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This study provides a typological analysis of public, four-year institutions implementing programs for men of color (MoC). The purpose of the study is to expand our understanding of the institutional context and conditions in which these interventions operate. As more of these programs emerge, it is important to understand if and how institutional mission, composition, and resources shape supports and opportunities for underrepresented men of color attending four-year public institutions. Through an exhaustive search process, we identified 177 MoC programs across 166 public four-year institutions across the United States and organized them along a range of institutional characteristics. We then applied descriptive statistics and cluster analysis to program search findings. Results show that public institutions implementing MoC programs can be understood as seven clusters or institutional types. This research provides important information and context for stakeholders who are interested in addressing educational disparities for men of color by illuminating the institutional diversity through which these programs are catalyzed and implemented. To date, this is the first study to organize MoC programs located across four-year public institutions by a range of institutional categories.

BackgroundObesity is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, disrupted intestinal barrier and chronic inflammation. Given the high and increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide, anti-obesity treatments that are safe, effective and widely available would be beneficial. We examined whether the medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea may reduce obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD).MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were fed a HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity and chronic inflammation. The mice were treated with a water extract of A. cinnamomea (WEAC), and body weight, fat accumulation, inflammation markers, insulin sensitivity and the gut microbiota were monitored.ResultsAfter 8 weeks, the mean body weight of HFD-fed mice was 39.8±1.2 g compared with 35.8±1.3 g for the HFD+1% WEAC group, corresponding to a reduction of 4 g or 10% of body weight (P

This report maps out the evolution of the European Association of Taiwan Studies over the last 20 years. Collaboratively authored by two former secretaries-general and the current office holder, the authors trace the Association's short history and express their gratitude to all colleagues and friends who have contributed to its work. Furthermore, they reflect on how the Association has enriched and expanded the scope of Taiwan studies across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kun-Chun Chiang,1 Sheng-Teng Huang,2 Ren-Chin Wu,3 Shih-Chiang Huang,3 Ta-Sen Yeh,4 Ming-Huang Chen,5 Jun-Te Hsu,4 Li-Wei Chen,6 Sheng-Fong Kuo,7 Ho-Yen Chueh,8 Horng-Heng Juang,9 Shuen-Iu Hung,10 Chun-Nan Yeh,4 Jong-Hwei S Pang11,12 1General Surgery Department, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC; 2Department of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC; 3Department of Anatomic Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kwei-Shan, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC; 4General Surgery Department, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kwei-Shan, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC; 5Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; 6Department of Gastroenterology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC; 7Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Keelung, Taiwan, ROC; 8Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC; 9Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, ROC; 10Department and Institute of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; 11Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC; 12Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkow, Taoyuan City, Taiwan, ROC Objective: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a devastating disease. Interferon α-inducible protein 27 (IFI27), originally known to involve in innate immunity, is later found to intervene in cell proliferation, leading to inventive studies regarding the role of IFI27 in cancer treatment. We aimed to investigate the role of IFI27 in CCA.Materials and methods: Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays, Western blot, gene transfection and knockdown, immunofluorescent and immunohistochemical stains, and xenograft animal model were applied.Results: IFI27 knockdown in CCA cells induced cell cycle arrest in S phase, resulting in lower cell proliferative rate in vitro and in vivo. IFI27 knockdown attenuated CCA cell migration and invasion through inhibition of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, which was supported by increased E-cadherin and decreased N-cadherin and fibronectin. Filamentous actin level was also reduced. IFI27 knockdown further repressed expression and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), a strong stimulator of angiogenesis, through downregulation of c-jun and c-fos, which was supported in vitro by the finding that human vascular endothelial cells grew more slowly in conditioned medium of IFI27 knockdown on CCA cells and in vivo by the lower erythropoietin concentration found in the xenografted tumors derived from IFI27 knockdown on CCA cells. In addition, anti-VEGF-A antibody treatment was able to repress CCA cell growth. To the contrary, IFI27 overexpression could increase CCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Clinically, higher IFI27 expression was linked to inferior overall survival of CCA patients.Conclusion: Our data strongly suggest that IFI27 could be deemed as a potential target for CCA treatment. Keywords: IFI27, cholangiocarcinoma, oncogene, angiogenesis, VEGF-A, metastasis, tumor growth, cell cycle