Interaction of Profiled Light with Contrapropagating Acoustic Waves: Fourier Transform Approach

A straightforward Fourier-transform approach is employed to investigate acousto-optic interaction between an input optical beam with arbitrary profile and contrapropagating cw sound in the Bragg regime. The process can be analyzed in terms of the simultaneous scattering of light by the two sound waves in the interaction region. Analytic expressions for the equivalent transfer functions are obtained and the scattered light profiles are plotted

Inhibition of Serine Protease Activity Protects Against High Fat Diet-Induced Inflammation and Insulin Resistance.

Recent evidence suggests that enhanced protease-mediated inflammation may promote insulin resistance and result in diabetes. This study tested the hypothesis that serine protease plays a pivotal role in type 2 diabetes, and inhibition of serine protease activity prevents hyperglycemia in diabetic animals by modulating insulin signaling pathway. We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study with 30 healthy controls and 57 patients with type 2 diabetes to compare plasma protease activities and inflammation marker between groups. Correlations of plasma total and serine protease activities with variables were calculated. In an in-vivo study, LDLR-/- mice were divided into normal chow diet, high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD with selective serine protease inhibition groups to examine the differences of obesity, blood glucose level, insulin resistance and serine protease activity among groups. Compared with controls, diabetic patients had significantly increased plasma total protease, serine protease activities, and also elevated inflammatory cytokines. Plasma serine protease activity was positively correlated with body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), tumor necrosis factor-α, and negatively with adiponectin concentration. In the animal study, administration of HFD progressively increased body weight, fasting glucose level, HOMA-IR, and upregulated serine protease activity. Furthermore, in-vivo serine protease inhibition significantly suppressed systemic inflammation, reduced fasting glucose level, and improved insulin resistance, and these effects probably mediated by modulating insulin receptor and cytokine expression in visceral adipose tissue. Our findings support the serine protease may play an important role in type 2 diabetes and suggest a rationale for a therapeutic strategy targeting serine protease for clinical prevention of type 2 diabetes

Adiponectin Gene Polymorphism Is Selectively Associated with the Concomitant Presence of Metabolic Syndrome and Essential Hypertension

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular risk increases with the presence of both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hypertension (HTN). Although the adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene has been reported to be involved in MetS, its association with HTN remained undetermined. This study aimed to investigate the association of ADIPOQ gene with the phenotypes of HTN and MetS. METHODS: A total of 962 participants from 302 families from the Taiwan young-onset hypertension genetic study were enrolled. Plasma adiponectin were measured, and association analysis was conducted by using GEE regression-based method. Another study, of 1448 unrelated participants, was conducted to replicate the association between ADIPOQ gene and variable phenotypes of MetS with or without HTN. RESULTS: Among 962 subjects from family samples, the lowest plasma adiponectin value was observed in MetS with HTN component (9.3±0.47 µg/ml) compared with hypertensives (13.4±0.74 µg /ml) or MetS without HTN (11.9±0.60 µg/ml, P<0.05). The SNP rs1501299 (G276T) in ADIPOQ gene was found associated with the presence of HTN in MetS (odds ratio for GG+GT vs. TT = 2.46; 95% CI: 1.14-5.3, p = 0.02), but not rs2241766 (T45G). No association of ADIPOQ gene with HTN alone or MetS without HTN was observed. The significant association of the SNP rs1501299 (G276T) with the phenotype of presence of HTN in MetS was confirmed (odds ratio for GG+GT vs. TT = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.1-4.3) in the replication study. CONCLUSIONS: ADIPOQ genetic variants were selectively and specifically associated with the concomitant presence of MetS and HTN, suggesting potential genetic linkage between MetS and HTN

Quantitative pinch stimulator for exploring evoked nociceptive responses: A pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A mechanical noxious stimulator is useful for studies of pain, both for clinic and basic research. We propose to use a pinch stimulator that can not only generate a quantitative, reproducible noxious pinch but also simultaneously provide a synchronous external trigger signal, which is essential for acquisition of evoked potentials.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For ethical considerations, audible and visual aids were incorporated so that pinch force could be regulated within a predetermined level. Reproducibility of the nociceptive responses evoked by this device was validated. The device was constructed with a simple circuit, and the element build-in was delicately selected for the minimum required to produce evoked potentials.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The magnitude of the force output is linearly proportional to the volts produced by the device (i.e., during the pinch). Increases in force correspond to increases in the number of action potentials induced.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This device may be useful for studying the mechanisms of nociceptive signal processing in the brain through application of reproducible, noxious pinch stimuli.</p

Gender Difference in Statin Intervention on Blood Lipid Control among Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

SummaryBackgroundThe aim of this study was to clarify the current status in the effective control of dyslipidemia in Taiwanese women and men with coronary heart disease (CHD).Materials and methodsA total 1584 patients with CHD (1188 men, aged 64.8 ± 11.6 years and 396 women, aged 69.0 ± 9.8 years) from 3486 patients who had atherosclerotic vascular disease and complete lipids measured values [total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)] were used for analysis.ResultsThe waist, height, weight, and creatinine levels were higher in men than in women. The systolic blood pressure, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, fasting blood glucose, and platelet were lower in men than in women. Men were more likely to achieve the target goal than women in TC < 160 mg/dL, LDL-C < 100 mg/dL, and TG < 150 mg/dL as well as to achieve HDL-C goal.ConclusionA significant gap was found between the guidelines and clinical practice in statin intervention among these CHD patients, particularly for women. The strategy in control of dyslipidemia should consider gender difference

Functional Effects of let-7g Expression in Colon Cancer Metastasis.

MicroRNA regulation is crucial for gene expression and cell functions. It has been linked to tumorigenesis, development and metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, the let-7 family has been identified as a tumor suppressor in different types of cancers. However, the function of the let-7 family in CRC metastasis has not been fully investigated. Here, we focused on analyzing the role of let-7g in CRC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) genomic datasets of CRC and detailed data from a Taiwanese CRC cohort were applied to study the expression pattern of let-7g. In addition, in vitro as well as in vivo studies have been performed to uncover the effects of let-7g on CRC. We found that the expression of let-7g was significantly lower in CRC specimens. Our results further supported the inhibitory effects of let-7g on CRC cell migration, invasion and extracellular calcium influx through store-operated calcium channels. We report a critical role for let-7g in the pathogenesis of CRC and suggest let-7g as a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment

Prospective evaluation of lipid management following acute coronary syndrome in non-Western countries

Background: Half the global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is concentrated in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Hypothesis: Suboptimal control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) may play a large role in the burden of CVD in APAC and non-Western countries. Methods: The Acute Coronary Syndrome Management (ACOSYM) registry is a multinational, multicenter, prospective observational registry designed to evaluate LDL-C control in patients within 6 months after hospitalization following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) event across nine countries. Results: Overall, 1581 patients were enrolled, of whom 1567 patients met the eligibility criteria; 80.3% of the eligible patients were men, 46.1% had ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 39.5% had non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Most (1245; 79.5%) patients were discharged on a high-intensity statin. During the followup, only 992 (63.3%) patients had at least one LDL-C measurement; of these, 52.9% had persistently elevated LDL-C (>70 mg/dl). The patients not discharged on a highdose statin were more likely (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.1–4.8) to have an LDL-C above the 70 mg/dl LDL-C target compared with those who were discharged on a high-dose statin. Conclusion: Our real-world registry found that a third or more of post-ACS patients did not have a repeat LDL-C follow-up measurement. In those with an LDL-C followup measurement, more than half (52.9%) were not achieving a <70 mg/dl LDL-C goal, despite a greater uptake of high-intensity statin therapy than has been observed in recent evidence. This demonstrates the opportunity to improve post-ACS lipid management in global community practice