Telomere length as a predictor of response to Pioglitazone in patients with unremitted depression: a preliminary study.

We studied peripheral leukocyte telomere length (LTL) as a predictor of antidepressant response to PPAR-γ agonist in patients with unremitted depression. In addition we examined correlation between LTL and the insulin resistance (IR) status in these subjects. Forty-two medically stable men and women ages 23-71 with non-remitted depression participated in double-blind placebo-controlled add-on of Pioglitazone to treatment-as-usual. Oral glucose tolerance tests were administered at baseline and at 12 weeks. Diagnostic evaluation of psychiatric disorders was performed at baseline and mood severity was followed weekly throughout the duration of the trial. At baseline, no differences in LTL were detected by depression severity, duration or chronicity. LTL was also not significantly different between insulin-resistant and insulin-sensitive subjects at baseline. Subjects with longer telomeres exhibited greater declines in depression severity in the active arm, but not in a placebo arm, P=0.005, r=-0.63, 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=(-0.84,-0.21). In addition, LTL predicted improvement in insulin sensitivity in the group overall and did not differ between intervention arms, P=0.036, r=-0.44, 95% CI=(-0.74,0.02) for the active arm, and P=0.026, r=-0.50, 95% CI=(-0.78,-0.03) for the placebo arm. LTL may emerge as a viable predictor of antidepressant response. An association between insulin sensitization and LTL regardless of the baseline IR status points to potential role of LTL as a non-specific moderator of metabolic improvement in these patients

Circumvention of multi-drug resistance of cancer cells by Chinese herbal medicines

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells severely limits therapeutic outcomes. A proposed mechanism for MDR involves the efflux of anti-cancer drugs from cancer cells, primarily mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) membrane transporters including P-glycoprotein. This article reviews the recent progress of using active ingredients, extracts and formulae from Chinese medicine (CM) in circumventing ABC transporters-mediated MDR. Among the ABC transporters, Pgp is the most extensively studied for its role in MDR reversal effects. While other MDR reversal mechanisms remain unclear, Pgp inhibition is a criterion for further mechanistic study. More mechanistic studies are needed to fully establish the pharmacological effects of potential MDR reversing agents

Long-term prediction of discharges in Manwan Reservoir using artificial neural network models

Author name used in this publication: Kwokwing Chau2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Lead-free piezoelectric-metal-cavity (PMC) actuators

2008-2009 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Long-term prediction of discharges in Manwan Hydropower using adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference systems models

Author name used in this publication: Chun-Tian ChengAuthor name used in this publication: Ying-Guang SunAuthor name used in this publication: Kwokwing ChauAuthor name used in this publication: Jian-Yi Lin2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Magnetic-field-sensing mechanism based on dual-vortex motion and magnetic noise

published_or_final_versio

Edge effect on thermally excited mag-noise in magnetic tunnel junction sensors

Session AP - Magnetic Tunnel Junctions and Spin Valves (Poster Session): no. AP-14This journal issue contains selected papers from the 2012 International Magnetics (INTERMAG) ConferenceThermally excited magnetic noise (mag-noise) has gradually become a major concern in magnetic tunnel junction sensors. By conducting micromagnetic simulation, the spatial distribution of thermal mag-noise in the free layer (FL) was obtained under various hard bias (HB) field and applied field. It was demonstrated that the edges are the main contributor of thermal mag-noise in the FL. This result could be explained by the nonuniform distribution of the stiffness field around the edges. It was also found that both HB field and applied field could suppress the thermal mag-noise in edges. A relatively high applied field will decrease the influence of HB field on mag-noise in the edges. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe IEEE International Magnetics Conference (INTERMAG 2012), Vancouver, BC., 7-11 May 2012. In IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 2012, v. 48 n. 11, p. 2831-283

Thermally Excited Mag-Noise in Ferromagnetic Ring Structures

Session PE: Spin Dynamics and MicromagneticsAs the dimension of magnetic devices drastically decreases to nanometer range, thermally excited mag-noise gradually becomes the dominant noise source. Thermally excited mag-noise plays an important role in ferromagnetic ring structures. By conductingmicromagnetic simulation, the saturated state, triangle state, half triangle state, onion state, and vortex state are explored and studied, respectively. The mag-noise calculation shows that triangle state is the main reason for the mag-noise exhibiting tendency in both the low-frequency range and high-frequency range in relaxed state, while the onion state explains why a noise peak appears in high-frequency range in relaxed state. Meanwhile, it is proved that the area of the ferromagnetic rings is not the determining factor for the mag-noise distribution in saturated state. These results offer the theoretical framework for explaining the relation between domain structure and mag-noise, which is conducive to the future application of ferromagnetic ring structures as magnetic random access memory elements.published_or_final_versio

Enhanced structural and magnetic ordering of FePt/Mn-oxide bilayers by ion-beam bombardment and annealing

This journal issue contain selected papers of APDSC'10Poster Session - A. Magnetic Recording Technologies: PA-7Structural and magnetic properties of FePt thin films were affected strongly by capped MnO x layers prepared by ion-beam bombardment and post-annealing. As-deposited FePt/MnO x bilayer exhibited a magnetically soft fcc phase, and it turned to an ordered fct FePt phase with large coercivity (∼8 kOe) after annealing at 550°C. Increasing the %O 2/Ar in capped MnO x layer during deposition resulted in smaller ordered FePt grains separated by grain boundaries of MnO x. We found that the superlattice (001) peak is broadened considerably with larger amount of MnO x incorporated into FePt, likely due to the hindered formation of hard phase. Our results indicate that FePt/MnO x films deposited with lower %O 2/Ar, the oxygen atoms may occupy the interstitial positions in the FePt lattice to induce a local strain thus enhancing the FePt ordering. Further increased %O 2/Ar in capped MnO x layer, the excess oxygen atoms act a diffusion barrier effectively to inhibit the FePt grain growth and ordering. © 2011 IEEE.published_or_final_versionThe Asia-Pacific Data Storage Conference (APDSC'10), Hualien, Taiwan, 27-29 October 2010. In IEEE Transactions On Magnetics, 2011, v. 47 n. 3, p. 501-50

In-Depth NMR Investigation of the Magnetic Hardening in Co Thin Films Induced by the Interface with Molecular Layers

The hybridization of the surface orbitals of thin ferromagnetic layers with molecular orbitals represents a soft but efficient technology that is able to induce in ferromagnetic component radical modifications of the key magnetic parameters, such as magnetization, magnetic anisotropy, and others. These effects are investigated in 7 nm thick polycrystalline Co films interfaced with C-60 and Gaq(3) molecular layers by combining Co-59 Ferromagnetic nuclear resonance spectroscopy (FNR) and magneto-optic kerr effect (MOKE) techniques. It is demonstrated that the surface hybridization produces a significant magnetic hardening with respect to a reference Co/Al system and that the molecule-induced effects modify the magnetic properties of entire Co layer, propagating for several nm from the interface. The FNR spectroscopy also reveals a reconstruction of the magnetic environment at the cobalt surface, whose observation in polycrystalline films is especially intriguing. The results shed new and unexpected light on the interfacial physics in such systems, whose understanding necessitates further experimental and theoretical research