Constructing biological networks is one of the most important issues in systems biology. However, constructing a network from data manually takes a considerable large amount of time, therefore an automated procedure is advocated. To automate the procedure of network construction, in this work we use two intelligent computing techniques, genetic programming and neural computation, to infer two kinds of network models that use continuous variables. To verify the presented approaches, experiments have been conducted and the preliminary results show that both approaches can be used to infer networks successfully.
Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Biological Evolution ; Computational Biology ; Gene Expression Profiling ; statistics & numerical data ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Models, Biological ; Multigene Family ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; statistics & numerical data ; Systems Biology

BACKGROUND: Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) has become a global epidemic, and air pollution has been identified as a potential risk factor. This study aims to investigate the non-linear relationship between ambient air pollution and MASLD prevalence. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study, participants undergoing health checkups were assessed for three-year average air pollution exposure. MASLD diagnosis required hepatic steatosis with at least 1 out of 5 cardiometabolic criteria. A stepwise approach combining data visualization and regression modeling was used to determine the most appropriate link function between each of the six air pollutants and MASLD. A covariate-adjusted six-pollutant model was constructed accordingly. RESULTS: A total of 131,592 participants were included, with 40.6% met the criteria of MASLD. "Threshold link function," "interaction link function," and "restricted cubic spline (RCS) link functions" best-fitted associations between MASLD and PM_2.5, PM₁₀/CO, and O₃ /SO₂/NO₂, respectively. In the six-pollutant model, significant positive associations were observed when pollutant concentrations were over: 34.64 µg/m³ for PM_2.5, 57.93 µg/m³ for PM₁₀, 56 µg/m³ for O₃, below 643.6 µg/m³ for CO, and within 33 and 48 µg/m³ for NO₂. The six-pollutant model using these best-fitted link functions demonstrated superior model fitting compared to exposure-categorized model or linear link function model assuming proportionality of odds. CONCLUSION Non-linear associations were found between air pollutants and MASLD prevalence. PM_2.5, PM₁₀, O₃, CO, and NO₂ exhibited positive associations with MASLD in specific concentration ranges, highlighting the need to consider non-linear relationships in assessing the impact of air pollution on MASLD.
Humans ; Nitrogen Dioxide ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Air Pollution/analysis* ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Liver Diseases ; Environmental Exposure/analysis*

OBJECTIVEAnimal studies have demonstrated a lipid-modulating effect of yun-cai tea. However, little is known about the lipid-lowering effect in humans.The aim of this study was to evaluate the lipid lowering effects and safety of yun-cai tea in patients with elevated lipid levels in a human clinical trial.

METHODSThis was a 12-week, randomly assigned, parallel-group, double-blind, and placebo-controlled pilot clinical study. Sixty primary hyperlipidemia patients were included and randomly assigned to the yun-cai tea group (30 patients) and the placebo group (30 patients), for 8 weeks of treatment and 4 weeks of follow-up. The primary endpoint was changes in plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) at 8 weeks. The secondary endpoints included total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG).

RESULTSOur results revealed no statistically signifificant differences in LDL-C and TC between the two groups. Despite the lack of a statistically signifificant difference in the level of TG between the two groups, a declining trend was noted. A signifificant reduction of TG was observed in the yun-cai tea group at week 8, compared to baseline (P=0.048). The incidence of stomach discomfort, gastroesophageal reflfl ux, diarrhea, and constipation was slightly higher in the yun-cai tea group. No other signifificant adverse events were found.

CONCLUSIONIt is unlikely that yun-cai tea used had a blood lipid reduction effect. Further larger scale clinical trials with a longer duration and larger dose are necessary.

Adult ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; drug therapy ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Placebos

Although several algorithms have been applied to treat patients with schizophrenia, their clinical use remains still limited, because most emphasize the prescription of antipsychotics. A new algorithm with a more holistic approach to treating patients with schizophrenia, to be used before applying traditional prescribing guidelines, was thus proposed by an expert team of Taiwanese psychiatrists. In this algorithm, several important treatment tasks/modalities are proposed, including long-acting injection anti-psychotics, shared decision-making, a case management system, compulsory treatment by law, community rehabilitation programs, the patients' feeling about their health care professionals (patients' behaviors) and their attitude/knowledge of their conditions/illness. This study proposes that evaluating the medication adherence of patients can be determined by two key domains, namely patients' behaviors and attitudes. Based on different levels of their behaviors (X-axis) and attitude/knowledge (Y-axis), it is possible to categorize patients with schizophrenia into six subgroups, for which various different interventions, including the use of antipsychotics, could be applied and integrated. Further research is needed to assess the applicability of this treatment algorithm in clinical settings.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Case Management ; Delivery of Health Care ; Holistic Health ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Medication Adherence* ; Prescriptions ; Psychiatry ; Rehabilitation ; Schizophrenia*

Objective: Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) have impaired attention, inhibition control, and memory function. The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2 ) gene has been associated with OUD and ALDH2 gene polymorphisms may affect aldehyde metabolism and cognitive function in other substance use disorder. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether ALDH2 genotypes have significant effects on neuropsychological functions in OUD patients undergoing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT). Methods: OUD patients undergoing MMT were investigated and followed-up for 12 weeks. ALDH2 gene polymorphisms were genotyped. Connors’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) were administered at baseline and after 12 weeks of MMT. Multivariate linear regressions and generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to examine the correlation between the ALDH2 genotypes and performance on the CPTs and WMS-R. Results: We enrolled 86 patients at baseline; 61 patients completed the end-of-study assessments. The GEE analysis showed that, after the 12 weeks of MMT, OUD patients with the ALDH2 *1/*2＋*2/*2 (ALDH2 inactive) genotypes had significantly higher commission error T-scores (p = 0.03), significantly lower hit reaction time T-scores (p = 0.04), and significantly lower WMS-R visual memory index scores (p = 0.03) than did patients with the ALDH2 1 */*1 (ALDH2 active) genotype. Conclusion OUD patients with the ALDH2 inactive genotypes performed worse in cognitive domains of attention, impulse control, and memory than did those with the ALDH2 active genotype. We conclude that the ALDH2 gene is important in OUD and is associated with neuropsychological performance after MMT.

Objective: The impact of serotonergic system on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is well studied. However, the correlation between OC presentations and autonomic nervous system (ANS) is still unclear. Furthermore, whether the correlation might be modulated by serotonin is also uncertain. Methods: We recruited eighty-nine healthy subjects. Serotonin transporter (SERT) availability by [ 123 I]ADAM and heart rate variability (HRV) tests were measured. Symptoms checklist-90 was measured for the OC presentations. The interaction between HRV and SERT availability were calculated and the correlation between HRV and OC symptoms were analyzed after stratified SERT level into two groups, split at medium. Results: The interactions were significant in the factors of low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD). Furthermore, the significantly negative correlations between OC symptoms and the above HRV indexes existed only in subjects with higher SERT availability. Conclusion OC symptoms might be correlated with ANS regulations in subjects with higher SERT availability.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is one of the proven therapies that improve the outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). In 2009, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, Republic of China, launched the project “Hospital Emergent Capability Accreditation by Level-Stroke (HECAL-Stroke)” to improve AIS treatment in Taiwan. The current study was performed to determine whether the project launched by the government was effective in promoting rtPA therapy among AIS patients. METHODS: All participating hospitals were verified and designated as “heavy duty (HD),”“moderate duty (MoD),” or “medium duty (MeD)” according to the stroke center criteria. Four annual indices (rates of treatment, protocol adherence, in-time treatment, and complications) were recorded from 2009 to 2014 as outcome measures. The data were analyzed using the χ² test for significance. RESULTS: The number of certified hospitals progressively increased from 74 to 112 during the 6-year period and finally consisted of 33 HD, 9 MoD and 70 MeD hospitals in 2014. The annual intravenous rtPA treatment rate increased significantly from 3.0% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2014. The protocol adherence rates were 95.7% in the HD group, 92.4% in the MoD group and 72.8% in the MeD group. The annual in-time treatment rate significantly improved from 26.0% in 2009 to 60.1% in 2014. The overall symptomatic intracranial hemorrhagic rate after rtPA treatment was 8.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of the HECAL-Stroke project by the government significantly improved rtPA treatment in Taiwan.
Accreditation* ; Humans ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Stroke* ; Taiwan* ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Non-celiac gluten sensitivity has been increasingly recognized as a predisposing factor for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms in Western populations where celiac disease (CD) is relatively common. In Asia where CD is rare, we wish to determine the prevalence of gluten protein associated serology in IBS patients, which has not been formally studied, and its relation to histological and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) markers. METHODS: We reviewed a consecutive cohort of Asian patients with IBS, who had undergone serologic testing for IgA against deamidated gliadin peptide antibodies (IgA DGP) and IgA anti-endomysium antibodies, and who also had duodenal biopsies during clinical workup. In addition, a subset of Chinese patients with positive serology was further tested for HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8. RESULTS: Of 186 patients, 34 (18%) were positive for IgA DGP; bloating, abdominal pain, belching and diarrhea were the most commonly reported symptoms but diarrhea as the most bothersome symptom was significantly more common in IgA DGP positive patients. Mildly increased intra-epithelial lymphocytes on duodenal biopsy was also more common (29% vs. 9%, P = 0.001). Nine of 21 Chinese patients tested as IgA DGP positive undertook HLA-DQ2/DQ8 testing, with only 2 being positive for HLA-DQ8. All patients with positive IgA DGP reported symptom improvement with gluten withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: We have described a series of Asian, mainly Chinese, patients with IBS who were tested positive for IgA DGP, and improved on a gluten exclusion diet. We believe this is the first report of non-celiac gluten sensitivity in Asia, a region where CD is uncommon.
Abdominal Pain ; Antibodies* ; Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Biopsy ; Causality ; Celiac Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Diarrhea ; Diet ; Eructation ; Gliadin* ; Glutens ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome* ; Leukocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Prevalence* ; Serologic Tests