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Biomedical subjects

A Li

Publications and source records attributed to A Li.

366 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

Alphamethrin-impregnated bed nets for malaria and mosquito control in China.

A community-based intervention trial was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of alphamethrin-impregnated bed nets for control of Plasmodium vivax malaria and its vector in an area of moderate endemicity in southern Henan province, central China in 1990. Malaria incidence was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the comparison group (2.03 vs. 3.57 per 100 person-years at risk). The protective efficacy for malaria incidence was 43%. The prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among children under 10 years old in the intervention group was about one-quarter of that in the comparison group (0.93% vs. 3.25% and 0.71% vs. 1.96% after one and 4 months use of impregnated nets, respectively). Alphamethrin-impregnated bed nets had a mass killing effect on vector mosquitoes. The outdoor person-biting density of Anopheles anthropophagus and A. sinensis decreased by 70.3% and 29.3% respectively. The density of these 2 mosquito species found resting inside treated nets was close to zero. No side effect was found among users of impregnated bed nets. Impregnation with alphamethrin was more effective on polyester than on cotton netting and residual effects lasted at least one year. Use of alphamethrin is less expensive than permethrin and deltamethrin.

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Effects of a positron-emitting vanadium-48 nitinol stent on experimental restenosis in porcine coronary arteries: an injury-response study.

BACKGROUND: The major limitation of coronary stenting is restenosis due to exaggerated neointimal thickening. We evaluated a positron-emitting V48 nitinol stent in a porcine coronary model of restenosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pigs (n = 16) received a control nonradioactive and a V48 stent (1.5 or 10.6 muCi) randomized to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA). Histology, morphometric variables, and strut injury scores were evaluated after 32 days. Peristrut fibrinoid deposits were greater in the high-dose group (p < 0.0001). Control stent area stenosis (AS) and mean neointimal thickness (NIT) correlated with injury (r = 0.81 and 0.79, respectively). Higher-dose stents reduced AS by 20% (0.57 +/- 0.13 vs. 0.71 +/- 0.16; p = 0.029) and mean NIT by 35% (0.44 +/- 0.16 vs. 0.71 +/- 0.24mm; p = 0.001) compared with controls. Lower-dose 1.5-muCi stents did not differ from controls. NIT over individual struts was reduced in the high-dose group compared with controls by 0.18 mm for grade 1 injury, 0.31 mm for grade 2, and 0.38 mm for grade 3 (p < 0.02 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: 1.5-muCi V48 nitinol stents did not influence vessel histology or restenotic parameters in pig coronary arteries. In contrast, 10.6-muCi stents created a distinctive histological picture consisting of increased fibrinoid deposits on the neointimal-facing side of the struts without cellular organization. Higher dose radioactive stents significantly reduced AS and mean NIT. The reduction in neointimal thickening was greatest when the depth of strut penetration into the vascular wall was most severe.

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Isolation and biological activities of an antineoplastic protein-polysaccharide complex (PS4A) obtained from Mycobacterium vaccae.

A mixture of water-soluble protein-polysaccharides (PS4A) was isolated by boiling intact cells of Mycobacterium vaccae, a fast growing mycobacterium. Sephadex G-75 column chromatography of the crude extract separated the biologically active high molecular weight (> 50 kDa) fraction (in the void volume) from the low molecular weight degradation products. Compositional analysis demonstrated that PS4A contained protein and polysaccharide in a ratio of approximately 1.5 to 1, but no lipids were detected. The antineoplastic activity was tested in vivo by a S-180 murine sarcoma model using female CFW mice. The immunostimulating activity was tested in vitro using murine peritoneal macrophages isolated from BALB/C mice. The results demonstrated that PS4A significantly decreased tumor incidence in vivo and produced activation of murine peritoneal macrophages. However, the antineoplastic activity was only attributable to the high molecular weight fraction of the protein-polysaccharide complex. The low molecular weight fraction had no antineoplastic activity in vivo despite stimulation of TNF-alpha production in vitro. In vitro experiments also demonstrated that although all PS4A components significantly increased TNF-alpha production by macrophages, the high molecular weight fraction stimulated more IL-1 production, indicating a better immunostimulating activity.

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Leakage of a liquid 188Re-filled balloon system during intracoronary brachytherapy. A case report.

We are reporting the first case of an accidental radioactive 188Re leakage of a liquid-filled balloon system. Different analytical methods estimated that approximately 4 mCi 188Re were released. The radiation burden was reduced considerably by the combined therapy with perchlorate and forced volume diuresis. Estimated exposures to all organs were very low with 1.8 rad. A total body nuclear scintigraphy demonstrated uniform 188Re distribution, without specific organ concentration.

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Pathophysiological significance of brain acidic fibroblast growth factor.

The acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) in rat cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) increased 1000 times in the 2 hr period after food intake, or intraperitoneal (IP) or intracerebroventricular (ICV) glucose infusion. It diffused into the brain parenchyma and was taken up into neurons in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, etc.... aFGF is produced in the ependymal cells and released into CSF in response to increased glucose. ICV application of aFGF dose dependently inhibits, and anti-aFGF antibody facilitates food intake. IP injection of glucose 2 hr before a task that combined acquisition with passive avoidance significantly increased retention of avoidance by mice tested 24 hr later. In a Morris water maze task, IP glucose injection 2 hr before a first trial block reduced time to find and climb onto a platform hidden just below the water surface. These facilitation by glucose of affective and spatial memory were abolished by pretreatment with anti-aFGF antibody applied ICV. Continuous ICV infusion of aFGF into rats also significantly increased the reliability of passive avoidance for several days. The memory facilitation by aFGF was significantly attenuated by CA1 neuron death in the hippocampus caused by 5 min ischemia of the brain, in gerbils. After food intake, centrally-released aFGF reaches the hippocampus and facilitates memory, while peripherally released cholecystokinin reaches the endings of the afferent vagal nerves in the portal vein and changes the vagal nerve activity, which modulates hippocampal activity, to lead to memory facilitation. This, however, is blocked by vagotomy below the diaphragm.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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