Preparation of N- TiO

This study applied the microwave/sol-gel method to prepare nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2). The N-TiO2 was immobilized in glass balls to form N-TiO2/glass beads and applied to degrade Bisphenol A (BPA) under visible-light and sunlight irradiation. The characteristics of the prepared photocatalysts were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Experimental results demonstrate that the percentage of anatase increased as the amount of N in N-TiO2 increased. Compared with the undoped TiO2 (420 nm), spectra show that the absorption edge shifted to a longer wavelength (445 nm) after N doping. The XPS characterization confirms the substitution of crystal lattice O to N species in N-TiO2, forming Ti–O–N and N–Ti–O. With an increased N/Ti ratio, photodegradation efficiency increased and then decreased; moreover, the optimal amount for N doping was determined as an N/Ti mole ratio of 0.08 (0.1 NT). The efficiency of 0.1 NT in doing BPA photodegradation was greater than that of Degussa P25. After reaction for 61 min, the mineralization percentage of 0.1 NT under visible-light irradiation reached 41%. Photocatalyst efficiency decreased as the number of repeats increased in the visible-light/N-TiO2 system; however, these systems were stable during reaction

Current Status of Comprehensive Chromosome Screening for Elective Single-Embryo Transfer

Most in vitro fertilization (IVF) experts and infertility patients agree that the most ideal assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcome is to have a healthy, full-term singleton born. To this end, the most reliable policy is the single-embryo transfer (SET). However, unsatisfactory results in IVF may result from plenty of factors, in which aneuploidy associated with advanced maternal age is a major hurdle. Throughout the past few years, we have got a big leap in advancement of the genetic screening of embryos on aneuploidy, translocation, or mutations. This facilitates a higher success rate in IVF accompanied by the policy of elective SET (eSET). As the cost is lowering while the scale of genome characterization continues to be up over the recent years, the contemporary technologies on trophectoderm biopsy and freezing-thaw, comprehensive chromosome screening (CCS) with eSET appear to be getting more and more popular for modern IVF centers. Furthermore, evidence has showen that, by these avant-garde techniques (trophectoderm biopsy, vitrification, and CCS), older infertile women with the help of eSET may have an opportunity to increase the success of their live birth rates approaching those reported in younger infertility patients

Does Long-Term Use of Silver Nanoparticles Have Persistent Inhibitory Effect on H. pylori Based on Mongolian Gerbil’s Model?

It is urgent to find alternative agents due to increasing failure rate of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication. The study surveyed the long-term effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) on H. pylori based on Mongolian gerbil's model

Prevalence of PIK3CA mutations in Taiwanese patients with breast cancer: a retrospective next-generation sequencing database analysis

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most common cancer type that affects women. In hormone receptor–positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2−negative (HER2–) advanced breast cancer (ABC), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) is the most frequently mutated gene associated with poor prognosis. This study evaluated the frequency of PIK3CA mutations in the Taiwanese breast cancer population.MethodologyThis is a retrospective study; patient data were collected for 2 years from a next-generation sequencing database linked to electronic health records (EHRs). The primary endpoint was the regional prevalence of PIK3CA mutation. The secondary endpoints were to decipher the mutation types across breast cancer subtype, menopausal status, and time to treatment failure after everolimus (an mTOR inhibitor) or cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor treatment.ResultsPIK3CA mutations were identified in 278 of 728 patients (38%). PIK3CA mutations were reported in 43% of patients with HR−/HER2+ subtype and 42% of patients with HR+/HER2– postmenopausal status. A lower prevalence of PIK3CA mutations was observed in triple-negative (27%) and HR+/HER2– premenopausal patients (29%). The most common mutation was at exon 20 (H1047R mutation, 41.6%), followed by exon 9 (E545K mutation, 18.9% and E542K mutation, 10.3%). Among patients treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors, the median time to treatment failure was 12 months (95% CI: 7-21 months) in the PIK3CA mutation cohort and 16 months (95% CI: 11-23 months) in the PIK3CA wild-type cohort, whereas patients receiving an mTOR inhibitor reported a median time to treatment failure of 20.5 months (95% CI: 8-33 months) in the PIK3CA mutation cohort and 6 months (95% CI: 2-9 months) in the PIK3CA wild-type cohort.ConclusionA high frequency of PIK3CA mutations was detected in Taiwanese patients with breast cancer, which was consistent with previous studies. Early detection of PIK3CA mutations might influence therapeutic decisions, leading to better treatment outcomes

The Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy

The Yuan-Tseh Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy (AMiBA) is the first interferometer dedicated to studying the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation at 3mm wavelength. The choice of 3mm was made to minimize the contributions from foreground synchrotron radiation and Galactic dust emission. The initial configuration of seven 0.6m telescopes mounted on a 6-m hexapod platform was dedicated in October 2006 on Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Scientific operations began with the detection of a number of clusters of galaxies via the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. We compare our data with Subaru weak lensing data in order to study the structure of dark matter. We also compare our data with X-ray data in order to derive the Hubble constant.Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ (13 pages, 7 figures); a version with high resolution figures available at http://www.asiaa.sinica.edu.tw/~keiichi/upfiles/AMiBA7/pho_highreso.pd

Non-nosocomial healthcare-associated infective endocarditis in Taiwan: an underrecognized disease with poor outcome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non-nosocomial healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (NNHCA-IE) is a new category of IE of increasing importance. This study described the clinical and microbiological characteristics and outcome of NNHCA-IE in Taiwan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective study was conducted of all patients with IE admitted to the Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan over a five-year period from July 2004 to July 2009. The clinical and microbiological features of NNHCA-IE were compared to those of community-acquired and nosocomial IE. Predictors for in-hospital death were determined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two-hundred episodes of confirmed IE occurred during the study period. These included 148 (74%) community-acquired, 30 (15%) non-nosocomial healthcare-associated, and 22 (11%) nosocomial healthcare-associated IE. <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>was the most frequent pathogen. Patients with NNHCA-IE compared to community-acquired IE, were older (median age, 67 vs. 44, years, <it>p </it>< 0.001), had more MRSA (43.3% vs. 9.5%, <it>p </it>< 0.001), more comorbidity conditions (median Charlson comorbidity index [interquartile range], 4[2-6] vs. 0[0-1], <it>p </it>< 0.001), a higher in-hospital mortality (50.0% vs. 17.6%, <it>p </it>< 0.001) and were less frequently recognized by clinicians on admission (16.7% vs. 47.7%, <it>p </it>= 0.002). The overall in-hospital mortality rate for all patients with IE was 25%. Shock was the strongest risk factor for in-hospital death (odds ratio 7.8, 95% confidence interval 2.4-25.2, <it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>NNHCA-IE is underrecognized and carries a high mortality rate. Early recognition is crucial to provide optimal management and improve outcome.</p

AMiBA: System Performance

The Y.T. Lee Array for Microwave Background Anisotropy (AMiBA) started scientific operation in early 2007. This work describes the optimization of the system performance for the measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect for six massive galaxy clusters at redshifts $0.09 - 0.32$. We achieved a point source sensitivity of $63\pm 7$ mJy with the seven 0.6m dishes in 1 hour of on-source integration in 2-patch differencing observations. We measured and compensated for the delays between the antennas of our platform-mounted interferometer. Beam switching was used to cancel instrumental instabilities and ground pick up. Total power and phase stability were good on time scales of hours, and the system was shown to integrate down on equivalent timescales of 300 hours per baseline/correlation, or about 10 hours for the entire array. While the broadband correlator leads to good sensitivity, the small number of lags in the correlator resulted in poorly measured bandpass response. We corrected for this by using external calibrators (Jupiter and Saturn). Using Jupiter as the flux standard, we measured the disk brightness temperature of Saturn to be $149^{+5}_{-12}$ K.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap

Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

The AMiBA Hexapod Telescope Mount

AMiBA is the largest hexapod astronomical telescope in current operation. We present a description of this novel hexapod mount with its main mechanical components -- the support cone, universal joints, jack screws, and platform -- and outline the control system with the pointing model and the operating modes that are supported. The AMiBA hexapod mount performance is verified based on optical pointing tests and platform photogrammetry measurements. The photogrammetry results show that the deformations in the inner part of the platform are less than 120 micron rms. This is negligible for optical pointing corrections, radio alignment and radio phase errors for the currently operational 7-element compact configuration. The optical pointing error in azimuth and elevation is successively reduced by a series of corrections to about 0.4 arcmin rms which meets our goal for the 7-element target specifications.Comment: Accepted for ApJ, 33 pages, 15 figure