Chen-Jei Tai

Taipei Medical University Hospital | TMUH · Department of Traditional Chinese medicine

The Euphorbiaceae plant Euphorbia neriifolia L. is distributed widely in India, Thailand, Southeastern China, and Taiwan and used as a carminative and expectorant to treat several inflammation-related diseases, such as gonorrhoea, asthma, and cancer. In the course of our search for potential anti-inflammatory agents from the titled plant, 11 triter...

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theories assert that body constitution and meridian energy lay the foundation for disease prevention. TCM-based health concepts have not yet been incorporated into mobile health (mHealth) apps for individuals with prediabetes. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a TC...

Purpose: Real-world evidence refers to patient data derived from the healthcare process. In this study, we used National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) assessments and clinical studies of Ge Gen Tang (GGT, ) in patients with common cold to establish a real-world study model of Traditional Chinese Medicine formulae. GGT is widely prescr...

(1) Background: The microbial phase in the vaginal environment has been found to regulate the physiological activity of host cells. Studies have demonstrated that abnormal microbial growth in the vagina and a significant reduction in the proportion of lactic acid bacteria promote the occurrence of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). However, the cont...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Gut microbiota are highly associated with CRC, and Fusobacterium nucleatum was found to be enriched in CRC lesions and correlated with CRC carcinogenesis and metastases. Paris polyphylla is a well-known herbal medicine that showed anticancer activity. The present study demonstrate...

Background Cases of breastfeeding- and breast-milk-related jaundice tend to increase with increased rates of breastfeeding. Diagnoses of jaundice often lead mothers to discontinue breastfeeding because of assumptions that breastfeeding may exacerbate neonatal jaundice and lengthen the duration of phototherapy treatment. Purpose This study was desi...

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) and phytochemical ursolic acid (UA) are two efficacious therapeutic candidates in development against breast cancer, the deadliest women’s cancer worldwide. However, as single agents, OVs and UA have limited clinical efficacies. As a common strategy of enhancing monotherapeutic anticancer efficacy, we explored the combinator...

Aim: Evidence has provided an explanation of the correlation between the nervous system and the tumor microenvironment. Neurotransmitters may be involved in different aspects of cancer progression. The glycoalkaloid solanine has been reported to suppress neural signaling pathways and exists in numerous plants, including Solanum nigrum, which have...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced HCC, is a deadly disease highly refractory to chemotherapy, thus requiring the continuous identification of novel treatment strategies. Berberine (BBR) has been previously reported to inhibit hepatoma cell growth, but the main type of cell death elicited by BBR, and whether t...

Objectives: Fungus Cordyceps militaris has been used as a herbal tonic in traditional Chinese medicine, which could be surface liquid-cultured for mycelia production. To evaluate the potential of polysaccharides obtained from mycelia of Cordyceps militaris (PS-MCM) for attenuation of side-effects of chemotherapy. Methods: Doxorubicin was used to...

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and chemotherapy is the main approach for the treatment of advanced and recurrent cases. Developing an effective complementary therapy could help to improve tumor suppression efficiency and control adverse effects from chemotherapy. Paris polyphylla is a folk medicine for treating variou...

Oncolytic virotherapy represents an emerging development in anticancer therapy. Although it has been tested against a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, the efficacy of oncolytic viral vectors delivered as a monotherapy is limited. Enhancing viral oncolytic therapies through combination treatment with anticancer agents is a feasible strat...

Objective: Leukemia is a cancer of the blood cells. Leukemic THP-1 and U937 cells were used in this study as monocytic effectors cells for proliferation responses and macrophage-like cells induction in leukemia. Pardaxin is an antimicrobial peptide isolated from the marine fish species. Methods: After treatment for 5 days, pardaxin significantly...

OBJECTIVE To examine and describe the use of Western and Chinese Medicine for pregnancy preparation among women with breast cancer after cancer-related treatment in Taiwan. METHODS Women of reproductive age (20-49 years) women who were treated for breast cancer from January 2011 through June 2015 in a Taiwanese city participated in the study. Of 3...

Context: Taiwanofungus camphoratus is a parasitic mushroom found in the heartwood of Cinnamomum kanehirai and is used as a nutritional supplement. It has an anticancer action, both alone and synergistically with amphotericin B (AmB). Objective: The study intended to assess the efficacy of a T camphoratus ethanol extract (TCEE) combined with AmB...

This study compared symptom severity, symptom interference and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) between cancer survivors after curative treatment and individuals who did not have cancer. Factors associated with CAM use among cancer survivors were examined. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted of 146 cancer survivors (77 breast...

Background: Adverse reactions associated with Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are usually the result of unpredictable active/toxic ingredients, inaccurate or mistaken beliefs, or poor supervision. The herb that most commonly induces severe adverse effects in Hong Kong and China is aconite root. More than 200 species of Aconitum plants are used for...

Chemotherapy is one of the main approach for ovarian cancer. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) escape chemotherapy and lead to chemoresistance. We previously demonstrated that cordycepin (Cd) inhibited metastasis in human ovarian carcinoma cells, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Cd on ovarian cancer stemness. TGF-beta was used to induc...

Afatinib (Gilotrif™) is widely used to treat patients with mutant activating epidermal growth factor receptor- (EGFR-) dependent lung adenocarcinoma; however, it has various adverse side effects. Here, we report a patient with afatinib-induced paronychia. After Chinese medicine treatment with the well-known anticancer Chinese herbs, Jen-Ren-Hwo-Min...

The present study is designed to investigate the anti-oral cancer properties of Solanum nigrum on oral squamous cell carcinoma. S. nigrum is a Chinese herb used for suppression of various cancers. However, the inhibition of S. nigrum on oral cancer is unclear. Therefore, human oral squamous cancer cells (SCC)-4 were used to evaluate the effect of a...

Pancreatic cancer remains the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the USA with a 5-year survival rate of 5 %. The effects of epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor A blockade with chemotherapy on pancreatic tumor growth were examined. Mice bearing human PANC-1 cell xenografts were divided into three grou...

Helping breast cancer patients who desire a pregnancy after cancer treatment is a vital issue. Little is known about the complex context of the decision to become pregnant after breast cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to understand the risk-benefit perception of choosing conception or contraception after treatment in Taiwan. We appli...

Cordycepin is one of the most crucial bioactive compounds produced by Cordyceps militaris and has exhibited antitumor activity in various cancers. However, industrial production of large amounts of cordycepin is difficult. The porcine liver is abundant in proteins, vitamins, and adenosine, and these ingredients may increase cordycepin production an...

Acupressure is a non-invasive treatment in which pressure is applied to specific body points. Following public health concerns about poor sleep quality and increasing interest in alternative treatments, a systematic review and meta-analysis were designed to evaluate the effects of acupressure on the quality of sleep. Ten English (PubMed, CENTRAL, C...

Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) is a compound for antitumor, which has been found to exert antiangiogenic, antimetastatic, and antiproliferative effects, as well as inducing apoptosis. However, the association between cancer metastasis and mitochondrial activity in cordycepin-treated ovarian carcinoma cells remains unclear. The 50 and 100 μM of cord...

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure self-efficacy regarding a vaginal birth (SEVB) during pregnancy and to assess its reliability and validity among nulliparous Chinese women. Design: A panel study. Setting: Five hospitals in Northern Taiwan. Participants: The analysis included 700 (second trimester), 637...

This study aimed to examine the association of social support, social factors, and maternal complications with caesarean deliveries in native and immigrant women, and to explore the association between acculturation and caesarean deliveries in immigrant women in Taiwan. This prospective panel study was conducted from August 2012 through April 2014...

Objective: Silibinin is a flavonolignan that is well established for its robust antiviral activity against HCV infection and has undergone several clinical trials for the management of hepatitis C. Despite its potency, silibinin suffers from poor solubility and bioavailability, restricting its clinical use. To overcome this limitation, we develope...

Chemotherapy, a major approach was used in carcinoma treatment, always involves the development of drug resistance as well as side-effects that affect the quality of patients' lives. An association between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and chemotherapy resistance was established recently. We demonstrate in this paper that the aqueous extr...

Objective: Symptom patterns are an important diagnostic concept in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Although symptom patterns and health related quality of life (HRQOL) are common diagnostic measures for cancer patients, the association between them has not been studied. This study aimed to describe the changes in the pattern of symptoms of...

Chemotherapy is the main approach for treating advanced and recurrent carcinoma, but the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited by relatively low response rates, drug resistance, and adverse effects that severely affect the quality of life of patients. An association between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and chemotherapy resistan...

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) were shown to play an important role in metabolic syndrome and were suggested to contribute to the development of hepatic fibrosis. Evidence indicates that AGEs resulted in hepatic fibrosis coupled to the activation of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). NADPH oxidase is downstream of...

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety profiles of the targeted medications, bevacizumab and cetuximab, in combination with cytostatic drugs in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. In this retrospective phase 2 study, a total of 59 patients with pancreatic cancer were recruited and received con...

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) signal through the receptor for AGE (RAGE), which can lead to hepatic fibrosis in hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. We investigated the inhibitory effect of aqueous extracts from Solanum nigrum (AESN) on AGEs-induced RAGE signaling and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and hyperglycemia...

Without a vaccine, hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a global medical and socio-economic burden, predisposing about 170 million carriers worldwide to end-stage liver diseases including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the recently developed direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have revolutionized hepatitis C treatment, most of them are uns...

Current chemotherapeutic regimens for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have reached a plateau over the last few years. Targeted therapy makes use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to suppress a number of signaling pathways including epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor which are active in NSCLC biology. In thi...

Objective This study illustrates that direct electrical stimulation (ES) improve functional recovery and time of return to work evaluated by prognostic scoring system after ulnar nerve injury. Design The Rosén and Lundborg (R&L) protocol, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores, and electromyography were applied for measuring impr...

Introduction Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, the heart is regarded as the main internal organ governing the body and mind. TCM doctors believe that abnormalities in the organ may be reflected on the meridians. However, there are few studies linking meridian energy to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the study was to expl...

Purpose: To explore the effects of non-sporting qigong (NSQG) and sporting qigong (SQG) on frailty and quality of life (QOL) of breast cancer patients during chemotherapy. Methods: A time series (three-group, pre-test-post-test) quasi-experimental design was applied in the study. Ninety-five participants were assigned to three groups: controls (...

Taiwanofungus camphoratus (synonym Antrodia camphorata ) is a widely used medicinal fungus in the folk medicine of Taiwan with several pharmacological features such as anti-inflammatory, liver protection, antihypertensive, and antioxidative activities. The ethanolic extract of T. camphoratus (TCEE) which contains abundant bioactive compounds includ...

Introduction Qi, known as meridian energy, runs throughout the human body via meridian vessels. This study compared symptom severity, interference, and meridian energy among breast carcinoma patients who had training in meditative qigong with those who did not. Methods A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 57 patients receiving routine car...

Bioceramic is a kind of material which emits nonionizing radiation and luminescence, induced by visible light. Bioceramic also facilitates the breakup of large clusters of water molecules by weakening hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bond weakening, which allows water molecules to act in diverse ways under different conditions, is one of the key mechanisms...

To investigate the practicability on the processes of selecting "local tenderness skin points (trigger points)" and "propagated sensation along meridians" (PSM) phenomenon, and to find out the corresponding abnormal meridian channel in different illnesses. Ten patients with different kinds of chronic illnesses were administered photoluminescent bio...

Chemotherapy is the main approach for treating advanced and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited by a relatively low response rate, drug resistance, and adverse effects that severely affect the quality of life of patients. The aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum (AE-SN) is a crucial ingredi...

Chemotherapy is a major clinical treatment for managing patients with advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer. However, the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited, and adverse effects have been observed. Integrating chemotherapy with current chemotherapeutic drugs and novel antitumor ingredients might improve the clinical performance of curr...

Cell-based systems are useful for discovering antiviral agents. Dissecting the viral life cycle, particularly the early entry stages, allows a mechanistic approach to identify and evaluate antiviral agents that target specific steps of the viral entry. In this report, the methods of examining viral inactivation, viral attachment, and viral entry/fu...

Caesarean delivery before 39 weeks of gestation increases the risk of morbidity among infants. Taiwan has one of the highest caesarean rates in the world, but little attention has been paid to this issue. This study aimed to describe the rate of caesarean delivery before 39 weeks gestation among women who did not have labour signs and had a non-eme...

Fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) is a nutrient supplement and a potential antitumor ingredient for developing an integrated chemotherapy with standard chemotherapeutic drugs for treating ovarian cancer patients. In this study, we evaluated the tumor suppression efficiency of FWGE in human ovarian carcinoma cells, SKOV-3 and ES-2, and found the h...

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of conception with infertility treatment on planned cesarean delivery. The participants were from a panel of primiparous pregnant women in northern Taiwan. The data analysis included 771 women with a singleton pregnancy, of whom 160 had a planned cesarean delivery and 611 who had a vaginal deliv...

The aqueous extracts of the leaves and fruit of Camptotheca acuminata have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating cancer patients. The chemotherapeutic drug, camptothecin (CPT), and related analogs were first isolated from C. acuminata in the 1970s. Although the antitumor effects of CPT have been characterized in recent y...

Cervical cancer is an important health issue for women worldwide, and the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway is important for determining the chemotherapeutic response to cancer. However, the role of glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94) in taxane therapy for cervical cancer remains unclear. In this study, we generated GRP94 knockdown (GRP94-KD) H...

Thrombomodulin (TM), a natural anticoagulation factor, maintains circulation homeostasis in endothelial cells. TM has additional roles in modulating inflammation, thrombosis, and carcinogenesis. However, there is little information on the role of TM in the progression and metastasis of ovarian cancer. RNA silencing and cDNA expression vectors were...

Thrombomodulin (TM) has been shown to regulate many physiological and pathological processes, including inflammation, thrombosis, and tumor progression. TM is also a natural anticoagulant that maintains circulatory homeostasis in endothelial cells. However, little is known regarding the role of TM in the progression and metastasis of cervical cance...

Cinnamaldehyde (CIN) has been shown to exert chemopreventive activity against several types of human cancer cells. We previously reported that CIN induced apoptosis of human hepatoma PLC/PRF/5 cells and this effect was associated with activation of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family of proteins and the MAPK cascade. To further clarify the underlying me...

Aim. The objectives of this study were to compare yang-xu, yin-xu, and yu among patients with breast cancer right before, one month after, and three months after receiving target, chemo, or combined therapy. Method. After recruiting 126 patients from 4 hospitals in northern Taiwan, a longitudinal study was carried out with 61 patients receiving che...

Colorectal cancer is a common cancer worldwide, and chemotherapy is a mainstream approach for advanced and recurrent cases. Development of effective complementary drugs could help improve tumor suppression efficiency and control adverse effects from chemotherapy. The aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum leaves (AE-SN) is an essential component in many...

The mechanisms of acupuncture remain poorly understood, but it is generally assumed that measuring the electrical conductivity at various meridians provides data representing various meridian energies. In the past, noninvasive methods have been used to stimulate the acupuncture points at meridians, such as heat, electricity, magnets, and lasers. Ph...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Due to the difficulties of early diagnosis, curative treatments are not available for most patients. Palliative treatments such as chemotherapy are often associated with low response rate, strong adverse effects and limited clinical benefits for patie...