Biomedical subjects

C H Liu

Publications and source records attributed to C H Liu.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1991

Selective reduction of multiple pregnancies in the first trimester or early second trimester.

Nine cases of multiple pregnancies, including 7 sets of triplets and 2 sets of quadruplets, were enrolled for selective fetal reduction between March 1989 and July 1990 at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Under transabdominal or transvaginal ultrasound guidance, potassium chloride was injected into the fetal cardiac chamber to kill the selected fetus during the 10-14th gestational week. The number of fetuses was reduced to two in all cases. No maternal complications occurred during the procedure. Six gravidas have given birth to 6 sets of healthy twins; two pregnancies are progressing smoothly at 26 and 23 weeks of gestation, respectively, and one case underwent spontaneous abortion 4 weeks after the procedure. Selective fetal reduction under ultrasound guidance is an acceptable method of preventing high perinatal mortality and morbidity of immature fetuses in grand multiple pregnancies.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed1991

Clinical validation of two equations in antenatal prediction of Chinese fetal weight by ultrasonography.

The purpose of this series is to prospectively validate the Chinese equations for predicting fetal weight developed in a previous study. A total of 640 Chinese fetuses were examined antenatally for biparietal diameter (BPD), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL) by real-time ultrasonography within two days of delivery. The results showed the actual birth weight (BW) to be highly correlated with the estimated body weight for both the equation using BPD and AC (EBW1) (r = 0.888, p less than 0.0001) and the equation using BPD, AC and FL (EBW2) (r = 0.890, p less than 0.0001). Our results demonstrate that the Chinese equations developed by Hsieh et al are a better fit for Chinese fetuses than the foreign equations are. Also, the two Chinese equations predict fetal weight well between 2,000 g and 4,000 g, but further modification is needed in cases where the BW is less than 2,000 g or greater than 4,000 g.

Asian People↗

PubMed1991

Prolongation of drug release by covalent bonding of drugs to serum albumin microbeads.

Reaction conditions for the covalent bonding of 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine to serum albumin microbeads by means of a water-soluble carbodiimide were studied. Optimum coupling of dFUR to the microbeads occurred when pure water was used as solvent. There was no significant difference in the bonding efficiency for microbeads prepared at different stirring speeds, and there was a limit to the amount of dFUR that could be bound with increasing reaction time. Yields were low possibly because of competing coupling reactions involving carbodiimide and other reactive groups in the protein. The release of dFUR from dFUR-bound microbeads was slow and biexponential. The fraction of dFUR bound in the interior of the microbeads increased with increasing reaction time.

Delayed-Action Preparations↗

PubMed1990

Very early aortic responses during atherosclerosis induction in rabbits: measurement by duplex ultrasound. I. Non-invasive study of aortic hyperresponsiveness to serotonin.

We report the use of a non-invasive ultrasound method to visualize and measure changes in serotonin reactivity of the abdominal aorta during the early stages of atherosclerosis development. Studies were performed at 0, 4, 8, and 14 weeks in New Zealand white rabbits fed a diet enriched with 0.5% cholesterol. Change in systolic vessel diameter at each examination was compared with changes in rabbits fed a control diet or rabbits on a diet enriched with cholesterol plus a concentrated marine lipid. After 4 weeks on the diets, the abdominal aortae of rabbit fed the cholesterol-rich diet displayed an enhanced vasoconstriction to serotonin (P less than 0.01). The enhanced vasoconstriction was observed prior to visible morphologic changes, and progressed when restudied at succeeding examinations. Morphologic abnormalities became evident at 8 weeks in cholesterol-fed animals. Dietary supplementation with marine lipid, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, diminished the effect of the atherogenic diet on aortic vasoconstriction.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Chromosome and bcr rearrangement in chronic myelogenous leukaemia and their correlation with clinical states and prognosis of the disease.

Among 77 unselected patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), 70 had Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) in blood cells. Extra chromosomal abnormalities were noted in 4%, 55% and 78% of Ph1-positive patients in chronic phase, accelerated phase and acute blast crisis, respectively. Rearrangement of the bcr was detected in 46 of 47 Ph1-positive patients studied and also in three of five Ph1-negative ones. The locations of the breakpoints were mapped to one of four zones of the bcr in 45 patients. The median duration from diagnosis of CML to onset of acute blast crisis was not significantly different between the two groups of patients with breakpoints in the 5' portion (34 months), and in the 3' portion (39 months) of the bcr. In addition, the locations of the breakpoints within the bcr did not change as the disease progressed in the six patients who had DNA analysed both in the chronic phase and subsequently in transformation. In one of them, an additional aberrant band which was not present in the beginning of the acute phase was detected in blood cells taken 2 months later. It is suggested from the studies that transformation of CML may not be related to alterations within the bcr.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Relative changes in LH pulsatility during the menstrual cycle: using data from hypogonadal women as a reference point.

The basic premise of this study is that the GnRH-LH pulsatile activity, particularly its frequency characteristics, constitutes, in the absence of any considerable ovarian feedback, the intrinsic rhythm of the hypothalamic-pituitary unit at its maximal rate. Thus, LH pulse attributes determined in postpubertal hypogonadal subjects may be used as a reference in assessing the degree of influence exerted by endocrine factors that modulate GnRH-LH pulses. Accordingly, serum LH levels were determined in samples obtained at 15-min intervals for 24 h in 20 hypogonadal women: 13 postmenopausal women (PMW) and seven women with premature ovarian failure (POF). Similar measurements were performed in 60 normally cycling women: 25 in the early follicular phase (EFP), 13 in the late follicular phase (LFP), seven at midcycle surge (LH surge) and 15 in the midluteal phase (MLP). Significant pulses were identified by the cluster algorithm utilizing factors appropriate for 24 h data series of a sampling frequency of 15-min intervals. The results show a 24-h mean (+/- SE) LH pulse frequency of 78.2 +/- 2.8 and 85.5 +/- 2.4 min per pulse for young (POF) and older (PMW) hypogonadal women, respectively. During the follicular phase of the cycle, the LH pulse frequency is not significantly different from that of hypogonadal women, but there is a significant (P less than 0.05) increase from early to late follicular phases (95.4 +/- 3.3 vs 78.8 +/- 2.2 min per pulse). However, when the sleep periods are excluded from the 24-h data series because of the associated decrease of LH pulse frequency in EFP women, the resulting pulse frequencies are almost identical for EFP, LFP and PMW. An elevation beyond the basic pulse rhythm determined in PMW or POF is not observed in any phase of the menstrual cycle studied, including the midcycle surge. The decrease in LH pulse frequency during the luteal phase of the cycle (151.8 +/- 8.0 min per pulse, P less than 0.001 vs hypogonadal women) beyond the reference pulse frequency of hypogonadal women is unequivocal. By contrast, the pulse amplitude varies markedly among the groups with the largest found in POF (36.6 +/- 4.5 IU/l). It follows, in descending order, PMW (22.7 +/- 3.1 IU/l), midcycle surge (17.3 +/- 2.8 IU/l), MLP women (7.0 +/- 1.3 IU/l) and the EFP (4.9 +/- 0.3 IU/l) and LFP (4.0 +/- 0.4 IU/l).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Oxytocin and vasopressin receptors in bovine endometrium and myometrium during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy.

The binding of [3H]oxytocin ([3H]-OT) and [3H]arginine vasopressin ([ 3H]-AVP) by bovine endometrial and myometrial membrane preparations obtained on days 0, 7, 14, 17, and 21 after estrus or mating was investigated. [3H]OT was bound with higher affinity than [3H]AVP by both tissues; the mean dissociation constants (KdS) were 0.95 x 10(-9) M and 1.56 x 10(-9) M for OT and AVP, respectively, P less than 0.0001, with no significant variations in the KdS during the cycle. The concentration of [3H]OT binding sites was on the average 50% higher than [3H]AVP across the cycle in both tissues. Endometrial receptor levels varied significantly during the cycle; it was lowest on days 7 and 14, rose significantly on day 17, and peaked on day 21. Myometrial receptor levels decreased from levels at estrus on days 7 and 14, but the changes were not significant. The ratio between endometrial and myometrial receptor concentrations changed from about 10 at estrus to less than 1 in the luteal phase. In early pregnancy, the receptor levels did not differ from nonpregnant levels on days 7 and 14, but on day 17 the endometrial receptor concentrations were significantly lower, and on day 21 those in both tissues were significantly lower. The endometrial OT and AVP receptor concentrations were inversely correlated with plasma progesterone levels (P = 0.005) with no correlation to plasma estradiol, whereas the myometrial receptor concentrations showed no correlation to plasma progesterone but an inverse correlation with plasma estradiol (P = 0.004). We conclude that the endometrial OT and AVP receptor concentrations are more tightly controlled by progesterone than myometrium, and that the bovine conceptus suppresses endometrial OT and AVP receptor concentrations in the preattachment stage either by a local action on the endometrium or indirectly via an antiluteolytic effect.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Marked attenuation of ultradian and circadian rhythms of dehydroepiandrosterone in postmenopausal women: evidence for a reduced 17,20-desmolase enzymatic activity.

Circulating levels of adrenal delta 5-androgens [dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and its sulfate (DS)] selectively decrease with age in both sexes, while cortisol secretion remains unchanged. The mechanism(s) to account for this dissociation is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that a reduced enzymatic activity for delta 5-androgen biosynthesis may be responsible for this phenomenon by examining the ultradian and circadian rhythmicity (15-min sampling frequency for 24 h) of DHEA and cortisol and the responsiveness of DHEA, DS, and cortisol to human CRF stimulation and by the analysis of relative enzymatic activities in the biosynthesis of adrenal steroids in older postmenopausal women (PMW) and younger cycling women (NCW). Our data show that the timing of the circadian rhythm of DHEA secretion was not altered, but the acrophase amplitude was decreased (P less than 0.01) in aged PMW compared to NCW. While the pulse frequency of DHEA remained unchanged, the pulse amplitude was markedly attenuated in PMW compared with NCW (3.5 +/- 0.6 vs. 8.1 +/- 1.1 nmol/L; P less than 0.01). Correspondingly, the 24-h mean of DHEA was markedly reduced (P less than 0.001) in PMW (5.5 +/- 0.8 nmol/L) from that in NCW (12.1 +/- 1.4 nmol/L). For cortisol, all parameters were similar between the two groups. Thus, compared to NCW, the decline of circulating DHEA level in PMW was expressed by attenuations of pulse amplitude and circadian amplitude, without changes in the timing of the circadian rhythm or pulse frequency. Further, DHEA and DS, but not cortisol, responses to 8-h hCRF infusion were significantly (P less than 0.01) diminished in PMW. These findings together with decreased product/precursor ratios for DHEA/17-hydroxypregnenolone (P less than 0.01) and androstenedione/17-hydroxyprogesterone (P less than 0.05) suggest a reduction of 17,20-desmolase enzymatic activity in PMW compared to that in NCW. Steroid ratios for 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17 alpha-hydroxylase were unaltered. We conclude from these preliminary data that the disparity of DHEA and cortisol secretion in aged PMW is probably related to an intraadrenal event, resulting from a decrease in 17,20-desmolase expression, which governs the biosynthesis of delta 5-adrenal androgen.

Adrenal Glands↗

PubMed1990

Antenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis of hypotelorism.

Hypotelorism is one of the most important fetal anomalies, which deserves early antenatal detection and management. To date, only a few cases of antenatally diagnosed hypotelorism have been reported. In this series, we report a case of hypotelorism and microphthalmia diagnosed prenatally. A 30-year-old female, G1P0, was admitted to our hospital due to chronic bronchitis and a breech presentation of the fetus at 38 weeks of gestation. Routine ultrasound screening revealed hypotelorism. Associated anomalies detected by ultrasound were alobar holoprosencephaly, microcephaly, microphthalmia and oligohydramnios. After delivery, hypotelorism with holoprosencephaly was confirmed, which corresponded with the antenatal ultrasound findings. In conclusion, systemic routine ultrasound screening of fetal orbits is the best way to prenatally detect hypotelorism and microphthalmia.

Face↗

PubMed1990

[Effects of copper chloride on electromechanical activities of myocardial cells].

The effects of copper chloride (CuCl2) on action potentials and contractile forces of guinea pig papillary muscles and cultured myocardial cells from neonatal rats were studied by means of an intracellular microelectrode and transducers. The results showed CuCl2 50 mumol/L reduced action potential amplitude (APA) and maximal depolarization rate of 0 phase (Vmax), shortened action potential duration at 50% (APD50) and at 90% (APD90) repolarization, prolonged effective refractory period (ERP), inhibited contractile force of guinea pig papillary muscles. The effect of CuCl2 on AP of cultured myocardial cells was similar to those of guinea pig papillary muscles. The beating rate and contractile amplitude of cultured myocardial cells were decreased by CuCl2 50 mumol/L from 102 +/- 44 bpm to 58 +/- 21 bpm and from 100% to 69 +/- 17% respectively. These suggest that CuCl2 may be an anti-arrhythmic element.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1989

An acute pleuropneumonia in a pig caused by Chromobacterium violaceum.

A 2.5-month-old, 30 kg Duroc pig died 10 days after showing clinical signs of dyspnoea and diarrhoea. Acute necrotizing and fibrinous pleuropneumonia with locally extensive lesions was found. Chromobacterium violaceum was isolated from pneumonic lung tissues and intratracheal inoculation of a pure culture into two SPF pigs reproduced lesions similar to those found in the natural infection.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1989

Chromosomal characteristics of Ph-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia in transformation. A study of 23 Chinese patients in Taiwan.

Cytogenetic study was performed in the past 3 years on 23 Chinese patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in transformation; seven were in accelerated phase and 16 in acute blast crisis. Chromosomal abnormalities in addition to Ph were found in three (43%) of the patients at accelerated phase and 14 (88%) of the patients at blast crisis. The common nonrandom chromosomal aberrations were double Ph, trisomy 8, trisomy 19, and trisomy 21, which occurred in 47%, 41%, 35%, and 29%, respectively, of the total patients with extra chromosomal abnormalities. Isochromosome for the long arm of chromosome 17 was found in only one patient. In patients with blast crisis, the type of blast cell was characterized through morphologic, cytochemical, and immunocytochemical studies. Eleven cases were classified as myeloid and five as lymphoid transformation. Trisomy 8, 19, and 21 were detected only in patients with myeloid blast crisis. This study also revealed a high incidence of trisomy 21 and a low incidence of i(17q) in Chinese patients with transformation of CML.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection for treatment of cervical cancer: a clinical review of 954 cases.

Nine hundred fifty-four patients, who received a radical hysterectomy and a bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy, were included in this study which ran from January 1971 to December 1986. The subjects, by in large, ranged in age from 41 to 60. Of these cases, 62.5% were in clinical stage IB, while 26.2% were in stage IIA. Urinary tract fistula formations occurred in 2.4% of the cases and substantially decreased from 6.1% during 1971-1978 to 0.9% in the subsequent period from 1979 to 1986. The operative mortality rate was 0.4%. The follow-up included 438 cases that came from 1971 to 1981, and each was evaluated over a period of 5 years. Of these cases, 28 patients were lost during the follow-up period and were presumed to have died from cancer. The absolute 5-year survival rates for the patients in stage IB, stage IIA, and IIB were 86.1, 71.7, and 60.1%, respectively. The respective 5-year survival rates for patients with stage IB LN(-) and LN(+), i.e., without or with lymph node metastasis, were 87.7 and 73.1%. The survival rates for patients with stage IIA LN(-) and LN(+) were 79.8 and 40.9%, respectively. In retrospect, the 5-year survival rates seem to be related to age, parametrial involvement, and histological type. This study shows that because of improving surgical techniques and anesthesia, acceptable operative morbidity and mortality, as well as favorable 5-year survival rates, radical surgery seems to be the treatment of choice for patients with early invasive uterine cervical, and especially for younger women.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Long-term follow-up of 344 Shanghai psoriatics.

344 patients with psoriasis vulgaris treated in Huashan Hospital, Shanghai were followed up for 7-30 years. 13% of them developed arthralgia and 2% had joint deformities. One patient developed erythroderma due to dexamethasone medication. Internal malignancy occurred in 2 patients (0.58%). The severity of the course of the disease was neither influenced by family history nor alcoholism, but was markedly influenced by the duration of illness and administration of anti-neoplastic drugs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Infection of human T-cell leukemia virus type I and development of human T-cell leukemia lymphoma in patients with hematologic neoplasms: a possible linkage to blood transfusion.

Among 354 adult patients with either hematological malignancy or aplastic anemia, eight were positive for anti-HTLV-I antibodies; six of eight had received multiple transfusions. There was an approximately 3.5-fold increase (P less than .001) of HTLV-I seropositivity in the patients with hematologic disease (8 of 354, 2.23%) compared to the healthy adults older than 20 years (34 of 5252, .65%). Two hematological patients, one with Hodgkin's disease and one with acute promyelocytic leukemia, were found to be positive for HTLV-I, and developed and died of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) subsequently. Both were long-term survivors of the primary disease and had received multiple transfusions. The latent period from blood transfusion to onset of ATL was 6 months and 11 years, respectively. Immunocompromised patients, who were seropositive for HTLV-I, may be at increased risk for ATL compared to healthy carriers of HTLV-I, and the latent period may be shorter.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMed1989

Bone marrow involvement in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The frequency, pattern, extent and clinical features of bone marrow involvement in 94 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, classified according to the International Working Formulation, were reviewed. In 30% of cases there was bone marrow involvement by lymphoma at the time of diagnosis. Marrow involvement was most frequently found in the follicular small cleaved cell (57%), diffuse mixed small and large cell (56%), and lymphoblastic (56%) lymphomas. A paratrabecular pattern of marrow involvement tended to occur in low or intermediate grade lymphomas. High grade lymphomas tended to show an interstitial or diffuse pattern of marrow involvement. The results of marrow aspiration and biopsy were of equal value and complementary to each other. In 43% of cases with marrow lymphoma there was peripheral blood involvement at the time of diagnosis. Blood involvement was most frequently found in the lymphoblastic lymphoma (70%). In general, the degree of blood involvement was related to the extent of marrow involvement. Patients with marrow involvement often presented with "B" symptoms and hepatomegaly. Abnormalities in at least one of the blood counts were quite common (93%). A normal blood count made marrow involvement unlikely but not impossible. Other common laboratory findings included hyperimmunoglobulinemia (47%) and elevated serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (56%). Patients with marrow involvement showed a significantly higher frequency of hepatomegaly and abnormal blood counts, as compared to those with negative marrows (p less than 0.05 and less than 0.001, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Seroepidemiology of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I infection in Taiwan.

The epidemiological characteristics of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I infection in Taiwan have been explored by an island-wide community-based survey, which was carried out among residents in 19 townships and metropolitan precincts randomly selected through stratified sampling. Serum specimens of 7278 healthy subjects were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by Western blot method. A total of 103 subjects showed positive or weak reactions by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but only 35 of them were confirmed to be positive by Western blot analysis. The anti-human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I antibody positive rate was 4.81/1000. The seropositive rate increased with age in both males and females, and females had a greater seropositive rate than males for all the age groups. Aborigines and Hakka Taiwanese had higher seropositive rates than Fukien Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese. Those people with lower educational levels were found to be associated with higher anti-human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I seropositive rates.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Chromosome studies on 30 Chinese patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in Taiwan.

Cytogenetic studies were performed on 32 consecutive Chinese patients with de novo acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) in Taiwan. Of the 30 patients with adequate specimens, 20(66%) had clonal chromosome abnormalities. Structural rearrangements were detected in 18 of them. Seven (four were children) of the 16 patients with M2 ANLL had t(8;21). All six patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL; M3 subtype) had t(15;17). Two patients with M4 type leukemia and abnormal bone marrow eosinophils had inv(16)(p13q22). Another M4 patient with a mild increase of morphologically normal eosinophils in the bone marrow had an abnormal chromosome #16, t(1;16)(q21;p13) in which 16q22 was not involved. One patient with M5 ANLL had t(9;11). Only two patients had a numerical change as the sole abnormality. None of the patients had loss or deletion of chromosome #5 or loss of chromosome #7, and only one had a deletion of 7q. This study revealed a high incidence of t(8;21), t(15;17), and a low incidence of -5/5q- or -7/7q- in Chinese patients with ANLL.

Acute Disease↗