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Biomedical subjects

C K Li

Publications and source records attributed to C K Li.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Cross-sectional and pulsed Doppler echocardiography of the atrioventricular junction of hearts with univentricular atrioventricular connexion.

The atrioventricular junction of 52 consecutive patients with univentricular atrioventricular connexion was examined by cross-sectional and pulsed Doppler echocardiography. The echocardiographic features were then compared with catheterisation and cineangiographic findings. In the diagnosis of the mode of atrioventricular connexion, cross-sectional echocardiography was superior to cineangiography in differentiating single inlet with absence of one atrioventricular connexion from double inlet with a common atrioventricular valve. Straddling atrioventricular valves were diagnosed by echocardiography alone. Using pulsed Doppler echocardiography, the diagnostic sensitivity of atrioventricular valvar regurgitation was 92.6% and the specificity 100%. By mapping the regurgitant jet with pulsed Doppler echocardiography, an index was derived to evaluate the severity of atrioventricular valvar regurgitation. The indices obtained correlated well with cineangiographic grading on a three-point scale (Spearman rank correlation coefficient: rs = 0.9). Thus, cross-sectional echocardiography coupled with a range-gated Doppler system provide accurate anatomical details of the atrioventricular junction and reliable assessment of atrioventricular valvar regurgitation in patients with univentricular atrioventricular connexion.

Adolescent↗

Prognostic value of programmed electrical stimulation in patients with a recent episode of unstable angina.

Patients with a recent episode of unstable angina have a 10% 1-year risk of sudden cardiac death. To determine prospectively whether electrophysiologic testing might be useful in predicting sudden death, 20 patients admitted to our hospital underwent programmed electrical stimulation as part of their evaluation. None had persistent angina, severe congestive heart failure, or sustained arrhythmias at the time of testing. Because of their long-term benefits, beta-blocking agents were continued whenever possible (18 of 20 patients). Ten of 20 patients (50%) had inducible ventricular tachycardia. In 19.5 months' mean follow-up, three patients (15%) either died suddenly or survived an episode of ventricular fibrillation. Programmed electrical stimulation was an insensitive (33%) and nonspecific (47%) predictor of sudden death in these patients. Programmed ventricular stimulation soon after admission for unstable angina is not a useful prognostic indicator for sudden death. Such patients do have a frequent induction of ventricular arrhythmias which appears to be a nonspecific marker of underlying coronary disease.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Sudden death prediction by programmed electrical stimulation following myocardial infarction.

To determine prospectively whether electrophysiologic testing is prognostically useful following a myocardial infarction, 38 patients were studied. Ventricular tachycardia was induced in 32 of 38 (84%) patients (sustained in 12) and was significantly increased with the use of three or four extrastimuli. In 17 months' mean follow-up, 4 patients died suddenly or survived an episode of sustained ventricular tachycardia. Programmed ventricular stimulation was a sensitive but not a specific predictor of these events with an overall 24% predictive accuracy. The use of one or two extrastimuli substantially improved specificity but was insensitive in predicting sudden death or ventricular tachycardia. Programmed ventricular stimulation soon after uncomplicated myocardial infarction was not a useful prognostic indicator for sudden death or subsequent ventricular tachycardia.

Adult↗

ELISA-based determination of immunological binding constants.

An expression for the time-dependent concn of antibody in a hemispherical antigen-coated well is derived by taking the Laplace transformation of the diffusion equation. From this expression, and from antibody adsorption kinetics measured using ELISA, it is possible to evaluate the rate constant of bimolecular association, k1, the rate constant of first order antibody-antigen dissociation, k2, and their ratio, the binding equilibrium constant or affinity, Ka. For the interaction of an anti-arsanilate monoclonal antibody with arsanilate-coupled albumin, analysis yields k1 = 8.8 X 10(3) M-1 sec-1, k2 = 2.5 X 10(-4) sec-1 and Ka = 3.5 X 10(7) M-1, for mean values over 10 experiments. These results are discussed in reference to the conventionally-obtained values for binding constants, including the affinity of the anti-arsanilate monoclonal for the hapten (p-azobenzenearsonate)-N-acetyl-L-tyrosine, determined by equilibrium dialysis.

Antibody Affinity↗

Scintigraphic characterization of amyloid cardiomyopathy.

Amyloidosis is an important entity in the differential diagnosis of cardiac failure of undetermined etiology. In this case report, the typical pattern of combined systolic and diastolic impairment in amyloid cardiomyopathy was demonstrated by analysis of the cardiac blood pool study. In addition, the patient described had mild uptake of Ga-67 citrate, as well as the characteristically intense myocardial uptake of Tc-99m pyrophosphate. Scintigraphic assessment may be particularly helpful when the diagnosis of amyloidosis is being considered in a patient with unexplained cardiac failure.

Aged↗

The glucose distribution in 9L rat brain multicell tumor spheroids and its effect on cell necrosis.

The glucose consumption rate of 9L rat brain tumor cells was determined as a function of concentration. Glucose uptake followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a Km of 0.58 mM and a Vmax of 1.6 pg/cell-min. The glucose diffusion coefficient in spheroids of 9L tumor cells was determined to be 1.5 x 10(-6) cm2/s at 37 degrees C. Using these parametric values, the glucose distribution in 9L multicell spheroids was calculated and related to the viable and necrotic zones.

Animals↗

The role of glucose in the growth of 9L multicell tumor spheroids.

Monolayer-cultured 9L rat brain tumor cells grew optimally in culture media containing glucose concentrations greater than 0.07 mg/ml, but growth ceased at concentrations lower than this value. Assuming that this glucose concentration defines the proliferating fraction of cells in 9L multicell tumor spheroids, it is possible to simulate spheroid growth based on the intraspheroid glucose distribution derived by the author earlier. An excellent fit to experimental growth data was obtained by assigning the proliferating fraction a growth rate constant equal to 40% of that of monolayer-cultured cells. This definition is in accord with our observation that the colony-forming efficiency (CFE) of spheroid-derived cells is 40% of the CFE of cells maintained in monolayer. This suggests that the role of glucose in 9L cell growth is similar in spheroids and in monolayer culture.

Animals↗

Characterization of the separation properties of the Beckman elutriator system.

The role of fluid flow in the elutriation process was visualized by pumping dye solution through the Beckman JE-6 elutriator rotor. Three major fluid flow disturbances were observed in the separation chambers, namely; jet-streaming, ripple flow, and whirl flow. In order to evaluate the effects of these non-ideal fluid flow patterns on the separation of homogeneous populations of particles or cells, 12--35 micron diameter latex spheres and 9L rat brain tumor cells were fractionated with the Beckman elutriator system. The elutriator system was evaluated on the basis of: (1) recovery, (2) elution loss during loading, (3) homogeneity of the size distributions, and (4) the relationship of the median volume of eluted particles or cells to the rotor speed and the collection fluid velocity. Both a conventional collection method (two 40-mL fractions at ech collection rotor speed) and a long collection method (10--15 40-mL fractions at several collection rotor speeds) were compared to determine if collection procedures could compensate for some of the difficulties caused by the non-ideal fluid flow patterns. Although more than 90% of the particles or cells were always recovered, about 5% eluted during the loading procedure. Neither collection method altered this phenomenon. The long collection method significantly improved the homogeneity of the collected populations, but this was accompanied by a reduction in cell yield. The median particle or cell volume of each fraction agreed with that expected under ideal fluid flow conditions except at high and low rotor speeds when the conventional collection method was used.

Animals↗

Synchronization of 9L rat brain tumor cells by centrifugal elutriation.

Asynchronous 9L cells were separated into relatively homogeneously-sized populations using centrifugal elutriation with both a conventional collection method and a long collection method. A substantial increase in the homogeneity of the volume distributions and in the degree of synchrony of the separated fractions was obtained using the long collection method. Autoradiographic data indicated that fractions containing greater than or equal to 97% G1 cells, greater than or equal to 80% S cells, and 70-75% G2 cells could be routinely recovered with this procedure. Recovery in these fractions varied from 5 to 8% of the total number of cells elutriated. The colony forming efficiency (CFE) of cells from fractions representing each phase of the cell cycle was a constant 60-70%, which was comparable to the 60-80% usually found for asynchronous 9L cells. The percentage of cells in the G1, S, and G2 phases in the elutriated fractions was more accurately determined from the volume distribution than from computer fits of the DNA histogram obtained from flow cytometry. In genereal, the degree of synchrony was related to the coefficient of variation (CV) of the volume distributions of the elutriated fractions. The CV was about 14% for all elutriated fractions. When the greater than or equal to 97% G1 population was allowed to progress to S and G2, the CVs were about 17 and 20.2%, respectively. Thus, the best nonperturbing method for obtaining synchronous 9L cells in the S or G2 phases was direct elutriation with the long collection method.

Animals↗

The selective antimuscarinic action of stercuronium.

1 The antimuscarinic activity of stercuronium, a competitive neuromuscular blocking drug, has been compared in the anaesthetized guinea-pig, guinea-pig atria, bladder and ileum, rabbit atria and the sympathetically innervated rabbit ear artery preparation using carbachol (CCh) as agonist.2 In the anaesthetized guinea-pig, stercuronium (0.2 and 2.0 mumol/kg) produced significantly greater inhibition (P < 0.05) of the bradycardia than of the vasodepressor response produced by CCh, the difference being 2 fold at the low dose and 5.8 fold at the higher dose.3 In guinea-pig atria the negative chronotropic response to CCh was inhibited to a similar degree to the negative inotropic response by stercuronium, whereas in bladder and ileum stercuronium was 17 fold less active as an antimuscarinic drug.4 The affinity of stercuronium for the prejunctional muscarinic receptor on sympathetic nerve endings in the rabbit ear artery was similar to that for the muscarinic receptor mediating negative inotropic responses to CCh in the rabbit left atrium, and 2.3 fold less than the affinity for the muscarinic receptors in guinea-pig atria.5 A similar trend was observed with gallamine, another neuromuscular blocking drug, when results obtained in the rabbit ear artery preparation were compared to previously reported data. Also, the affinity of gallamine for muscarinic receptors mediating relaxation of the cat anococcygeus muscle was found to be similar to that for prejunctional muscarinic receptors in the rabbit ear artery.6 It is suggested that stercuronium and gallamine have a greater affinity for cardiac receptors and the inhibitory muscarinic receptors on sympathetic nerve endings than for muscarinic receptors mediating contraction of bladder and ileum.

Alkaloids↗

Effect of variations in temperature on antimuscarinic activity in guinea-pig atria.

The characteristics of the antimuscarinic activity of homatropine, gallamine and stercuronium in guinea-pig atria remained constant over the temperature range 22--37 degrees C in that a linear Arunlakshana-Schild plot was obtained with homatropine and nonlinear plots occurred with gallamine or stercuronium. A trend towards higher dose-ratios with reduction in temperature was only significant for gallamine.

Alkaloids↗