During the last few years, nostalgia has become a fashion in Taiwan. “Nostalgic” restaurants are becoming common in Taiwan. A nostalgic restaurant can be a hot pot restaurant decorated with ...furnishing relating to the origin or earlier use of the “hot pot” in Taiwan. The study here uses SEM to test the hypotheses relating to nostalgia affecting consumption. The results indicate that (1) nostalgia has both direct and indirect impacts on consumption intention; (2) consumption affected by nostalgia varies depending on the individual; and (3) younger customers' predisposition to want cheap prices is an important consideration in marketing nostalgia to younger customers.
Precisely controllable and reversible p/n‐type electronic doping of molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) transistors is achieved by electrothermal doping (E‐doping) processes. E‐doping includes ...electrothermal annealing induced by an electric field in a vacuum chamber, which results in electron (n‐type) doping and exposure to air, which induces hole (p‐type) doping. The doping arises from the interaction between oxygen molecules or water vapor and defects of tellurium at the MoTe2 surface, and allows the accurate manipulation of p/n‐type electrical doping of MoTe2 transistors. Because no dopant or special gas is used in the E‐doping processes of MoTe2, E‐doping is a simple and efficient method. Moreover, through exact manipulation of p/n‐type doping of MoTe2 transistors, quasi‐complementary metal oxide semiconductor adaptive logic circuits, such as an inverter, not or gate, and not and gate, are successfully fabricated. The simple method, E‐doping, adopted in obtaining p/n‐type doping of MoTe2 transistors undoubtedly has provided an approach to create the electronic devices with desired performance.
Precisely controllable and reversible doping of molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) transistors is achieved by electrothermal doping (E‐doping) processes. E‐doping includes electrothermal annealing induced by an electric field in vacuum, which results in electron (n‐type) doping, and exposure to air, which induces hole (p‐type) doping. No dopant or gas is used in the E‐doping processes, E‐doping is a simple and efficient method.
Secreted proteins determine a range of cellular functionalities correlated with human health and disease progression. Because of cell heterogeneity, it is essential to measure low abundant protein ...secretions from individual cells to determine single‐cell activities. In this study, an integrated platform consisting of smart hydrogel immunosensors for the sensitive detection of single‐cell secretions is developed. A single cell and smart hydrogel microparticles are encapsulated within a droplet. After incubation, target secreted proteins from the cell are captured in the smart hydrogel particle for immunoassay. The temperature‐induced volume phase transition of the hydrogel biosensor allows the concentration of analytes within the gel matrix to increase, enabling high‐sensitivity measurements. Distinct heterogeneity for live cell secretions is determined from 6000 cells within 1 h. This method is tested for low abundant essential secretions, such as interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 secretions of both suspended cells (HL60) and adherent cells (MCF7 and MDA‐MB‐231). This platform is highly flexible and can be used to simultaneously measure a wide range of clinically relevant cellular secretions; it thus represents a novel tool for precise biological assays.
An integrated platform where single cells are encapsulated with smart hydrogel immunosensors within droplets is developed. Temperature‐induced volume phase transition of poly (N‐isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel particles allows analyte concentration within the gel matrix, enabling rapid signal amplification. With this platform, live single‐cell secretions of the multiple cytokines are analyzed, revealing distinct single‐cell secretion heterogeneity.
Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) is an RNA-binding protein and serves as a post-transcriptional fine-tuner regulating the expression of mRNA targets. However, the ...clinicopathological roles of IGF2BP1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains limited. Thus, we aimed to elucidate the clinical significance and biomarker potentials of IGF2BP1 in CRC. A total of 266 specimens from two sets of CRC patients were collected. IGF2BP1 expression was studied by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The Kaplan-Meier survival plot and a log-rank test were used for survival analysis. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to determine the survival impact of IGF2BP1. Public datasets sets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Human Cancer Metastasis Database (HCMDB), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plotter, and two CRC cell lines, HCT-116 and DLD-1, were used for validating our findings. We showed that IGF2BP1 was overexpressed in tumor specimens compared to 13 paired normal parts by examining the immunoreactivity of IGF2BP1 (p = 0.045). The increased expression of IGF2BP1 in primary tumor parts was observed regardless of metastatic status (p < 0.001) in HCMDB analysis. IGF2BP1 expression was significantly associated with young age (59.6% vs. 46.7%, p-value = 0.043) and advanced stage (61.3% vs. 40.0%, p-value = 0.001). After controlling for confounding factors, IGF2BP1 remained an independent prognostic factor (HR = 1.705, p-value = 0.005). TCGA datasets analysis indicated that high IGF2BP1 expression showed a lower 5-year survival rate (58% vs. 65%) in CRC patients. The increased expression of IGF2BP1 in chemotherapy non-responder rectal cancer patients was observed using a ROC plotter. Overexpression of IGF2BP1 promoted the colony-forming capacity and 5-fluorouracil and etoposide resistance in CRC cells. Here, IGF2BP1 was an independent poor prognostic marker in CRC patients and contributed to aggressive phenotypes in CRC cell lines.
Objective
To investigate the effect of muscle strength exercise training (MSET) on lean mass (LM) gain and muscle hypertrophy in older patients with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA).
Methods
A ...comprehensive search of online databases was performed on April 20, 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that reported the effects of MSET on LM, muscle thickness, and cross‐sectional area (CSA) in older patients with OA were identified. A risk of bias assessment and meta‐analysis were performed for the included RCTs.
Results
We included 19 RCTs with a median Physiotherapy Evidence Database score of 6 of 10 (range 3–7). In total, data from 1,195 patients (65% women, 85% with knee OA) with a mean age of 62.1 years (range 40–86 years) were analyzed. MSET resulted in significantly higher LM gain (standardized mean difference SMD 0.49 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.28, 0.71, P < 0.00001) than did the nonexercise controls. Meta‐analysis results revealed significantly positive effects of MSET on muscle thickness (SMD 0.82 95% CI 0.20, 1.43, P = 0.009) and CSA (SMD 0.80 95% CI 0.25, 1.35, P = 0.004) compared with nonexercise controls. No significant effects in favor of MSET were observed for any muscle outcome compared with exercise controls. Five RCTs reported nonsevere adverse events in response to MSET, whereas no RCTs reported severe events.
Conclusion
MSET is effective in increasing LM and muscle size in older adults with OA. Clinicians should incorporate MSET into their management of patients at risk of low muscle mass to maximize health status, particularly for older individuals with OA.
Platelets as a Gauge of Liver Disease Kinetics? Chen, Sheng-Hung; Tsai, Shih-Chang; Lu, Hsiu-Chen
International journal of molecular sciences,
10/2022, Volume:
23, Issue:
19
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
A multitude of laboratory and clinical interferences influence the utility of platelet-based diagnostic indices, including immature platelet fraction, in longitudinal monitoring and prognostication ...of patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). The complex yet highly regulated molecular basis of platelet production and clearance kinetics becomes dysregulated in liver pathogenesis. These underlying molecular mechanisms, including premature platelet clearance and bone marrow suppression in parallel with the progressive (e.g., treatment-naïve) or regressive (e.g., on-treatment and off-treatment) disease courses, involved in CLDs, may further confound the changes in platelet–liver correlations over time. Platelet count and function are commonly and secondarily altered in vivo in CLDs. However, the precise characterization of platelet functions during cirrhosis, including in vitro platelet aggregation, has proven challenging due to interferences such as thrombocytopenia. A flow cytometric approach may help monitor the unstably rebalanced hyper- and hypoaggregable states in patients with cirrhosis at risk of hyperaggregable, prothrombotic, or bleeding events. Studies have attempted to stratify patients with cirrhosis by substages and prognosis through the use of novel indices such as the ratio of in vitro endogenous platelet aggregation to platelet count. This review attempts to highlight clinical and laboratory precautions in the context of platelet-assisted CLD monitoring.
Pharmacological blood pressure (BP) intervention for high blood pressure is controversial for a wide spectrum of hypertensive crisis in the emergency department (ED). We evaluated whether medical ...control of BP altered the short- and long-term outcomes among patients with hypertensive crisis who were discharged from the ED under universal health care. This retrospective cohort comprised 22 906 adults discharged from the ED of a tertiary hospital with initial systolic BP ≥ 180 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 120 mmHg between 2010 and 2016. The main exposure was the use of antihypertensive medication during the ED stay. Clinical endpoints were revisits to the ED or inpatient admission (at 7, 30, and 60 days), cardiovascular mortality (at 1, 3, and 5 years), and incident stroke (at 1, 3, and 5 years). The associations between pharmacological intervention for BP and outcomes were evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional-hazards models. Of the patient data analyzed, 72.2% were not treated pharmacologically and 68.4% underwent evaluation of end-organ damage. Pharmacological intervention for BP was significantly associated with a 11% and 11% reduced risk of hospital revisits within 30 or 60 days of discharge from ED, respectively, particularly among patients with polypharmacy. No association between pharmacological intervention for BP and incident stroke and cardiovascular mortality was observed. A revision of diagnostic criteria for hypertensive crisis is essential. Although pharmacological intervention for BP may not alter the long-term risk of cardiovascular mortality, it significantly reduces short-term health care utilization.
Background Previous findings on the associations of thiazide use with skin cancers were conflicting. This study aimed to examine the associations of individual thiazide use with skin cancer risk, ...differentiated by subtypes of skin cancers, geographic regions, and cumulative doses of individual thiazides. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for relevant studies on January 5, 2022, scanned the references of included studies, and consulted experts. We included case-control and cohort studies or randomized trials reporting the associations of individual thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics use with skin cancers. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and melanoma were analysed separately. A random-effects model meta-analysis was conducted for pooled odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) for skin cancers related to individual thiazide use. Results We included 15, 5, and 5 case-control or cohort studies reporting the risk for skin cancers associated with hydrochlorothiazide, bendroflumethiazide, and indapamide use, respectively, with 17,848,313 participants. The meta-analysis showed associations of hydrochlorothiazide use with increased risk of NMSC (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.24; HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.04-1.54), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.06-1.65; HR 1.61, 95% CI 0.97-2.67), and melanoma (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.20; HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.93-1.14). The increased risks for SCC were associated with high cumulative doses of hydrochlorothiazide (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.43-4.57; HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.00-1.45). Hydrochlorothiazide use was associated with different subtypes of melanoma including superficial spreading (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05-1.33), nodular (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.08-1.39), and lentigo maligna melanoma (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.08-1.65). Various cumulative doses of hydrochlorothiazide were associated with increased odds for melanoma. However, the associations of hydrochlorothiazide use with increased risk of NMSC and melanoma only appeared in non-Asian countries. No meaningful increase in the risk for skin cancers was associated with bendroflumethiazide and indapamide. Conclusions Hydrochlorothiazide is associated with an increased risk for NMSC (especially SCC) and melanoma in non-Asian countries, whereas bendroflumethiazide and indapamide are not associated with a meaningful risk for skin cancers. Healthcare professionals and patients should be informed of the different risk profiles of skin cancers associated with different thiazides, cumulative doses, and regions. Trial registration PROSPERO CRD42021234317. Keywords: Thiazides, Hydrochlorothiazide, Bendroflumethiazide, Indapamide, Non-melanoma skin cancer, Melanoma, Systematic review, Meta-analysis
Research transparency has been advocated as a key means of addressing the current crisis of reproducibility. This article proposes an enhanced form of research transparency, termed lifecycle ...transparency. Over the entire lifecycle of a research effort, this approach captures the syntactical contexts of artifacts and stakeholders, such as timestamps, agreements, and/or dependency requirements for completing each research phase. For example, such contexts might include when, where, and from whom patients' consent and institutional review board approvals were received before a clinical trial was carried out. However, as existing open-science tools are often dedicated to certain research phases or disciplines, and thus insufficient to support lifecycle transparency, we propose a novel decentralized framework to serve as a common medium for interaction among open-science tools, and produces irrefutable and immutable proofs of progress that can be verified automatically.
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