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ABSTRACT: A new microsporidium was isolated from the endemic, Taiwanese shrimp, Caridina formosae (Decapoda, Atyidae) from northern Taiwan. A conspicuous symptom of infection was presence of opaque white xenomas located in the proximity of the alimentary tract, the surface of the hepatopancreas, and the gills. A fully developed xenoma consisted of a hard, thick capsule filled with sporophorous vesicles containing multiple spores. Microsporidia developed synchronously within the same sporophorous vesicle, although the stage of parasite development differed among the vesicles. Fresh spores were pyriform, mononucleated and measured 6.53×4.38 μm. The polar filament was anisofilar with nine to eleven coils. Phylogenetic analysis based on the small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence showed that the isolate is most similar to the fish microsporidian clade containing the genera Kabatana, Microgemma, Potaspora, Spraguea, and Teramicra. The highest sequence identity, 80%, was with Spraguea spp. Based on pathogenesis, life cycle and phylogenetic analysis, we erect a new genus and species, Triwangia caridinae for the novel microsporidium.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 01/2013; · 2.06 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Fatty infiltration of the pancreas has been shown to interfere with insulin secretion. Both insulin sensitivity and secretion are important in the pathogenesis of diabetes and prediabetes. However, the relationship between diabetes, prediabetes, and fatty pancreas remains unknown. We aim to investigate the relationships that fatty pancreas and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have with prediabetes and diabetes in a Chinese population.
This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 7,464 subjects were recruited. NAFLD and fatty pancreas were assessed by sonography. Clinico-metabolic parameters were compared among subjects with normoglycemia, prediabetes, and diabetes. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between fatty pancreas and NAFLD and diabetes or prediabetes with adjustment for cardiometabolic risk factors.
With an increase in glycemia, a significantly greater proportion of subjects had NAFLD and fatty pancreas (test for trend p<0.05). Similar trends were also found for hypertension, general and central obesity, low-HDL cholesterol, and hypertriglyceridemia. In the logistic regression analysis, age, hypertension, male gender, hypertriglyceridemia, and central obesity were significantly associated with prediabetes and diabetes. Furthermore, the ORs of prediabetes and diabetes for NAFLD were 1.798 (95% CI 1.544-2.094) and 2.578 (95% CI 2.024-3.284), respectively. In addition, fatty pancreas was independently related to diabetes (OR, 1.379; 95% CI, 1.047-1.816) and prediabetes (OR, 1.222; 95% CI, 1.002-1.491) in male subjects.
Both NAFLD and fatty pancreas were associated with diabetes independent of age, gender, adiposity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Fatty pancreas was also related to prediabetes in males.
PLoS ONE 01/2013; 8(5):e62561. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Thyrotropin levels are outside normal reference range in subclinical thyroid disease. Metabolic syndrome involves clustered cardiovascular risk factors, including abnormal lipids, insulin resistance, and hypertension. This study aimed to investigate associations between subclinical thyroid disease, thyrotropin levels, and metabolic syndrome in healthy subjects and identify associated biochemical markers. This cross-sectional study evaluated 9,055 healthy subjects examined at the Health Management Center, National Taiwan University Hospital from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Data collected included age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, pulse rate, and systolic/diastolic blood pressure. History of pregnancy, smoking/drinking status, family/personal thyroid disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension was obtained. Laboratory data included thyroid function tests, fasting glucose level, lipid profile, and C-reactive protein level. Participants were classified into subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and euthyroid groups according to thyrotropin levels. In euglycemic subjects, TSH levels correlated positively with waist circumference, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure. In subclinical hyperthyroid subjects, TSH levels correlated positively with LDL-C, non-HDL cholesterol. No significant correlations were found between TSH levels and variables in the subclinical hypothyroid group. In the entire study population, TSH levels correlated positively with TG, non-HDL cholesterol, and SBP/DBP, but no correlation was shown with HDL-C. No significant associations were seen between MS prevalence and thyrotropin levels. No clinically relevant biochemical markers, differences in thyrotropin levels, or statistical correlations are shown between subclinical thyroid disease and metabolic syndrome in healthy individuals.
Endocrine Journal 07/2012; · 2.03 Impact Factor
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Shang-Yi Chiang,
Ming-Ling Tsai, Chih-Yuan Wang,
Ann Chen,
Yu-Ching Chou,
Ching-Wu Hsia,
Yung-Fu Wu,
Han-Min Chen,
Tzu-Hao Huang,
Pei-Hsiu Chen,
Hung-Te Liu,
Hao-Ai Shui
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ABSTRACT: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) can cause irreversible blindness and is the severest microvascular complication in the eyes of patients with diabetic mellitus (DM). The identification of susceptibility factors contributing to development of DR is helpful for identifying predisposed patients and improving treatment efficacy. Although proteomics analysis is useful for identifying protein markers related to diseases, it has never been used to explore DR-associated susceptibility factors in the aqueous humor (AH). To better understand the pathophysiology of DR and to identify DR-associated risk factors, a gel-based proteomics analysis was performed to compare AH protein profiles of DM patients with and without development of DR. MALDI-TOF MS was then performed to identify protein spots that were differentially expressed between the two groups and western blot analysis was used to validate the expressional change of protein demonstrated by proteomics. Our proteomics and bioinformatics analysis identified 11 proteins differentially expressed between DR and control groups. These proteins are linked to biological networks associated with nutrition transport, microstructure reorganization, angiogenesis, anti-oxidation, and neuroprotection. The data may provide potential AH biomarkers and susceptibility factors for predicting DR development, and provide an insight into the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of DR. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics: The clinical link.
Journal of proteomics 12/2011; 75(10):2950-9. · 5.07 Impact Factor
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Pei-Hsiu Chen, Chih-Yuan Wang,
Ching-Wu Hsia,
Ming-Yi Ho,
Ann Chen,
Min-Jen Tseng,
Yung-Fu Wu,
Han-Min Chen,
Tzu-Hao Huang,
Hung-Te Liu,
Hao-Ai Shui
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ABSTRACT: Dermal papilla (DP) cells play a regulatory role in hair growth, and also play a role in alopecia (hair loss). However, effects of taxol, which is a widely used chemotherapy drug, on DP cells remain unclear, despite that theoretically taxol can impact on DP cells to contribute to taxol-induced alopecia. To better understand pathophysiology of taxol-induced damage in DP cells, morphological and biochemical analyses were performed to check whether taxol can cause apoptosis in cultured DP cells or not. If it can, proteomics and bioinformatics analyses were then performed to investigate the protein networks which are impacted by the taxol treatment. Our data showed that taxol can cause apoptotic damage in DP cells in a concentration-dependant manner, as demonstrated by various apoptotic markers. Proteomic analysis on DP cells treated with the lowest apoptosis-inducible concentration of taxol revealed that taxol can affect expression of proteins involved in Ca2+-regulated biological processes, vesicles transport, protein folding, reductive detoxification, and biomolecules metabolism. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis indicated that taxol can impact on multiple biological networks. Taken together, this biochemical, proteomics, and bioinformatics data may give an insight into pathophysiology of taxol-induced damage in DP cells and shed light on mechanisms underlying taxol-induced alopecia.
Journal of proteomics 11/2011; 74(12):2760-73. · 5.07 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Lovastatin (lova), a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, can induce differentiation in cancer cells at low concentration, thus having potential to be used as an auxiliary agent in cancer therapy. However, biological networks associated with the differentiation effect of lova have not been elucidated. To investigate molecular mechanisms of lova, the present study was aimed at proteomics and bioinformatics analyses on anaplastic thyroid cancer cell line ARO differentiated with low concentration of lova. Thyroid differentiation was induced by treating ARO cells with 25 μM of lova and confirmed by checking upregulation of some thyroid differentiation markers. Gel-based proteomics analysis was then performed to identify proteins differentially expressed between undifferentiated and lova-differentiated ARO cells. Bioinformatics analysis was finally performed to estimate biological networks regulated by lova. Our results showed that lova impacted on proteins involved in protein folding, biomolecule metabolism, signal transduction, protein expression and protein degradation. Specifically, transfecting ARO cells with plasmid DNA encoding flotillin 1 (FLOT1) up-regulated the thyroid differentiation markers, indicating that FLOT1 might at least partially mediate the lova-induced thyroid differentiation. These data may shed light on the mechanism underlying lova-induced re-differentiation of thyroid cancer, and give a rationale for clinical use of lova as an auxiliary agent in cancer therapy.
Journal of proteomics 11/2011; 75(4):1170-80. · 5.07 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) control the development of hair follicles via cell-cell interactions and extracellular molecules. Colchicine affected active anagen DPCs to result in hair loss in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to identify the retro-modulator released by DPCs exposed to sub-toxic dose of colchicine and elucidate its effect on dermal papilla culture. The molecular-weight cutoff ultrafiltration and HPLC were used to purify the components of colchicine-treated DPC secretomes and examined their ability to down-regulate the growth and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of DPCs. The active product was identified by in-gel trypsin digestion, nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS and validated by Western blot to be histone H4 (P62804), which inhibited the proliferation and diminished the ALP activity of cultured DPCs. Treating DPCs with recombinant histone H4 reproduced the growth inhibition effect whereas adding antibody to immunoneutralize histone H4 abolished this growth inhibitory consequence. DPCs with high ALP activity can induce the neogenesis of hair follicles and support the hair fiber growth in vivo. Our results indicated that sub-lethal colchicine can inactivate DPCs through releasing histone H4. Through the investigation of the retro-modulation of histone H4 on dermal papillae may give implications for understanding the mechanism of colchicine-induced hair disorder.
Journal of proteomics 02/2011; 74(6):805-16. · 5.07 Impact Factor
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Shu-Chiung Chiang,
Jenn-Kuen Lee,
Chih-Hung Chen,
Lee-Ming Chuang,
Kun-Wu Tsan,
Wayne Huey-Herng Sheu,
Du-An Wu,
Ta-Jen Wu,
Kwo-Chuan Lin,
Jyuhn-Huarng Juang, Chih-Yuan Wang,
Low-Tone Ho
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ABSTRACT: To examine the prevalence of microalbuminuria (MAU) and chronic kidney disease as well as the correlation between MAU and renal and cardiovascular risks of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients for public health policy making in Taiwan.
This was a multicenter, hospital-based, randomly selected, and cross-sectional study. T2DM patients aged 18-80 years without a known diagnosis of proteinuria were eligible. MAU was defined as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) within 30-299 mg/g, and macroalbuminuria as that greater than or equal to 300 mg/g. Two positive out of three urinary screening results were required to make the diagnosis of MAU. The adjusted prevalence of MAU was calculated by conditional probability approach.
51.1% of the analyzed population (n=1,827) were women, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 59.16 years (11.19 years) and mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 8.15% (1.83%). Median duration of DM history was 6 years (interquartile range, 3-11 years). The adjusted prevalence of MAU was 26.9%. Overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease Stage 3 or higher (estimated Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60/mL/min/1.73 m²) was 13.8%. Only 4.7% of the T2DM patients had serum albumin test recorded and 68.7% with serum creatinine test recorded within the last 6 months. After adjustment for center and gender, the odds ratios for MAU or macroalbuminuria were 1.73 (95% CI, 1.27-2.36) for age greater than or equal to 60 years, 1.54 (1.13-2.10) for abnormal waist circumference, 1.10 (1.02-1.19) for every 1% increase in hemoglobin A1c, 1.91 (1.38-2.65) for higher systolic blood pressure, and 1.92 (1.19-3.07) for abnormal serum creatinine level.
This study demonstrates the application of "conditional probability" method to justify the rationale of adopting two positive out of three urinary screening tests for the diagnosis of MAU. An adjusted prevalence rate of MAU as 26.9% is reported. These results may provide a basis for cost-benefit consideration in designing preventive and interventional policies in public health. Furthermore, the awareness and practice of early monitoring of MAU for DM patients should be strengthened.
Journal of the Chinese Medical Association 01/2011; 74(1):3-10. · 0.79 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The relationship of autoimmune thyroid disease and TSH-producing pituitary tumor is rarely found. We report two patients with hyperthyroidism, a 27-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman, who were diagnosed with Graves hyperthyroidism with elevated free thyroxine (FT4), suppressed TSH and positive thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies. After treatment with antithyroid drugs, FT4 did not return to normal, and serum TSH levels were found to be above-normal range. Pituitary tumors were subsequently found via pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We suggest that Graves hyperthyroidism concomitant with TSH-producing pituitary tumor be kept in mind, as it may confuse the therapeutic course of hyperthyroidism and make it more complicated.
Southern medical journal 03/2010; 103(4):347-9. · 0.92 Impact Factor
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ANZ Journal of Surgery 01/2010; 80(1-2):117. · 1.25 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) are usually life threatening, but the recent trend of 28-day case-fatality and associated risk factors including Charlson index have not been known. Our aim was to evaluate the 28-day case-fatality rate among hospitalized DKA and HHS patients in a teaching hospital in Taiwan from 1991 to 2005.
DKA and HHS admissions, identified from in-patient electronic database, were linked to Taiwan's national death registry. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to determine the 28-day case-fatality rates of DKA and HHS, and to compare the trend of case-fatality over three consecutive 5-year periods (i.e, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005). We also used the Cox proportional hazard regression model to explore the determinants of 28-day case-fatality of the study patients.
The 28-day case-fatality rates for DKA and HHS were 6.10% and 18.83%, and the lowest ones were observed in 2001-2005 (2.65% and 11.63% in DKA and HHS, respectively). Pneumonia was a significant predictor for increased 28-day case-fatality in both illnesses. Additionally, older age and stroke were significantly associated with increased case-fatality in DKA patients while myocardial infarction and higher Charlson index were significant predictors for higher case-fatality in HHS patients.
Improvements in case-fatality in recent years for both DKA and HHS were found in the study hospital. Further reduction of the case-fatality rate among DKA and HHS patients can be achieved by optimal management of certain co-morbidities.
Internal Medicine 01/2010; 49(8):729-37. · 0.94 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The majority of male infertility results from poor sperm motility. A direct link between altered protein phosphorylation and aberrant sperm motility has not been established. To address this issue, sperm samples obtained from 20 donors with healthy sperm and 20 donors with aberrantly motile sperm were subjected to computer assisted semen analysis (CASA), proteomic analysis, Western blot, and immunofluorescent staining. Proteomic analysis identified 12 protein spots as having differential phosphorylation, including gamma-tubulin complex associated protein 2 (GCP2). Western blot and immunofluorescence demonstrated differential expression of gamma-tubulin between healthy and aberrantly motile sperm. In conclusion, hypophosphorylated proteins and reduced expression of gamma-tubulin may be associated with low motility sperm.
Journal of Proteome Research 09/2009; 8(11):5382-6. · 5.11 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Statins, hydroxy-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, are the most effective medication for lowering cholesterol, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. On the basis of our previous in vitro experimental results on an anaplastic thyroid cancer cell line, we designed a nude mouse model in which cancer cells were seeded subcutaneously to examine the potential anticancer effects of lovastatin in vivo. As expected, tumor growth was significantly reduced in the mice treated with 5 or 10 mg/kg/day of lovastatin compared with the positive control group. However, the tumor grew much faster in the mice treated with 1 mg/kg/day of lovastatin than in the positive control group. We suspect this result might be related to vascular endothelial growth factor. In this model, we found that lovastatin inhibits tumor growth at a high dosage (5 or 10 mg/kg/day), suggesting it could be used as an effectively adjuvant chemotherapy for cancer. However, it also promotes tumor growth at a low dosage (1 mg/kg/day). This duality effect should be further studied for patients treated with various dosages of statins.
International Journal of Cancer 08/2009; 126(2):578-82. · 5.44 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A microsporidium possessing molecular and morphological characteristics of the genus Nosema was isolated from larvae of the thee-spot grass yellow butterfly, Eurema blanda arsakia. The complete rRNA gene sequences of the E. blanda isolate contained 4,428 base pairs (GenBank Accession No. EU338534). The organization of the rRNA genes is LSU rRNA-ITS-SSU rRNA-IGS-5S, which corresponds with that of Nosema species closely related to Nosema bombycis. Phylogenetic analysis based on rRNA gene sequences show that this isolate is closely related to Nosema bombycis, Nosema plutellae, Nosema spodopterae, and Nosema antheraeae. The ultrastructure of all developmental stages of this microsporidium confirmed its placement in the genus Nosema. The isolate was successfully propagated in cell lines IPLB-LD652Y (Lymantria dispar) and NTU-LY (Lymantria xylina) and, in the in vitro system, it was frequently found to develop in the nuclei of the host cells, a circumstance that seldom occurs in other Nosema species. An extra-cellular vegetative stage of this microsporidium was also observed in the culture medium after 14 days of infection. The ECMDFs might be released from disrupted host cells.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 12/2008; 100(2):85-93. · 2.06 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A new microsporidium was isolated from Ocinara lida Moore (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), a pest of Ficus microcarpa L. f. in Taiwan. The microsporidium produces systemic infections in O. lida larvae; the midgut epithelium, Malpighian tubules, and midgut muscle tissues were the target tissues for this isolate, and atrophied fat body tissues were found in heavily infected larvae. Two types of spores were observed, diplokaroytic spores with 11-13 coils of polar tube, and monokaryotic spores with 12 coils of the polar tube that developed within a sporophorous vesicle to form octospores. Electron-dense granules were abundant in the episporontal space of the sporophorous vesicles, and were similar to those of Vairimorpha invictae isolated from Solenopsis invicta, but different from granules or inclusions of other Vairimorpha species. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence, this isolate is unique within the Vairimorpha complex. Morphological and genetic characters showed this isolate to be a new species. It is placed in the genus Vairimorpha and is described as Vairimorpha ocinarae n. sp.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 12/2008; 100(2):68-78. · 2.06 Impact Factor
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Thyroid 08/2008; 18(8):921-2. · 4.79 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In this study, a new microsporidian, PX2, was isolated from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and then compared with another isolate (PX1), and with Nosema spodopterae and N. bombycis. Sequence data showed that the rRNA gene organizations of PX1 and PX2 exhibited a typical Nosema-specific organization: 5'-LSUrRNA (large subunit ribosomal RNA)-ITS (internal transcribed spacer)-SSUrRNA-IGS (intergenic spacer)-5S-3'. Phylogenetic analysis (maximum likelihood, neighbor joining, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian analysis) of the LSUrRNA and SSUrRNA gene sequences, and the sequences of the alpha-tubulin, beta-tubulin, and RPB1 (DNA dependent RNA polymerase II largest subunit) genes found that PX1 was closer to N. bombycis and N. spodopterae than to PX2. Comparison of the identities of the rRNA domains and of the other three genes showed a high divergence in the sequences of the rRNA spacer regions (ITS and IGS). This is consistent with the hypothesis that PX2, if not PX1, might represent a new Nosema species.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 06/2007; 95(1):71-6. · 2.06 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A microsporidium from the Ficus pest, Ocinara lida, in Taiwan is characterized. The taxonomic position of this species was preliminarily determined by sequencing small subunit rRNA gene (SSUrRNA). Analysis of the SSUrRNA sequence indicated that this isolate from O. lida is a member of the genus Endoreticulatus and belongs to the genetic grouping containing other lepidopteran Endoreticulatus species we have analyzed phylogenetically. The taxonomic position of this isolate was also confirmed by the ultrastructural characteristics of this isolate. The congruence between SSUrRNA sequence analysis and ultrastructural characteristics shows that this isolate is more closely related to Endoreticulatus bombycis than to Endoreticulatus schubergi Zwölfer.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 07/2005; 89(2):123-35. · 2.06 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Ectopic thyroid tissue is a rare entity in thyroidology; however, the occurrence of thyroid carcinoma in such aberrant thyroid tissue has been reported. Carcinoma arising in subhyoid thyroid is especially unusual, with even fewer reports published. Usually, surgical excision is considered to be therapeutic strategy for managing possible malignancy in ectopic thyroid. Thyroid ultrasonography, radioactive iodine scanning, and fine-needle aspiration cytology are rapid, safe, and minimally invasive diagnostic procedures. We report one case of papillary carcinoma in subhyoid ectopic thyroid to emphasise the importance to evaluate all ectopic thyroid tissues.
The New Zealand medical journal 01/2005; 117(1207):U1205.
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ABSTRACT: Although LDL is the primary target for lipid-lowering therapy and non-HDL cholesterol is a secondary target in patients with elevated triglyceride (TG) levels, non-HDL cholesterol is still an early, reliable, and practical predictor for vascular inflammation. However, in comparison with LDL, further evidence for superiority in non-HDL cholesterol as the primary therapeutic target is required. A total of 189 type 2 diabetic patients (88 men and 101 women; mean age 58.4 +/- 14.0 years; duration of diabetes 9.8 +/- 4.2 years) who had not used anti-inflammatory agents in the past two years were enrolled in this study. Levels of various lipid fractions and C-reactive protein (CRP) and the cholesterol retention fraction (CRF) were measured. Lipid levels and CRF in samples with CRP levels below or above different cutoffs were compared. Statistically significant differences were seen at all CRP cutoffs in the levels of TG, HDL, and non-HDL cholesterol and the CRF, but no differences were seen in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. CRP levels correlated with non-HDL cholesterol levels (r = 0.16, P = 0.0236) and the CRF (r = 0.18, P = 0.14), but not with levels of HDL or TG. Besides, non-HDL levels showed a marked correlation with CRF (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001). On the basis of CRP levels, non-HDL levels are reliable in predicting vascular inflammation, and CRF could be another important predictor for cardiovascular events. Our results suggest that the emphasis placed on non-HDL cholesterol should be reevaluated in comparison with that placed on LDL cholesterol.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 10/2004; 89(9):4762-7. · 6.50 Impact Factor
