Sharon Chia-Ju Chen

Characterization of ADAM28 as a biomarker of bladder transitional cell carcinomas by urinary proteome analysis

Human urine contains a large number of proteins and peptides (the urinary proteome). Global analysis of the human urinary proteome is important for understanding urinary tract diseases. Bladder cancer is the most common urological cancer with higher incidence rates in endemic areas of Blackfoot disease (BFD) in southern Taiwan. The aim of this study was to use the proteomic approach to establish urinary protein biomarkers of bladder cancer. ADAM28, identified by proteomic approaches and confirmed by Western blotting, showed significant differences compared with normal individuals, so it may be a biomarker of bladder cancer.

Proteomic Profiling of Neuroblastoma Cells Adhesion on Hyaluronic Acid-Based Surface for Neural Tissue Engineering

The microenvironment of neuron cells plays a crucial role in regulating neural development and regeneration. Hyaluronic acid (HA) biomaterial has been applied in a wide range of medical and biological fields and plays important roles in neural regeneration. PC12 cells have been reported to be capable of endogenous NGF synthesis and secretion. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of HA biomaterial combining with PC12 cells conditioned media (PC12 CM) in neural regeneration. Using SH-SY5Y cells as an experimental model, we found that supporting with PC12 CM enhanced HA function in SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and adhesion. Through RP-nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses, we identified increased expression of HSP60 and RanBP2 in SH-SY5Y cells grown on HA-modified surface with cotreatment of PC12 CM. Moreover, we also identified factors that were secreted from PC12 cells and may promote SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and adhesion. Here, we proposed a biomaterial surface enriched with neurotrophic factors for nerve regeneration application.

Urinary protein profiling by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: ADAM28 is overexpressed in bladder transitional cell carcinoma

Bladder cancer is the most common urological cancer with higher incidence rate in the endemic areas of Blackfoot disease (BFD) in southern Taiwan. The aim of this study was to utilize the proteomic approach to establish urinary protein patterns of bladder cancer. The experimental results showed that most patients with bladder cancer had proteinuria or albuminuria. The urine arsenic concentrations of bladder cancer patients in BFD areas were significantly higher than those patients from non-BFD areas. In the proteomic analysis, the urinary proteome was identified by nano-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nano-HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) followed by peptide fragmentation pattern analysis. We categorized 2782 unique proteins of which 89 proteins were identified with at least three unique matching peptide sequences. Among these 89 proteins, thirteen of them were not found in the control group and may represent proteins specific for bladder cancer. In this study, three proteins, SPINK5, ADAM28 and PTP1, were also confirmed by Western blotting and showed significant differential expression compared with the control group. ADAM28 may be used as a possible biomarker of bladder cancer.

Basal sympathetic predominance in periodic limb movements in sleep with obstructive sleep apnea

Because the impact of periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) is controversial, no consensus has been reached on the therapeutic strategy for PLMS in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To verify the hypothesis that PLMS is related to a negative impact on the cardiovascular system in OSA patients, this study investigated the basal autonomic regulation by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Sixty patients with mild‐to‐moderate OSA who underwent polysomnography (PSG) and completed sleep questionnaires were analysed retrospectively and divided into the PLMS group (n = 30) and the non‐PLMS group (n = 30). Epochs without any sleep events or continuous effects were evaluated using HRV analysis. No significant difference was observed in the demographic data, PSG parameters or sleep questionnaires between the PLMS and non‐PLMS groups, except for age. Patients in the PLMS group had significantly lower normalized high frequency (n‐HF), high frequency (HF), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of difference between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD) and standard deviation of all normal to normal intervals index (SDNN‐I), but had a higher normalized low frequency (n‐LF) and LF/HF ratio. There was no significant difference in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Short‐Form 36 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale between the two groups. After adjustment for confounding variables, PLMS remained an independent predictor of n‐LF (β = 0.0901, P = 0.0081), LF/HF ratio (β = 0.5351, P = 0.0361), RMSSD (β = −20.1620, P = 0.0455) and n‐HF (β = −0.0886, P = 0.0134). In conclusion, PLMS is related independently to basal sympathetic predominance and has a potentially negative impact on the cardiovascular system of OSA patients.

Local awakening: Regional reorganizations of brain oscillations after sleep ☆

Brain functions express rhythmic fluctuations accompanied by sleep and wakefulness each day, but how sleep regulates brain rhythms remains unclear. Following the dose-dependent local sleep concept, two succeeding questions emerge: (1) is the sleep regulation a network-specific process; and (2) is the awakening state dependent on the previous sleep stages? To answer the questions, we conducted simultaneous EEG and fMRI recordings over 22 healthy male participants, along pre-sleep, nocturnal sleep and awakening. Using paired comparisons between awakening and pre-sleep conditions, three scenarios of the regional specificity were demonstrated on awakening: (1) the default-mode and hippocampal networks maintained similar connectivity and spectral power; (2) the sensorimotor network presented reduced connectivity and spectral power; and (3) the thalamus demonstrated substantially enhanced connectivity to the neo-cortex with decreased spectral power. With regard to the stage effect, the deep sleep group had significant changes in both functional connectivity and spectral power on awakening, whereas the indices of light sleep group remained relatively quiescent after sleep. The phenomena implied that slow-wave sleep could be key to rebooting the BOLD fluctuations after sleep. In conclusion, the regional specificity and the stage effect were verified in support of the local awakening concept, indicating that sleep regulation leads to the reorganization of brain networks upon awakening.

Protein Profiling of Human Nonpigmented Ciliary Epithelium Cell Secretome: The Differentiation Factors Characterization for Retinal Ganglion Cell line

The purpose of this paper was to characterize proteins secreted from the human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (HNPE) cells, which have differentiated a rat retinal ganglion cell line, RGC-5. Undifferentiated RGC-5 cells have been shown to express several marker proteins characteristic of retinal ganglion cells. However, RGC-5 cells do not respond to N-methyl-D aspartate (NMDA), or glutamate. HNPE cells have been shown to secrete numbers of neuropeptides or neuroproteins also found in the aqueous humor, many of which have the ability to influence the activity of neuronal cells. This paper details the profile of HNPE cell-secreted proteins by proteomic approaches. The experimental results revealed the identification of 132 unique proteins from the HNPE cell-conditioned SF-medium. The biological functions of a portion of these identified proteins are involved in cell differentiation. We hypothesized that a differentiation system of HNPE cell-conditioned SF-medium with RGC-5 cells can induce a differentiated phenotype in RGC-5 cells, with functional characteristics that more closely resemble primary cultures of rat retinal ganglion cells. These proteins may replace harsh chemicals, which are currently used to induce cell differentiation.

Improved Emotional Stability in Experienced Meditators with Concentrative Meditation Based on Electroencephalography and Heart Rate Variability

OBJECTIVEnTo determine whether emotional stability distinguishes how experienced and novice meditators react to visual stimuli.nnnDESIGNnPARTICIPANTS practiced concentrative meditation and then responded to visual stimuli while continuing to meditate.nnnPARTICIPANTSnTen experienced and 10 novice meditators responded to sequences of visual stimuli after concentrative meditation.nnnRESULTSnAs predicted, both groups had increased parasympathetic activities during concentrative meditation. Experienced meditators had increased low-frequency electroencephalography (EEG) rhythms in response to visual stimulation, whereas novices had increased high-frequency EEG rhythms. Correlational analyses revealed that novice meditators changed from a meditative state to a nonrelaxed state when the visual stimuli were presented, whereas experienced meditators maintained the meditative state.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe study provides evidence that regular concentrative meditation can improve emotional stability and that recording physiologic responses to visual stimuli can be a good method for identifying the effects of long-term concentrative meditation practice.

More severe hypoxemia is associated with better subjective sleep quality in obstructive sleep apnea

BackgroundPerceived sleep quality may play an important role in diagnosis and therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, few studies have assessed factors that are associated with perceived sleep quality in OSA patients. Hypoxemia depresses the central nervous system and attenuates the perceived respiratory load in asthmatic patients. This study aimed to investigate the factors related to perceived sleep quality, focusing on the role of hypoxemia.MethodsPolysomnography studies of 156 OSA patients were reviewed. Traditional polysomnographic parameters, including parameters of oxy-hemoglobin saturation (SpO2), were calculated, and the sleep questionnaire and scales were used. Considering the possible pitfalls of absolute values of SpO2 and individualized responses to hypoxemia, the amplitude of desaturation was further computed as “median SpO2 minus lowest 5xa0% SpO2 “and “highest 5xa0% SpO2 minus median 5xa0% SpO2”. Correlations between these parameters and perceived sleep quality, represented as the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), were performed. Multiple linear regression analysis was also conducted to investigate the factors associated with the PSQI.ResultsAlthough the PSQI was not correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (ru2009= −0.113, pu2009=u20090.162) and oxygen desaturation index (ru2009= −0.085, pu2009=u20090.291), the PSQI was negatively correlated with “median SpO2 minus lowest 5xa0% SpO2” (ru2009= −0.161, pu2009=u20090.045). After adjusting for age, total sleep time, the periodic limb movements index, tendency of depression, and the lowest 5xa0% SpO2, the “median SpO2 minus lowest SpO2” was still a significant predictor for a lower PSQI (βu2009= −0.357, pu2009=u20090.015).ConclusionsMore severe hypoxemia is associated with better perceived sleep quality among OSA patients. This paradox may be associated with hypoxemia-related impairment of perception. The effect of hypoxemia did not appear to be significant in relatively mild hypoxemia but become significant in severe hypoxemia.” Median SpO2 minus lowest 5xa0% SpO2” may also be a better predictor of perceived sleep quality than the apnea-hypopnea index because of the disproportionate effects of hypoxemia. Additionally, further studies are necessary to confirm the role of hypoxemia on perceived sleep quality and identify the possible threshold of hypoxemia in OSA patients.

Profiles of visual perceptual functions in Down syndrome.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the visual perceptual functions measured by the Test of Visual Perceptual Skill-Third Edition (TVPS-3) in Down syndrome (DS). Seventy individuals with DS, seventy with typical development (TD), and forty mental-age-matched participants with intellectual disabilities (ID) were recruited for the assessment session. Significant between-group differences in TVPS-3 were observed between either DS or ID and TD groups. There was no significant difference on TVPS-3 between DS and ID groups. Implications for clinical professionals and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Determination of equivalent breast phantoms for different age groups of Taiwanese women: An experimental approach

PURPOSEnPolymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) slab is one of the mostly used phantoms for studying breast dosimetry in mammography. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the equivalence between exposure factors acquired from PMMA slabs and patient cases of different age groups of Taiwanese women in mammography.nnnMETHODSnThis study included 3910 craniocaudal screen/film mammograms on Taiwanese women acquired on one mammographic unit. The tube loading, compressed breast thickness (CBT), compression force, tube voltage, and target/filter combination for each mammogram were collected for all patients. The glandularity and the equivalent thickness of PMMA were determined for each breast using the exposure factors of the breast in combination with experimental measurements from breast-tissue-equivalent attenuation slabs. Equivalent thicknesses of PMMA to the breasts of Taiwanese women were then estimated.nnnRESULTSnThe averageu2009±u2009standard deviation CBT and breast glandularity in this study were 4.2u2009±u20091.0 cm and 54%u2009±u200923%, respectively. The average equivalent PMMA thickness was 4.0u2009±u20090.7 cm. PMMA slabs producing equivalent exposure factors as in the breasts of Taiwanese women were determined for the age groups 30-49 yr and 50-69 yr. For the 4-cm PMMA slab, the CBT and glandularity values of the equivalent breast were 4.1 cm and 65%, respectively, for the age group 30-49 yr and 4.4 cm and 44%, respectively, for the age group 50-69 yr.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe average thickness of PMMA slabs producing the same exposure factors as observed in a large group of Taiwanese women is less than that reported for American women. The results from this study can provide useful information for determining a suitable thickness of PMMA for mammographic dose survey in Taiwan. The equivalence of PMMA slabs and the breasts of Taiwanese women is provided to allow average glandular dose assessment in clinical practice.