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Biomedical subjects

C H Kuo

Publications and source records attributed to C H Kuo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Effect of hormone replacement therapy on uterine fibroids in postmenopausal women--a 3-year study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective 3-year clinical study was to examine the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on uterine fibroid growth among postmenopausal women. METHODS: Thirty-seven postmenopausal women with uterine solitary fibroids were recruited randomly for HRT in a 3-year program. All participants received 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and 5 mg medroxyprogesterone (MPA) daily. Fibroid volume was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography at baseline and then at 12-month intervals for 3 times. Clinically, significant fibroid growth was defined as an increase in volume of more than 25% compared with baseline. Also, 35 postmenopausal women with uterine fibroid were studied as control who did not receive HRT during the study period. RESULTS: Fibroid volume had increased significantly after 1 year both in HRT users and non-users. These increases continued to the second year significantly in HRT users but not in non-users. However, the volumes declined significantly at the third year to similar levels as those measured at baseline in control. In HRT users, fibroid volume though significantly increased at the third year (vs. baseline) but declined insignificantly in comparison with the second year. Clinically, at end of the third year study, one of 34 and three of 34 women increased fibroid volume over 25% compared with baseline in HRT non-users and users, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HRT does increase uterine fibroid volume statistically. However, its effect appears in the first 2 years of use. The increased fibroid volume begins to decline at the third year both in HRT users and non-users. Clinically, the increased effect of HRT on uterine fibroid of postmenopausal women should be not over-emphasized at least for 3 years of usage.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A defoaming agent should be used with pronase premedication to improve visibility in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The study tested whether pronase can improve endoscopic visibility and alter the accuracy of the CLO test for H. pylori detection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 160 patients were randomly assigned to receive one of five premedications for endoscopy: group A: dimethylpolysiloxane (DMPS) alone; group B: DMPS plus water (up to 100 ml); group C: pronase only, with 100 ml water; group D: pronase and sodium bicarbonate plus water up to 100 ml; group E: pronase, sodium bicarbonate, and DMPS, plus water up to 100 ml. Endoscopists, who were unaware of the premedication method administered, assessed visibility scores (range 1 - 4) for the antrum, lower gastric body, upper gastric body, and fundus. The higher the score, the less clear the visibility. The sum of scores from the four locations was defined as the total visibility score. A CLO test was also done during the endoscopy. One week after their endoscopy, patients in groups C, D, and E were scheduled for a (13)C-urea breath test (UBT). RESULTS: Group E patients had a significantly lower total visibility score than those in the other four groups ( P < 0.05). Groups C and D had higher total visibility scores than the other three groups ( P < 0.05). The scores did not significantly differ between groups A and B. Based on the UBT results, the sensitivity and specificity of the CLO test were 92.6 % and 96.2 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Premedication as in group E provided the clearest endoscopic visibility. Without the application of DMPS, pronase alone cannot improve endoscopic visibility. Pronase does not influence H. pylori identification using the CLO test.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Lactate dehydrogenase genes of caiman and Chinese soft-shelled turtle, with emphasis on the molecular phylogenetics and evolution of reptiles.

L-Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) cDNAs encoding for LDH-A(4) (muscle) and LDH-B(4) (heart) isozymes from caiman (Caiman crocodilus apaporiensis) belonging to the order Crocodilia and Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) belonging to the order Chelonia were sequenced. The phylogenetic relationships of the newly determined cDNA and their deduced protein sequences, as well as the previously published sequences of vertebrate LDH isozymes, were analyzed by various phylogenetic tree construction methods. These results indicated that Chelonia is indeed more closely related to Crocodilia. The divergent times between caiman and alligator, turtle and soft-shelled turtle, and Chelonia and Crocodilia were estimated to be approximately 36, 100 and 177 million years, respectively.

Alligators and Crocodiles↗
PubMed2001

Two distinctive cell binding patterns by vacuolating toxin fused with glutathione S-transferase: one high-affinity m1-specific binding and the other lower-affinity binding for variant m forms.

The Helicobacter pylori VacA causes large intracellular vacuoles in epithelial cells such as HeLa or RK13 cells. Two major VacA forms, m1 and m2, divergent in an approximately 300 amino acid segment within the cell binding domain P58, display distinct cell-type specificity. Sequence analysis of four vacA alleles showed that a m1-like allele (61) and two m2 alleles (62 and v226) mainly differed in the midregion and that v225, a m1m2 chimera, was a natural double crossover from v226 and another allele. Each of these alleles was expressed as a soluble GST-VacA fusion that did not form a large oligomer. The recombinant VacA portion nevertheless assembled into higher ordered structures and possessed biological binding activity similar to that of the native VacA. A direct comparison of fusion-cell binding activity showed that m1 > m1m2 > m2 in HeLa cells, whereas there were more similar activities in RK13 cells. Vacuolating analyses of three forms revealed a positive correlation between cell binding activity and vacuolating activity. Moreover, the m1-type N-terminal half portion of the midregion was crucial for HeLa cell cytotoxicity. Kinetic, Scatchard, and inhibition analyses suggested the presence of at least two receptors: a m1-type specific high-affinity receptor (K(d) = approximately 5 nM) and a common VacA receptor interacting similarly with m1, m1m2, and m2 via a lower affinity (K(d) = 45-67 nM). Expression of mainly the m1-type receptor on HeLa cells whereas both receptors on RK13 cells may account for distinct cell binding activity and therefore for cell-type specificity.

Alleles↗
PubMed2001

Attenuation of insulin resistance by chronic beta2-adrenergic agonist treatment possible muscle specific contributions.

A possible mechanism by which chronic clenbuterol treatment causes multiple physiological changes in skeletal muscle that leads to reduced insulin resistance in the obese Zucker rat (falfa) was investigated. Animals were gavaged with clenbuterol (CB) (0.8 mg x kg(-1) day(-1)), terbutaline (TB) (1.0 mg x kg(-1)day(-1)), or control (CT) vehicle for six weeks. Oral glucose tolerance and insulin responses were markedly improved in CB rats and impaired in TB rats. CB treatment caused a 24-34% gain in muscle mass in all muscle fiber types, and increases in 3-O-methyglucose transport (2-fold) and GLUT4 concentration (57%) in fast twitch glycolytic (FG) muscle. Oxidative capacity was reduced in both FG (47%) and fast twitch oxidative (FO) muscle (30%), but not in slow twitch oxidative (SO) muscle. Null model analysis for receptor occlusion demonstrated that most functional beta-adrenoceptors were lost in FO (82%) and FG (89%) fibers, but not in SO fibers. We propose that hypertrophy is the result of continuous direct activation of beta-adrenoceptors while loss in oxidative capacity may be the result of receptor down regulation. Improvements in insulin resistance may have been due, in part, to both increases in lean body mass and specific adaptations in FG muscle.

3-O-Methylglucose↗
PubMed2001

Performance and simulation of ozone absorption and reactions in a stirred-tank reactor.

This research investigates the mass transport of gaseous ozone accompanied by decomposition and ozonation reactions in the liquid phase. Absorption experiments were carried out under semibatch mode by continued injection of gaseous ozone into an agitated vessel containing an aqueous solution of 2,4- or 2,6-dichlorophenol at 25 degrees C. Under the influence of a fast reaction between the dissolved ozone and dichlorophenol, the mass transfer rate of ozone is enhanced greatly resulting in rapid destruction of the dichlorophenol. Simulations of the experimental results suggest that the complete mixing model can be applied to describe the fluid flow patterns in both the gas and liquid phases. The results of this study indicate that dichlorophenols can be removed effectively from aqueous solutions of pH near neutrality and that there is little additional advantage in carrying out the treatment process in alkaline solutions.

Absorption↗
PubMed2001

Liver abscess in patients with cirrhosis of the liver: a 12-year experience.

PURPOSE: Liver abscess is rare in patients with cirrhosis of the liver. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the incidence, clinical presentation, causal pathogens, and outcome of liver abscess in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: We collected 21 liver abscess specimens (from 14 male patients and 7 female patients; Child A: B: C, 4: 7: 10) from 22,731 admissions of 6450 cirrhotic patients, from 1986 through 1998. RESULTS: The common clinical symptoms and signs included fever, chills, and abdominal tenderness. The major predisposing factors were biliary tract disease (52%) and diabetes mellitus (48%). The diagnosis rate with abdominal ultrasonography was 79%. Gram-negative aerobes were the predominant pathogens (Klebsiella pneumoniae, 66.7%; Escherichia coli, 23.8%), and occurred in 80% and 69% of blood and pus cultures, respectively, while 38% of cases showed polymicrobial pathogens. The location of the abscess was predominantly in the right lobe (71.4%), and 47.6% of patients had multiple abscesses. Six patients died (all with Child C cirrhosis). The overall mortality rate was 28.6% (6/21). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of liver abscess in the cirrhotic patients was low, at 0.09% (21/22,731 admissions). The clinical presentations and pathogens were not different from those in noncirrhotic patients, except that in our cirrhotic patients, there was no significant difference in mortality between those with monomicrobial and those with polymicrobial abscess: nor was there a significant difference in mortality between those with single and those with multiple abscesses. The Child C patients were the high-risk group.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Reduction in primary nonfunction of syngeneic islet transplants with nordihydroguaiaretic acid, a lipoxygenase inhibitor.

To study the effectiveness of a lipoxygenase inhibitor, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), in the reduction of primary nonfunction, an insufficient number of syngeneic islets were transplanted underneath the renal capsule with NDGA administered daily for 4 weeks. After transplantation of the 150 islets, the decrement of blood glucose levels was significantly faster in the mice that had received NDGA than in the mice that had received no drug at all or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (p < 0.005, p < 0.05). The mean duration of temporary posttransplant hyperglycemia was 22.3 +/- 3.2 (n = 10), 35.9 +/- 2.3 (n = 14), and 33.7 +/- 4.1 (n = 6) days for the respective groups. The diabetic mice that received 300 islets had their blood glucose levels decrease faster than those that received 150 islets (19.7 +/- 1.6 vs. 35.9 +/- 2.3 days, n = 14. p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the blood glucose reducing effect between the mice that received 150 islets with NDGA and the mice that received 300 islets [22.3 +/- 3.2 (n = 10) vs. 19.7 +/- 1.6 (n = 14) days, p > 0.05]. The insulin content of the graft from the mice treated with 150 islets and NDGA (3.02 +/- 0.24 microg, n = 4) was higher than that from the mice that received 150 islets but no treatment (1.10 +/- 0.26 microg, n = 15, p < 0.005) or that had been treated with DMSO (1.21 +/- 0.30 microg, n = 4, p <0.05). The insulin content of the pancreas remnant had no significant differences among the three groups. The net glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was 0.82 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.20 +/- 0.10 microIU/islet x 60 min (n = 8, p < 0.005) and 0.59 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.04 +/- 0.02 microIU/islet x 60 min (n = 8, p < 0.0001) for islets cultured without NDGA vs. with NDGA at 1 and 2 weeks, respectively. However, the insulin content of the cultured islets was similar between the two groups for up to 2 weeks of incubation (at 1 week: 0.71 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.67 +/- 0.04 ng/islet, n = 8, p > 0.05; at 2 weeks: 0.71 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.80 +/- 0.07 ng/islet, n = 8, p > 0.05). Serum leukotriene B4 (LTB4) concentrations before and between the fifth and seventh days after transplantation were determined. For diabetic mice that received 150 islets, serum LTB4 levels were 25,835 +/- 3,335 and 27,631 +/- 3,136 pg/ml (n = 4, p > 0.05). For diabetic mice that received 150 islets and NDGA, the corresponding figures were 22,401 +/- 2,706 pg/ml and 27,530 +/- 2,190 pg/ml (n = 8, p > 0.05). The graft histology revealed viable islet cells and networks of close vascular structures around the islets and did not reveal microscopic differences among the samples of all four groups. In conclusion, our data revealed that daily administration of NDGA for 4 weeks enhanced isoislet engraftment and preserved three times more mass of the islet beta cells in the isografts. This result indicates that NDGA reduces primary nonfunction of islet syngeneic grafts in diabetic mice.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Endotracheal tube fires during carbon dioxide laser surgery on the larynx--a case report.

Endotracheal tube (ETT) fire is a catastrophic disaster that may occur during laser surgery of the upper airway. Several means are available for protection of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube from fire, but they are not perfect in prevention of fires caused by laser beam. The PVC tube is hazardous for carbon dioxide (CO2) laser surgery if it is not well wrapped with metallized foil tape. We report a case that a PVC ETT wrapped with aluminum foil ignited during CO2 laser surgery of the larynx. In this report, we emphasize the shaft of the PVC tube must be completely wrapped with aluminum foil to prevent exposure of any surface if it is used in CO2 laser surgery of the upper aero digestive tract.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Influence of donor age on mouse islet characteristics and transplantation.

Old donor age has been considered as a risk factor and relative contraindication for transplantation. This study was designed to investigate the influence of donor age on islet characteristics and transplantation. Islets isolated from 8 (I-A)-, 32 (I-B)-, or 64 (I-C)-week-old C57BL16 mice were studied for number, size, insulin content, and secretion. After syngeneically transplanting 300 islets under the kidney capsule of streptozotocin-diabetic mice (R-A. R-B, and R-C, respectively), we measured recipients' metabolic parameters as well as the beta-cell mass and insulin content of the graft. Eight-week-old donors had better glucose tolerance than 32- and 64-week-old donors. However, 64-week-old donors had more pancreatic insulin content than 8- and 32-week-old donors. I-B and I-C were greater in number, larger in size, and higher in insulin content than I-A. But perifusion study showed I-C secreted less insulin, albeit with a similar stimulation index compared with that of I-A and I-B. After transplantation, the fall of blood glucose in R-C was faster than that in R-A and R-B. At 12 weeks, the recipients' blood glucose, body weight, HbA1c, and the beta-cell mass and insulin content of the graft were comparable in all groups. However, R-C had better glucose tolerance than R-A. During follow-up, R-A and R-B maintained lifelong normoglycemia and their glucose tolerance did not deteriorate. These data indicate that islets isolated from donors with different ages have different characteristics and effects on transplantation. The islets isolated from aged donors are functioning well and can be a potential source for transplantation; however, because we transplanted a large islet mass from the aged donors, the role of the islet dose needs to be further clarified.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2001

A case of pulmonary endometriosis--a rare case report and a successful treatment experience.

Endometriosis is a common disease found in reproductive age women, but pulmonary endometriosis is rare. We present a 21-year-old female with catamenial chest pain, chest tightness, severe cough, and hemoptysis. Though we could not find any definite intrapulmonary endometriotic lesion by computed tomography and bronchoscope, she was diagnosed to have pulmonary endometriosis due to the typical clinical symptoms. After 6 months of GnRH agonist application, the symptoms were completely relieved. She has been followed up and has been symptoms free for at least 6 months after administration of GnRH agonist.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection by stool antigen test in southern Taiwan.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been found to be associated with various gastrointestinal diseases. Confirmation of H. pylori infection includes invasive and non-invasive methods. There has been increasing interest in noninvasive tests recently. However, the geographical differences among H. pylori strains have been emphasized recently and the H. pylori strain in Taiwan showed a high cagA positive result and different vacA subtype when compared with those of Western countries. The aim of this study is to access and compare the reliability and the diagnostic accuracy of the stool H. pylori antigen tests by spectrophotometry and by the visual method, especially in Southern Taiwan. Thirty-two patients (18 men and 14 women; age range: 23-91 y/o, mean: 50.5 y/o) who underwent gastroendoscopy at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital were enrolled in this study. H. pylori infection status was confirmed by culture or two positive test results on CLO test, histology and 13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT). The exclusion criteria included previous gastrointestinal tract surgery, use of antibiotics, proton pump inhibitor or compounds containing bismuth within 1 month of the study. Among them, 14 patients were with duodenal ulcer (DU), 4 with gastric ulcer (GU), 12 with non-ulcer dyspepsia, and 2 with GU and DU. Those patients had their stool collected for ELISA tests of H. pylori stool antigen (HpSA). The HpSA tests were positive in 16 of 18 patients diagnosed as H. pylori positive, and negative in 13 of 14 patients as H. pylori negative. The sensitivity and specificity were 88.9% and 92.9% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 94.1% and 86.7% respectively. The concordance of HpSA accessed by spectrophotometry and visual method is 100%, which makes this test even easier and cheaper. We concluded that stool HpSA test is a noninvasive, accurate, reliable, rapid and easy way to diagnose H. pylori infection in Southern Taiwan, either by spectrophotometry or by visual assessment.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Modeling of organic pollutant destruction in a stirred-tank reactor by ozonation.

Destruction of organic contaminants in water by ozonation is a gas-liquid process which involves ozone mass transfer and fast irreversible chemical reactions. Ozonation reactor design and process optimizing require the modeling of the gas-liquid interactions within the reactor. In this paper a theoretical model combining the fluid dynamic and reaction kinetic parameters is proposed for predicting the destruction rates of organic pollutants in a semi-batch stirred-tank reactor by ozonation. A simple expression for the enhancement factor as our previous work has been applied to evaluate the chemical mass transfer coefficient in ozone absorption, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and 2,6-DCP or their mixture are chosen as the model compounds for simulating, and the predicted DCP concentrations are compared with some measured data.

Absorption↗
PubMed2000

Determination of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids by high-performance liquid chromatography (II).

After the earlier analysis of nine bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids with ion pair chromatography, seven other bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids were analyzed using gradient elution with an acetonitrile-phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) mixture, and UV detection. Four alkaloids were detected in the stem woods of a Lauraceous plant, Dehaasia triandra Merr. and their contents determined. LC-MS suggested that a major unknown compound in the plant was also a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed2000

Genome-wide search for loss of heterozygosity using laser capture microdissected tissue of breast carcinoma: an implication for mutator phenotype and breast cancer pathogenesis.

Breast cancer is considered to display a high degree of intratumor heterogeneity, without any obvious morphological and pathological steps to define sequential evolution, and its progression may vary among individual tumors. In an attempt to elucidate these etiological and phenotypic complexities, the present study, based on the fundamental concept that genomic instability is the engine of both tumor progression and tumor heterogeneity, was conducted to test the hypothesis that breast cancer pathogenesis is driven by double-strand break (DSB)-initiated chromosome instability (CIN). The rationale underlying this hypothesis is derived from the clues provided by family breast cancer syndromes, in which susceptibility genes, including p53, ATM, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are involved within the common functional pathway of DSB-related checkpoint/ repair. Because genomic deletion caused by DSB is reflected in the genetic mechanism of loss of heterozygosity (LOH), this genome-wide LOH study was conducted, using 100 tumors and 400 microsatellite markers. To minimize the effect of heterogeneity within tumors, the experimental technique of laser capture microdissection was used to ensure that genetic and phenotypic examinations were based on the same tumor cells. Support for our hypothesis comes from the observations that: (a) the extent of DSB-initiated CIN in tumors significantly increased as tumors progressed to poorer grades or later stages; (b) in the sequential steps toward CIN, the loci of p53 and ATM, the key checkpoint genes against DSB, were lost at the earliest stage; and (c) many loci identified to be important in breast tumorigenesis were the genomic sites possibly harboring the genes involved in DSB-related checkpoint/repair (including RAD51, RAD52, and BRCA1) or CIN (including FA-A, FA-D, and WRN), and a higher number of these loci showing LOH was significantly associated with increased level of DSB-initiated CIN (P < 0.0001). Breast cancers are thus considered to be sequentially progressive with CIN. However, CIN might also cause genetic heterogeneity, which was revealed by the findings that LOH at some markers was observed only in the component of ductal carcinoma in situ but not in the invasive component of the same tumors. In addition, some markers were found to preferentially lose at specific tumor grades, implying their contribution to genetic heterogeneity during tumor development. Therefore, this study suggests that breast cancer progression is clonal with regard to CIN, but different breast cancers would present distinct molecular profiles resulting from genetic heterogeneity caused by CIN.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Molecular cloning and characterization of Amida, a novel protein which interacts with a neuron-specific immediate early gene product arc, contains novel nuclear localization signals, and causes cell death in cultured cells.

Amida was isolated by the yeast two-hybrid system as a novel protein which associated with Arc, a non-transcriptional immediate early gene specific to the brain. Amida was confirmed to be associated with Arc in vitro and in vivo. Amida shows no homology to known proteins. Amida is ubiquitously expressed, although it is abundant in the brain. A transfection study revealed that Amida was localized in the nucleus and after 72 h the transfected cells underwent apoptosis. Furthermore, we found two nuclear localization signals and a domain needed for interacting with Arc was encompassed by two nuclear localization signals. Co-transfection experiment with Amida and Arc suggested that Amida transported Arc into the nucleus and negatively regulated Amida-induced cell death. These results indicate that Arc together with Amida may modulate cell death in the brain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Changes in portal venous hemodynamics in patients with severe acute hepatitis over one year.

PURPOSE: A wide range of portal vein blood flow velocity (PVV) values can be found in acute hepatitis. We studied course and medical significance of PVV changes in patients with severe acute hepatitis over a 1-year period. METHODS: Portal venous hemodynamics were studied by Doppler sonography in 90 patients at study enrollment and 3, 6, and 12 months following an episode of severe acute hepatitis. RESULTS: Forty-one survivors who had a maximum PVV at enrollment greater than or equal to the value measured at the third month were classified as the "declining PVV" group. Thirty-six survivors who had a maximum PVV at enrollment less than the value measured at the third month were classified as the "rising PVV" group. Thirteen patients died of acute hepatic failure and were classified as the fatality group. The fatality group had significantly lower maximum PVV, worse liver biochemical test results, and a higher prevalence of ascites at enrollment. In contrast, the declining PVV group showed significantly better liver biochemical test results and a lower prevalence of ascites. There was no significant difference in portal vein blood flow between the rising and declining PVV groups since portal vein diameter increased while PVV decreased. CONCLUSIONS: An initially decreased PVV can be found in some patients with severe acute hepatitis and is inversely correlated with the severity of liver damage.

Acute Disease↗