Search

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains various cytokines and growth factors that may be beneficial to the healing process of injured muscle. Based on the authors' previous study, PRP releasate can promote proliferation and migration of skeletal muscle cells in vitro, so animal studies are performed to support the use of PRP to treat muscle injury in vivo., Purpose: To investigate the effect of PRP releasate on regeneration of injured muscle, as well as its effect on inflammatory reaction and cell apoptosis, in the early stages of the muscle-healing process., Study Design: Controlled laboratory study., Methods: The gastrocnemius muscles of Sprague-Dawley rats were injured by partial transverse incision and then treated with PRP releasate. Hematoxylin and eosin stain was used to evaluate the healing process of injured muscle at 2, 5, and 10 days after injury. TUNEL assay was used to evaluate the cell apoptosis of injured muscle after PRP releasate treatment. Immunohistochemistry was used to stain the CD68-positive cells during the healing process. Muscle contractile properties, including fast-twitch and tetanic strength, were evaluated by electric stimulation., Results: The results revealed that PRP releasate treatment could enhance the muscle-healing process and decrease CD68-positive cells and apoptotic cells. Furthermore, the tetanic strength was significantly higher in injured muscle treated with PRP releasate., Conclusion: In conclusion, PRP releasate could enhance the healing process of injured muscle and decrease inflammatory cell infiltration as well as cell apoptosis., Clinical Relevance: PRP promotes skeletal muscle healing in association with decreasing inflammation and apoptosis of injured skeletal muscle. These findings provide in vivo evidence to support the use of PRP to treat muscle injury.

Highly efficient decontamination of heavily toxic Cr 2 O 7 2- from water remains a serious task for public health and ecosystem protection. An easily regenerative and reused sorbent with suitable porosity may address this task. Herein, a series of water-stable and ecofriendly metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with large surface areas were assessed for their ability to adsorb and separate Cr 2 O 7 2- from aqueous solutions. Among these tested MOFs, NU-1000 shows an extraordinary capability to efficiently capture (within 3 min) Cr 2 O 7 2- with a sorption capacity of up to 76.8 mg/g, which is the largest one for the neutral MOF-based Cr 2 O 7 2- sorbents. NU-1000 also shows remarkable selectivity for Cr 2 O 7 2- capture and can effectively reduce the Cr(VI) concentration from 24 ppm to 60 ppb, which is below the acceptable limit for the drinking water standard (100 ppb by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Moreover, this adsorbent can be easily regenerated by Soxhlet extraction with an acidic methanol solution (2.5 M HCl) and can be reused at least three times without a significant loss of it adsorption ability. More intriguingly, NU-1000 can also serve as an efficient photoluminescent probe for the selective detection of Cr 2 O 7 2- in aqueous media. The Cr 2 O 7 2- detection limit is as low as 1.8 μM, and the linear range is from 1.8 to 340 μM. Our work shows that NU-1000 is a unique material combining both efficient sorption and exceptional fluorescent sensing of Cr 2 O 7 2- in aqueous media.

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) contains various cytokines and growth factors which may be beneficial to the healing process of injured muscle. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of PRP on migration of skeletal muscle cells. Skeletal muscle cells intrinsic to Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with PRP. The cell migration was evaluated by transwell filter migration assay and electric cell-substrate impedance sensing. The spreading of cells was evaluated microscopically. The formation of filamentous actin (F-actin) cytoskeleton was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. The protein expressions of paxillin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were assessed by Western blot analysis. Transfection of paxillin small-interfering RNA (siRNAs) to muscle cells was performed to validate the role of paxillin in PRP-mediated promotion of cell migration. Dose-dependently PRP promotes migration of and spreading and muscle cells. Protein expressions of paxillin and FAK were up-regulated dose-dependently. F-actin formation was also enhanced by PRP treatment. Furthermore, the knockdown of paxillin expression impaired the effect of PRP to promote cell migration. It was concluded that PRP promoting migration of muscle cells is associated with up-regulation of proteins expression of paxillin and FAK as well as increasing F-actin formation. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2506-2512, 2017., (© 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) contains various cytokines and growth factors which may be beneficial to the healing process of injured muscle. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of PRP releasate on proliferation of skeletal muscle cells. Skeletal muscle cells intrinsic to Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with PRP releasate. Cell proliferation was evaluated by 3-[4,5-Dimethylthiazol- 2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and immunocytochemistry with Ki-67 stain. Flow cytometric analysis was used to evaluate the cell cycle progression. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the protein expressions of PCNA, cyclin E1, cyclin A2, cyclin B1, cyclin dependent kinase (cdk)1 and cdk2. The results revealed that PRP releasate enhanced proliferation of skeletal muscle cells by shifting cells from G1 phase to S phase and G2/M phases. Ki-67 stain revealed the increase of proliferative capability after PRP releasate treatment. Protein expressions including cyclin A2, cyclin B1, cdk1, cdk2 and PCNA were up-regulated by PRP releasate in a dose-dependent manner. It was concluded that PRP releasate promoted proliferation of skeletal muscle cells in association with the up-regulated protein expressions of PCNA, cyclin A2, cyclin B1, cdk1 and cdk2.

Specific capacity and cyclic performance are critically important for the electrode materials of rechargeable batteries. Herein, a capacity boost effect of Li- and Na-ion batteries was presented and clarified by nitrogen-doped graphene sheets. The reversible capacities progressively increased from 637.4 to 1050.4 mAh g -1 (164.8% increase) in Li-ion cell tests from 20 to 185 cycles, and from 187.3 to 247.5 mAh g -1 (132.1% increase) in Na-ion cell tests from 50 to 500 cycles. The mechanism of the capacity boost is proposed as an electrochemical induced cascading evolution of graphitic N to pyridinic and/or pyrrolic N, during which only these graphitic N adjacent pyridinic or pyrrolic structures can be taken precedence. The original and new generated pyridinic and pyrrolic N have strengthened binding energies to Li/Na atoms, thus increased the Li/Na coverage and delivered a progressive capacity boost with cycles until the entire favorable graphitic N transform into pyridinic and pyrrolic N.

A new method was demonstrated to construct mesoporous and carbon hybrid structures of β-In2S3 from the thermal decomposition of layered molecular precursors. When applied to LIBs, they all exhibit good cycling stability and excellent rate performance due to the great uniformity of mesopores and pyrolysis carbon distributed in the materials.

Aim: To investigate the spectrum and antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated from patients with suspected corneal infections in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in South China over the past four years retrospectively., Methods: Totally 1943 corneal scrapes from patients with corneal infections from 2010 to 2013 were cultured and processed using standard microbiological procedures to identify bacterial isolates. Simultaneously, the bacterial isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility to 8 antibiotics (ceftazidime, cefuroxim, cefazolin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, neomycin, tobramycin, chloramphenicol) using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique., Results: Of the total 1943 scrapes, 397 (20.43%) were culture-positive, of which 294 (74.06%) were gram-positive (GP) and 103 (25.94%) were gram-negative (GN) bacteria. Of the GP organisms, the most prevalent genera were Staphylococcus spp. (56.17%, n=223), Kocuria spp. (5.29%, n=21) and Micrococcus spp. (1.26%, n=5). On the other hand, the most prevalent genera were Pseudomonas spp. (12.85%, n=51), Burkholderia spp. (2.02%, n=8) and Acinetobacter spp. (1.51%, n=6) for the GN organisms. Among five antibiotics that have eye drop products, the resistant to neomycin of GP (7.82%, 95% CI: 4.72%-10.92%) and GN isolates (9.71%, 95% CI: 4.01%-15.41%) was lowest, while the resistant to chloramphenicol was highest (GP: 34.35%, 95% CI: 28.92%-39.78%; GN: 60.19%, 95% CI: 50.74%-69.64%)., Conclusion: Staphylococcus spp. was the most common bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with corneal infections in this setting. High percentages of GP and GN bacteria were mostly susceptible to neomycin and highly resistant to chloramphenicol.

Statins have been reported to induce tendinopathy and even tendon rupture. The present study was designed to investigate the potential molecular mechanism underlying the adverse effect of simvastatin on tendon cells. An in vitro tendon healing model was performed using tendon cells isolated from rat Achilles tendons. The viability of tendon cells and cell cycle progression were examined by the MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis, respectively. Immunofluorescent staining for Ki-67 was used to assess the proliferation activity of tendon cells. Western blot analysis and coimmunoprecipitation was used to determine the protein expression of cell cycle-related proteins. To investigate the potential mechanism underlying the effect of statins on tendon cells, mevalonate, farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) was added to simvastatin-treated tendon cells. Simvastatin inhibited the in vitro tendon healing model and tendon cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Immunofluorescent staining demonstrated reduced ki-67 expression in simvastatin-treated tendon cells. Furthermore, simvastatin induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. The expression levels of cdk1, cdk2, cyclin A, and cyclin E were downregulated by simvastatin in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of simvastatin was proved to mediate the reduction of mevalonate, and the addition of exogenous GGPP completely prevented the inhibitory effect of simvastatin on tendon cells. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, the molecular mechanism underlying simvastatin-induced tendinopathy or tendon rupture. GGPP was shown to prevent the adverse effect of simvastatin in tendon cells without interfering with its cholesterol-reducing efficacy., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effect of functional foods on aphasia related to a previous ischemic stroke. When stroke-related neurological deficits result in physical dependency and poor selfcare that persists longer than 6 months, full recovery is almost impossible and the patient often requires long-term care. The functional foods, EASE123 and BioBalance#6, include numerous plant and marine-based nutrient supplements that could prove beneficial for such patients., Methods and Study Design: This open-labelled study included 10 patients diagnosed with prior ischemic stroke and aphasia lasting longer than 6 months. Each patient was administered 6 tablets of EASE123 at 10:30 AM and at 90 minutes before sleeping, and 3 tablets of BioBalance# 6 at 2:30 PM. After a treatment period of 12 weeks, the patients were followed during a 4-week withdrawal period. Functional improvement was assessed by scores and subscores on the Concise Chinese Aphasia Test (CCAT) at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16., Results: Average total CCAT scores and matching ability improved significantly at weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 (p<0.05). Simple response scores improved significantly at weeks 8 and 12 (p<0.05). Auditory comprehension improved significantly at weeks 4 and 12 (p<0.05), and reading comprehension, at week 12 (p<0.05). Repetition ability improved significantly at weeks 8, 12, and 16 (p<0.05), and spontaneous writing, at weeks 4, 12, and 16 (p<0.05)., Conclusions: Matching, repetition, and average total CCAT scores improved over the course of the study. Therefore, 6 months after ischemic stroke, EASE123 and BioBalance# 6 administration may improve stroke-related aphasia.

Objectives: The older population are at a high risk for suicide. This study sought to learn more about the characteristics of suicide in the oldest-old and to use a cluster analysis to determine if oldest-old suicide victims assort into clinically meaningful subgroups., Methods: Data were collected from a coroner's chart review of suicide victims in Toronto from 1998 to 2011. We compared two age groups (65-79 year olds, n = 335, and 80+ year olds, n = 191) and then conducted a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis using Ward's method to identify distinct clusters in the 80+ group., Results: The younger and older age groups differed according to marital status, living circumstances and pattern of stressors. The cluster analysis identified three distinct clusters in the 80+ group. Cluster 1 was the largest (n = 124) and included people who were either married or widowed who had significantly more depression and somewhat more medical health stressors. In contrast, cluster 2 (n = 50) comprised people who were almost all single and living alone with significantly less identified depression and slightly fewer medical health stressors. All members of cluster 3 (n = 17) lived in a retirement residence or nursing home, and this group had the highest rates of depression, dementia, other mental illness and past suicide attempts., Conclusions: This is the first study to use the cluster analysis technique to identify meaningful subgroups among suicide victims in the oldest-old. The results reveal different patterns of suicide in the older population that may be relevant for clinical care., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanocrystalline microspheres (MNMs) self-assembled with 52 nm nanocrystals bridged with FeOOH around grain boundaries were formed by solvothermal reaction and thermal oxidation. The unique architecture endows the MNMs with the lithium storage behavior of a hybrid battery-supercapacitor electrode: initial charge capacity of 1060 mAh g(-1) at the 100 mA g(-1) rate, stable cyclic capacity of 1077.9 mAh g(-1) at the same rate after 140 cycles, and rate capability of 538.8 mAh g(-1) at 2400 mA g(-1). This outstanding performance was attributed to the nanocrystal superiority, which shortens the Li(+) diffusion paths. The mechanism of this hybrid anode material was investigated with experimental measurements and structural analysis. The results indicate that at the first discharge, the MNM nanocrystal microsphere, whose structure can buffer the volume change that occurs during lithiation/delithiation, goes through four stages: Li(+) insertion in cation vacancies, spinel-to-rocksalt transformation, Li(+) intercalation of Li(1.75+x)Fe2O3 nanocrystals, and interfacial Li storage around nanocrystal boundaries. Only the latter two stages were reversible at and after the second charging/discharging cycle, exhibiting the hybrid behavior of a battery-supercapacitor with superior lithium storage.

Background: Studies have shown the clock-drawing test (CDT) to be a useful screening test that differentiates between normal, elderly populations, and those diagnosed with dementia. However, the results of studies which have looked at the utility of the CDT to help differentiate Alzheimer's disease (AD) from other dementias have been conflicting. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of the CDT in discriminating between patients with AD and other types of dementia., Methods: A review was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase. Search terms included clock drawing or CLOX and dementia or Parkinson's Disease or AD or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or vascular dementia (VaD)., Results: Twenty studies were included. In most of the studies, no significant differences were found in quantitative CDT scores between AD and VaD, DLB, and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) patients. However, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients consistently scored higher on the CDT than AD patients. Qualitative analyses of errors differentiated AD from other types of dementia., Conclusions: Overall, the CDT score may be useful in distinguishing between AD and FTD patients, but shows limited value in differentiating between AD and VaD, DLB, and PDD. Qualitative analysis of the type of CDT errors may be a useful adjunct in the differential diagnosis of the types of dementias.

Objectives: To investigate effects of platelet-rich plasma on tendon cell proliferation and the underlying molecular mechanisms., Materials and Methods: Platelet-rich plasma was prepared manually by two-step centrifugation. Proliferation was evaluated in cultured rat tendon cells by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell cycle progression was assessed by flow cytometry. Messenger RNA expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), cyclin E1, A2 and B1, and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) 1 and 2 was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression of the above cyclins and Cdks and of signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 3 and p27 was evaluated by western blotting., Results: Platelet-rich plasma used in the present study had concentrations of platelets, TGF-β1 and PDGF over 3-fold higher than normal whole blood. Platelet-rich plasma enhanced tendon cell proliferation (P = 0.008) by promoting G1 /S phase transition in the cell cycle, and increased expression of PCNA, cyclin E1, A2 and B1, Cdks1 and 2, and phosphorylated Stat3, while inhibiting p27 expression., Conclusions: Platelet-rich plasma contains high concentrations of TGF-β1 and PDGF that increase tendon cell proliferation by modulating Stat3/p27(Kip1), which enhances expression of cyclin-Cdk complexes that promote cell cycle progression. These results provide molecular evidence for positive effects of platelet-rich plasma on tendon cell proliferation, which can be useful in clinical applications of tendon injury., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dalesindole, an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory indole alkaloid with an undescribed carbon skeleton, was stereoselectively constructed by Daldinia eschscholzii through class II aldolase catalyzed Michael addition of fungal chromone with 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) formed in situ from indole-3-carbinol (I3C) under catalyses of monooxygenase and 8-amino-7-oxononanoate synthase (AONS). Dalesindole isomerizes via a retro-Michael reaction to give stereoisomers with bioactivities. The work provides an access to new bioactive hybrids of fungal oligoketide with microbially decorated exogenous chemistry.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that forms biofilms on the surfaces of medical implants. Biofilm formation by S. aureus is associated with the production of poly N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), also referred to as polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA), which mediates bacterial adhesion, leading to the accumulation of bacteria on solid surfaces. This study shows that the ability of S. aureus SA113 to adhere to nasal epithelial cells is reduced after the deletion of the ica operon, which contains genes encoding PIA/PNAG synthesis. However, this ability is restored after a plasmid carrying the entire ica operon is transformed into the mutant strain, S. aureus SA113Δica, showing that the synthesis of PIA/PNAG is important for adhesion to epithelial cells. Additionally, S. carnosus TM300, which does not produce PIA/PNAG, forms a biofilm and adheres to epithelial cells after the bacteria are transformed with a PIA/PNAG-expressing plasmid, pTXicaADBC. The adhesion of S. carnosus TM300 to epithelial cells is also demonstrated by adding purified exopolysaccharide (EPS), which contains PIA/PNAG, to the bacteria. In addition, using a mouse model, we find that the abscess lesions and bacterial burden in lung tissues is higher in mice infected with S. aureus SA113 than in those infected with the mutant strain, S. aureus SA113Δica. The results indicate that PIA/PNAG promotes the adhesion of S. aureus to human nasal epithelial cells and lung infections in a mouse model. This study elucidates a mechanism that is important to the pathogenesis of S. aureus infections.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and contributing factors to osteopenia and osteoporosis among people with intellectual disabilities (ID) or/and developmental disabilities (DD) residing in a disability institution in Taiwan. The present study was conducted at one disability institution in Taiwan and recruited 184 institutionalized residents with ID and/or DD (115 men and 69 women aged 18-72 years) for analysis. For all residents with ID and/or DD, information was obtained about their age, gender, level of ID, BMI, and bone mineral density (BMD). BMD is a measurement of calcium levels in bones that can estimate the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. Bone tests were divided into three outcome categories based on their calcaneal BMD T-scores: Normal BMD, a T-score≧-1; Osteopenia, -2.5≦T-score<-1; and Osteoporosis, a T-score<-2.5. The results revealed that 46.2% of cases were normal and that 27.7% and 26.1% of cases had osteopenia and osteoporosis, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analyses found that male gender (OR=2.482, 95% CI=1.04-5.93, p<0.05), age≧40 years (OR=3.051, 95% CI=1.07-8.69, p<0.05) and being overweight/obese (OR=0.395, 95% CI=0.17-0.93, p<0.05) were more likely to be associated with osteoporosis. Another model indicated that males (OR=2.169, 95% CI=1.12-4.19, p<0.05) and those aged≧40 years (OR=3.026, 95% CI=1.32-7, p<0.01) tended to have an increased risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis. To improve the bone quality of individuals with ID or/and DD and to decrease the occurrence of osteopenia and osteoporosis, this study highlights that we should pay much attention to the potential risk factors for bone quality in these vulnerable populations., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aims to answer the research question of "Are early onset aging conditions correlated to daily activity functions in youth and adults with Down syndrome (DS)?" A cross-sectional survey was employed to recruit 216 individuals with DS over 15 years of age in the analyses. A structured questionnaire included demographic data, brief self-reported aging conditions, Dementia Screening Questionnaire for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (DSQIID) and activity of daily living (ADL) scales were completed by the primary caregivers who were well-suited for providing information on the functioning conditions of the DS individuals. Results showed that the most five frequent aging conditions (sometimes, usually and always) included frailty (20.2%), vision problem (15.8%), loss of language ability (15.3%), sleep problem (14.9%) and memory impairment (14.5%). Other onset aging conditions included more chronic diseases (13.9%), hearing loss (13%), chewing ability and tooth loss (12.5%), incontinence (11.1%), depressive syndrome (7.7%), falls and gait disorder (7.2%), loss of taste and smell (7.2%). The data also showed scores of DSQIID, onset aging conditions and ADL has significant relationships each other in Pearson's correlation tests. Finally, multiple linear regression analyses indicated onset aging conditions (β=-0.735, p<0.001) can significantly predicted the variation in ADL scores after adjusting other factors (R 2 =0.381). This study suggests that the authority should initiate early intervention programs aim to improve healthy aging and ADL functions for people with DS., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is little information about the burnout and wellbeing of institutional caregivers working for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; information is particularly limited in the understanding of experiences of direct care workers., Objective: The aims of the study were to provide a profile of self-perceived burnout and wellbeing of direct-care caregivers working in disability institutions, and to compare the difference between native- and foreign caregivers., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. We recruited 46 female living assistants of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in two disability institutions in Taiwan. There were 23 subjects who were local residents and 23 subjects who were foreign providers of labor. A self-administered questionnaire which included scale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were employed in the survey., Results: Findings revealed the local caregivers were slightly higher than foreign caregivers in personal burnout score (PBS) and work-related burnout score (WBS), although there were no significant differences. Those caregivers from foreign countries seem to be slightly happier and have higher life satisfaction than native caregivers., Conclusions: In order to decrease the burnout and improve wellbeing of caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, service providers should understand the experiences which caregivers encounter in their workplaces. Caregivers can benefit if they receive appropriate support to improve positive health while working for their service clients.

The present study aims to investigate the onset of dementia conditions using the Dementia Screening Questionnaire for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (DSQIID) scale and to identify the possible factors associated with DSQIID scores in people with Down syndrome (DS). The study population was recruited from the voluntary registry members of the Republic of China Foundation for Persons with Down syndrome; primary caregivers provided DSQIID information on 196 adolescents and adults with DS (aged 15-48 years) who were entered into the database and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software. The results described the distribution of early-onset dementia conditions in 53 adolescents and adults with DS, and 2.6% of the subjects with DS had possible dementia (DSQIID score ≧ 20). Univariate analyses found that older age (p=0.001) and comorbid conditions (p=0.003) were significantly associated with DSQIID scores. Older subjects were more likely to have higher DSQIID scores than were younger age groups after ANOVA and Scheffe's tests. Lastly, a multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age (p<0.01), severe disability level (p<0.05) and comorbid condition (p<0.01) significantly explained 13% of the variation in DSQIID scores after adjusting for the factors of gender, education level and multiple disabilities in adolescents and adults with DS. The study highlights that future research should focus on the occurrence of dementia in people with DS and on identifying its influencing factors based on sound measurements, to initiate appropriate healthy aging policies for this group of people., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Caregivers of adults with an intellectual disability experience depressive symptoms, but the aging factors of the care recipients associated with the depressive symptoms are unknown. The objective of this study was to analyze the onset aging conditions of adults with an intellectual disability that associated with the depression scores of their primary caregivers. A cross-sectional survey was administered to gather information from 455 caregivers of adults with an intellectual disability about their symptoms of depression which assessed by a 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The 12 aging conditions of adults with an intellectual disability include physical and mental health. The results indicate that 78% of adults with an intellectual disability demonstrate aging conditions. Physical conditions associated with aging include hearing decline (66.3%), vision decline (63.6%), incontinence (44%), articulation and bone degeneration (57.9%), teeth loss (80.4), physical strength decline (81.2%), sense of taste and smell decline (52.8%), and accompanied chronic illnesses (74.6%). Mental conditions associated with aging include memory loss (77%), language ability deterioration (74.4%), poor sleep quality (74.2%), and easy onset of depression and sadness (50.3%). Aging conditions of adults with an intellectual disability (p<0.001) was one factor that significantly affected the presence of depressive symptom among caregivers after controlling demographic characteristics. Particularly, poor sleep quality of adults with an intellectual disability (yes vs. no, OR=3.807, p=0.002) was statistically correlated to the occurrence of significant depressive symptoms among their caregivers. This study suggests that the authorities should reorient community services and future policies toward the needs of family caregivers to decrease the burdens associated with caregiving., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Few studies have investigated in detail which factors influence activities of daily living (ADL) in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) comorbid with/without dementia conditions. The objective of the present study was to describe the relation between early onset dementia conditions and progressive loss of ADL capabilities and to examine the influence of dementia conditions and other possible factors toward ADL scores in adults with ID. This study was part of the "Healthy Aging Initiatives for Persons with an Intellectual Disability in Taiwan: A Social Ecological Approach" project. We analyzed data from 459 adults aged 45 years or older with an ID regarding their early onset symptoms of dementia and their ADL profile based on the perspective of the primary caregivers. Results show that a significant negative correlation was found between dementia score and ADL score in a Pearson's correlation test (r=-0.28, p<0.001). The multiple linear regression model reported that factors of male gender (β=4.187, p<0.05), marital status (β=4.79, p<0.05), education level (primary: β=5.544, p<0.05; junior high or more: β=8.147, p<0.01), Down's syndrome (β=-9.290, p<0.05), severe or profound disability level (β=-6.725, p<0.05; β=-15.773, p<0.001), comorbid condition (β=-4.853, p<0.05) and dementia conditions (β=-9.245, p<0.001) were variables that were able to significantly predict the ADL score (R(2)=0.241) after controlling for age. Disability level and comorbidity can explain 10% of the ADL score variation, whereas dementia conditions can only explain 3% of the ADL score variation in the study. The present study highlights that future studies should scrutinize in detail the reasons for the low explanatory power of dementia for ADL, particularly in examining the appropriateness of the measurement scales for dementia and ADL in aging adults with ID., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The study aim was to determine the extent and determinants of reporting depressive symptoms in caregivers for persons with intellectual disabilities based on assessment of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). A cross-sectional study was conducted, recruiting 455 caregivers for adults with ID who were providing care in community residences, with complete PHQ-9 data being analyzed. The results indicated that the mean of each item scored on the PHQ-9 varied from 0.3 (Q9) to 1.1 (Q4). For two items (Q3 - "sleeping difficulties" and Q4 - "fatigue"), the respondents reported occurrence during several days in the previous two weeks. However, after scrutinizing the distribution of each item in the PHQ-9, 3.3-14.5% respondents reported that each item happened nearly every day, and 4.0-17.8% expressed that each happened more than half of the days in the previous two weeks. With respect to difficulties examined on the PHQ, 47% of cases expressed that it was somewhat difficult, 8.2% expressed that it was very difficult, and 4.5% felt that it was extremely difficult to work, care for things at home, or get along with others. Finally, a logistic regression model revealed that only one factor of self-perceived health status (fair/poor vs. excellent/very good, OR=7.519, 95% CI=3.03-18.68, p<0.001) exhibited a statistically significant correlation with depressive symptom occurrence (PHQ-9 score ≥ 10) among the caregivers. The study highlights the need to strengthen appropriate health initiatives for monitoring mental health status and to provide necessary services for community caregivers for adults with ID., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A label-free non-aggregation colorimetric sensor has been designed for the detection of Cu(2+), based on Cu(2+) catalyzing etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs) along longitudinal axis induced by dissolve oxygen in the presence of S2O3(2-), which caused the aspect ratio (length/width) of AuNRs to decrease and the color of the solution to distinctly change. The linear range and the detection limit (LD, calculated by 10 Sb/k, n=11) of this sensor were 0.080-4.8 µM Cu(2+) and 0.22 µM Cu(2+), respectively. This sensor has been utilized to detect Cu(2+) in tap water and human serum samples with the results agreeing well with those of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), showing its remarkable practicality. In order to prove the possibility of catalyzing AuNRs non-aggregation colorimetric sensor for the detection of Cu(2+), the morphological structures of AuNRs were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and the sensing mechanism of colorimetric sensor for the detection of Cu(2+) was also discussed., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study was conducted to describe the functioning of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and to examine socio-economic effects on ADL functioning among adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) aged 45 years and older (N=480) in Taiwan. The Barthel Index (BI) was used to determine a baseline level of ADL functioning in the study participants. There are five categories of functional impairment using the following cut-off values in Taiwan: total dependence (BI score 0-20), severe (BI score 21-60), moderate (BI score 61-90), mild (BI score 91-99), and total independence (BI score 100) (Taiwan Department of Health, 2012). The results revealed that 2.3% of adults with ID were in total dependence, 11.9% were in severe dependence, 27.9% were in moderate dependence, 8.1% had a mild dependence, and 49.8% were totally independent. In the multiple linear regression model of the ADL score, we determined that educational level, comorbid Down's syndrome, and disability level are the variables able to significantly predict ADL score (R(2)=0.190) after controlling for the factors of age, marital status, and other comorbidity conditions. Those ID adults with a lower education level (primary vs. literate, β=4.780, p=0.031; intermediate vs. literate, β=6.642, p=0.030), with comorbid Down's syndrome (β=-7.135, p=0.063), and with a more severe disability condition (severe vs. mild, β=-7.650, p=0.007; profound vs. mild, β=-19.169, p<0.001) had significantly lower ADL scores. The present study highlights the need to support mobility in older adults with ID as much as possible to optimize independence in this group., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fe(3+) can catalyze H2O2 to oxidize along on the longitudinal axis of gold nanorods (AuNRs), which caused the aspect ratio of AuNRs to decrease, longitudinal plasmon absorption band (LPAB) of AuNRs to blueshift (Δλ) and the color of the solution to change obviously. Thus, a rapid response and highly sensitive non-aggregation colorimetric sensor for the determination of Fe(3+) has been developed based on the signal amplification effect of catalyzing H2O2 to oxidize AuNRs. This simple and selective sensor with a wide linear range of 0.20-30.00 μM has been utilized to detect Fe(3+) in blood samples, and the results consisted with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Simultaneously, the mechanism of colorimetric sensor for the detection of Fe(3+) was also discussed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Based on the reaction of the active -OH group in fullerol (F) with the dissociated -COOH group in fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to form an F-FITC and the enhanced effect of N, N-dimethylaniline (DMA) on phosphorescence signal of F-FITC, a new phosphorescent labeling reagent (DMA-F-FITC) was developed. What's more, a phosphorescent sensor for the determination of alpha-fetoprotein variant (AFP-V) has been designed via the coupling technique of the high sensitivity for affinity adsorption-solid substrate-room temperature phosphorimetry (AA-SS-RTP) with the strong specificity reaction between DMA-F-FITC-Con A and AFP-V. The DMA-F-FITC increased the number of luminescent molecules in the biological target which improved the sensitivity of phosphorescent sensor. The proposed sensor was responsive, simple, selective and sensitive, and it has been applied to the determination of trace AFP-V in human serum and the forecast of human diseases using phosphorescence emission wavelength of F or FITC, with the results agreed well with those obtained by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Meanwhile, the mechanisms for the labeling reaction and the sensing detection of AFP-V were discussed., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, the development of a simple method is described for preparing highly red fluorescent mercaptosuccinic acid stabilized AgAu alloy nanoclusters (MSA-AgAu NCs) through the core etching of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and a galvanic exchange reaction using nonorganic solvent and no multistep centrifuge washing. The as-prepared MSA-AgAu NCs were characterized using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. After covalently attaching methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-NH2 (m-PEG-NH2), PEGylated MSA-AgAu NCs were still stable even in 1 M NaCl. Probably based on the deposition of Al(3+)-enhanced fluorescence, the PEGylated MSA-AgAu NCs offered highly selective and sensitive sensing of Al(3+) in aqueous solution with a detection limit of 0.8 μM.

Metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent and has important implications for the health care sector. However, information on the implications of metabolic syndrome for people with disabilities is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between health behaviors and the risk for triple H (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia) in young adults with disabilities. The present study analyzed the annual health examination charts of 705 young adults with disabilities between ages 20 and 39 in Taiwan. Results found that the prevalence of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in adults with disabilities was 5%, 15% and 17.7%, respectively. These prevalence figures were higher than those for the general population of the same age group in Taiwan. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that almost none of the health behaviors were significantly correlated with the occurrence of triple H disorders among young adults with disabilities. Only one factor, BMI, independently predicted the occurrence of triple H disorders. We suggest that future studies should scrutinize the effects of health behaviors on triple-H disorders in people with disabilities to initiate personalize health promotion programs for this group., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that requires long-term management and can have a profound impact on the quality of life of patients. Among patients with SLE, neuropsychiatric manifestations are fairly common, occurring in up to 75% of patients with SLE. Neuropsychiatric symptoms of SLE (NPSLE) presenting with psychosis, however, is less common, with a prevalence of up to 11%. Treatment of psychosis in NPSLE has largely involved antipsychotics and immunosuppressants, with not much in the literature about the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a method of treatment., Methods: We report 3 cases of patients who presented with psychosis during a lupus relapse, who were treated successfully with ECT after their symptoms did not improve on medical treatment., Results and Conclusion: Although all 3 patients were treated with antipsychotics and immunosuppressants simultaneously with the ECT sessions, the time scale of these 3 case studies suggests that ECT played a role in the resolution of these patients' symptoms. Our 3 cases highlight that ECT can be safely and effectively used in patients with NPSLE with prominent psychotic symptoms.

This study examines differences in outpatient-visit frequency and medical expenditures between (1) children and adolescents in Taiwan with intellectual disabilities and (2) children and adolescents in Taiwan's general population. A cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze data from 2007 provided by Taiwan's National Health Insurance program. A total of 236,045 beneficiaries younger than 19 years made use of outpatient services; among them, 35,802 had a principal diagnosis of mental retardation (intellectual disability). The average number of ambulatory visits was 14.9 ± 12.4, which is much higher than in the United States and other developed countries. The mean number of annual visits of the individuals with intellectual disabilities was significantly higher than that of the general population in Taiwan (20.1 ± 20.0 vs. 14.0 ± 12.2); age, gender, urbanization level of residential area, and copayment status affected outpatient visit frequency. The mean annual outpatient costs were NTD6371.3 ± NTD11989.1 for the general population and NTD19724.9 ± NTD40469.9 for those with intellectual disabilities (US $1 equals approximately NTD30). Age, gender, urbanization level of residential area, and copayment status were the determinants that accounted for this difference in cost. Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities had higher use rates of rehabilitative and psychiatric services than the general population. We conclude that individuals with intellectual disabilities had higher demands than the general population for healthcare services, especially for rehabilitative and psychiatric services., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with tendinopathy or tendon injuries. However, the mechanism underlying diabetic tendinopathy is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of high glucose concentrations on the activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinases, type I collagen, and type III collagen in tendon cells., Methods: Tendon cells from rat Achilles tendons were treated with 6 mM, 12 mM, and 25 mM glucose, and then cell proliferation was evaluated by the 3-[4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, and MMP-13 and type I and type III collagen was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The enzymatic activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was measured by gelatin zymography., Results: The MTT assay results showed that the glucose concentration did not affect tendon cell proliferation. The results of the real-time PCR assay revealed that the mRNA expression of MMP-9 and MMP-13 was up-regulated by treatment with 25 mM glucose, whereas the mRNA expression of type I and III collagen was not affected. Gelatin zymography showed that 25 mM glucose increased the enzymatic activity of MMP-9., Conclusions: High glucose concentration up-regulates the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-13 in tendon cells, which may account for the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic tendinopathy.

Medical costs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are substantial and have a large impact on the public health system. The present study presents information regarding outpatient rehabilitation care usage and medical expenditure for children with ADHD. A cross-sectional study was conducted by analyzing data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance claims database for the year 2009. A total of 6643 children aged 0-7 years with ADHD (ICD-9-CM codes 314.0x: attention deficit disorder, 314.00: attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity, or 314.01: attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity) who had used outpatient rehabilitation care were included in the analyses. Results showed that the mean annual rehabilitation care was 22.24 visits. Among the care users, 76% of patients were male, and 24% were female. More than half of the children with ADHD had comorbid mental illnesses as well. A logistic regression analysis of outpatient rehabilitation expenditure (low vs. high) showed that of those children with ADHD, those aged 0-2 years tended to incur more medical costs than those aged 6-7 years. Other factors such as frequency of rehabilitation visits, hospital medical setting and ownership, location of medical care setting, and types of rehabilitation were also significantly correlated with medical expenditure. The results from this study suggest that health care systems should ensure accurate diagnosis and measurement of impairment to maintain appropriate and successful management of rehabilitation needs for children with ADHD., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A novel fluorescent probe (Zr(CDs-COO)(2)EDTA) has been designed for fluoride ion (F(-)) content detection based on the competitive ligand reactions carried out between the carboxylate groups (-COOH) on the surface of the luminescent carbon dots (CDs) and F(-) coordinated to Zr(H(2)O)(2)EDTA. The strong and stable fluorescence signal of this probe was quenched upon the addition of F(-) as a result of the formation of the non-fluorescent complex Zr(F)(2)EDTA, due to the stronger affinity of F(-) than the -COOH in the CDs to Zr(IV). The fluorescence change (ΔF) in this process was linear with respect to the content of F(-), ranging from 0.10 μM to 10 μM. The probe has been applied to F(-) detection in toothpaste and water samples with satisfactory results. Moreover, the mechanism of this Zr(H(2)O)(2)EDTA modulated fluorescent probe for the detection of F(-) was also discussed.

This paper aims to describe a general demographic picture of patients with rare diseases in Taiwan and particularly focuses on the prevalence of rare diseases over time, age and gender distributions. We analyzed data mainly from the national disability registry from 2002 to 2011 in Taiwan, Republic of China. The results showed that the number of rare diseases increased from 93 to 193 between 2002 and 2011 and that the prevalence of rare diseases increased from 0.02 to 0.74 per 10,000 people in this time period. The gender ratio (male/female) was between 1.02 and 1.13 during this time period, with male cases representing a higher percentage than female cases in the rare disease population. The occurrence of rare diseases was significantly increased in children 3-5 years of age and elementary school children 6-14 years of age. The data also revealed that the occurrence of rare diseases in Taiwan was attributed primarily to pathogenic diseases and secondarily to genetic diseases. To obtain precise epidemiological data on rare diseases for future healthcare planning, this study highlights the importance of the cooperation of healthcare authorities with the social welfare department to strengthen the ability of the public healthcare system to regularly monitor and measure the occurrence of rare diseases in the community., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in society gradually and has important implications for public health in recent years. The present study aims to examine the gender effect on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adults with disabilities. A cross-sectional study was conduct to analyze annual health check-up chart of 419 people with disabilities whose age ≥ 20 years in east Taiwan. We used to diagnose the metabolic syndrome was defined by the Taiwan Bureau of Health Promotion as the presence of three or more of the following five components: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high fasting glucose level, high triglyceride level, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The results showed that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 19.3% in the study subjects (16.8% in men and 23.1% in women; p = 0.110). Our study also indicated that the genders were significantly different in the followings (men vs. women): abdominal obesity (33.2% vs. 50.9%; p<0.001), high blood pressure (36.4% vs. 23.7%; p = 0.006), high fasting glucose level (18.4 vs. 14.8%; p = 0.334), high triglyceride level (24.0% vs. 14.2%; p = 0.014) and HDL-C (21.6% vs. 35.5%; p = 0.002) among the sample. To prevent the metabolic syndrome occurrence and consequences, the study suggests that the health authorities should put greater efforts to address the metabolic syndrome components, particularly in higher rates of obesity-related health conditions to avoid significant health and health care costs in the future., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Taking advantage of the cutting effect of the strong oxidation of benzoyl peroxide [(C(6)H(5)CO)(2)O(2)] on the end of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) to obtain water-soluble multiwall nanotubes (MWNTs') and the spiking effect of polyacrylamide (PA) on the room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) of MWNTs', a new phosphorescent labeling reagent, MWNTs'-PA, has been developed in this study. The product β-Ab(HCG)-MWNTs'-PA obtained by MWNTs'-PA labeling human chorionic gonadotropin-β-subunit three-dimensional core monoclonal antibody (β-Ab(HCG)) not only could maintain good RTP characteristics of MWNTs' but also could take specific immunoreaction with β-HCG to form β-HCG- β-Ab(HCG)-MWNTs'-PA, resulting in the increase of MWNTs' RTP signal. Thus, a new solid substrate room temperature phosphorescence immunoassay (SSRTPIA) for the determination of β-HCG has been established. The limits of detection (LODs) of the new method were 0.021pgspot(-1) for the direct way at 447/615nm (λ(ex)(max)/λ(em)(max)) and 0.016pgspot(-1) for the sandwich way at 447/614nm (λ(ex)(max)/λ(em)(max)). This sensitive, accurate, and precise method was used to determine β-HCG and diagnose human diseases by the direct way or the sandwich way, with the results coinciding with those obtained by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Meanwhile, the mechanisms of MWNTs' labeling β-Ab(HCG) and determining β-HCG are also discussed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) were synthesized by a macromolecules template using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as stabilizer which can emit red photoluminescence under illumination of ultraviolet light. The fluorescence intensity of AuNCs enhanced through decreasing the surface defects of AuNCs modified with cysteine, herein we present a novel fluorometry for determination of trace cysteine. This method with a wider linear range from 2.0 to 800 nmol mL(-1), higher sensitivity (detection limit was 1.2 nmol mL(-1)) and better selectivity has been utilized to determine cysteine content in real samples, and the results were in a good agreement with those determined by electrochemical biosensor. At the same time, the structures of AuNCs and AuNCs-cysteine were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and the mechanism of the proposed assay for the detection of cysteine has been discussed.

3.5-Generation polyamidoamine dendrimers (3.5-G-D) emitted strong and stable room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) on filter paper when Pb2+ was used as a heavy atom perturber. The RTP signal of 3.5-G-D was sharply enhanced upon the formation of 3.5-G-D-Tween-80 micelle compound. The complex Cd2+ -3.5-G-D-Tween-80, generated in the coordination reaction between Cd2+ and the tertiary amidocyanogen on the outer layer of 3.5-G-D in 3.5-G-D-Tween-80 micelle compound, could catalyze KBrO3 to oxidize 3.5-G-D in 3.5-G-D-Tween-80, which caused the sharp quenching of the RTP signal of the system. The phosphorescence intensity change (ΔI(p) ) of the system had a linear relationship with the content of Cd2+. Thus a new catalytic solid substrate-room-temperature phosphorimetry (SS-RTP) for the determination of trace cadmium has been established. This highly selective and sensitive method has been applied to determine trace cadmium in biological samples with a limit of detection (LD) of 1.2 ag per spot (when the sample volume was 0.4 μL per spot, the corresponding concentration was 3.0 × 10(-15)  g mL(-1) ), the results agreeing with those obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry. The mechanism of catalytic SS-RTP for the determination of trace cadmium was also discussed., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

This paper is trying to research the developing status of carbon dots (CDs), and the results show that the simple, rapid and high yield synthetic methods for CDs and the application of CDs in biological science and analysis field will certainly become an inevitable development trend in the future. The CDs obtained by microwave possess excellent optical properties including UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence and room temperature phosphorescence. Under the conditions of 30 °C and 10 min, the fluorescence signal (F) of CDs not only could be enhanced by hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), Triton X-100, Na(2)S, Na(2)C(2)O(4) and NH(3).H(2)O, but also could be quenched by sodium dodecyl sulfate, KBrO(3), K(2)S(2)O(8), NaIO(4), ascorbic acid, NaBH(4), HNO(3), HCl, H(2)SO(4), CH(3)COOH and most metal ions, with the λ(em)(max) blue or red shifting in varying degrees, indicating the potential values of CDs in analytical application. Besides, the sensitive response of F to pH showed the promise of developing a new pH sensor with CDs., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The CdS/TiO(2)-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) luminescent nanoparticles (CdS/TiO(2)-FITC) with the particle size of 20 nm have been synthesized by sol-gel method. CdS/TiO(2)-FITC could emit the fluorescence of both FITC and CdS/TiO(2). The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) occurred between the donor CdS/TiO(2) and the acceptor FITC in the CdS/TiO(2)-FITC. Taking advantages of the excellent characteristics of FRET, a new CdS/TiO(2)-FITC FRET labeling reagent and a CdS/TiO(2)-FITC-wheat germ agglutinin (CdS/TiO(2)-FITC-WGA) fluorescent probe have been developed. The FRET occurring between the donor CdS/TiO(2) and the acceptor FITC in the labelled product CdS/TiO(2)-FITC-WGA-AP, formed in the affinity adsorption reaction between the WGA in this CdS/TiO(2)-FITC-WGA fluorescent probe and alkaline phosphatase (AP), sharply enhanced the fluorescence signal of FITC and quench the fluorescence signal of CdS/TiO(2). Moreover, the ΔF (the change of the fluorescence signal) of FITC and CdS/TiO(2) were proportional to the content of AP, respectively. Thus, a new method that CdS/TiO(2)-fluorescein isothiocyanate nanoparticles for the determination of trace AP based on FRET-affinity adsorption assay has been established. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 1.3×10(-17) g AP mL(-1) for CdS/TiO(2) and 1.1×10(-17) g AP mL(-1) for FITC, respectively. This sensitive, rapid, high selective and precise method has been applied to the determination of AP in human serum and the prediction of human disease with the results agreed well with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in Zhangzhou Municipal Hospital of Fujian Province. Simultaneously, the reaction mechanism for the determination of AP was also discussed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Under the condition of 60 °C and 20 min at pH 6.12, chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPZ) could react with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to produce FITC-CPZ, which increased the π-electron density (δ) of carbon atom in FITC conjugated system and the room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) intensity of FITC. Thus, a new solid substrate room temperature phosphorimetry (SSRTP) for the determination of residual CPZ was established. The regression equation of working curve was ΔI (p) = 4.254 + 7.906 m(CPZ) (ag spot(-1)) with the correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9990 in the range of 0.036-9.6 ag spot(-1) (corresponding concentration: 0.090-24 fg ml(-1), sample volume: 0.40 μl spot(-1)), and the detection limit (LD) was 0.018 ag spot(-1) (corresponding concentration: 4.5 × 10(-17) g ml(-1)). This method with wide linear range and high sensitivity was not only used to diagnose human disease based on the correlation between the residual quantity and lethal dose of CPZ in human serum, but also used to determine residual CPZ in biological samples with the results consisting with those obtained by gas chromatography (GC), showing good accuracy. The constituent of FITC-CPZ was analyzed by GC-MS (mass spectrometry) and the reaction mechanism of SSRTP for the determination of trace CPZ was also discussed.

Based on the ability of lysine (Lys) to enhance the fluorescence intensity of bovine serum albumin modified-carbon dots (CDs-BSA) to decrease surface defects and quench fluorescence of the CDs-BSA-Lys system in the presence of Cu(2+) under conditions of phosphate buffer (PBS, pH = 5.0) at 45 °C for 10 min, a sensitive Lys enhancing CDs-BSA fluorescent probe was designed. The environment-friendly, simple, rapid, selective and sensitive fluorescent probe has been utilized to detect Cu(2+) in hair and tap water samples and it achieved consistent results with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The mechanism of the proposed assay for the detection of Cu(2+) is discussed.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of the glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) liposome modified with galactosylated lipid (NOH-GA-LP), compared with GA conventional liposome (GA-LP) and GA solution in mice. The pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of liposomal and solution formulation of GA in mice were studied after intravenous administration. Plasma and tissues were treated using liquid-liquid extraction and determined using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Results showed that the mean residence times of NOH-GA-LP (2.99-fold) and GA-LP (2.94-fold) were higher than that of the GA solution in plasma. NOH-GA-LP produced a drug concentration in the liver that was markedly higher than that in other tissues and was approximately 2.0- and 4.8-fold of that of GA-LP and GA solution, respectively. In conclusion, the NOH-GA-LP prepared in this study is a promising sustained-release and drug-targeting system for antitumor drugs.

Al(3+) could react with quercetin (Q) to form [AlQ](3+) complex which could be used as a template for the preparation of poly (vinyl alcohol)-[AlQ](3+) complex imprinting (PVA-C-I). The [AlQ](3+) not only had good matching ability and selectivity with the cavity of PVA-C-I, but also could react with the fluorescein isothiocyanate anion (FITC(-)) on the outside of cavity by electrostatic interaction to form ion-association complex [AlQ](3+)·[(FITC)(-)](3). The ion-association complex could emit strong and stable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) on polyamide membrane (PAM) and the ΔI(p) of the system had linear relationship with the content of Q, showing the highly selective identification of PVA-C-I to Q. Thus, a new coupling technique for the determination of trace Q based on solid substrate room temperature phosphorimetry and poly (vinyl alcohol) complex imprinting (PVA-C-I-SSRTP) was established. The linear range and limit of detection (LOD) of this method were 0.010-2.0 (×10(-12) g mL(-1)) and 2.0×10(-14) g mL(-1), respectively, showing wide linear range and high sensitivity of PVA-C-I-SSRTP. This method was used to determine the content of Q in waste water, and the results are consistent with those by spectrofluorimetry. Meanwhile, the mechanism for the determination of Q using PVA-C-I-SSRTP was also discussed., (Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The labelling reagent CdSe@CdS-QDs-Cys (QDs-Cys) with the grain diameter of 4.5 nm was synthesized by modifying CdSe@CdS quantum dots (QDs) with cysteine (Cys). At the same time, QDs-Cys-Ab(IgE), a phosphorescent quantum dot probe, was developed based on the labelling reaction between -COOH of QDs-Cys and -NH(2) of goat anti human IgE antibody (Ab(IgE)). This probe with excellent biocompatibility and high specificity could not only emit strong and stable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), but also could carry out specific immunoassay (IA) with immunoglobulin E (IgE), causing the RTP of the system to sharply enhance. Thus, a new solid substrate room temperature phosphorescence immunoassay (SSRTPIA) for the determination of IgE was established. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 0.12 fg spot(-1), corresponding concentration was 3.0 × 10(-13) g mL(-1) and sampling quantity was 0.40 μL spot(-1). This highly selective, sensitive and accurate SSRTPIA has been applied to determine IgE in biological samples and diagnose diseases, and the results agreed well with those obtained by enzyme-link immunoassay (ELISA). Meanwhile, the mechanisms of QDs-Cys labelling Ab(IgE) and the determination of IgE by SSRTPIA were also discussed.

Calcein (R) could not only emit strong and stable room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) on filter paper using I(-) as perturber, but also could be oxidized by H(2)O(2) to form a non-phosphorescence compound (R'), resulting in the quenching of RTP signal of R. Moreover, the ortho-hydrogen of phenolic hydroxyl in R took condensation reaction with rhamnose (Rha) to produce non-phosphorescence compound (R-Rha) causing the RTP signal of R to further quench, and R-Rha was oxidized by H(2)O(2) to form R' and Rha, bringing about the sharp RTP signal quenching of R. Thus, a new solid substrate room temperature phosphorimetry (SSRTP) for the determination of trace Rha based on its strong catalytic effect on H(2)O(2) oxidizing R has been established, with the detection limit (LD) of 7.8zgspot(-1) (corresponding concentration: 2.0×10(-17) gm l(-1), sample volume: 0.40 μl spot(-1)). This method has been applied to determine trace Rha in cigarettes and jujubes, with the results coinciding well with those determined by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The component of R-Rha also was analyzed by means of HPLC, mass spectrometer and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. The mechanism of catalytic SSRTP for the determination of trace Rha was discussed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A gold nanorods (GNRs) nonaggregation-based colorimetric probe has been developed for the detection of S(2-) based on that the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance absorption wavelength (LPAW) of GNRs red shifts (Δλ) and the color of the solution distinctly changes on account of the faster stripping of GNRs along longitudinal axis than transverse axis in the process of GNRs reacting with S(2-) ions to form Au(2)S complexes on the GNRs surfaces. The GNRs probe exhibits highly sensitive and selective response toward S(2-) with a wide linear range from 10.0 to 10000.0 μM. The proposed colorimetric probe can be used to visibly detect S(2-) in water samples on line in 15 min with the results agreeing well with those of the optical sensor, showing its great practicality. Moreover, the detection mechanism of the probe is also discussed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The central role of Src in tumor progression and metastasis has validated it as an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of human breast cancer. The aim of this study was to identify potential Src kinase inhibitor, explore its activity, and mechanism of action in human breast cancer. A strategy integrating focused combinatorial library design, virtual screening, chemical synthesis, and high-throughput screening was adopted and a novel 6-hydrazinopurine-based inhibitor of c-Src kinase PH006 was obtained. The kinase enzymatic activities were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The binding mode between PH006 and Src was profiled by surface plasmon resonance approach and molecular simulation. The anti-proliferative activity was evaluated by Sulforhodamin B (SRB) and Colony formation. The anti-invasion and anti-migration activities were assessed by trans-well and wound healing assay. Results indicated that PH006 was an ATP-competitive Src inhibitor, which selectively inhibited c-Src with an IC₅₀ of 0.38 μM among a panel of 14 diverse tyrosine kinases. PH006 potently inhibited c-Src phosphorylation and c-Src-dependent signal transduction, resulting in inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Further study demonstrated that the anti-proliferative activity of PH006 was ascribed to its capability to arrest cells in G1 phase, while its anti-motility activity was related to suppression of MMP2/9 and HGF secretion. Moreover, PH006 exhibited potent activity against tumor growth as well as metastasis of human breast cancer MDA-MB-435 xenograft beard in nude mice, which was accompanied with reduced Src/FAK signaling in tumor tissue. Taken together, PH006 is a novel selective inhibitor of c-Src and possesses potent activity against breast cancer growth and metastasis, which could be potentially developed as a lead candidate against breast cancers with elevated Src tyrosine kinase activity.

Aim: To reveal the classification of lymphocytes and expression of cytokines infiltrating in HCC, and investigate the significance of changes of immune microenvironment in HCC., Methods: 76 tumor and non-tumor tissues of HCC were collected to detect the amount of immune cells in the tissues by FCM and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Th1/Th2 cytokines in tissues were detected by Cytometric bead array (CBA), and TGF-1, VEGF detected by ELISA., Results: There were more CD3(+); T cells, CD4(+); Th cells, Treg cells, and CD45RO(+); memory T cells in tumors than in non-tumor tissues. On the contrary there were less CD8(+); CTLs in tumors. There was negative correlation between Treg and Th or CTL cells. CD69, which is the early activating factor, expressed less on CD3(+); T cells and NK cells in tumors than non-tumor tissues. Whereas HLA-DR, which is the late activating factor, expressed more on CD3(+); T cells in tumors than non-tumor tissues. More IL-10, TGF-1 and VEGF were secreted in tumors than non-tumor tissues., Conclusion: Along with the decrease of effective immune cells and increase of suppressor immune cells and cytokines, the lymphocytes infiltrating in the tumor were immune incompitence, which contributed to the tumorigenesis.

The present paper aims to describe the hospitalization profiles which include medical expenses and length of stays, and to determine their possible influencing factors of hospital admission on persons with Down syndrome in Taiwan. We employed a population-based, retrospective analyses used national health insurance hospital discharge data of the year 2005 in this study. Subject inclusion criteria included residents of Taiwan, and diagnosed with Down syndrome (ICD code is 758.0; N=375). Inpatient records included personal characteristics, admissions, length of stay, and medical expenses of study subjects. The results found that Down syndrome patients used 2 hospital admissions and their annual length of stay in hospital was 22.26 days, and the mean medical cost of admissions was 143,257 NT$. The admission figures show that Down syndrome individuals used two times of hospital days and nearly three times of medical expenses comparing to the general population in Taiwan. Finally, the multiple regression models revealed that factors of age, hold a serious illness card, low income family member, frequency of hospital admission, high medical expense user were more likely to use longer inpatient days (R2=0.36). Annual inpatient expense of people with Down syndrome was significantly affected by factors of severe illness card holder, low income family member, frequency of hospital admission and longer hospital stays (R2=0.288). Based on these findings, we suggest the further study should focus on the effects of medical problems among persons with Down syndrome admitted for hospital care is needed., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)