Thirty-six middle schools' boys, 14 to 19 years of age are selected as subjects. Most of them have been previously found to show symptoms associated with riboflavin deficiency. Their riboflavin intake is calculated to be about 0.4 mg per person per day.A one-hour urine sample is collected at S a. m. Immediately after collection, the boys are subjected to a 2 mg riboflavin loading test administered orally. Hourly urine samples' are collected for the four hours directly following the intake.The subjects are divided into 4 groups with 8 to 10 students in each group. Each student in group I is given orally a daily riboflavin supplement of 0.5 mg; group II, 1.0 mg; group III, 1.5 mg; and group IV receives no riboflavin supplement, but ointment treatment for scrotal dermatitis is applied. The procedure is carried out for a period of 14 days. The boys eat the ordinary school food and participate in the usual school activities.At the end of the 14-day period, a 1-hour urine sample is again collected. Another 2 mg loading test is performed, hourly urine samples being collected for 4 hours. All the urine samples are preserved with glacial acetic acid and toluene and stored in an electric refrigerator. The Lactobacillus casei method is used for the analysis of riboflavin.The results of the one-hour urine riboflavin analysis agree well with the dietary survey, showing very low values before the supplement, averaging 1.4 micrograms for the hour. After the administration of the supplement for two weeks, the riboflavin content in the one-hour urine samples increases stepwise with the increase in supplement, the highest being 11.4 for the 1.5 mg supplemented group. No increase is observed in the group IV using ointments.The 4-hourly urinary riboflavin excretion following the administration of the 2 mg load averages over per cent before the supplement and increases to 11.5, 15.6 and 17.8 per cent for the 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mg supplemented groups respectively. The curves in Fig. 1 show the hourly excretion of the 3 groups before and after supplementation.Clinical observations show that supplementation of 1 mg or more relieves some of the deficiency symptoms.It is suggested that in addition to the daily intake of about 0.4 mg 時iboflavin in the diet, 1.5 mg more should be added to keep the middle school boys in optimal riboflavin nutrition.

A case of furuncular myiasis was reported for the first time in a 29-year-old young Taiwanese traveler returning from an ecotourism in Peru. Furuncle-like lesions were observed on the top of his head and he complained of crawling sensations within his scalp. The invasive larva of botfly, Dermatobia hominis, was extruded from the furuncular lesion of the patient. Awareness of cutaneous myiasis for clinicians should be considered for a patient who has a furuncular lesion and has recently returned from a botfly-endemic area.
Adult ; Animals ; Diptera ; growth & development ; physiology ; Humans ; Larva ; physiology ; Male ; Myiasis ; diagnosis ; parasitology ; Taiwan ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To explore the impact of the participation of patients with chronic mental illness in health promotion activities on their physical, psychological, and social functions. Methods: This study included inpatient with chronic mental illness from a hospital in Eastern Taiwan. According to the experimental research design, the selected subjects were randomly divided into a health promotion group and a control group, with 60 people in each group. The health promotion team conducts health promotion activities twice a week, each for approximately 50 minutes, over the course of eight weeks (16 times in total). The measurement instrument adopts the Adult Mental Health Scale (AMHS) scale. Five experts and scholars in related fields are invited to conduct expert validity. Results: Using independent sample t-tests to analyze the changes in the two groups after 8 weeks, the physical, psychological and social problems of the health promotion group were significantly improved compared with the control group. Conclusion Health promotion activities can alleviate the physical illness, anxiety, irritability, depression, and social distress of chronic hospitalized mental patients, and can also increase their positive and optimistic mood. It can provide chronic mental health care institutions to plan patients’ physical activities or exercises.

Identification of the stages of smoking cessation among smokers is essential to improve the rate of smoking cessation. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence and factors associated with stages of smoking cessation across the demographic distribution of adult smokers in Malaysia. Data were derived from a population-based study among Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above. Face-to-face interviews were carried out by trained staff using a validated questionnaire to obtain data related to smoking from 4,288 selected respondents. Of 4,288, 438 respondents are current smokers. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with stage of smoking cessation. Approximately 60% (n=269/438) of the current smokers were in the pre-contemplation stage and 40% (n=169/438) were in the contemplation and preparation stages of smoking cessation. The proportion of pre-contemplators was higher among smokers with higher levels of nicotine addiction (71.3%), lower education attainment (71.4%), and those who were single/widowed/divorced (66.9%). Multivariable analysis showed that males, and those who reported low to high level of nicotine addiction were more likely to be in the pre-contemplation stage whilst those in the older age groups were more likely to be in the advanced stage of smoking cessation. The study revealed that the majority of current smokers in Malaysia had no intention to quit smoking within 6 months. Specific interventions targeting males, young adults and smokers with low to high nicotine addiction should be introduced to ensure the smokers proceed to the advanced stage of smoking cessation.

PURPOSE: The purpose was to explore the breastfeeding experiences of mothers of infants with breast-feeding or breast milk jaundice. METHODS: In-depth qualitative interviews and content analysis were conducted with nine mothers of newborns with breastfeeding and/or breast milk jaundice who breastfed their babies during the first year postpartum. RESULTS: Mothers' experiences can be described in four phases and six themes. (1) Prenatal stage: build breastfeeding belief, i.e., breastfeeding is best and a natural behavior, without awareness of neonatal jaundice; (2) stage after neonatal jaundice started to appear: include two themes, questioning beliefs in breastfeeding and happiness in being a mother. Mothers lacked knowledge and ignored the threat of neonatal jaundice, mainly focused on their physical discomforts and worried about insufficient breast milk; they also felt an intimate mothereinfant bond through breastfeeding; (3) stage when newborns had confirmed diagnosis of breastfeeding or breast milk jaundice that required medical attention: include two themes, diagnosis of breastfeeding or breast milk jaundice and phototherapy caused negative emotions and regaining original beliefs about breastfeeding. They struggled through emotional swings and inconsistent advices about whether phototherapy and formula supplementation are needed. Then, they decided breastfeeding or breast milk jaundice is only temporary and retrieved initial beliefs of breastfeeding. (4) Stage after neonatal jaundice faded and mothers continued breastfeeding: insisting and adapting. CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding mothers were unaware of neonatal jaundice until medical attention was required; they experienced physical and mental distress and gradually learned to manage jaundice while insisting on breastfeeding through their breastfeeding beliefs and happiness in being mothers.
Anxiety ; Breast Feeding ; Breast ; Diagnosis ; Happiness ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Neonatal ; Milk, Human ; Mothers ; Phototherapy ; Postpartum Period ; Qualitative Research

BACKGROUND: Liver inflammation is the main cause of severe liver diseases, including liver fibrosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell therapy topics are receiving increasingly more attention. The therapeutic applications of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have become one of the most discussed issues. While other stem cells have therapeutic effects, they have only one or two clinical applications. MSCs are responsible for repairing a variety of tissue injuries. Moreover, MSCs could be derived from several sources, including adipose tissue. MSCs are usually more abundant and easier to obtain compared to other stem cells. METHODS: To prove the concept that MSCs have homing ability to the injured tissue and assist in tissue repair, we examined the effects of intravenous injected adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) in a N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)-induced liver injury rat model. RESULTS: The significant repairing ability of ADSCs was observed. The levels of fibrosis, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis in the DEN-injured liver tissues all decreased after ADSC treatment. Furthermore, to enhance the therapeutic effects of ADSCs, we pretreated them with L-theanine, which promotes the hepatocyte growth factor secretion of ADSC, and therefore improved the healing effects on injured liver tissue. CONCLUSION ADSCs, especially L-theanine-pretreated ADSCs, have anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-tumorigenesis effects on the N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced liver injury rat model.

Objective: The Cancer Genome Atlas study revealed an association between copy-number high (p53 abnormal) genetic mutation and poor prognosis in endometrial cancer in 2013.This retrospective study investigated outcomes in patients with abnormal p53 expression and stage I, low-grade endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC). Methods: We enrolled women with stage I, grade 1 or 2 EEC who received comprehensive staging and adjuvant therapy between January 2019 and December 2022 at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Pathologists interpreted immunohistochemistry stains of cancerous tissues to detect p53 mutation. We compared recurrence, survival, progressionfree survival, and overall survival between p53 abnormal and p53 normal groups. Results: Of the 115 patients included, 26 had pathologically confirmed abnormal p53 expression. Of these 26 patients, five (19.2%) experienced recurrence, and two died due to disease progression. By contrast, no patients in the normal p53 group experienced disease recurrence or died due to disease progression. Significant intergroup differences were discovered in recurrent disease status (19.4% vs. 0%, p<0.001), mortality (7.7% vs.0%, p<0.001), and progression-free survival (p<0.001). The overall survival (p=0.055) also showed powerful worse trend. Conclusion For patients with stage I, low-grade EEC, abnormal p53 expression may be used as an indicator of poor prognosis. Therefore, we suggest considering aggressive adjuvant therapies for these patients.

Objective: The Cancer Genome Atlas study revealed an association between copy-number high (p53 abnormal) genetic mutation and poor prognosis in endometrial cancer in 2013.This retrospective study investigated outcomes in patients with abnormal p53 expression and stage I, low-grade endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC). Methods: We enrolled women with stage I, grade 1 or 2 EEC who received comprehensive staging and adjuvant therapy between January 2019 and December 2022 at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Pathologists interpreted immunohistochemistry stains of cancerous tissues to detect p53 mutation. We compared recurrence, survival, progressionfree survival, and overall survival between p53 abnormal and p53 normal groups. Results: Of the 115 patients included, 26 had pathologically confirmed abnormal p53 expression. Of these 26 patients, five (19.2%) experienced recurrence, and two died due to disease progression. By contrast, no patients in the normal p53 group experienced disease recurrence or died due to disease progression. Significant intergroup differences were discovered in recurrent disease status (19.4% vs. 0%, p<0.001), mortality (7.7% vs.0%, p<0.001), and progression-free survival (p<0.001). The overall survival (p=0.055) also showed powerful worse trend. Conclusion For patients with stage I, low-grade EEC, abnormal p53 expression may be used as an indicator of poor prognosis. Therefore, we suggest considering aggressive adjuvant therapies for these patients.

Objective: The Cancer Genome Atlas study revealed an association between copy-number high (p53 abnormal) genetic mutation and poor prognosis in endometrial cancer in 2013.This retrospective study investigated outcomes in patients with abnormal p53 expression and stage I, low-grade endometrial endometrioid carcinoma (EEC). Methods: We enrolled women with stage I, grade 1 or 2 EEC who received comprehensive staging and adjuvant therapy between January 2019 and December 2022 at MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Pathologists interpreted immunohistochemistry stains of cancerous tissues to detect p53 mutation. We compared recurrence, survival, progressionfree survival, and overall survival between p53 abnormal and p53 normal groups. Results: Of the 115 patients included, 26 had pathologically confirmed abnormal p53 expression. Of these 26 patients, five (19.2%) experienced recurrence, and two died due to disease progression. By contrast, no patients in the normal p53 group experienced disease recurrence or died due to disease progression. Significant intergroup differences were discovered in recurrent disease status (19.4% vs. 0%, p<0.001), mortality (7.7% vs.0%, p<0.001), and progression-free survival (p<0.001). The overall survival (p=0.055) also showed powerful worse trend. Conclusion For patients with stage I, low-grade EEC, abnormal p53 expression may be used as an indicator of poor prognosis. Therefore, we suggest considering aggressive adjuvant therapies for these patients.