Liver injury resulting from exposure to drugs and chemicals is a major health problem.Autophagy is an important factor in a wide range of diseases, such as cancer, liver disease,muscular disorder, neurodegeneration, pathogen infection, and aging, and emerging evidence indicates that autophagy makes a substantial contribution to the pathogenesis of drug- and chemical-induced liver toxicity. In …
A method of ionic liquid-based hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction enhanced electrically was successfully developed and applied to the extraction and determination of neutral red (NR) dye, which was selected as the model analyte. A room temperature ionic liquid, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C8mim][PF6]), was placed in the pores of a polytetrafluoethylene hollow fiber,…
The volatile and odor-active compounds in cooked meat of farmed obscure puffer (Takifugu obscurus) were analyzed by gas chromatographyemass spectrometryeolfactometry (GCe MSeO). The volatile compounds were extracted by the simultaneous distillationeextraction (SDE) method, then separated and identified by GCeMS. Odor-active compounds in the SDE extract were characterized by GCeMSeO. A total of…
Twenty-nine commercial essential oil (EO) products that were purchased from the Taiwan market, including three different company-made Melissa officinalis essential oils, were assayed on their glucose consumption activity and lipid accumulation activity on 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The EOs of M. officinalis were significantly active in both model assays. By contrast, EOs of peppermint, lavender, bergam…
In this study we have evaluated the changes in arterial blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) caused by the short-term intake of Bacillus subtilis B060-fermented beans with significant g-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and nattokinase activity. After being weaned, 7-week-old male SHR and 7-week-old male WistareKyoto (WKY) rats were randomized into seven groups. Until the 8th week of …
A new solid contact cobalt selective electrode was constructed with 4-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene as ionophore. The best performance was observed with the membrane having an ionophore/polyvinyl chloride/sodium etraphenylborate/nitrophenyl octyl ether ratio of 3.5:33:1.5:62 (w/w; mg). The electrode, under steady-state conditions, exhibited a working concentration range of 1 101 e 1 106 mol…
Camellia chrysantha (Hu) Tuyama (CCT), an ornamental plant possessing antioxidant activity, has been infused as tea and drank for its health benefits. The antioxidant components in CCT, however, had not been clearly characterized. To quickly identify the antioxidant constituents of CCT, a compositioneactivity relationship strategy based on ultra high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with…
Background: Pyruvic acid concentration is a critical factor in determining Allium spp. pungency.This study was initiated to accurately measure the background pyruvic acid levels in Romanian Allium spp. From the pungency point of view, all analyzed plant varieties in this study are considered low pungent cultivars based on the enzymatically produced pyruvate level (between 42 mmol/g and 222 mmol…
The influence of medium composition and cultural conditions on simultaneous yield of mycelia, intracellular polysaccharide, adenosine, and mannitol by Cordyceps militaris CGMCC 2909 was investigated with desirability functions in this study. An optimization strategy based on the desirability function approach, together with response surface methodology (RSM) has been used to optimize medium co…
Water-soluble polysaccharide was isolated from Semen cassiae using water for extraction and ethanol for deposition. The optimized conditions for polysaccharide isolation by orthogonal experiments were a sample to liquid ratio of 1:30 at 80C for 3.5 hours; the yield of polysaccharide from Semen cassiae under these conditions was 5.46%. Different polysaccharides (SCPW-1, SCPW-2, SCPW-3, SCPW-4, …
In this study, linear relationships between response and concentration were used to estimate the detection limit (DL) and quantification limit (QL) for five avermectins: emamectin,abamectin, doramectin, moxidectin, and ivermectin. Estimation of DL and QL was based on the standard deviation of residual and y-intercept of the regression line at low concentrations of avermectins, using the dispers…
Dolichos biflorus (Muthira) is a branched, suberect, and downing herb, native to most parts of India, and found at altitudes of up to 1000 m, whose seeds can be cooked and eaten. Nutrition plays a key role in building immunity and preventing noncommunicable diseases to a certain extent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of 70% methanolic ext…
In this study, a simple and rapid ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) method has been described for the determination of tramadol. The operating instrumental parameters that could influence IMS were investigated and optimized (temperature; injection: 220 and IMS cell:190C, flow rate; carrier: 300 and drift: 600 mL/minute, voltage; corona: 2300 and drift: 7000 V,pulse width: 100 ms). Under optimum …
Vitamin K occurs widely in foods and has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, as well as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiosteoporosis properties. A previous study indicates that long-chain menaquinone-7 may be more bioavailable than vitamin K and short-chain menaquinones. In the present study, acute, subacute toxicity and genotoxicity assays were carried …
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has dramatically increased in the past decade. Furthermore, increasing evidence from research shows that oxidative stress (OS) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and in its complications. A search for ways to reduce oxidative damage has become the focus of interest for the majority of scientists. In this study, we determined the radical…
In this work, a poly(aminosulfonic acid) modified glassy carbon electrode was fabricated and the electrochemical behavior of chlorogenic acid (CGA) was studied by cyclic voltammetry. Compared with a bare glassy carbon electrode, the modified electrode exhibits excellent catalytic effect on the electrochemical redox of CGA. Utilizing this catalytic effect,a sensitive and selective electrochemica…
Roasted Trichosanthes kirilowii seeds have much more intense flavor than the raw seeds,and are commonly used as food and in the preparations of many medicinal formulations. Volatile constituents in the raw and roasted T. kirilowii seeds were separated by simultaneous distillation and extraction, and analyzed by gas chromatographyemass spectrometry on two capillary gas chromatography columns of…
Cordyceps (Cordyceps militaris) exhibits many biological activities including antioxidant,inhibition of inflammation, cancer prevention, hypoglycemic, and antiaging properties,etc. However, a majority of studies involving C. militaris have focused only on in vitro and animal models, and there is a lack of direct translation and application of study results to clinical practice (e.g., health ben…
The primary objective of a Phase I cancer clinical trial is to determine the maximum tolerated dose of a drug. The “failure probability” was proposed and used as a constraint to help identify a suitable initial dose range. The maximum tolerated dose was then determined based on a 3 þ 3 cohort-based escalation scheme. Multiple simulations were conducted,and the method was evaluated accordin…
The electrochemical oxidation behavior of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) on a glassy carbon as a working electrode was investigated in BrittoneRobinson (BeR) buffer pH 3, by using anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). This drug gave a welldefined voltammetric oxidation peak at þ 1200 mV versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The electrochemical oxidation process was shown…
As a basis for the development of a sensitive analytical method for the determination of carmine food dye, a study of the differential pulse polarographic reduction of carminic acid (CA) on a dropping mercury electrode was performed. For the analytical differential pulse polarographic method running at pH 2.0 BrittoneRobinson (BeR) buffer solution (peak at 489 mV), the relationship between the…
The analytical method for sweeteners in various food matrixes is very important for food quality control and regulation enforcement. A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of 10 sweeteners [acesulfame potassium (ACS-K), aspartame (ASP), cyclamate (CYC), dulcin (DUL), glycyrrhizic acid (GA), neotame (NEO), neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), saccharin (SAC), sucralose (SC…
In this study, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and radial basis function (RBF) neural network algorithm were used to measure the protein content of wheat owing to their nondestructiveness and quick speed as well as better performance compared to the traditional measuring method (semimicro-Kjeldahl) in actual practice. To simplify the complex structure of the RBF network caused by the ex…
The current study evaluated the stability potential of a transdermal patch composed of eserine and pralidoxime chloride for prophylaxis against ()-anatoxin A poisoning. The drug combinations were fabricated in an adhesive matrix system supported by a backing membrane and attached to a temporary release liner. Stability testing of the optimized formulation was established for 6 months under ac…
Independent component (IC) analysis was applied to near-infrared spectroscopy for analysis of gentiopicroside and swertiamarin; the two bioactive components of Gentiana scabra Bunge. ICs that are highly correlated with the two bioactive components were selected for the analysis of tissue cultures, shoots and roots, which were found to distribute in three different positions within the domain [t…
Calamondin has been demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant function and tyrosinase inhibitory activity, which might be attributed to its flavonoid compounds. To improve their application, the flavonoid compositions and antioxidant activity of calamondin extracts,prepared by different solvents, were investigated. The results showed that total phenolic and flavonoid contents of extracts from peel of…
Drug abuse has become a global issue of concern. It affects not only individual users, but also their families and communities. Data were retrieved from the database of the Taiwan Surveillance System of Drug Abuse and Addiction Treatment (SSDAAT) from 2002 to 2011,and 147,660 cases reported by medical institutions in Taiwan were reviewed. This study showed that the top five reported abused drug…
Baicalein and pentamethyl-hydroxychromane (PMC) have been investigated for use as antioxidants. However, antioxidants may stimulate free radical formation under certain conditions. The aim of our study was to determine whether PMC and baicalein exhibit both pro-oxidant and antioxidant activities in human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. In this study, electron spin resonance spectrometry …
In recent years, recreational use of Salvia divinorum (Lamiaceae), a herbal drug that contains a hallucinogenic ingredient, salvinorin A, has become a new phenomenon among young drug users. In Taiwan, as in many other countries, dry leaves of S. divinorum and its related concentrated extract products are available via the Internet. Besides S. divinorum, there are many endemic Salvia species who…
Traditional Taiwanese rice spirits were made from rice, which is their only ingredient and ethanol source. Site-specific natural isotopic fractionation by nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) methods were used to investigate molasses spirits usually mixed in rice spirits. Themeanratios for the parameters in five rice spirits labeled as Taikeng 8,Taikeng 9,Taichung sen 10, Tainan 11, and Tainun…
This study isolated polysaccharides from strawberry (SP) and mulberry (MP) fruit juice to compare their cytokine secretion regulatory and antiapoptotic activities using murine primary splenocytes. SP and MP in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were administered to splenocytes for 48 hours. The culture supernatant was used for cytokine secretion assay using the enzyme-linked im…
Edible seaweed products have been consumed in many Asian countries. Edible seaweeds accumulate iodine from seawater, and are therefore a good dietary source of iodine. An adequate consumption of seaweed can eliminate iodine deficiency disorders, but excessive iodine intake is not good for health. The recommended dietary reference intake of 0.15 mg/ d and 0.14 mg/d for iodine has been establish…
Nanotechnology has been applied in consumer products and commercial applications,showing a significant impact on almost all industries and all areas of society. Significant evidence indicates that manufactured nanomaterials and combustion-derived nanomaterials elicit toxicity in humans exposed to these nanomaterials. The interaction of the engineered nanomaterials with the nervous system has re…
Silver is an ancient antibiotic that has found many new uses due to its unique properties on the nanoscale. Due to its presence in many consumer products, the toxicity of nanosilver has become a hot topic. This review summarizes recent advances, particularly the molecular mechanism of nanosilver toxicity. The surface of nanosilver can easily be oxidized by O2 and other molecules in the environ…
Graphene, a single-atom-thick carbon nanosheet, has attracted great interest as a promising nanomaterial for a variety of bioapplications because of its extraordinary properties. However, the potential for widespread human exposure raises safety concerns about graphene and its derivatives, referred to as graphene-family nanomaterials. This review summarizes recent findings on the toxicological…
Nano-iron metal and nano-iron oxides are among the most widely used engineered and naturally occurring nanostructures, and the increasing incidence of biological exposure to these nanostructures has raised concerns about their biotoxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress is one of the most accepted toxic mechanisms and, in the past decades, considerable efforts have been …
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials that have been manufactured worldwide and applied in different commercial realms. The well-recognized ability of TiO2 to promote the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been extensively studied as one of the important mechanisms underlying TiO2 NPs toxicity. As the “gold standard” method to q…
Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field in the 21st century, and the commercial use of nanomaterials for novel applications is increasing exponentially. To date, the scientific basis for the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of most manufactured nanomaterials are not understood. The mechanisms underlying the toxicity of nanomaterials have recently been studied intensively. An important mechani…
Many of the biological applications and effects of nanomaterials are attributed to their ability to facilitate the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is a direct and reliable method to identify and quantify free radicals in both chemical and biological environments. In this review, we discuss the use of ESR spectroscopy to study ROS generatio…
Raman scattering is an inelastic phenomenon. Although its cross section is very small,recent advances in electronics, lasers, optics, and nanotechnology have made Raman spectroscopy suitable in many areas of application. The present article reviews the applications of Raman spectroscopy in food and drug analysis and inspection, including those associated with nanomaterials. Brief overviews of b…
To develop novel tumor cell microenvironment stimuli-responsive smart controlledrelease delivery systems is one of the current common interests of materials science and clinical medicine. Meanwhile, mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a promising drug carrier have become the new area of interest in the field of biomedical application in recent years because of their unique characteristics and a…
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the USA according to the American Cancer Society. In the past 5 years, “theranostic nanomedicine”, for both therapeutics and imaging,has shown to be “the right drug for the right patient at the right moment” to manage deadly cancers. This review article presents an overview of recent developments, mainly from the authors’ laboratories, a…
Limnophila aromatica is commonly used as a spice and a medicinal herb in Southeast Asia. In this study, water and various concentrations (50%, 75%, and 100%) of methanol, ethanol,and acetone in water were used as solvent in the extraction of L. aromatica. The antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, and total flavonoid content of the freeze-dried L. aromatica extracts were investigated usi…
A simple, precise, accurate, and selective method is developed and validated for the determination of oleuropein, which is the main phenolic compound in olive leaves. Separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column (5 mm, 150 4.6 mm inner diameter) using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/phosphate buffer pH 3.0 (20:80, v/v), at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/minute and UV detection at 2…
The aim of the present study was to develop a simple and fast screening technique to directly evaluate the bactericidal effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic inactivation (PDI) and to determine the optimal antibacterial conditions of ALA concentrations and the total dosage of light in vitro. The effects of PDI on Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the pr…
A simple and sensitive electrochemical method for the simultaneous and quantitative detection of ranitidine (RT) and metronidazole (MT) was developed, based on a poly (chromotrope 2B) modified activated glassy carbon electrode (PCHAGCE). The PCHAGCE showed excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of both RT and MT in 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.0). The peak-to-pea…
Antituberculosis drug-related liver injury (ATLI) is the most prevalent hepatotoxicity in many countries. Whether monitoring liver tests is beneficial to prevent this potentially grave adverse drug reaction (ADR) is open to debate. The Taiwan Drug Relief Foundation (TDRF) was established by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration to collect severe cases of ADR and carry out drug injury relief t…
To guarantee the safety of chocolate ice cream production, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system was applied to the production process. The biological,chemical, and physical hazards that may exist in every step of chocolate ice cream production were identified. In addition, the critical control points were selected and the critical limits, monitoring, corrective measures, …
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the only available calcium p-aminosalicylate (Ca PAS) commercial product, which is one of the most commonly prescribed non-surveillance products fromthe Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) database in Taiwan. An openrandomized,balanced, two-way crossover study was designed to evaluate the relative bioavailability (F) of a 500 mg Ca PAS F.C. table…
The capability of Chhit-Chan-Than extract powder (CCTEP, 10% aqueous Ocimum gratissimum L. extract) to protect against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in vivo was investigated. Wistar rats were divided into five groups. Group A was a normal control group given only vehicle; Group B, the hepatotoxic group, was injected intraperitoneally twice a week with …