Digital Commons Network^™

Establishment Of A National Taiwan Standard And Working Reagent For Human Parvovirus B19 Dna Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques (Nat), Y.-C. Yang, C.-J. Chang, C.-I. Tseng, D.-Y. Wang, H.-F. Cheng, C.-P. Lin

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Mandatory requirements for plasma pools containing a maximum concentration of human parvovirus B19 DNA will be established in Taiwan in the near future. To facilitate the implementation of the policy, a National Standard and working reagent were established for human parvovirus B19 DNA nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAT). The standards are intended to be used for the quality control of B19 NAT assays and as a quantitative reference material for B19 NAT testing. A collaborative study, including 10 laboratories from seven countries, was done in order to establish the National Standard and working reagent for B19 DNA NAT assays by …

Effect Of Backward Medication Switching On The Risks Of Adverse Events Of Schizophrenia Patients Using Atypical Antipsychotics, Y.-C. Lee, Y.-T. Huang, W.-F. Huang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Many studies explore the effects of medication switching from second generation antipsychotic (SGA) to first generation antipsychotic (FGA), yet few exam the health effect of backward medication switching. This study investigated whether backward medication switching (from SGA to FGA) and reduced dosages on SGA increased adverse events in outpatient schizophrenia patients treated by SGA in Taiwan. This study applied a three-year historical cohort design and compared the risks of adverse events (outcome) in 2004, measured by emergency room and hospital admissions, of patients experienced backward medication switching or dosage reduction on SGA (exposure status) in 2003 with those who did …

Molecular Subtyping Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Enteritidis Isolated From Taiwan During 1992-1998 By Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism And Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, T.-Y. Tsai, W.-C. Luo, K.-L. Chen, T.-M. Pan

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Over the past 10 years, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis has emerged as a new serovar and a frequent cause of food-borne diseases in Taiwan. We used two molecular subtyping methods to investigate the development of the infections by S. enterica Enteritidis in Taiwan. Twenty-eight strains of S. enterica Enteritidis isolated from Taiwan during the period of 1992 to 1998 were collected. The primer pairs, MseI+C/EcoRI+0 and MseI+G/PstI+C, were used in amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses, and the restriction enzyme, AvrII, was used in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Twenty-two AFLP profiles with 53-59 fragments in each profile were found by …

Establishment Of A Serological Panel For In Vitro Diagnostics Of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, D.-Y. Wang, K.-T. Wang, Y.-C. Wang, S.-C. Weng, W.-H. Chang, D.Y.-C. Shih

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious disease with a high mortality rate. Because SARS suddenly disappeared after an approximately 1-year-long pandemic period (November 2002 to July 2003), insufficient data was available for the development of in vitro diagnostics for SARS (SARS IVD). To rapidly identify cases in the event of future epidemics, it is necessary to establish a SARS serological panel. In this study, 20 SARS convalescent sera and 20 normal sera from the Taiwan CDC were used to establish a SARS serological panel. This can be used as a standard for the Taiwan FDA to evaluate the …

Erythrosine-Mediated Photodynamic Inactivation Of Bacteria And Yeast Using Green Light-Emitting Diode Light, E.-S. Ke, S. Nazzal, Y.-H. Tseng, C.-P. Chen, T. Tsai

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Erythrosine, also known as FD&C Red No. 3, is a synthetic dye that has been used for food coloring and dental plaque detection. The objective of this study was to evaluate erythrosine as a viable photosensitizer in photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of bacteria and yeast. Cells were treated with erythrosine with or without acetic acid in the presence and absence of light. Erythrosine in the absence of light did not show any activity against the microorganisms. When treated with light, erythrosine was efficient in eradicating non-adherent (planktonic) Gram (+) bacteria and yeast. However, Gram (-) bacteria were less responsive to PDI. …

Inhibitory Effect On Human Leukemic U937 Cell Growth And Immunomodulatory Activity Of Germinated Brown Rice, S.-Y. Wang, C.-W. Chen, Y.-T. Lin, C.-Y. Chang

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

This study was conducted to investigate how germinated brown rice (GBR) extracts stimulate human mononuclear cell (MNC) growth, secretion of cytokines (IL-1β, IFN-γ and TNF-α) and nitric oxide, and subsequently inhibit the growth of U937 cells. The results indicate that through the use of phosphate buffer solution (PGBR), alkali (AGBR) and ethanol (EGBR), the extracts had a significant inhibitory effect on U937 cell growth. Ultimately, the extracts produced an inhibition rate of over 50%. As the concentration was increased up to 1,000 μg/mL, the U937 cell growth inhibition for the three extracts surpassed 60%. The cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ) …

Off-Label Antibiotic Use In The Pediatric Population: A Population-Based Study In Taiwan, K.-H. Huang, Y.-C. Hsieh, C.-T. Hung, F.-Y. Hsiao

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

This study investigated the epidemiology and determinants of off-label antibiotic use in children in Taiwan. This was a retrospective, population-based study using the 2002-2005 Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). The study subjects consisted of children under 12 years old. The prescriptions of antibiotics were retrieved from the pharmacy claims of NHIRD. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between patients' and providers' demographics and off-label use of antibiotics. Among 66,446 antibiotic prescriptions identified, off-label use accounted for 33.33%. The percentages of off-label use varied with time trend, dispensing type, patient characteristics, physician characteristics and institution …

Diet, Nutrition And Chronic Disease In Mainland China, J. Chen, W. Zhao

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

In the recent 3 decades, along with the rapid development of national economy, dietary pattern and lifestyle have undergone significant changes in Mainland China. At the same time, the major causes of disease and death in Mainland China have shifted from predominantly infectious disease and diet-related deficiency diseases to overweight/obesity and other non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancers, etc. The characteristics of the dietary change are the decrease of cereal and vegetable consumption and the increase of animal foods and oil/fat consumption; although the average Chinese dietary pattern remains a plant food based diet. These dietary …

Studies On Food Functionality And Safety In Japan - Evaluation By Genomics, A. Keiko

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

In Japan, research on functional foods had humble beginnings about 30 years ago. It traced a unique path of development to a mainstay of frontal food science. Meanwhile, nutrigenomics was launched as a comprehensive method for investigating total effects of nutrients in the body. This can be applied to functional foods as well as nutrients. However, the data analysis needs care. Since even functional foods contain a variety of compounds together with functional factors, the data inherently include noises to a certain extent. Thus, there are often the case that inappropriate choices of experimental designs and statistic data analyses lead …

The Impact Of Food Components And Dietary Factors On Oral Health, C.D. Wu

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

This presentation provides an overview of the impact of food components and dietary factors on oral health. The protective properties of various foods, plant extracts and plant-based polyphenolic compounds on dental caries and periodontal disease are discussed. Laboratory, human, and epidemiological studies demonstrating the multiple mechanistic actions in supporting their contribution to oral health and disease prevention are summarized. The need and development of multidisciplinary research approach toward experimental designs and strategies in clinical and epidemiological studies are also emphasized.

Elucidation Of Physiological Functions Of Tea Catechins And Their Practical Applications, Y. Hara

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

In 1981, we found in collaboration with the late Dr. Tsuneo Kada that the compound in brewed green tea which suppresses the mutability of Bacillus subtilis is(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate(EGCg). Taking advantage of these findings, we started to isolate EGCg and other catechins in large amount from green tea for the first time in the world. We had made use of these samples, for ourselves and for our collaborators around the world, for the elucidation of physiological functions of tea catechins, under the assumption that the various so far claimed health benefits of tea drinking should have derived from tea catechins. From …

Functional Food In Japan: Current Status And Future Of Gut-Modulating Food, M. Shimizu

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) is an official functional food approved by the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan. The number of FOSHU items reached almost 970 as of October, 2011. It should be emphasized, however, that more than 70% of the current FOSHU products function in the gastrointestinal tract. They improve intestinal microflora or regulate nutrient absorption, thereby reducing the risks of metabolic syndrome. In addition to the gut-modulating FOSHU products already approved, many attempts have been made to develop new functional foods that regulate other intestinal functions. Modulation of the detoxification system is beneficial to reinforce the gut …

Supplementation Of Red Cabbage (Brassica Oleracea L. Var.) Juice Increases Serum Total Antibody Levels In Mice, Y.-L. Liou, J.-Y. Lin

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

This study investigates the effects of supplementing unimmunized (non-specific) and ovalbumin (OVA)/complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-immunized mice with red cabbage (RC, Brassica oleracea L. var.) juice for 8 and 6 weeks, respectively. Changes in serum total immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgE, IgG and IgM levels, as well as OVA-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a titers were determined. The results showed that RC juice supplementation did not significantly affect the body weight, feed intake and feed efficiency in either unimmunized or OVA/CFA-immunized mouse models. Serum OVA-specific antibody titers in OVA/CFA-immunized mice were also not significantly affected. However, RC juice supplementation increased serum total antibody …

Nanotechnology In Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation, S. Nazzal, C.-P. Chen, T. Tsai

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodynamic inactivation (PDI) are technologies that utilize visible light and photosensitizers (PS) to inactivate cells. PDT is currently in use for the treatment of several types of tumors. Although cancer has been successfully treated with PS and light, antimicrobial PDI is emerging as a new treatment modality for bacterial infections due to its effectiveness and less likelihood of inducing bacterial resistance. Resistance to therapy is in part due to the ability of the organisms to form a biofilm, which provides a microenvironment that protects the microorganism from antibiotics and attack by the host's immune system. In …

2020-07-14_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, and clinical impression) for fever or …

Comparative Whole-Genome And Phenotype Analyses Of Virulence Factors And Lethality In Nematode Challenge Assay Among Aeromonas Isolates, Pyeongsug Kim

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Aeromonads are bacteria found globally in fresh and brackish waters, with some species causing water-borne diseases vertebrate hosts such as diarrhea and wound-infections in humans and motile Aeromonas septicemia in fish. Although many virulence factors have been described, determining which factors are most important in pathogenesis is ongoing. To examine this further, the genomes of five Aeromonas strains isolated from various animals were sequenced and annotated in this study. Each isolate was further characterized using comparative genomic analyses and testing for production of selected virulence factors. Although previously identified as Aeromonas hydrophila, modern genotypic approaches including multilocus sequence typing …

Promoting Healthy Decision-Making Via Natural Environment Exposure: Initial Evidence And Future Directions, Meredith S. Berry, Meredith A. Repke, Alexander L. Metcalf, Kerry Jordan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Research within psychology and other disciplines has shown that exposure to natural environments holds extensive physiological and psychological benefits. Adding to the health and cognitive benefits of natural environments, evidence suggests that exposure to nature also promotes healthy human decision-making. Unhealthy decision-making (e.g., smoking, non-medical prescription opioid misuse) and disorders associated with lack of impulse control [e.g., tobacco use, opioid use disorder (OUD)], contribute to millions of preventable deaths annually (i.e., 6 million people die each year of tobacco-related illness worldwide, deaths from opioids from 2002 to 2017 have more than quadrupled in the United States alone). Impulsive and unhealthy …

From R0 To The Herd: A Review Of The Rules Of Contagion, By Adam Kucharski, Nathan D. Grawe

Numeracy

Adam Kucharski. 2020. The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread--and Why They Stop; (London: Profile Books, Ltd.). Hardback ISBN 978-17-88-16019-3. E-book ISBN 978-17-82-83430-4.

Kucharski's well-timed Rules of Contagion provides an introduction to the mathematical and epidemiological principles behind contagious phenomenon. While the author's primary expertise stems from work on biological epidemics, the book points to examples from a wide range of fields including finance, psychology, computer science, and criminology. As such, selections of the book could be used by faculty in a wide range of classes to show how our recent experience with a viral epidemic might add to …

2020-07-13_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, and clinical impression) for fever or …

Ada News - 07/13/2020, American Dental Association, Publishing Division

ADA News

Established in 1970 as the official newspaper of the American Dental Association, the ADA News serves practicing dentists and others allied to the dental profession in the U.S. and internationally. It is the No. 1 source of news and information about the many benefits and services the ADA delivers to members daily as well as timely information on scientific, social, political and economic developments affecting dentistry and health care.

“Go Hard, Go Early”: Preliminary Lessons From New Zealand’S Response To Covid-19, Thomas Jamieson

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Although the full impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is yet to be realized, New Zealand has suffered comparatively less than other countries, and there were no active cases in the country by June 8, 2020. Building from best practices in emergency management research, several preliminary lessons emerge from the country’s response to the crisis that could be adapted for other settings. In particular, the government acted early and decisively, developed national unity to combat the virus, communicated effectively with the public, and adapted to changing circumstances, especially to address shortcomings in the response. These preliminary lessons provide some …

Laboratory Colonization By Dirofilaria Immitis Alters The Microbiome Of Female Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Abdulsalam Adegoke, Erik Neff, Amie Geary, Montana Ciara Husser, Kevin Wilson, Shawn Michael Norris, Guha Dharmarajan, Shahid Karim

Faculty Publications

Background

The ability of blood-feeding arthropods to successfully acquire and transmit pathogens of medical and veterinary importance has been shown to be interfered with, or enhanced by, the arthropod’s native microbiome. Mosquitoes transmit viruses, protozoan and filarial nematodes, the majority of which contribute to the 17% of infectious disease cases worldwide. Dirofilaria immitis, a mosquito-transmitted filarial nematodes of dogs and cats, is vectored by several mosquito species including Aedes aegypti.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the impact of D. immitis colonization on the microbiome of laboratory reared female Ae. aegypti. Metagenomic analysis of the V3–V4 variable …

Thread Integrated Smart-Phone Imaging Facilitates Early Turning Point Colorimetric Assay For Microbes, Anusha Prabhu, Giri Nandagopal M. S., Prakash Peralam Yegneswaran, Vijendra Prabhu

Open Access archive

This study employs a commercial multifilament cotton thread as a low-cost microbial identification assay integrated with smartphone-based imaging for high throughput and rapid detection of pathogens. The thread device with inter-twined fibers was drop-cast with test media and a pH indicator. The target pathogens scavenge the media components with different sugars and release acidic by-products, which in turn act as markers for pH-based color change. The developed thread-based proof-of-concept was demonstrated for the visual color detection (red to yellow) of Candida albicans (≈16 hours) and Escherichia coli (≈5 hours). Besides that, using a smart-phone to capture images of the thread-based …

2020-07-12_Michiganoverview_Covidsymptoms, Michigan Department Of Health & Human Services

Michigan COVID-19 Syndromic Surveillance System Data

The Syndromic Surveillance System Data report was obtained from Michigan's COVID-19 dashboard, from under the link "​Coronavirus Symptoms": https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus. Data was compiled by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The information was updated daily.

Syndromic Surveillance System data is obtained from approximately 183 facilities participating in syndromic surveillance (132 Emergency Departments (ED), 51 Urgent Cares) across the State of Michigan. The reporting is based on individuals who present at EDs and may not be representative of the overall population. The coronavirus-like symptoms query searches visit free-text (chief complaint, triage notes, and clinical impression) for fever or …

The Impact Of Social Interactions On Resettled Refugee Health, Shahjadi Zaman

Political Science ETDs

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the effects of social interactions and other factors on the self-reported physical and mental health of former refugees in their host country. Social relationships and interactions consist of different layers extending from individual personal relations, to social networks, to collective activities. Using data from a public opinion survey of newly resettled Bhutanese and Rohingya refugees in Michigan, I find that along with their economic situations, like employment and income, social integration is an important determinant of physical and mental health among resettled refugees. In particular, resettled refugees tend to have better health …

Coverage Of The 2019 Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Outbreak On News Media, Corey H. Basch, Joseph Fera, Christie Jaime, Nasia Quininoes

Publications and Research

Background: The media plays as an important role in delivering information about emergent issues, such as the Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) outbreak of 2019. As such, there has been an increase in news coverage of vector-borne disease coverage due to a rise in emerging or re-emerging arboviruses.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to describe the content of news clips related to the recent (2019) EEEV outbreak in the United States.

Results: Only 3 of the important topics identified were mentioned in a majority of the 110 videos analyzed. These topics were, mosquito mentioned as transmitter, prevention by …

Complicated Isolated Liver Abscess Caused By Viridans Group Streptococci Leading To Right Hepatectomy, Muhammad F Ahmed, Zainab Abbasi, Sajan Das, Alok Aggarwal, Sonu Sahni

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

Pyogenic liver abscesses (PLAs) secondary to bacterial etiologies are most often seen in developing countries and are less common in North America. The predominant etiology is infection occurring in the setting of direct extension of hepatobiliary or intestinal infection. The most common pathogen isolated from a PLA in the United States is

Current Status Of Substance Abuse And Hiv In Taiwan, W.-J. Yu, W.-I. Tsay, J.-H. Li

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

Methamphetamine abuse, which surged in the early 1990s, remains a major social and health issue in recent years in Taiwan. The danger of the spread of HIV among heroin injecting drug users (IDUs) gradually increased because of needle/syringe sharing in the early 2000s. The percentage of IDUs among all addiction treatment admissions increased from 34.7% in 2000 to 63.9% in 2004, and the percentage of IDUs sharing needles increased from 4.0% in 2000 to 15% in 2004. Alerted by the escalating IDU-associated HIV situation, the Department of Health launched the national pilot harm reduction program (PHRP) in four of 25 …

Brain Abnormalities In Hiv And Stimulant Users: Interventions And Prevention, L. Chang, S. Shoptaw, J. Normand

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

The session, "HIV and other Infectious Diseases," was chaired by Dr. Jacques Normand, Director of the AIDS Research Program of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse. The two presenters (and their presentation topics) were: Dr. Linda Chang ("Neural Correlates of Cognitive Deficits and Training Effects on Brain Function in HIV-infected Individuals") and Dr. Steven Shoptaw ("HIV Prevention in Substance Users"). Copyright © 2013, Food and Drug Administration, Taiwan.

Introduction To The Special Issue: Promoting Global Healthetreatment And Prevention Of Substance Abuse And Hiv In Asia, Y.-I. Hser, W.-I. Tsay, Y. Wang, B. Tai

Journal of Food and Drug Analysis

[No abstract available]