Background
Both activin A, a member of transforming growth factor β superfamily, and its inhibitor follistatin have been shown to be overexpressed in various cancers. We examined the potential role ...of activin A and follistatin in tissue and blood samples from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods
For activin A and follistatin, the expression of tissue samples from 92 patients was examined by immunohistochemical study, and the serum levels of blood samples from 111 patients and 91 healthy controls were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
We found that overexpression of immunohistochemically detected activin A was correlated with positive N stage, poor histological differentiation, and perineural invasion (
P
= 0.029, 0.002, and 0.014, respectively). In survival analyses, patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, whose tumors overexpressed activin A, had a worse prognosis for overall survival and disease-free survival (
P
= 0.009 and 0.007). However, expression of follistatin in tumor was not correlated with overall survival or disease-free survival. Serum activin A and follistatin levels in 111 untreated patients were neither significantly different from those of 91 control samples nor associated with any clinicopathological manifestations. In vitro suppression of activin A expression in OC3 cells using specific interfering RNA-attenuated cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that activin A overexpression in oral squamous cell carcinomas is associated with patients’ survival and may contribute to tumor progression and metastasis.
This work demonstrates photo alignment and electrical tuning effects in photonic liquid crystal fiber (PLCF). Applying voltages of 0 approximately 130V and 250 approximately 400V shifts the short and ...long wavelength edges of the transmission bands by about 45 nm and 74 nm toward longer wavelengths, respectively. An electro-tunable notch filter is formed in the PLCF without the use of gratings. The range of tunability of the notch filter is around 180 nm with an applied voltage of 140 approximately 240 V. This photo-induced alignment yields a permanently tilted LC structure in PCF, which reduces the threshold voltage, and can be further modulated by electric fields. The polarization dependent loss and fast response time of photo-aligned PLCF is also demonstrated. The finite-difference frequency-domain method is adopted to analyze the shift of the transmission bandgap, and the simulation results are found to correlate well with experimental data.
An 18-year-old girl was sent to the emergency department due to a traffic accident. A non-contrasted computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen found a focal liver laceration and multiple pearl-like ...lesions in the stomach and the duodenum. When pearl-like lesions with heterodensities were found in a CT of the abdomen, the bubble tea should be considered as a possible etiology.
Hole drilling strain gage method is a semi-destructive measurement. The method is most commonly used to measure residual stresses. The relieved strains are measured around the drilled hole, and the ...residual stresses are estimated by the mechanical relationship between relieved strains and residual stresses as well calibration coefficients. The calibration coefficients indicate the relieved strains due to unit stresses within the hole depth. Finite element method is always used to determine the calibration coefficients, and the analytical model is based on the infinite plate. But the geometrical shape and size of cylindrical part are different from the infinite plate. The relieved strains around the drilled hole are different too. Finite element model of the cylindrical part is constructed to obtain the hole drilling calibration coefficients. The measurement of residual stresses in a cylindrical part subject to axial loading calculated by calibration coefficients of both infinite plate and cylindrical part model are compared to show the difference.
Purpose:Suicide becomes a serious problem in today's society and hanging is a common method of suicide.We want to find the factors which can predict the final functional outcomes of these ...cases.Methods:All patients who presented to Accident and Emergency Department (ED) of the National Cheng Kung University Hospital from 1st January 2005 to 31th December 2013 with a hanging injury were included in this study.All cases were divided into good outcome group and bad outcome group according to Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS).Data was analyzed by Mann-Whitney test and chi-square test.Results:Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ＜ 3,pupil dilation and no pupillary light reflex both at the scene and ED were the factors to indicate poor functional outcome.Out-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA),acidosis (pH ＜ 7.2) and the need for intubation once arriving at ED were also related to poor functional outcome.OHCA cases all had poor functional outcome.Conclusion:GCS,pupil size,pupillary light reflex,OHCA and acidosis are useful as prognostic factors.GCS =3 lead to a very poor outcome.However,the functional outcome seems good in patients with GCS＞3.There parameters can help to predict the outcome before treatment.
In Taiwan, the aging population has led to an increased demand for home-care workers. However, the turnover rate among Taiwanese home-care workers is relatively high. Therefore, it is critical to ...explore the possible factors that affect the turnover rate, including job satisfaction and psychological well-being which are important factors that affect the turnover of home-care workers. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of personality on job satisfaction and psychological well-being. An observational cross-sectional study was designed to investigate this topic. We designed the questionnaire to collect the related data. The questionnaire included major characteristics of participants and three self-report measures, including personality, job stratification, and psychological well-being. Multiple regressions were adopted to investigate the relationship between personality and job satisfaction or psychological well-being. Our results demonstrated that openness was positively correlated with self-affirmation, while rigorousness was positively correlated with the internal factors of job satisfaction. Extraversion was positively correlated with the external factors of job satisfaction and life satisfaction, while agreeableness was positively correlated with life satisfaction. Neuroticism was positively correlated with the internal factors of job satisfaction, external factors of job satisfaction, self-affirmation, life satisfaction, and work achievement. After adjusting for confounding factors, openness was positively correlated with self-affirmation, and neuroticism was positively correlated with the internal factors of job satisfaction, external factors of job satisfaction, self-affirmation, life satisfaction, and work achievement. Our results suggest that the optimal home-care worker should possess specific personality traits, including a high level of openness and a low level of neuroticism.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of a psychological growth camp in the treatment of adolescents at risk of Internet addiction in Taiwan.
We designed a psychological growth camp to treat ...adolescents at risk of Internet addiction. The CIAS (Chen Internet Addiction Scale) was used to assess the severity of Internet addiction at baseline, immediately after the camp, and at 1-month and 2-month follow-up visits.
A total of 16 participants were recruited, including 10 at risk of Internet addiction and 6 without the risk of Internet addiction. The results indicated that the participants not in a 2-parent family had significantly higher CIAS scores than those in a 2-parent family (
= .034). The participants at risk of Internet addiction exhibited significant improvements in total CIAS score at the time immediately after the camp (
= .033) and at 1-month (
= .001) and 2-month (
= .003) follow-up visits. Moreover, the incidence of possible Internet addiction was not significantly decreased immediately after the camp (
= .056) but was significantly decreased at 1- and 2-month follow-up visits (
< .05) compared with the baseline level. Otherwise, no significant improvements in total CIAS score or subscales were observed at the follow-up visits (
> .05) for the participants not at risk of Internet addiction.
The results indicate that the psychological growth camp without Internet might be effective in treating adolescents with Internet addiction.
Magnesium oxide (MgO) sensing membranes in pH-sensitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor structures were fabricated on silicon substrate. To optimize the sensing capability of the membrane, CF
...plasma was incorporated to improve the material quality of MgO films. Multiple material analyses including FESEM, XRD, AFM, and SIMS indicate that plasma treatment might enhance the crystallization and increase the grain size. Therefore, the sensing behaviors in terms of sensitivity, linearity, hysteresis effects, and drift rates might be improved. MgO-based EIS membranes with CF
plasma treatment show promise for future industrial biosensing applications.
PDF
