A Palynological Study of the Tribe Millettieae (Fabaceae)in Taiwan

The present paper is a part of a series of palynological studies for better understanding the relationship between the genera and subfamilies of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) in Taiwan. There are 4 genera and 12 species found as native plants of the tribe Millettieae in Taiwan. The pollen grains of these 12 native taxa were studied, using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to examine and photomicrograph their pollen morphology. The pollen morphology of the tribe Millettieae in Taiwan is characterized by similar exine stratification, its columellate interstitium, the discontinuous foot layer, and the differentiated exine ornamentation. The pollen type for this study is based on the features of exine ornamentation and stratification. The genus Pongamia is represented by a single type, the genus Derris by two subtypes, and the genera Millettia and Tephrosia by three subtypes respectively but they can be grouped into 4 main types. Except for the genus Pongamia, the palynological characteristics alone are not sufficient for identification of the genera among the tribe Millettieae in Taiwan

Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 Improves Muscle Mass and Functional Performance in Frail Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Sarcopenia is a condition in which there is a loss of muscle caused by aging and it is one of the most significant factors that affects physical fragility. In recent years, the role of the gut–muscle axis has garnered attention as, along with the gut microbiota, it potentially plays a significant role in muscle regeneration, in addition to nutritional supplements and exercise training. Past studies have found that supplementation with Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 could effectively increase the muscle mass of animals or adult humans. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether the supplementation of L. plantarum TWK10 produces increased muscle mass and improves the functional performance of elderly persons with mild fragility. A total of 68 elderly subjects were recruited, of which 13 subjects were excluded or withdrew from the study. We adopted a double-blind design, and the 55 subjects were randomly divided into three groups: the placebo group, the TWK10 low-dose group (2 × 1010 CFU/day) (TWK10-L), and the TWK10 high-dose group (6 × 1010 colony-forming unit (CFU)/day) (TWK10-H). For 18 weeks, all subjects were required to regularly take experimental samples, perform functional activity testing, and have their body composition analyzed before the study and every six weeks after the intervention. Finally, 17 subjects in the placebo group, 12 subjects in the TWK10-L group, and 13 subjects in the TWK10-H group finished the study. It was found that supplementation with TWK10 had a tendency to increase and improve muscle mass, left hand grip strength, lower limb muscle strength, and gait speed and balance after the sixth week, especially in the TWK10-H group, and, as the supplement time was longer up to the 18th week, it had an even greater effect (p < 0.05). In conclusion, consecutive supplementation of L. plantarum TWK10 for more than six weeks could effectively improve the muscle strength and endurance of the elderly, reducing sarcopenia and physical fragility. This trial was registered as NCT04893746

Cardiometabolic disorder reduces survival prospects more than suboptimal body mass index irrespective of age or gender: a longitudinal study of 377,929 adults in Taiwan

Abstract Background The effect of cardio-metabolic profile on the relationship of body mass index (BMI) with mortality is unclear. The aim of this study was to explore association between BMI and mortality at all ages, taking account of cardio-metabolic disorders. Methods We followed 377,929 individuals (≥ 20 years), who registered for health checkups in 1996–2007, until 2008 and found 9490 deaths. From multivariable Cox proportional hazards models we estimated mortality hazard ratios (HR) for those in high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, high waist circumference, dyslipidemia, and different BMIs categories (the underweight [< 18.5 kg/m2], low normal weight [18.5–21.9 kg/m2], normal weight [22–23.9 kg/m2, the referent], overweight [24–26.9 kg/m2], obese1 [27–29.9 kg/m2], and obese2 [≥ 30 kg/m2]). Population attributable risk (PAR) provided estimates of the population mortality burden attributable to high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, high waist circumference, dyslipidemia, and deviant BMIs. Results Higher blood pressure, hyperglycemia, high waist circumference, and dyslipidemia were significantly predictive of higher mortality for nearly all ages. Compared with the referent BMI, underweight (HR = 1.69, 95% confidence interval = 1.51–1.90) and low normal weight (HR = 1.19, 1.11–1.28) were significant mortality risks, while overweight (HR = 0.82, 0.76–0.89) and obese1 (HR = 0.88, 0.79–0.97) were protective against premature death. The mortality impact of obesity was largely attributable to cardio-metabolic profile and attenuated by age. The population mortality burden with high blood pressure (PAR = 7.29%), hyperglycemia (PAR = 5.15%), high waist circumference (PAR = 4.24%), and dyslipidemia (PAR = 5.66%) was similar to that in the underweight (PAR = 5.50%) or low normal weight (PAR = 6.04%) groups. Findings for non-smokers and by gender were similar. Conclusions The effect of BMI on mortality varies with age and is affected by cardio-metabolic status. Compared to any deviant BMI, abnormal cardio-metabolic status has a similar or even greater health impact at both the individual and population levels

Anti-Fatigue Effects of Santé Premium Silver Perch Essence on Exhaustive Swimming Exercise Performance in Rats

[[abstract]]Aim: Fish soup is a traditional Chinese food usually offered as a healthy supplement to elders, pregnant women and persons who just had surgery. Silver perch (Santé premium silver perch essence, SPSPE) extract contains various quality proteins, collagen, minerals, trace elements, and branch chain amino acids (BCAA) that could help individuals recover from exhaustion and control body weight. However, there are very limited studies exploring the effects of fish extracts on exercise performance and fatigue, and relevant physiological mechanisms. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic SPSPE administration on exhaustive exercise performance. Method: Male Wistar rats weighing around 250 g were divided into 4 groups: Control, 1X SPSPE (6.2 ml/kg), 2X SPSPE (12.4 ml/kg) and 5X SPSPE (31.0 ml/kg). Rats were administrated SPSPE by oral gavage feeding every day for 33 days. Their body weight were measured every week. Before and after the exhaustive swimming test, the blood was collected for circulating lactate, glucose, ammonia, hormones, and myoglobin analysis. Rats were sacrificed after performing an exhaustive swimming exercise test. The liver tissues were collected for glycogen content and H&E staining. Results: After the administration of 1X and 5X SPSPE, swimming fatigue was significantly delayed (p = 0.024). There was no difference in the hormone plasma level between the control and SPSPE groups. The induction of plasma corticosterone and TBARS by exhaustive swimming exercise could be decreased by SPSPE administration. The increased plasma myoglobin concentration from exhaustive swimming exercise was weakened by SPSPE supplementation. The higher glycogen sparing contained in liver tissue was observed in SPSPE-treated groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: SPSPE could efficiently delay swimming fatigue through sparing of liver glycogen and attenuation of plasma TBARS, myoglobin induction by exhaustive exercise. Our findings provide a scientific-based fundamental information and better understanding for developing a fish extract-based anti-fatigue supplement

Enhanced surfactin production via the addition of layered double hydroxides

In this study, Mg–Al layered double hydride (LDH) was prepared and the impact of LDH addition on the biomass and surfactin yield for cultures of Bacillus subtilis CWS1 was examined. Various solid additives, including montmorillonite (MMT), activated carbon (AC) and LDH, were tested. Among these, LDH triggered the highest surfactin yield at 3789 mg/L. The optimal conditions for surfactin production were 2 g/L LDH supplied on the beginning of a 5-day cultivation, resulting in a 3.8-fold increase in yield. To reveal the mechanism of surfactin enhancement, observation was conducted via the optical microscope. The resulted images showed that when LDH was added, the cells became segmented, short and narrow compared to cells without any addition. It is apparent that LDH exhibits a slightly toxic effect, limiting cell growth. The surviving cells were forced to secrete more surfactin to protect themselves from the harsh environment. Since the cells could no longer grow, their only function was to secrete surfactin into the broth, leading to an extraordinarily high surfactin yield with a low biomass production. This suggests that an alternative means for efficient surfactin production is through the addition of LDH

Separation of sight-protecting zeaxanthin from Nannochloropsis oculata by using supercritical fluids extraction coupled with elution chromatography

Microalgae is a potent source of carotenoids and is regarded as functional foods consumed by people worldwide. In this study, supercritical fluid extraction coupled with elution chromatography was employed to recover six carotenoids including zeaxanthin from Nannochloropsis oculata and extraction efficiency of zeaxanthin was determined. The amount of the zeaxanthin (400 mg/g) in the elution fraction increased more than twenty folds from that of the SFE extract (13.17 mg/g). The extracts were subsequently subjected to tests of antioxidant capacities in 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) assay, 2-2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzo- thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS)) assay and adult retinal pigment epithelium-19 (ARPE-19) cells. Experimental results demonstrate that other components than zeaxanthin may play a crucial role in the anti-oxidative ability of the extracts from N. oculata. This work provides a useful method to recover bioactive anti-oxidative zeaxanthin from microalgae of N. oculata by using modified supercritical fluids extraction

Additional file 1: Table S1. of Cardiometabolic disorder reduces survival prospects more than suboptimal body mass index irrespective of age or gender: a longitudinal study of 377,929 adults in Taiwan

All-cause mortality risk for subjects overall and those who survived at least 1, 2, and 3 years after entry. Figure S1. Adjusted mortality risk for different BMI, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and waist circumference for overall subjects, non-smokers, men, and women, stratified by age. BMI classification: underweight: <18.5 kg/m2, low normal: 18.5–21.9 kg/m2, normal: 22–23.9 kg/m2, overweight: 24–26.9 kg/m2, obese1: 27–29.9 kg/m2, obese2: ≥ 30 kg/m2. The hazards ratios shown in Figure S1 were derived from Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for gender, age, education level, smoking status, physical activity, and drinking status. Table S2. Mortality rate (per 10,000 person-years) by body mass index, age, and status of metabolic syndrome for the study subjects including previous heart disease and stroke (N = 390,941). Table S3. Mortality risk, prevalence, and population attributable burden of mortality for different BMI, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia in overall subjects and people in different age groups, for the study subjects including previous heart disease and stroke (N = 390,941). (DOCX 135 kb

The distinct biological implications of Asxl1 mutation and its roles in leukemogenesis revealed by a knock-in mouse model

Abstract Background Additional sex combs-like 1 (ASXL1) is frequently mutated in myeloid malignancies. Recent studies showed that hematopoietic-specific deletion of Asxl1 or overexpression of mutant ASXL1 resulted in myelodysplasia-like disease in mice. However, actual effects of a “physiological” dose of mutant ASXL1 remain unexplored. Methods We established a knock-in mouse model bearing the most frequent Asxl1 mutation and studied its pathophysiological effects on mouse hematopoietic system. Results Heterozygotes (Asxl1 tm/+ ) marrow cells had higher in vitro proliferation capacities as shown by more colonies in cobblestone-area forming assays and by serial re-plating assays. On the other hand, donor hematopoietic cells from Asxl1 tm/+ mice declined faster in recipients during transplantation assays, suggesting compromised long-term in vivo repopulation abilities. There were no obvious blood diseases in mutant mice throughout their life-span, indicating Asxl1 mutation alone was not sufficient for leukemogenesis. However, this mutation facilitated engraftment of bone marrow cell overexpressing MN1. Analyses of global gene expression profiles of ASXL1-mutated versus wild-type human leukemia cells as well as heterozygote versus wild-type mouse marrow precursor cells, with or without MN1 overexpression, highlighted the association of in vivo Asxl1 mutation to the expression of hypoxia, multipotent progenitors, hematopoietic stem cells, KRAS, and MEK gene sets. ChIP-Seq analysis revealed global patterns of Asxl1 mutation-modulated H3K27 tri-methylation in hematopoietic precursors. Conclusions We proposed the first Asxl1 mutation knock-in mouse model and showed mutated Asxl1 lowered the threshold of MN1-driven engraftment and exhibited distinct biological functions on physiological and malignant hematopoiesis, although it was insufficient to lead to blood malignancies

Nasal Carriage of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Is Associated with Higher All-Cause Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients

Background and objectives Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA nasal carriage is a recognized risk factor for subsequent endogenous infections. However, the association between MRSA carriage and patient survival in hemodialysis patients has not been established. Design, setting, participants, & measurements In March 2007, this prospective cohort study enrolled 306 outpatients under maintenance hemodialysis from a hospital-based dialysis center in Taiwan. They received two consecutive weekly nasal swab cultures at the beginning of the study. Patients having at least one positive culture of MRSA were defined as MRSA carriers. Subjects were followed up until December 31, 2008. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Main secondary outcomes were infection-related mortality and morbidity. Results We identified 29 MRSA carriers 9.48% at study entry. After a median of 613 days of follow-up, Kaplan -Meier analysis showed significant survival differences between MRSA carriers and noncarriers log-rank P = 0.02. Compared with noncarriers, MRSA carriers had a 2.46-fold increased risk of dying from any cause, after adjusting for covariates at the start of follow-up. The adjusted hazard ratios of infectionrelated mortality and occurrence of subsequent S. mucus infection in carriers were 4.99 and 4.31 , respectively. Conclusions A major limitation is the relatively small sample size of MRSA carriers. Nevertheless, we demonstrated that there may be an association between MRSA nasal carriage and poor clinical outcomes in an outpatient hemodialysis population. This underscores the need for routine surveillance of MRSA nasal carriage and should alert the physicians of a group at high risk of morbidity and mortality