THE CENTER OF MASS TRAJECTORY DURING FIXED-STANCE PUSH HANDS MOVEMENTS OF TAI CHI CHUAN

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) skills affect the whole body center of mass (COM) during Tai Chi Chuan fixed-stance push hands movement. Four TCC experts with push hands movement experience for 10.3±1.7 years and four TCC beginners with 2.5±1.3-year experience were recruited in this study. Three-dimensional kinematics data of the TCC fixed-stance push hands movements were collected and COM displacement and velocity during the movements were analyzed. The patterns of the COM between two groups during the push hands movement cycle were similar, but the COM displacement and velocity were different. Our investigation reveals that the experience-related differences in whole body COM transfers are reflected in the push hands movement cycle

Concurrent Papillary Thyroid Cancer with Pituitary ACTH-secreting Tumor

Concomitant thyroid cancer with pituitary tumor is uncommon. This study reports a case of advanced papillary thyroid carcinoma with pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting tumor. A 58-year-old male patient had thyroid cancer in 1991 and presented with headache caused by pituitary tumor with apoplexy in 1993. Due to hypopituitarism, the patient underwent radioactive iodide (131I) for detection and treatment of metastatic thyroid cancer after the use of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) in 2000. During follow-up for thyroid cancer 201thallium scan proved to be an effective tool for detecting metastatic thyroid cancer in the patient without pituitary TSH reserve. Pituitary ACTH-secreting tumor was confirmed in 2001 based on the high serum ACTH level and positive immunohistochemical stain for ACTH. The patient had no Cushingoid features. Moreover, serum ACTH levels were 337 and 232 pg/mL with normal serum cortisol and urine-free cortisol. Although the patient underwent three operations and a total of 370 mCi 131I therapy for recurrent thyroid cancer, the cancer continued to progress. Finally, the patient died of pneumonia with septic shock 12 years after the diagnosis of thyroid cancer. [J Formos Med Assoc 2007;106(4):330-335

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of novel 3,9-substituted α-carboline derivatives with high cytotoxic activity against colorectal cancer cells

In our continued focus on 1-benzyl-3-(5-hydroxymethyl-2-furyl)indazole (YC-1) analogs, we synthesized a novel series of 3,9-substituted α-carboline derivatives and evaluated the new compounds for antiproliferactive effects. Structure activity relationships revealed that a COOCH or CHOH group at position-3 and substituted benzyl group at position-9 of the α-carboline nucleus were crucial for maximal activity. The most active compound, , showed high levels of cytotoxicity against HL-60, COLO 205, Hep 3B, and H460 cells with IC values of 0.3, 0.49, 0.7, and 0.8 μM, respectively. The effect of compound on the cell cycle distribution demonstrated G2/M arrest in COLO 205 cells. Furthermore, mechanistic studies indicated that compound induced apoptosis by activating death receptor and mitochondria dependent apoptotic signaling pathways in COLO 205 cells. The new 3,9-substituted α-carboline derivatives exhibited excellent anti-proliferative activities, and compound can be used as a promising pro-apoptotic agent for future development of new antitumor agents

Design and synthesis of 6,7-methylenedioxy-4-substituted phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives as novel anticancer agents that induce apoptosis with cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase

Novel 6,7-methylenedioxy-4-substituted phenylquinolin-2-one derivatives 12a–n were designed and prepared through an intramolecular cyclization reaction and evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity. Among the synthesized compounds, 6,7-methylenedioxy-4-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)quinolin-2(1H)-one (12e) displayed potent cytotoxicity against several different tumor cell lines at a sub-micromolar level. Furthermore, results of fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis suggested that 12e induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase accompanied by apoptosis in HL-60 and H460 cells. This action was confirmed by Hoechst staining and caspase-3 activation. Due to their easy synthesis and remarkable biological activities, 4-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one analogs (4-PQs) are promising new anticancer leads based on the quinoline scaffold. Accordingly, compound 12e was identified as a new lead compound that merits further optimization and development as an anticancer candidate

Prognosis of Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

This study was to investigate the clinical features and therapeutic outcomes of multifocal papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). A total of 2,418 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients had undergone thyroidectomy in one medical center between 1977 and 2010. There were 483 (20.0%) diagnosed with multifocal PTC. The percentage of multifocal PTC was higher in PTMC patients (22.0%) than in non-PTMC patients (19.5%). Demographic and clinical characteristics of PTMC and multifocal PTC in PTC patients were traced. Multifocal PTC patients presented with smaller tumors at an older age, and a higher percentage underwent total or complete thyroidectomy. These patients also showed a higher incidence of postoperative disease progression than did unifocal PTC patients. Comparison of 483 patients with multifocal PTMC and non-PTMC tumors showed a higher incidence of postoperative disease progression in patients with non-PTMC; otherwise, there was no statistical difference in disease-specific and total mortality between these two groups. In conclusion, the incidence of multifocal PTMC was not lower than that of non-PTMC, and postoperative therapies were necessary for both multifocal PTMC and non-PTMC patients

Role of Pentraxin 3 in Shaping Arthritogenic Alphaviral Disease: From Enhanced Viral Replication to Immunomodulation

10.1371/journal.ppat.1004649PLoS Pathogens11

Mesoscopic Structural Observations of Cores from the Chelungpu Fault System, Taiwan Chelungpu-Fault Drilling Project Hole-A, Taiwan

Structural characteristics of fault rocks distributed within major fault zones provide basic information in understanding the physical aspects of faulting. Mesoscopic structural observations of the drilledcores from Taiwan Chelungpu-fault Drilling Project Hole-A are reported in this article to describe and reveal the distribution of fault rocks within the Chelungpu Fault System

Synthesis and SAR studies of novel 6,7,8-substituted 4-substituted benzyloxyquinolin-2(1 H )-one derivatives for anticancer activity: Synthesis and anticancer activity of 2-quinolones

4-Phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one (4-PQ) derivatives can induce cancer cell apoptosis. Additional new 4-PQ analogs were investigated as more effective, less toxic antitumour agents

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