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C H Huang

Publications and source records attributed to C H Huang.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Adrenal cyst--a case report.

Adrenal cysts are rare and mostly silent clinically. Herein we report a case of adrenal cyst. A 55-year-old female was incidentally found to have a left suprarenal cystic lesion with a calcified wall by abdominal sonography during a work-up for her epigastralgia and left flank pain. Then, computed tomography (CT) revealed a left adrenal cystic mass with wall calcification, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed left retroperitoneal cystic mass with fluid content, and angiography demonstrated an avascular lesion. Surgical exploration was performed via a flank incision and a calcified cystic adrenal mass was excised. The pathologic diagnosis was adrenal pseudocyst with calcified wall. We discuss the diagnosis and management of adrenal cyst and briefly review the literature.

Adrenal Gland Diseases↗
PubMed2001

Bladder wall calcification after intravesical chemotherapy with mitomycin C--a case report.

Bladder wall calcification has relatively few etiologies. We present such a case and review the literature to discuss it and the method for management. This case suffered from bladder wall calcification about 3 years after intravesical chemotherapy of mitomycin C. It was found accidentally during the transurethral resection of recurrent bladder tumor. The pathology confirmed the recurrence of transitional cell carcinoma combined with marked calcification. A repeat cystoscopy was done 3 months later. Massive calcified deposits in bladder wall especially in lesion of previous transurethral resection were still noted. Randomized biopsy showed dystrophic calcification without evidence of malignancy. We suggest that biopsy and/or resection (if possible) is a reasonable approach to eliminate the possibility of invasive bladder cancer.

Administration, Intravesical↗
PubMed2001

Hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy of renal cell carcinoma--a case report.

A 62-year-old female patient with chronic medical history of DM and hypertension was admitted due to traffic accident. She was asymptomatic until 5 days before admission. She was referred to our medical center with an abdominal CT revealing left renal tumor. The diameter of the renal mass was 50 mm. On ultrasonographic examination, a heterogenous lesion over the left kidney was noted. Renal scanning showed a cold nodule in the left kidney. Hand-assisted laparoscopic transperitoneal radical nephrectomy was performed smoothly. The kidney was removed from the hand port in the supraumbilical skin incision with a volume of 14 x 7 x 6 cm3 and weight of 570 gm. The operation time was 5 hours, blood loss was 200 cc, and no significant change of blood pressure was noted during the surgery. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. The pathological report of this mass was renal cell carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗
PubMed2001

Characteristics of patients with Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia.

Burkholderia cepacia has become an important pathogen of infections in immunocompromised and nosocomial patients. The characteristics of 42 episodes of B. cepacia bacteremia in 40 patients admitted to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital between January 1997 and December 1999 were retrospectively analyzed. Factors that adversely influenced the mortality rate included respiratory failure, an unknown infection source, a period in an intensive care unit, and shock. Most of the patients had serious underlying diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, malignancy, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The mean time for a positive blood culture was 45 days after admission. The overall mortality rate was 28.6% (12/42), and 44.4% (12/27) of all deaths were directly related to B. cepacia bacteremia. Polymicrobial bacteremia was found in 5 patients. Ceftazidime was the most effective antimicrobial agent in vitro, whereas chloramphenicol, imipenem, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were less effective alternatives. Appropriate antibiotic therapy was given to 30 patients, most of whom responded to the therapy except for 5 who died despite receiving appropriate treatment. Although B. cepacia infection develops in a relatively small proportion of hospitalized individuals, it has a major impact on morbidity and mortality. In view of the fact that B. cepacia develops resistance to a wide range of antimicrobial agents, ceftazidime and/or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole should be the drug of choice for empiric therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Ambulance utilization in metropolitan and rural areas in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Emergency medical services (EMS) have expanded rapidly in the Asian developing countries recently. However, the patterns of ambulance utilization in the rural and urban areas of these countries have not been thoroughly described. This study investigated the patterns of ambulance utilization in two urban areas and the larger rural area of Taiwan formerly designated Taiwan Province. METHODS: We studied a total of 304,368 ambulance missions during 1997 in Taiwan. We analyzed the differences in the characteristics of emergency calls and the interventions performed on the scene in two urban areas, Taipei City and Kaohsiung City, and in the rural area formerly designated Taiwan Province. RESULTS: The call volume and percentage of non-transport calls were higher in the more developed of the two urban areas, Taipei City, than in Kaohsiung (p < 0.01). The incidence of calls with trauma-related causes was higher in both urban areas. However, the percentage of calls placed for trauma-related reasons was higher in the rural area (p < 0.01). More calls for acute medical illness were placed in Taipei City (p < 0.01) than in the rural area. The number of interventions performed by ambulance staff was higher in Taipei City and Kaohsiung City than in the rural area (p < 0.01). The availability of acute illness management was generally lower than needed in all areas. CONCLUSIONS: Call volume and the number of interventions performed were higher in the urban area, whereas the percentage of trauma-related calls was higher in the rural area. These findings suggest that EMS use patterns in Taiwan are transitioning towards a pattern characteristic of a more developed country. The differences in ambulance utilization patterns must be considered in plans to further develop EMS services in these areas.

Ambulances↗
PubMed2001

Effect of ionic and nonionic contrast media on fibrinolysis in patients undergoing angiocardiography.

Very few investigators have studied the effect of contrast media on fibrinolysis. The results of those previous studies are contradictory and inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of ionic and nonionic contrast media on fibrinolysis in patients undergoing angiocardiography. Sixty-two patients randomly received either ionic contrast medium Hypaque-76 (n = 31) or nonionic contrast medium Ultravist-370 (n = 31). Plasma tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), fibrinogen, and D-dimer were measured before and 20 minutes after the procedures. A significant increase of PAI-1 levels was seen in the Ultravist group but not in the Hypaque group. The t-PA and fibrinogen levels remained virtually unchanged in both groups. A significant increase of D-dimer concentrations was observed in the Hypaque group but not in the Ultravist group. The results of this study may in part explain the reason that the ionic contrast media produce fewer thromboembolic complications than the nonionic contrast media during the cardiac catheterization.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Effects of verapamil on coronary vascular resistance in rabbits: measurement with pulsed Doppler velocimetry.

BACKGROUND: Verapamil is an effective vasodilator. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo effect of verapamil on coronary blood flow velocity and vascular resistance in anesthetized, open-chest rabbits. METHODS: Twenty-one male New Zealand white rabbits were anesthetized, and a 3-mm suction-type pulsed Doppler velocimeter probe was applied to the proximal part of the left anterior descending coronary artery after median sternotomy. The rabbits received intravenous bolus infusion of 4 different doses of verapamil (0.01 mg/kg, n = 5; 0.1 mg/kg, n = 5; 1 mg/kg, n = 5, and 10 mg/kg, n = 6). The percent changes in coronary blood flow velocity and coronary vascular resistance were examined. RESULTS: There was 10.0+/-1.6% increase in coronary blood flow (CBF) and 12.5+/-1.9% reduction in coronary vascular resistance (CVR) after infusion of 0.01 mg/kg of verapamil. The CBF increased 23.0+/-9.5% and CVR decreased 24.2+/-5.2% after infusion of 0.1 mg/kg of verapamil. Infusion of 1 mg/kg of verapamil induced 34.8+/-10.5% increase in CBF and 32.6+/-2.5% reduction in CVR. The CBF increased 41.1+/-14.8% and CVR decreased 45.1+/-5.4% after infusion of 10 mg/kg of verapamil. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with baseline condition, all doses of verapamil increased coronary blood flow velocity and decreased coronary vascular resistance significantly in anesthetized, open-chest rabbits.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Telomerase activity in human bladder tumors and bladder washing specimens.

Telomerase appears to be an important factor for the control of cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis. Enzyme activity dramatically increases in almost all human tumors. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of telomerase activity as a marker for bladder cancer diagnosis and follow-up. By using the PCR-ELISA based on the TRAP (telomerase repeat amplification protocol) method, telomerase activity of bladder tumors (n = 77), normal-appearing adjacent tissues (n = 21) and bladder washings (n = 37) were analyzed. Telomerase activity was detected in 87% (67/77) of cancer tissues and in 38% (8/21) of normal-appearing adjacent tissues. However, the levels of enzyme activity were significantly higher in cancer tissues than in normal-appearing adjacent tissues (p < 0.05). Telomerase activity in bladder cancer tissues was not correlated to the tumor stage or grade. During a 26 months follow-up period, disease progression occurred in 66.7% of patients with invasive tumors where telomerase activity of the normal-appearing adjacent tissue was detectable, as compared to only 14.3% for patients who showed undetectable telomerase activity in adjacent, normal-appearing tissues (p = 0.094). When telomerase activity of bladder washing fluid was compared with its corresponding tumors, sensitivity of detection was 81% and specificity was 75%. In contrast, urine cytology only yielded a sensitivity of 31% in the detection of cancer. The detection ability between telomerase activity measurement in washing fluid and cytological examination had a trend toward the telomerase measurement identifying more cancer cases than the cytologic examination (p = 0.07). In conclusion, telomerase activity is present in early-stage bladder cancer and is a potential molecular marker for bladder tumors diagnosis. The expression of telomerase activity in normal-appearing mucosa adjacent to bladder tumor is probably an indicator of disease progression. Using the telomerase activity to detect exfoliated cells in bladder washing fluids could be a useful method in adjunct to urine cytology and cystoscopy in establishing the diagnosis and follow-up of bladder cancer.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy with open surgery for upper urinary tract tumor.

Herein we report on our initial experience in performing nephroureterectomy by hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery, and compare the results with those performed by traditional open methods. From December 2000 to September 2001, 10 patients with upper urinary tract tumors underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy. Except for one patient who required elective conversion to open surgery due to renal vein injury, this cohort of 9 patients was compared to a group of 35 patients who had received traditional open nephroureterectomy over the last 2 years. Demographic, intraoperative and postoperative data were compared retrospectively. These two groups were similar in age, body mass index, operation time and time to postoperative oral intake. However, the hand-assisted laparoscopy group was found to have significantly less blood loss, less need for parenteral narcotic and a shorter length of time needed for postoperative hospitalization than the open group. Thus, in this report we have demonstrated hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy to be a safe and efficacious treatment of malignant urinary collecting tumors. We believe the benefits of this minimally invasive surgery make it a viable alternative technique for management of upper urinary tract tumor.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy in the treatment of incontinence from ectopic ureter with renal hypoplasia in the child--a case report.

Unilateral single vaginal ectopic ureteral opening with ipsilateral hypoplastic kidney is a rare disease. It is classically presented with continuous urinary incontinence, but a normal voiding pattern after successful toilet training. The kidneys associated with this condition are usually nonfunctional and nephrectomy is the treatment of choice to cure the incontinence. We present a 7-year old girl with such a problem successfully treated by retroperitoneal laparoscopy. The patient resumed her normal unrestricted activity level on postoperative day 3. She was free of symptoms related to the operation during a 6-year follow-up period. It is suggested from this case that despite the reduced working space in children, retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy in the treatment of small kidney with complications is a feasible procedure.

Child↗
PubMed2001

[Clinical study on treatment of chronic bronchitis by tracheitis plaster].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effect and mechanism of Tracheitis Plaster (TP) in treating chronic bronchitis. METHODS: TP is consisted of ephedra, almond, pinellia tuber, earthworm and white mustard seed. Patients were randomly divided into two groups, 59 patients in the treated group were treated with TP sticking on acupoints Dingchuan, Dashu, Fengmen, Feishu and Xinshu at back along both sides of thoracic vertebrae 1-6 and the 25 patients in the control group were treated with intramuscular injection of Siqikang. The times of treatment for both groups were 20. Clinical symptoms, X-ray chest film, level of immunoglobulin and T-lymphocyte subsets were recorded before and after treatment, and follow-up were carried out 0.5-1 year later. RESULTS: The clinical total effective rate was 93.2% and the X-ray improvement rate was 40.7% in the treated group, while in the control group, 80.0% and 20.0% respectively. Half and 1 year follow-up studies showed the total effective rate in the treated group was 91.5% and 89.8% respectively, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (80.0% and 76.0%) respectively (P < 0.05). The improvement in levels of IgG and CD8 in the treated group was also superior to those in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: TP is a highly effective transcutaneous absorbent with promising long-term effect, it could regulate the immune function.

Acupuncture Points↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of human RhCG and mouse Rhcg as novel nonerythroid Rh glycoprotein homologues predominantly expressed in kidney and testis.

In mammals, the Rh family includes the variable Rh polypeptides and invariant RhAG glycoprotein. These polytopic proteins are confined to the erythroid lineage and are assembled into a multisubunit complex essential for Rh antigen expression and plasma membrane integrity. Here, we report the characterization of RhCG and Rhcg, a pair of novel Rh homologues present in human and mouse nonerythroid tissues. Despite sharing a notable similarity to the erythroid forms, including the 12-transmembrane topological fold, the RHCG/Rhcg pair is distinct in chromosome location, genomic organization, promoter structure, and tissue-specific expression. RHCG and Rhcg map at 15q25 of human chromosome 15 and the long arm of mouse chromosome 7, respectively, each having 11 exons and a CpG-rich promoter. Northern blots detected kidney and testis as the major organs of RHCG or Rhcg expression. In situ hybridization revealed strong expression of Rhcg in the kidney collecting tubules and testis seminiferous tubules. Confocal imaging of transiently expressed green fluorescence protein fusion proteins localized RhCG exclusively to the plasma membrane, a distribution confirmed by cellular fractionation and Western blot analysis. In vitro translation and ex vivo expression showed that RhCG carries a complex N-glycan, probably at the (48)NLS(50) sequon of exoloop 1. These results pinpoint RhCG and Rhcg as novel polytopic membrane glycoproteins that may function as epithelial transporters maintaining normal homeostatic conditions in kidney and testis.

Amidohydrolases↗
PubMed2000

Gene expression profiling in the human hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and full-length cDNA cloning.

The primary neuroendocrine interface, hypothalamus and pituitary, together with adrenals, constitute the major axis responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the response to the perturbations in the environment. The gene expression profiling in the human hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis was catalogued by generating a large amount of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), followed by bioinformatics analysis (http://www.chgc.sh.cn/ database). Totally, 25,973 sequences of good quality were obtained from 31,130 clones (83.4%) from cDNA libraries of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. After eliminating 5,347 sequences corresponding to repetitive elements and mtDNA, 20,626 ESTs could be assembled into 9, 175 clusters (3,979, 3,074, and 4,116 clusters in hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, respectively) when overlapping ESTs were integrated. Of these clusters, 2,777 (30.3%) corresponded to known genes, 4,165 (44.8%) to dbESTs, and 2,233 (24.3%) to novel ESTs. The gene expression profiles reflected well the functional characteristics of the three levels in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, because most of the 20 genes with highest expression showed statistical difference in terms of tissue distribution, including a group of tissue-specific functional markers. Meanwhile, some findings were made with regard to the physiology of the axis, and 200 full-length cDNAs of novel genes were cloned and sequenced. All of these data may contribute to the understanding of the neuroendocrine regulation of human life.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2000

Raman spectroscopic study of polycrystalline mono- and polyunsaturated 1-eicosanoyl-d(39)-2-eicosenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines: bilayer lipid clustering and acyl chain order and disorder characteristics.

Polycrystalline lipid samples of a series of mono- and polyunsaturated, double bond positional isomers of 1-eicosanoyl-d(39)-2-eicosenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines [C(20-d(39)):C(20:1 Delta(j))PC, with j = 5, 8, 11, or 13; C(20-d(39)):C(20:2 Delta(11,14))PC; and C(20-d(39)):C(20:3 Delta(11, 14,17))PC] were investigated using vibrational Raman spectroscopy to assess the acyl chain packing order-disorder characteristics and putative bilayer cluster formation of the isotopically differentiated acyl chains. Perdeuteration of specifically the saturated sn-1 acyl chains for these bilayer systems enables each chain's intra- and intermolecular conformational and organizational properties to be evaluated separately. Various saturated chain methylene CD(2) and carbon-carbon (C&bond;C) stretching mode peak height intensity ratios and line width parameters for the polycrystalline samples demonstrate a high degree of sn-1 chain order that is unaffected by either the double bond placement or number of unsaturated bonds within the sn-2 chain. In contrast, the unsaturated sn-2 chain spectral signatures reflect increasing acyl chain conformational disorder as either the cis double bond is generally repositioned toward the chain terminus or the number of double bonds increases from one to three. The lipid bilayer chain packing differences observed between the sn-1 and sn-2 chains of this series of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated 20 carbon chain lipids suggest the existence of laterally distributed microdomains predicated on the formation of highly ordered, saturated sn-1 chain clusters.

Eicosanoic Acids↗
PubMed2000

A novel St(a) glycophorin produced via gene conversion of pseudoexon III from glycophorin E to glycophorin A gene.

Stone (St(a)) is a variant antigen carried on human erythrocyte MNSs glycophorins (GPSt(a)) that are genetically associated with splicing mutations in GPA genes or with hybrid formation between GPA and GPB genes. Here we identify the first and rare gene conversion event in which GPE, the third member of the family, recombined with GPA, giving rise to a GPA-E-A hybrid gene encoding the St(a) antigen. Western blot detected expression in the proband of both GPA and GPSt(a) on the plasma membrane. Southern blot showed a new restriction fragment from the GPSt(a) gene, indicating an altered exon III-intron 3 junction. Sequencing of RT-PCR products identified one full-length and two shortened glycophorin cDNAs. The shortened forms were derived from GPSt(a) lacking one (exon III) and two exons (exon III and IV), respectively. To define the molecular basis for exon skipping, the genomic region spanning exon III of the GPSt(a) gene was amplified and sequenced. This revealed transfer from GPE to GPA of a DNA segment containing the pseudoexon III and its silent donor splice site. Thus, the inactivation of GPA exon III by conversion of a silent GPE donor splice site portrays a new molecular mechanism for St(a) antigen expression in human erythrocytes.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Sequence, organization, and evolution of Rh50 glycoprotein genes in nonhuman primates.

The human RHAG locus encodes Rh50 glycoprotein, a polytopic protein that modulates expression of Rh antigens carried by Rh30 polypeptides. Rh50 is almost invariant, whereas Rh30 shows high polymorphism. To assess the relative conservation and phylogenetic relationship of RHAG genes, we characterized their protein expression, transcript structure, genomic organization, and noncoding regions (promoter and introns) in seven nonhuman primate species. Western blot showed that only ape Rh50 glycoproteins are recognized by the antibody 2D10 specific for the human counterpart. Analysis of RHAG gene and its transcript showed a high degree of sequence identity and features of interspecific diversity. The nonhuman primate RHAG genes are highly similar in promoter region and identical in exon-intron organization. Genomic sequencing identified one retro-transposon-like element in intron 2 and three types of Alu elements in intron 4 and 9, with varying copies of minisatellites. Reconstruction of coding and noncoding sequence trees revealed concordances and discordances with regard to the branching of RHAG-like genes in higher primates. A joined tree of Rh50 glycoproteins and Rh30 polypeptides shows that the former evolved at a rate about two times slower than the latter. Statistical tests demonstrated that at least a portion of the RHAG gene was subjected to a positive selection during evolution of anthropoids.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Molecular biology and genetics of the Rh blood group system.

The Rh (Rhesus) blood group system is the most complex of the known human blood group polymorphisms. The expression of its antigens is controlled by a two-component genetic system consisting of RH and RHAG loci, which encode Rh30 polypeptides and Rh50 glycoprotein, respectively. Over the past decade, there has been a rapid advance in knowledge of the biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics of the Rh genes and proteins. The primary structures of D and CcEe antigens have become well understood and the molecular genetic basis of a vast array of phenotype polymorphisms has been delineated. The identification of various molecular defects associated with Rh deficiency syndrome clarifies the nature of the amorph, suppressor, and modifier genes. The observed mutation spectrum defines a basic set of components essential for Rh complex assembly in the erythrocyte membrane. The resulting molecular information, combined with new experimental tools, is helping to dissect the fine structure of Rh antigens in terms of epitope mapping. The discovery of novel Rh homologs in primitive organisms and in nonerythroid tissues opens new avenues of research beyond the scope of erythrocytes and Rh antigens. This review provides an update on the Rh family in antigen expression, phenotype diversity, and disease association.

Amino Acid Sequence↗