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Biomedical subjects

B Xu

Publications and source records attributed to B Xu.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

The influence of several anticancer agents on cell proliferation, differentiation and the cell cycle of murine erythroleukemia cells.

The influence of homoharringtonine, hydroxycamptothecin and lycobetaine on the cell cycle progression of murine erythroleukemia cells was studied by using flow microfluorometry (FMF) technique and centrifugal elutriation to obtain specific fractions of the cell cycle. FMF histogram analysis showed that homoharringtonine could strongly arrest cells in the G1 phase of the immediate cell cycle. This effect was more pronounced and persisted longer with G1 cells than with S or G2 cells. Hydroxycamptothecin mainly delayed the progression of S cells of the subsequent cell cycle (daughter cells). Lycobetaine caused a marked accumulation of G2 cells. These 3 compounds possess a relatively specific action on cell progression through the cell cycle. Homoharringtonine and hydroxycamptothecin can inhibit the cell proliferation of murine erythroleukemia cells (MELC) at low concentrations (ng/ml) whereas lycobetaine, cantharidin and oxalysine are less potent. Among them only hydroxycamptothecin had a weak activity to induce MELC differentiation. These results may provide some basic knowledge for designing new protocols of the combination treatment of neoplastic diseases.

Alkaloids↗

Anti-tumor effect of (S)-10-hydroxycamptothecin on mouse hepatoma BW7756 and its possible mode of action.

(S)-10-Hydroxycamptothecin (OPT), an analog of camptothecin (CPT), was found to inhibit the growth of the mouse hepatoma BW7756, when given at 1.0 mg/kg/day for 14 days. Cell cycle studies using flow cytofluorometry indicated that this drug inhibited the S-Phase of the tumor cells in vivo and the S and G2/M phases in vitro. Similar studies on host liver showed little or no effect. In spite of the narrow range of the effective dose of this drug against mouse hepatoma BW7756, the use of OPT in combination with other antitumor agents may be useful in primary hepatoma or liver metastases in view of its low toxicity towards host liver. A simple cytofluorometric method useful for live cell cycle study has been adapted for this investigation and can be adopted for other drug studies.

Animals↗

Trace elements in blood and seminal plasma and their relationship to sperm quality.

The concentrations of cadmium, lead, selenium, and zinc in blood and seminal plasma were determined in 221 Singapore men. The relationship of trace element concentration to sperm density, motility, morphology, and semen volume was also investigated. The concentrations of elements were in the following descending order: Zn > Se > Pb > Cd. Except for zinc, the concentrations were generally higher in blood than in seminal plasma. The mean concentration of zinc in seminal plasma (ZnSP) was about 30 times higher than in blood (ZnB). A significant inverse correlation was observed between blood cadmium levels (CdB) and sperm density (r = -0.24, P < 0.05) in oligozoospermic men (sperm density below 20 million/mL) but not in normospermic men. Cadmium in seminal plasma (CdSP) was also associated with low semen volume (r = -0.29, P < 0.05). These findings suggest that cadmium may have an effect on the male reproductive system. In contrast, positive correlations were observed between concentrations of selenium and zinc in seminal plasma (SeSP and ZnSP) and sperm density in normospermic men but not in oligozoospermic men. The correlation coefficients with sperm density for SeSP and ZnSP were 0.35 (P < 0.05) and 0.41 (P < 0.01), respectively. The concentrations of lead in blood (PbB) or seminal plasma (PbSP) did not appear to have any correlation with the sperm parameters studied.

Adult↗

Comparison of the effect of insecticide-treated bed nets and DDT residual spraying on the prevalence of malaria transmitted by Anopheles anthropophagus in China.

In order to improve the control of malaria in a problem part of Hubei Province, China, where Anopheles anthropophagus is the vector of Plasmodium vivax, insecticide treatment of bed nets was introduced. The people were given the choice of DDT residual spraying, which had been used for many years, or deltamethrin treatment of their bed nets. Two counties, in which these 2 different methods had been introduced, and an untreated area were evaluated. DDT house spraying and insecticide treated bed nets were equally effective, but deltamethrin treatment was cheaper and so was considered the method of choice.

Bedding and Linens↗

Surveillance for low-level malaria.

Due to good detection and control, malaria has reached very low levels in China with the result that existing methods of surveillance, taking blood slides from all fever cases and those with a common cold, are finding very few malaria cases among the millions of persons examined. Passive case detection agents in areas of moderate and low endemicity in Hubei Province, China, were instructed to indicate on the form associated with each slide whether the patient was considered to be a clinical case of malaria (group 1), was thought to have malaria but did not have all the features (group 2), had fever alone and was not thought to be a case of malaria (group 3), or merely had a common cold (group 4). In the low endemic area (slide positivity rate 0.23%), only 5 cases in group 3 and 4 in group 2 were detected per 10,000 examinations. It is recommended that these categories be discontinued in malarious areas of low endemicity, to encourage greater efficiency in detecting cases in groups 1 and 2. In the moderately endemic area, with a slide positivity rate of 4.19%, all categories, including group 4, were considered valuable for detecting malaria cases.

Adolescent↗

Modeling of overflow metabolism in batch and fed-batch cultures of Escherichia coli.

A dynamic model of glucose overflow metabolism in batch and fed-batch cultivations of Escherichia coli W3110 under fully aerobic conditions is presented. Simulation based on the model describes cell growth, respiration, and acetate formation as well as acetate reconsumption during batch cultures, the transition of batch to fed-batch culture, and fed-batch cultures. E. coli excreted acetate only when specific glucose uptake exceeded a critical rate corresponding to a maximum respiration rate. In batch cultures where the glucose uptake was unlimited, the overflow acetate made up to 9. 0 +/- 1.0% carbon/carbon of the glucose consumed. The applicability of the model to dynamic situations was tested by challenging the model with glucose and acetate pulses added during the fed-batch part of the cultures. In the presence of a glucose feed, E. coli utilized acetate 3 times faster than in the absence of glucose. The cells showed no significant difference in maximum specific uptake rate of endogenous acetate produced by glucose overflow and exogenous acetate added to the culture, the value being 0.12-0.18 g g-1 h-1 during the entire fed-batch culture period. Acetate inhibited the specific growth rate according to a noncompetitive model, with the inhibition constant (ki) being 9 g of acetate/L. This was due to the reduced rate of glucose uptake rather than the reduced yield of biomass.

Acetates↗