The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of green tea extract on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and lipid abnormalities on glycemic and lipid profiles, and hormone peptides by a ...double-blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trial. This trial enrolled 92 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and lipid abnormalities randomized into 2 arms, each arm comprising 46 participants. Of the participants, 39 in therapeutic arm took 500 mg green tea extract, three times a day, while 38 in control arm took cellulose with the same dose and frequency to complete the 16-week study. Anthropometrics measurements, glycemic and lipid profiles, safety parameters, and obesity-related hormone peptides were analyzed at screening and after 16-week course. Within-group comparisons showed that green tea extract caused a significant decrease in triglyceride and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index after 16 weeks. Green tea extract also increased significantly high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The HOMA-IR index decreased from 5.4±3.9 to 3.5±2.0 in therapeutic arm only. Adiponectin, apolipoprotein A1, and apolipoprotein B100 increased significantly in both arms, but only glucagon-like peptide 1 increased in the therapeutic arm. However, only decreasing trend in triglyceride was found in between-group comparison. Our study suggested that green tea extract significantly improved insulin resistance and increased glucagon-like peptide 1 only in within-group comparison. The potential effects of green tea extract on insulin resistance and glucagon-like peptide 1 warrant further investigation.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01360567.
This paper overviews the motion vector coding and block merging techniques in the Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standard developed by the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET). In general, inter-prediction ...techniques in VVC can be classified into two major groups: "whole block-based inter prediction" and "subblock-based inter prediction". In this paper, we focus on techniques for whole block-based inter prediction. As in its predecessor, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), whole block-based inter prediction in VVC is represented by adaptive motion vector prediction (AMVP) mode or merge mode. Newly introduced features purely for AMVP mode include symmetric motion vector difference and adaptive motion vector resolution. The features purely for merge mode include pairwise average merge, merge with motion vector difference, combined inter-intra prediction and geometric partitioning mode. Coding tools such as history-based motion vector prediction and bidirectional prediction with coding unit weights can be applied on both AMVP mode and merge mode. This paper discusses the design principles and the implementation of the new inter-prediction methods. Using objective metrics, simulation results show that the methods overviewed in the paper can jointly achieve 6.2% and 4.7% BD-rate savings on average with the random access and low-delay configurations, respectively. Significant subjective picture quality improvements of some tools are also reported when comparing the resulting pictures at same bitrates.
Mango pulp is very perishable and so has a short shelf life, which both marketers and consumers would like to be longer. Manually sliced mango was treated with aqueous solutions of 0%, 0.5%, 1% or 2% ...chitosan; placed into plastic trays, and over-wrapped with PVDC film and then stored at 6
°C. Changes in the sensory qualities of taste, color and water loss, were evaluated. A chitosan coating retarded water loss and the drop in sensory quality, increasing the soluble solid content, titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content. It also inhibited the growth of microorganisms. The data reveal that applying a chitosan coating effectively prolongs the quality attributes and extends the shelf life of sliced mango fruit.
We investigated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among the residents in seven long-term care facilities (LTCFs) located in different regions of Taiwan and compared the ...performance of two interferon gamma release assays, i.e., QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) for screening LTBI. We also assessed the diagnostic performance against a composite reference standard (subjects with persistent-positive, transient-positive, and negative results from QFTs during reproducibility analysis were classified as definite, possible, and not LTBI, respectively). Two hundred forty-four residents were enrolled, and 229 subjects were included in the analysis. The median age was 80 years (range, 60 to 102 years old), and 117 (51.1%) were male. Among them, 66 (28.8%) and 74 (32.3%) subjects had positive results from QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus, respectively, and the results for 215 (93.9%) subjects showed agreement. Using the composite reference standard, 66 (28.8%), 11 (4.8%), and 152 (66.4%) were classified as definite, possible, and not LTBI, respectively. For definite LTBI, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of QFT-GIT were 89.4%, 95.7%, 89.4%, and 95.7%, respectively, and those for QFT-Plus were 100.0%, 95.1%, 89.2%, and 100.0%, respectively. The sensitivity of QFT-GIT decreased gradually with patient age. Compared to QFT-GIT, QFT-Plus displayed significantly higher sensitivity (100.0% versus 89.4%,
= 0.013) and similar specificity (95.1% versus 95.7%). In conclusion, a high prevalence of LTBI was found among elders in LTCFs in Taiwan. The new QFT-Plus test demonstrated a higher sensitivity than QFT-GIT in the older adults in LTCFs.
In recent years, the application of (In, Al, Ga)N materials in photovoltaic devices has attracted much attention. Like InGaN, it is a direct band gap material with high absorption at the band edge, ...suitable for high efficiency photovoltaic devices. Nonetheless, it is important to deposit high-quality GaN material as a foundation. Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) combines the advantages of the ALD process with the use of plasma and is often used to deposit thin films with different needs. However, residual oxygen during growth has always been an unavoidable issue affecting the quality of the resulting film, especially in growing gallium nitride (GaN) films. In this study, the NH
-containing plasma was used to capture the oxygen absorbed on the growing surface to improve the quality of GaN films. By diagnosing the plasma, NH
, NH, and H radicals controlled by the plasma power has a strong influence not only on the oxygen content in growing GaN films but also on the growth rate, crystallinity, and surface roughness. The NH and NH
radicals contribute to the growth of GaN films while the H radicals selectively dissociate Ga-OH bonds on the film surface and etch the grown films. At high plasma power, the GaN film with the lowest Ga-O bond ratio has a saturated growth rate, a better crystallinity, a rougher surface, and a lower bandgap. In addition, the deposition mechanism of GaN thin films prepared with a trimethylgallium metal source and NH
/Ar plasma PEALD involving oxygen participation or not is also discussed in the study.
Objective:
Cancer patients undergo therapies that might lead to severe adverse events. The enhanced daycare of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) we describe was intended to help cancer patients ...suffering from severe adverse events to obtain relief. We used the Taiwan brief version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 4.0 (Taiwan brief version questionnaire of CTCAE) as a primary measurement to evaluate the efficacy of the enhanced day care of TCM. The secondary measurements were the Taiwanese version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI-T) questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, which were used to quantify fatigue and quality of life (QOL), respectively.
Methods/Design:
This is a retrospective study of medical records. There were 401 patients treated with enhanced daycare of TCM from June 2017 to November 2019.
Results:
Among 22 common adverse symptoms in the Taiwan brief version questionnaire of CTCAE4.0, 14 symptoms achieved a significant improvement, and the change of the total scores was also statistically significant (P < .001). Cancer stages II to IV showed significant improvement on the CTCAE and BFI-T; stage I only showed improvement on the BFI-T. On the WHOQOL questionnaire, there was a statistically significant difference in self-evaluation of the quality of life (P = .001) and self-evaluation of the total health condition aspect (P < .001).
Conclusions:
The enhanced TCM daycare program helped cancer patients decrease the severity of their adverse events and improve their fatigue and QOL. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04606121.
Insoles play an important role in the conservative treatment of functional flat foot. The features of 3D-printed insoles are high customizability, low cost, and rapid prototyping. However, different ...designed insoles tend to have different effects. The study aimed to use 3D printing technology to fabricate three different kinds of designed insoles in order to compare the biomechanical effects on the lower extremities in flat foot participants. Ten participants with functional flat foot were recruited for this study. Data were recorded via a Vicon motion capture system and force plates during walking under four conditions: without insoles (shoe condition), with auto-scan insoles (scan condition), with total contact insoles (total condition), and with 5-mm wedge added total contact insoles (wedge condition). The navicular height, eversion and dorsiflexion angles of the ankle joint, eversion moment of the ankle joint, and adduction moment of the knee joint were analyzed, and comfort scales were recorded after finishing the analysis. Compared to the shoe condition, all three 3D printed insoles could increase the navicular height and ankle dorsiflexion angle and improve comfort. Among the three insoles, the wedge condition was the most efficient in navicular height support and increasing the ankle dorsiflexion angle.
A repeated measurement was conducted for the purpose of examining the seasonal and spatial variations in indoor air quality (IAQ) in tropical and subtropical areas as well as comparing the ...differences between different climate areas. Indoor and outdoor temperature, relative humidity (RH), formaldehyde (HCHO), CO2, bacteria, and fungi were measured in tropical and subtropical areas for four seasons from 2012 to 2015 for eight households. Questionnaires were conducted during each visit for the purpose of determining the factors influencing the IAQ. Considerable seasonal and spatial differences were observed in indoor HCHO and CO2 concentrations. The results of the study indicated that although the trends of indoor and outdoor CO2, HCHO, bacteria, and fungi concentrations and ratios were similar in the different climate areas, the levels were higher in tropical and subtropical areas than in other climate areas. In the tropical and subtropical areas, the levels of indoor and outdoor temperatures and RH were similar, and the values were higher indoors than outdoors in cold or temperate areas. In addition, a regression model indicated that residential building and human activities affect the levels of indoor environmental pollutants in tropical and subtropical areas. In summary, variations in indoor air pollutant level differed in different climate areas. Therefore, it is necessary to study the management of residential characteristics and human activities to improve the IAQ in tropical and subtropical areas.
•Investigating the temporal and spatial variations and effect factors of IAQ.•There was significant seasonal variation in HCHO level in households.•The levels of indoor CO2, HCHO, bacterial, and fungi were higher than outdoor.•IAQ were more serious in tropical/subtropical areas than that other areas.•Building condition and human activities were major impact factors.
To evaluate the association between zolpidem and the risk of suicide.
In this nationwide case-control study, the case group comprised 2199 people who committed suicide or were hospitalized due to ...suicide attempt between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2011. To create a control group, we randomly selected 10 people matched to each case according to age, sex, urbanization, and occupation. We measured the risk of suicide/suicide attempt in association with zolpidem exposure by using adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and assessed the dose-response effect of zolpidem.
After adjustment for potential confounders such as the comorbidities of schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, insomnia, substance use, and other mental disorders, the Charlson comorbidity index, and use of benzodiazepine or antidepressants, zolpidem exposure was found to be significantly associated with the risk of suicide/suicide attempt with an OR of 2.08 (95% CIs, 1.83-2.36). The risk increased with the level of zolpidem use. The ORs (95% CIs) for cumulative defined daily doses of less than 90, 90 to 179, and 180 mg or more were 1.90 (1.65-2.18), 2.07 (1.59-2.67), and 2.81 (2.33-3.38), respectively (for trend, P<.001). Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure to zolpidem consistently increased the OR in different age groups, sex, urbanization level, occupation, mental disorders, and Charlson comorbidity index levels and in groups of people with or without the presence of insomnia.
This study demonstrated a significant association between using zolpidem and suicide or suicide attempt in people with or without comorbid psychiatric illnesses (all P<.05).
Metabolic surgery has become increasingly accepted for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is limited evidence regarding the optimal candidate and surgical procedure. Although a ...new individualized metabolic surgery (IMS) score was recently proposed for procedure selection, it has yet to be validated.
To validate the IMS score with regard to remission of T2D after metabolic surgery and compare it with the age, body mass index, C-peptide level, and duration of T2D (ABCD) score.
Hospital-based bariatric center.
A total of 310 T2D patients who underwent gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy at an academic center in Taiwan and had a minimum 5-year follow-up (2004-2012) were examined for the predictive power of complete remission using the IMS and the ABCD scoring systems.
At the 5-year follow-up, weight loss was 27.5%, with mean body mass index decreasing from 37.8 to 27.9 kg/m
, mean glycated hemoglobin decreased from 8.6% to 6.1%, and prolonged remission of T2D achieved in 224 (72.3%) T2D patients. Remission rates were higher in patients who underwent gastric bypass than in those who underwent sleeve gastrectomy (73.6% versus 66.1%; P = .04), regardless of T2D severity, and were 96%, 68%, and 16% in patients with IMS mild, moderate, and severe scores, respectively. Although both scores predicted the success of surgery, the ABCD was better in patients with IMS moderate scores.
Metabolic surgery is an option for T2D patients with obesity. The ABCD score may be better at predicting T2D remission after metabolic surgery compared with the IMS score.
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