Analysis and Development of Emergency Management Information System for Railway Systems in Taiwan

Railway is one of the most efficient, convenient, and comfortable ways with maximum mobility to meet people. Railway accidents or disasters often cause delays and service interruptions, resulting in operational and other loss. Despite many railway systems in Taiwan having a variety of monitoring systems for natural disasters, they still need an efficient platform for the emergency management of disasters and accidents since time and efficiency are the keys to emergency management. This study aims to fill in this gap by developing an emergency management information system for Railway Systems in Taiwan, i.e. “Railway Emergency Management Information System”, to support railway emergency management center and its sub-divisions in resource management, communication, messaging, and information sharing among different groups. The system includes many features that will improve communications between emergency management center and the mobile emergency management center to facilitate the progress of the disaster control units and dispatching at the disaster site. The study’s information system has been designated by local railway administration as the core system and starts trial since February 2012. Information requirement analysis, framework and design of the aforementioned information system will be discussed in this paper. It is hoped that the present study's information system research will help improve the emergency response of railway administration and provide safer rail transport service for the passengers

Systematic Review of Medicine-Related Problems in Adult Patients with Atrial Fibrillation on Direct Oral Anticoagulants

New oral anticoagulant agents continue to emerge on the market and their safety requires assessment to provide evidence of their suitability for clinical use. There-fore, we searched standard databases to summarize the English language literature on medicine-related problems (MRPs) of direct oral anticoagulants DOACs (dabigtran, rivaroxban, apixban, and edoxban) in the treatment of adults with atri-al fibrillation. Electronic databases including Medline, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstract (IPA), Scopus, CINAHL, the Web of Science and Cochrane were searched from 2008 through 2016 for original articles. Studies pub-lished in English reporting MRPs of DOACs in adult patients with AF were in-cluded. Seventeen studies were identified using standardized protocols, and two reviewers serially abstracted data from each article. Most articles were inconclusive on major safety end points including major bleeding. Data on major safety end points were combined with efficacy. Most studies inconsistently reported adverse drug reactions and not adverse events or medication error, and no definitions were consistent across studies. Some harmful drug effects were not assessed in studies and may have been overlooked. Little evidence is provided on MRPs of DOACs in patients with AF and, therefore, further studies are needed to establish the safety of DOACs in real-life clinical practice

Identification of type 2 diabetes loci in 433,540 East Asian individuals

Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 240 loci that are associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D)1,2; however, most of these loci have been identified in analyses of individuals with European ancestry. Here, to examine T2D risk in East Asian individuals, we carried out a meta-analysis of GWAS data from 77,418 individuals with T2D and 356,122 healthy control individuals. In the main analysis, we identified 301 distinct association signals at 183 loci, and across T2D association models with and without consideration of body mass index and sex, we identified 61 loci that are newly implicated in predisposition to T2D. Common variants associated with T2D in both East Asian and European populations exhibited strongly correlated effect sizes. Previously undescribed associations include signals in or near GDAP1, PTF1A, SIX3, ALDH2, a microRNA cluster, and genes that affect the differentiation of muscle and adipose cells3. At another locus, expression quantitative trait loci at two overlapping T2D signals affect two genes—NKX6-3 and ANK1—in different tissues4–6. Association studies in diverse populations identify additional loci and elucidate disease-associated genes, biology, and pathways

A multi-ancestry genome-wide study incorporating gene-smoking interactions identifies multiple new loci for pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure

Elevated blood pressure (BP), a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, is influenced by both genetic and lifestyle factors. Cigarette smoking is one such lifestyle factor. Across five ancestries, we performed a genome-wide gene–smoking interaction study of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and pulse pressure (PP) in 129 913 individuals in stage 1 and follow-up analysis in 480 178 additional individuals in stage 2. We report here 136 loci significantly associated with MAP and/or PP. Of these, 61 were previously published through main-effect analysis of BP traits, 37 were recently reported by us for systolic BP and/or diastolic BP through gene–smoking interaction analysis and 38 were newly identified (P < 5 × 10−8, false discovery rate < 0.05). We also identified nine new signals near known loci. Of the 136 loci, 8 showed significant interaction with smoking status. They include CSMD1 previously reported for insulin resistance and BP in the spontaneously hypertensive rats. Many of the 38 new loci show biologic plausibility for a role in BP regulation. SLC26A7 encodes a chloride/bicarbonate exchanger expressed in the renal outer medullary collecting duct. AVPR1A is widely expressed, including in vascular smooth muscle cells, kidney, myocardium and brain. FHAD1 is a long non-coding RNA overexpressed in heart failure. TMEM51 was associated with contractile function in cardiomyocytes. CASP9 plays a central role in cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Identified only in African ancestry were 30 novel loci. Our findings highlight the value of multi-ancestry investigations, particularly in studies of interaction with lifestyle factors, where genomic and lifestyle differences may contribute to novel findings

Depletion Study of Oxolinic Acid in Freshwater Softshell Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) with Multiple-Dose Oral Administration

All drugs used in aquaculture must be approved by the government agency responsible for veterinary medicine; prudent use of antibiotics under veterinary supervision is critical in ensuring safety of aquaculture products. The international production of farmed turtle, considered a cultured aquatic species, has been growing continuously but control of bacteria proliferation in turtle farms requires frequent use of antimicrobials. In the present investigation, the residue depletion and withdrawal period of quinolone antibacterial oxolinic acid (OXO) was evaluated in Chinese softshell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis, after repeated (once daily for 5 days) oral doses of medicated feed containing OXO, at the dose of 30 and 60 mg/kg body weight (bw). Muscle and liver tissues were collected at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, and 48 days posttreatment, and OXO was quantified using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method. According to the test preparation record, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for OXO were estimated at 0.03 and 0.1 µg/g, respectively. Considering a maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.1 µg/g for OXO in muscle in European Union (EU) legislative framework, the longest withdrawal period of 72 days was calculated on the basis of a safety span (corresponding to 50% of the time point when at which residues fall below the MRL) added to the depletion time (48 days). These results may be helpful not only for the establishment of public policies regarding the use of OXO for turtle farming but also to producers for proper handling to ensure safe consumption

Labrys neptuniae sp nov., isolated from root nodules of the aquatic legume Neptunia oleracea

A bacterium designated strain Liujia-146(T) was isolated in the Tainan area of southern Taiwan from root nodules of the aquatic legume Neptunia oferacea. 1 6S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that strain Liujia-146(T) was highly similar to Labrys monachus VKM B-1479(T) (97.8%) and Labrys methylaminiphilus JLW10(T) (95.5%) and belonged to the order Rhizobiales in the Alphaproteobacteria. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA hybridization data, physiological and biochemical characteristics and fatty acid compositions, the organism was shown to belong to the genus Labrys whilst representing a novel species within this genus. We propose to classify strain Liujia-146(T) (=BCRC 17578(T) =LMG 23578(T)) as the type strain of Labrys neptuniae sp. nov

Improvement in health-related quality of life, independent of fasting glucose concentration, via insulin pen device in diabetic patients

Rationale and aims Using an insulin pen may improve the quality of life (QOL) for diabetic individuals. However, glycemic control and its relationship to better QOL are controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between health-related QOL and glycemic control in diabetic patients using insulin pen. Methods All of the participants were diabetic patients receiving insulin therapy by syringe injection for longer than 1 month. One group of enrolled subjects changed over to use of insulin pen for 12 weeks, while the other group (age-matched control subjects) continued to use syringe for insulin-injection during the same period. Fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c and a 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were assessed in both groups before and after the 12-week study. Results A total of 32 subjects in the insulin pen group and 33 subjects in the syringe group completed the assessment. In comparison with baseline, fasting glucose significantly decreased in the insulin pen group (-57 +/- 14 mg dL(-1), P < 0.001), and the reduction was significantly greater than that in the syringe group (P = 0.003). The summary scale of physical components but not mental components in the SF-36 was significantly higher in the insulin pen group than in the syringe group (P = 0.037). This improvement was independent of the change in fasting glucose. Conclusions Using insulin pen for insulin-injection improved glycemic control and health-related QOL in diabetic patients. The better functional health status as a result of physical improvement was independent of the glycemic control

Paenibacillus fonticola sp nov., isolated from a warm spring

A novel bacterial strain, designated ZL(T), isolated from a warm spring in Jhonglun, Taiwan, was characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The novel strain had chemotaxonomic and morphological properties consistent with its classification in the genus Paenibacillus. Cells were Gram-variable, aerobic, sporulating, motile rods. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis demonstrated that this novel isolate was unique, showing 94.3 % sequence similarity to Paenibacillus assamensis GPTSA 11(T) and lower levels to Paenibacillus timonensis 2301032(T) (94.0 %), Paenibacillus macerans ATCC 8244(T) (93.3%) Paenibacillus barengoltzii SAFN-0 16(T) (93.3 %) and Paenibacillus sanguinis 2301083(T) (93.2%) The novel isolate could be distinguished from the type strains of all of these species based on a range of phenotypic data. The major cellular phospholipids were phosphaticlylglycerol, diphosphaticlylglycerol, phosphaticlylethanolamine and one unknown phosphoglycolipid. The predominant isoprenologue was an unsaturated menaquinone with seven isoprene units (MK-7). The major fatty acids of strain ZL(T) were C-16:0 (33.5 %), anteiso-C-15:0 (32.5 %) and iSO-C-16:0 (9.3 %). The G + C content of the genomic DNA was 49.2 mol%. It is evident from the genotypic and phenotypic data that strain ZL(T) should be classified as representing a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus fonticola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZL(T) (=BCRC 17579(T) = LMG 23577(T))

Low Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Is a Major Determinant of Low Ankle-Brachial Index and Toe-Brachial Index in Type 2 Diabetes

We enrolled 1461 Taiwanese type 2 diabetic outpatients with ankle-brachial index (ABI) and toe-brachial index (TBI) examinations, excluding participants with history of stroke, end-stage renal disease, malignancy, acute myocardial infarction, amputation, and overt calcification of the lower limbs (ABI>1.3). Ankle-brachial index values <0.9 were found in 2.8% of the patients and 5.7% had TBI <0.6. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; 90 +/- 33 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) obtained from 473 patients correlated significantly with both ABI and TBI. Progressive eGFR decline was observed in 419 participants with normal ABI and TBI, 35 with normal ABI but low TBI, and 19 with low ABI and normal or low TBI (P for trend <.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, age and eGFR were significantly associated with TBI and ABI. Low eGFR is associated with peripheral arterial disease in type 2 diabetes with mild to moderate renal insufficiency