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.

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

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.

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.

The sample delivery method is one of the key steps in implementing serial femtosecond crystallography research using X-ray free-electron lasers. Serial femtosecond crystallography can effectively capture the ultrafast dynamic processes of biological molecules, such as protein conformational changes and intermediate states in chemical reactions. It is of great significance for scientists to better understand the structure and function of biological molecules, reveal the mechanisms of life activities, and provide important technical means for drug development and biotechnology. When conducting experiments at X-ray free-electron laser beamline station, it is crucial to transport the samples to the region where it interacts with the free-electron laser pulses. The choice of suitable sample delivery method plays a decisive role in the sample consumption and experimental efficiency, and it is also an important factor for the success or failure of the experiment. This article reviews the latest research progress and future development directions of sample delivery methods in serial crystallography. It also introduces commonly used sample delivery methods and their applicable ranges, aiming to provide reference and guidance for scientists engaged in serial crystallography research. The sample transport methods of free electron lasers mainly include liquid injection and fixed target sample transport. The liquid injection method is achieved through various liquid sample injectors. The aqueous solution is driven by a peristaltic pump on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) into a sample storage, and the aqueous solution pushes the piston in the sample storage to extrude the sample solution into the sample transport pipeline, and finally sprays it out through the nozzle to reach the XFEL interaction region. For micro-nano crystals,3 preparation methods are introduced, including free interface diffusion method, seeding method, and batch crystallization, and characterization methods are also introduced. For the requirements of high sample transmission efficiency and low sample consumption, a gas-based liquid flow transport method is introduced, which is based on the principle of focusing the sample jet by coaxial gas to form a jet with a small diameter and fast flow rate. At the same time, the extended double flow focusing nozzle and mixed injection nozzle are briefly described. For samples in viscous media, a high viscosity liquid injection device is introduced, and the advantages and disadvantages of different media are explained and exemplified. In addition, the principle and example of electrostatic spinning injector and piezoelectric driven droplet injection technology applied to low-velocity serial crystallography experiments are also introduced. For the above liquid injection methods, a characterization method using a coaxial microscope or side-view microscope to measure the diameter and stable length of the liquid flow is introduced. Compared with the liquid injection method, the fixed target method is to fix the crystal on a support chip with a periodic array structure, and collect data through scanning. The working principle, sample environment, support materials, etc. of the fixed target method are briefly introduced in the article. With the advancement and development of technologies such as free electron lasers and detectors, various sampling methods for serial crystallography are constantly being innovated and optimized. By selecting appropriate sample delivery methods, it will be possible to improve experimental efficiency, reduce sample consumption, and open up new possibilities for researchers in the field of structural biology of biomacromolecules.

Chronic inflammation is thought to be the leading cause of colorectal cancer, and interleukin-10 (IL10) has been identified as a potent immunomodulatory cytokine that regulates inflammatory responses in the gastrointestinal tract. Although several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL10 have been associated with the risk of colorectal cancer, their prognostic significance has not been determined. Two hundred and eighty-two colorectal cancer patients were genotyped for two candidate cancer-associated SNPs in IL10. The associations of these SNPs with distant metastasis-free survival and overall survival were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression model. The minor homozygote GG genotype of IL10 rs3021094 was significantly associated with a 3.30-fold higher risk of death compared with the TT+TG genotypes (P=0.011). The patients with IL10 rs3021094 GG genotype also had a poorer overall survival in Kaplan-Meier analysis (log-rank P=0.007) and in multivariate Cox regression model (P=0.044) adjusting for age, gender, carcinoembryonic antigen levels, tumor differentiation, stage, lymphovascular invasion, and perineural invasion. In conclusion, our results suggest that IL10 rs3021094 might be a valuable prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer patients.
Aged ; Alleles ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/blood ; Cell Differentiation ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*genetics/mortality/pathology ; Female ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Interleukin-10/*genetics ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; *Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Regression Analysis ; Tumor Markers, Biological/genetics

Human diphyllobothriasis is a parasitic disease caused by ingestion of larvae (plerocercoids) in raw or undercooked fish and commonly found in temperate areas. Rare cases were reported in tropical or subtropical areas especially in children. The first documented case of pediatric diphyllobothriasis in Taiwan had been reported 11 years ago. Here, we report another 8-year-old girl case who presented with a live noodle-like worm hanging down from her anus, with no other detectable symptoms. We pulled the worm out and found the strobila being 260 cm in length. Examination of gravid proglottids showed that they were wider than their lengths, containing an ovoid cirrus sac in the anterior side and the rosette-shaped uterus. Eggs extracted from the uterus were ovoid and operculated. Diphyllobothrium latum was confirmed by molecular analysis of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. The girl was treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel, and no eggs or proglottids were observed from her stool in the subsequent 3 months. The reemergence of human diphyllobothriasis in non-endemic countries is probably due to prevalent habit of eating imported raw fish from endemic areas. This pediatric case raised our concern that human diphyllobothriasis is likely underestimated because of unremarkable symptoms.
Anal Canal ; Child ; Diphyllobothriasis ; Diphyllobothrium* ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Eating ; Eggs ; Electron Transport Complex IV ; Female ; Humans ; Larva ; Ovum ; Parasitic Diseases ; Praziquantel ; Taiwan* ; Uterus