STATISTICAL OPTIMIZATION AND STABILITY STUDY OF QUERCETIN-LOADED MICROEMULSION

Objective: This research aims to develop a quercetin microemulsion system to improve the solubility of quercetin and to study the stability of the microemulsions. Methods: The microemulsion is prepared by water titration method using isopropyl myristate (oil), Tween 60®/Span 80® (3:2) (surfactant) and ethanol (co-surfactant). Two different aqueous phases, water or NaCl solution, were used to prepare microemulsions and the influence of each parameter was described. DPPH scavenging and anti-tyrosinase activity were performed along with chemical stability to evaluate the functional stability of microemulsions. Results: The influence of percentage of oil phase (variable A) on the solubility of quercetin was less significant than that of percentage of surfactant/co-surfactant (variable B). Compared to those prepared with water (variable C), the solubility of quercetin in microemulsions prepared with NaCl solution significantly increased. The ratio of the high level to low level for solubility of three variables was 1.135, 1.315 and 1.591 respectively. Increasing variable A and B led to an increase in the particle size of microemulsions from 120.08 nm to 188.38 nm and 48.18 nm to 260.28 nm, respectively. The influence of variable B was quite significant, while variable C has no significant effect on particle size. Quercetin microemulsions showed good chemical and functional stability when stored at 4 °C. Under other conditions, especially at 40 °C, the activity of the microemulsion is considerably reduced. Conclusion: The influence of different variables on the characteristics of microemulsions was complicated. Care must be taken in the composition and storage conditions of these formulations

The Effect of Financial Resources on Fertility: Evidence from Administrative Data on Lottery Winners

This paper utilizes wealth shocks from winning lottery prizes to examine the effect of financial resources on fertility. Using administrative data on Taiwanese lottery winners and a difference-in-differences design, we compare the trend in fertility between households receiving lottery prizes of more than 1 million NT$(33,000 US$) with those winning less than 10,000 NT$(330 US$). The results show that the receipt of a big lottery prize significantly increases fertility, and effects are driven by households with less financial resources. Moreover, big lottery wins mainly trigger childless households to have children and induce people to get married earlier

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Oncologic impact of delay between diagnosis and radical nephroureterectomy

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the oncological outcome of delayed surgical wait time from the diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) to radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).MethodsIn this multicenter retrospective study, medical records were collected between 1988 and 2021 from 18 participating Taiwanese hospitals under the Taiwan UTUC Collaboration Group. Patients were dichotomized into the early (≤90 days) and late (>90 days) surgical wait-time groups. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and bladder recurrence-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using stepwise linear regression.ResultsOf the 1251 patients, 1181 (94.4%) were classifed into the early surgical wait-time group and 70 (5.6%) into the late surgical wait-time group. The median surgical wait time was 21 days, and the median follow-up was 59.5 months. Our study showed delay-time more than 90 days appeared to be associated with worse overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.974, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.166−3.343, p = 0.011), and disease-free survival (HR 1.997, 95% CI 1.137−3.507, p = 0.016). This remained as an independent prognostic factor after other confounding factors were adjusted. Age, ECOG performance status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), surgical margin, tumor location and adjuvant systemic therapy were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Tumor location and adjuvant systemic therapy were also independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival.ConclusionsFor patients with UTUC undergoing RNU, the surgical wait time should be minimized to less than 90 days. Prolonged delay times may be associated with poor overall and disease-free survival

Liquid biopsies come of age: towards implementation of circulating tumour DNA

Improvements in genomic and molecular methods are expanding the range of potential applications for circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), both in a research setting and as a ‘liquid biopsy’ for cancer management. Proof-of-principle studies have demonstrated the translational potential of ctDNA for prognostication, molecular profiling and monitoring. The field is now in an exciting transitional period in which ctDNA analysis is beginning to be applied clinically, although there is still much to learn about the biology of cell-free DNA. This is an opportune time to appraise potential approaches to ctDNA analysis, and to consider their applications in personalized oncology and in cancer research.We would like to acknowledge the support of The University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK (grant numbers A11906, A20240, A15601) (to N.R., J.D.B.), the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement n. 337905 (to N.R.), the Cambridge Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and Hutchison Whampoa Limited (to N.R.), AstraZeneca (to R.B., S.P.), the Cambridge Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) (to R.B., S.P.), and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) (to R.B., S.P.). J.G.C. acknowledges clinical fellowship support from SEOM

Research on the Resistant Properties of High Strength Concrete

摘 要 本研究基於混凝土耐磨性對水工構造物耐久性之重要性，藉由試驗方法，並慮及施工便利性之要求，探討混凝土中材料變數及力學性質對其耐磨性之影響。針對試驗過程之觀察與結果分析，探討混凝土耐磨性之控制因子，以及耐磨性與其工程力學性質之相關性。期能開發出高強度耐磨混凝土，以提升水工構造物混凝土之耐久性。 試驗計劃取五種水膠比(W/B=0.36、0.34、0.32、0.30、0.28)，三種用水量(W=140、160及180 kgw/m3)，探討水膠比、用水量及粗骨材對混凝土耐磨性之影響。結果顯示，降低水膠比可提高混凝土與水泥砂漿之抗壓強度及耐磨性；高水膠比混凝土早期之耐磨性與低水膠比者差距甚大，應盡量避免此時即受磨耗作用。對於低水膠比者，粗骨材提高混凝土抗磨損力之效應最為明顯，而用水量則對混凝土早期之耐磨性影響較大。提高混凝土之劈裂及抗彎強度可增加其抗磨耗能力，平均提高約10kgf/cm2時可減少約10％之磨損量，ABSTRACT The abrasion resistance of concrete significantly dominates the durability of hydraulic structures. In this research a series of tests with various material parameters were conducted to investigate the erosion-abrasion resistance of concrete and the correlation between abrasion resistance and the engineering mechanic properties of concrete. A high strength concrete with good abrasion resistance and workability was developed for adopting as the material of hydraulic structures. The test variables include five water-binder ratios (W/B=0.36、0.34、0.32、0.30、0.28) and three water contents (W=140、160 and 180 kgw/m3). Test results show that decreasing the water-binder ratio results in an increase of the compressive strength and abrasion resistance of concrete. Under the condition of low water-binder ratio, it is obvious that adding coarse aggregate can improve the abrasion resistance of concrete. While at early age, the variation of abrasion resistance of concrete between low and high water-binder ratio is quite large. Increase of water contents will decrease abrasion resistance of concrete at early age more obviously than at late age. The volume of abrasion can be reduced about 10% percentage when the splitting strength or bending strength increase about 10kgf/cm2.目 錄 摘要………………………………………………………Ⅰ ABSTRACT…………….…………………………………Ⅱ 目 錄……………………………………………………Ⅲ 表 目 錄…………………………………………………Ⅵ 圖 目 錄…………………………………………………Ⅶ 照片目錄…………………………………………………XI 第一章 緒論1 1-1研究背景與目的1 1-2研究內容2 1-3研究方法2 第二章 文獻回顧6 2-1水中結構物混凝土發生磨損之現象與原因6 2-2混凝土強度與耐磨性質7 2-3影響混凝土耐磨性質之因子8 2-3-1粗骨材性質8 2-3-2化學摻劑8 2-3-3波索蘭材料9 2-3-4其他因素11 2-4磨損量表示法12 2-5高強度耐磨混凝土之配比12 第三章 試驗計畫21 3-1試驗材料21 3-2耐磨混凝土配比設計21 3-3試體製作22 3-4 試驗設備與方法23 第四章結果分析與討論39 4-1高強度耐磨混凝土之工程性質39 4-1-1 工作性之定義39 4-1-2 工程性質39 4-2高強度耐磨混凝土之力學性質42 4-3水中磨損試驗之混凝土表面觀察45 4-3-1混凝土之水中磨損行為45 4-3-2磨損過程與破壞機理48 4-4新拌混凝土性質與耐磨強度50 4-5硬固混凝土性質對耐磨性之影響50 4-5-1水膠比50 4-5-2粗骨材效應52 4-5-3碰撞效應54 4-5-4混凝土用水量55 4-5-5混凝土吸水率56 4-5-6硬度58 4-5-7抗壓強度59 4-5-8抗拉強度60 第五章 結論與建議113 5-1結論113 5-2建議114 參考文獻11

Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Body Constitution and Health-Related Quality of Life in Female Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution has been studied in many diseases, but few have focused on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and particularly their association with disease-specific quality of life (QoL). Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of TCM body constitution and QoL in female patients with SLE. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on adult female patients with a clinician-confirmed diagnosis of SLE in a regional hospital in Taiwan. TCM body constitution types were determined using the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (CCMQ). Disease-specific QoL of the participants was assessed using the LupusQoL. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between TCM body constitution types with the score of each of the eight domains of LupusQoL and between the numbers of multiple unbalanced body constitution types and score of each of the eight domains of LupusQoL. Results. Of the 317 female patients with SLE, 22 (6.9%) were classified to have a gentleness balanced body constitution type. Among the remaining 295 patients with unbalanced body constitution types, Qi-deficiency was the most common (64.4%), followed by Yin-deficiency (57.6%). Multiple linear regression analyses showed that Qi-deficiency was significantly associated with the emotional, pain, and fatigue domains of the LupusQoL, whereas Yin-deficiency was significantly associated with the emotional and fatigue domains of the LupusQoL. In addition, all domains of the LupusQoL showed a general pattern of poorer QoL with increasing numbers of unbalanced body constitution types. Conclusions. Different TCM body constitution types were significantly associated with various domains of the LupusQoL. A high prevalence of multiple body constitution types in patients with SLE was observed. A consistent pattern of poorer LupusQoL with increasing numbers of unbalanced body constitution types was evident.Peer Reviewe

A Comparison of the Correlation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score (SLE-DAS) with Health-Related Quality of Life

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the correlation of a recently developed systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity score (SLE-DAS) with the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) with the Lupus Quality of Life questionnaire (LupusQoL) in Taiwanese patients with SLE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan from April to August 2019. Adult patients with a clinician-confirmed diagnosis of SLE based on the 1997 American College of Rheumatology revised criteria or the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Classification Criteria were recruited. SLE disease activity was measured with both SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS. Disease-specific quality of life was assessed using the LupusQoL. Results: Of the 333 patients with SLE in this study, 90.4% were female and 40% were between the ages of 20 and 39 years. The median SLEDAI-2K score was 4.00 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.00–7.50) and the median SLE-DAS score was 2.08 (IQR 1.12–8.24) in our patients with SLE. After adjusting for sex and age intervals, both SLEDAI-2k and SLE-DAS were significantly and inversely associated with all eight domains of LupusQoL. The magnitudes of the mean absolute error, root mean square error, Akaike Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion, and coefficient of determination were comparable between SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS. Conclusions: There were no clear differences in the use of SLE-DAS over SLEDAI-2K in assessing HRQoL in patients with SLE. We suggest that, in this aspect, both SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS are effective tools for measuring disease activity in patients with SLE

A Comparison of the Correlation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score (SLE-DAS) with Health-Related Quality of Life

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the correlation of a recently developed systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity score (SLE-DAS) with the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) with the Lupus Quality of Life questionnaire (LupusQoL) in Taiwanese patients with SLE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan from April to August 2019. Adult patients with a clinician-confirmed diagnosis of SLE based on the 1997 American College of Rheumatology revised criteria or the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Classification Criteria were recruited. SLE disease activity was measured with both SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS. Disease-specific quality of life was assessed using the LupusQoL. Results: Of the 333 patients with SLE in this study, 90.4% were female and 40% were between the ages of 20 and 39 years. The median SLEDAI-2K score was 4.00 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.00–7.50) and the median SLE-DAS score was 2.08 (IQR 1.12–8.24) in our patients with SLE. After adjusting for sex and age intervals, both SLEDAI-2k and SLE-DAS were significantly and inversely associated with all eight domains of LupusQoL. The magnitudes of the mean absolute error, root mean square error, Akaike Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion, and coefficient of determination were comparable between SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS. Conclusions: There were no clear differences in the use of SLE-DAS over SLEDAI-2K in assessing HRQoL in patients with SLE. We suggest that, in this aspect, both SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS are effective tools for measuring disease activity in patients with SLE

Maternal Immune Activation Causes Social Behavior Deficits and Hypomyelination in Male Rat Offspring with an Autism-Like Microbiota Profile

Maternal immune activation (MIA) increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Microbial dysbiosis is associated with ASD symptoms. However, the alterations in the brain–gut–microbiota axis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced MIA offspring remain unclear. Here, we examined the social behavior, anxiety-like and repetitive behavior, microbiota profile, and myelination levels in LPS-induced MIA rat offspring. Compared with control offspring, MIA male rat offspring spent less time in an active social interaction with stranger rats, displayed more anxiety-like and repetitive behavior, and had more hypomyelination in the prefrontal cortex and thalamic nucleus. A fecal microbiota analysis revealed that MIA offspring had a higher abundance of Alistipes, Fusobacterium, and Ruminococcus and a lower abundance of Coprococcus, Erysipelotrichaies, and Actinobacteria than control offspring, which is consistent with that of humans with ASD. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was applied to determine the relative importance of the microbiota, which indicated that the abundance of Alistipes and Actinobacteria was the most relevant for the profile of defective social behavior, whereas Fusobacterium and Coprococcus was associated with anxiety-like and repetitive behavior. In summary, LPS-induced MIA offspring showed an abnormal brain–gut–microbiota axis with social behavior deficits, anxiety-like and repetitive behavior, hypomyelination, and an ASD-like microbiota profile