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This research, which involved a comprehensive methodology, including depositing electroplated copper on a copper seed layer and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films on textured silicon substrates using DC magnetron sputtering with varying substrate heating, has yielded significant findings. The study thoroughly investigated the effects of substrate temperature (Ts) on copper adhesion strength and morphology using the peel force test and electron microscopy. The peel force test was conducted at angles of 90°, 135°, and 180°. The average adhesion strength was about 0.2 N/mm for the samples without substrate heating. For the samples with substrate heating at 100 °C, the average peeling force of the electroplated copper film was about 1 N/mm. The average peeling force increased to 1.5 N/mm as the substrate heating temperature increased to 200 °C. The surface roughness increases as the annealing temperature of the Cu/AZO/Si sample increases. These findings not only provide a reliable and robust method for applying AZO transparent conductive films onto silicon solar cells but also underscore its potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and durability of solar cells significantly, thereby instilling confidence in the field of solar cell technology.

Background: The majority of patients diagnosed with early stage endometrial cancer have a favorable prognosis; however, approximately 10% to 15% experience a recurrence. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether postoperative carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) levels could be used to predict recurrence and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with surgical stage I endometrial cancer., Methods: We enrolled a total of 518 patients with stage I endometrial cancer who underwent surgical treatment between January 2010 and March 2019. Serum CA-125 levels were measured prior to surgery, as well as 6 to 12 months after surgery. Subsequently, the correlations between the CA-125 levels, cancer recurrence, and RFS were analyzed., Results: Although the preoperative CA-125 level was not associated with the risk of cancer recurrence, the postoperative CA-125 level was found to be the only independent predictor of recurrence in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Additionally, we found that a postoperative CA-125 cutoff value of 13.75 U/mL yielded the best sensitivity and specificity for predicting cancer recurrence. Patients with a postoperative CA-125 level ≥13.75 U/mL, and those with a level <13.75 U/mL, had a median time to recurrence and a 5-year RFS rate of 35.5 vs 50.5 months and 84.7 vs 94.4%, respectively. Additionally, postoperative CA-125 levels were not found to be correlated with preoperative levels., Conclusion: In patients with stage I endometrial cancer, a postoperative CA-125 level ≥13.75 U/mL was found to be significantly correlated with a higher recurrence rate, as well as a shorter RFS. Therefore, obtaining a follow-up CA-125 level within 6 to 12 months after staging surgery may be a promising noninvasive biomarker for predicting recurrence., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: Dr. Yi-Jen Chen, an editorial board member at Journal of the Chinese Medical Association , had no role in the peer review process of or decision to publish this article. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article., (Copyright © 2023, the Chinese Medical Association.)

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been investigated as a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis and monitoring therapeutic responses in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the sensitivity of CTCs detection is low, thus limiting the clinical utility of CTCs. We aim to examine the clinicopathological parameters that improve prognosis prediction for CRC using CTCs as a biomarker., Methods: We enumerated CTCs in 186 CRC patients and associated the number of CTCs with the clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) using a univariate and multivariate Cox regression model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis., Results: The presence of CTCs from 186 CRC patients was significantly associated with stage, preoperational carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and CA19-9 levels. Using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analysis, patients with five or more CTCs exhibited significantly worse OS compared to patients with fewer than five CTCs. The combination of CTCs with tumor marker CEA has a better OS prediction than individual CTCs or CEA and serves as a more effective prediction model in patients with CRC., Conclusion: We identified that patients with more than five CTCs exhibited significantly worse OS. Additionally, patients with the normal level of CEA, but who also had more than five CTCs trended towards a worse OS., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article., (Copyright © 2023, the Chinese Medical Association.)

Rapid mutations within SARS-CoV-2 are driving immune escape, highlighting the need for in-depth and routine analysis of memory B cells (MBCs) to complement the important but limited information from neutralizing antibody (nAb) studies. In this study, we collected plasma samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 35 subjects and studied the nAb titers and the number of antigen-specific memory B cells at designated time points before and after vaccination. We developed an assay to use the MiSelect R II System with a single-use microfluidic chip to directly detect the number of spike-receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific MBCs in PBMCs. Our results show that the number of spike-RBD-specific MBCs detected by the MiSelect R II System is highly correlated with the level of nAbs secreted by stimulated PBMCs, even 6 months after vaccination when nAbs were generally not present in plasma. We also found antigen-specific cells recognizing Omicron spike-RBD were present in PBMCs from booster vaccination of subjects, but with a high variability in the number of B cells. The MiSelect R II System provided a direct, automated, and quantitative method to isolate and analyze subsets of rare cells for tracking cellular immunity in the context of a rapidly mutating virus.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood are accepted as a prognostic marker for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there is limited data on the use of CTCs as a prognostic marker for non-metastatic patients. In the current study, we used a rare cell automated analysis platform, the MiSelect R System, to enumerate CTCs from blood in non-metastatic CRC patients, and corelated the number of CTCs with the clinical staging and survival. The presence of CTCs in mesenteric vein blood (MVB) samples from 101 CRC patients was significantly associated with T stage. Patients with 1 or more CTCs per 8 mL of MVB exhibited significantly worse disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) compared to patient without CTCs. The presence of CTCs before surgery is an independent marker for both DFS and CSS. CTC presence after surgical resection is also a prognostic marker. CTCs are a potentially useful prognostic and predictive biomarker in non-metastatic CRC patients that may further stratify patient's risk status within different stages of disease., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Suicide is listed in the top ten causes of death in Taiwan. Previous studies have pointed out that psychiatric patients having suicide attempts in their history are more likely to attempt suicide again than non-psychiatric patients. Therefore, how to predict the future multiple suicide attempts of psychiatric patients is an important issue of public health. Different from previous studies, we collect the psychiatric patients who have a suicide diagnosis in the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) as the study cohort. Study variables include psychiatric patients' characteristics, medical behavior characteristics, physician characteristics, and hospital characteristics. Three machine learning techniques, including decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN), are used to develop models for predicting the risk of future multiple suicide attempts. The Adaboost technique is further used to improve prediction performance in model development. The experimental results show that Adaboost+DT performs the best in predicting the behavior of multiple suicide attempts among psychiatric patients. The findings of this study can help clinical staffs to early identify high-risk patients and improve the effectiveness of suicide prevention.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article.

Background: To date, no comprehensive epidemiological study exists on pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) risk in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) worldwide. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study by using data from Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to examine the association between newly diagnosed T2DM and PLA. The T2DM cohort included patients newly diagnosed as having T2DM (ICD-9-CM:250) from 2000 to 2009, with follow-up until December 31, 2011. The comparison cohort was then recruited through 1:4 random frequency matching with the T2DM cohort. Finally, the adjusted hazard ratios for PLA were compared between the T2DM and comparison cohorts, which included 44,728 patients with T2DM and 178,912 patients without DM respectively. Results: In T2DM cohort, 166 patients were diagnosed as having PLA (incidence rate = 5.87 per 10,000 person-years) and in comparison cohort, 238 patients were diagnosed as having PLA (incidence rate = 2.06 per 10,000 person-years). The T2DM cohort exhibited higher PLA risk than did the comparison cohort (hazard ratio = 2.83, 95% confidence interval = 2.32-3.46). Furthermore, the adjusted hazard ratio for PLA risk in T2DM cohort was the highest in those who were younger, man and with duration of DM <2 years. In the T2DM cohort, the most common PLA causative agent was Klebsiella pneumonia (KP). In addition, PLA risk was high in T2DM patients with gallstone and cholecystitis. Compared with comparison cohort, patients with T2DM prescribed acarbose has a lower PLA risk, however glyburide significantly increased PLA risk in T2DM cohort. Conclusion: In patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, PLA risk was high and acarbose might reduce PLA risk., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wang, Lai, Chen, Wang, Hsieh, Chang, Chen, Ho, Hung, Tseng, Lin and Kao.)

Djulis ( Chenopodium formosanum Koidz.) is a species of cereal grain native to Taiwan. It is rich in dietary fibre and antioxidants and therefore reputed to relieve constipation, suppress inflammation, and lower blood glucose. The aim of this study was to investigate the composition and physicochemical properties of dietary fibre from djulis hull. Meanwhile, determination of the in vivo antidiabetic effect on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after consuming the djulis hull powder. Djulis hull contained dietary fibre 75.21 ± 0.17% dry weight, and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) reached 71.54 ± 0.27% dry weight. The IDF postponed the adsorption of glucose and reduced the activity of α-amylase. Postprandial blood glucose levels in patients with T2DM showed three different tendencies. First, the area under the glucose curve was significantly lower after ingesting 10 or 5 g djulis hull powder, which then postponed the adsorption of glucose, but the area under the glucose curve was similar with the two doses. After consuming 10 g djulis hull before 75 g glucose 30 and 60 min after the meal, patients with T2DM had blood glucose values that were significantly lower at the same postprandial times than those of patients who did not consume djulis hull. In short, patients who consumed djulis hull prior to glucose administration had decreased blood glucose level compared with those who did not. Djulis hull may have benefits for patients with T2DM.

Objective: To evaluate the factors associated with the successful induction of labor (IOL) in women treated with dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert., Material and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between June 2017 and December 2017, enrolling 65 patients who underwent dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert-induced labor. The correlation between the characteristics of the pregnant women and its success, as well as perinatal complications and adverse outcomes were analyzed., Results: Fifty-three of 65 (81.5%) achieved a successful vaginal delivery. Only multi-parous pregnant women were an independent predictor factor for successful induction after dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert, since all of them succeeded after this strategy treatment (100%, n = 18), compared to 74.5% (35/47) of successful rate in the nulliparous pregnant women with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.018). There were no adverse events occurred in both mothers and their offspring., Conclusion: Dinoprostone slow-released vaginal insert is a good choice for multiparous pregnant women who need IOL, regardless of which reasons are indicated. For nulliparous women, more studies might be needed to evaluate the effectiveness of PGE2 for IOL., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aim: To evaluate the effect of mean HbA1c on the correlation between HbA1c variability and all-cause mortality, and the risks associated with different levels of HbA1c and glycaemic control status in patients with type 2 diabetes., Materials and Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes and at least three HbA1c measurements within 12-24 months were included. HbA1c variability score, coefficient of variation (CV) and standard deviation (SD) were used to evaluate variability. A variability score of 50 was set as a cutoff to define low and high variability., Results: A total of 4216 patients were included, of whom 1196 died during the observation period (11.1 ± 3.2 years). All-cause mortality increased with HbA1c variability score and the quartiles of HbA1c CV and SD. The strength of this association was attenuated after adjustment for mean HbA1c, and the risks associated with HbA1c variability and glycaemic control status were similar. The highest associated risk was observed with an HbA1c variability score of >50 and mean HbA1c of ≥7.5%. Mortality risk was significantly higher with a mean HbA1c of ≤6.0% and >8.5% and of ≤6.0% and >8.0% for low and high HbA1c variability, respectively., Conclusions: Mean HbA1c contributed to the correlation between HbA1c variability and all-cause mortality. The risks associated with HbA1c variability and glycaemic control status were similar. The relationship between mean HbA1c and mortality presented a J-shaped distribution for both low and high HbA1c variability., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study investigated the structure and magnetic properties of Co 40 Fe 40 V 20 thin films with a thicknesses ( t f ) of 10 nm to 100 nm on a glass substrate. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the CoFeV films demonstrated a significant crystalline body-centered cubic (BCC) CoFe (110) structure when the thickness was between 60 and 100 nm, and an amorphous status were shown when the thickness was from 10 to 50 nm. The strongest crystalline XRD peak was at 60 nm because it had a continuous mode of film growth and induced a large grain distribution. The low-frequency alternating current magnetic susceptibility ( ϰac ) property decreased when the frequency increased. The lowest ϰac value was detected at 60 nm owing to the large grain distribution inducing high coercivity ( H c ) and then enhancing the spin coupling strength. The external field ( H ext ) was difficult to rotate spin state, then deduces the spin sensitivity and ϰ ac value is decreased. The highest ϰ ac meant the spin sensitivity was maximized at the optimal resonance frequency. The 50-mm thickness had the highest ϰ ac 0.045 value at an f res of 100 Hz. The f res value was less than 1000 Hz at all CoFeV thicknesses, suggesting that CoFeV films would be suitable for low-frequency magnetic component applications. Moreover, the saturation magnetization ( M s ) revealed a thickness effect when the thicknesses had a larger M s . The H c values were between 3 Oe and 10 Oe at all CoFeV films, except for 60 nm. The H c of the 60 nm film was about 80 Oe due to the larger grain distribution, and it induced strong remanent magnetization ( M r ) and a larger squareness ratio ( M r /M s ) of 92%. The results of the magnetic measurement showed that the 60 nm Co 40 Fe 40 V 20 film had greater H c and a good squareness ratio.

Background: A complete infectious focus survey relies on a thorough physical examination as well as a pelvic examination. Tubo-ovarian abscess, though less likely to occur in senior women, may become a life-threatening disease requiring emergent surgery. Hence, clinical awareness and aggressive management are warranted to avoid delayed diagnosis and subsequent complications., Case Presentation: We report a post-menopausal woman presented with sepsis of unknown origin, which turned out to be a huge tubo-ovarian abscess. Although tubo-ovarian abscess mostly occurs in women of fertile age, it is likely that the immune status of our post-menopausal patient was compromised because of old age and uremia. Moreover, due to underlying dementia, she could not express her discomfort in the early stage. Her sepsis resolved after a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy surgery and antibiotic treatment. It is crucial to exclude pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) if no specific source of infection can be identified., Conclusions: Rupture of the tubo-ovarian abscess is a condition of high mortality rate. Although tubo-ovarian abscess is more likely to develop in patients aged 15-25 years old, the tubo-ovarian abscess should be listed as a differential diagnosis in all post-menopausal women, especially those who are immunocompromised or with a palpable pelvic mass, to enable timely management and better prognosis.

SEPTIN12 (SEPT12) is a testis-enriched gene that is downregulated in the testis of infertile men with severe spermatogenic defects. While SEPT12 is involved in spermatogenic failure and sperm motility disorder, SEPT12 transcriptional regulation is still unknown. Here we report the promoter region of SEPT12 as a 245 bp segment upstream of the transcription start site. One androgen receptor (AR) and two estrogen receptor α (ERα) binding sites in this region were initially identified by bioinformatics prediction and confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Truncated ERα or AR binding sites decreased the promoter activity, which indicated that the ERα and AR are essential for the SEPT12 promoter. On the other hand, the promoter activity was enhanced by the treatment with 17β-estradiol (E2) and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT). Thus, one androgen and two estrogen hormone responsive elements located in the promoter of SEPT12 gene can regulate SEPT12 expression. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs759992 T > C and rs3827527 C > T, were observed in the SEPT12 gene promoter region and were able to decrease the promoter activity. In conclusion, the current work identified the promoter of the human SEPT12 gene and provided key evidence about its transcriptional regulation via E2 and 5α-DHT. Since SEPT12 has an important role in spermatogenesis, SEPT12 expression analysis can be developed as a potential tool for the assessment of environmental or food pollution by hormones or for the evaluation of the risk of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in general., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.)

Objective: The coexistence of maternal malignancy and pregnancy has received increasing attention in Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) studies. Malignancy in pregnant women potentially affects the copy number variation (CNV) profile in NIPT results. Only one case of hematologic cancer has been reported in a Hong-Kong pregnant women, and solid tumors have never been reported in pregnant Chinese women., Case Report: The patients with dysgerminoma and cervical cancer showed aberrant chromosomal aneuploidies in NIPT and concordant patterns of genome disruption in tumor tissues. The genomic aberrations in the gastric cancer patient had similar copy number variation pattern of gastric cancer., Conclusion: The findings in this study and the literature review further validate the effect of maternal malignancy on the copy number variation profile in NIPT data and strengthen the possibility of detecting malignant tumors with NIPT in the future., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The following structures are deposited under the conditions (a) glass/Ru(X nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) and (b) glass/Ta(Y nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) at room temperature (RT), where X and Y is from 5 nm to 10 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of glass/Ru(X nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) and glass/Ta(Y nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) reveal a weak crystallization at peak β-(200) as the thicknesses of Ta increase from 8 nm to 10 nm, and the patterns indicate an amorphous state as the thicknesses of all Ru films and Ta thicknesses increase from 5 nm to 7 nm. The average contact angles of glass/Ru(X nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) and glass/Ta(Y nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) are less than 90° with testing liquids deionized (DI) water and glycerol. The average contact angle of water on the surface is nearly 90 degrees, indicating it is hydrophobic. Moreover, the maximum surface energy of glass/Ru(9 nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) and glass/Ta(10 nm)/Co60Fe20V20(5 nm) are 44.5 mJ/m2 and 37.4 mJ/m2, demonstrating that the high surface energy corresponds to a strong adhesion, which can be combined with a magnetic tunneling layer of MgO or AlOx and is compatible with other semiconductor processes in magnetic recording media and photoelectric applications.

In this work, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as a superior mediate for the pressure welding of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) networks as transparent electrodes without any thermal treatment is demonstrated. After a pressing of 200 kg cm -2 , not only the sheet resistance but also the surface roughness of the PMMA-mediated Ag NWs networks decreases from 2.6 kΩ sq -1 to 34.3 Ω sq -1 and from 76.1 to 12.6 nm, respectively. On the other hand, high transparency of an average transmittance in the visible wavelengths of 93.5% together with a low haze value of 2.58% can be achieved. In terms of optoelectronic applications, the promising potential of the PMMA-mediated pressure-welded Ag NWs networks used as a transparent electrode in a green organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device is also demonstrated. In comparison with the OLED based on commercial tin-doped indium oxide electrode, the increments of power efficiency and external quantum efficiency (EQE) from 80.1 to 85.9 lm w -1 and 19.2% to 19.9% are demonstrated. In addition, the PMMA-mediated pressure welding succeeds in transferring Ag NWs networks to flexible polyethylene naphthalate and polyimide substrates with the sheet resistance of 42 and 91 Ω sq -1 after 10 000 times of bending, respectively., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: Hysteroscopy has widely been used for diagnosis of the uterine cavity; however, target biopsy has often been difficult in part to the inherent limitations of ancillary instruments. Lin's biopsy grasper was specifically designed to work in conjunction with a flexible hysteroscope to obtain intrauterine biopsy under transabdominal sonography. Herein, we share our clinical experience in the management of endometrial abnormalities with the use of Lin's biopsy grasper during office-based hysteroscopy., Materials and Methods: From February 2006 to November 2016, the use of Lin's biopsy grasper for tissue biopsy was attempted on 126 cases. We retrospectively recorded and analyzed the patients' preoperative characteristics and biopsy outcomes to demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of Lin's biopsy grasper., Results: Out of the one hundred and twenty-six enrolled patients, satisfactory targeted biopsies were achieved; including high diagnostic rate (92.1%, with 116 cases confirmed histologically) and adequate tissue retrieval (77.8%, with 98 cases obtaining optimal specimen volume). All patients tolerated the procedure without analgesics or anesthesia., Conclusion: Diagnostic flexible hysteroscopy combined with the use of Lin's biopsy grasper has proven to be an effective tool for intrauterine evaluation and obtaining tissue sample., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Epinephrine is known as a weak, but important, agonist for platelet activation. It has been reported that the responsiveness of platelets to epinephrine was markedly impaired in 6% of Caucasians and in 16% of Japanese. The purpose of this study was to screen and characterize this abnormality in healthy Taiwanese Chinese volunteers. We used aggregometry, flow cytometry and platelet function analyzer (PFA)-100 system to assess in 50 healthy male volunteers the responsiveness of platelets to epinephrine stimulation. Using α2A adrenoceptor antagonist BRL44408 maleate competition and a [(3)H]yohimbin binding assay, we evaluated α2A adrenoceptors on platelets. The aggregation of platelets after stimulation with 10 μM of epinephrine indicated two distinct groups of study participants: 24 (48.0%) good- and 26 (52.0%) impaired-responders to epinephrine. Flow cytometric analysis of platelets after stimulated with 1 μM epinephrine showed that glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa and P-selectin expression of epinephrine good- and impaired-responders were 27.1 ± 11.0% vs. 9.9 ± 5.4% (p = 0.003) and 12.2 ± 6.2% vs. 3.6 ± 3.5% (p < 0.001), respectively. The PFA-100 system showed that epinephrine-impaired-responders had a longer collagen-epinephrine induced closure time. Good-responder platelets incubated with BRL44408 maleate had an impaired response to epinephrine stimulation. [(3)H]yohimbine binding studies showed fewer α2A adrenoreceptors on the platelets of epinephrine-impaired-responders than on those of good-responders. The prevalence of impaired responsiveness to epinephrine was high and probably due to α2A adrenoreceptor deficiency in male Taiwanese Chinese.

Uterine anomalies involving a double uterus, double cervix, also known as didelphys uterus, and complete septate vagina are rarely seen and have an associated fertility problem. However, artificial reproductive technology with embryo transfers can help solve this fertility challenge. Conception in the uterus in just one side is commonly seen for embryos, which are always transferred through the usually used (dilated) vagina. We here present a patient with the above uterine anomaly who conceived with the aid of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer to both uterine cavities under general anesthesia, which resulted in successful double singleton pregnancies with one fetus in each uterus. With intensive prenatal care, the pregnancy course for each fetus was rather uneventful. Although both fetuses were in cephalic presentation, cesarean section was performed at the 39(th) week of gestation with good outcomes in order to preclude anticipated difficulties if the baby had been delivered through the rarely dilated vagina. However, order of birth between the two fetuses was a crucial decision during the operation., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.)

Purpose: Colorectal polyps are generally believed to be the precursors of colorectal cancers (CRC); however, the proportion and speed of progression differed widely in different subsets of polyps. Using microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) platform and CD133 immunostaining, we characterized colon polyps according to their association with CRC that developed in the same individual., Patients and Methods: aCGH was performed to unveil genomic changes in 18 cancer-synchronous polyps (CSP), and 9 cancer-preceding polyps (CPP), together with their corresponding cancers and 16 cases of incidental polyps (IP), were examined for comparison. aCGH profiles were analyzed to determine the clonal relationship (CR) between the paired adenoma and carcinoma. CD133 expressions in each subset of polyps were quantified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining., Results: Progressive genomic changes were observed from IP, CSP/CPP to CRC; they encompass an entire chromosomal region in IP and sub-chromosomal region in CSP/CPP and CRC. CR analyses demonstrated that 50 % of CSP and 67 % of CPP were clonally related to the concurrent or later developed carcinomas, respectively. The CD133 expression levels were significantly higher in CSP/CPP than those in IP (P < 0.0001) and even higher in CSP/CPP that were clonally related to their corresponding carcinomas than CSP/CPP that were unrelated (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: There were more genomic changes in CSP/CPP than IP; more than half of the CSP/CPP were clonally related to the corresponding carcinomas. Genomic changes at sub-chromosomal regions and/or high CD133 expression were associated with CSP/CPP and highlighted their carcinogenic potential.

Background: Tumor initiating cells are a small subset of cancer cells responsible for tumor growth and recurrence. The status of tumor initiating cells was measured using the surface markers CD133 (prominin-1) and ESA (epithelial-specific antigen). The aims of this study were to investigate the significance of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in mesenteric venous blood (MVB) and tumor mass (TM) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing curative resection., Materials and Methods: A total of 229 CRC patients undergoing curative resection were prospectively enrolled in the study. Using CD133 and ESA as surface markers, CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells were enumerated from MVB and TM using flow cytometry., Results: We analyzed the presence of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in TM from 158 patients and found no correlation to patient DFS, OS, or clinical stage. In 135 patients, an analysis of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in MVB showed an inverse correlation with both DFS and OS (P = 0.014 and P = 0.008, respectively). It exhibited an increase-then-decrease pattern with the peak in stage II patients. A multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that the status of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in MVB, but not the TM, was a significant prognostic factor for DFS and OS (P = 0.003 and P = 0.011, respectively)., Conclusions: The status of CD133(+)/ESA(+) cells in MVB, but not in TM, could be a useful indicator for predicting tumor recurrence and a prognostic marker for CRC patients., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To analyze the pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcome relating to the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus before conception and during pregnancy., Methods: Seventy-two pregnancies were collected in a single tertiary medical center within a 5-year period. Twelve pregnancies were terminated due to various causes in the first half of pregnancy. Analysis of pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcome relating to the lupus activity before conception and during pregnancy was made among the remaining 60 pregnancies with gestational length > 26 weeks. The assessment of lupus activity was based on the routine monitoring, including urine routine, white blood cell count, hemoglobin and platelet count, erythrocyte sediment rate, serum titers of C3, C4, and double-stranded DNA. Monitoring of renal function with daily urinary protein loss and clearance rate of creatinine was needed when worsened nephropathy was suspected., Results: The etiologies of the terminated pregnancies were deteriorated nephropathy (6 cases), involvement of central nervous system (1 case), unwanted pregnancy due to drug exposure (3 cases), and two early intrauterine fetal deaths (both during the 23(rd) week of gestation). Pregnancy complications were related to the lupus activity before conception [odds ratio = 0.238, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.073, 0.778, p = 0.014] and during pregnancy (odds ratio = 0.153, 95% CI = 0.031, 0.754, p = 0.012). Meanwhile, pregnancy outcome significantly related to the lupus activity of the preconception period and during pregnancy. The gestational length was significantly longer in the pregnancies with remitted lupus activity either before conception (38.2 ± 1.6 weeks vs. 36.3 ± 3.4 weeks, p = 0.011 and 95% CI = -3.454, -0.478) or during pregnancy (38.2 ± 1.6 weeks vs. 35.2 ± 3.8 weeks, p = 0.005 and with 95% CI = -4.988, -1.005). Significant relationships were also found between newborn birth weights and lupus activity preconceptionally (2940 ± 389 g vs. 2448 ± 674 g, p = 0.002 and 95% CI = -792, -192) and after having conceived (2960 ± 383 g vs. 2136 ± 585 g, p < 0.001 and 95% CI = -1081, -568). Multivariate analysis showed that lupus remission during pregnancy was correlated with a significantly longer gestation, since pregnant women with active lupus had a three-fold greater risk of preterm deliveries (hazard ratio = 3.022, 95% CI = 1.261, 7.242) compared with pregnant women without active lupus., Conclusion: In order to reduce the incidence of pregnancy complication, especially preterm delivery, and to gain good pregnancy outcome, good preparation before conception and good control of the disease during pregnancy are mandatory., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.)

Breast cancer resistance protein [BCRP/ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2)] is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter family. The presence of ABCG2 on the plasma membrane in many kinds of human cancer cells contributes to multidrug resistance during chemotherapy, and it has been used as the side population marker for identifying cancer stem cells in lung cancers. We report here that, in addition to the membranous form, ABCG2 proteins are also found inside the nucleus, where they bind to the E-box of CDH1 (E-cadherin) promoter and regulate transcription of this gene. Increased expression of ABCG2 causes an increase of E-cadherin and attenuates cell migration, whereas knockdown of ABCG2 downregulates E-cadherin and enhances cell motility. In mice, xenografted A549 cells that have less ABCG2 are more likely to metastasize from the subcutaneous inoculation site to the internal organs. However, for the cancer cells that have already entered the blood circulation, an increased level of ABCG2, and correspondingly increased E-cadherin, may facilitate circulating cancer cells to colonize at a distant site and form a metastatic tumor. We propose a novel role for nuclear ABCG2 that functions as a transcription regulator and participates in modulation of cancer metastasis., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Magnetic polyvinyl alcohol adsorbent M-PVAL was employed to remove and concentrate dimethyl phthalate DMP. The M-PVAL was prepared after sequential syntheses of magnetic Fe3O4 (M) and polyvinyl acetate (M-PVAC). The saturated magnetizations of M, M-PVAC, and M-PVAL are 57.2, 26.0, and 43.2 emu g(-1) with superparamagnetism, respectively. The average size of M-PVAL by number is 0.75 μm in micro size. Adsorption experiments include three cases: (1) adjustment of initial pH (pH0) of solution to 5, (2) no adjustment of pH0 with value in 6.04-6.64, and (3) adjusted pH0 = 7. The corresponding saturated amounts of adsorption of unimolecular layer of Langmuir isotherm are 4.01, 5.21, and 4.22 mg g(-1), respectively. Values of heterogeneity factor of Freundlich isotherm are 2.59, 2.19, and 2.59 which are greater than 1, revealing the favorable adsorption of DMP/M-PVAL system. Values of adsorption activation energy per mole of Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm are, respectively, of low values of 7.04, 6.48, and 7.19 kJ mol(-1), indicating the natural occurring of the adsorption process studied. The tiny size of adsorbent makes the adsorption take place easily while its superparamagnetism is beneficial for the separation and recovery of micro adsorbent from liquid by applying magnetic field after completion of adsorption.

Our previous studies showed that colorectal tumor has high interleukin-4 receptor α (IL-4Rα) expression, whereas adjacent normal tissue has low or no IL-4Rα expression. We also observed that human atherosclerotic plaque-specific peptide-1 (AP1) can specifically target to IL-4Rα. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy and systemic toxicity of AP1-conjuagted liposomal doxorubicin. AP1 bound more strongly to and was more efficiently internalized into IL-4Rα-overexpressing CT26 cells than CT26 control cells. Selective cytotoxicity experiment revealed that AP1-conjugated liposomal doxorubicin preferentially killed IL-4Rα-overexpressing CT26 cells. AP1-conjugated liposomal doxorubicin administered intravenously into mice produced significant inhibition of tumor growth and showed decreased cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin. These results indicated that AP1-conjugated liposomal doxorubicin has a potent and selective anticancer potential against IL-4Rα-overexpressing colorectal cancer cells, thus providing a model for targeted anticancer therapy.

Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) was treated via wet oxygen oxidation process (WOP). The decomposition efficiency η DMP of DMP and mineralization efficiency η TOC of total organic carbons were measured to evaluate the effects of operation parameters on the performance of WOP. The results revealed that reaction temperature T is the most affecting factor, with a higher T offering higher η DMP and η TOC as expected. The η DMP increases as rotating speed increases from 300 to 500 rpm with stirring enhancement of gas liquid mass transfer. However, it exhibits reduction effect at 700 rpm due to purging of dissolved oxygen by overstirring. Regarding the effects of pressure P T, a higher P T provides more oxygen for the forward reaction with DMP, while overhigh P T increases the absorption of gaseous products such as CO2 and decomposes short-chain hydrocarbon fragments back into the solution thus hindering the forward reaction. For the tested P T of 2.41 to 3.45 MPa, the results indicated that 2.41 MPa is appropriate. A longer reaction time of course gives better performance. At 500 rpm, 483 K, 2.41 MPa, and 180 min, the η DMP and η TOC are 93 and 36%, respectively.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be detected in the blood of different types of early or advanced cancer using immunology-based assays or nucleic acid methods. The detection and quantification of CTCs has significant clinical utility in the prognosis of metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. CTCs are a heterogeneous population of cells and often different from those of their respective primary tumor. Understanding the biology of CTCs may provide useful predictive information for the selection of the most appropriate treatment. Therefore, CTC detection and characterization could become a valuable tool to refine prognosis and serve as a "real-time biopsy" and has the potential to guide precision cancer therapies, monitor cancer treatment, and investigate the process of metastasis.

Tunable multilevel storage of complementary resistive switching (CRS) on single-step formation of ZnO/ZnWOx bilayer structure via interfacial engineering was demonstrated for the first time. In addition, the performance of the ZnO/ZnWOx-based CRS device with the voltage- and current-sweep modes was demonstrated and investigated in detail. The resistance switching behaviors of the ZnO/ZnWOx bilayer ReRAM with adjustable RESET-stop voltages was explained using an electrochemical redox reaction model whose electron-hopping activation energies of 28, 40, and 133 meV can be obtained from Arrhenius equation at RESET-stop voltages of 1.0, 1.3, and 1.5 V, respectively. In the case of the voltage-sweep operation on the ZnO-based CRS device, the maximum array numbers (N) of 9, 15, and 31 at RESET-stop voltages of 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 V were estimated, while the maximum array numbers increase into 47, 63, and 105 at RESET-stop voltages of 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4 V, operated by the current-sweep mode, respectively. In addition, the endurance tests show a very stable multilevel operation at each RESET-stop voltage under the current-sweep mode.

Purpose: Metastasis is the major cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are believed to cause metastasis and serve as a prognostic marker for mortality in clinical stage IV patients. However, most studies are conducted in late-stage cases when distant metastases have already occurred; thus, such results provide limited clinical use. This study focused on whether CTCs can predict the risk of metastasis after treatment of the primary tumor in early-stage patients with CRC., Experimental Design: CTCs were quantified using EpCAM-positive/CD45-negative immunoselection and flow cytometry in patients with CRC. A mouse model was used to investigate the mechanistic roles of CTCs and interleukin (IL)-17A in metastasis., Results: The number of mesenteric CTCs obtained from stage II patients was higher than that obtained from patients in stages I, III, and IV. In addition, following invasion of orthotopically implanted tumors in our mouse model, we found that CTCs exhibited an increase-then-decrease pattern, accompanied by corresponding changes in serum IL-17A levels and opposing changes in serum granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) levels. Ablation of IL-17A and administration of rGM-CSF effectively suppressed the increase in CTCs and prevented metastasis in mice. Moreover, IL-17A promoted cancer cell motility, matrix digestion, and angiogenesis, whereas GM-CSF stimulated the elimination of CTCs by boosting host immunity. Notably, serum levels of IL-17A were also correlated with disease-free survival in patients with CRC., Conclusions: Our results showed that CTCs and IL-17A could serve as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for CRC metastasis. Clin Cancer Res; 20(11); 2885-97. ©2014 AACR., (©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between umbilical artery flow and gestational age (GA) at 11-13(+6) weeks in normal pregnancy in the Taiwanese population., Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fifty-three normal singleton pregnancies with GA ranging from 11 to 13(+6) weeks were included in this study. The velocity of systolic, diastolic, and pulsatility index (PI) of the umbilical artery, and the mean velocity of the umbilical vein were recorded., Results: One hundred and eighty-seven participants fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were analyzed. The mean maternal age was 31 (range 19-45) years, with a corresponding GA of 12(+4) (range 11-13(+6)) weeks. The absence of end-diastolic velocity of the umbilical artery was observed in most of our cases (90.1%). No significant change was found in the vascular indices with GA for the mean velocity of the umbilical vein (mean velocity = 0.923 × GA - 1.594, r = 0.1497, p = 0.115). The systolic velocity of the umbilical artery and PI, however, behaved differently from the other variables. There was a significant increase in systolic velocity with GA [systolic wave (S wave) velocity = 0.237 × GA + 2.267; r = 0.149, p = 0.041]. By contrast, the PI showed a significant decrease in relation to the GA (PI = -0.016 × GA + 4.068; r = 0.196, p = 0.007)., Conclusion: The S-wave velocity of the umbilical artery increased with GA. By contrast, the PI of the umbilical artery showed a decreasing trend with GA. This may ensure optimal placental perfusion, which is necessary to accommodate the increased blood flow to the developing fetus. Furthermore, an absence of end-diastolic velocity in the first trimester and early second trimester was usually seen., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objectives: This study aims to establish the normal range of maxillary and mandibular lengths within the Taiwanese population at 11(+0) weeks to 13(+6) weeks of gestation in normal singleton pregnancy as a reference value for prenatal ultrasonographic examinations., Materials and Methods: We examined nuchal translucency in 269 normal singleton pregnancies, with the gestational age ranging from 11 weeks to 13(+6) weeks in this study. Fetal biometric measurements, with an emphasis on maxillary and mandibular lengths, were obtained from the patients during consecutive routine prenatal ultrasonographic examinations., Results: Maxillary and mandibular lengths were recorded successfully in 191 patients and 179 patients, respectively. The mean maternal age was 31 years (range 19-45 years), with a corresponding gestational age of 12 + 4 weeks (range, 11(+0)-13(+6) weeks). A first-degree correlation was found to exist between the gestational age and maxillary length (r = 0.596; p < 0.0001; y = 1.491 × GA - 10.523) as well as mandibular length (r = 0.465; p < 0.0001; y = 1.050 × GA - 6.50)., Conclusion: Normative data for ultrasonographic measurements of maxillary and mandibular lengths within the Taiwanese population were presented. Our data can serve as a reference value in congenital anomaly screening during prenatal examination., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is primarily produced by the liver under the stimulation of growth hormone, and has systemic growth effects. Placental growth hormone in maternal circulation increases from early pregnancy and is responsible for the increment in maternal serum IGF-I. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in maternal serum IGF-I during pregnancy and their relationship to maternal anthropometry, including body weight (BW) and body mass index (BMI)., Methods: We obtained 332 blood samples from 114 expectant mothers at different gestational ages (Gas) without adverse medical history. Serum IGF-I levels were measured by immunoradiometric assay. Linear regression analysis for continuous variables and t test for comparisons of categorical variables were used to test for significance., Results: Maternal serum IGF-I during pregnancy was significantly correlated not only to GA (p < 0.001, r = 0.358), but also to maternal BW (p = 0.001, r = 0.202), and maternal BMI (p < 0.001, r = 0.263). The mean maternal IGF-I was highest in the third trimester [1st vs. 2nd, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -70.17 to -28.22; 1st vs. 3rd, p < 0.001, 95% CI = -138.02 to -76.94; 1st vs. 3rd, p < 0.001, 95% CI = -88.86 to -27.71]., Conclusion: Maternal serum IGF-I is significantly related to GA, maternal BW, and BMI during pregnancy., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

This study examined the effects of additives of potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and zinc oxide (ZnO) on the pyrolysis of waste sunflower-oil cake using a 60 kW pilot-scale plasma torch reactor. The major gaseous products were CO and H2. The productions of CO and CH4 increased while that of H2 decreased with the addition of K2CO3. The use of ZnO reduced while enhanced the formation of CO and H2, respectively. In order to match the appeal of resource reutilization, one can use the waste K2CO3 resulted from the sorption of CO2 with KOH in greenhouse gas control and the waste ZnO obtained from the melting process as additives for the co-pyrolysis of sunflower-oil cake, yielding fuels rich in CO and H2, respectively., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tissue glycation from diabetes and aging can result in complications such as renal failure, blindness, nerve damage and vascular diseases. In this work, we applied multiphoton microscopy for imaging and characterizing the extent of tissue glycation. The characteristic features of multiphoton autofluorescence (MPAF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) images as well as MPAF spectra of glycated bovine skin, cornea and aorta were acquired. The analysis of MPAF intensity change accompanying the glycation process shows that collagen is more responsive to the formation of autofluorescent advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) than elastic fibers. Changes in spectral features were also used to estimate the rate of glycation in tissues with intrinsic AF. Our study shows that multiphton imaging may be used for the in vitro investigation of the effects of tissue glycation and that this approach may be used for monitoring AGE formation in the clinical setting.

Objective: On the basis of outcome data from concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma, the authors developed a nomogram for predicting survival outcome., Study Design: Two hundred fifty-one eligible patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IIB-IVA squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix who underwent CCRT were included for the construction of the nomogram. Predictor variables included age, serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen, tumor size, parametrium invasion, hydronephrosis, bladder/rectum invasion, and lymph node metastases. Internal validation of the nomogram was performed., Results: A nomogram for predicting the 5 year overall survival for these patients was constructed on the basis of a Cox regression model from 7 parameters. The concordance index was 0.69., Conclusion: This nomogram is a predictive tool, upon external validation, that can be used to counsel patients in predicting outcomes. The discriminatory ability of the nomogram indicates that this population should not be considered homogeneous with respect to risk of death., (Copyright 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study examined the desorption of copper ions, which were adsorbed on the magnetic polymer adsorbent (MPA) of polyvinyl acetate-iminodiacetic acid (M-PVAC-IDA), by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Stage-wise desorptions were applied to remove the Cu(II) ions from the Cu(II) adsorbed M-PVAC-IDA (A-M-PVAC-IDA). About seven desorption runs were needed to regenerate the A-M-PVAC-IDA. The Cu(II) desorbed M-PVAC-IDA (D-M-PVAC-IDA) was then reused to adsorb the Cu(II) ions from the Cu(II) ions-containing solution. The cyclic adsorption and desorption operations (CADOs) were performed to further elucidate the kinetics and equilibria of the desorption system of EDTA/A-M-PVAC-IDA and the adsorption system of Cu(II)-containing solution/D-M-PVAC-IDA. Two simple kinetic models, the pseudo-first-order equation and pseudo-second-order equation, were employed to simulate the kinetic behaviors of adsorption and desorption. With respect to the kinetics of adsorption behavior, the simulated results by both kinetic models exhibit good agreement with the experimental data. However, the adsorption capacities (q(e)) estimated by the pseudo-first-order equation are more accurate in comparison with those simulated by the pseudo-second-order equation. As for the desorption kinetics, the examination of correlation coefficients of model fittings of data shows that the pseudo-first-order kinetic model gives the better agreement for the cases with different initial solid-phase concentrations and can accurately compute the equilibrium concentrations of solid-phase. The values of q(e) after CADOs are consistent with the predicted results via the previous work, evidencing that the adsorption behavior and the characteristics of the regenerated adsorbent of D-M-PVAC-IDA were not altered. In the experiments of desorbing copper ions and CADOs, the desorption isotherm was set up. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption (or desorption) isotherms were used to simulate the equilibrium of desorption. The results indicate that the Freundlich equation shows better agreement with the experimental data than the Langmuir equation. The information thus obtained is useful for the better use of M-PVAC-IDA on the removal of heavy mental ions of Cu(II) from the Cu(II) ion-containing water solution with the consideration of its regeneration.

In this study, a high-gravity rotating packed bed (HGRPB or HG) was used as a catalytic ozonation (Cat-OZ) reactor to decompose phenol. The operation of HGRPB system was carried out in a semi-batch apparatus which combines two major parts, namely the rotating packed bed (RPB) and photo-reactor (PR). The high rotating speed of RPB can give a high volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient with one or two orders of magnitude higher than those in the conventional packed beds. The platinum-containing catalyst (Dash 220N, Pt/gamma-Al(2)O(3)) and activated alumina (gamma-Al(2)O(3)) were packed in the RPB respectively to adsorb molecular ozone and the target pollutant of phenol on the surface to catalyze the oxidation of phenol. An ultra violet (UV) lamp (applicable wavelength lambda=200-280 nm) was installed in the PR to enhance the self-decomposition of molecular ozone in water to form high reactive radical species. Different combinations of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with the HGRPB for the degradation of phenol were tested. These included high-gravity OZ (HG-OZ), HG catalytic OZ (HG-Cat-OZ), HG photolysis OZ (HG-UV-OZ) and HG-Cat-OZ with UV (HG-Cat-UV-OZ). The decomposition efficiency of total organic compound (eta(TOC)) of HG-UV-OZ with power of UV (P(UV)) of 16W is 54% at applied dosage of ozone per volume sample m(A,in)=1200 mg L(-1) (reaction time t=20 min), while that of HG-OZ without the UV irradiation is 24%. After 80 min oxidation (m(A,in)=4800 mg L(-1)), the eta(TOC) of HG-UV-OZ is as high as 94% compared to 82% of HG-OZ process. The values of eta(TOC) for HG-Cat-OZ process with m(S)=42 g are 56% and 87% at m(A,in)=1200 and 4800 mg L(-1), respectively. By increasing the catalyst mass to 77 g, the eta(TOC) for the HG-Cat-OZ process reaches 71% and 90% at m(A,in)=1200 and 4800 mg L(-1), respectively. The introduction of Pt/gamma-Al(2)O(3) as well as UV irradiation in the HG-OZ process can enhance the eta(TOC) of phenol significantly, while gamma-Al(2)O(3) exhibits no significant effect on eta(TOC). For the HG-Cat-UV-OZ process with m(S)=42 g, the values of eta(TOC) are 60% and 94% at m(A,in)=1200 and 4800 mg L(-1), respectively. Note that the decomposition of TOC via HG-UV-OZ is already vigorous. Thus, the enhancing effect of catalyst on eta(TOC) is minor.

Objective: This study analyzed whether continuous combined oral estradiol and norethisterone had any effect on the pulsatility index (PI) of the internal carotid and uterine arteries in Taiwanese early postmenopausal women., Materials and Methods: A group of 40 healthy postmenopausal women with no history of hormone therapy (HT) participated in this study and were randomly subdivided into two groups: HT treatment group (n = 20) and placebo group (n = 20). PI was evaluated with color Doppler ultrasound at the beginning of the study and after 4 months of HT (2 mg 17beta-estradiol + 1 mg norethisterone acetate) or placebo., Results: There was no significant change in the PI of the internal carotid and the uterine arteries after 4 months of HT., Conclusion: This HT regimen showed no significant negative impact on vascular resistance in Taiwanese early postmenopausal women. Results are compatible with the updated recommendations on HT stating that there is little cardiovascular risk when HT is initiated within a few years of the menopause.

Abdominal pain presenting itself during pregnancy may be multifactorial, requiring immediate attention and care. In cases of intractable pain without obstetrical condition, surgical abdominal exploration is widely advised. However, we present a case where a 30-year-old, gravida 1, para 0, female complained of persistent right abdominal pain during her 25th week of pregnancy. Ultrasound revealed a right upper quadrant cystic mass and magnetic resonance imaging was arranged with compatible findings. Final impression of appendiceal abscess was determined. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered and the patient was discharged in stable condition after 10 days of conservative treatment. She delivered a healthy baby boy at her 40th week of gestation uneventfully.

Background: The aim of this preliminary study was to estimate the accuracy of the zygosity determination in twin pregnancies., Methods: Seventy-three sets of twin pregnancies were enrolled in this study, including 48 sets of twins resulting from assisted reproductive techniques (ART) and 25 sets of spontaneously conceived twins. Determination of zygosity was made by PCR-amplified short tandem repeat (STR) analysis with a commercially available panel, comprising 15 autosomal, codominant, unlinked loci and the gender-determining marker, amelogenin. Monozygotic (MZ) twins were determined when all these unlinked loci and the gender-determining marker were identical. Chorionicity and placenta were examined after delivery of the newborns to check their relationships to the twin zygosities., Results: Three of 48 (6.25%) sets of twins produced by ART and 18 of 25 (72%) sets of spontaneously conceived twins were MZ. Monozygosity could be evaluated based on 'like sex' in spontaneously conceived twins, because they had a greater incidence of MZs than those produced by artificial reproductive techniques. The MZ prediction rate was 78.6%, and the overestimated rate was 21.4% if the monochorionic like-sexed twins (LST) had a grossly single placenta. The underestimated rate of MZs was 26.7% when the dichorionic LST had apparently separate placentas., Conclusion: With the DNA-based 15 STR analysis amplified in a multiplex PCR, the determination of the zygosity in multifetal pregnancies is not only cost and time saving but also yields greater sensitivity and precision than conventional methods.