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C J Liu

Publications and source records attributed to C J Liu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Non-penetrating trabeculectomy for open angle glaucoma.

BACKGROUND: Non-penetrating trabeculectomy is used as the surgical intervention for open angle glaucoma. It has advantage of creating gradual filtration through the thin trabeculo-Descemet membrane to reduce markedly the postoperative complications typical for penetrating operation. We described our experience of the non-penetrating trabeculectomy for open angle glaucoma. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 28 eyes of 28 patients with primary open glaucoma (POAG). Non-penetrating trabeculectomy was performed by one surgeon from July 1998 to March 2000. Examinations were performed preoperatively and postoperatively in 1 and 7 days and 1, 3, 6, 12 and 21 months. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 12.5 +/- 6.3 months (S.D.). The mean preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) was 27.8 +/- 6.7 mmHg. The mean postoperative IOP was 11.5 +/- 6.2 mmHg in 1 day and 15.7 +/- 5.8 mmHg in 1 week, and it remained stable in the following 12 months. IOP of 71.3% (20/28) of the eyes could be controlled below or equal to 21 mmHg with no or only topical antiglaucoma medication. There were only few postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Non-penetrating trabeculectomy is efficient in controlling intraocular pressure of open angle glaucoma. No entering the anterior chamber diminishes the postoperative complications typical of the penetrating trabeculectomy.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Molecular cloning and expression of woodchuck granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has immunoregulatory and antiviral effects, and may thus be promising for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Using woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV)-infected woodchuck as an animal model to test the efficacy and safety of GM-CSF on the therapy of chronic hepatitis B, woodchuck GM-CSF will be required due to the apparent species-specific activity of GM-CSF. The cDNA of woodchuck GM-CSF was cloned using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers deriving from highly conserved regions of GM-CSF genes from other species. The deduced amino acids, including the signal peptide, is 138 in length and its identities to human, murine, canine and bovine GM-CSFs are 63, 49, 63, and 63% respectively. The genomic DNA of woodchuck GM-CSF was also cloned by PCR. Its organization is highly homologous to that of human and murine GM-CSF genes, consisting of four exons and three introns. Cloned woodchuck GM-CSF was expressed transiently in 293T cells. The recombinant protein expressed was found to stimulate the growth and differentiation of woodchuck bone marrow cells, indicating the protein expressed by the cloned gene is functional. These results pave the way for future studies on the potential role of GM-CSF for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B by using this animal model.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Risk factors for ICU mortality in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Advances in critical care medicine have increased the chances of survival for patients with severe illness or trauma. However, such patients consume a large proportion of medical resources. This study sought risk factors for mortality that have potential to be modified among patients treated in medical or surgical intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS: This 6-month prospective observational study was conducted in the medical and surgical ICUs of an 1,800-bed university hospital. All adult patients with an expected ICU stay of 48 hours or more were followed up regularly until discharge from the ICUs, or for 10 weeks during their stay in ICUs. RESULTS: Of 342 patients enrolled, 77 (22.5%) died during a median follow-up period of 5 days (range, 2-70 days). Among a range of variables at the time of ICU entry or developing during stay in ICUs, 17 were associated with higher mortality rate. Multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model demonstrated that the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) at the time of ICU entry (adjusted relative risk, ARR, 2.85; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.16-7.05), Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score on ICU Day 4 (ARR 1.12 with increment of one score; 95% CI 1.01-1.24), Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) score on Day 4 (ARR 1.13 with increment of one score; 95% CI 1.05-1.23), parenteral nutrition (ARR 4.97, 95% CI 1.73-14.26), and nosocomial Candida infection (ARR 3.39, 95% CI 1.12-10.23) were independently associated with ICU mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to SIRS and the APACHE II and TISS scores, this study found that nosocomial Candida infection and parenteral nutrition were independently associated with mortality after control for admission conditions, severity of illness scores, and interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Androgen-receptor gene CAG repeats, plasma testosterone levels, and risk of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is more prevalent in men than in women, suggesting that sex hormones and/or X-chromosome-linked genes may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. We investigated the association of a trinucleotide (CAG) repeat in the androgen receptor (AR) gene (located on the X chromosome) termed "AR-CAG repeats," levels of plasma testosterone, and the risk of HCC in Taiwanese men. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which is associated with risk of HCC, is hyperendemic in Taiwan. METHODS: We compared the number of AR-CAG repeats in 285 HBV carriers with HCC and in 349 HBV carriers without HCC. We also conducted a nested case--control study on participants in a cohort study. Blood was collected prospectively from 110 case patients and 239 control subjects and was used to determine the number of AR-CAG repeats and plasma testosterone level. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: The overall odds ratio (OR) for HCC was 1.72 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03--2.89) for HBV carriers with 20 or fewer AR-CAG repeats compared with those with more than 24 repeats. This association was observed only in patients with late-onset HCC (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.28--4.38). In the nested case-control study, HBV carriers in the highest tertile of testosterone levels had a statistically significantly increased risk of HCC (OR = 2.06; 95% CI = 1.14--3.70) compared with those in the lowest tertile. Elevated testosterone was more strongly associated with early-onset (OR = 4.67; 95% CI = 1.41--15.38) than late-onset disease. HBV carriers with 20 or fewer AR-CAG repeats and higher testosterone levels had a fourfold increase in HCC risk compared with those with more than 24 repeats and testosterone levels in the lowest tertile. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of androgen signaling, reflected by higher testosterone levels and 20 or fewer AR-CAG repeats, may be associated with an increased risk of HBV-related HCC in men.

Adenine↗
PubMed2000

Familial risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among chronic hepatitis B carriers and their relatives.

BACKGROUND: Familial predisposition as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers has not been thoroughly explored. METHODS: The HCC risk associated with having parents and/or siblings with HCC was evaluated by use of a cohort study of 4808 male HBV carriers. A case-control family study was also conducted on data from first-degree relatives of 553 HBV carriers who had newly diagnosed HCC (case subjects) and 4684 HBV carriers without HCC (control subjects). RESULTS: In the cohort study, HBV carriers with a family history of HCC had a multivariate-adjusted rate ratio for HCC of 2.41 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.47-3.95) compared with HBV carriers without a family history of HCC. For carriers with two or more affected relatives, the ratio increased to 5.55 (95% CI = 2.02-15.26). Cumulative HCC risk by age 70 years was 235.6 per 1000 (95% CI = 95. 3-375.9 per 1000) for HBV carriers with family history compared with 88.9 per 1000 (95% CI = 67.9-109.9 per 1000) for those without. In the case-control family study, first-degree relatives of case subjects were more likely to have HCC (age-sex-adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.57; 95% CI = 2.03-3.25) than first-degree relatives of control subjects. The excess risk of HCC among relatives was particularly evident in siblings (sisters-age-adjusted OR = 4.55 [95% CI = 2.22-9.31]; brothers-age-adjusted OR = 3.73 [95% CI = 2. 64-5.27]), but it was also observed in parents. The cumulative risk of HCC to age 80 years was 83.0 per 1000 among relatives of case subjects and 42.0 per 1000 among relatives of control subjects. Among relatives of case subjects, the cumulative risk of HCC was greater if the case subjects were diagnosed before age 50 years (two-sided P =.047). Liver cirrhosis was 2.29 (95% CI = 1.68-3.11) times more frequent in relatives of case subjects than in relatives of control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: First-degree relatives of patients with HBV-related HCC appear to be at increased risk of HCC and should be considered in the formulation of HCC-screening programs.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Expression pattern of (+)-delta-cadinene synthase genes and biosynthesis of sesquiterpene aldehydes in plants of Gossypium arboreum L.

The cotton (+)-delta-cadinene synthase, a sesquiterpene cyclase, is encoded by a complex gene family which, based on homology, can be divided into two subfamilies: cad1-A and cad1-C. Southern blots revealed several members of the cad1-C subfamily, and a single member of the cad1-A subfamily, in the diploid Gossypium arboreum genome. One of the cad1-C genes, cad1-C3, was isolated from this species. According to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, transcripts of both cad1-C and cad1-A genes appeared in roots from the second day post germination and in 1-d-old cotyledons, whereas the transcription levels were too low to be detected in the hypocotyls. Initially, sesquiterpene cyclase activities were found to be high in the seedlings, then dropped in aerial organs but increased in roots during development. Sesquiterpene aldehyde contents followed the same pattern. In fully developed plants, the transcripts of cad1-C were detected in stems, leaves and pericarps, as well as in the sepals and petals 3 d before anthesis, but not at the day of anthesis. In contrast, cad1-A transcripts were not detected in any of these aerial organs. The sesquiterpene aldehyde contents increased in petals but decreased in sepals after anthesis. Treatment of G. arboreum stems with a Verticillium dahliae elicitor-preparation activated cad1-A transcription, but a significant level of cad1-C transcripts was detected both before and after elicitation. In G. hirsutum cv. GL-5, a glandless cultivar, the cad1-C gene was activated by the same fungal elicitor, followed by the synthesis of the sesquiterpene cyclase, and accumulation of sesquiterpene aldehydes. The cad1 gene expression during development and in response to elicitation, as well as the spatial and temporal pattern of sesquiterpene biosynthesis, constitute a chemical defense machinery in cotton plants.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed2000

Contralateral monocular dominance in anterior visual cortex confirmed by functional magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: Although it is known that the damage to anterior striate cortex results in temporal peripheral visual field loss of the contralateral eye in patients with cerebral visual disturbance, the monocularity of anterior striate cortex has not been demonstrated in normal living humans. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this could be shown noninvasively using functional magnetic resonance imaging of the human visual cortex. METHODS: Eleven normal volunteers were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging during alternating monocular visual stimulation using a 1.5 Tesla scanner. The data were motion corrected and spatially normalized to the standard brain. The monocular activation of the visual cortex was compared with the activation by the other eye. RESULTS: In the individual data analysis, contralateral eye dominance was always observed in the anterior striate cortex. In the group analysis from 11 subjects, the area with contralateral eye dominance was found in the most anterior part of primary visual cortex where the calcarine fissure merged with the parieto-occipital sulcus. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the contralateral eye dominance of anterior striate cortex can be detected noninvasively with functional magnetic resonance imaging during monocular visual stimulation. The finding confirms that the anterior striate cortex, where the monocular temporal crescent is represented, is primarily monocular, but the fact that greatest density of retinal ganglion cells and photoreceptors is in the nasal hemiretina must also be taken into account when interpreting these results.

Dominance, Cerebral↗
PubMed2000

Low incidence of hepatitis C virus transmission between spouses: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Interspousal transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been documented; however, the annual risk of interspousal transmission remains unclear. METHODS: A long-term prospective study to define the risk of interspousal transmission of HCV was conducted. One hundred and twelve index patients with chronic hepatitis C and their anti-HCV seronegative spouses were enrolled. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 45.9 months. Antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) and HCV-RNA were tested for in each seronegative spouse every year. Seroconversion of anti-HCV occurred in only one spouse, 2 years after enrollment, with a concomitant acute hepatitis. This subject and his spouse were infected with HCV genotype 1b. Nucleotide sequence comparison of the hypervariable region of their HCV genomes showed a homology of 98%. Further phylogenetic analysis suggested that they had virtually the same isolate. Accordingly, the annual risk of interspousal transmission of HCV infection was 0.23% per year. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a low incidence of interspousal transmission of HCV; however, the risk may be cumulative and such couples should be educated to avoid HCV infection from their spouses.

Disease Transmission, Infectious↗
PubMed2000

Effect of mitomycin C for combined trabeculectomy and phacoemulsification.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intraoperative mitomycin C (MMC) for trabeculectomy combined with phacoemulsification (phacotrab) in patients with coexisting glaucoma and cataract. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of consecutive patients who underwent phacotrab from July, 1996, to March, 1998. The pre- and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), number of glaucoma medications, visual acuity (VA), and postoperative complications were compared among 22 patients (22 eyes) who received intraoperative MMC and 18 patients (18 eyes) who did not receive MMC, served as the control group. Data of age, gender, type of glaucoma, number of glaucoma medications, cup-to-disc ratio of the optic nerve and the extent of visual field defects were also evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the surgical success rates between two groups. RESULTS: The mean IOP decreased from 16.1 +/- 4.2 mmHg to 10.94 +/- 3.6 mmHg in the MMC group, and from 18.7 +/- 6.9 mmHg to 14.6 +/- 1.9 mmHg in the control group at one year of follow-up. The mean postoperative IOPs were significantly lower in the MMC group than in the control group at one week, two weeks, and one, two, nine and 12 months. Postoperative mean VA log10 minimum angle of resolution (MAR) improved significantly in both groups. The mean number of medications decreased from 1.91 +/- 0.75 to 0.18 +/- 0.50 in the MMC group, and from 1.89 +/- 0.47 to 0.72 +/- 0.75 in the control group (p < 0.001 for both). The one-year complete success rate was significantly higher in the MMC group (p = 0.0038) than in the control group. No major complication was found throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative MMC in phacotrab may improve postoperative filtration with less dependence on glaucoma medication. No significant adverse effects were associated with MMC application.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Interspousal transmission of TT virus: low efficiency and lack of apparent risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The TT virus (TTV) is a newly identified human DNA virus and little is known about its non-parenteral transmission. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of TTV infection in spouses of index cases and the related risk factors. METHODS: Serum TTV-DNA was studied in spouses of 41 subjects with TT viremia. For couples in which both husband and wife had TT viremia, nucleotide sequences of the open reading frame-1 region were analyzed by phylogenetic tree constructions. RESULTS: Three (7%) of 41 spouses were positive for TTV-DNA. No differences were noted between index patients with seropositive spouses and those without seropositive spouses with regard to clinical characteristics, including parenteral risk factors and exposure duration. Nucleotide sequence comparison and phylogenetic tree analysis of the viral genome in three TTV-infected couples revealed the isolates to be closely related in two, with a homology of 97 and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that interspousal transmission of TTV does occur; however,the efficiency of transmission is low compared with hepatitis C virus and GB virus-C. There are no apparent risk factors for transmission between spouses and further studies are needed to clarify other modes of non-parenteral transmission.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Characteristics of three homologous 202 genes (Ifi202a, Ifi202b, and Ifi202c) from the murine interferon-activatable gene 200 cluster.

The Ifi202 gene is part of the interferon-activatable murine gene 200 cluster on chromosome 1. Ifi202 encodes the p202 protein whose overexpression is growth inhibitory and which can bind and inhibit the activity of numerous transcription factors including c-Jun, c-Fos, NF-kappaB, E2F-1, E2F-4, MyoD, and myogenin. We report here the exon-intron structure of Ifi202 and the discovery of Ifi202b and Ifi202c, close homologs of Ifi202 (whose designation we now change to Ifi202a). Ifi202a, b, and c were colocalized to chromosome 1 bands H4-H5 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Ifi202b encodes p202b, which is interferon-inducible and differs from p202a in only 7 of 445 amino acids. 202b mRNA is constitutively expressed in tissues in which 202a mRNA is expressed. Ifi202c is apparently an unexpressed pseudogene. In murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from 129 mice, the level of 202b mRNA is approximately half that of 202a mRNA. We knocked out the Ifi202a gene from 129 mice. The expression of 202b mRNA, but not 202a mRNA, persisted in the knockout mice and their MEFs at the same level as in wildtype mice. However, in MEFs from the knockout mice, the constitutive and interferon-induced levels of p202b were approximately as high as the constitutive and the interferon-induced levels of p202a plus p202b, respectively, in MEFs from wildtype mice. These findings suggest dosage compensation at the posttranscriptional level. This might account for the apparent lack of phenotype of the knockout mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The interferon-inducible nucleolar p204 protein binds the ribosomal RNA-specific UBF1 transcription factor and inhibits ribosomal RNA transcription.

p204, a member of the interferon-inducible p200 family of murine proteins, is primarily nucleolar. We generated cell lines in which p204 was inducible by muristerone. This induction resulted in retardation of cell proliferation and inhibition of rRNA transcription in vivo. Interferon treatment, resulting in p204 induction and retardation of proliferation, also caused inhibition of rRNA transcription in vivo. p204 also inhibited rRNA transcription in vitro. This inhibition was overcome by addition of UBF1, the rRNA-specific transcription factor. A direct interaction between p204 and UBF1 was revealed in vitro in pull-down assays, and in vivo by co-immunoprecipitation from cell extracts. UBF1 bound strongly to at least two regions of p204: the N-terminal segment linked to the conserved 200 amino acid a segment, and the conserved 200 amino acid b segment. Cleavage of the a or b segments into two segments (encoded by single exons) resulted in a strong decrease or loss of binding. The inhibition of rRNA transcription by p204 may be due to the inhibition by p204 of the specific DNA binding of UBF1. This was revealed in electrophoretic mobility shift, magnetic bead and footprinting assays. Thus, p204 serves as a mediator of the inhibition of rRNA transcription by interferon.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Coordinated accumulation of (+)-delta-cadinene synthase mRNAs and gossypol in developing seeds of Gossypium hirsutum and a new member of the cad1 family from G. arboreum.

A new member of the (+)-delta-cadinene synthase (CAD1) family was isolated from a Gossypium arboreum cDNA library. This cDNA encodes a protein that showed 97.3%, 96.9%, and 79.2% sequence identities with the proteins encoded by previously isolated cDNAs of cad1-C1, cad1-C14, and cad1-A, respectively. It may be grouped into the cad1-C subfamily as cad1-C2. Seeds of a glanded cotton cultivar, G. hirsutum cv. Sumian-6, were collected at different intervals during maturation, and the cad1 mRNA levels were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. The transcripts could be detected in seeds of 27 DPA (days postanthesis) and increased dramatically along with the seed maturation, which coordinated with an increase in sesquiterpene cyclase activities and subsequently the accumulation of gossypol. The transcription level detected with primers specific to cad1-C (including at least C1, C14, and cdn1) was higher than that detected with primers specific to cad1-A, and mRNA was detected also with cad1-C2-specific primers. This investigation indicates that, in developing seeds of the glanded cotton cultivar, genes of both the CAD1-C and CAD1-A subfamilies are expressed and there is an active biosynthesis of cadinene-type sesquiterpenes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Variations in ocular hemodynamics in patients with early and late glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To determine the retrobulbar hemodynamics in glaucoma patients with different degrees of optic nerve damage. METHODS: Color Doppler imaging was performed in 52 patients with controlled primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and in 25 control subjects. Glaucomatous eyes were divided into early and late groups based on the perimetry findings. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive index of the central retinal artery (CRA) and posterior ciliary arteries (PCA) were evaluated. RESULTS: Early glaucoma showed significantly decreased PSV in nasal PCA when compared with the normal. Late glaucoma showed significantly decreased PSV and EDV in the CRA and nasal PCA, and significantly decreased PSV in temporal PCA as compared with the control and early glaucoma. The resistive index of the CRA also increased significantly in late glaucoma. CONCLUSION: Eyes with advanced glaucomatous optic neuropathy were associated with more marked alterations in retrobulbar circulation than eyes with less nerve damage.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Minimal role of GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus in fulminant and subfulminant hepatitis in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The role of GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) in fulminant hepatitis (FH) and subfulminant hepatitis (SFH) remains unclear. METHODS: Thirty-two FH or SFH patients, with adequate clinical information and serum specimens, were studied. Serum samples were tested for hepatitis markers and genomes of hepatitis A-E viruses, as well as GBV-C/HGV. RESULTS: Of the cases of FH/SFH studied, one (3%) was caused by anti-tuberculosis agents, 26 (81%) had hepatotropic virus infection, and five (16%) had no identifiable cause. Of the 26 patients with hepatotropic virus infection, five had acute hepatitis B infection (one with acute hepatitis D virus (HDV) co-infection), one had acute hepatitis C infection, 16 were hepatitis B surface antigen carriers with reactivation or superimposed by unidentified agent(s) (two had triple virus infections), three were hepatitis B carriers with HDV superinfection, and one had GBV-C/HGV infection in addition to exposure to halothane. GBV-C/HGV-RNA was detected in only three of 32 patients (9%) and all had a history of blood transfusion or co-existing causative factors. Of the 26 patients with hepatotropic virus infection, 18 were tested for antibodies against GBV-C/HGV envelope protein and seven were reactive, suggesting past infection. CONCLUSIONS: The role of GBV-C/HGV in causing FH and SFH is minimal in Taiwan and HBV infection remains the major aetiology. These findings also suggest the existence of as yet unrecognized agents, responsible for such catastrophic illnesses.

Adult↗