Kinetic retention of sialic acid and antioxidants in Malaysian edible bird's nest during low-temperature drying

Drying is one of the essential processing steps for dried edible bird’s nest; however, sialic acid and antioxidant can be highly thermosensitive and unstable. Therefore, aim of this study was to determine the degradation kinetics of sialic acid and antioxidants during low-temperature drying at 25–40°C as compared to conventional hot air-drying at 70°C. These compounds’ degradation exhibited first-order kinetics. Sialic acid and antioxidant retentions were 83.9 and 96.6%, respectively, at 25°C, and 78.7 and 91.5% at 40°C, respectively, by low-temperature drying; while, 42.5 and 38.7%, respectively, at 70°C by conventional hot air-drying. Finally, empirical models were significantly fitted to predict sialic acid and antioxidant retention as edible bird’s nest reached a certain level of drying, which may be useful from the processing standpoint and validate the usage of low-temperature drying as a process tool for retention of sialic acid and antioxidant in edible bird’s nest

Retention of sialic acid content in Malaysian edible bird's nest by heat pump drying

This paper presents the results of an experimental attempt to improve the drying kinetics for the retention of colour and sialic acid in edible bird’s nest through heat pump drying. Kinetics of hot air drying and heat pump drying were studied by performing various drying trials on edible bird’s nest. Isothermal drying trials were conducted in hot air drying and heat pump drying at a temperature range of 40 °C-90 °C and 28.6 °C-40.6 °C, respectively. Intermittent drying trials were carried out in heat pump drying with two different modes, which are periodic air flow supply and step-up air temperature. Experimental results showed that heat pump drying with low temperature dehumidified air not only enhanced the drying kinetics but also produced a stable final product of edible bird’s nest. Heat pump-dried edible bird’s samples retained a high concentration of sialic acid when an appropriate drying mode was selected

Risk factors for pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with chronic obstructive airway disease in Taiwan: a nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND: An association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and tuberculosis (TB) has been described, mainly due to smoking and corticosteroid use. Whether inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy is associated with an increased risk of TB remains unclear. METHODS: We selected COPD cases by using six diagnostic scenarios and control subjects from a nationwide health insurance database, and applied time-dependent Cox regression analysis to identify the risk factors for TB. RESULTS: Among 1,000,000 beneficiaries, 23,594 COPD cases and 47,188 non-COPD control subjects were selected. Cox regression analysis revealed that age, male gender, diabetes mellitus, end-stage renal disease, and cirrhosis, as well as COPD (hazard ratio = 2.468 [2.205–2.762]) were independent risk factors for TB. Among the COPD cases, those who developed TB received more oral corticosteroids and oral β-agonists. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis revealed that age, male gender, diabetes mellitus, low income, oral corticosteroid dose, and oral β-agonist dose, but not ICS dose, were independent risk factors for TB. The identified risk factors and their hazard ratios were similar among the COPD cases selected using different scenarios. CONCLUSION: Keeping a high suspicion and regularly monitoring for the development of pulmonary TB in COPD patients are necessary, especially for those receiving higher doses of oral corticosteroids and other COPD medications. Although ICS therapy has been shown to predispose COPD patients to pneumonia in large randomized clinical trials, it does not increase the risk of TB in real world practice

High serum levels of procalcitonin and soluble TREM-1 correlated with poor prognosis in pulmonary tuberculosis

SummaryObjectivesComparisons of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) would expand our knowledge of which biomarker is the best predictor for outcomes of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 243 PTB patients, in whom PCT, CRP, and sTREM-1 measurement were performed to evaluate their prognostic value for 6-month mortality.ResultsSerum PCT, CRP, and sTREM-1 levels on diagnosis of PTB were significantly higher in nonsurvivors (2.22 ± 6.22 vs. 0.13 ± 0.31 ng/mL, P = 0.043; 42.1 ± 59.4 vs. 12.5 ± 29.1 mg/L, P = 0.004; 332 ± 362 vs. 128 ± 98 pg/mL, P = 0.001, respectively) as compared with 6-month survivors. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, PCT ≧0.5 ng/mL (hazard ratio 4.13, 95% CI, 1.99–8.58) and sTREM-1 ≧129 pg/mL (hazard ratio 3.39, 95% CI, 1.52–7.58) remained independent mortality predictors. Serum PCT and sTREM-1 levels above the cutoffs were also associated with the presence of disseminated tuberculosis.ConclusionsAmong PTB patients, higher PCT, CRP, and sTREM-1 levels are observed in nonsurvivors than in 6-month survivors. Serum levels of PCT and sTREM-1 over the cutoffs are independently associated with a poor outcome. In addition, higher PCT and sTREM-1 levels would raise the clinical suspicion of disseminated tuberculosis

Nuclear Receptor Interaction Protein (NRIP) expression assay using human tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry technology confirming nuclear localization

Background: A novel human nuclear receptor interaction protein (NRIP) has recently been discovered by Chen SL et al , which may play a role in enhancing the transcriptional activity of steroid nuclear receptors in prostate (LNCaP) and cervical (C33A) cancer cell lines. However, knowledge about the biological functions and clinical implications of NRIP, is still incomplete. Our aim was to determine the distribution of NRIP expression and to delineate the cell types that express NRIP in various malignant tumors and healthy non-pathological tissues. This information will significantly affect the exploration of its physiological roles in healthy and tumor cells. Methods: By using tissue microarray (TMA) technology and an anti-NRIP monoclonal antibody immunohistochemical (IHC) survey, NRIP expression was examined in 48 types of tumors and in a control group of 48 matched or unmatched healthy non-neoplastic tissues. Results: Our survey results showed that ten cases were revealed to express the NRIP in six malignancies (esophageal , colon, breast, ovarian, skin, and pancreatic cancers), but not all of these specific tumor types consistently showed positive NRIP expression. Moreover, malignant tumors of the stomach, prostate, liver, lung, kidney, uterine cervix, urinary bladder, lymph node, testis, and tongue revealed no NRIP expression. Among the control group of 48 matched and unmatched nonneoplastic tissues, all of them demonstrated IHC scores less than the cut-off threshold of 3. In addition , ten cores out of thirty-six carcinomatous tissues revealed positive NRIP expression, which indicated that NRIP expression increases significantly in carcinoma tissue cores , comparing to the matched controlled healthy tissues. Conclusion: This is the first study to use a human TMA and IHC to validate the nuclear localization for this newly identified NRIP expression. In considering the use of NRIP as a potential diagnostic tool for human malignancies survey , it is important to note that NRIP expression carries a sensitivity of only 23%, but has a specificity of 100%. There is also a significant difference in positive NRIP expression between primary carcinomatous tissues and matched controlled healthy tissues. Although further large-scale studies will merit to be conducted to evaluate its role as a potential adjunct for cancer diagnosis, data from this study provides valuable references for the future investigation of the biological functions of NRIP in humans

Hubba: hub objects analyzer—a framework of interactome hubs identification for network biology

One major task in the post-genome era is to reconstruct proteomic and genomic interacting networks using high-throughput experiment data. To identify essential nodes/hubs in these interactomes is a way to decipher the critical keys inside biochemical pathways or complex networks. These essential nodes/hubs may serve as potential drug-targets for developing novel therapy of human diseases, such as cancer or infectious disease caused by emerging pathogens. Hub Objects Analyzer (Hubba) is a web-based service for exploring important nodes in an interactome network generated from specific small- or large-scale experimental methods based on graph theory. Two characteristic analysis algorithms, Maximum Neighborhood Component (MNC) and Density of Maximum Neighborhood Component (DMNC) are developed for exploring and identifying hubs/essential nodes from interactome networks. Users can submit their own interaction data in PSI format (Proteomics Standards Initiative, version 2.5 and 1.0), tab format and tab with weight values. User will get an email notification of the calculation complete in minutes or hours, depending on the size of submitted dataset. Hubba result includes a rank given by a composite index, a manifest graph of network to show the relationship amid these hubs, and links for retrieving output files. This proposed method (DMNC || MNC) can be applied to discover some unrecognized hubs from previous dataset. For example, most of the Hubba high-ranked hubs (80% in top 10 hub list, and >70% in top 40 hub list) from the yeast protein interactome data (Y2H experiment) are reported as essential proteins. Since the analysis methods of Hubba are based on topology, it can also be used on other kinds of networks to explore the essential nodes, like networks in yeast, rat, mouse and human. The website of Hubba is freely available at http://hub.iis.sinica.edu.tw/Hubba

Molecular and clinical analyses of 84 patients with tuberous sclerosis complex

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the development of multiple hamartomas in many internal organs. Mutations in either one of 2 genes, TSC1 and TSC2, have been attributed to the development of TSC. More than two-thirds of TSC patients are sporadic cases, and a wide variety of mutations in the coding region of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes have been reported. METHODS: Mutational analysis of TSC1 and TSC2 genes was performed in 84 Taiwanese TSC families using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and direct sequencing. RESULTS: Mutations were identified in a total of 64 (76 %) cases, including 9 TSC1 mutations (7 sporadic and 2 familial cases) and 55 TSC2 mutations (47 sporadic and 8 familial cases). Thirty-one of the 64 mutations found have not been described previously. The phenotype association is consistent with findings from other large studies, showing that disease resulting from mutations to TSC1 is less severe than disease due to TSC2 mutation. CONCLUSION: This study provides a representative picture of the distribution of mutations of the TSC1 and TSC2 genes in clinically ascertained TSC cases in the Taiwanese population. Although nearly half of the mutations identified were novel, the kinds and distribution of mutation were not different in this population compared to that seen in larger European and American studies

In-hospital outcome of patients with culture-confirmed tuberculous pleurisy: clinical impact of pulmonary involvement

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Outcomes for hospitalized patients with tuberculous pleurisy (TP) have rarely been reported, and whether or not pulmonary involvement affects outcomes is uncertain. This study aimed to analyze the in-hospital mortality rate of culture-confirmed TP with an emphasis on the clinical impact of pulmonary involvement.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients who were hospitalized for pleural effusion (PE) of unconfirmed diagnosis and finally diagnosed as TP were identified. We classified them according to the disease extent: isolated pleurisy (isolated pleurisy group) and pleurisy with pulmonary involvement (pleuro-pulmonary group).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 205 patients hospitalized before the diagnosis was established, 51 (24.9%) belonged to the isolated pleurisy group. Compared to the pleuro-pulmonary group, patients in the isolated pleurisy group were younger, had fewer underlying co-morbidities, and presented more frequently with fever and chest pain. Fewer patients in the isolated pleurisy group had hypoalbuminemia (< 3.5 g/dL) and anemia. The two groups were similar with regards to PE analysis, resistance pattern, and timing of anti-tuberculous treatment. Patients who had a typical pathology of TP on pleural biopsy received anti-tuberculous treatment earlier than those who did not, and were all alive at discharge. The isolated pleurisy group had a lower in-hospital mortality rate, a shorter length of hospital stay and better short-term survival. In addition, the presence of underlying comorbidities and not receiving anti-tuberculous treatment were associated with a higher in-hospital mortality rate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In culture-confirmed tuberculous pleurisy, those with pulmonary involvement were associated with a higher in-hospital mortality rate. A typical pathology for TP on pleura biopsy was associated with a better outcome.</p