I-Shou University

Targeting the Gut to Modify Parkinson's Disease: From Mechanisms to Potential Therapeutics

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and its prevalence continues to rise with population aging. Its cardinal motor features arise from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, accompanied by intraneuronal α-synuclein aggr...

Diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenopathy: the role of droplet digital PCR

Background: Tuberculous lymphadenopathy (TB-LAP) is the most common form of extrapulmonary TB and remains diagnostically challenging due to its paucibacillary nature. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (...

3D GelMA-Printing of Pancreatic Endocrine Constructs via Magnetic Chitosan Nanoparticle-Mediated CRISPR/dCas9a Delivery: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Diabetes mellitus affects nearly half a billion people worldwide and is primarily caused by the loss of insulin-producing cells, which are essential for maintaining normal blood glucose levels. In this study, we optimized a CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) system based on deactivated...

How generative AI shapes eco-friendly accommodation choices

Purpose Despite the growing use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in travel planning, limited research has examined how GenAI-related characteristics influence travelers’ eco-friendly accommodation choices. Guided by the “Stimulus–Organism–Response” framework, this st...

Association Between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Psychological Distress: Analysis of the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan

Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and psychological distress. Design: This study used a cross-sectional design. Setting: The database from the 2013–2016 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) was used...

Novel polyvinyl alcohol–borax hydrogel with potential to accelerate skin wound healing in aquatic models: zebrafish and tilapia

Abstract Skin integrity is vital for fish survival, as injuries compromise the protective barrier and increase infection risk. This study introduces a simple and eco-friendly strategy to enhance skin wound healing in aquatic species using a PVA+borax hydrogel. The hydrogel, chara...

Protective effects of Abelmoschus manihot flower extracts against blue light-emitting diode light-induced retinal photoreceptor cell damage in vivo and in vitro.

BACKGROUND: flower extract (AME), rich in flavonoids, possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its protective effects on the retina have not been fully elucidated. METHODS: analyses included cell viability assays, TUNEL staining, reactive oxygen species (R...

Asymmetric Flow Dynamics in a Pneumatically Actuated Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Micropump: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation

This study presents a comprehensive numerical and experimental investigation on a pneumatically actuated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropump integrated with passive check valves (PCVs). Advanced three-dimensional (3D) fluid–structure interaction (FSI) simulations were conducted...

Tumor-derived RPS19 engages C5AR1+ inflammatory macrophages to drive astrocyte reprogramming and glioblastoma progression

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an incurable brain tumor with poor survival outcomes. Its progression and recurrence are strongly influenced by infiltrative growth of tumor cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) components, particularly tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). To identify pote...

Effects of Ageism, Depression, Physical Resilience, and Frailty on Quality of Life Among Older Women

In Taiwan, as a super-aging society, older women face unique challenges that affect their health and quality of life (QoL). The present 1-year longitudinal study was conducted to examine changes in physical and psychosocial health and the relationship between these factors and Qo...

Phylogeny and taxonomic revisions of Piper (Piperaceae) in Taiwan

Taiwan, located at the northernmost extent of Huxley's Line, marks the furthest point along this biogeographic boundary where exchanges of flora and fauna occur. The genus Piper, a globally distributed and taxonomically complex group of both economic and evolutionary importance,...

Prevention of new-onset chronic kidney disease with renin–angiotensin system blockers in type 2 diabetes with preserved kidney function

Renin–angiotensin system (RAS) blockers, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), are known to slow chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with established renal impairment. However, whether RAS blockade ca...

Autologous hinge-masked anti-TNFα antibody to mitigate immunogenicity, antigen sink effects, and anti-idiotypic antibody interference

Abstract Background Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies are limited by factors affecting their pharmacokinetics (PK), such as anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-ID Abs) and the antigen sink effect. To address this, we developed six pro-anti-TNFα Abs (pro-Infliximab) incorporating un...