Jiun lin Horng

Taipei Medical University | TMU · Department of Anatomy

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are emerging environmental pollutants. Cisplatin, one of the most widely used platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents, has been found to contaminate aquatic environments. Using zebrafish embryos as a model, cisplatin was previously found to impair skin ionocytes and ion regulation. The purpose of this study...

The presence of nanoplastics in aquatic environments is a global problem. Accumulating evidence shows that nanoplastics can accumulate in fish and influence internal organs. However, it is still unknown if nanoplastics can impair skin cells (keratinocytes and ionocytes), which play critical roles in maintaining body fluid homeostasis. In the presen...

Ionocytes in the skin and gills of seawater (SW) fishes are responsible for acid-base regulation and salt secretion. Na + /H + exchangers (NHEs) are considered the major acid (H +)-secreting transporters in ionocytes of SW fishes. However, the subcellular localization and function of a specific NHE isoform (NHE2) have never clearly been revealed. I...

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in our daily life and have become a potential environmental hazard. However, the toxic effects of AgNPs on the early stages of fish are not fully understood, and little is known about their effects on specific types of ionocytes. Using zebrafish embryos as a model, this study examined the effects (...

Environmental contamination by anticancer pharmaceuticals has been widely reported. These drugs are not readily biodegradable, and their parent compounds and/or metabolites have been detected in surface waters and groundwater throughout the world. Adverse effects of anticancer drugs occur frequently in cancer patients, and a large body of clinical...

Silver and silver nanoparticles are used in several consumer products, particularly sterilizing agents. Ag+ released from the particles causes physiological damages of aquatic organisms. However, the effects of silver on neural and behavioral functions of fish remain unclear. Here, we used zebrafish as a model to investigate the impacts of silver o...

Chitosan is suggested as no or low toxicity and biocompatible biomaterial. Digestion of chitosan to reduce molecular weight and formulate nanoparticle was generally used to improve efficiency for DNA or protein delivery. However, the toxicity of low-molecular-weight chitosan (LMWCS) towards freshwater fishes has not been well evaluated. Here, we re...

Synovial sarcoma is a rare but highly malignant and metastatic disease. Despite its relative sensitivity to chemotherapies, the high recurrence and low 5-year survival rate for this disease suggest that new effective therapeutic agents are urgently needed. Marine antimicrobial peptide epinecidin-1 (epi-1), which was identified from orange-spotted g...

The potential toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) to the early stages of fish is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of silver (AgNPs) and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on lateral-line hair cells of zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish embryos were incubated in different concentrations of AgNPs and CuNPs at 0˜96 h post-fertilization...

The potential toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to the early stages of fish is still unclear. This study used zebrafish embryos as a model to investigate the toxic effects of AgNPs on ion regulation by skin ionocytes. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to AgNPs for 96 h (4-100 h post-fertilization (hpf)) or 4 h (96-100 hpf). After 96 h of exposu...

Background: Asian studies on soft tissue sarcoma (STS) incidence, irrespective of the primary site, are scant. Methods: STS data were acquired from the population-based 2007-2013 Taiwan Cancer Registry of the Health and Welfare Data Science Center, Taiwan. Histological subtype-, site-, sex-, and age-specific STS incidence rates were analyzed acc...

A 2-year-old Asian girl presented to our facility for the evaluation of thrombocytopenia. She was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin under the impression of immune thrombocytopenia. However, her body temperature spiked and progressive pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, abnormal liver function, coagulopathy, and pulmonary infiltration developed....

This study aimed to assess the sublethal effects of a platinum-based compound, cisplatin, using a zebrafish model. Zebrafish embryos were incubated in different concentrations of cisplatin at 0-96 h post-fertilization. Using a non-invasive, scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET), we measured the functions of hair cells (Ca2+ influx) and...

BACKGROUND The incidence of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is not well known in Asians. The aims of this study were to survey incidences and clinical features of ITP in Taiwan. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS This study identified 4855 incident ITP cases from the population‐based National Health Insurance Research Database from mid‐2006 to mid‐2013, and c...

Population-based studies on soft tissue sarcomas (STS) incidence beyond extremities and trunk wall are lacking in Asia. In this study, we aimed to report the incidences of STS arise in any part of the body. The data of primary STS registered in the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry during 2007 and 2013 was acquired via the Health and Welfare...

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is an extracellular Ca2+ sensor that plays a critical role in maintaining Ca2+ homeostasis in several organs, including the parathyroid gland and kidneys. In this study, through in situ hybridization, the expression of CaSR mRNA was found in the neuromasts of zebrafish larvae. Immunohistochemistry further demonst...

Background: The incidence of hepatoblastoma is not well known in Taiwan. The goal of this study was to investigate the incidence rates of hepatoblastoma by age and sex. Methods: The data of patients with hepatoblastoma diagnosed from 1995 to 2012 were obtained from the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry. Incidence rates of hepatoblastoma ac...

Molecular mechanisms of Na⁺, Cl⁻, and Ca²⁺ regulation in ionocytes of fish have been well investigated. However, the regulatory mechanism of K⁺ in fishes has been largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of K⁺ regulation in medaka larvae acclimated to fresh water. Using a scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) to mea...

Ionocytes in the skin and gills of seawater (SW) teleosts are responsible for both salt and acid secretion. However, the mechanism through which ionocytes secrete acid is still unclear. Here, we hypothesized that apical Na+/H+ exchangers (NHE2/3), carbonic anhydrase (CA2-like), and basolateral HCO3−/Cl− exchanger (AE1) are involved in acid secretio...

Most epidemiological studies of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) were performed in the Western countries, and only limited data highlighting that in the Asian population. The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis for the incidence rates of STS in Taiwan. This was a population-based study analyzing the incidence rates and trends of the p...

Mammalian aquaporin 1 (AQP1) is well known to function as a membrane channel for H2O and CO2 transport. Zebrafish AQP1a.1 (the homologue of mammalian AQP1) was recently identified in ionocytes of embryos; however its role in ionocytes is still unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that zebrafish AQP1a.1 is involved in the acid secretion by ionocy...

This study examined and compared the incidence patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma among age groups in Taiwan, 30 years after a universal hepatitis B virus immunization program was launched. Data for hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed in 2003-2011 were collected from the population-based Taiwan Cancer Registry. Age-standardized incidence rates wer...

Evidence from our previous study suggested that the incidence of germ cell neoplasms in children and adolescents is increasing. The objectives of this analysis were to quantify this trend in patients aged 0-9 and 10-19 years (pre-pubertal and adolescent groups, respectively) and compare rates in Taiwan according to geographic distribution. Germ cel...

Background: Evidence from our recent study suggested that the overall trend for cancer incidence in children and adolescents has been increasing in Taiwan. Methods: To analyze geographic variations in this trend, cancer frequencies and incidence rates of disease groups were quantified according to geographic areas among 12,633 patients aged <20...

Current information about cancer incidence patterns among infants in East Asia is rare. The objective of this study was to report the first population-based cancer surveillance of infants in Taiwan. Cancer frequencies and incidence rates among subjects aged <1 year for the period 1995-2009 were obtained from the Taiwan Cancer Registry. Types of can...

The anion exchanger (AE) plays critical roles in physiological processes including CO 2 transport and volume regulation in erythrocytes and acid-base regulation in renal tubules. Although expression of the AE in inner-ear hair cells was reported, its specific localization and function are still unclear. Using in situ hybridization, we found that th...

BACKGROUND Currently, little information is available on childhood cancer incidence rates in Eastern Asia. The objective of this study was to report the first population-based cancer surveillance of children and adolescents in Taiwan.METHODS Data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry were examined for cancer frequencies and incidence rates among individu...

The ion regulation mechanisms of fishes have been recently studied in zebrafish (Danio rerio), a stenohaline species. However, recent advances using this organism are not necessarily applicable to euryhaline fishes. The euryhaline species medaka (Oryzias latipes), which, like zebrafish, is genetically well categorized and amenable to molecular mani...

Primary bone cancer (BC) incidence by age has not been surveyed in Asia. The incidence patterns of nine subtypes of primary BCs registered between 2003 and 2010 were analyzed from Taiwan cancer registry data. More specific analyses were conducted within age groups (Group I: 0-24 years; Group II: 25-59 years; and Group III: 60-85+ years). A total of...

##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

Zebrafish lateral-line hair cells are an in vivo model for studying hair cell development, function, and ototoxicity. However, molecular identification and properties of the mechanotransducer (MET) channel in hair cells are still controversial. In this study, a noninvasive electrophysiological technique, the scanning ion-electrode technique (SIET),...

The proton-facilitated ammonia excretion is critical for a fish's ability to excrete ammonia in freshwater. However, it remains unclear whether that mechanism is also critical for ammonia excretion in seawater (SW). Using a scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) to measure H(+) gradients, an acidic boundary layer was detected at the yolk...

In zebrafish, Rhcg1 was found in apical membranes of skin ionocytes (H(+)-ATPase-rich cells; HR cells) which are similar to α-type intercalated cells in mammalian collecting ducts. However, the cellular distribution and role of Rhbg in zebrafish larvae have not been well investigated. In addition, HR cells were hypothesized to excrete ammonia again...

To investigate whether Na(+) uptake by zebrafish is dependent on NH4(+) excretion, a scanning ion-selective electrode technique was applied to measure Na(+) and NH4(+) gradients at the yolk-sac surface of zebrafish larvae. Low-Na(+) acclimation induced an inward Na(+) gradient (uptake), and a combination of low Na(+) and high NH4(+) induced a large...

In the present study, medaka embryos were exposed to acidified freshwater (pH 5) to investigate the mechanism of acid secretion by mitochondrion-rich (MR) cells in embryonic skin. With double or triple in situ hybridization/immunocytochemistry, the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger 3 (NHE3) and H(+)-ATPase were localized in two distinct subtypes of MR cells. NH...

Similar to mammalian proximal tubular cells, H(+)-ATPase rich (HR) cells in zebrafish skin and gills are also responsible for Na(+) uptake and acid secretion functions. However, the basolateral transport pathways in HR cells are still unclear. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis if there are specific slc4 members involved in basolateral...

A noninvasive technique, the scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) was applied to measure Na(+) and Cl(-) transport by the yolk-sac skin and individual mitochondrion-rich cells (MRCs) in intact medaka larvae (Oryzias latipes). In seawater (SW)-acclimated larvae, significant outward Na(+) and Cl(-) gradients were measured at the yolk-sac...

In this study, a scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) was applied to measure H(+), Na(+), and NH(4)(+) gradients and apparent fluxes at specific cells on the skin of medaka larvae. Na(+) uptake and NH(3)/NH(4)(+) excretion were detected at most mitochondrion-rich cells (MRCs). H(+) probing at MRCs revealed two group of MRCs, i.e., acid...

A noninvasive scanning ion-selective electrode technique (SIET) was applied to measure Cl- transport at individual mitochondrion-rich cells (MRCs) in the skin of euryhaline tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) larvae. In seawater (SW)-acclimated larvae, outward Cl- gradients (20-80 mM higher than the background) were measured at the surface, indicatin...

H(+)-ATPase-rich (HR) cells in zebrafish are known to be involved in acid secretion and Na(+) uptake mechanisms in zebrafish gills/skin; however, little is known about how HR cells are functionally regulated. In the present work, we studied the roles of Drosophila glial cell missing (gcm), a cell fate-related transcription factor, in the differenti...

It is important to maintain internal pH homeostasis in biological systems. In our previous studies, H(+)-ATPase-rich (HR) cells were found to be responsible for proton secretion in the skin of zebrafish embryos during development. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to acidic and basic waters to investigate the regulation of HR cell acid...

The transcription factor, glial cell missing 2, is involved in differ- entiation and functional regulation of H􏰀-ATPase-rich cells in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 296: R1192–R1201, 2009. First published February 3, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90973.2008.—H􏰀-ATPase-rich (HR) cells in zebrafish are known to be involve...

The transcription factor, glial cell missing 2, is involved in differ- entiation and functional regulation of H􏰀-ATPase-rich cells in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 296: R1192–R1201, 2009. First published February 3, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90973.2008.—H􏰀-ATPase-rich (HR) cells in zebrafish are known to be involve...

The mechanism of ammonia excretion in freshwater teleosts is not well understood. In this study, scanning ion-selective electrode technique was applied to measure H(+) and NH(4)(+) fluxes in specific cells on the skin of zebrafish larvae. NH(4)(+) extrusion was relatively high in H(+) pump-rich cells, which were identified as the H(+)-secreting ion...

H(+)-ATPase-rich (HR) cells in zebrafish gills/skin were found to carry out Na+ uptake and acid-base regulation through a mechanism similar to that which occurs in mammalian proximal tubular cells. However, the roles of carbonic anhydrases (CAs) in this mechanism in zebrafish HR cells are still unclear. The present study used a functional genomic a...

Expression of the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter in branchial mitochondrion-rich cells of Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) subjected to varying chloride conditions. Zoological Studies 47(6): 733-740. The Na/K/2Cl cotransporter (NKCC) plays a critical role of active Cl- transport through the basolateral membranes of mitochondrion-rich (MR) cells...

In the skin of zebrafish embryo, the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase, H(+) pump) distributed mainly in the apical membrane of H(+)-pump-rich cells, which pump internal acid out of the embryo and function similarly to acid-secreting intercalated cells in mammalian kidney. In addition to acid excretion, the electrogenic H(+) efflux via the H(+)-ATPase...

The mammalian kidney excretes its metabolic acid load through the proton-transporting cells, intercalated cells, in the distal nephron and collecting duct. Fish excrete acid through external organs, gill, or skin; however, the cellular function is still controversial. In this study, molecular and electrophysiological approaches were used to identif...

The perception of equilibrium and sound in fish depends on the deflection of hair bundles of hair cell by the otolith. However, the accreting nature of teleostean otoliths poses a problem for maintenance of proper contact between the hair bundle and the otolith surface. Immunocytochemical staining localizes abundant proton-secreting H(+)-ATPase in...