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We found that RAO increased the risk for ACS. We recommend thorough follow-up cardiovascular examinations and medical prevention for ACS in patients following RAO.

There is increasing evidence that daily intake of flavonoids reduced severity and prevalence of allergic diseases. However, the mechanism of its antiinflammatory effects in allergic diseases remains uncertain. Kaempferol, which belongs to the flavone group, is a strong antioxidant among natural flavonoids and is the essential component of many beverages and vegetables. Because chemokine is one of the key mediators in allergic inflammatory process, we investigated the effect of kaempferol on chemokines expression in monocytes. Our data demonstrated that kaempferol significantly inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of monocyte-derived chemokine (MDC), interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) in THP-1 cells. Growth-related oncogene-α (GRO-α) was also suppressed at a higher concentration. We also found that kaempferol was able to suppress LPS-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, as well as the phosphorylation of upstream c-raf and MEK1/2. In brief, kaempferol suppressed LPS-induced T helper 1 (Th1), T helper 2 (Th2), and neutrophil-related chemokines production in monocytes might be via the MAPK pathways.

A novel species of thermoacidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus yangmingensis sp. nov.Ren-Long Jan,' Jeffrey Wu,' Shu-Miaw Chaw,3 Chien-Wei Tsai' and Suh-Der Tsen'Author for correspondence: Suh-Der Tsen. Tel: +886 2 28267108. Fax: $886 2 28212880. e-mail : nymut sen @, yrn.edu. twInstitute of Microbiology and immunology, National Yang-Ming University, ShihPail, Taipei American School2 and Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica3, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC A novel microbe was isolated from a geothermal vent in Yang-Ming National Park in northern Taiwan. This spherical microbe with mean cell diameter of 1.1 20-2 pm is a facultatively chemolithoautotrophic archaeon that grows on elemental sulfur and reduced sulfur compounds. The optimal pH and temperature for growth are 4-0 (pH range 2.0-6.0) and 80 "C (temperature range 65-95 "C). Its membranes contain the lipids calditoglycerocaldarchaeol and caldarchaeol, which are common to other members of the Sulfolobaceae. Like Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, Sulfolobus shibatae and Sulfolobus solfataricus, the new isolate utilizes sugars and amino acids effectively as sole carbon sources. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 42 mol0/o. DNA of the isolate hybridized weakly to the DNA of other Sulfolobus species. Phylogenetic analysis of the 165 rRNA indicated that the new isolate represents a deep branch within the genus Sulfolobus. On the basis of these properties, the new isolate appears to represent a new species of Sulfolobus, for which the name Sulfolobus yangmingensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain YMIT.1 Keywords: thermoacidophile, archaeon, Sulfolobus INTRODUCTIONMembers of the genus Sulfolobus, the first reported genus of the family Sulfolobaceae (Brock et al., 1972;Segerer et al., 1986), are characterized by aerobic growth at high temperatures and low pH in the presence of elemental sulfur. Members of the genus are usually found in habitats such as acidic hot springs and mud holes that contain elemental sulfur. Among the described species of Sulfolobus, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, originally discovered in Yellowstone National Park, USA, and Sulfolobus solfataricus, originally discovered in Pisciarelli, Italy, have been used widely in research. Both species are distributed worldwide. Sulfolobus hakonensis was isolated in Hakone, Japan (Takayanagi et al., 1996).Taiwan has many active geothermal vents. A new microbial strain was isolated from an acidic, muddy, hot spring in Longfong valley at the southern YangAbbreviations: MP, maximum-parsimony; NJ, neighbour-joining.The GenBank accession number for the 16s rDNA sequence of strain YMIT is AB010957.Ming National Park in northern Taiwan. The temperature of this hot spring can reach 105 "C and the pH is as low as 2. In this report, we have characterized this novel strain in terms of morphology, nutritional requirements, DNA homology with similar species and phylogenetic analysis of its 16s rRNA sequence. METHODSMicrobial strains. S. acidocaldarius DSM 639', S. hakonensis DSM 7519', Sulfolobus shibatae DSM 5389' and S. sol...

This study is a retrospective, nationwide, matched cohort study to investigate the risk of band keratopathy following end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The study cohort included 94,039 ESRD on-dialysis patients identified by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), code 585 and registered between January 2000 to December 2009 at the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. An age- and sex-matched control group comprised 94,039 patients selected from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. Information for each patient was collected from the index date until December 2011. In total, 230 ESRD patients and 26 controls had band keratopathy (P < 0.0001) during the follow-up period, indicating a significantly elevated risk of band keratopathy in the ESRD patients compared with controls (incidence rate ratio = 12.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.14–18.32). After adjustment for potential confounders including sarcoidosis, hyperparathyroidism, iridocyclitis, and phthisis bulbi, ESRD patients were 11.56 times more likely to develop band keratopathy in the full cohort (adjusted HR = 11.56, 95% CI = 7.70–17.35). In conclusion, ESRD increases the risk of band keratopathy. Close interdisciplinary collaboration between nephrologists and ophthalmologists is important to deal with band keratopathy following ESRD and prevent visual acuity impairments.