Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major public health issue worldwide. It not only causes an increased socio-economic burden, but also negatively affects personal lives. It has been shown that depression leads to impairments in synaptic plasticity, such as impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). A recent study reported that administration of agomelatine, a melatonin receptor agonist and 5-hydro...

Many coastal coal-fired power plants utilize seawater flue gas desulfurization (SWFGD) systems, which may pose risks of heavy metal attachment on suspended sediments. Understanding variations in suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is therefore useful for controlling marine pollution. We studied two power plants as examples of discharging SSC using continuous measurement techniques. Monitoring sites at intake and discharge p...

Purpose As the proportion of medical radiation exposure increases, the exposure dose has received increasing attention. When performing interventional radiological diagnosis, examiners are often exposed to radiation. Therefore, patients and medical personnel are exposed to higher amounts of radiation dose. Accordingly, we used optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) to measure the ambient air kerma during abdomina...

Grouper aquaculture is a rapidly growing and dynamic industry within the Taiwan aquaculture sector that serves as an important source of income generation. Farming fishes at a better location (FFABL) is a promising production strategy. This study evaluated the production and economic performance of grouper farming in Taiwan. This investigation employed two steps: (1) a cost–benefit analysis to determine the main component affe...

Phthalate exposure is widespread and has a global impact. Growing evidence shows that mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) exposure has a negative impact on human health. However, whether MEHP exposure is associated with mortality and other adverse outcomes in hemodialysis patients remains unknown. This study prospectively enrolled 217 patients on maintenance hemodialysis from June 30, 2021, to August 16, 2022. Baseline serum ME...

Onshore farming for premium aquaculture is under scrutiny and criticism partially due to possible causes of adverse environmental impacts on other resource users and the surrounding environment. The best alternative to preventing or minimizing these impacts is to utilize open seawater by large submersible cage culture. The current operation in Taiwan has demonstrated that the culture operation is technically feasible but econo...

Oral-nasal mucosal immunity plays a crucial role in protecting the body against bacterial and viral invasion. Safe probiotic products have been used to enhance human immunity and oral health. In this study, we verified the beneficial effects of mixed viable probiotic tablets, consisting of Lactobacillus salivarius subsp. salicinius AP-32, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CP-9, and Lactobacillus paracasei ET-66, and heat-...