Core prescription pattern of Chinese herbal medicine for depressive disorders in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study

Diem Ngoc Hong Tran,I-Hsuan Hwang,Fun-Jou Chen,Yuan-Pu Tseng,Ching-Mao Chang,Shih-Jen Tsai,Jen-Lin Yang,Ta-Peng Wu,Chung-Hua Hsu,Fang-Pey Chen,Yen-Ying Kung 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.3

Background: Depressive disorders (DD) affect not only mood and behavior but also various physical functions. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been shown to have some benefits in treating DD. However, one formula or one single herb might be not show high efficacy when used to treat depression. Thus, this study aimed to examine the core prescription pattern of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) among patients with DD in Taiwan as a reference for related research and clinical applications. Methods: All patients, who had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder or minor depression or dysthymia without any other baseline diseases and had at least one CHM outpatient clinical visit from 2002 to 2011, were extracted from three randomly sampled cohorts, namely the 2000, 2005 and 2010 cohorts of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. The collected data was analyzed to explore the patterns of herbal products. Results: There were 197,146 patients with a diagnosis of DD and of these 1806 subjects had only a diagnosis of DD and utilized CHM. The most common formula was Gan-Mai-Da-Zao-Tang (12.19%), while Suan-Zao-Ren (3.99%) was the most commonly prescribed single herb. The core pattern of prescriptions consisted of a combination of Gan-Mai-Da-Zao-Tang, Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, Chai-Hu-Jia-Long-Gu-Mu-Li-Tang, He-Huan-Pi, Yuan-Zhi and Shi-Chang-Pu. Conclusions: This study describes the CHM core prescription pattern used to treat patients in Taiwan with DD and it is a potential candidate for study in future pharmacological or clinical trials targeting DD.

NF-κB/ROS and ERK pathways regulate NLRP3 inflammasome activation in Listeria monocytogenes infected BV2 microglia cells

Yuan Lin,Zhu Yurong,Huang Shuang,Lin Lin,Jiang Xugan,Chen Shengxia 한국미생물학회 2021 The journal of microbiology Vol.59 No.8

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen responsible for neurolisteriosis, which is potentially lethal in immunocompromised individuals. Microglia are the main target cells for L. monocytogenes in central nervous system (CNS). However, the precise mechanisms by which they trigger neuroinflammatory processes remain unknown. The BV2 microglial cell line and a murine model of L. monocytogenes infection were used for experiments in this study. Listeria monocytogenes induced pyroptosis and nucleotide binding and oligomerization, leucine-rich repeat, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in BV2. Pharmacological inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuated L. monocytogenes- induced pyroptosis. Moreover, inhibition of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) pathways induced a decrease in caspase1 activation and mature IL-1β-17 secretion. Our collective findings support critical involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome in L. monocytogenes-induced neuroinflammation and, to an extent, ROS production. In addition, ERK and NF-κB signaling play an important role in activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, both in vitro and in vivo.

EphB1 and Ephrin-B, New Potential Biomarkers for Squamous Cell/adenosquamous Carcinomas and Adenocarcinomas of the Gallbladder

Yuan, Yuan,Yang, Zhu-Lin,Miao, Xiong-Ying,Liu, Zi-Ru,Li, Dai-Qiang,Zou, Qiong,Li, Jing-He,Liang, Lu-Feng,Zeng, Gui-Xiang,Chen, Sen-Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.3

Squamous cell/adenosquamous carcinoma (SC/ASC) of the gallbladder are rare tumors and there are few clinical reports in the literature. Herein we report our clinical experience with 46 patients with SC/ASC and 80 with adenocarcinoma (AC). Expression of EphB1 and Ephrin-B in each tumor was determined using immunohistochemical methods for determination of correlations with prognosis. There was no difference in EphB1 and Ephrin-B expression between SC/ASC and AC tumors (P>0.05), but greater expression in those less than 3 cm in diameter, stage I or II (TNM stage), with no lymph node metastases, with no local invasion and treated with radical resection was apparent. Expression of EphB1 (P<0.05) and Ephrin-B (P<0.01) was higher in well differentiated than in poorly differentiated AC tumors. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that degree of differentiation, tumor diameter, lymph node metastases, local invasion, surgical approach and expression rate of EphB1 and Ephrin-B were closely related to the survival of SC/ASC (P<0.05) and AC patients (P<0.01). Patients with tumors that positive expressed EphB1 and Ephrin-B, whether it is SC/ASC ($P_{SC/ASC}$ =0.000) or AC ($P_{AC}$ =0.000 or $P_{AC}$ =0.002) had longer survival than those negative expression. Cox multivariate analysis indicated a negative correlation between expression of EphB1 or Ephrin-B and overall survival. Hence, EphB1 and Ephrin-B could be regarded as independent good prognostic factorsand important biological markers for SC/ASC and AC of gallbladder.

Portable Laser Doppler Flowmeter for Microcirculation Detection

Chang-Lin Hu,Meng-Lin Li,Zhan-Sheng Lin,Yen-Yu Chen,Yuan-Hsiang Lin 대한의용생체공학회 2013 Biomedical Engineering Letters (BMEL) Vol.3 No.2

Purpose The microcirculatory system of the human body is closely related to its physiological conditions. The laser Doppler flowmeter can detect symptoms through variations in the microcirculation; however, the present commercial Doppler flowmeter is very expensive, heavy, and inconvenient to carry. Therefore, an inexpensive, small, and portable laser Doppler flowmeter is proposed. Methods In this study, we designed a laser Doppler flowmeter transmitting receiving module based on the fundamental principles of laser Doppler, using a common computer for flow calculation. A self-designed correction system was used to validate the portable laser Doppler flowmeter. Results The coefficient of correlation between the mean frequency offset <ω> of the flowmeter and the actual mimicked blood flow rate reached a high value of R = 0.99, and the variations in microcirculation flow could be accurately measured. Conclusions The results proved that the low-cost portable laser Doppler flowmeter can be used extensively in early symptom detection for disease prevention and control.

Professionals’ experiences and attitudes toward use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in hospice palliative inpatient care units: A multicenter survey in Taiwan

Yu-Jia Lin,Hsiao-Ting Chang,Ming-Hwai Lin,Ru-Yih Chen,Ping-Jen Chen,Wen-Yuan Lin,Jyh-Gang Hsieh,Ying-Wei Wang,Chung-Chieh Hu,Yi-Sheng Liou,Tai-Yuan Chiu,Chun-Yi Tu,Yi-Jen Wang,Bo-Ren Cheng,Tzeng-Ji Ch 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.2

Background: Medical staff may have difficulties in using conventional medicine to manage symptoms among terminally ill patients, including adverse effects of the treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as a complementary or alternative medicine, and has been increasingly used in the field of palliative medicine in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of and attitudes toward using TCM among palliative care professionals, and to provide preliminary information about its use in palliative care. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted in eight inpatient hospice wards in Taiwan between December 2014 and February 2016. The questionnaire was self-administered, and was analyzed with descriptive statistics including Pearson’s Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 251 palliative care professionals responded to the questionnaire, of whom 89.7% and 88.9% believed that the use of TCM could improve the physical symptoms and quality of life in terminally ill patients, respectively. Overall, 59.8%, of respondents suggested that TCM had rare side effects, and 58.2% were worried that TCM could affect the liver and kidney function of patients. In total, 89.7% and 88.0% of professionals agreed there were no suitable clinical practice guidelines and educational programs, respectively, for TCM use in palliative care. Conclusions: Most of the respondents agreed there was insufficient knowledge, skills-training, and continuing education on the use of TCM in terminally ill patients in Taiwan. These results show that to address patient safety considerations, guidelines about use of TCM in palliative care should be established.

Characterization of a Naturally Occurring Mutation (Ile-358 to Thr) in Human Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase of a Patient with Leigh Syndrome

Yuan, Lin,Kim, Hak-Jung Korean Chemical Society 2012 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.33 No.5

On the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a multi-span and multi-step beam carrying a number of concentrated elements

Lin, Hsien-Yuan Techno-Press 2008 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.29 No.5

This paper adopts the numerical assembly method (NAM) to determine the exact solutions of natural frequencies and mode shapes of a multi-span and multi-step beam carrying a number of various concentrated elements including point masses, rotary inertias, linear springs, rotational springs and springmass systems. First, the coefficient matrix for an intermediate station with various concentrated elements, cross-section change and/or pinned support and the ones for the left-end and right-end supports of a beam are derived. Next, the overall coefficient matrix for the entire beam is obtained using the numerical assembly technique of the conventional finite element method (FEM). Finally, the exact solutions for the natural frequencies of the vibrating system are determined by equating the determinant of the last overall coefficient matrix to zero and the associated mode shapes are obtained by substituting the corresponding values of integration constants into the associated eigenfunctions.

Effect of Tea Brewing Containers of Different Materials on the Taste and Quality Components of Tieguanyin and Pu’er Tea

Yuan-Yuan Wu,Xian Shen,Eun-hye Kim,Lin Huang,Ling Hou,You-Ying Tu 한국차학회 2015 한국차학회지 Vol.- No.S

Several previous works showed that the brewing temperature, time, ratio of tea and water had significant effects on the quality of different tea infusions. The appropriate tea brewing condition is vital for a cup of delicious tea. In China, the tea brewing container is also thought to be important for tea brewing. However, there are few works on the effect of tea brewing containers of different materials on tea infusions. In this work, Tieguanyin and Pu’er tea infusions were prepared with tea cups of glass, white porcelain, and purple clay, the effect of different container materials on the taste and quality components of Tieguanyin and Pu’er tea were studied. The tea cups made of glass, white porcelain, and purple clay in same style were used for brewing Tieguanyin and Pu’er tea to obtain different treated tea infusions. The main components such as tea polyphenols, amino acids, total sugars, water extracts, theabrownins, and caffeine in different treated tea infusions were analyzed. All tea infusions were carried out in sensory tests. Among three different cups, the cup made of purple clay had a higher ability in keeping temperature. The content of tea polyphenols and caffeine of Tieguanyin and Pu’er tea were significantly high infused with the purple clay cup. The amino acids and catechins in Tieguanyin, theabrownins in Pu’er tea, are positively associated with the heat property of tea cups. Tieguanyin tea brewing with glass cup and Pu’er tea brewing with purple clay cup are much more welcomed by panelists. In the present work, Tieguanyin tea prepared with glass cups and Pu’er tea prepared with purple clay cup are suggested for a better taste tea infusion.

2,5-Hexanedione induces apoptosis via a mitochondriamediated pathway in PC12 cells

Yuan Qi,Shuang-yue Li,Feng-yuan Piao,Zhe-min Wang,Ruo-lin Chen,Shuang Liu,Jing-shun Shen 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2015 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.11 No.1

2,5-Hexanedione (HD) is the main active metabolite of n-hexane and mediates the neurotoxicity of the parent compound. Studies suggested that apoptosis involved in HD neurotoxicity. However, the mechanism of HD-induced neuronal apoptosis remains unknown. To explore its underlying mechanism, we treated PC12 cells with 5, 10 and 20 mM HD for 24 h, respectively. We found that HD induced apoptotic death in PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, HD down-regulated Bcl-2 expression, up-regulated Bax expression and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, promoted the disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, induced the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, and increased the activity of caspase-3 in PC12 cells, which were all the key regulators of intrinsic apoptotic pathway. These results indicate that HD induces apoptosis via a mitochondria- mediated pathway in PC12 cells.

Association Study of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of STAT2/STAT3/IFN-γ Genes in Cervical Cancer in Southern Chinese Han Women

Yuan, Yuan,Fan, Jie-Lin,Yao, Fang-Ling,Wang, Kang-Tao,Yu, Ying,Carlson, Jennifer,Li, Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.8

Objective: Interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) each play an important role in carcinogenesis associated with viral infection. Cervical cancer is almost invariably associated with infection by human papillomavirus (HPV), and previous studies suggested that dysregulation of the signal pathway involved in IFN-${\gamma}$ and STATs is associated. Our objective was to evaluate the association of SNPs in STAT2, STAT3, and IFN-${\gamma}$ with cervical cancer susceptibility in Chinese Han women in Hunan province. Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of 234 cervical cancer patients and 216 healthy female controls. STAT2 and STAT3 genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction enzyme (PCR-RE) analysis. IFN-${\gamma}$ genotyping was detected by PCR-amplification of specific allele (PASA). Results: For STAT2 rs2066807 polymorphisms, there was no significant difference of genotype distribution (P=0.827) and allele frequencies (P=0.830, OR=1.09, 95% CI: 0.51-2.31) between cases and controls. For STAT3 rs957970 polymorphisms, there was no significant difference of genotype distribution (P=0.455) and allele frequencies (P=0.560, OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.71-1.20) between cases and controls. For IFN-${\gamma}$ +874A/T polymorphisms, there was no significant difference of genotype distribution (P=0.652) and allele frequencies (P=0.527, OR=1.12, 95% CI: 0.79-1.59) between cases and controls. Conclusion: These results suggest that polymorphisms in STAT2, STAT3 and IFN-${\gamma}$ genes are not likely to be strong predictors of cervical cancer in Han women in southern China.