Biomedical subjects

G Hu

Publications and source records attributed to G Hu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Prediction of the risk of cardiovascular mortality using a score that includes glucose as a risk factor. The DECODE Study.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Risk scores have been developed to predict cardiovascular or coronary risk, and while most have included diabetes as a risk factor, none have included lower glucose concentrations, either at fasting or following a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test. This article develops 5- and 10-year risk scores for cardiovascular mortality that include glucose concentrations as well as known diabetes status. METHODS: Data is from the DECODE cohort: 16,506 men and 8,907 women from 14 European studies. The risk factors studied were as follows: age, fasting and 2-h glucose (including cases of known diabetes), fasting glucose alone (including cases of known diabetes), cholesterol, smoking status, systolic blood pressure and BMI. For an absolute risk score the 1995 country- and sex-specific cardiovascular death rates were used. RESULTS: In men, for both 5- and 10-year cardiovascular mortality, after adjusting for age and study centre, all studied risk factors, except BMI, were significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality (p<0.05). These results were unchanged in multivariate models with all factors included. In women, after adjusting for age and centre, glucose categories, systolic blood pressure and BMI were predictive of 5-year cardiovascular mortality. With all factors in the model, only age and glucose categories were predictive. In terms of 10-year cardiovascular mortality, smoking status and blood pressures were also predictive in the women. For men and women, the same scores were used for the risk factors, except for age and glucose categories where the hazard ratios differed significantly. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Including glucose concentrations as well as diabetic status provides quantitative information on cardiovascular risk prediction.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The association between thinness and socio-economic disadvantage, health indicators, and adverse health behaviour: a study of 28 000 Finnish men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how thinness is associated with indicators of socio-economic disadvantage, health-related behaviours, and health indicators including mortality. DESIGN: Independent risk factor surveys carried out in four geographic areas in Finland in 1982, 1987, 1992, and 1997, with mortality follow-up to the end of the year 2001. SUBJECTS: A total of 13 389 men and 14 770 women aged 25-64 y at baseline, and 2077 deaths during the follow-up when subjects who have died during the first 5 y were excluded. METHODS: A self-administrative questionnaire data on socio-economic status, health behaviour, and perceived health, together with measured height, weight, and metabolic indicators using standardised protocol. Mortality data by Statistics Finland were linked to the baseline surveys. RESULTS: Thin men (BMI</=20 kg/m(2)) were the socio-economically disadvantaged group engaged in adverse health behaviours. They also reported poorer perceived health despite having better metabolic indicators. Thin women reported more adverse behaviours than other women and had better metabolic profile than their obese counterparts. Thin subjects had higher mortality, but results become nonsignificant among men when first 5 y of follow-up were excluded, and nonsignificant among women when health behaviours were adjusted for. CONCLUSION: Thinness is associated with good metabolic profile but increased mortality, explained partly by underlying diseases or adverse behaviours. Thinness in men is associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

DNA immunization encoding the secreted nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) of hepatitis C virus and enhancing the Th1 type immune response.

To induce a sustained and specific cellular immune response to hepatitis C virus (HCV), DNA immunization of mice was performed using plasmids containing the HCV nonstructural gene 3 (HCV/NS3). Plasmids were constructed such that the NS3 gene was expressed in a secreted form, a nonsecreted form or as a membrane-bound antigen. The plasmid encoding the secreted antigen induced the strongest humoral and cellular immunity and favoured the T-helper type 1 (Th1) pathway as shown by cytokine profiles and switching of antibody subclasses. Our study indicates that DNA immunization with a secreted form of HCV/NS3 is an effective means of inducing primary Th1 immune responses in the murine model.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

The metabolic syndrome and incident diabetes: assessment of four suggested definitions of the metabolic syndrome in a Chinese population with high post-prandial glucose.

AIMS: To assess the sensitivity and specificity of the four definitions of the metabolic syndrome for incident diabetes in both men and women. METHODS: The screening survey for type 2 diabetes was conducted in 1994. A follow-up study on 627 high-risk non-diabetic individuals at baseline was carried out in 1999 in Beijing area. 70 men and 76 women developed diabetes during the five-year follow-up. Sensitivity and specificity of four definitions of the metabolic syndrome based on the NCEP, WHO, EGIR and AACE recommendations were compared by McNemar's test. RESULTS: The metabolic syndrome based on all four definitions identified men at a 3.7-4.5-fold and women at a 1.6-2.8-fold risk of developing diabetes during 5-year follow-up. The AACE definition had the highest sensitivity for predicting diabetes (men: 0.61; women: 0.58) and lowest specificity (men: 0.71; women: 0.70). The WHO definition identified 53 % of male and 42 % female incident diabetes. The NCEP definition of adiposity as waist girth > 102 cm was the least sensitive, detecting only 27 % of incident diabetes in men; however, it was the most specific (0.91). The EGIR definition identified the lowest number of female cases (28 %) and fewer male cases (28 %) of incident diabetes, but was specific (women: 0.87; men: 0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Further studies on definition of the metabolic syndrome should focus on the potential ethnic differences in insulin resistance and anthropometric indicators for obesity.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMed2004

A phylogenomic approach to reconstructing the diversification of serine proteases in fungi.

Using a phylogenomic approach with 10 fungi of very different virulence and habitat, we determined that there was substantial diversification of subtilase-type proteases early in ascomycete history (with subsequent loss in many lineages) but with no comparable diversification of trypsins. Patterns of intron loss and the degree of divergence between paralogues demonstrated that the proliferation of proteinase K subtilases and subtilisin type subtilases seen in pathogenic ascomycetes (Metarhizium anisopliae, Magnaporthe grisea, Fusarium graminearum) occurred after the basidiomycete/ascomycete split but predated radiation of ascomycete lineages. This suggests that the early ascomycetes had a lifestyle that selected for multiple proteases, whereas the current disparity in gene numbers between ascomycete lineages results from retention of genes in at least some pathogens that have been lost in other lineages (yeasts, Aspergillus nidulans, Neurospora crassa). A similar prevailing trend towards lineage specific gene loss of trypsins in saprophytes and some pathogens suggests that their phylogenetic breadth will have been much wider in early fungi than currently.

Cluster Analysis↗

PubMed2003

Age, body mass index and Type 2 diabetes-associations modified by ethnicity.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ethnicity on the association between age and body mass index as well as the prevalence of diabetes. METHODS: We selected population-based studies carried out after 1980 in the DECODE/A studies representing different ethnic groups: 11 European, 1 Maltese, 3 Indian, 2 Chinese and 3 Japanese surveys. The total numbers of subjects were 14,240 men and 15,129 women who were 30 to 89 years of age. Diabetes was diagnosed according to the 1999 World Health Organization criteria based on a standard 75 g OGTT. Sex-specific prevalence of diabetes by age and BMI was stratified by ethnic group, in particular the interaction of ethnicity on the associations between age/BMI and the prevalence of diabetes. RESULTS: The prevalence of diabetes was higher in studies from India and Malta compared to Japan, China, and the rest of Europe. The association between BMI and diabetes, adjusted for age, showed noticeable differences between the ethnic groups with an increase in prevalence starting at a BMI between 15 and 20 kg/m(2) in the Maltese and Indian populations compared to 25 kg/m(2 )in Europeans. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: The effect of BMI on the age-adjusted prevalence of Type 2 diabetes was modified by ethnicity with considerably lower thresholds in Indian and Maltese subjects compared to those from the rest of Europe. This difference should be reflected in national and international recommendations regarding "optimal" BMI.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Gender difference in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality related to hyperglycaemia and newly-diagnosed diabetes.

AIM/HYPOTHESIS: Diabetic women generally have a greater relative risk of cardiovascular diseases than diabetic men in comparison with non-diabetic women and men. Reasons for this excess risk in diabetic women is still unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the association between different degrees of hyperglycaemia and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is different in women and men. METHODS: We analysed baseline glucose concentrations from 14 prospective European cohorts including 8172 men and 9407 women aged 30 to 89 years without history of diabetes, with a median follow-up of 8.3 years. Hazards ratios for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were estimated adjusting for other risk factors. RESULTS: The mortality rates for all-cause and cardiovascular diseases were higher in men than in women in normoglycaemia, impaired glucose regulation and newly-diagnosed diabetes; the largest sex differential for cardiovascular mortality was in normoglycaemic people. The hazards ratios for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were higher in newly-diagnosed diabetic women than men compared with normoglycaemic women and men, respectively; however, this sex difference was only significant for cardiovascular mortality. For smokers and for subjects with hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or who where overweight, the hazards ratios for cardiovascular mortality in diabetic patients compared with normoglycaemic people were also higher in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Newly diagnosed diabetic women showed higher relative risks for death from cardiovascular disease than diabetic men. Thus a more aggressive control of hyperglycaemia as well as of other cardiovascular risk factors might be appropriate in women with asymptomatic hyperglycaemia.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Occupational, commuting, and leisure-time physical activity in relation to risk for Type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Finnish men and women.

AIM/HYPOTHESIS: Leisure-time physical activity can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, but the potential effect of different types of physical activity is still uncertain. This study is to examine the relationship of occupational, commuting and leisure-time physical activity with the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We prospectively followed 6898 Finnish men and 7392 women of 35 to 64 years of age without a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, or diabetes at baseline. Hazards ratios of incidence of Type 2 diabetes were estimated by levels of occupational, commuting, and leisure-time physical activity. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 12 years, there were 373 incident cases of Type 2 diabetes. In both men and women combined, the hazards ratios of diabetes associated with light, moderate and active work were 1.00, 0.70 and 0.74 (p=0.020 for trend) after adjustment for confounding factors (age, study year, sex, systolic blood pressure, smoking, education, the two other types of physical activity and BMI). The multivariate-adjusted hazards ratios of diabetes with none, 1 to 29, and more than 30 min of walking or cycling to and from work were 1.00, 0.96, and 0.64 (p=0.048 for trend). The multivariate-adjusted hazards ratios of diabetes for low, moderate, high levels of leisure-time physical activity were 1.00, 0.67, and 0.61 (p=0.001 for trend); after additional adjustment for BMI, the hazards ratio was no longer significant. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Moderate and high occupational, commuting or leisure-time physical activity independently and significantly reduces risk of Type 2 diabetes among the middle-aged general population.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

A novel mutation in the ARS (component B) gene encoding SLURP-1 in a family with Mal de Meleda.

Mal de Meleda is a rare, autosomal recessive form of palmoplantar keratoderma. The disease has been mapped to chromosome 8 qter, and recently mutations in the ARS (component B) gene have been identified in families with this disorder. We describe a small family of Turkish origin with Mal de Meleda and identified a novel homozygous mutation, L98P, in ARS (component B). These findings extend the body of evidence implicating mutations in the ARS (component B) gene in Mal de Meleda.

Antigens, Ly↗

PubMed2003

Identification of a recurrent mutation in the CYLD gene in Brooke-Spiegler syndrome.

Brooke-Spiegler syndrome is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease with predisposition to neoplasms of the skin appendages. The disease has been mapped to 16q, and mutations in the CYLD gene have been identified in families with this disorder. We describe an individual with BSS exhibiting clinical heterogeneity in which a heterozygous frameshift mutation in CYLD, 2172delA, has been identified. These findings extend the body of evidence that mutations in CYLD are involved in Brooke-Spiegler syndrome and provide additional information for phenotype-genotype correlation.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Negative spin polarization of Fe3O4 in magnetite/manganite-based junctions.

Epitaxial oxide trilayer junctions composed of magnetite (Fe3O4) and doped manganite (La0.7Sr0.3MnO3) exhibit inverse magnetoresistance as large as -25% in fields of 4 kOe. The inverse magnetoresistance confirms the theoretically predicted negative spin polarization of Fe3O4. Transport through the barrier can be understood in terms of hopping transport through localized states that preserve electron spin information. The junction magnetoresistance versus temperature curve exhibits a peak around 60 K that is explained in terms of the paramagnetic to ferrimagnetic transition of the CoCr2O4 barrier.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Novel ultrasonic fusion imaging method based on cyclic variation in myocardial backscatter.

Quantitative ultrasonic tissue characterisation of the myocardium based on integrated backscatter (IB) has the potential of becoming an effective method for detecting and evaluating myocardial ischaemia. To facilitate IB-based clinical applications, a new imaging method has been developed that combines the anatomical information of a B-mode image with the contractile performance of a selected myocardial region. To produce such a fusion image, a region of interest (ROI) in a B-mode cardiac image was first selected by the user. Algorithms for detection of the endocardium and epicardium were developed, and the resulting mean distance between the computer-detected curve and the manually traced curve was 0.83mm for the endocardium and 0.58mm for the epicardium. The cyclic variation of IB (CVIB) of each myocardial tissue element within the ROI was then calculated over one cardiac cycle. Finally, a grey-scale B-mode image at the end of diastole was displayed as a still image, and the pixels representing the myocardial tissue in the ROI colour-coded according to the corresponding CVIB over the past heart cycle. Both the B-mode image and the colour-coded region were refreshed (up-dated) at the next end-of-diastole. Preliminary results from normal (CVIB= 10-12dB) and ischaemic (CVIB = 5-7 dB) canine hearts are presented that demonstrate the utility of this new imaging method.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗

PubMed2002

Genomic-scale analysis of gene expression profiles in TNF-alpha treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: TNF-alpha is a potent proinflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in immunity and inflammation, and in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation and programmed cell death. However, it is known that TNF-alpha is also the founding member of a still growing family of cytokines with diverse bioregulative functions. Its detailed molecular mechanisms on endothelial activation and injury remain to be elucidated. This study was aimed at determining genomic-scale gene expression profiles in TNF-alpha treated human endothelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were stimulated with TNF-alpha (10 ng/ml) for 2 and 16 h, respectively, and the gene expression pattern was profiled using a cDNA array representing 14,000 gene/cDNA clusters. RESULTS: In total, 72 known human genes were identified the expression levels of which altered over 2-fold in response to TNF-a stimulation. Such alteration was confirmed for IL-8 and MCP-1, with an independent quantitative mRNA assay. It was observed that genes with related biological functions were often temporally co-regulated. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the transcriptional pathways mediated by TNF-alpha inside the HUVECs. Expression profiling in HUVECs responding to TNF-alpha stimulation should give an understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in vascular inflammation.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2002

Efficient discovery of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in coding regions of human genes.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in protein coding regions (cSNPs) are of great interest for their effects on phenotype and potential for mapping disease genes. We have identified 5,400 novel exonic SNPs from alignments of public EST data to the draft human genome sequence, and approximately 12,000 more novel exonic SNPs from EST cluster alignments. We found 82% of the genomic-aligned SNPs and 63% of the EST-only SNPs to be detectably polymorphic in 20 Finnish DNA samples. 37% of the SNPs mapped to known protein coding regions, yielding 6,500 distinct, novel cSNPs from the two datasets. These data reveal selection against mutations that alter protein structure, and distinct classes of genes under strongly positive vs. negative pressure from natural selection for amino acid replacement (detected by K(A)/K(S)ratio). We have searched these cSNPs for compatibility with the amino acid profile at each site and structural impact on protein core stability.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed2002

Attenuation of cell migration and induction of cell death by aged garlic extract in rat sarcoma cells.

Previous studies have shown that aged garlic extract suppresses cancer growth and enhances immune system against cancer, and yet little is known about inhibition of the cancer cell migration. In this study we investigated whether the aged garlic extract inhibits growth and migration of rat sarcoma tumor cells. The suppression of tumor cell growth was demonstrated by counting the cell number in three groups (control, cultured with 10 mg/ml, 20 mg/ml of aged garlic extracts) after culturing for 3 days and 5 days. The results showed that aged garlic extract inhibited the growth of rat sarcoma cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, compared to the numbers of the cells grown in control group. The inhibition of tumor cell migration was examined by measuring the distance of trails left behind by the tumor cells when they passed through the polybeads overnight in four groups (control, 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, 20 mg/ml aged garlic extracts). The average distance of trails in control group was 7.44 mm, whereas the average distance of cell movement is only 2.48 mm when treated with the highest concentration (20 mg/ml) of the aged garlic extract. The results also showed that the inhibitory effect of aged garlic extracts on tumor cell migration was dose-dependent. This is the first report to show that the aged garlic extract inhibits rat sarcoma cell migration, a critical feature of tumor cell metastasis. It can be thus envisioned that if tumor cell metastasis could be attenuated if not completely stopped, it would be possible to stabilize the tumor in the local area for surgical removal. The results suggest that garlic, as a natural plant, unlike other cancer treatment methods, may play a role in fighting cancer without significant side effects.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Phase locking in on-off intermittency.

Dynamical behavior of on-off intermittency around chaos synchronization-desynchronization bifurcation parameter line is investigated in coupled identical chaotic oscillators. Along this parameter line, we find that on-off intermittency can transit from phase-unlocking status to phase-locking one in the phase space of variable differences, which can be regarded as a codimension-two bifurcation, i.e., combinative bifurcations of desynchronization and phase locking. In the phase-locking case, the motions of all oscillators are chaotic and they show on-off intermittency with respect to the synchronous manifold, however, spatial phase order of variable differences is clearly established.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Thermodynamic second law in irreversible processes of chaotic few-body systems.

Irreversible processes of few hard-ball (N) mechanical systems are investigated numerically and compared with the theoretical results of quasistatic processes. The thermodynamic second law is valid for N>or=2 for both equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems if the average ensemble of the large number of identical systems is taken.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

How does a periodic rotating wave emerge from high-dimensional chaos in a ring of coupled chaotic oscillators?

A route to typical rotating waves from high-dimensional chaos is investigated in diffusively coupled chaotic Rössler oscillators. By increasing the coupling from zero, a high-dimensional spatiotemporal chaos changes into a coherent state, which is periodic in time and well ordered in space, through consecutive transitions. A crossover transition from spatially random chaos to spatially ordered chaos with phase locking and orientational equality (for two directions) breaking is a crucial step for establishing the typical spatial order of the rotating wave.

Journal Article↗