Jen-Hung Yang

• MD/PhD
• Professor at Chung Shan Medical University

Introduction: Continuing medical education and continuing professional development activities (CME/CPD) improve the practice of medical practitioners and allowing them to deliver quality clinical care. However, the systems that oversee CME/CPD as well as the processes around design, delivery, and accreditation vary widely across countries. This stu...

Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are newly discovered long-chain fatty acids. However, the major endogenous FAHFAs in healthy human circulation, their correlation with cardiovascular (CV) biomarkers, and their anti-inflammatory effects have not been investigated and remain unclear. In the present study, a total of 57 healthy subjec...

Selecting the right applicants is an important part of medical student admission. While one universally accepted selection criterion is academic capacity, there are other criteria such as communication skills and local criteria (e.g., socio-cultural values) that are no less important. This article reviews the policies and methods of selection to me...

Background Diets may alter individual's metabolism and inflammation, collectively leading to the modulation of cardiovascular health and disease process. Objective We aimed to investigate the effects of diets and diet-associated metabolites on metabolic profiles, inflammatory status and severity of atherosclerosis. Methods and Results A cross-sec...

Ultraviolet-B exposure causes an inflammatory response, photoaged skin, and degradation of extracellular matrix proteins including collagen and elastin. The regulation of these genes was suggested as an important mechanism to attenuate skin aging. Glycolic acid (GA) is commonly present in fruits and recently used to treat dermatological diseases. W...

Objective: A plant-based diet has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular (CV) diseases. This study aimed to determine the levels and correlations of CV-related biomarkers and the beneficial role of dietary habits. Methods: A total of 63 healthy vegetarians (n = 32) and omnivores (n = 31) were recruited. The baseline characteristic...

Fatty acid ester of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs) are kinds of novelty long chain fatty acids and have been uncovered their anti-inflammatory effects in several diseases. However, the role of FAHFAs in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) prevention still not investigated. Thence, we tried to clarify the correlation among the FAHFAs and several cardiovasc...

AHAs are organic acids with one hydroxyl group attached to the alpha position of the acid. AHAs including glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid are often used extensively in cosmetic formulations. AHAs have been used as superficial peeling agents as well as to ameliorate the appearance of keratoses and acne in derma...

Background: Plant-based diet has been associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and mortality, partly due to its effect on serum lipid profiles. L-carnitine (L-Car) is a conditionally essential nutrient that plays a vital role in energy production, carbohydrates and fatty acids metabolism. However, the levels of L-Car have less e...

We report a 66-year-old female patient with deep dermatophytosis caused by zoophilic strain of Trichophyton interdigitale, a rare granulomatous presentation of Trichophyton species infection in patients with underlying systemic diseases, and she was successfully cured by itraconazole. Since the identification of Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex...

Melting graft wound syndrome is characterized by progressive epidermal loss from a previously well-taken skin graft, healed burn, or donor site. It may result in considerable morbidity and require prolonged treatment. We report a 23-year-old flame-burned patient with second- to third-degree burns involving more than 70% of the total body surface ar...

Background: Glycolic acid (GA), commonly present in fruits, has been used to treat dermatological diseases. Extensive exposure to solar ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation plays a crucial role in the induction of skin inflammation. The development of photo prevention from natural materials represents an effective strategy for skin keratinocytes. Obje...

Fenofibrate, a fibric acid derivative, is among the most commonly used antihyperlipidemic medications. The most common side effects are gastrointestinal problems, including abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, and constipation. While cutaneous eruption occurred in 2% of fenofibrate users1, photosensitivity is a rare manifestation. Jeanmougin et al. pres...

Exposure to UVB radiation induces inflammation and free radical-mediated oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a crucial role in the induction of skin cancer. Glycolic acid (GA) is frequently used in cosmetics and dermatology. The aim of the study was to analyze the photoprotective mechanisms through which GA retards UVB-...

A Sister Mary Joseph nodule (SMJN) is rare cutaneous metastasis spreading to the umbilicus. It originates mostly from an intra-abdominal or pelvic malignancy and is an ominous sign. In this paper, we report a case of a SMJN in a 64-year-old man with esophageal cancer. We recorded his clinical progression, radiologic and nuclear scintigraphic images...

AHAs (α-hydroxy acids), including glycolic acid (GA), have been widely used in cosmetic products and superficial chemical peels. Inflammasome complex has been shown to play critical roles in inflammatory pathways in human keratinocytes. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of GA is still unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the rela...

Malic acid (MA) has been commonly used in cosmetic products, but the safety reports in skin are sparse. To investigate the biological effects of MA in human skin keratinocytes, we investigated the potential cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of MA in human keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT). The data showed that MA induced apoptosis based on the obser...

In this study, the spectrum of each picture element of the patient’s skin image was obtained by multi-spectral imaging technology. Spectra of normal or pathological skin were collected from 15 patients. Principal component analysis and principal component scores of skin spectra were employed to distinguish the spectral characteristics with differen...

Cantharidin (CTD), a component of natural mylabris (Mylabris phalerata Pallas) was reported to have high cytotoxicity in many human cancer cell lines. However, it was not reported to affect human melanoma A375.S2 cells. In the present study, we found that CTD induced cell morphological changes and decreased the percentage of viable cells and induce...

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common type of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and may progress internally over time. MF is clinically categorized as poorly defined areas of erythema, flat patches, thin plaques, and tumors. The diagnosis of early stage of MF (patch and early plaque mycosis fungoides) has been a major diagnostic challenge in der...

Both atopic diseases and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are immune disorders that may lead to physical complications or multi-system comorbidities. This population-based case-control study was designed to evaluate the risk of SLE associated with atopic diseases. Using a national insurance claims dataset in Taiwan, we identified 1673 patients ne...

The trend of medical career choice in the younger generation has resulted in deficiency of manpower in the four major disciplines of internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatrics, which will threaten people's health care in Taiwan. However, perceptions of gender awareness and factors affecting the career choices of medical stude...

Levamisole, an immunomodulator and anthelmintic medication, has been used in dermatology for years. Even though the adverse effects are usually mild and reversible, attention should be paid toward severe events such as vasculitis and neutropenia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report on a patient presenting with myopathy cause...

The effect of visual arts interventions on development of empathy has not been quantitatively investigated. A study was conducted on the effect of a visual arts-based program on the scores of the Jefferson Scale for Physician Empathy (JSPE). A total of 110 clerks (n = 92) and first-year postgraduate residents (PGY1s) (n = 18) participating in the p...

The lack of a human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected skin cancer cell line has hampered the investigation of the interaction of UV and HPV in skin carcinogenesis. We identified a human basal cell carcinoma (BCC-1/KMC) cell line integrated with E6 and E7 genes of high-risk HPV type 18 and demonstrated that repression of E6 and E7 results in proliferati...

Citric acid is an alpha-hydroxyacid (AHA) widely used in cosmetic dermatology and skincare products. However, there is concern regarding its safety for the skin. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of citric acid on the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. HaCaT cells were treated with citric acid at 2.5-12.5 mM for different time p...

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) represent the leading causes of occupational injuries among nursing staff. This population-based study was designed to assess the incidence and age-specific incidence of MSDs among a Taiwanese nurse cohort compared with non-nurses. Description Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Datab...

Erythema induratum (EI) is clinically characterized by recurrent crops of tender nodules on the lower legs and lobular panniculitis with granulomatous inflammation and pathologically characterized by vasculitis and focal fat necrosis. Currently, many authors consider EI to be a multifactorial disorder with diverse causes, including Mycobacterium tu...

Qinling-Daba Mountains region is extremely rich in mineral resources of barium, characterized by widespread occurrence of the world's unique stratiform witherite deposit. In this study, we found the rose petal-like structure of witherite ores in the witherite deposit at Ziyang, Shaanxi Province. Microscope observation and electron microprobe analys...

Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), an active component of garlic oil, has attracted much attention because of its anticancer effect on several types of cancers. However, the mechanism of DATS-induced apoptosis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is not fully understood. In the present study, we revealed that DATS-mediated dose-dependent induction of apoptosis in...

Bufalin was obtained from the skin and parotid venom glands of toad and has been shown to induce cytotoxic effects in various types of cancer cell lines, but there is no report to show that whether bufalin affects human skin cancer cells. The aim of this investigation was to study the effects of bufalin on human malignant melanoma A375.S2 cells and...

Benzyl isothiocyanates (BITC), a member of the isothiocyanate (ITC) family, inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in many types of human cancer cell lines. The present study investigated mechanisms underlying BITC-induced apoptosis in A375.S2 human melanoma cancer cells. To observe cell morphological changes and viability, flow cytometric assa...

Background: Glycolic acid (GA) has been widely used in cosmetic agents and superficial chemical peeling in recent years. It has long been concerned that UV irradiation would enhance the photosensitivity of GA on human skin. Therefore, it is mandatory to explore the biologic effects of concomitant exposure of GA and UV irradiation in human keratino...

Melanoma is one of the most common cancers worldwide and its incidence has been increasing over the past few decades. Gallic acid (GA) can inhibit the growth of human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. However, there is no available information to address the effects of GA on migration and invasion of human skin cancer cells. Matrix metalloproteina...

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of obesity on cutaneous manifestations of clinical hyperandrogenism. A total of 627 Taiwanese women of reproductive age were included. Women with acne had a greater incidence of PCOS, hyperandrogenemia and hirsutism, and had higher serum total testosterone than women without acne. Obese women, even...

The natural antioxidant gallic acid (GA) has demonstrated a significant inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in a series of cancer cell lines. However, there is no available information to show whether GA induces apoptosis in human skin cancer cells. In the present study, we report GA-induced apoptosis in A375.S2 human melano...

Diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DADS), and diallyl trisulfide (DATS), extracted from crushed garlic by steam-distillation, have been reported to provide the anticancer activity in several cancer types. However, their mechanisms of effects on skin cancer cells remain unclear. Therefore, we used human melanoma A375 cells and basal cell carc...

Objective: To study the differences in clinical and biochemical characteristics between obese and nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University teaching hospital. Patient(s): Four hundred sixty-four Taiwan Chinese women, among whom 295 were diagnosed with PCOS and 169 were non-PCOS con...

Alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) have been widely used in cosmetic industry. However, knowledge on cytotoxicity of AHAs in human keratinocytes is limited. Lactic acid (LA) is one of the most commonly used AHAs in skin care and peeling formulations. We investigated the antiproliferative effects of LA in a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). HaCaT cells...

Pelagic red and gray shales are intercalated within the lower part of the Mazak Formation of Middle Cenomanian age in Czech Republic. A detailed geo-chemical study of major, trace and rare earth elements and carbon isotopic compositions of organic carbon has been conducted on sixteen red and gray shales. The data suggest that the shales were most l...

Studies were designed to investigate the effects of baicalein on mouse-rat hybrid retina ganglion cells (N18) to better understand its effect on apoptosis and apoptosis-related genes in vitro. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytoplasmic Ca2+, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), apoptosis induction, and caspases-3 activity were ex...

Pachydermodactyly is a rare form of digital fibromatosis characterized clinically by asymptomatic soft tissue swelling affecting the skin of the lateral aspect of the proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers in young boys around puberty. We herein report a 20-year-old healthy male with characteristic manifestations of pachydermodactyly.

A 70‐year‐old man developed herpes zoster over the right L5–S2 region for 3 days and was admitted for acyclovir therapy. He had a medical history of rectal cancer status post‐colostomy and end‐stage renal disease undergoing thrice weekly hemodialysis. Without a prior loading dose, acyclovir 500 mg (7.7 mg/kg) daily was given intravenously in two di...

Scrub typhus (also named Tsutsugamushi disease), a mite-transmitted zoonosis caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is an endemic infectious disease in east Asia and Australia. This disease usually presents as an acute febrile illness with non-specific symptoms. We reported a case of the scrub typhus with leukocytoclastic vasculitis who suffered from ac...

Vitamin C has been reported to be useful in the treatment and prevention of cancer. Inconsistent effects from growth stimulation to induction of apoptosis of malignant tumor cells, however, have been reported. Melanoma is an increasingly common and potentially lethal malignancy. It was reported that melanoma cells were more susceptible to ascorbate...

The main approaches to medical education reform that have been introduced elsewhere in the world, including the integration of basic and clinical sciences into organ-based model, the establishment of a Center for Faculty Development and problem-based learning (PBL) have been introduced to the College of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University (CSMU...

Problem-based learning (PBL) embraces principles of good learning and teaching. It is student-directed, fosters intrinsic motivation, promotes active learning, encourages peer teaching, involves timely feedback, and can support student self and peer assessment. The most important function of the assessment process is to enhance student learning, to...

Jet fuels are complex mixtures of aliphatic (ALI) and aromatic (ARO) hydrocarbons that vary significantly in individual cytotoxicity and proinflammatory activity in human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK). In order to delineate the toxicological interactions among individual hydrocarbons in a mixture and their contributions to cutaneous toxicity, nine...

Diallyl disulfide (DADS), a component of garlic, has been shown to induce growth inhibition and apoptosis in human cancer cell types. The present studies were designed to investigate the effects of DADS on mouse-rat hybrid retina ganglion cells (N18) to better understand its effect on apoptosis and apoptosis-related genes in vitro. Cell viability,...

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in many developed countries, including Taiwan. Quercetin, a widely distributed bioflavonoid, is well known to induce growth inhibition in a variety of human cancer cells. Quercetin glucuronides are the main circulating metabolites after dietary supplements with quercetin in humans. However, there is...

The representative basalts and hornblende gabbros samples have been selected from early Cretaceous "bimodal volcanics" and "composite plutons" from eastern Zhejiang and southeastern Fujian provinces of southeastern coast of China. We separated the Fe-Ti oxide concentrates in them and analyzed their Re-Os isotopic compositions. The γOs (130Ma) of tw...

The cDNA microarray analysis of 9600 expressed sequence tags was performed to examine the gene expression changes in human epidermal keratinocytes after 1-minute JP-8 exposure; 151 genes were identified as JP-8 responsive and classified into 8 clusters by self organization map. Genes involved in basal transcription and translations were up-regulate...

Arylamine carcinogens and drugs are N-acetylated by cytosolic N-acetyltransferase (NAT), which uses acetyl-coenzyme A as a cofactor. NAT plays an initial role in the metabolism of these arylamine compounds. 2-Aminofluorene is one of the arylamine carcinogens which have been demonstrated to undergo N-acetylation in laboratory animals and humans. Our...

Subcorneal pustular dermatosis (SPD) is a rare skin disorder characterized by a chronically relapsing vesicopustular eruptions affecting the trunk and extremities. The pathogenesis of SPD remains obscure despite the fact that it is characterized by subcorneal accumulation of neutrophils. We reported a 72-year-old male patient who was previously tre...

Leprosy is rarely seen in organ transplant patients; only ten cases of leprosy in organ transplant recipients have been reported. We herein report a Taiwanese renal transplant recipient concomitantly infected with borderline lepromatous leprosy. A 68-year-old male received renal transplantation at Guilin, China, in 2000, and then received immunosup...

CASE REPORT A 20-year-old Taiwanese male patient presents at clinic with vesicles on sun-exposed skin areas, including ear, face, neck, outer upper limb and leg (Fig. 1A). This patient's age at onset was 8 year-old and the symptoms include erythematous, itchy papules that would subsequently turn to vesicles result-ing in pitting scar formation afte...

Many arylamine and hydrazine drugs are acetylated by cytosolic N-acetyltransferase (NAT). The human promyelocytic leukemia cell line (HL-60) has been shown to acetylate arylamine and contain NAT activity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not baicalein could affect N-acetylation of 2-aminofluorene (AF) in HL-60 cells. Acetylated...

The polymetallic Ni-Mo-PGE-Au sulfide ores occur in the Lowermost Cambrian Niutitang Formation of a thick black shale sequence in Yangtze Platform of South China. The origin for this special type of sulfide ore has been hotly debated. There genetic models have been proposed: (1) extraterrestrial impact origin (Fan et al. 1984); (2) submarine hydrot...

In this study, diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DATS), which are major organosulfur compounds (OSCs) of garlic, were used as experimental materials to investigate their modulation effects on cell viability and cell cycle in human liver tumor cells (J5). According to the results of cell viability assay, 50 or 1...

Apoptosis is a particular process that leads to the programmed cell death, and it has been a potentially therapeutic target of cancer. In this study, we evaluated the possible apoptotic effects of glycolic acid on human leukemia cell line (HL-60) in vitro. The morphological changes, cell viability, apoptosis induction, and caspase-3 activity were m...

Sanya Bay, Hainan Island, was a relatively undeveloped area but has undergone rapid economic development in recent years. In this study, we have measured major and trace element concentrations, especially the heavy metal concentrations from river and seawater samples in Sanya Bay. The data demonstrate that concentration of heavy metals in Sanya Bay...

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) plays an important role in the metabolism of 2-aminofluorene (AF) and some types of arylamine drugs and carcinogens. Our previous studies have demonstrated that paclitaxel decreases NAT activity in human bladder, blood, colon and lung cancer cells. In this study, paclitaxel was selected to test the inhibition of...

Mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been proposed to be involved in carcinogenesis. In this study, we applied the polymerase chain reaction techniques to investigate the frequency of occurrence and proportion of mtDNA with length mutations (deletions and tandem duplications) in light-associated skin tumors (actinic keratosis, AK; basal cell...

Evidence has shown that N-acetyltransferase (NAT) acetylated 2-aminofluorene (AF) to form N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene (AAF). Then it was metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme to form ring or N-hydroxylated metabolites. Sulfotransferase and other enzymes participated to form the ultimate metabolites which bind to DNA to form DNA-AF adducts which...

Tamoxifen was used to determine the effects of N-acetyltransferase(NAT) activity and 2-aminofluorene (2-AF)-DNA adduct formation in human breast cancer cells. Breast cancer cells were categorized into two groups based on the status of estrogen receptor, ER (+) and ER (-). 2-AF-DNA adduct formations in breast cancer cells are 2.58 +/- 0.39 pmol addu...

Leizhou peninsula is located at the north margin of South China Sea, where China's best-preserved Porites corals occur. These corals dated back to 7000 a BP and studies on them have yielded valuable information on Holocene environmental change. In this study, we analyzed Pb isotopic compositions of coral samples from Leizhou peninsula which have ac...

The platinum-group elements (Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh, and Pd) are highly siderophile and chalcophile elements, which are compatible elements and show similar geochemical behaviours. This group of elements includes two radiogenic isotope decay systems of 190Pt-186Os and 187Re-187Os. Recently, the application of PGEs and Re-Os isotope systems in the study...

The Inch Conglomerate Formation within the Old Red Sandstone (ORS) succession on the Dingle Peninsula contains metamorphic clasts that were derived locally from a basement high, thrust up along the Dingle Bay Lineament during Middle Devonian time. Tourmaline occurs in three types of clasts in the Inch Conglomerate: quartz-tourmaline veins, banded t...

We reported a rare case of rupioid psoriasis associated with arthropathy. A 28-year-old male had suffered from severe arthritis for 6 months and had limpet-like, cone-shaped skin lesions on the extremities for 3 months. The histopathology revealed remarkable Munro's and Kogoj microabscesses, intense dermal edema, and moderate inflammatory cell infi...

It has recently been suggested that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are important contributors to human ageing and degenerative diseases. Using PCR techniques, we demonstrated three types of mtDNA length mutations, a 4977 bp deletion, a 7436 bp deletion and tandem duplications, in normal human skin tissues. We found that these mutations started...

By polymerase chain reaction technique and DNA sequencing, we demonstrated the existence of multiple deletions in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of human skin tissues obtained from different body sites of an 86-year-old male farmer. We examined four types of skin tissues of different physiologic conditions, including sun-exposed, nonexposed, precanc...

A 19-year-old Chinese female presenting mucocutaneous manifestations including facial trichilemmomas, oral papillomatosis, and acral keratosis was diagnosed, according to the criteria proposed by Salem and Steck, as a definite case of Cowden's disease, although no members of her family were affected. The cutaneous reticulohistiocytic granuloma and...

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations have recently been proposed as important contributors to ageing and degenerative diseases. In this study, we applied the polymerase chain reaction technique to detect 4.977 bp-deleted mtDNA, the most common and abundant deletion of mtDNA, in normal human skin. None of the skin specimens from patients less than 60...

Seawater and its isotopic composition is the most promising recorder for the climate change of the Earth. Chemical sediments such as carbonate and phosphorite has long been used to reveal the seawater chemistry in the past. The d13C of carbonate with least diagenesis has proved to be sensitive proxy for paleo-environment and paleo-productivity and...

The paleo-ocean environmental change during the Precambrian-Cambrian transition is a key issue related to the causes for an explosive radiation of different metazoan phyla during Early Cambrian. The chemical and isotopic compositions of marine sediments and chemical precipitates such as carbonates, phosphorites, siliceous rocks, and black shales re...

CASE REPORT A 27-year-old Chinese female presented with several reddish patches with target-like appearance over the face, shoulder, and both forearms for 2 weeks (Fig. 1). In the meanwhile, fever to 38.5˚C with general malaise, and arthragia over left elbow and knee were first noted for 2 weeks. There was no past history of herpes simplex virus in...