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Biomedical subjects

C C Lin

Publications and source records attributed to C C Lin.

At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Hypertension and its related factors in Taiwanese elderly people.

BACKGROUND: Our study used data collected in Chung-Hsing Village in May 1998 to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension and its correlates in Taiwanese elderly people. METHODS: All of individuals aged 65 and over were recruited as study subjects. A total of 1,093 persons, out of 1,774 registered residents, were contacted by face-to-face interview The response rate was 61.6 percent. However, only 586 respondents had blood tests and completed questionnaires. Analysis in this study was based on these 586 subjects. In order to study the significant correlates of hypertension, the t-test, chi-square analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were used. RESULTS: Our results showed that 66 percent were men and 34 percent were women. The mean age was 73.1 +/- 5.3 years. The proportions of hypertension were 53.09 percent in men and 56.06 percent in women (p > 0.05). After controlling the other covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the significant related factors of hypertension were obesity (OR = 1.88, 95 percent CI = 1.06-3.34, p < 0.05) and renalfunction impairment (OR = 1.69, 95 percent CI = 1.02-2.80, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of hypertension was high in elderly people. Hypertension is significantly associated with obesity and renalfunction impairment in elderly people.

Age Distribution↗
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A pilot study of AFL-T (doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and tamoxifen) combination chemotherapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Tamoxifen had been used to treat advanced prostate cancer with limited success. In vitro data suggested that tamoxifen could enhance the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapeutic agents, including doxorubicin, on prostate cancer cell lines. We applied this observation into a phase II trial for patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The AFL-T regimen consisted of doxorubicin 30 mg/m2/day on day 1; 5-FU 2,000 mg/m2/day 24-hour infusion and leucovorin 200 mg/m2/day 24-hour infusion on days 15 and 29; tamoxifen 50 mg/m2 four times daily on days 1, 2, 16, 17, 30, and 31. The protocol was designed to be of low dose-intensity and tolerable to most HRPC patients who may have reduced bone marrow reserve and poor renal function. Between Feb. 1994 and April 1999, 17 patients (median age 67, range 60-81) with HRPC were enrolled. Extensive hormonal manipulations had been done prior to the chemotherapy. Three patients had measurable diseases, 14 had only bone metastases, and all had elevated PSA levels (median 498 ng/ml, range 7.4-3,970 ng/ml). RESULTS: All 17 patients were eligible for analysis of toxicity. ECOG Grade III/IV leukopenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. There was no febrile neutropenia; there was no treatment-related mortality. Grade III/IV nausea, vomiting, mucositis, and diarrhea were noted in 0, 0, 1 and 0 patient, respectively. There was no venous thrombosis. One partial response, 1 stable disease, and 1 progressive disease were found in the three patients with measurable lesions. Eleven of the 17 patients (64.7%, 95% confidence interval: 41-88%) who were eligible for the evaluation of PSA response (PSA decrease > 50% for at least 6 weeks) were responders. The median overall and progression-free survivals were 13 and 7 months, respectively. Seventy-six percent of patients showed decreased analgesic usage or enhanced performance status. CONCLUSION: AFL-T, that has a low toxicity profile, is comparable to most other active regimens in terms of the PSA response rate. Randomized trials are needed to determine if there exists a survival benefit for patients with HRPC.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The developments of mass urinary screening in Taiwan.

A program of mass urinary screening of elementary and junior high school students has been in operation since August 1990 in Taiwan Province. This program is done once a semester, i.e., twice a year. In the first 3 years, the total number of elementary and junior high school students to be examined in each semester was approx. 2.7 millions. From August 1993, the total number increased to 3.1 millions because the senior high and senior vocational school students were added. The procedures can roughly be divided into five parts: The first part is first urinary screening. The second part is the second urinary screening. The third part is so called the third examination namely serological examination. Life guidance is introduced in the fourth part. The last part is the follow-up system. All the procedures and details will be discussed later.

Glycosuria↗
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Mass urinary screening and follow-up for school children in Taiwan Province.

Mass urinary screening has been carried out among the students of public and private elementary and junior high schools in the Province of Taiwan each semester since 1990. About 3 million students were screened each time. The students who had abnormal urine screening results at the first time received a second urine analysis 10 to 15 days later to confirm the abnormal urine analysis. The blood samples of the students with abnormal urine examination were taken and biochemistry examinations including creatinine (Cr) etc. were performed since 1992. All students with abnormal urine screening results were graded by the severity of hematuria and proteinuria, the heavy proteinuria graded as "D". Chronic renal failure (CRF) is defined as impaired renal function with the serum Cr over 1.7 mg/dl. Longitudinal continuous blood and urine examinations were performed each semester for the students of grade "D" and with CRF. CRF was confirmed by either the hospital medical records or telephone visit. The purpose of this study was to delineate the prevalence of heavy proteinuria (grade D) and CRF in the students of elementary and junior high school in the Taiwan Province from 1992 to 1996. The results revealed the number of urinary screening was 10,288,620. There were 5980 cases with heavy proteinuria with four-year prevalence of 5.81 x 10(-4), 4.83 x 10(-4) for boys; 6.87 x 10(-4) for girls. Girls were affected more often than boys. The peak age of girls was 12 years old and boys was 13 years old. The number of CRF cases was 189 with the four-year prevalence of 1.84 x 10(-5), 2.24 x 10(-5) for boys; 1.41 x 10(-5) for girls. The incidence rate increased after the age of 10; the peak age of boys being 14-year-old and of girls 12-year-old. The exact contributing factors, such as location on islet or lack of pediatric nephrologist, need further study. In conclusion, the four-year prevalence of heavy proteinuria in the students of the elementary and junior high schools in Taiwan was higher in girls than in boys. Glomerular nephritis (GN) is still one of the major causes of urinary abnormalities. The most-important secondary GN was systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with lupus nephritis. The percentage of SLE patients among anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positive was 72%. In contrast, the four-year prevalence of CRF disease was higher in boys with the peak age at 14-year-old. GN is still the major cause of urinary screening abnormality. ANA study is indicated in all Chinese students with abnormal urinary screening.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of serum aminotransferase activities in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Our study used data collected in Chung-Hsing Village in May 1998 to explore the distribution of serum aminotransferase activities and the relationship between aminotransferase and its related factors in the elderly. METHODS: All individuals aged 65 and over were recruited as study subjects. A total of 1093 persons, out of 1774 registered residents, were contacted by face-to-face interview. The response rate was 61.6 percent. However, only 586 subjects had blood tests and completed questionnaires. Analysis in this study was based on these 586 subjects. In order to study the significant related factors of abnormal aminotransferase activities, the t-test, ANOVA, chi-square analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were used. RESULTS: There were 66 percent men and 34 percent women. The mean age was 73.1 +/- 5.3 years. The mean values of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were 29.3 +/- 14.5 u/l in men and 27.8 +/- 10.7 u/l in women (p > .05). The mean values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were 30.9 +/- 25.2 u/l in men and 26.3 +/- 12.6 u/l in women (p < .01). The abnormality rates of AST (> or = 40 u/l) were 10.5 percent in men and 12.2 percent in women (p > .05). The abnormality rates of ALT (> or = 40 u/l) were 16.7 percent in men and 12.6 percent in women (p > .05). After controlling for the other covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the significant related factor of abnormal AST was retirement status (odds ratio 4.4; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.5-13.3; p < .01). The significant related factors of abnormal ALT were obesity (odds ratio = 2.2; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.1-4.2; p < .05) and hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio = 2.7; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.5-4.9; p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: We raise the hypothesis that evidence of liver disease with abnormal ALT may co-vary with other indicators of chronic diseases. A large-scale investigation will be suggested in the future to demonstrate the causal-effect issue between abnormal ALT and obesity or hypertriglyceridemia.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of dual phase 201Tl thyroid scan for equivocal fine-needle aspiration results in cold thyroid nodules.

We assessed the usefulness of dual phase 201Tl thyroid scan for equivocal fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy results to differentiate malignant from benign lesions. The findings of the dual phase 201TI thyroid scan were compared with those of surgical histopathology for 27 patients with cold thyroid nodules. The FNA results were assessed and classified by experienced pathologists equivocal ENS results. Dual phase thyroid scan, including an early image and a delayed image, were acquired 10 minutes and 3 hours, respectively after mCi (74 MBq) of 201TI was injected intravenously. Dual phase 201Tl thyroid scan findings were visually interpreted as positive or negative results. Based on the final diagnoses of the surgical histopathology results, the dual phase Tl thyroid scan showed a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 100%, 90%, and 96%, respectively. We concluded that dual phase Tl thyroid scan was very helpful in differentiating between benign and malignant thyroid nodules when FNA results were equivocal.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of cisapride with magnesium oxide in chronic pediatric constipation.

Functional constipation in children is a common problem in daily practice, however there is currently no accepted optimal treatment of choice. This study investigated the effect of cisapride in the treatment of pediatric constipation when combined with magnesium oxide (MgO). This prospective study enrolled children with chronic constipation. They were randomly assigned to either MgO (125 mg three times a day for patients weighing less than 20 kg or 250 mg three times a day for those weighing more than 20 kg), or cisapride 0.2 mg/kg (max 5mg/dose) plus MgO for 4 weeks. Twenty-one doctors in 19 major medical centers or hospitals in Taiwan with well- established pediatric departments participated in this study from October 1999 to March 2000. 84 children (51 males, 33 females, 1-7 years of age) with fewer than 2 spontaneous bowel movements per week for at least one month completed the study. After 1 week of therapy, a good response, defined as 3 or more bowel movements per week, was achieved in 30 (68.2%) of children treated with cisapride and MgO compared with 23 (57.5%) children treated with MgO alone (p=n.s.). At the end of the 4-week treatment period, 90.9% of the children in cisapride group compared with 67.5% of the children in MgO group achieved a good response (p=0.013). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of the side effects and stool characteristics. In conclusion, it appears that cisapride in combination with MgO may have a synergistic effect and improves the frequency of stool passage in pediatric functional constipation.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of technetium-99m tetrofosmin and gallium-67 citrate scintigraphy for detecting malignant lymphoma.

The aim of this study was to compare the value of technetium-99m tetrofosmin (Tc-TF) scintigraphy with that of gallium-67 citrate (Ga-67) scintigraphy for detecting malignant lymphoma. In this study, 50 patients with malignant lymphoma underwent Tc-TF and Ga-67 scintigraphy before receiving any therapy. Tc-TF scintigraphy detected malignant lymphoma in 44 (88%) patients, but was false-negative in 4 cases of infradiaphragmatic malignant lymphoma and in 2 cases of malignant lymphoma with chemotherapy resistance. Ga-67 scintigraphy detected malignant lymphoma in 45 (90%) patients, but was false-negative in 3 cases of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and in 2 cases of malignant lymphoma with bone marrow involvement. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between Tc-TF and Ga scintigraphy. However, a combination of Tc-TF and Ga-67 scintigraphy detected malignant lymphoma in all 50 patients (100%). We conclude that it is necessary to combine Tc-TF and Ga-67 scintigraphy to accurately detect malignant lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Non-surgical treatment of spinal epidural abscesses: report of one case].

Spinal epidural abscesses (SEA) are uncommon in children. This paper reported a two-year-old boy who was noted to have neck stiffness, with local tenderness posteriorly. Bacterial meningitis was suspected initially in terms of the finding of the cerebral spinal fluid; antibiotics were prescribed. Three days later another spinal tap was performed because of persistent high fever and irritability. A pus-like material drained out as the needle punctured into the spinal region. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan of the spine revealed a SEA, with extensive involvement from the second cervical spine to the lumbosacral spine region. Culture of the pus, as well as the blood and CSF, were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Because of extensive involvement of the spinal epidural space, the patient was again given antibiotics: Prostaphllin and Amikin intravenously for six weeks instead of laminectomy. Then the oral antibiotic (Keflex) was given to the patient for another three months after the boy was discharged from the hospital. A review of the literature shows the incidence of SEA to be increasing and the bacterial spectra to be broadening because of increasing use of immunosuppressing drugs or antibiotics, and the increase in numbers of immunecompromised patient. The clinical symptoms and signs of the SEA were non-specific, but SEA can be early diagnosed by computurized tomography (CT) scan or MRI scan with caution. The literature suggests that, if the patient's condition fits the criteria for non-surgical treatment, antibiotic therapy is the first choice for preventing the complication of spinal deformity, especially in children.

Abscess↗
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Hepatitis B virus markers in Chinese twins.

Chinese same-sex twins were recruited in order to study the distribution of different markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, including HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to HBV core antigen (anti-HBc), antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs), HBV e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody to HBeAg (Anti-HBe), as well as to compare the concordance of these markers in pair-wise fashion among monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins and singleton controls. A total of 289 pairs of MZ twins, 102 pairs of DZ twins and 375 pairs of age-sex-matched singleton controls were studied. More than 50 percent of the members of each group (64.71% of MZ twins, 51.96% of DZ twins and 62.13% of controls) were found to be infected with HBV. In general, the patterns of the response to HBV infection in the 3 groups were similarly distributed. 20.17% of the members of the 3 groups (21.45% of MZ twins, 14.22% of DZ twins, and 20.80% of controls) were HBsAg carriers. Among the HBsAg carriers, 49.19% (44.35% of MZ twins, 34.48% of DZ twins and 55.77% of controls) were HBeAg carriers. No significant difference in the concordance of HBV infection was observed in the MZ and DZ twins. However, highly significant differences were noted between MZ twins and controls, and between DZ twins and controls. Highly significant differences were also observed in the concordance of carrier status between MZ and DZ twins and between MZ twins and controls, but not between DZ and controls. As for the other HBV markers, no significant differences were observed. It is concluded that the genetic influence in response to HBV infection markers is not well-characterized and requires further study.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genome of the whooping crane.

The genome of an endangered avian species, the whooping crane (Grus americana) has been examined using the methods of karyotype analysis, cytofluorometry, and analytical ultracentrifugation. This species has a karyotype (2n = 82) common to the other crane species previously examined with five autosomal pairs and one sex chromosome pair as the macrochromosomes, and a large number of microchromosomes. Sex chromosomes are heteromorphic in females permitting sexing by means of chromosome analysis. The DNA buoyant density in neutral CsCl reveals the presence of two heavy satellite bands, and uncommon finding when compared to previous studies of avian DNA.

Animal Population Groups↗
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Dynamic three-dimensional display of common congenital cardiac defects from reconstruction of two-dimensional echocardiographic images.

BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional echocardiography had long been a standard diagnostic modality for congenital heart disease. Further attempts of three-dimensional reconstruction using two-dimensional echocardiographic images to visualize stereotypic structure of cardiac lesions have been successful only recently. So far only very few studies have been done to display three-dimensional anatomy of the heart through two-dimensional image acquisition because such complex procedures were involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study introduced a recently developed image acquisition and processing system for dynamic three-dimensional visualization of various congenital cardiac lesions. From December 1994 to April 1995, 35 cases were selected in the Echo Laboratory here from about 3000 Echo examinations completed. Each image was acquired on-line with specially designed high resolution image grazmber with EKG and respiratory gating technique. Off-line image processing using a window-architectured interactive software package includes construction of 2-D ehcocardiographic pixel to 3-D "voxel" with conversion of orthogonal to rotatory axial system, interpolation, extraction of region of interest, segmentation, shading and, finally, 3D rendering. RESULTS: Three-dimensional anatomy of various congenital cardiac defects was shown, including four cases with ventricular septal defects, two cases with atrial septal defects, and two cases with aortic stenosis. Dynamic reconstruction of a "beating heart" is recorded as vedio tape with video interface. CONCLUSIONS: The potential application of 3D display of the reconstruction from 2D echocardiographic images for the diagnosis of various congenital heart defects has been shown. The 3D display was able to improve the diagnostic ability of echocardiography, and clear-cut display of the various congenital cardiac defects and vavular stenosis could be demonstrated. Reinforcement of current techniques will expand future application of 3D display of conventional 2D images.

Child, Preschool↗
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Pyogenic liver abscesses complicated with abscess-duodenum fistula in a child: report of one case.

A 12-year-old girl with liver abscesses was confirmed to have a rare complication, abscess-duodenal fistula formation, which was demonstrated on performing fluoroscope-guided percutaneous drainage. She was successfully treated with percutaneous drainage and antibiotics. The incidence, etiology, diagnosis and clinical management of pyogenic liver abscess in children are discussed.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
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Incomplete pancreas divisum coexistent with anomalous union of pancreaticobiliary duct--report of a Chinese patient.

The coexistence of incomplete pancreas divisum and anomalous union of pancreaticobiliary duct is uncommon and, to the best of our knowledge, has been reported only in three patients who also presented with choledochal cysts. We have encountered a 54-year-old patient with symptom of intermittent right upper quadrant pain. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed coexistence of incomplete pancreas divisum and anomalous union of pancreaticobiliary duct, but no dilatation of bile duct.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗