Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Y Liu

Publications and source records attributed to C Y Liu.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Inhaled gentamicin reduces airway neutrophil activity and mucus secretion in bronchiectasis.

To investigate whether aerosolized gentamicin (GM) prevents myeloperoxidase (MPO)-mediated airway injury and mucus hypersecretion, a short course of aerosol therapy (3 d) with GM 40 mg or 0.45% saline (saline) twice per day was conducted. Twenty-eight patients with bronchiectasis and mucus hypersecretion after adequate chest care and hydration were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind fashion. MPO levels in sputum collected on arising were determined by fluorometric assay at 655 nm before and after treatment. The sputum MPO level significantly decreased in patients receiving aerosolized GM, from 0.22 +/- 0.04 to 0.14 +/- 0.04 U/g (n = 15), but not in patients with saline inhalation (0.23 +/- 0.03 to 0.17 +/- 0.02 U/g; n = 11). The daily sputum amount significantly decreased from 94.6 +/- 21.6 to 58.1 +/- 17.8 ml (n = 13, p < 0.01) in the GM group, whereas it increased from 78.6 +/- 25.4 ml to 120.5 +/- 33.9 ml (n = 11, p < 0.05) in the saline group. The change in the amount of daily sputum was related to that in the sputum MPO level in the GM group (r = 0.61; p < 0.01). Inhalation of GM, but not saline, significantly (p < 0.05) increased the value of peak expiratory flow (PEF) from 186.4 +/- 25.1 to 216.4 +/- 26.4 L/min and decreased the variability of PEF from 24.6 +/- 5.1 to 6.1 +/- 2.3 %. The nocturnal desaturation and the 6-min walking distances were also significantly improved in the GM group (11.2 +/- 3.8 to 0.6 +/- 0.5 min/h; 324.9 +/- 43.1 to 408.1 +/- 25.9 m; p < 0.05; respectively), but not in the saline group. Subjective improvements in the Borg scale and self-sputum assessment were found in the GM group only. In conclusion, aerosolized GM is effective in improving airway hypersecretion and inflammation in patients with bronchiectasis.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1997

Risk factors for parasuicide among psychiatric inpatients.

To improve suicide prevention during hospitalization, this study examined risk factors for parasuicide among psychiatric inpatients. A group of 58 psychiatric inpatients (19 with schizophrenia, 20 with depression, and 19 with other diagnoses) who displayed suicidal behavior during hospitalization were compared with two control groups of nonparasuicidal inpatients. For inpatients with schizophrenia, a history of parasuicide was a risk factor; for those with depression, it was suicidal behavior on admission; and for patients with other diagnoses, it was violence during hospitalization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Prevalence of headaches in a Chinese elderly population in Kinmen: age and gender effect and cross-cultural comparisons.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of headaches in a Chinese elderly population. BACKGROUND: There are few headache surveys in the elderly. Previous studies have shown a low headache prevalence in Chinese. METHODS TARGET POPULATION: eligible registered residents > or = 65 years old (N = 2,003) in two townships of Kinmen Island on August 1, 1993. All participants completed a headache questionnaire and underwent clinical evaluation and examination by a neurologist. Headache diagnoses were made according to the International Headache Society, 1988. RESULTS: 1,533 persons (77%) participated in the study, of whom 584 (38%) had at least one episode of headache in the previous year. One-year prevalence of migraine was 3.0%, and tension-type headache, 35%. The prevalence of migraine, but not tension-type headaches, continued to decline with age in the elderly. Life-time prevalence of "incapacitating headache" was 10%, and that of migraine, 5.2%. Forty-two percent of migraineurs stopped having migraine before this survey. In comparison with "10 years ago" 8% participants felt their current headaches were worse, 25% better, and 67%, no change, with a net improvement of 17%. CONCLUSIONS: We have reported the highest headache prevalence among different Chinese elderly populations, but these were still lower than those reported from Western series. More than half of the elderly life-time migraineurs still had attacks of migraine. Severe headaches, including migraine but not tension-type headaches, declined with age.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Validation of HLA-DR locus typing in forensic specimens by combining PCR-SSP with PCR-RFLP.

The applicability of HLA-DR DNA typing combined with PCR-SSP (sequence specific primers) and PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) to forensic practice was investigated. PCR-SSP was as effective as serological HLA-DR typing in determining DR types. For more precise definition of DRB1 alleles encoding DR2, DR4, and DR8 antigens, which are fairly common in Japan, we used the PCR-RFLP method. For increasing the sensitivity of this system, we used the nested or semi-nested PCR technique. The minimum amount of template DNA needed for typing was 10 ng of genomic DNA in the case of ordinary PCR, whereas 10 pg of DNA was enough in nested and semi-nested PCR. HLA-DR and-DRB1 alleles were able to be determined from the small amounts of DNA available in forensic materials using the PCR-SSP and subsequent PCR-RFLP methods.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Tuberculous arthritis of sacroiliac joint with abscess formation: a case report.

Extrapulmonary tuberculosis at times appears to be an unusual presentation of the disease. Its incidence has not decreased, though a slow decline in pulmonary tuberculosis has been observed over the past decades around the world. The diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis is still rather difficult today. Tuberculosis of the bones and joints, which constitutes a smaller part of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, is relatively rare in documented cases and can yield variable clinical manifestations. This study describes a young male patient who developed a rare condition of tuberculous arthritis of the right sacroiliac joint, with an abscess formation over the anterior aspect of the right iliac fossa and iliopsoas muscle. The diagnosis was made by roentgenographic examinations and proved by microscopic confirmation of the presence tuberculous bacilli in drainage from the involved foci. Antituberculosis therapy was begun thereafter. Symptoms improved and the patient was regularly followed up at the Outpatient Department. It is suggested that in patients with prolonged fever and possible Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections, repeated roentgenographic and microbiological examinations are mandatory.

Abscess↗
PubMed1997

[A study on the genetic epidemiology of congenital heart disease].

In order to explore the genetic model of congenital heart disease (CHD), 375 individuals of CHD were investigated. The results showed that the incidence of primary relatives was 6.9%, the heritability was 66.13 +/- 1.13%, the incidence of secondary relatives was 1.7% and the heritability was 38.25 +/- 8.3% respectively. The average heritability among primary, secondary relatives was 65.65 +/- 1.09% which suggested that the genetic factor played an important role in pathogenesis. The sequence of the incidence in the relatives showed: primary relatives (6.9%) > secondary relatives (1.7%) > distant relatives (0.86%) and was in accordance with polygenic incidence, suqqesting that gene play an important role in the liability variation of CHD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Inactivation of the mouse Brca1 gene leads to failure in the morphogenesis of the egg cylinder in early postimplantation development.

BRCA1 is proposed to be a tumor suppressor gene. To explore the biological function of BRCA1, a partial deletion (amino acids 300-361) of mouse Brca1 exon 11 was introduced into the genome of embryonic stem (ES) cells by homologous recombination. Mice carrying one mutated allele of Brca1 appear normal and are fertile up to 10 months of age without any sign of illness. However, no viable progeny homozygous for the Brca1 mutant allele were obtained. Detailed analysis of large numbers of embryos at different stages of development indicated that the homozygous mutant concepti are severely retarded in growth as early as embryonic day 4.5 (E4.5) and are resorbed completely by E8.5. Although the homozygotes at E5.5-E6.5 are able to synthesize DNA and display distinguishable embryonic and extraembryonic structures, they fail to differentiate and form egg cylinders. Consequently, they were unable to form primitive streaks and undergo gastrulation. Consistent with these in vivo results, blastocysts homozygous for mutated Brca1 alleles are at a considerable disadvantage when grown in vitro. These observations suggest that Brca1 has an important role in the early development of mouse embryos.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

A door-to-door survey of Parkinson's disease in a Chinese population in Kinmen.

BACKGROUND: Most published studies have shown lower prevalence rates of Parkinson's disease (PD) in Asian and black African than in Western countries, leading to the hypothesis that Asians and blacks might be protected from PD. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of PD in a Chinese population. DESIGN: Community-based survey. SETTING: Registered residents 50 years of age or older (N = 5061) on the islet of Kinmen located off the southeastern coast of China [corrected]. METHOD: Single-phase door-to-door survey by neurologists. All participants were administered a questionnaire and received motor examinations of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. RESULTS: The participation rate was 96% (N = 3915) among 4158 contacted individuals. Twenty-three cases of PD were identified, including three cases with dementia. The crude prevalence rate of PD was 587 (95% confidence interval (CI), 373 to 884) per 100,000 persons 50 years of age or older. Assuming no case of PD among individuals under 50 years of age, the prevalence rate was 119 (95% CI, 80 to 169) per 100,000 for the total population. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rates of PD in Kinmen were much higher than those reported from mainland China, but slightly lower than those reported from more developed countries. The present findings suggest that, instead of genetic factors, differences in case-ascertainment, life expectancy, and the length of survival with PD may be more important contributors to the variations in observed PD prevalence rates.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Functional crown ether derivatives as sorbents for ligand exchange chromatography.

Two kinds of macrocyclic compounds, S-TAROH18C6 and S-TAROEt12C4 derived from tartaric acid have been synthesized. The structure and conversion of functional groups on this silica gel based resin have been confirmed by IR spectral and elemental analysis. The coordination behaviour of these materials has been investigated by means of IR, EPR, potentiometry and the modification of Langmuir isotherm equation. The metal complexes have been investigated as stationary phases for the separation of amino acid mixtures. Factors affecting the retention and the sample selectivity have been examined. S-TAROEt12C4 possesses good chromatographic characteristics and a unique selectivity in separating underivatized amino acid mixtures and can be used as well for enantiomeric separations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Leigh syndrome associated with mitochondrial DNA 8993 T-->G mutation and ragged-red fibers.

We report a 6-month-old girl with episodic hyperventilation, myoclonus, disturbed consciousness, and lactic acidosis. Brain sonogram revealed progressive ventriculomegaly, and MRI showed symmetric low densities over the putamen bilaterally with diffuse cortical cystic lesions. Ragged-red fibers were noted in the muscle biopsy. Molecular analysis revealed a heteroplasmic T-->G mutation at nucleotide position (np) 8993 of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The proportion of the mutant mtDNA in the muscle of the proband was estimated to be 86%. Her mother and maternal uncle also harbored the same mutant mtDNA (54 and 48% in their leukocytes, respectively). One of her sisters carried 64% mutant mtDNA in her leukocytes, but another sister did not. These results suggest that this mutant mtDNA is transmitted through the maternal lineage in this family in a randomly segregated manner. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Chinese patient with Leigh syndrome associated with the T-->G substitution at np 8993 of mtDNA.

DNA, Mitochondrial↗
PubMed1996

Ultrastructural alterations in pigs with naturally occurring hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Naturally occurring hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in pigs in generally characterized by unexplained cardiac hypertrophy with abnormal histological features (Liu et al., 1994; Dai et al., 1995). The histological alterations in HCM-affected hearts are characteristic, and can be used to diagnose the disease (Dai et al., 1995). Briefly, these are marked disorientation of cardiac muscle cells, thickening of the intramural coronary arterial wall with a narrowing of the lumen, endocardial and myocardial fibrosis. A high incidence of HCM in a population of pigs strongly suggests a hereditary basis and the Pig Research Institute, Taiwan has, therefore, endeavoured to produce a specific strain of HCM pigs. The purpose of the present study was to determine the ultrastructural changes occurring in pigs with naturally occurring HCM.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

In vitro-in vivo relationship of oral extended-release dosage forms.

PURPOSE: A method to establish the in vitro-in vivo relationship of oral extended-release products is proposed. METHODS: The approach utilizes incremental amounts of drug released and absorbed within defined time intervals, to construct a chi2 distributed variable for testing in vitro-in vivo similarity. RESULTS: A case study is used to demonstrate that the similarities between incremental values of in vivo absorbed and in vivo dissolved fractions are distinguishable for different dissolution profiles despite naturally significant linear correlations between cumulative in vivo absorbed and in vitro dissolved fractions (with different dissolution tests) of an oral extended-release product. CONCLUSIONS: The method enables investigators to compare different in vitro dissolution profiles of an oral extended-release product to find an optimized dissolution profile to be the surrogate of the in vivo release process of the product.

Absorption↗
PubMed1996

Correction of genital prolapse.

Massive eversion of the vagina is one of the most disturbing disorders confronting a woman. It is a complex disorder that always coexists with other pelvic floor defects. The management is almost always surgical, and all defects must be repaired concomitantly. Current surgical practice relies primarily on the strength of the endopelvic fascia and certain ligaments, which clearly is not ideal for providing the kind of support needed. Current understanding of the neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and biophysics of the pelvic floor give us hope that management will be more effective in the future. Laparoscopic repair techniques are described.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Food intake and dosage level, but not tablet vs solution dosage form, affect the absorption of metformin HCl in man.

The pharmacokinetics of four single-dose treatments of the metformin administered orally (as the HCl salt) were compared in 24 healthy subjects: 500 mg and 850 mg tablets and 850 mg solution fasting and 850 mg tablet with food. Solution and tablet formulations are bioequivalent. Bioavailability of a 500 mg tablet is 14% greater than that of an 850 mg tablet. Compared with the fasting state, bioavailability is 24% lower, and the peak concentration delayed about 37 min when an 850 mg tablet is administered with food.

Adult↗