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This study aimed to investigate the effects of a probiotic complex product including Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacteria on the lipid metabolism of hamsters fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Fifty male Syrian hamsters were assigned to five experimental groups: control, high-fat plus high-cholesterol diet (HFC), and HFC supplemented with low-, medium-, and high-dose of probiotic product. The hamsters in the control group were fed an AIN-76 basal diet. A high-cholesterol diet was based on the AIN-76 basal diet, supplemented with 0.5% (w/w) cholesterol, 12% corn oil, and 3% (w/w) lard to adjust the fat content. After a one-week adaptation period, the experimental period started, during which the animals were fed for 10 weeks, and food intake and body weight were recorded periodically. Blood samples were obtained for the analysis of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The results show that feeding animals with the low, medium, and high doses of probiotic complex product had significantly lowered serum LDL-C, and TBARS levels, as well as LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (P < 0.05), while we observed a significant increase in HDL-C levels (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the probiotic complex product could reduce obesity, dyslipidemia, and lipid peroxidation. Key words: Probiotics, cholesterol, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, hamster.

Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is a chronic pain condition, affecting many people who have undergone surgery. The development of CPSP is complex and the treatment options are limited; therefore, postsurgical pain management is crucial for satisfactory pain relief and prevention of CPSP development. In this review, we analyzed the existing treatment modalities for patients with CPSP. The treatments include opioids, acetaminophen, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, anticonvulsants, and local anesthesia. All treatments had signifi cant effect on CPSP and opioid-sparing effect; moreover, preventive analgesic treatment is important for improving quality of postoperative pain management. However, since most of the studies had limitations, further research on determining effective combinations and treatment modalities is required.

Purpose We have previously shown in patients receiving adaptive support ventilation (ASV) that there existed a Transition %MinVol (TMV%) where the patient's work of breathing began to reduce. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that higher TMV% would be associated with poorer outcome in patients with acute respiratory failure. Materials and methods In this prospective observational study, we recruited patients with acute respiratory failure on ASV between December 2012 and September 2013 in a mixed ICU. The TMV% was determined by adjusting % MinVol until mandatory respiratory frequency was between 0 and 1 breath/min. TMV% was measured on the first two days of mechanical ventilation. Results A total of 337 patients (age: 70 ± 16 years) were recruited. In patients whose TMV% increased between Day 1 and Day 2, aOR for mortality was 7.0 (95%CI = 2.7–18.3, p

Three-dimensional measurement systems of high precision have been widely applied in high-technology industries and bio-medical areas, especially for microscale accuracy measurement. However, due to their bulky volume, most of the current surface profilometers cannot perform 3D measurement within a space-restricted inspection environment. To overcome this drawback, a novel 3D surface profilometer with a miniaturized probe was developed according to the digital fringe projection (DFP) principle. Measurement of small objects within a limited space can be made by the profilometer which comprises a digital fringe projection system, coherent image fibres and optical lenses. Using phase shifting and an accurate calibration method, the proposed system can analyse the phase fringe and reconstruct clouds of surface points accurately. An example of 3D intra-oral dental measurement was provided to verify the feasibility and performance of the developed system and techniques. The experimental results indicate that the spatial and vertical measurement resolution can reach 25 µm and 5 µm, respectively, and the accuracy can be controlled within 25 µm, less than 1% of full measurement range.

Contamination of the environment with heavy metal ions has been an important worldwide concern for decades. Among them, mercury ion (Hg^2^+) is one of the heavy metal ion maintained in the detection because of its toxicity. In this study, we have designed the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) probes of carboxylic modified protein and employed the lateral flow assay to detect the Hg^2^+ without complicated instrumentations and technical expertise. The captured AuNP probes on the test zone and control zone of the sensor produced the characteristic red bands, enabling visual discrimination of Hg^2^+ concentrations. The demand of Hg^2^+ analysis in environmental applications requires parallel analytical strategies; such a method with simplicity and rapidity has enormous potential for the application of Hg^2^+ monitoring in environment, water, and food samples.

The alarm system of mechanical ventilator is important to alert caregiver to perform specific procedure to keep patient away from complication. However, the conventional alarm signals are badly designed and always non-specific which can not provide clear information for caregiver to make decision immediately. Therefore, the intelligent alarm system that we try to develop is to provide clear information from analyzing more sophisticated data from ventilator to help caregiver aware the clinical condition and perform the appropriate procedure at the right moment. The high pressure alarm which is one of the most frequent alarm shooting in the intensive care unit (ICU), includes the warning of airway narrowing, sputum impaction, poor lung compliance and more critical conditions. We used simulated condition to test the intelligent alarm system we develop which staff needs immediate management including alert of sputum suction, tubing disconnection and leakage in the mechanical ventilation. The result presents the suction alarm occurs when Ppeak increase, Rexp increase and Fexp decrease in the mechanical ventilation model after simulated sputum injection. The low airway leak alarm occurs when end-PEEP value less than initial PEEP setting. The larger airway leak alarm occurs when both PEEP value and expiratory tidal volume down to zero in the mechanical ventilation. It suggests that intelligent system can provide alarm decision and contribute patient safety.

The three-dimensional structure in solution of cardiotoxin II, a membrane toxin from the venom of Taiwan cobra, Naja naja atra, was determined using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular modeling based on the hybrid distance geometry/dynamic simulated annealing technique. A complete sequence-specific proton assignment was obtained, and the secondary structures of the protein were determined from information on nuclear Overhauser effect connectivities, coupling constants, and hydrogen exchange were confirmed using the main-chain-directed strategy. Twelve simulated annealing structures found to be within a single family were selected based on the condition of distance constraint violation less than 0.02 nm and the dihedral angle violation less than 4 degrees. The average atomic root mean square deviation between the selected structures and their geometric average are 0.079 nm for the backbone atoms and 0.137 nm for all heavy atoms; they are 0.044 nm and 0.117 nm, respectively, when considering the secondary structural residues only. The molecule adopts a compact structure consisting of three major loops emerging from a globular head. These loops contain five strands to form double- and a triple-stranded antiparallel beta sheets. Comparisons are made between this structure and those of its homologous cardiotoxins in order to derive further information on their structural variations.

The structure in solution of cardiotoxin III, a membrane toxin purified from the venom of the Taiwan cobra, Naja naja atra, is reported. Sequence-specific assignment of 1H-NMR lines was completed and the NMR data show the presence of a triple and a double-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet. Many NOE cross peaks identified in NOESY spectra were applied as distance constraints based on a hybrid distance geometry/dynamical simulated annealing technique; 20 structures were found within a single family. The average value of atomic RMS differences between the 20 structures and their geometric mean is 0.087 nm for the backbone atoms and 0.152 nm for all heavy atoms; they are 0.055 nm and 0.12 nm, respectively for the segments of secondary structure. In these selected structures the backbone of the polypeptide chain folds such that five strands emerge from a globular head. Three major loops link these strands to form a double and a triple-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet. Comparison of the structures of the toxin in solution with the X-ray crystal structure of its homologous protein, cardiotoxin V4II from Naja mossambica mossambica, showed good agreement between the structures except at segments of the turns. As the functions of short neurotoxins and cardiotoxins are distinct, despite their similar secondary structural patterns and tertiary folding, a comparative analysis has been carried out between cardiotoxin III and short neurotoxins of known structures. We discuss their structural features in order to clarify relationships between their structure and function.

We have demonstrated that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can effectively associate with enzyme through spontaneous adsorption to afford supramolecular complexes, resulting in a significant increase of its enzymatic activity. In this work, we embarked on a study of the interactions between the different-sized AuNPs and the substrate through quantifying the kinetic parameters (K cat and K M ). The diversity of size allows us to probe the role of catalytic behaviors in modulating enzymatic activity.