Laccase was immobilized on a chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/tetraethylorthosilicate electrospun film (ceCPTL) and colored with guaiacol to obtain a laccase time–temperature indicator (TTI) prototype. The activation energy (Ea) of coloration of the prototype was 50.89–33.62 kJ/mol when 8–25 μg/cm² laccase was immobilized on ceCPTL, and that of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) growth in milk was 73.32 kJ/mol. The Ea of coloration of the TTI prototype onto which 8–10 μg/cm² laccase was immobilized was in the required range for predicting LAB growth in milk. The coloration endpoint of the TTI prototype onto which 10 μg/cm² (0.01 U) laccase was immobilized could respond to the LAB count reaching 10⁶ colony-forming units (CFU)/mL in milk during a static temperature response test, and the prediction error was discovered to be low. In dynamic temperature response experiments with intermittent temperature changes between 4 and 25 °C, the coloration rate of the laccase TTI prototype was consistent with LAB growth. The results of this study indicate that the laccase TTI prototype can be applied as a visual monitoring indicator to assist in evaluating milk quality in cold chains.

Paclitaxel (PTX) exhibits potent antineoplastic activity against various human malignancies; however, clinical application must overcome the inherent hydrophobicity of this molecule. The commercialized Taxol formulation utilizes Cremophor EL (CrEL)/ethanol as a solvent to stabilize and dispense PTX in an aqueous solution. However, adverse CrEL‑induced hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in ~30% of recipients, and 40% of patients receiving premedication may also experience this adverse effect. Therefore, the development of a CrEL-free delivery system is crucial, in order to fully exploit the therapeutic efficacy of PTX. In the present study, a novel liposomal PTX (lipo‑PTX) formulation was optimized with regards to encapsulation rate and long‑term stability, arriving at a molar constituent ratio of soybean phosphatidylcholine:cholesterol:N-(carbonyl-methoxy-poly-ethylene glycol 2000)‑1,2‑distearoyl‑sn-glycero‑3-phosphoethanolamine, sodium salt:PTX at 95:2:1:2. Comparable doses of lipo‑PTX and Taxol were bioequivalent in terms of therapeutic efficacy in xenograft tumor models. However, the systemic side effects, including hematopoietic toxicity, acute hypersensitivity reactions and cardiac irregularities, were significantly reduced in lipo‑PTX‑treated mice compared with those infused with reference formulations of PTX. In conclusion, the present study reported that lipo‑PTX exhibited a higher therapeutic index than clinical PTX formulations.

The regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome expression during the development of cardiac contractile dysfunction in chronic kidney disease The regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome expression during the development of cardiac contractile dysfunction in chronic kidney disease

Radio frequency (RF) technology is considered as a rapid heating method. Lipase in rice bran could highly accelerate lipid oxidation. The objectives of this study were to establish the radio frequency heating conditions for lipase inactivation and to evaluate the stability and antioxidant capacity. The results showed that the suitable electrode gap for a 1 kg sample load was 6 cm, and it only took 2 min to heat rice bran from 25 °C to 100 °C. Besides, there were no significant differences in the total phenolic content, flavonoid content and color between the untreated and RF-treated group, and the DPPH free radical scavenging activity of the RF treatment reached 84.8%. The acid value, free fatty acid content and peroxide value of the RF-treated rice bran met the quality standard after 8 weeks of storage at 4, 25 and 37 °C. In summary, this study provides valuable information about the RF heating procedure, and shows the great potential of RF technology for stabilizing rice bran efficiently.

Drug lag—delayed approval or reimbursement—is a major barrier to accessing cutting‐edge drugs. Unlike approval lag, reimbursement lag is under‐researched. We investigated the key determinants of reimbursement lag under Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI), and compared this lag with those in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. Using retrospective data on 190 new NHI‐reimbursed drugs from 2007 to 2014, we studied reimbursement lag in Taiwan vs. other countries, and investigated associated factors using generalized linear models (GLMs). The median reimbursement lags during before (“first‐generation”) and after (“second‐generation”) NHI drug reimbursement scheme in Taiwan were 378 and 458 days, respectively. The “first‐generation” lag was shorter only than that in South Korea, whereas the “second‐generation” lag only exceeded those of the United Kingdom and Japan. In GLM models, higher drug expenditure and the introduction of the “second‐generation” NHI were two statistically significant parameters associated with reimbursement lag among antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents. For other drug classes, the reimbursement price proposed by pharmaceutical companies and use of price‐volume agreements were two statistically significant parameters associated with longer reimbursement lags. The current reimbursement lag in Taiwan is longer than 1 year, but only longer than those of the United Kingdom and Japan. The determinants differ between drug categories. A specific review process for antineoplastic and immunomodulating drugs may expedite reimbursement. There is a clear need for systematic data collection and analysis to ascertain factors associated with reimbursement lag and thereby inform future policy making.