Plane-projection multi-photon microscopy for high-frame-rate Live Tissue Imaging

We present a wide-field multi-photon microscopy that provides optical sectioning at high frame rate under biocompatible laser dosage. Axial resolution comparable to confocal microscopy and 5-frame-per-second live tissue imaging are demonstrated

The environment in Tanzania as a source of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and diversity analysis of the slow growing mycobacteria

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most prevalent infectious human disease and health burden worldwide. There are over eight million incident cases of TB and this has caused more than one million deaths globally. In addition, bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) has become widespread with the disease endemic in most African countries, including Tanzania. For this reason, detection and treatment for the two causal agents Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Mycobacterium bovis (Mb) has become a priority in Tanzania. Other slow growing mycobacteria (SGM) are also responsible for respiratory disease in humans and animals. This project focuses on the environment as a potential reservoir of Mtb, Mb and other SGM by comparison of samples from different sites and use of case controls which can help to establish if shedding correlates with disease and indeed can be a potential source of continuing infection. In this study, IMC-qPCR and different specific primers RD4 scar and RD9 were developed to detect and quantify Mtb and Mb in a range of environmental samples taken during the dry and wet season from villages in Tanzania. Mtb and Mb were both detected in cattle faecal samples taken from animals kept by the same household. For the SGM prevalence and diversity specific primers were used for oligotyping following deep sequence analysis by pyrosequencing of amplicons. The oligotyping result matched the identification of bacterial species in cattle lesion and wildlife tissue. The higher prevalence of Mtb was detected from households with TB patients compared to control households. This work is part of a collaboration with UCD and USF in USA and SUA in Tanzania so data on infection status of human and animal populations will be made available following approvals then compared with environmental reservoirs

Wide-field optical sectioning for live-tissue imaging by plane-projection multiphoton microscopy

Optical sectioning provides three-dimensional (3D) information in biological tissues. However, most imaging techniques implemented with optical sectioning are either slow or deleterious to live tissues. Here, we present a simple design for wide-field multiphoton microscopy, which provides optical sectioning at a reasonable frame rate and with a biocompatible laser dosage. The underlying mechanism of optical sectioning is diffuser-based temporal focusing. Axial resolution comparable to confocal microscopy is theoretically derived and experimentally demonstrated. To achieve a reasonable frame rate without increasing the laser power, a low-repetition-rate ultrafast laser amplifier was used in our setup. A frame rate comparable to that of epifluorescence microscopy was demonstrated in the 3D imaging of fluorescent protein expressed in live epithelial cell clusters. In this report, our design displays the potential to be widely used for video-rate live-tissue and embryo imaging with axial resolution comparable to laser scanning microscopy

Sex difference in the associations among hyperuricemia with self-reported peptic ulcer disease in a large Taiwanese population study

BackgroundHyperuricemia may play a role in various systemic diseases. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between hyperuricemia and the risk of peptic ulcer disease (PUD). Therefore, in this population-based study, we enrolled over 120,000 participants from the Taiwan Biobank (TWB) and examined the risk factors for self-reported PUD. In addition, we investigated sex differences in the association between hyperuricemia and self-reported PUD.MethodsData of 121,583 participants were obtained from the TWB. Male participants with a serum uric acid level >7 mg/dl and female participants with a serum uric acid level >6 mg/dl were classified as having hyperuricemia. Details of self-reported PUD were obtained by questionnaire. The association between hyperuricemia and self-reported PUD in the male and female participants was examined using multivariable logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe overall prevalence of self-reported PUD was 14.6%, with a higher incidence in males (16.5%) compared to females (13.5%). After multivariable adjustment, male sex [vs. female sex; odds ratio (OR) = 1.139; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.084–1.198; p < 0.001], and hyperuricemia (OR = 0.919; 95% CI = 0.879–0.961; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with self-reported PUD. Further, a significant interaction was found between sex and hyperuricemia on self-reported PUD (p = 0.004). Hyperuricemia was associated with a low risk of self-reported PUD in males (OR = 0.890; 95% CI = 0.837–0.947; p < 0.001) but not in females (p = 0.139).ConclusionThe prevalence of self-reported PUD was higher in the male participants than in the female participants. Hyperuricemia was associated with low prevalence of self-reported PUD in males, but not in females. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms behind these observations and verify the potential protective role of hyperuricemia on the development of self-reported PUD

Observation of temporal variations in seismic anisotropy within an active fault‐zone revealed from the Taiwan Chelungpu‐fault Drilling Project Borehole Seismic Array

Temporal fault-zone observations are important to better understand the evolution of fault structure and stress configuration. However, long-term monitoring in the fault-zone is rare after a large earthquake. Here, we use seismic data in the fault-zone at 1-km depth from the Taiwan Chelungpu-fault Drilling Project to study long-term anisotropy after the 1999 Mw7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake. The direct S-wave splitting measurements resolve the overall weak anisotropy in the shallow crust. In order to resolve fault damage zone anisotropy, we perform coda cross-correlation technique for 794 microearthquakes between 2007 and 2013. We estimate the temporal change in background shear-wave velocity, fast shear-wave polarization direction (FSP), and strength of anisotropy (Aani) in the fault damage zone. We show the average FSP direction is N93°E with a significant Aani of about 12%, likely due to the pervasive vertical microcracks created after the earthquake. Temporal variations of anisotropy exhibit seasonal variation with periodicity every 9 to 12 months that correlates with rainfall events. Furthermore, long-term anisotropy shows a gradual rotation of FSP direction of about 15° during the first 4 years of observation. At the same time, the strength of anisotropy reduced from 17 to 10 % and shear-wave velocity increased, suggesting the fault healed after the earthquake. This study reports in-situ evidence for two key observations: (1) long-term, fault-zone healing after a major earthquake, and (2) modulation of 1-km deep fault-zone properties by surficial hydrologic processes. These observations may provide constraints on the response of the fault damage zone in the interseismic period

Factors Related to Significant Improvement of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Receiving Telbivudine Therapy

Background and Aim. The improvement of estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving telbivudine therapy is well known. The aim of this study was to clarify the kinetics of eGFRs and to identify the significant factors related to the improvement of eGFRs in telbivudine-treated CHB patients in a real-world setting. Methods. Serial eGFRs were calculated every 3 months using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation. The patients were classified as CKD-1, -2, or -3 according to a baseline eGFR of ≥90, 60–89, or <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. A significant improvement of eGFR was defined as a more than 10% increase from the baseline. Results. A total of 129 patients were enrolled, of whom 36% had significantly improved eGFRs. According to a multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (DM) (p=0.028) and CKD-3 (p=0.043) were both significantly related to such improvement. The rates of significant improvement of eGFR were about 73% and 77% in patients with DM and CKD-3, respectively. Conclusions. Telbivudine is an alternative drug of choice for the treatment of hepatitis B patients for whom renal safety is a concern, especially patients with DM and CKD-3

Hedyotis diffusa

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is the most common type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used in Taiwan, is increasingly used to treat patients with breast cancer. However, large-scale studies on the patterns of TCM prescriptions for breast cancer are still lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the core treatment of TCM prescriptions used for breast cancer recorded in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. TCM visits made for breast cancer in 2008 were identified using ICD-9 codes. The prescriptions obtained at these TCM visits were evaluated using association rule mining to evaluate the combinations of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) used to treat breast cancer patients. A total of 37,176 prescriptions were made for 4,436 outpatients with breast cancer. Association rule mining and network analysis identified Hedyotis diffusa plus Scutellaria barbata as the most common duplex medicinal (10.9%) used for the core treatment of breast cancer. Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (19.6%) and Hedyotis diffusa (41.9%) were the most commonly prescribed herbal formula (HF) and single herb (SH), respectively. Only 35% of the commonly used CHM had been studied for efficacy. More clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these CHM used to treat breast cancer

Waste to energy: air pollutant emissions from the steam boilers using recycled waste wood

In Taiwan, combustible wood mostly comes from waste pallets and scrap packaging materials discarded by factories, which produced a total of 278,067 tons of waste wood in 2019. In this study, the heat value of waste wood was 18.3 ± 1.07 MJ kg–1. The measured volatile fraction was 76.5 ± 7.34%, the fixed carbon was 15.7 ± 3.19%, the ash content was 2.96 ± 2.45%, and the moisture content was 21.6 ± 10.2%. The proportions of the elemental constituents in the waste wood were 45.3 ± 4.95%, 46.9 ± 3.94%, 5.9 ± 0.44%, 0.21 ± 0.17%, 0.29 ± 0.26%, and 0.02 ± 0.02% for carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, nitrogen, and chlorine, respectively. The average boiler capacity was 11.5 ± 6.84 ton hr–1, the average fuel consumption of the boilers was 1.47 ± 1.81 ton hr–1, the average operating temperature of the boilers was 853 ± 228°C, the average steam generation of the boilers was 7.63 ± 5.97 ton hr–1, and the average exhaust flow rate was 246.6 ± 200.9 m3 min–1. The main air pollution control systems used in the waste wood combustion boilers were systems combining a cyclone, a baghouse and a scrubber (37.8%), a cyclone and a baghouse (28.4%), a cyclone and a scrubber (10.2%), and systems using a baghouse only (9.8%). Based on our fuel consumption data, the air pollutant emission factors were 0.71 ± 1.44 kg per ton of wood for PM, 0.86 ± 1.47 kg per ton of wood for SOx, and 5.24 ± 9.56 kg per ton of wood for NOx. In July 2022, new emission standards for boilers will be implemented, and emission reductions of at least 30% for PM, 35% for NOx and 7% for SO2 will be required