[[abstract]]The present invention discloses a combinational therapy for enhancing efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade for tumors with immune suppressive microenvironment. More specifically, this combination therapy involves the treatment of cancer through immune checkpoint inhibitors and CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides
MAP4k3 as a biomarker and therapetic target for autoimmune disease, cancer, inflammation and il-17- associated disease
No full text[[abstract]]Methods for identifying a therapeutic agent for treating a Germinal Center Kinase (GCK)-Like Kinase (GLK)-mediated disease are disclosed. Methods for detecting a modulation of GLK signaling by a test compound are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for detecting the presence and/or severity of an autoimmune disease and/or cancer
[[alternative]]A portable air purifier for simultaneous vocs absorption and particle filtration.
No full text[[abstract]]目前市售的攜帶小型空氣清淨機大多依靠負離子來達到淨化空氣之效果。然而現今規範上並無明確小型機種之檢測標準，使得市售機台實際效果未知。本案開發理念為以攜帶小型空氣清淨機為出發點，參考中大型空氣清淨機的概念，額外安裝風扇、可更換式濾材、即時空氣品質監測系統等，開發出新型多功能空氣清淨機。Most of the portable small air purifiers currently available in the market only rely on negative ions to achieve the effect of purifying the air. However, there is no test standard for small size of air purifiers in the current regulations, making the actual effect of commercial small size of air purifiers unknown. Therefore, this project's new development concept is to carry a small air purifier as the basic and refer to the concept of medium and large air purifiers, and install additional fans, replaceable filter materials, real-time air quality monitoring systems, etc., to develop a new multi-functional air purifier