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Biomedical subjects

C Y Chiu

Publications and source records attributed to C Y Chiu.

61 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Clinical, serologic, and echocardiographic findings in patients with and without endocarditis.

Seventy-two adult patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia were prospectively studied clinically, serologically, and echocardiographically. Multivariate analysis identified four parameters that significantly predicted endocarditis in staphylococcemic patients at time of initial evaluation: absence of a primary site of infection; community acquisition of infection; metastatic sequelae; and valvular vegetations detected by echocardiography. Echocardiography was most predictive of endocarditis in patients with community-acquired S aureus bacteremia from an obvious primary focus. In 11 (69%) of 16 patients with endocarditis and vegetations on two-dimensional echocardiography, this technique also revealed other important findings, including ventricular dilatation, and/or underlying valvular lesions. In 18% of patients with S aureus bacteremia without stigmata of endocarditis, echocardiography provided information that led to a diagnosis of endocarditis and a subsequent change in therapy. Our findings support the routine use of two-dimensional echocardiography in all cases of community-acquired S aureus bacteremia to identify occult endocarditis in patients without classic stigmata of disease, and to provide important prognostic data in clinically apparent endocarditis.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Ecologic correlates of cancer mortality patterns in an industrialized urban population.

Cancer mortality data for the period 1968-80 were analyzed to examine whether the high cancer burden for the city of Philadelphia was "evenly" distributed spatially and, if not, whether this distribution could be associated with socioeconomic variables and air pollution. Areas with significantly higher-than-expected rates tended to cluster; lung cancer and non-lung cancers showed distinctive cluster patterns, which were evident only for males; female rates for any cancer or groups of cancers were almost uniformly distributed over the neighborhoods. Both the high lung cancer and the high non-lung cancer clusters were characterized by low socioeconomic status, but only the high lung cancer clusters exhibited high levels of air pollution. These neighborhood characteristics suggested that socioeconomic variables explain non-lung cancer mortality patterns; socioeconomic variables, together with air pollution, could be responsible for the observed lung cancer patterns. The uniform distribution of female lung cancer rates suggested that air pollution by itself cannot be a prominent factor in lung cancer mortality.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

G protein beta2 subunit antisense oligonucleotides inhibit cell proliferation and disorganize microtubule and mitotic spindle organization.

The association of G protein beta2 subunit (Gbeta2) with mitotic spindles in various mammalian cells has been demonstrated previously. Recently, we have identified the association of Gbeta2 protein with microtubules (Wu et al., [1998] J. Cell. Biochem. 70: 552-562). In the present experiment we have demonstrated the possible functional role of Gbeta2 in microtubule and mitotic spindle organization in mammalian cells. When Gbeta2 antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides were transfected into mammalian cells, inhibition of cell proliferation with cell death after a 4-day treatment was observed. If the transfected cells were incubated for two days and their Gbeta2 and microtubules were examined by Western blotting and immunofluorescence localization, marked reduction of the Gbeta2 protein, fragmentation and disassembly of cytoplasmic microtubules, and disorganized mitotic spindles were found. We conclude that the Gbeta2 protein is closely associated with microtubule assembly and may play a potential role in the regulation of cell proliferation and microtubule and mitotic spindle organization in mammalian cells.

Cell Division↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The association of heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein (Go) with microtubules.

The heterotrimeric GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) play an important role in the regulation of membrane signal transduction. Recently, we identified the association of Go protein with mitotic spindles. Here we have investigated the relationship between Go protein and microtubules. We used temperature-dependent reversible assembly and taxol methods to purify microtubules from bovine brains. Goalpha and Gbeta proteins were identified in the microtubular fraction by both methods. The Goalpha subunit in the microtubular fraction could be ADP ribosylated by pertussis toxin. Co-immunoprecipitation data also revealed that Go protein can interact with microtubules. Exogenous Go protein could be incorporated into the assembled microtubular fraction, and 5 microg/ml (60 nM) of Go protein inhibited 40% of microtubule assembly. Western blot analysis of Goalpha-1 and Goalpha-2 in microtubular fractions showed that only Goalpha-1 is associated with microtubules. We conclude that the Goalpha-1betagamma proteins are associated with microtubules and may play some role in regulating the assembly and disassembly of microtubules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reduction of intussusception by ultrasound-guided saline enema.

There were 59 cases with 62 episodes of sonogram-proven intussusception between July 1990 and November 1995 at the Department of Pediatrics of the Pingtung Christian Hospital. Except 2 episodes transferred and 4 episodes which reduced spontaneously, ultrasound-guided saline enema was performed in 56 episodes. The whole procedure was monitored and adequately controlled by real-time sonography. Fifty-one of 56 episodes of intussusception were successfully reduced with no complication. The overall success rate was 91.1%. Among the five failed cases, reduction with barium enema had been tried in four at another hospital; one had succeeded but three failed. Because of absence of radiation exposure, easy observation of the patient's condition during the procedure, as well as high success rate, ultrasound-guided saline enema may be one of the most promising methods useable in nonoperative treatment of intussusception.

Child↗