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Biomedical subjects

C C Huang

Publications and source records attributed to C C Huang.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Pseudogastroparesis as a presentation of small-bowel malignancy.

Establishing the diagnosis of small-bowel malignancy is sometimes an extremely difficult challenge owing to its non-specific symptoms. The mainstay of treatment is early recognition, diagnosis and surgical resection. The prognosis depends primarily on the degree of spread and stage at presentation. We present two cases with initially obscure presentations of a small-bowel tumour. One was a jejunal adenocarcinoma, but an initial upper gastrointestinal and small-bowel series did not disclose the lesion; the other was a primary ileal lymphoma, first thought to be diabetes mellitus gastroparesis. Therefore, a negative small-bowel series or presentation of a systemic disease-associated intestinal pseudo-obstruction or gastroparesis does not exclude the possibility of a small-bowel malignancy, if the clinical symptoms are not alleviated after prokinetic medications. The clinicians should further pursue the possibility of an obstructing lesion.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Kinetics of layer-thinning transitions in overheated smectic films.

The kinetic behavior of dislocation loops in overheated free-standing smectic-A films is reported. The loops open at velocities that are much faster than those seen in nonoverheated films. The velocities increase dramatically as a function of temperature and vary slightly as a function of film thickness. The behavior of dislocation loops induced with a pulsed resistive wire heater is identical to that of the loops giving rise to the layer-thinning transition. In addition, the interaction between two simultaneously nucleated dislocation loops is analyzed. The observed interactions give evidence that thinning occurs in the interior of the film. The results support a model for the layer-by-layer thinning transition based on the nucleation of dislocation loops.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Neurocognitive attention and behavior outcome of school-age children with a history of febrile convulsions: a population study.

PURPOSE: A prospective population-based case-control study was performed to ascertain whether febrile convulsion (FC) in early childhood is associated with neurocognitive attention deficits in school age. METHODS: A total of 103 children, confirmed to have FC by age 3 years from a population survey of 4,340 live-birth newborns in Tainan City, Taiwan, was followed up until at least age 6 years. An achievement test, behavioral ratings, and computerized neurocognitive battery assessing various subcomponents of attention were given to 87 FC children (FC group) and 87 randomly selected population-matched control (CC group). RESULTS: Compared with the CC group, the FC group did not have scholastic performance or behavioral outcome disadvantage. Overall FC group performance was distinguished by significantly higher scores in the achievement test and fewer missing errors (p < 0.005) and commission errors (p < 0. 05), less variability in reaction time (p < 0.005), and a nonsignificant trend of impulsivity. Attention performance of the FC and CC groups were comparable. Within the FC group, age at onset, complex FC, recurrence of FC, development of unprovoked seizures, or prior use of phenobarbital had no adverse effects on neurocognitive attention outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This population study suggests that FC in early childhood does not have adverse effects on behavior, scholastic performance, and neurocognitive attention. On the contrary, the FC group demonstrated significantly better control of distractibility and attention at school age.

Achievement↗
PubMed2000

Integrated tools for structural and sequence alignment and analysis.

We have developed new computational methods for displaying and analyzing members of protein superfamilies. These methods (MinRMS, AlignPlot and MSFviewer) integrate sequence and structural information and are implemented as separate but cooperating programs to our Chimera molecular modeling system. Integration of multiple sequence alignment information and three-dimensional structural representations enable researchers to generate hypotheses about the sequence-structure relationship. Structural superpositions can be generated and easily tuned to identify similarities around important characteristics such as active sites or ligand binding sites. Information related to the release of Chimera, MinRMS, AlignPlot and MSFviewer can be obtained at http:¿www.cgl.ucsf.edu/chimera.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Ginseng flowers stimulate progesterone production from bovine luteal cells.

Our previous report first showed evidence that polysaccharides isolated from ginseng leaves obtained from Jilin, China possess luteotropic activities. In this study, we made further investigations on the root and flowers of Korean ginseng by means of the same bioassay system described briefly as follows. Frozen-thawed bovine luteal cells (1 x 10(5) cells/ml/well) in M199 were incubated in 24-well culture plates at 37 degrees C in a 5 % CO2 incubator. Ten microl of tested drugs with 1, 10 and 100 microg/ml were added into each well. After 4- and 24-hr incubation, the media were harvested and assayed for progesterone by an enzyme immunoassay. The production of progesterone from cells is the indicator for evaluating the action of tested drugs. Results showed that hot water extracts ofginseng flowers (GF-1) with 10 to 100 microg/ml significantly increased progesterone production, whereas those from ginseng root (GR-1) could not. Crude polysaccharides (GF-2) isolated from GF-1 is the active component and the small molecules (mw < 10,000 dalton) are excluded, indicating that the ginseng root has no luteotropic activities, but the polysaccharides of ginseng flowers have.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Transient removal of extracellular Mg(2+) elicits persistent suppression of LTP at hippocampal CA1 synapses via PKC activation.

Previous work has shown that seizure-like activity can disrupt the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). However, how seizure-like event disrupts the LTP induction remains unknown. To understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this process better, a set of studies was implemented in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices using extracellular recording methods. We showed here that prior transient seizure-like activity generated by perfused slices with Mg(2+)-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) exhibited a persistent suppression of LTP induction. This effect lasted between 2 and 3 h after normal ACSF replacement and was specifically inhibited by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphovaleric acid (D-APV) and L-type voltage-operated Ca(2+) channel (VOCC) blocker nimodipine, but not by non-NMDA receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX). In addition, this suppressive effect was specifically blocked by the selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor NPC-15437. However, neither Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor KN-62 nor cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor Rp-adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphothioate (Rp-cAMPS) affected this suppressive effect. This persistent suppression of LTP was not secondary to the long-lasting changes in NMDA receptor activation, because the isolated NMDA receptor-mediated responses did not show a long-term enhancement in response to a 30-min Mg(2+)-free ACSF application. Additionally, in prior Mg(2+)-free ACSF-treated slices, the entire frequency-response curve of LTP and long-term depression (LTD) is shifted systematically to favor LTD. These results suggest that the increase of Ca(2+) influx through NMDA channels and L-type VOCCs in turn triggering a PKC-dependent signaling cascade is a possible cellular basis underlying this seizure-like activity-induced inhibition of LTP.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗
PubMed2000

Baicalein, a novel apoptotic agent for hepatoma cell lines: a potential medicine for hepatoma.

This study has demonstrated that baicalein has anticancer effectiveness against human hepatoma cells. The dose response of baicalein in Hep G2 and Hep J2 cells indicates that baicalein decreased viability >90%. In comparison, baicalein had only minimal effects on the viability of control Chang liver cells. Flow cytometric analysis showed that baicalein inhibited the cell cycle of Hep G2 cells in the S phase. In addition, baicalein treatment resulted in a decreased mitochondrial transmembrane potential and damaged the integrity of the cell membrane. The TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay results indicated that baicalein elicited a significant increase of DNA fragmentation in Hep G2 cells after incubation for 48 hours. These results indicate that baicalein is an effective antihepatoma agent with minimal influence on noncancer cells. The effects of baicalein on Hep G2 cells include inhibition of the S phase of the cell cycle, dysfunction of mitochondria, and initiation of apoptosis.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2000

The Chinese herbal medicine Chai-Hu-Long-Ku-Mu-Li-Tan (TW-001) exerts anticonvulsant effects against different experimental models of seizure in rats.

We evaluated the anticonvulsant effect of Chai-Hu-Long-Ku-Mu-Li-Tan (TW-001), a Chinese herbal medicine, and its mechanisms in several standard rodent models of generalized seizure. TW-001 (4 g/kg, p.o.) significantly increased the threshold for tonic electroconvulsions and the threshold for tonic seizures in response to i.v. infusion of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). In the s.c. PTZ seizure test, both the incidence and severity of seizures were decreased by TW-001. TW-001 (1-10 mg/ml) did not alter resting membrane potential or input resistance of the hippocampal CA1 neurons, but elicited a reversible suppression of stimulus-triggered epileptiform activity in area CA1 and spontaneously occuring epileptiform burst discharges in area CA3 elicited by picrotoxin. Both field excitatory postsynaptic potentials and population spikes were reversibly depressed by TW-001 (0.5-15 mg/ml) in a concentration-dependent manner. The sensitivity of postsynaptic neurons to a glutamate-receptor agonist, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid or N-methyl-D-aspartate, was not altered by TW-001 (10 mg/ml). However, TW-001 (5 mg/ml) clearly increased the magnitude of paired-pulse facilitation. TW-001 (5-10 mg/ml) reversibly limited the repetitive firing and reduced the maximal rate of rise of action potentials elicited by injection of depolarizing current pulses (0.4 nA, 200 ms) into the pyramidal cells. TW-001 (1-10 mg/ml) exerted a concentration-dependent reduction of the tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium currents and high voltage-activated calcium currents. These results suggest that TW-001 is an interesting new anticonvulsant agent that exerts its anticonvulsant activity through inhibition of sodium and calcium channels, stabilizing neuronal membrane excitability and inhibiting glutamate release.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2000

Characteristics of foot and mouth disease virus in Taiwan.

Since March 1997 two strains of foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus have found their way into Taiwan, causing severe outbreaks in pigs and in Chinese yellow cattle. Outbreaks occurred in March 1997 were caused by a pig-adapted virus strain (O/Taiwan/97) which did not infect other species of cloven-hoofed animals by natural route. The epidemic spread over the whole region of Taiwan within two months and the aftermath was 6,147 pig farms infected and 3,850,746 pigs destroyed. In June 1999, the second strain of FMD virus (O/Taiwan/99) was isolated from the Chinese yellow cattle in the Kinmen Prefecture and in the western part of Taiwan. By the end of 1999, Chinese yellow cattle were the only species infected and those infected cattle did not develop pathological lesions. Seroconversions of serum neutralization antibody and on non-structural protein (NSP) antibodies were the best indicators for infection in non-vaccinated herds. The infected animals, however, excreted infectious levels of virus to infect new hosts. Based on the detection of the specific antibody to FMD virus, and virus isolation from oesophageal-pharyngeal (OP) fluid samples, ten herds of Chinese yellow cattle located in Kinmen and Taiwan were declared to have been infected. During the period of January to March 2000, however, five outbreaks caused by FMD virus similar to the O/Taiwan/99 virus occurred in four prefectures of Taiwan. The infected species included goats, Chinese yellow cattle and dairy cattle. Those outbreaks have caused high mortality in goat kids under two weeks old and also developed typical clinical signs of infection in dairy cattle.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Absence of maternal A3243G mtDNA mutation and reversible hyperglycemia in a patient with MELAS syndrome.

We report the unusual features of a female patient who had MELAS-specific A3243G mutation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and diabetes mellitus (DM). The patient showed mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and deafness but lacked the stroke-like episode. Acute hyperglycemia was noted after one attack of status epilepticus. Molecular genetic analysis demonstrated a heteroplasmic A3243G point mutation in the mtDNAs of muscle, blood cells and hair follicles. Glucagon stimulation test exhibited marked depression of pancreatic beta-cell function. However, in a further study neither this mutation, nor MELAS syndrome or DM, was found in all of her maternal relatives. A series of follow-up studies for beta-cell function also showed gradual improvement. The pedigree study led us to believe that this A3243G mutation arose from the germ line cells or occurred later in somatic tissues of the patient. We also suggest that the A3243G mutation of mtDNA may elicit the pathogenesis of a subtype of DM. Nevertheless, environmental stress may be another important factor for provocation of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Organ system failures predict prognosis in critically ill patients with acute renal failure requiring dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread availability of dialytic and intensive care unit technology, the probability of early mortality in critically ill patients with acute renal failure is still high. Previous efforts to predict the outcome in this population have been limited by small sample sizes. In addition, data obtained decades ago may not apply today owing to changes in the case mix. We have attempted to determine whether organ system failures can be used to predict prognosis. METHODS: The medical records of 100 consecutive intensive care unit patients with acute renal failure who required dialysis from January 1997 through December 1998 were evaluated by a blinded reviewer. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients studied, 65 were men and 35 were women. The mean age of survivors and non-survivors was 59.4 +/- 20.3 years and 58.3 +/- 20.0 years, respectively. The overall mortality rate was 71%. There were no significant differences between survivors and non-survivors in age, gender, or indication for dialysis. The cause of death in the majority of patients was related to organ system failure, and they carried mortality rates exceeding 83% with the coexistence of four or more failed organs. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate for intensive care unit patients with acute renal failure continues to be high. Multiple organ system failure occurs frequently and is the major cause of death. The mortality rate increases as the number of failed organs increases.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed2000

Impact of Helicobacter pylori antimicrobial resistance on the outcome of 1-week lansoprazole-based triple therapy.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of Helicobacter pylori antimicrobial resistance on the efficacy of different proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapies. METHODS: One-hundred and twelve dyspeptic patients with H. pylori infection, as demonstrated by positive histology and culture, were randomized to receive one of the three PPI-based triple therapies. The regimens included lansoprazole (L) plus any two of the following three antibiotics: amoxicillin (A), metronidazole (M), and clarithromycin (C); patients were allocated to ALC, MLC, and ALM subgroups. Six weeks after the start of triple therapy, the 13C-urea breath test (UBT) was performed to evaluate the success of H. pylori eradication. Patients with positive UBT results underwent endoscopy for H. pylori culture. The pre- and post-treatment H. pylori isolates were analyzed for initial and acquired resistance using the E-test. RESULTS: One hundred patients completed the study. The H. pylori eradication rates were 70% (21/30) in the ALM subgroups, 79% (26/33) in the MLC subgroup, and 89% (33/37) in the ALC subgroup. The frequencies of pretreatment H. pylori antimicrobial resistance were 0% for amoxicillin resistance (AR), 32% for metronidazole resistance (MR), and 6% for clarithromycin resistance (CR). For H. pylori isolates with initial MR, the eradication rates in the ALM (40%) and MLC (67%) subgroups were apparently lower than that in the ALC (92%) subgroup. In the ALM and MLC subgroups (i.e., patients who received metronidazole), the eradication failure rate was significantly higher for patients with MR isolates than for patients with metronidazole-susceptible isolates (47% vs 16%, p < 0.05). In the ALC and MLC subgroups (i.e., patients who received clarithromycin), the eradication failure rate was significantly higher for patients with CR isolates than for those with clarithromycin-susceptible isolates (100% vs 11%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that H. pylori antimicrobial resistance is relevant to the success of eradication. The high MR but low CR and AR prevalence among H. pylori isolates in this study suggests that PPI-based triple therapy including amoxicillin and clarithromycin may achieve the most favorable eradication rate.

2-Pyridinylmethylsulfinylbenzimidazoles↗
PubMed2000

The effects of glurenorm on plasma glucose and lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The effects of sulfonylureas on plasma glucose, lipids, and macrovascular complications are of interest. This study was designed to investigate the effects of glurenorm on plasma glucose and lipids in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Nineteen patients, 15 men and 4 women, with an age range of 38-69 years, and with type 2 diabetes mellitus, were studied. Plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and lipids were compared before and 3 months after glurenorm treatment. RESULTS: Fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, and HbA1c significantly improved after 3 months of glurenorm treatment. The mean (+/- SD) triglyceride level of 10 patients with mild to moderate hypertriglyceridemia decreased from 279 +/- 66 to 219 +/- 100 mg/dl (p = 0.054). The total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) of 14 hypercholesterolemic patients did not change significantly. Their mean body weight increased significantly from 65.7 +/- 9.6 to 67.2 +/- 9.9 kg (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Glurenorm was effective for glycemic control but caused weight gain in type 2 diabetic patients. Triglycerides in hypertriglyceridemic patients, and total cholesterol, LDL-C, and HDL-C in hypercholesterolemic patients did not improve after glurenorm treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Fatal and non-fatal chromobacterial septicemia: report of two cases.

Chromobacterium violaceum is frequently found in soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions. The organism rarely causes infection in humans, but is associated with a high mortality rate when it occurs. Septicemia associated with abscess in multiple organs such as the liver, skin, lungs, spleen, lymph nodes, and brain has been reported. We report on 2 patients with systemic infections with Chromobacterium violaceum. One presented with a fulminant course with multiple organ involvement and died 78 days later. The other presented with a milder course and survived after antibiotic therapy. In conclusion, infection with Chromobacterium violaceum is rare but its course is usually fulminant with high mortality especially in patients with sepsis and multiple organ involvement. We hope this report will provide additional information to physicians in the treatment of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Total creatinine appearance as indicator of risk of infectious complication in peritoneal dialysis.

Peritonitis and exit-site infections are the main causes of complications in peritoneal dialysis. Death due to infectious complication is also one of the major causes of drop-out. The underlying cause of infection may include malnutrition. Total creatinine appearance (TCA) may reflect overall nutritional status. We determined TCA from the daily dialysate, urine, and estimated gut creatinine of patients and normalized it to actual body weight (nTCA). We examined the relationship between nTCA and the incidence of infection, and between nTCA and infection-related survival. The study included 323 adult patients in a single dialysis center. The mean nTCA of all patients was 19.73 +/- 4.75 mg/kg/day. The patients with an nTCA below 1 standard deviation from the mean (nTCA < 14.98 mg/kg/day) had a significantly higher peritonitis and exit-site infection rate (p < 0.01) and a higher chance of drop-out owing to infection-related complications (p < 0.0001). Our study concluded that the adult patient with malnutrition (nTCA < 14.98 mg/kg/day) has higher risk of infection.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed2000

Hyperkalemic cardiac arrest successfully reversed by hemodialysis during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: case report.

Severe hyperkalemia is a potential life-threatening cardiac emergency especially in the patients who suffer from a defective renal capacity to excrete potassium such as the dialysis patient. Various conventional therapies including intravenous sodium bicarbonate, insulin with glucose and several beta-2 agonists are commonly employed as transient measures to enhance shift of potassium from the extracellular to the intracellular compartment. If the potassium load is massive and situation is critical, emergency hemodialysis may be useful. During cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the external cardiac compression can support adequate blood flow for hemodialysis. We report a case of a 68-year-old woman who developed sudden cardiac arrest secondary to hyperkalemia with renal insufficiency. Despite 100 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and conventional treatment for hyperkalemia, the cardiac arrest still persisted. Hemodialysis was then initiated during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the patient restored spontaneous heart beat 20 minutes later. There was no neurologic sequela after her recovery. Hemodialysis should be considered early in the course of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in severe hyperkalemia induced cardiac arrest if conventional therapies were judged to be ineffective.

Aged↗