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Introduction
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August 1999 - present
Education
August 1992 - December 1997
Publications
Publications (89)
Background: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) impact on healthcare systems is concerning due to high treatment cost and increased hospitalization time. We found that the incidence rate of CDI increased annually at Taipei Medical University Hospital (TMUH). The study aimed to establish monitoring indicators for hospitalized patients receiving an...
Dry eye syndrome (DES) has become increasingly prevalent due to the prolonged use of digital devices in modern society. Individual supplementation with lutein, anthocyanins or astaxanthin demonstrated potential benefits for eye health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of lutein complex supplementation on DES, visual function, and serum l...
Background
Several studies revealed the beneficial effects of probiotics against the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea of hospitalized patients but it is rarely to assess the nutrition status. This study investigated the effects of probiotics in elderly hospitalized tube-fed patients with antibiotics use and is the first study that concer...
(1) Background: Adipose tissue serves as a central repository for energy storage and is an endocrine organ capable of secreting various adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin. These adipokines exert profound influences on diverse physiological processes such as insulin sensitivity, appetite regulation, lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis, an...
(1) Background: According to the 2005~2008 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT), more than half of Taiwanese women (57.3%) had metabolic syndrome during menopause. Metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality. Epidemiological studies...
To assess the effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) on ultraviolet A (UVA)-induced damage in HaCaT keratinocytes. HaCaT keratinocytes were UVA-irradiated, and the effects of HSYA on cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation, and messenger (m)RNA expression were measured. mRNA expressions of matrix metalloprote...
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) supplementation on bone growth in growing rats. Methods: We used 3-week-old male Wistar rats to simulate childhood and adolescent growth stages. Rats were divided into four groups as follows: a control group (C), a low-dose group (L, 20.65 mg/kg body weight...
This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of probiotics in elderly hospitalized tube-fed patients undergoing antibiotic therapy for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Probiotics were administered to 29 patients, with twice-daily doses for 7 days following the completion of antibiotic treatment. In the probiotic group, while stool...
Postmenopausal obesity is a rising problem. Melatonin (Mel) is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that regulates the circadian rhythms and improves obesity. In this experiment, ovariectomized (OVX) rats were used as a menopause model to explore the effects of Mel supplementation on lipid metabolism, body fat accumulation, and obesity. Nine-week...
Background: Food literacy is a collection of interrelated knowledge, skills, and behavior required to plan, manage, select, prepare, and eat food for further meeting dietary requirements and determining dietary intake. In Indonesia, 93.6% of all adolescents aged 10 years or over consumed an inadequate amount of fruits and vegetables and more than h...
Background:
Obesity is a state of excess energy storage resulting in body fat accumulation, and postmenopausal obesity is a rising issue. In this study using ovariectomized (OVX) rats, we mimicked low estrogen levels in a postmenopausal state in order to investigate the effects of different amounts and types of dietary fatty acids on body fat accu...
There exists an intermediate group of individuals whose glucose levels do not meet the criteria for diabetes yet are higher than those considered normal (prediabetes mellitus (preDM)). Those people have a higher risk of developing diabetes in the future. Gynura bicolor (GB) is a red-purple-colored vegetable, which is common in Taiwan. GB has shown...
Metabolic syndrome is an aggregation of conditions and associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Edible mushrooms are widely consumed in many countries and are valuable components of the diet because of their attractive taste, aroma, and nutritional value. Medicinal mushrooms are higher fun...
Melatonin, a pivotal photoperiodic signal transducer, may work as a brown-fat inducer that regulates energy balance. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of melatonin treatment on the body fat accumulation, lipid profiles, and circulating irisin of rats with high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO). Methods: 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divide...
Perceived stress is the degree of stress experienced by an individual in the face of a stressor. Studies have shown that stress affects emotions, leads to behavioral changes, and is likely to trigger physical illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress is classified as a health epidemic of the 21st century; in the meantime,...
Research indicates that high sugar intake in early childhood may increase risks of tooth decay, obesity and chronic disease later in life. In this sugar fact study, we explored whether an online intervention which focused on comprehensive and useful information about nutrition labels impacted mother’s choice of low sugar food. The intervention was...
The degree of perceived stress affects the emotional response of humans, leads to behavioral changes, and is more likely to trigger physical illness. Many studies have indicated that the level of stress and amount of stressors are related to overeating and unhealthy eating behavior, which will cause obesity in the long run. According to the statist...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of melatonin on hepatic lipid metabolism in hamsters with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced dyslipidemia. Male Syrian hamsters were kept on either a chow control (C) or HFD for four weeks. After four weeks, animals fed the HFD were further randomly assigned to four groups: high-fat only (P), melatonin l...
Menopause is associated with changes in body composition (a decline in lean body mass and an increase in total fat mass), leading to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and heart disease. A healthy diet to control body weight is an effective strategy for preventing and treating menopause-related metabolic synd...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the ingestion of tomato before bed on obese postmenopausal women's urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) level and sleep quality. We quantified melatonin concentrations in beefsteak tomato, black tomato, and two commercial tomato juices and found that beefsteak tomato contained the highest leve...
A content analysis was used to investigate the marketing strategies, serving size, and nutrition quality in Taiwan popular children’s snacks and drinks. A total of 361 snacks and 246 drinks were collected. It was found that 38.6% of snacks and 25.3% of drinks were child-targeted (CT) foods, and 78.1% and 85.4% of the snacks and drinks had health an...
Objectives:
Gut microbiota dysbiosis is known to be associated with diabetes; however, the findings of previous studies are conflicting. To clarify the association between type 2 diabetes and the gut microbiota, the present study analyzed the composition of fecal gut microbiota and its correlation with specific clinical parameters in newly diagnos...
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are distinguished from other triglycerides in that each fat molecule consists of 6 to 12 carbons in length. MCTs and long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) are absorbed and utilized in different ways. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of replacing soybean oil with MCT oil, in a low- or high-fat diet, on lipi...
Background & Aims
This study explored whether moderate weight loss or a reduction in interleukin (IL)‐6 improve the serum iron status in overweight (OW) and obese adults supplemented with or without fish oil.
Methods and Results
In total, 93 OW /obese Taiwanese adults with ≥2 metabolic components were randomized to a 12‐week calorie‐restricted die...
The purpose of this study was to clarify the hepatoprotective mechanisms of fish oil in ethanol-fed rats based on lipid metabolism. Thirty eight-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into six groups: C (control), CF25 (control diet with 25% fish oil substitution), CF57 (control diet with 57% fish oil substitution), E (ethanol-containing diet) grou...
Taiwanese green propolis ethanol extract (TGPE) is produced only in Taiwan and has a different composition from other types of propolis. TGPE is known for its anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and anti-microbial properties, but the effects and mechanisms of TGPE in the modulation of diabetes are unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects...
A higher sugar intake in infancy might result in a predisposition to a higher sugar intake in later childhood. In Taiwan, many commercial infant and toddler foods with nutrition claims have high sugar content. This study explored the influence of mothers’ knowledge and attitudes on their purchase intention for infant food with nutrition claims. Thi...
Sixty male Wistar rats were fed a control or an ethanol-containing diet in groups C or E. The fat compositions were adjusted with 25% or 57% fish oil substituted for olive oil in groups CF25, CF57, EF25, and EF57. Hepatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels, cytochrome P450 2E1 protein expression, and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-)...
Objective:
To fully explain the dynamic and comprehensive etiology of the trajectory associated with adiposity indices.
Methods:
This study involved data of 5572 children, aged 6-11 years, as part of the Taiwan Children Health Study (TCHS). The present study introduced four distinct BMI trajectories, identified previously among children: persist...
Diabetes is often associated with decreased melatonin level. The aim was to investigate the effects of different dosage of melatonin on glucose hemostasis, antioxidant ability and adipokines secretion in diabetic institute for cancer research (ICR) mice. Forty animals were randomly divided into five groups including control (C), diabetic (D), low-d...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a high fat diet with experimental oil consisting of 60% MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) with a P/S ratio of 5 on fat deposition and lipid metabolism in obese hamsters. Hamsters were randomly assigned to a control group and a diet-induced obesity group for nine weeks. Then an additional eigh...
Dysregulated iron metabolism is associated with altered body composition and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, mechanisms underlying this association remain undefined. We investigated this association in 117 women. Middle-aged women (≥45 years old (y)) were heavier and had lower serum iron, higher serum hepcidin, ferritin, and seve...
Background: A wealth of research has reported on the anti-obesity effects of green tea extract (GTE). Although browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has been reported to attenuate obesity, no study has disclosed the effects of GTE on browning in Sprague Dawley rats.
Objectives: The aims of the study were to investigate the effects of GTE on anti-o...
Abnormal glucose metabolism in the brain is recognized to be associated with cognitive decline. Because grapes are rich in polyphenols that produce antioxidative and blood sugar-lowering effects, we investigated how grape consumption affects the expression and/or phosphorylation of neurodegeneration-related brain proteins in aged rats fed a high-fr...
Background and objectives:
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is generally used for evaluating liver function, and its concentrations are closely associated with sex and nutritional status. This study investigates the relationships between dietary components and serum ALT activity in Taiwanese adolescents.
Methods and study design:
Data were collect...
Impaired homocysteine metabolism plays an important role in alcoholic liver disease (ALD); however, there are limited data about its relationship with the risk and severity of patients with ALD in Taiwan. To understand plasma homocysteine and related vitamin concentrations in patients with ALD in Taiwan, we recruited 50 male patients with ALD from...
We aimed to investigate the effect of enriched 3-prebiotic formula (including inulin, fructooligosaccharides, and galactooligosaccharides) on toddler gut health by measuring fecal microbiota. Our results revealed that the consumption of 3-prebiotic formula three times per day giving total intake of 1.8 g prebiotic ingredients significantly showed t...
Globesity refers to the worldwide increase of excess weight and obesity according to World Health Organization. Previous studies indicated melatonin, master clock controlling circadian rhythm, may halt body weight gain by increasing recruitment of brown adipose tissues. In light of the pressing need to check the progression of obesity, our study wa...
It has been indicated that probiotics can be nourished by consuming prebiotics in order to function more efficiently, allowing the bacteria to stay within a healthy balance. In this study, we investigated the effects of xylooligosaccharides- (XOS-) enriched rice porridge consumption on the ecosystem in the intestinal tract of human subjects. Twenty...
The purpose of this study was to assess of calcium intervention on the effectiveness of a weight-loss program for obese people. All subjects had an initial BMI (body mass index) >24 kg/m 2 and low calcium diet (<500 mg/d). Forty-two healthy overweight or obese people were randomly and equally divided into two groups: a Hi-Ca group (female: 16, male...
This study investigated the effect of resistant maltodextrin (RMD) on reproduction in streptozotocin (STZ)-nicotinamide-induced type 2 diabetic male rats. Forty male rats were induced with diabetes by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (50 mg kg(-1) ) and nicotinamide (100 mg kg(-1) ). Five groups were analysed in total: normal, diabetic rat...
Amenopause-inducedestrogendeficiencymightincreasebody-fataccumu- lation,�insulinresistance,�andabnormalbloodsugarandlipids.�Thus,�postmenopausal� womenhaveahighriskofcardiovasculardiseases.�Somestudiesindicatedthatsoycan� improvethesyndromeofmenopause,�andwhole-grainfoodscanreducebloodcho- lesterolconcentrations.�Inthepresentstudy,�undera�1200-kcal...
In adults, low circulating interleukin 10 (IL10) has been associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, studies investigating IL10 in overweight and obese children have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with serum IL10 concentration in young Chinese adolescents.
Young adolescents (n=325...
In view of metabolic syndrome is a global health issue, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of high fiber noodle (HFN) and fibersol‐2 on its major indicators ‐ hyperlipidemic and diabetic animals. In hyperlipidemic model, male Syrian Hamsters were divided into 4 groups and fed a high fat with 0.2% cholesterol‐enriched diet. Animals w...
Obesity is associated with several chronic diseases such as metabolic syndromes, obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases, and gout. Dietary control and regular exercise are the cornerstones of therapies. This objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a 4‐week high protein diet with conventional low‐caloric diet on weight los...
The study explored the effects of different amounts of dietary fatty acids on body weight, fat accumulation and lipid metabolism in hamsters. We conducted 12 wk intervention with sixty male golden Syrian hamsters were randomly divided into six groups. Three of the groups fed with experimental diets containing 5%, 15% and 20% (w/w) fat of soybean oi...
Recent studies indicate that Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD). An impaired insulin signaling caused by insulin resistance may result in abnormal protein expressions in the brain and neuron damages. The study aimed to investigate the prevention of AD type neurodegeneration by consuming polyphenol...
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common and complex female endocrinopathy that is associated with multiple vascular risk factors. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and endogenous androgens in young Taiwanese-Chinese women with PCOS. We measured CIMT with B-mode ultrasound in 42 youn...
The objective of this study is to provide details on probiotic supplement use among young children in Taiwan.
This study is based on the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study database. We used questionnaires to collect information on probiotic supplement use among young children from birth to 18 months of age, while also considering their demographic character...
This investigation attempted to clarify the effects of soy protein on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in rats undergoing ethanol withdrawal.
Alcoholic liver disease was induced in rats by administration of a low-carbohydrate ethanol liquid diet for 12 weeks, after which the ethanol was withdrawn and the rats were divided into two experimental groups:...
Background & aim
Supplementation with probiotic Bifidobacteria or Lactobacilli or the combination of both, has been shown to maintain a healthy balance of bacterial flora in the intestinal lumen. A placebo-controlled, crossover, self-comparing clinical study evaluated the probiotic effects of Lactobacillus fermentum P.C.C. (ProBioPCC) on gastrointe...
To investigate the effect of extracted soybean saponins on the growth of human colon cancer cells.
WiDr human colon cancer cells were treated with 150, 300, 600 or 1200 ppm of soy saponin to determine the effect on cell growth, cell morphology, alkaline phosphatase (AP) and protein kinase C (PKC) activities, and P53 protein, c-Fos and c-Jun gene ex...
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between high monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) with different levels of polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid (P/S) ratios and body fat loss in diet-induced obesity (DIO) models.
Male Golden Syrian hamsters were randomly assigned to the control group (n=12) and obesity group (n=24) for 4 week...
Effects of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption on regulating body fat accumulation and body weight gain are controversial between animal and human studies.
We designed a 2 x 2 factorial study, with two levels of MUFAs (60% and 30%) and two levels of polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid (P/S) ratio (5 and...
Chronic arsenic exposure results in an increased oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. Glutamine (GLN) is an amino acid considered to have immunomodulatory effects and attenuate the inflammatory reaction. This study was designed to examine the effect of GLN supplementation on inflammatory-related leukocyte integrin expression and in vitro...
This study investigated the effects of fish oil on adhesion molecule expression and tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in hypercholesterolemic mice with sepsis. There were one control and two experimental groups in this study. The control group (C) was fed a regular chow diet for 7 weeks, while hypercholesterolemia in the experimental group was...
The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in brain sulfur-containing amino acid (SCAA) metabolism to determine whether taurine intervened under continuous alcohol intake. We fed 80 male Sprague-Dawley rats 30% alcohol-containing water for 4 weeks. Eighty animals were divided into two groups (with or without 2 g/kg body weight taurine s...
In much medical and clinical research, strong fibrinolytic activity, anti-hypertension, and cancer and bone fracture prevention were demonstrated using the "natto bean". Red yeast (monascus purpureus) can inhibit enzymes that are involved in cholesterol biosynthesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypolipidemic action of nattokinase c...
This study was designed to obtain baseline data regarding self-reported body image, attitudes toward overweight people, and dietary behaviors of normal-weight and obese women in Taiwan. Fifty obese women (BMI >= 27) and age-matched normal-weight women participated in this study. Written questionnaires were used for data collection. Simple frequency...
This study investigated the effects of a soy-based low-calorie diet on weight control, body composition, and blood lipid profiles compared with a traditional low-calorie diet.
Thirty obese adults (mean body mass index 29-30 kg/m(2)) were randomized to two groups. The soy-based low-calorie group consumed soy protein as the only protein source, and t...
Chitosan is the most abundant natural amino polysaccharide and is being used as a new source of dietary fiber. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of water-soluble and water-insoluble chitosan supplementation on blood lipid profiles and mineral status, including calcium, magnesium, and iron, in elderly hyperlipidemic patients. Sixt...
We examined the plasma levels of carotenoids in young adults after a dietary intervention composed of increased intakes of fruits and stir-fried vegetables from a Taiwanese mixed diet. Thirty-four apparently healthy, non-smoking subjects who normally ingested less than two and a half servings of fruits and vegetables daily were selected for the stu...
In this study, we compared the Segmental Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (SBIA), Foot-to-Foot Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (FFA), Hand-to-Hand Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (HHA), and Near Infra-red Interactance (NIRI) for measuring the accuracy of body fat percentage and determined the correlations of body composition for both normal and o...
To better understand the potential use of fetal marrow stromal cells (MSCs) in bone tissue engineering, we compared the ability of these cells with those of adult MSCs with respect to osteoblasts differentiation in the presence or absence of glucocorticoids. Cells were grown for 3-4 weeks in basal medium or supplemented with 100 nM dexamethasone (D...