Background: This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the countermovement jump (CMJ) as a dynamic eccentric (Ecc) strength test. Methods: Thirty-three college male ...student-athletes were recruited to participate in this study. The participants first performed CMJs with the second consisting of one repetition maximum back squat (1RM-BS) test. CMJ and 1RM-BS tests were performed on twin force plates. Results: The CMJ had significant correlations with the Ecc peak force (EccPF), and Ecc mean force (EccMF) of 1RM-BS, respectively (r = 0.61−0.69). Moreover, all parameters had a coefficient of variation (CV) < 10%. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were moderate to excellent for each metric using the CMJ (0.94−0.97). The 1RM-BS and CMJ EccPF, EccMF Bland-Altman bias estimate variance ratio is 1.31−1.67, showing a moderate-large correlation in the Bland-Altman plot. Conclusions: CMJ ECC phase kinetics were associated with the 1RM-BS EccPF and EccMF. The CMJ can be an alternative tool for eccentric dynamic strength assessment.
Human breast milk is widely recognized as the best source of nutrients for healthy growth and development of infants; it contains a diverse microbiota. Here, we characterized the diversity of the ...microbiota in the breast milk of East Asian women and assessed whether delivery mode influenced the microbiota in the milk of healthy breast-feeding mothers. We profiled the microbiota in breast milk samples collected from 133 healthy mothers in Taiwan and in six regions of mainland China (Central, East, North, Northeast, South, and Southwest China) by using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. Lactation stage (months postpartum when the milk sample was collected) and maternal body mass index did not influence the breast milk microbiota. Bacterial composition at the family level differed significantly among samples from the seven geographical regions. The five most predominant bacterial families were
(mean relative abundance: 24.4%),
(14.0%),
(12.2%),
(6.2%), and
(4.8%). The microbial profiles were classified into three clusters, driven by
(abundance in Cluster 1: 42.1%),
(Cluster 2: 48.5%), or
(Cluster 3: 26.5%). Microbial network analysis at the genus level revealed that the abundances of the Gram-positive
,
, and
were negatively correlated with those of the Gram-negative
,
,
,
, and
. Milk from mothers who had undergone Caesarian section (C-section group) had a significantly higher abundance of
(
< 0.05) and a higher number of unique unclassified operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (
< 0.001) than that from mothers who had undergone vaginal delivery (vaginal group). These findings revealed that (i) geographic differences in the microbial profiles were found in breast milk from mothers living in Taiwan and mainland China, (ii) the predominant bacterial families
,
, and
were key components for forming three respective clusters, and (iii) a significantly greater number of unique OTUs was found in the breast milk from mothers who had undergone C-section than from those who had delivered vaginally.
It is essential to subculture the cells once cultured cells reach confluence. For this, trypsin is frequently applied to dissociate adhesive cells from the substratum. However, due to the proteolytic ...activity of trypsin, cell surface proteins are often cleaved, which leads to dysregulation of the cell functions.
In this study, a triplicate 2D-DIGE strategy has been performed to monitor trypsin-induced proteome alterations. The differentially expressed spots were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and validated by immunoblotting.
36 proteins are found to be differentially expressed in cells treated with trypsin, and proteins that are known to regulate cell metabolism, growth regulation, mitochondrial electron transportation and cell adhesion are down-regulated and proteins that regulate cell apoptosis are up-regulated after trypsin treatment. Further study shows that bcl-2 is down-regulated, p53 and p21 are both up-regulated after trypsinization.
In summary, this is the first report that uses the proteomic approach to thoroughly study trypsin-induced cell physiological changes and provides researchers in carrying out their experimental design.
DNMT3A mutations are associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but the stability of this mutation during the clinical course remains unclear. In the present study of 500 ...patients with de novo AML, DNMT3A mutations were identified in 14% of total patients and in 22.9% of AML patients with normal karyotype. DNMT3A mutations were positively associated with older age, higher WBC and platelet counts, intermediate-risk and normal cytogenetics, FLT3 internal tandem duplication, and NPM1, PTPN11, and IDH2 mutations, but were negatively associated with CEBPA mutations. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the DNMT3A mutation was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival and relapse-free survival in total patients and also in normokaryotype group. A scoring system incorporating the DNMT3A mutation and 8 other prognostic factors, including age, WBC count, cytogenetics, and gene mutations, into survival analysis was very useful in stratifying AML patients into different prognostic groups (P < .001). Sequential study of 138 patients during the clinical course showed that DNMT3A mutations were stable during AML evolution. In conclusion, DNMT3A mutations are associated with distinct clinical and biologic features and poor prognosis in de novo AML patients. Furthermore, the DNMT3A mutation may be a potential biomarker for monitoring of minimal residual disease.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is among the leading causes of cancer-associated death worldwide.
is an oncogenic miRNA in OSCC. NUMB is an adaptor protein capable of suppressing malignant ...transformation. Disruption of the
-
regulatory axis has been demonstrated in malignancies. Mitochondrial dysfunction and adaptation to glycolytic respiration are frequent events in malignancies. Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) function to facilitate lactate flux in highly glycolytic cells. Upregulation of
and
has been shown to be a prognostic factor of OSCC. Here, we reported that
can modulate glycolysis in OSCC. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing strategy, we identified increases in oncogenic phenotypes,
and
expression, lactate production, and glycolytic respiration in
-deleted OSCC subclones. Transfection of the
or
isoform reversed the oncogenic induction elicited by
deletion. This study also showed, for the first time, that NUMB4 binds MCT1 and MCT4 and that this binding increases their ubiquitination, which may decrease their abundance in cell lysates. The disruptions in oncogenicity and metabolism associated with
deletion and
deletion were partially rescued by
/
expression or knockdown. This study demonstrated that NUMB is a novel binding partner of MCT1 and MCT4 and that the
-
-
regulatory cascade is present in oral carcinoma.
A synthesis of the complex relationships, including synergies and trade-offs, between urban development projects and climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives can ensure that all these ...relationships are taken into consideration. We used a systems approach and applied an impact matrix and chain effect analysis methods to projects in the highly urbanized Taipei metropolitan region to identify the influences and effects between urban development projects and climate change objectives. Three types of urban plans and projects were analyzed: flood control, transportation, and urban planning. The magnitudes of the influences and effects between these projects and plans were derived through interviews with experts familiar with Taipei's urban development. This pilot study found no synergy in the response to climate change mitigation and adaptation for the urban development projects analyzed. The current standalone policies and plans related to urbanization in Taipei have resulted in trade-offs for flood control and public transit projects because they contribute positively toward one climate objective but negatively impact another. A high-level policymaking mechanism that ensures coordination and collaboration between different sectors is needed to supervise sectoral policies. Prior to the approval and implementation of a plan, policymakers should request the assessment of synergies and trade-offs between plans and projects to ensure a synergistic effect to climate change issues. This study confirms that the strategy from individual sector in a metropolitan region will result in trade-off between climate change issues is a global problem. This paper also strengthens the concept that the assessment of synergy/trade-offs between policy and plans should be conducted using systemic approach.
•A systems approach can assess synergy/trade-offs between mitigation and adaptation.•Synergy doesn't exist due to a lack of comprehensive urban climate policy in Taipei.•There are trade-offs between analyzed mitigation and adaptation projects.•Minimizing trade-offs is an immediate concern for urban climate policies.
This paper examines the tourism destination brand identity and brand experiences which can influence visitors’ intention to recommend. The study of the importance of destination brand identity and ...brand experiences in the context of Taiwan has shaped some important insights with the potential to enhance the attractiveness of cultural and creative sectors. In this study, this paper explores perceptions of destination brand identity (tourism brand perception and tourism brand self-concept) and brand experiences. The analysis draws upon data collected at the Pier-2 Art Center in Taiwan in 2019, using a self-administrated questionnaire survey. Both confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied. It has been found that the role of various constructs of a brand perception and a brand self-concept of the tourism brand identity during a visit to cultural and creative parks is on top of the list of concerns associated with visitors’ brand experience. An examination of the research comments concluded that the cultural and creative tourism sector about consumer demands and update the development of appropriate marketing strategies, thereby providing visitors to experience the brand characteristics within the creative arts sector.
To investigate vascular responses during fractionated radiation therapy (F-RT) and the effects of targeting pericytes or bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) on the efficacy of F-RT.
Murine prostate ...TRAMP-C1 tumors were grown in control mice or mice transplanted with green fluorescent protein-tagged bone marrow (GFP-BM), and irradiated with 60 Gy in 15 fractions. Mice were also treated with gefitinib (an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor) or AMD3100 (a CXCR4 antagonist) to examine the effects of combination treatment. The responses of tumor vasculatures to these treatments and changes of tumor microenvironment were assessed.
After F-RT, the tumor microvascular density (MVD) was reduced; however, the surviving vessels were dilated, incorporated with GFP-positive cells, tightly adhered to pericytes, and well perfused with Hoechst 33342, suggesting a more mature structure formed primarily via vasculogenesis. Although the gefitinib+F-RT combination affected the vascular structure by dissociating pericytes from the vascular wall, it did not further delay tumor growth. These tumors had higher MVD and better vascular perfusion function, leading to less hypoxia and tumor necrosis. By contrast, the AMD3100+F-RT combination significantly enhanced tumor growth delay more than F-RT alone, and these tumors had lower MVD and poorer vascular perfusion function, resulting in increased hypoxia. These tumor vessels were rarely covered by pericytes and free of GFP-positive cells.
Vasculogenesis is a major mechanism for tumor vessel survival during F-RT. Complex interactions occur between vessel-targeting agents and F-RT, and a synergistic effect may not always exist. To enhance F-RT, using CXCR4 inhibitor to block BM cell influx and the vasculogenesis process is a better strategy than targeting pericytes by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor.
The low overall survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer has driven research to seek a new therapeutic protocol. Radiotherapy (RT) is frequently an option in the neoadjuvant or palliative ...settings for pancreatic cancer treatment. This study explored the effect of RT protocols on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their consequent impact on anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) therapy. Using a murine orthotopic pancreatic tumor model, UN-KC-6141, RT-disturbed TME was examined by immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that ablative RT is more effective than fractionated RT at recruiting T cells. On the other hand, fractionated RT induces more myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration than ablative RT. The RT-disturbed TME presents a higher perfusion rate per vessel. The increase in vessel perfusion is associated with a higher amount of anti-PD-L1 antibody being delivered to the tumor. Animal survival is increased by anti-PD-L1 therapy after ablative RT, with 67% of treated animals surviving more than 30 days after tumor inoculation compared to a median survival time of 16.5 days for the control group. Splenocytes isolated from surviving animals were specifically cytotoxic for UN-KC-6141 cells. We conclude that the ablative RT-induced TME is more suited than conventional RT-induced TME to combination therapy with immune checkpoint blockade.
This study assessed robot-enhanced healthcare in practical settings for the purpose of community diabetes care.
A mixed method evaluation collected quantitative and qualitative data on diabetes ...patients over 45 (N = 30) and community pharmacists (N = 10). It took 15-20 min for the diabetes patients to interact with the robot. Before and after the interaction, questionnaires including a diabetes knowledge test, self-efficacy for diabetes, and feasibility of use of the robot was administered. In-depth interviews with both pharmacists and patients were also conducted.
After interacting with the robot, a statistically significant improvement in diabetes knowledge (p < .001) and feasibility of the robot (p = .012) was found, but self-efficacy (p = .171) was not significantly improved. Five themes emerged from interviewing the diabetes patients: Theme 1: meets the needs of self-directed learning for the elderly; Theme 2: reduces alertness and creates comfortable interaction; Theme 3: vividness and richness enhance interaction opportunities; Theme 4: Robots are not without disadvantages, and Theme 5: Every person has unique tastes. Three themes emerged from interviewing pharmacists: Theme 1: Technology must meet the real needs of the patient; Theme 2: creates new services, and Theme 3: The use of robots must conform to real-life situations.
Both the diabetes patients and the pharmacist reported more positive feedback on the robot-enhanced diabetes care than concerns. Self-directed learning, comfortable interaction, and vividness were the most focuses when using robot to enhance self-management for the patients. Pharmacists were most receptive to fit conforming with reality and creating new services.
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