Identification of cis-acting elements on positive-strand subgenomic mRNA required for the synthesis of negative-strand counterpart in bovine coronavirus

It has been demonstrated that, in addition to genomic RNA, sgmRNA is able to serve as a template for the synthesis of the negative-strand [(-)-strand] complement. However, the cis-acting elements on the positive-strand [(+)-strand] sgmRNA required for (-)-strand sgmRNA synthesis have not yet been systematically identified. In this study, we employed real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to analyze the cis-acting elements on bovine coronavirus (BCoV) sgmRNA 7 required for the synthesis of its (-)-strand counterpart by deletion mutagenesis. The major findings are as follows. (1) Deletion of the 5'-terminal leader sequence on sgmRNA 7 decreased the synthesis of the (-)-strand sgmRNA complement. (2) Deletions of the 3' untranslated region (UTR) bulged stem-loop showed no effect on (-)-strand sgmRNA synthesis; however, deletion of the 3' UTR pseudoknot decreased the yield of (-)-strand sgmRNA. (3) Nucleotides positioned from -15 to -34 of the sgmRNA 7 3'-terminal region are required for efficient (-)-strand sgmRNA synthesis. (4) Nucleotide species at the 3'-most position (-1) of sgmRNA 7 is correlated to the efficiency of (-)-strand sgmRNA synthesis. These results together suggest, in principle, that the 5'- and 3'-terminal sequences on sgmRNA 7 harbor cis-acting elements are critical for efficient (-)-strand sgmRNA synthesis in BCoV

Hepatocellular carcinoma detected by regular surveillance: Does timely confirmation of diagnosis matter?

AbstractBackgroundAlthough current guidelines recommended surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma, prognosis in patients undergoing enhanced follow-up has yet to be evaluated.AimsExamine outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed during enhanced follow-up.MethodsDuring 2010–2012, 194 patients underwent ultrasonography surveillance were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma and divided into: (A) immediate diagnosis (N=105, 54.1%) after positive ultrasonography, (B) enhanced follow-up: (N=38, 19.6%) for initial negative recall procedures, (C) late call back: (N=28, 14.4%) recall procedures were deferred after positive ultrasonography, and (D) beyond ultrasonography: (N=23, 11.9%) surveillance ultrasonography had been negative.ResultsMedian time from positive ultrasonography to confirmation of hepatocellular carcinoma were 9.5 months (2–67) in the Group B and 6.5 months (3–44) in the Group C. Stage distribution and 3-year survival rates were similar amongst all Groups. Surveillance intervals longer than 6 months were associated with the non-curative stage (3.7% vs. 12.5%, p=0.04). Nine (4.6%) patients underwent surveillance were diagnosed as Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer stage C.ConclusionEnhanced follow-up by current guidelines is appropriate that treatment can be deferred until a definite diagnosis. Despite optimal surveillance interval and recall policies, few non-curative stage diagnoses seemed inevitable under current standard of care

Measuring patient's expectation and the perception of quality in LASIK services

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>LASIK is the use of excimer lasers to treat therapeutic and refractive visual disorders, ranging from superficial scars to nearsightedness (myopia), and from astigmatism to farsightedness (hyperopia). The purposes of this study are to checking the applicability and psychometric properties of the SERVQUAL on Lasik surgery population. Second, use SEM methods to investigate the loyalty, perceptions and expectations relationship on LASIK surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The method with which this study was conducted was questionnaire development. A total of 463 consecutive patients, attending LASIK surgery affiliated with Chung Shan Medical University Eye Center, enrolled in this study. All participants were asked to complete revised SERVQUAL questionnaires. Student t test, correlation test, and ANOVA and factor analyses were used to identify the characters and factors of service quality. Paired t test were used to test the gap between expectation and perception scores and structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships among satisfaction components.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The effective response rate was 97.3%. Validity was verified by several methods and internal reliability Cronbach's alpha was > 0.958. The results from patient's scores were very high with an overall score of 6.41(0.66), expectations at 6.68(0.47), and perceptions at 6.51(0.57). The gap between expectations and perceptions was significant, however, (t = 6.08). Furthermore, there were significant differences in the expectation scores among the different jobs. Also, the results showed that the higher the education of the patient, the lower their perception score (r = -0.10). The factor loading results of factor analysis showed 5 factors of the 22 items of the SERVQUAL model. The 5 factors of perception explained 72.94% of the total variance there; and on expectations it explained 77.12% of the total variance of satisfaction scores.</p> <p>The goodness-of-fit summary, of structure equation modeling, showed trends in concept on expectations, perceptions, and loyalty.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of this research appear to show that the SERVQUAL instrument is a useful measurement tool in assessing and monitoring service quality in LASIK service, and enabling staff to identify where improvements are needed, from the patients' perspective. There were service quality gaps in the reliability, assurance, and empathy. This study suggested that physicians should increase their discussions with patients; which has, of course, already been proven to be an effective way to increase patient's satisfaction with medical care, regardless of the procedure received.</p

SEISMIC ANALYSIS OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS BY EARTHQUAKE SCENARIO SIMULATION

In the past decade, scenario simulation has played a more and more important role in urban earthquake hazard mitigation and emergency response. Both public and private sectors can be enhanced in terms of their seismic preparedness and operation if adequate implementation of seismic scenario simulation can be employed. Regarding water utilities, system-wide retrofit and emergency planning can be conducted to reduce the likely damage and losses prior to the occurrence of a devastating earthquake. Post-earthquake repair personnel and material dispatching, temporary water supply for affected people, emergency water supply for hospitals and fire fighting, strategies for restoration and recovery can all benefit from scenario-based analyses. In this research work, efforts were made to study and integrate pivotal technologies essential to the earthquake damage and serviceability analysis of water systems, such as seismic hazard analysis, empirical formulae for pipe repair rates, hydraulic analysis of water network system in terms of pressurized pipe flow simulation, hydraulic models for various types of pipe damages, and Monte Carlo method for the performance analysis of large and complicated systems. The water system in Yi-lan County, Taiwan was selected as a test bed for the demonstration of its seismic serviceability analysis under an M7.1 earthquake scenario

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

Single-crystalline δ-Ni2Si nanowires with excellent physical properties

[[abstract]]In this article, we report the synthesis of single-crystalline nickel silicide nanowires (NWs) via chemical vapor deposition method using NiCl2·6H2O as a single-source precursor. Various morphologies of δ-Ni2Si NWs were successfully acquired by controlling the growth conditions. The growth mechanism of the δ-Ni2Si NWs was thoroughly discussed and identified with microscopy studies. Field emission measurements show a low turn-on field (4.12 V/μm), and magnetic property measurements show a classic ferromagnetic characteristic, which demonstrates promising potential applications for field emitters, magnetic storage, and biological cell separation.[[notice]]補正完畢[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]電子版[[booktype]]紙

Persistent surgical wound bleeding: A rare condition related to acquired hemophilia A

SummaryAcquired hemophilia A (AHA) is a rare condition that predisposes affected patients to a bleeding tendency, even after a trivial physical insult. We present our experience with a 45-year-old male patient who was referred to our institute because of persistent bleeding from a left forearm surgical wound after fasciotomy. He was diagnosed as having AHA. Surgical treatment in combination with recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) led to a satisfactory result. Clinical awareness and multidisciplinary professional connections are necessary in the treatment of AHA. Acquired hemophilia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with uncontrolled bleeding episodes