Acute Hepatitis Due to Agomelatine Use in Elderly Women with Depression: Case Series

Cheng-Chen Chang,Yen-Jen Chen,Yu-An Chen,Yi-Cheng Liao 대한정신약물학회 2021 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.19 No.4

Although agomelatine may be associated with an increased risk of hepatotoxicity, the incidence rate of acute hepatitis seemed divergent between clinical trials and daily practice. Whether aging or gender is a risk factor in developing hepatotoxicity due to agomelatine is not clear. We present 3 older female cases with acute hepatitis occurring due to highly probable idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury caused by agomelatine. From these cases, regular surveillance on liver function in the older women taking antidepressants would be of benefits.

Two new species of Antispila Hübner (Lepidoptera: Adeloidea: Heliozelidae) associated with Hydrangea (Hydrangeaceae) from China

Cheng-Qing Liao,Sadahisa Yagi,Toshiya Hirowatari,Guo-Hua Huang 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.3

The genus Antispila Hübner, [1825] is poorly recorded from China. Two new Antispila species, A. longcangensis, sp. nov. and A. emeishanensis, sp. nov. feeding on Hydrangeaceae, are described from Sichuan, China. The adult male and female, genitalia and venation of both species are illustrated. Diagnostic characters of these species are compared with other described Antispila species from China. DNA barcodes sequences of the two new species are also provided.

The feasibility of detecting endometrial and ovarian cancer using DNA methylation biomarkers in cervical scrapings

Cheng-Chang Chang,Hui-Chen Wang,Yu-Ping Liao,Yu-Chih Chen,Yu-Chun Weng,Mu-Hsien Yu,Hung-Cheng Lai 대한부인종양학회 2018 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.29 No.1

Objective: We hypothesized that DNA methylation of development-related genes may occur in endometrial cancer (EC)/ovarian cancer (OC) and may be detected in cervical scrapings. Methods: We tested methylation status by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction for 14 genes in DNA pools of endometrial and OC tissues. Tissues of EC/normal endometrium, OC/normal ovary, were verified in training set using cervical scrapings of 10 EC/10 OC patients and 10 controls, and further validated in the testing set using independent cervical scrapings in 30 EC/30 OC patients and 30 controls. We generated cutoff values of methylation index (M-index) from cervical scrapings to distinguish between cancer patients and control. Sensitivity/specificity of DNA methylation biomarkers in detecting EC and OC was calculated. Results: Of 14 genes, 4 (PTGDR, HS3ST2, POU4F3, MAGI2) showed hypermethylation in EC and OC tissues, and were verified in training set. POU4F3 and MAGI2 exhibited hypermethylation in training set were validated in independent cases. The mean M-index of POU4F3 is 78.28 in EC and 20.36 in OC, which are higher than that in controls (6.59; p<0.001 and p=0.100, respectively), and that of MAGI2 is 246.0 in EC and 12.2 in OC, which is significantly higher that than in controls (2.85; p<0.001 and p=0.480, respectively). Sensitivity and specificity of POU4F3/MAGI2 were 83%–90% and 69%–75% for detection of EC, and 61% and 62%–69% for the detection of OC. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the potential of EC/OC detection through testing for DNA methylation in cervical scrapings.

First report of the family Palaeosetidae (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea) from mainland China, with description of a new Ogygioses species and its phylogenetic position within the genus

Liao Cheng-Qing,Hirowatari Toshiya,Huang Guo-Hua 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.4

The family Palaeosetidae is newly recorded from mainland China. A new species of the genus Ogygioses, O. maoershana sp. nov., is described from Guangxi Province, China. The adults, male and female genitalia, venation, head and legs structures are illustrated. Some ecological information and a key to all species of the genus are also provided. The phylogenetic position of the new species in the genus Ogygioses is inferred as in termediate between primitive O. luangensis Kristensen and other four derived species based on morphological characters and DNA barcodes sequences.

Investigation of Visual Perception Under Zen-Meditation Based On Alpha-Dependent F-VEPs

Liao, Hsien-Cheng,Liu, Chuan-Yi,Lo, Pei-Chen The Korean Society of Medical and Biological Engin 2006 의공학회지 Vol.27 No.6

Variation of brain dynamics under Zen meditation has been one of our major research interests for years. One issue encountered is the inaccessibility to the actual meditation level or stage as a reference. In this paper, we propose an alternative strategy for investigating the human brain in response to external flash stimuli during Zen meditation course. To secure a consistent condition of the brain dynamics when applying stimulation, we designed a recording of flash visual evoked potentials (F-VEPs) based on a constant background EEG (electroencephalograph) frontal $\alpha-rhythm$ dominating activities that increase significantly during Zen meditation. Thus the flash-light stimulus was to be applied upon emergence of the frontal $\alpha-rhythm$. The alpha-dependent F-VEPs were then employed to inspect the effect of Zen meditation on brain dynamics. Based on the experimental protocol proposed, considerable differences between experimental and control groups were obtained. Our results showed that amplitudes of P1-N2 and N2-P2 on Cz and Fz increased significantly during meditation, contrary to the F-VEPs of control group at rest. We thus suggest that Zen meditation results in acute response on primary visual cortex and the associated parts.

International R&D Rivalry with Spillovers and Policy Cooperation in R&D Subsidies and Taxes

Pei-Cheng Liao 한국국제경제학회 2007 International Economic Journal Vol.21 No.3

We have investigated noncooperative and jointly optimal R&D policies in the framework of Spencer and Brander (1983) in the presence of R&D spillovers. When R&D activities are strategic substitutes and the R&D game exhibits a positive externality, the result of Spencer and Brander (1983) reverses: the noncooperative policy is a tax while the jointly optimal policy is a subsidy. Moreover, when R&D activities are strategic complements, the usual result of the prisoners dilemma in the strategic subsidy game does not hold, implying that a welfare intervention is preferable over laissez-faire. When spillovers are sufficiently large, the joint welfare increases with subsidies being higher than those under noncooperation.JEL classification: F13; L13

Development of Drying Uniformity for Round Hay Bales Dryer

( Yi-cheng Liao ),( Li-cheng Hsieh ) 한국농업기계학회 2018 한국농업기계학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.23 No.1

In Taiwan, most of the farmer dry hay by natural seasoning. Recent data have shown that moisture content should be 18 % or less in round hay bales for safe storage. If moisture content is too high, the hay will be putrefaction. However, it’s hard for the farmer to harvest on time due to raining season in Taiwan and it would drop hay quality as well. Therefore, it’s important to develop a hay dryer to improve the hay quality. The objective of this research was to modify the round bale hay dryer which had been developed by the Department of Bio-Industrial Mechatronics Engineering of National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan. The moisture content of the round bale could be dried below 18 % by the prototype but its drying efficiency is not sufficient, only 5.6 kg/hr. Therefore, the hay bale was sealed using a heavy fabric to prevent the drying air leaking. The drying-finished hay bales were sampled on three parts, upper, medium and lower layers, respectively. The results show that the innovative device can increase the drying efficiency up to 13.2 kg/hr. For the drying uniformity, the moisture content on the external and internal parts of upper and medium layers were significantly different from central parts’, without sealing. Its standard deviation is 8.02. With sealing, the whole hay bales’ moisture content could reach the goal for storage, and its standard deviation is 1.39. The results show that the new sealing approach can increase the drying uniformity significantly. However, sealing a bale manually takes 10 minutes with two workers. It’s time-consuming. Thus, one mechanism for sealing was designed, and one person could finish the sealing work in a minute.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Locally Recurrent Prostate Cancer: Are All Pulse Sequences Helpful?

Xiao-Li Liao,Jun-Bao Wei,Yong-Qiang Li,Jian-Hong Zhong,Cheng-Cheng Liao,Chang-Yuan Wei 대한영상의학회 2018 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.19 No.6

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis to quantitatively assess functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of locally recurrent prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2016. Diagnostic accuracy was quantitatively pooled for all studies by using hierarchical logistic regression modeling, including bivariate modeling and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves (AUCs). The Z test was used to determine whether adding functional MRI to T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) results in significantly increased diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Results: Meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 826 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy showed a pooled sensitivity and specificity of 91%, and the AUC was 0.96. Meta-analysis of 7 studies involving 329 patients who underwent radiotherapy showed a pooled sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 81%, and the AUC was 0.88. Meta-analysis of 11 studies reporting 1669 sextant biopsies from patients who underwent radiotherapy showed a pooled sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 91%, and the AUC was 0.85. Sensitivity after radiotherapy was significantly higher when diffusion-weighted MRI data were combined with T2WI than when only T2WI results were used. This was true when meta-analysis was performed on a per-patient basis (p = 0.027) or per sextant biopsy (p = 0.046). A similar result was found when 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) data were combined with T2WI and sextant biopsy was the unit of analysis (p = 0.036). Conclusion: Functional MRI data may not strengthen the ability of T2WI to detect locally recurrent prostate cancer in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. By contrast, diffusion-weight MRI and 1H-MRS data may improve the sensitivity of T2WI for patients who have undergone radiotherapy.

Slide Session : OS-CAD-06 ; Cardiology : Erythrocytosis Increased One-Year Mortality in Patients with St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Un-dergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

( Cheng Wei Liu ),( Yi Ching Lin ),( Chung Ming Tu ),( Pen Chih Liao ),( Kuan Change Chen ),( Yen Wen Wu ) 대한내과학회 2014 대한내과학회 추계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.1

Background: Anemia is associated with poor prognosis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI). However, it is unclear that erythrocytosis has protective effect in these populations. Hence, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the relationship between erythrocytosis and mortality in patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI ). Materials and Methods: We screened 1,156 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI in a single center during Feb 2007 and January 2012. There were 201 missing data for door-to-balloon time and 4 missing data for hemoglobin. Of 951 analyzable patients, they were divided into anemia (Hemoglobin<13.0mg/dl in men or <12.0mg/dl in women), normal hemoglobin, and erythrocytosis (hemoglobin =16.0mg/dl in men or =15.0mg/dl in women) groups. The study end point was one-year mortality. Results: There were 148, 535, and 268 patients in anemia, normal hemoglobin, and erythrocytosis groups, respectively. Patients in the anemia group were older and had lower body mass index than other two groups. There was more female, smokers, hypertension, and diabetes in the anemia group. One-year mortality rates were 16.2%, 6.5%, 2.6% (P<0.001) respectively. In univariate proportional hazards regression analysis, age, hemoglobin, total cholesterol, statin use, glycoprotein llb/llla inhibitor use, and TIMI risk score were associated with 1-year mortality in three groups. After adjustment for potential confounders, hemoglobin levels remained an independent predictor of one-year mortality in both anemia (hazard ratio 0.697, 95% CI 0.528-0.960) and erythrocytosis group (hazard ratio 3.129, 95% CI 1.1.474-6.642). Conclusions: Patients with STEMI and anemia had the worst outcomes than normal hemoglobin and erythrocytosis groups. Expectedly, hemoglobin had the protective effect on prognosis in anemia group. However, a hemoglobin level was an independent risk factor of one-year mortality in those with erythrocytosis.

Effect of all-trans retinoic acid on casein and fatty acid synthesis in MAC-T cells

Liao, Xian-Dong,Zhou, Chang-Hai,Zhang, Jing,Shen, Jing-Lin,Wang, Ya-Jing,Jin, Yong-Cheng,Li, Sheng-Li Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.6

Objective: Caseins and fatty acids of milk are synthesized and secreted by the epithelial cells of the mammary gland. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), an active metabolite of vitamin A, has been shown to promote mammary development. This study was conducted to determine the effect of ATRA on casein synthesis and fatty acid composition in MAC-T cells. Methods: MAC-T cells were allowed to differentiate for 4 d, treated with ATRA (0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 μM), and incubated for 3 d. We analyzed the fatty acid composition, the mRNA expression of casein and fatty acid synthesis-related genes, and the phosphorylation of casein synthesis-related proteins of MAC-T cells by gas chromatography, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting, respectively. Results: In MAC-T cells, ATRA increased the mRNA levels of α_S1-casein and β-casein, janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and E74-like factor 5 of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 β (STAT5-β) pathway, ribosomal protein S6 kinase beta-1 (S6K1) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, inhibited the mRNA expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E of the mTOR pathway, and promoted the phosphorylation of STAT5-β and S6K1 proteins. Additionally, ATRA increased the de novo synthesis of fatty acids, reduced the content of long-chain fatty acids, the ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (SFA), the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) to SFA, and the ratio of ω-6 to ω-3 PUFA. The mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, fatty acid synthase, lipoprotein lipase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) were enhanced by ATRA. Conclusion: ATRA promotes the synthesis of casein by regulating JAK2/STAT5 pathway and downstream mTOR signaling pathway, and it improves the fatty acid composition of MAC-T cells by regulating SREBP1-related genes.