The absorption and uptake of recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone through vaginal subcutaneous injections - a pharmacokinetic study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) has been routinely used for ovulation induction. Because of rapid clearance of the hormone, FSH is commonly administered by daily intramuscular or subcutaneous injections in in-vitro fertilization (IVF). To reduce the number of visits to the clinic, an intermittent vaginal injection of rhFSH every 3 days employing the concepts of mesotherapy and uterine first-pass effect was invented and has successfully been applied in women receiving IVF treatment. This study was designed to monitor the pharmacokinetic pattern of rhFSH administered vaginally.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twelve healthy women with regular ovulatory cycles were recruited. All volunteers received gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist to suppress pituitary function and were assigned to receive single dose recombinant human FSH (rhFSH, Puregon 300) either using conventional abdominal subcutaneous injection or vaginal subcutaneous injection in a randomized cross-over study. Serum samples were collected at pre- scheduled time intervals after injections of rhFSH to determine immunoreactive FSH levels. Pharmacokinetic parameters characterizing rate [maximal plasma concentrations (Cmax) and time of maximal plasma concentrations (tmax)] and extent [area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and clearance] of absorption of rhFSH were compared.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Vaginal injection of rhFSH was well tolerated and no drug-related adverse reaction was noted. Our analysis revealed that tmax was significantly earlier (mean 6.67 versus 13.33 hours) and Cmax was significantly higher (mean 17.77 versus 13.96 IU/L) in vaginal versus abdominal injections. The AUC_0-∞ was 1640 versus 1134 IU·hour/L in vaginal and abdominal injections, respectively. Smaller plasma elimination rate constant (0.011 versus 0.016 hour-1), longer mean residence time (106.58 versus 70.47 hours), and slower total body clearance (292.2 versus 400.1 mL/hour) were also found in vaginal injection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The vaginal injection mode elicited a rapid and highly extended absorption of rhFSH injected compared to conventional abdominal injection. These data indicate that the rate and extent of FSH absorption from the injection site can vary depending on the route of the FSH administration.</p

Design of Dual-Band Microstrip Rat Race Coupler with Circuit Miniaturization

Abstract- Rat race ring coupler with stepped-impedance sections is designed to have a dual-band characteristic. This is realized by attaching open stubs to both ends of each stepped-impedance section to create a phase of 900 at two designated frequencies. Transcendental equations are derived for solving impedance ratio R and lengths of the stepped-impedance sections. Circuit with miniaturized area can be obtained ifR&gt; 1 is chosen. Such microstrip ring hybrids operating at 2.45/5.2 GHz with R = 1 and R = 4 are designed and fabricated. Experiments are performed to confirm the theory

A Highly Sensitive Underwater Video System for Use in Turbid Aquaculture Ponds

The turbid, low-light waters characteristic of aquaculture ponds have made it difficult or impossible for previous video cameras to provide clear imagery of the ponds\u27 benthic habitat. We developed a highly sensitive, underwater video system (UVS) for this particular application and tested it in shrimp ponds having turbidities typical of those in southern Taiwan. The system\u27s high-quality video stream and images, together with its camera capacity (up to nine cameras), permit in situ observations of shrimp feeding behavior, shrimp size and internal anatomy, and organic matter residues on pond sediments. The UVS can operate continuously and be focused remotely, a convenience to shrimp farmers. The observations possible with the UVS provide aquaculturists with information critical to provision of feed with minimal waste; determining whether the accumulation of organic-matter residues dictates exchange of pond water; and management decisions concerning shrimp health

Prediction model for high glycated hemoglobin concentration among ethnic Chinese in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed to construct a prediction model to identify subjects with high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels by incorporating anthropometric, lifestyle, clinical, and biochemical information in a large cross-sectional ethnic Chinese population in Taiwan from a health checkup center.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The prediction model was derived from multivariate logistic regression, and we evaluated the performance of the model in identifying the cases with high HbA1c levels (> = 7.0%). In total 17,773 participants (age > = 30 years) were recruited and 323 participants (1.8%) had high HbA1c levels. The study population was divided randomly into two parts, with 80% as the derivation data and 20% as the validation data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The point-based clinical model, including age (maximal 8 points), sex (1 point), family history (3 points), body mass index (2 points), waist circumference (4 points), and systolic blood pressure (3 points) reached an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.723 (95% confidence interval, 0.677- 0.769) in the validation data. Adding biochemical measures such as triglycerides and HDL cholesterol improved the prediction power (AUC, 0.770 [0.723 - 0.817], <it>P </it>= < 0.001 compared with the clinical model). A cutoff point of 7 had a sensitivity of 0.76 to 0.96 and a specificity of 0.39 to 0.63 for the prediction model.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A prediction model was constructed for the prevalent risk of high HbA1c, which could be useful in identifying high risk subjects for diabetes among ethnic Chinese in Taiwan.</p

A Highly Sensitive Underwater Video System For Use in Turbid Aquaculture Ponds

The turbid, low-light waters characteristic of aquaculture ponds have made it difficult or impossible for previous video cameras to provide clear imagery of the ponds\u27 benthic habitat. We developed a highly sensitive, underwater video system (UVS) for this particular application and tested it in shrimp ponds having turbidities typical of those in southern Taiwan. The system\u27s high-quality video stream and images, together with its camera capacity (up to nine cameras), permit in situ observations of shrimp feeding behavior, shrimp size and internal anatomy, and organic matter residues on pond sediments. The UVS can operate continuously and be focused remotely, a convenience to shrimp farmers. The observations possible with the UVS provide aquaculturists with information critical to provision of feed with minimal waste; determining whether the accumulation of organic-matter residues dictates exchange of pond water; and management decisions concerning shrimp health

Use of Rubber Dams During Root Canal Treatment in Taiwan

Background/PurposeIsolation of teeth with rubber dams is an important procedure for infection control in dentistry, especially in endodontic treatment. This study surveyed the prevalence of rubber dam usage in nonsurgical root canal treatment (RCT) by dentists under the National Health Insurance system in Taiwan.MethodsA total of 1,332 completed RCT cases were randomly selected from a large database from the Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan in 2004. The radiographs and dental charts of the selected cases were evaluated for the prevalence of rubber dam usage in RCT. The frequencies of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists were compared between hospitals and private dental clinics and among six different regions in Taiwan.ResultsThe overall prevalence of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists under the National Health Insurance system in Taiwan was 16.5%. The frequency of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists in hospitals (32.8%) was significantly higher than that (10.3%) in private dental clinics (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists among six different geographic regions in Taiwan.ConclusionThe prevalence of rubber dam usage for RCT by dentists in Taiwan is relatively low. Because rubber dam isolation of an endodontically-treated tooth can provide better infection control, increase patient protection, and improve treatment efficiency, there is an urgent need to advise dentists in Taiwan to use rubber dams for every RCT case

Improved Performance for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Using a Compact TiO 2

This work determines the effect of compact TiO2 layers that are deposited onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), to improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). A series of compact TiO2 layers are prepared using radio frequency (rf) reactive magnetron sputtering. The films are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results show that when the Ar/O2/N2 flow rates are 36 : 18 : 9, the photo-induced decomposition of methylene blue and photo-induced hydrophilicity are enhanced. After annealing at 450°C in an atmosphere ambient for 30 min, the compact TiO2 layers exhibit higher optical transmittance. The XRD patterns for the TiO2 films for FTO/glass show a good crystalline structure and anatase (101) diffraction peaks, which demonstrate a higher crystallinity than the ITO/glass films. As a result of this increase in the short circuit photocurrent density, the open-circuit photovoltage, and the fill factor, the DSSC with the FTO/glass and Pt counter electrode demonstrates a solar conversion efficiency of 7.65%

Ecophysiology and plant size in a tropical epiphytic fern, Asplenium nidus, in Taiwan

Recent studies indicate that, especially in epiphytes, plant size has a strong influence on the ecophysiology of individual leaves of a plant. Extensive data sets that address this phenomenon, however, are limited to a few taxa of flowering plants. It was the purpose of this study to examine numerous physiological parameters in individuals of varying sizes of Asplenium nidus, a widespread epiphytic tropical fern, in a rain forest in northeastern Taiwan. Although stomatal dimensions and frond thickness did not vary with plant size, frond stomatal densities were higher in larger plants. Frond elemental concentration did not vary with plant size for nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium, while the concentrations of carbon, calcium, and potassium changed with plant size, though in different ways. The osmotic concentration of liquid expressed from the fronds did not change with plant size, nor did chlorophyll concentrations and chlorophyll a/b ratio. Fronds excised from smaller plants contained more water yet lost water at lower rates in laboratory drying experiments. Although rates of net CO2 exchange of the fronds measured in situ in the field appeared to increase with plant size, this increase and other size-related differences in gas exchange parameters were not significant. Although some aspects of the ecophysiology of this epiphytic fern varied with changes in plant size, most physiological parameters did not. Thus, the results of this study lend only little support to past findings that plant size is an important consideration in ecophysiological studies of plants

Infectious Alopecia in a Dog Breeder After Renal Transplantation

Tinea capitis rarely occurs in renal transplant recipients. We report this living-related renal transplant patient receiving cyclosporine-based therapy who initially presented with severe exfoliation of the scalp with yellowish-white scales and marked hair loss. The lesions extended to the frontal area and both cheeks, resulting in several skin ulcers with perifocal erythematous inflammatory changes, and palpable cervical lymph nodes. A biopsy of a skin lesion revealed fungal infection and culture yielded Microsporum canis. The patient mentioned an outbreak of ringworm in her breeding dogs during this period. After adequate treatment of the patient and her infected animals with griseofulvin and disinfection of the environment, her skin lesions resolved dramatically, with regrowth of hair