Currently there are 3 epilepsy surgery programs in Taiwan, Taipei �Veterans General Hospital �or adults and children from 1987, �Lin�kou Cheng Gung �emorial Hospital �from 1988, and Hualien Tzu Chi �Medical Center �from 2��002��. To date, more than 8�00 patients ha�ve �been operated, including lesionectomy, callosotomy, hemispherectomy, deep brain stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation. The development of epilepsy surgery service was attributed to establishment of Taiwan Epilepsy Society in 1990, and availability of various modern techniques to determine the lesions, epileptogenic foci and cortical function.

This study investigated the abnormal expression of ATP synthase β-subunit (ATPsyn-β) in pancreas islets of rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM),and the secretion function changes after up-regulation of ATP5b.Sixty female SD rats were divided into three groups randomly and equally.The rat model of PCOS with T2DM was established by free access to the high-carbohydrate/high-fat diet,subcutaneous injections of DHEA,and a single injection of streptozotocin.The pancreas was removed for the detection of the ATPsyn-β expression by immunohistochemical staining,Western blotting and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).The pancreas islets of the rats were cultured,isolated with collagenase Ⅴ and purified by gradient centrifugation,and the insulin secretion after treatment with different glucose concentrations was tested.Lentivirus ATP5b was successfully constructed with the vector of GV208 and transfected into the pancreas islets for the over-expression of ATPsyn-β.The insulin secretion and intracellular ATP content were determined after transfection of the PCOS-T2DM pancreas islets with Lenti-ATP5b.The results showed that the expression of ATPsyn-β protein and mRNA was significantly decreased in the pancreas of PCOS-T2DM rats.The ATP content in the pancreas islets was greatly increased and the insulin secretion was improved after the up-regulation of ATPsyn-β in the pancreas islets transfected with lenti-ATP5b.These results indicated that for PCOS,the ATPsyn-β might be one of the key factors for the attack of T2DM.

OBJECTIVETo study the selective isolation of a single chemical component from volatile oil of Fructus foeniculi by inclucion method.

METHODThe host molecule was selected and a single chemical component isolated from volatile oil by the host-guest recognition.

RESULTX-ray single crystal analysis showed that 1,1,6,6-tetraphenylhexa-2, 4-diyne-1, 6-diol could successfully include 4-[1-propenyl] benzaldehyde from volatile oil of Fructus foeniculi.

CONCLUSIONThe host-guest inclusion technology can be used to isolate a single component selectively from mixture.

Crystallization ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; methods ; Foeniculum ; chemistry ; Molecular Conformation ; Oils, Volatile ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Seeds ; chemistry

Objective To evaluate the change of treatment gap of epilepsy after intervention in rural areas of China.Method Six months after being stopped from the intervention project in 2004,using the same method as the first survey at the baseline,a door-to-door epidemiological survey was conducted again in 5 rural areas where the intervention measures had been carried out for about 3 years.Results Three hundred and twenty cases of epilepsy were diagnosed in the total sample population,yielding a prevalence rate of 0.62% and the prevalence of active epilepsy 0.44%.The prevalence and the active prevalence of epilepsy in the survey in 2000 were 0.70% and 0.46% respectively.Of the people with epilepsy,39.1% were treated regularly which increased about 14% than that in the baseline survey (24.8%).The treatment gap for active epilepsy was 49.8%,which decreased by 12.8% than that in the first survey (62.6%). Conclusion The treatment gap of epilepsy in the demonstration areas has decreased remarkably,proving that the intervention measures used in the study are effective and feasible in rural areas of China.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of peripheral blood gammadelta T cells/CD4 CD25+ regulatory T cells(Treg) and cytokines interleukin 17 (IL-17) and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) in patients with allergic rhinitis.

METHODSFrom March 2012 to July 2012, 32 patients with allergic rhinitis (AR group) and 20 healthy control subjects (control group) were collected. The expression of peripheral blood gammadelta T cells/Treg cells were measured by flow cytometry and the levels of IL-17 and TGF-beta1 were evaluated by ELISA. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data.

RESULTSThe percentages of gammadeltaT cells in AR group were (13.30 +/- 8.62)%, which was significantly higher (t = 5.18, P < 0.01) than those in control group (5.18 +/- 1.86)%. The percentages of Treg cells in AR group were (1.75 +/- 0.56)%, which were significantly lower (t = 7.46, P < 0. 01) than those in control group (4.76 +/- 1.74)%. The IL-17 levels in AR group were (668.55 +/- 45.15) pg/ml, which were also significantly higher (t = 8.97, P < 0.01) than those in control group (573.53 +/- 17.42) pg/ml. The TGF-beta1 levels in AR group were (0.34 +/- 0.04) pg/ml, which were also significantly lower (t = 9.51, P < 0.01) than those in control group (0.49 +/- 0.06) pg/ml. There was a negative correlation between the percentages of gammadelta T cells and Treg cells (r = -0.561, P < 0.01). There was a negative correlation between the percentages of gammadelta T cells and TGF-beta1 levels (r = -0.622, P < 0.01). A positive correlation was shown between the percentages of gammadelta T cells and IL-17 levels in AR (r = 0.469, P < 0.01). A positive correlation was shown between the percentages of Treg cells and TGF-beta1 levels in AR (r = 0.738, P < 0.01). There was no correlation between IL-17 levels and the percentages of Treg cells or TGF-beta1 levels (r value was -0.111, -0.196, all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere are imbalances of gammadelta T and Treg cells in peripheral blood of patients with allergic rhinitis. gammadelta T cells may be the main cell to produce IL-17, which may play an important role in allergic rhinitis.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Interleukin-17 ; metabolism ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; immunology ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

Background Biomaterials for corneal tissue engineering must demonstrate several critical features for potentialutility invivo, includingtransparency, mechanicalintegrity, biocompatibilityand slow biodegradation. Silk film biomaterial had been characterized to meet these functional requirements. ObjectiveThis study was to investigate the feasibility of physico-crosslink regenerated silk fibroin film as tissue engineered corneal scaffold. MethodsHuman corneal epithelial cells(CECs) links were cultured by regular method and CECs in logarithmic phase were than incubated on physico-crosslink regenerated silk fibroin film membrane. The shape of cultured human CECs was observed after 24,48 and 72 hours under the inverted microscope and scanning electron microscope( SEM ) ,and the CECs were cultured on culture plates as controls. The growth state of CECs on regenerated silk fibroin film was observed daily for 7 days by MTT, and cell cycle analysis and the presence of apoptosis of human CECs were examined by flow cytometry after incubation on regenerated silk fibroin film. Regenerated silk fibroin filmCECs (4 mm×3 mm) were implanted into the corneal stroma of the right eyes of New Zealand white rabbits. At the end of 4 and 8 weeks after implantation, the appearance of the ocular surface was examined using slit lamp and corneal neovascular area was measured. Corneal histopathological examination was carried out to assess the degradation of graft materials and immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of CD34 in the corneal tissue after operation. ResultsThe morphology and structure of CECs were identical using the two cultured Methods when observed under the inverted microscope and SEM after 24,48 and 72 hours. No significant difference was found in the A490 value 1,2,3,4,5,6 or 7 days after incubation on regenerated silk membrane and in culture plates ( Fmethod =0. 641 ,P＞0.05 ). The apoptosis rates of CECs on regenerated silk membrane or culture plates were 1.8％ and 2.0％ and the amount of cells in G2/G1 phase was 1. 956 and 1. 945, respectively. Histopathological examination showed that the regenerated silk membrane material degraded and was replaced by regular collagen tissue 2 months after implantation,and the presence of neovascular area and inflammatory cells were less prominent in 2 months than 1 month post-implantation. The expression level of CD34 in corneal tissue was evidently lower 1 and 2 months after operation than the Ad-VEGF165-induced positive control group (P＜0. 05), and no significant differences were seen when compared with normal CECs(P＞0.05). ConclusionsPhysico- crosslink regenerated silk fibroin film is an excellent biomaterial for tissue engineered corneal scaffold with good biocompatibility.

Aim To study the apoptosis effect of cucurbitacin Ⅱa on non-small cell lung cancer cell lines NCI-H460 and A549 and its underlying mechanism.Methods Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay.The apoptosis effect and cell cycle arrest were detected by Flow cytometry.Western blot was employed to detect the related protein.Results The proliferation of lung cancer cell lines NCI-H460 and A549 was inhibited by CuⅡa, which showed cytotoxic activity with IC50 values of 224.9 nmol·L-1 and 108.3 nmol·L-1 against NCI-H460 and A549 respectively.CuⅡa induced the cells apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase.The results of Western blot showed CuⅡa inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 and Cofilin in a dose-dependent manner.Further, CuⅡa inhibited the phosphorylation of Aurora A, in line with the important characteristics of anti-tumor effect of Aurora A kinase inhibitor with blocking cells in the G2/M phase.Conclusion CuⅡa has obvious anti-tumor effect against non-small cell lung cancer, which suggests its value as a lead compound for lung cell carcinoma.

Objective: To analyze associations of MRI-lesions and clinical features with disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Shanghai, China. Methods: We studied patients with MS, identified from a survey in Shanghai, whose sites of lesions in the CNS was based on the MRI examinations. Associations between MRI-lesions, various clinical variables and the severity of disability were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: There were 210 patients in this study. The disability of the patients with lesions confined to the spinal cord was significantly more severe than those with lesions in the brain (p < 0.008). Current age (OR: 1.041, 95% CI: 1.007~1.077), MS duration (OR: 1.082, 95% CI: 1.011~1.159) and MRI-lesions in the spinal cord (OR: 2.441, 95% CI: 1.039~5.737) were significantly associated with severity of disability on multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: MRI-lesions in the spinal cord, older age, a longer MS duration were significantly associated with a more severe disability in this MS study in Shanghai China.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics, electrocardiography, electrophysiological features and the eff ectiveness of catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias originating from left ventricle posterior papillary muscles. Methods Clinical features and electrocardiography of 16 patients with ventricular arrhythmias arising from left ventricular posterior papillary muscles underwent catheter ablation were retrospectively analyzed. Activation mapping and/or pace mapping were performed to identify the site of origin and transthoracic echocardiography were used to demonstrate ablation catheter position and contact. The immediate success and recurrence rates were evaluated. Results During arrhythmias, QRS wave duration of 16 patients [5 men, mean age (45.0±18.2) years] was (155.1±9.0)ms. The prevalence of R>r' and r

Background/Aims:  Rituximab is known to be associated with high hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation rate in patients with resolved HBV infection and hematologic malignancy. However, data regarding HBV reactivation (HBVr) in rheumatic patients receiving rituximab is limited. To assess the HBVr rate in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative patients receiving rituximab for autoimmune diseases in a large real-world cohort. Methods:  From March 2006 to December 2019, 900 patients with negative HBsAg receiving at least one cycle of rituximab for autoimmune diseases in a tertiary medical center in Taiwan were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical outcome and factors associated with HBVr were analyzed. Results: After a median follow-up period of 3.3 years, 21 patients developed HBVr, among whom 17 patients were positive for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) and four were negative. Thirteen patients had clinical hepatitis flare, while eight patients had HBsAg seroreversion without hepatitis. Old age, anti-HBc positivity, undetectable serum hepatitis B surface antibody level at rituximab initiation and a higher average rituximab dose were associated with a higher HBVr rate. There was no significant difference in the HBVr risk between rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. Among anti-HBc-negative patients, subjects without HBV vaccination at birth had an increased risk of HBVr (4/368, 1.1%) compared with those who received vaccination (0/126, 0%). Conclusions In HBV endemic areas where occult HBV is prevalent, anti-HBc-negative patients, may still be at risk for HBVr after rituximab exposure. HBVr may still be considered in HBsAgnegative patients developing abnormal liver function after rituximab exposure, even in patients with negative anti-HBc.