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Platostoma palustre jelly is a traditional food. It has been used as folk medicine and is effective against heat-shock, hypertension and diabetes. Therefore, the aim of this study was want to analyze the components of commercially traditional herbal tea (P. palustre) in Taiwan. The commercial herbal tea (P. palustre) was kindly provided by Yueta Agricultural Biotechnology Inc. The detection methods of the components of commercially traditional herbal tea (P. palustre) were followed the analysis protocols in Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopeia (IV). The levels of chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin were detected via using high-performance liquid chromatography / photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA). The level of astragaloside was detected by using high-performance liquid chromatography / evaporative light scattering detectors (HPLC-ELSD). In this analysis, the levels of chlorogenic acid, astragaloside, and rutin were not detected. The levels of rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid were 46.96 μg/mL and 29.29 μg/mL, respectively. Taken all results together, the components of commercially traditional herbal tea (P. palustre) were detected via HPLC-PDA and HPLC-ELSD. The major components of commercially traditional herbal tea (P. palustre) were rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid. Based on the results of this assay, it is speculated that the herbal tea has the functional properties that are considerable potential for physiological function regulations.

In this study, an innovative non-invasive glucose sensor made of nickel nanowire-decorated graphene-gated field-effect transistors is demonstrated. Due to the redox reaction between nickel nanowires and glucose molecules, electron exchange occurs when Ni(III) reacts with glucose to form Ni(II) and gluconolactone. Changes in electron concentration are amplified by transistors at the bottom, improving detection sensitivity. In this study, the electrical properties of glucose sensor fabricated from nickel nanowire/graphene/gold surfaces was studied. Since the CVD-grown graphene film has excellent electrical conductivity, the electrons generated by the redox reaction can be quickly and evenly dispersed. The results show that the glucose sensor with graphene film has good current stability, low detection limit and good linear relationship between current and concentration. The demonstrated nickel wire-decorated graphene-gated FET biosensor can be used for the quantification of glucose with a linear range of 10-50 mM and a detection limit of 51nM.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are multifactorial chronic intestinal disorders. Currently, mesalamine etc. and therapeutic strategies were suggested for IBD therapy. However, the etiology of IBD remains unclear which is an ongoing challenge and side effects of therapeutic drugs must be also considered. Thus, the aim of this study was to establish an optimal mouse model of IBD for the drug and therapeutic strategy investigations. Herein, 12 mice with 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis (the negative control group) were via oral administration. Twelve mice were administered with drinking water without 2% DSS (the normal control group) via the same method as DSS-induced mice. At the end of the experiment, the body weight (BW), the stool appearance/status, the macroscopic and microscopic colonic injuries, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were monitored, measured, and scored. The results showed that BALB/c mice’ BW decreased on D6-D8 of 2% DSS induction and then BALB/c mice’ BW continuously increased until D13 of the experiment. The stool appearance/status was seen soft stool on D2 of 2% DSS induction. The soft stool was mainly occurred on D2-D6 of 2% DSS induction. In addition, the watery stool was occurred on D4 of 2% DSS induction and was continuous until the end of the experiment (D14). The macroscopic colonic injuries were showed that colon length of the negative group (2% DSS-induced group) was significantly shorter than that of the normal control group (p < 0.001). The colon weight of the negative group was significantly increase than that of the normal control group (p < 0.001). The colon weight / length ratio in the negative group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group (p < 0.001). According to the histopathologic scores (evaluation of the microscopic colonic injuries), the scores of area, ulceration, inflammation, and edema in the colon tissues of the negative group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group (p < 0.001). The total histopathologic scores in the negative group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group (p < 0.001). The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the inflamed colon tissue of the negative group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group (p < 0.001). Taken all results together, a DSS-induced ulcerative disease mouse model was successfully established. We hope that this animal model may be a useful tool for the research of the better therapeutics for IBD.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) was also called hay fever which was a type of nasal inflammation when the immune system overreacts to environmental allergen exposures. AR’s clinical symptoms included a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy, watery eyes, and eye swelling. The fluid in the nasal cavity was usually clear. Patients with AR can affect sleep and work qualities. Seriously, the AR symptoms can also cause asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis. Therefore, it is an important issue to attenuate AR symptoms and research the novel therapeutic drugs for AR patients. The purpose of this study was to introduce an easy-to-establish experimental mouse model of AR. In this study, the male BALB/c mice were divided respectively into as the Group A (n = 12) and the Group B (n = 12). Group A and Group B were designed as the normal control and RA, respectively. BALB/c mice in Group B were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) on day 0, day 4, day 13, and day 20, followed by continuous nasal administration of OVA solution once per day between day 21-43. BALB/c mice in Group A received sensitization of intraperitoneal injection of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) on day 0, day 4, day 13, and day 20 and continuous nasal administration of PBS instead of OVA once per day between day 21-43. Before and after sensitization, the frequencies of nasal symptoms (sneezing, nasal rubbing) were recorded and counted. Results were showed that sneezing times in Group B were higher than Group A on D29, D30, D36, and D43 of the experiment. The sneezing times in Group A were significant higher on D29 and D30 of the experiment. However, the sneezing times in Group B were significant higher on D29, D30, D36, and D43 of the experiment. The rubbing times in Group B were higher than Group A on D29, D30, D36, and D43 of the experiment. The rubbing times in Group A were significant higher on D30 and D43 of the experiment. However, the rubbing times in Group B were significant higher on D29, D30, D36, and D43 of the experiment. Based on these results, a successful mouse model of AR has been established. We hope that this RA mouse model will provide a tool for the research of the novel AR therapeutic drugs and apply these novel AR therapeutic drugs to attenuate the AR symptoms in AR patients in the future.

Faced with the impact of extreme climate, countries have proposed carbon dioxide emission reductions, hoping to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and Taiwan’s industries must also face the transformation of low-carbon green energy. Light-emitting diode (LED) is a cost effective semiconductor device that produces light within a narrow bandwidth of wavelength through electroluminescence. Recently, LED technology has attention to apply in the area of food production, preservation, and safety. At present, some researches have been demonstrated that the antimicrobial LED visible light is less anti-microbial efficacy than ultraviolet (UV) light. However, the antimicrobial LED visible light has been recognized as an alternative technology to UV light since it is an environmentally friendly and safe technology for human and animals. For this reason, LED technology has recently received attention for applying in many test fields as laboratory, pig farms, computer, bio-medical industries etc. In this study, this novel clean and disinfect tool-novel environment-cleaned LED devices were tested in the various fields and obtained the positive results as the application of novel environment-cleaned LED devices on anti-fungal efficacy, and ethylene, PM2.5, and harmful gas degradations in laboratory, anti-bacterial and virus efficacy in laboratory and/or pig farms, anti-microbial notebook panel development, and anti-colorectal cancer in vitro. In the future, we wish this novel environment-cleaned LED devices will friendly used in human and animal environments to decrease the harmful matters in the environments.

Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) light that causes sunburn and makes the skin age faster, leading to more wrinkles as older. The UV light can come from the natural and artificial sources. Moreover, UV light has shorter wavelengths than the visible light. Therefore, people’ eyes can’t see UV, but people’ skin can feel it. In this study, the in vivo skin health test efficacy modules have been established via the detection of skin’s moisture retention (%), skin’s cytokine expression levels, enzymatic expressions in the skin, the expression levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), collagen type I, melanin, and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the skin, and the experimental mice’ skin thickness and lesions via histo-pathologic examination. According to the results, the clinical behavior observation indexes of Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice in each group were normal during the experiments. Moreover, all ICR mice were survival until the end of the experiments. The moisture retention (%) of skin in ICR mice in UVB group was significant decrease after D1, D3, and D5 of UVB irradiation compared to the normal control group. Based on the IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α analysis expressions, both IL-1β and IL-6 expressions in UVB group were significantly increase than the control group, while there was no significant difference in the TNF-α expression between the groups. ICR mice’ skin enzymatic expressions in each group presented that catalase (CAT) expression and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in UVB group were significantly lower than the control group. The MDA expression in UVB group were significantly higher than the control group. The HA and collagen type I expressions in UVB group were significantly lower than the control group. However, the melanin expressions in UVB group and the control groups were not significantly different. The matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) expressions in UVB group was significantly higher than the control group. The skin epidermal thickness in UVB group was significantly thicker than the control group. The dermal thickness in two groups was not significantly different. The number of sunburn cells in the derma in UVB group was significantly increase than the control group. The solar elastosis in the derma in two groups was not significantly different. Based on the above results, we have successfully established in vivo skin health test efficacy modules to evaluate the status of skin health. We hope the modules should be provide for the research and development (R&D) of the effective treatment included drugs and therapeutic strategies.

Platostoma palustrejelly is a traditional food.Platostoma palustrehas been used as folk medicine and is effective against heat-shock, hypertension and diabetes. Therefore, the aim ofin vivostudy was to determine the effects of herbal tea (Platostoma palustre) on blood glucose regulation. The commercial herbal tea (Platostoma palustre) was kindly provided by Yueta Agricultural Biotechnology Inc. Adult male 18 Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice [8 weeks old; body weight (BW) between 31-33 g] with specific pathogen-free conditions were used for this study. All ICR mice were divided respectively the normal control group (n = 6), the negative control group (n = 6), and the herbal tea group (n = 6). The ICR mice (the negative control group and the herbal tea group) were intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin (65 mg/kg BW) and nicotinamide (230 mg/kg BW) for inducing the symptoms of hyperglycemia. In the herbal tea group, the herbal tea (10 mL/kg BW) was administrated to ICR mice by gavage. To monitor the blood glucose levels in ICR mice, blood was obtained from the tail of ICR mice, and blood glucose levels were determined using the external glucometer. Blood glucose measurements were conducted once in ICR mice before the experiment and were detected once per month after the experiment. Additionally, the change of ICR mice’ BW, the blood glucose of ICR mice, and the observation of ICR mice’ behavior were monitored and detected during the experiment. The results of this experiment showed · Weight change: the weight gain of the negative control group and the herbal tea group were significantly lower than those of the normal control group and there was no significant difference between the negative control group and the herbal tea group. · Fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose: the fasting blood glucose of the negative control group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group, while the herbal tea group had a tendency to lower the fasting blood glucose, but there was no significant difference compared with the negative control group. The postprandial blood glucose level results showed that the negative control group was significantly higher than the normal control group. The postprandial blood glucose level of the herbal tea group was between the normal control group and the negative control group at the 4thweek administration with the herbal tea. At the 8thweek administration with the herbal tea, there was a significant difference compared with the negative control group. · Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT): 4 to 12 weeks after hyperglycemia was induced, the blood glucose levels of the negative control group at each OGTT test point were significantly higher than those of the normal control group. The blood glucose level at the test point tended to decrease, but there was no significant difference from the negative control group. By calculating the area under the OGTT curve, it was found that the area under the curve of the negative control group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group, while the results of the herbal tea group at the 8thand 12thweeks were significantly lower than those of the negative control group. Taken all results together, the hyperglycemia was successfully induced in the experimental ICR mice. After administrating with the herbal tea, the fasting blood glucose level of the ICR mice tended to improve. In addition, a significant improvement was seen in the results of postprandial blood sugar and oral glucose tolerance test effectiveness. Therefore, based on the results of this experiment, it is speculated that drinking the herbal tea for 3 months has considerable potential for blood glucose regulation, which can be used as the basis for the development of related products of the herbal tea in the future.

Background Breast cancer is the second most common malignancy globally and a leading cause of cancer death in women. Analysis of factors related to disease-free survival (DFS) has improved understanding of the disease and characteristics related to recurrence. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of DFS in patients with breast cancer to enable the identification of patients at high risk who may benefit from prevention interventions.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 559 women with breast cancer who underwent treatment between 2004 and 2022. The study endpoint was DFS (including local recurrence, regional recurrence, secondary breast cancer, or death from any cause). Baseline tumor-related characteristics, treatment-related characteristics, sociodemographic and biochemical data were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards analysis and receiving operating characteristic curves. The median DFS was 45 months (range, 2 to 225 months).Results Breast cancer recurred in 86 patients (15.4%). Regression analysis showed that age, body mass index, surgery type, T3-T4 clinical tumor stage, tumor grade 3, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III, Ki67 ≥ 14%, estrogen receptor-negative, progesterone receptor-negative, chemotherapy, carcinoembryonic antigen, CA153, red cell distribution width (RDW)-standard deviation (SD), aspartate aminotransferase, estimated glomerular filtration rate, albumin, hemoglobin, RDW-coefficient of variation, and platelet, white blood cell, neutrophil and monocyte count were associated with DFS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that AJCC stage III, Ki67 ≥ 14%, albumin, platelet, and RDW-SD were independently associated with DFS. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that albumin ≤ 4.1 g/dl, platelet ≥ 253 10^3/µl, RDW-SD ≥ 44 fL were significantly reduced DFS in patients with breast cancer.Conclusions In addition to the traditional prognostic factors such as AJCC stage III and Ki67 ≥ 14%, preoperative a cutoff albumin value of ≤ 4.1 g/dl, a cutoff platelet value of ≥ 253 10^3/µl, and a cutoff RDW-SD value of ≥ 44 fL could significantly predict DFS in patients with breast cancer.

Many studies have been verified that human retina contains a large amount of carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, especially the concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin in the retina and macula are 1,000 times higher than other tissues in human. Therefore, lutein and zeaxanthin play an important role in the health of human vision. The research and development (R&D) of agricultural functional materials or products for eye protection is urgently needed. In this experiment, except for the normal control group, the other groups were irradiated with light-emitting diode (LED) light at the range of 600-1,000 lux for 12 hours / day for 6 weeks. All BALB/c mice were fed with the normal composition for 6 weeks during the experiment. BALB/c mice in the negative control group and three sweet potato leaf ethanolic extracts (SPLEE) groups were fed SPLEE [0.31, 0.62, and 1.23 mg/kg body weight (BW), respectively] for 6 weeks by gavage during the experiment. During the experiment, the eye status of BALB/c mice in each group were observed every week. At the end of the experiment, the BALB/c mice were sacrificed and their eyes in each group were collected for hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, free radical detection, and the detection of cytokine gene expressions (IL-6; interleukin-6 and TNF-α; tumor necrosis factor-α) and caspase-3 gene expression. Based on the results of this experiment, no obvious lesions by ophthalmoscopy were observed in the eyes of BALB/c mice in three SPLEE groups. H&E and IHC staining results showed that the consumption of high dose (1.23 mg/kg BW) of SPLEE significantly improved retinal outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, which was compared to the negative control group. Other evaluation indicators included retinal out segments-inner segments (OS/IS) thickness, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining, and middle-wavelength opsin (M-opsin) staining, showed no significant difference among three SPLEE groups and the negative control group. The free radical detection results showed that no statistical difference between all groups (p > 0.05), however, the trend showed that the free radicals in the high and middle doses (1.23 and 0.62 mg/kg BW) of SPLEE groups were lower than those in the negative control group and the low dose (0.31 mg/kg BW) of SPLEE group. The results of IL-6 and TNF-α gene expression showed that the normal control group and three SPLEE groups were significantly lower than the negative control group (p < 0.05), while the gene expression of caspase-3 was not significantly differences between all groups (p > 0.05). Taken these results together, the high dose SPLEE (1.23 mg/kg BW) has the better potential for improving the retinal ONL thickness and anti-inflammatory effects under LED irradiation.

Over-nutrition rather than under-nutrition is an important public health challenge in some developed countries. However, the under-nutrition is a major problem according to the global perspective. Therefore, the research and development (R&D) of agricultural functional materials or products for the prevention of fat accumulation is urgently needed. In this experiment, Sprague Dawley (SD) rats in the normal control group were fed with the normal composition for 8 weeks during the experiment. SD rats in the negative control group and three sweet potato fermented products (SPFP) groups were fed a high fat diet for 8 weeks during the experiment. According to the experimental design, three doses SPFP [250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg body weight (BW)] will be administered after 4 weeks of feeding the high fat diet. During the experiment, BW of the SD rats was recorded every week and blood, liver, and body fat were collected for analysis of body fat rate, blood lipid content, blood glucose content, liver lipid content, and liver and renal functions. Based on the results, the consumption of SPFP does not affect liver and kidney functions, indicating that SPFP is a safe and edible agricultural material. BW change of the normal control group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group and three SPFP groups (p < 0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference in the BW change rate among the groups eat the high fat feed (p > 0.05), but the trend of BW change rate in the low and middle doses of SPFP groups was lower than that in the other high fat feed groups. The food utilization rate of the high fat diet group was significantly higher than that of the normal diet group (p < 0.05). The body fat rate of the normal control group was significantly lower than that of the high fat feed groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the high fat feed groups (p > 0.05). However, the trend showed that the body fat rate of the low and middle doses of SPFP groups were lower than that of the negative control group and the high dose of SPFP group. In addition, the results of other measurement indicators such as blood lipid content, blood glucose content, and liver lipid content did not show any negative effects of SPFP. Based on the above results, although SPFP on the prevention of body fat accumulation was not significantly exhibited, however, the trend shows that the low and middle doses of SPFP can decrease body fat production. Taken these results together, SPFP may has the potential for the prevention of fat accumulation.

Platostoma palustrejelly is a traditional food.Platostoma palustrehas been used as folk medicine and is effective against heat-shock, hypertension and diabetes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of ethanolic extracts and commercial herbal tea ofPlatostoma palustrein inhibiting colorectal cancer cell viability. The ethanolic extracts ofPlatostoma palustreby using 90% ethanol for extraction. In this study, 2-fold serial dilution of 100 mg/mLPlatostoma palustreextracts were applied. On other hand, the same dilution fold was also performed for 100% commercial herbal tea withPlatostoma palustre. Additionally, CT-26 and HT-29 colorectal cancer cell lines were also used in this study. After co-culturing for 24 hours, the cell viability of CT-26 and HT-29 colorectal cancer cell lines were performed by using 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. According to these data, the 1.56-100 mg/mLPlatostoma palustreextracts possessed the significant inhibition effects of CT-26 colorectal cancer cell viability. The 3.13-100% commercial herbal tea withPlatostoma palustrepossessed the significant inhibition effects of CT-26 colorectal cancer cell viability. The 6.25-100 mg/mLPlatostoma palustreextracts possessed the significant inhibition effects of HT-29 colorectal cancer cell viability. The 25-100% commercial herbal tea withPlatostoma palustrepossessed the significant inhibition effects of HT-29 colorectal cancer cell viability. However, the 0.39-3.13 mg/mLPlatostoma palustreextracts possessed the significant promoting effects of HT-29 colorectal cancer cell viability. The 0.39-12.5% commercial herbal tea withPlatostoma palustrealso possessed the significant promoting effects of HT-29 colorectal cancer cell viability. Comparison of CT-26 and HT-29 cell lines was on the cell viability afterPlatostoma palustreethanolic extracts and commercial herbal tea treatments, CT-26 cell line was better sensitive than HT-29 cell line on the inhibition of cell viability after treatment ofPlatostoma palustreethanolic extracts and the commercial herbal tea. Taken these results together,Platostoma palustreethanolic extracts and commercial herbal tea may have a potential for inhibiting the growth of colorectal cancer cells.

Eukaryotic cells can store and converse excess lipid to the cytosolic lipid droplets. Adipogenesis of preadipocytes has been often used to study the molecular basis and the effect of obesity drugs on fat cell conversion. Many methods were developed for the detection of the cytosolic lipid droplets as Nile red, BODIPY 493/503 (4, 4-difluoro-1, 3, 5, 7, 8-pentamethyl-4-bora-3a, 4adiaza-s-indacene), BODIPY 665/676, 1,6-diphenylhexatriene (DPH), DAPI, Hoechst, Sudan III, and Oil-red O. The differences in the spectral properties of these lipophilic dyes and their advantages of each are discussed. In this study, an in vitro flow cytometric detection method was established for the detection of lipid-accumulated cells. Commonly, the longer the period of adipogenic induction, the greater the quantity of lipid in fat cell can accumulate. Thus, to determine whether increasing the fat stored within a cell would result in the greater granularity. 3T3-L1 cells in culture were hormonally induced for adipogenesis. Then, these cells were dissociated and analyzed in a flow cytometer at 0, 5, and 10 days post-induction. After adipogenic induction, the cells had become increasingly heterogeneous in their cellular granularity. The cells containing greater granular structure were markedly increased, and this increase in granularity positively correlated with the time of the post-adipogenic induction. On the other analysis, the 0 and 10 days post adipogenic induction of 3T3-L1 cells were gated for 4 regions. The R1 region contains cells with a level of granularity similar to that seen in the control cells (non-adipogenic induction), whereas R2 to R4 regions contain cells with increasing granularity. According to all data, we have successfully established an in vitro flow cytometric detection method for the detection of lipid-accumulated cells. We wish this method will be applied on the research of obesity drugs and the design of therapeutic strategies for obesity in the future.

The degenerative arthritis has been a common knee joint disease in Taiwan. In mild cases of degenerative arthritis, it may just be a little uncomfortable to walk, but severe degenerative arthritis will cause difficulty in walking and even loss of basic mobility. The loss of articular cartilage in degenerative arthritis is irrecoverable. Currently, the degeneration of the knee joint can be easily divided into three levels based on its severity: primary, intermediate, and severe. The choice of treatments for degenerative arthritis will vary in according to different levels that is mainly divided into the non-surgical treatment and surgical treatment. Therefore, how to prevent knee joint degeneration is an important issue. In this study, anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) plus medial meniscectomy (MMx) surgery were used to established a rat model with degenerative arthritis. According to all data, we have successfully established a rat model with degenerative arthritis via ACLT-MMx surgery. We wish this model will applied on the research of degenerative arthritis drugs and the design of therapeutic strategies for degenerative arthritis in the future.

Platostoma palustre (Pp) jelly is a traditional food. Pp has been used as folk medicine and is effective against heat-shock, hypertension and diabetes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the ethanolic extracts of Pp’ genotoxicity. The ethanolic extracts of Pp by using 40% ethanol for extraction. Evaluation of genotoxicity of ethanolic extracts of Pp by micronucleus assay was performed in vivo. During the in vivo genotoxicity-evaluated experiment, the experimental animal’s clinical behavior, body weight (BW), food consumption, and the percentage of RET/RBCs (reticulocytes/red blood cells) and MN-RET/RETs (micronucleated reticulocytes/reticulocytes) after the treatments of Pp ethanolic extracts were evaluated. Both sexes Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were given three daily treatments by intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg of mitomycin C (genotoxicity induction) or by oral route of 200 μL of PBS (normal control group). Until 48 h after the last treatment, K2-EDTA-anticoagulated peripheral blood specimens were collected. These blood samples were processed for the microscopy-based analysis using Giemsa stain and the percentage of reticulocytes and micronucleated reticulocytes was determined. The results were shown that the experimental animal’s clinical behaviors were normal in all groups. The BW and food consumption were no significant difference between all groups. RET/RBCs (‰) in male or female ICR mice in the negative control group, the normal control group, the high dose of Pp ethanolic extract group, the middle dose of Pp ethanolic extract group, and the low dose of Pp ethanolic extract group were respectively 7.8 ± 0.8 / 8.6 ± 0.8, 23.2 ± 1.5 / 22.1 ± 1.3, 22.8 ± 1.6 / 22.1 ± 1.7, 23.2 ± 1.5 / 22.6 ± 1.0 and 22.2 ± 1.9 / 23.9 ± 1.9; MN-RET/RETs (‰) in male or female ICR mice in the negative control group, the normal control group, the high dose of Pp ethanolic extract group, the middle dose of Pp ethanolic extract group, and the low dose of Pp ethanolic extract group were 2.0 ± 0.0 / 2.0 ± 0.0, 43.2 ± 10.6 / 39.6 ± 10.9, 1.8 ± 0.4 / 1.6 ± 0.5, 1.6 ± 0.5 / 1.4 ± 0.5, and 1.8 ± 0.4 / 1.6 ± 0.5, respectively. Both RET/RBCs (‰) and MN-RET/RETs (‰) in male or female ICR mice in the negative control group were significantly difference than the other groups (p < 0.001). Taken all results together, Pp ethanolic extracts were without genotoxicity. Therefore, Pp ethanolic extracts were safety.

Introduction A polysomnography or home sleep apnea study provides multiple pieces of information to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but the tests are costly with limited access. The study aims to use an automated AHI model with only PPG signals and can be applied to a wearable device. Methods We have included patients with different OSA severity to build an algorithm detecting ODI based on the scoring criteria with varying sizes of windows ranging from 10 to 60 seconds. For patients without ODI events, the automated CPC for detecting low-frequency oscillation is included to support the automated AHI model. Results The automated ODI and the combination of automated CPC are highly correlated with the AHI. When a CPC is detected without the ODI, the low-frequency coupling can assist in detecting AHI. The accuracy of the automated AHI is 86% compared to the actual AHI, with the sensitivity, specificity and precision at 92%, 73% and 89%, respectively. Conclusion The automated AHI algorithm with PPG signals as input can have a high sensitivity and accuracy in screening patients with OSA (AHI≥5), which can considerably be implied in a PPG wearable device. Support (if any)

Objectives: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with an increased risks of corrected QT (QTc) prolongation and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), both of which are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. Rotating night shift work and a higher risk of incident NAFLD have been reported in male steelworkers. This study aimed to investigate the association of the severity of NAFLD with a prolonged QTc interval and LVH in a large cohort of Chinese male steelworkers. Methods: We examined baseline data of 2998 male steel workers aged 26 to 71 years at two plants. All workers at both plants received regular health assessments, including 12-lead ECG and echocardiography. Abdominal ultrasonography was performed to evaluate the severity of NAFLD. QTc prolongation was defined as follows: normal ≤ 430 ms, borderline 431–450 ms, and abnormal ≥ 451 ms. LVH was defined as a left ventricular mass index (LVMI) >131 g/m2. Associations of NAFLD with an abnormal QTc interval and LVH were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The QTc interval and the LVMI were significantly correlated with the NAFLD fibrosis score, and the severity of NAFLD was correlated with an abnormal QTc interval and LVH (p for trend < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that in comparison to the workers without NAFLD, the odds ratios of having an abnormal QTc interval and LVH were 2.54 (95% CI: 1.22–5.39, p = 0.013) times and 2.23 (95% CI: 1.02–5.01, p = 0.044) times higher in the workers with moderate/severe NAFLD. Conclusions: NAFLD may be closely associated with the risks of an abnormal QTc interval and LVH, suggesting that regular electrocardiogram and echocardiogram monitoring could be used to evaluate the risk of arrhythmia and LVH in male steelworkers with NAFLD.

Gastric ulcers are commonly seen in the upper gastrointestinal tract and may be related to the