Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Wong.
A survey of the glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI-1) activity expressed in mature mouse ova has revealed multiple interstrain differences. Genetic variation at a site either linked to (less than 1.1 cM) or directly associated with Gpi-1 affects the realization of GPI-1 monomers during the later stages of oocyte maturation.
Ninety patients were grouped according to three different forms of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS): Kaposi's sarcoma "recent outbreak" type (38), reactive lymphadenopathy (27), and opportunistic infections (17), and a fourth group of patients with "classic" Kaposi's sarcoma (8). All patients with "classic" Kaposi's sarcoma were previously treated with electron-beam irradiation. These four groups were compared with 40 normal control subjects. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated by density separation were reacted with a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies that recognizes all peripheral blood T cells (OKT3-positive), helper (OKT4-positive), and suppressor (OKT8-positive) T cell subsets. The OKT4/OKT8 ratio was used to define the balance between these two subsets. All three groups with AIDS with or without Kaposi's sarcoma showed a decrease in the OKT4/OKT8 ratio. The group with "classic" Kaposi's sarcoma showed individual T cell subset values that were also abnormal. These findings confirm the previously reported imbalance of T cell subsets in patients with AIDS and Kaposi's sarcoma, which is also evident in patients with treated "classic" Kaposi's sarcoma.
An antibody (anti-p21ser) was raised against a ras p21-related synthetic peptide and was able to recognize specifically the substitution of serine for glycine at amino acid 12 of p21. This substitution causes oncogenic activation of p21. Anti-p21ser was found to immunoprecipitate v-Ki-ras p21 and to strongly inhibit its ability to autophosphorylate and to bind GTP in an immunoabsorption assay. Furthermore, binding of the antibody to p21 was specifically inhibited by GTP or GDP, suggesting that amino acids around position 12 are part of the GTP/GDP binding site. These results, taken together with the observation that the microinjection of anti-p21ser into cells transformed by v-Ki-ras p21 causes a transient reversion of the cells to a normal phenotype [Feramisco, J. R., Clark, R., Wong, G., Arnheim, N., Milley, R. & McCormick, F. (1985) Nature (London) 314, 639-642], support the idea that interaction of p21 with guanine nucleotides is crucial to the transforming function of this protein.
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Incubation of cultured human cells with interleukin 1 leads to increased expression of the human metallothionein-IIA gene. Recently, metallothionein has been shown to be an efficient free radical scavenger, and induction by interleukin 1 may be part of a protective response to minimize damage by hydroxyl radicals.
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In 1979, a pilot survey defined respiratory status and unmet health care needs of retired and former male asbestos workers in Hawaii. Of 1,401 identified subjects, 741 were contacted and 411 were interviewed. Forty-five subjects were between 39 and 54 years of age; 208, between 55 and 64; and 158, age 65 or more. They represented the main ethnic groups--Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian, and Japanese--on Oahu. Most subjects had had significant exposure to asbestos in a shipyard, and 83% were current nonsmokers (160 had never smoked, and 111 were ex-smokers for ten years or more). Taking age and ethnicity into account, our group had more chronic respiratory and gastrointestinal problems than the comparable male population of Oahu in 1979, but fewer such problems than active shipyard workers elsewhere. These problems related primarily to current smoking status and secondarily to the length of asbestos exposure. Health care was available, but former workers used it less than retirees, despite having more symptoms. Very few abnormalities were reported by the subjects on their chest X-rays, pulmonary function tests, and sputum cytology performed elsewhere. These findings are compared to those of other shipyards, and support the hypothesis that the biological effects of asbestos exposure are generally mild in Hawaii.
Starting at 6 weeks of age, male Fischer 344 rats were provided five different dietary regimens: group 1, fed ad libitum; group 2, restricted to 60% of the food intake of group 1; group 3, restricted to 60% of the food intake of group 1 until 6 months of age and then fed ad libitum; group 4, fed ad libitum until 6 months of age and then restricted to 60% of the food intake of group 1; group 5, given the same caloric intake as group 1 but 60% of the protein intake. The weight of the liver was maintained at about 2.5% of body weight over the wide range of body weight, age (6 through 30 months of age) and diets of this study. Liver cholesterol concentration increased with age in the rats of group 1 but not in the other groups; the hepatic cholesterol concentration was lower in the rats of groups 2 and 4 than in the others. The liver microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase activity was higher in 4-month-old rats than in rats 12 months of age and older; also, the microsomal activity from group 2 and group 4 rats was higher than that from rats of the other groups. Liver triglyceride levels increased with age in groups 1, 2, 3 and 5 but not in group 4. At all ages, postabsorptive (15 h without food) hepatic glycogen concentrations were much higher in groups 2 and 4 than in the other groups. Liver phospholipid concentration was not affected by age or diet. Basal adenylate cyclase activity in liver homogenates increased with age in all but group 4, but hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was little affected by age or diet. The age-related hepatic changes in lipids and in hormone responsiveness noted in the present study were much less marked than those previously found in blood and adipose tissue.
Aneurysms of the pericallosal-callosomarginal junction are rare and carry a high mortality and morbidity rate. We report a series of 11 cases that were operated upon by one surgeon using modern available methods of treatment. There were six women and five men. Average age was 40.6 years. Only two patients had additional unruptured aneurysms. There was no operative mortality, but the morbidity was formidable (27.3%).
Four cases of atypical meningiomas with aggressive histological features have been reviewed. Atypical histological features may indicate higher probability and more rapidity of recurrence. The pertinent literature has been reviewed.
Subarachnoid haemorrhage in children is uncommon. In a review of 110 children with an intracranial tumour over a 20 year period there were four patients (3.6%) who presented with the typical features of a subarachnoid haemorrhage. During the same period of time there were 15 children who presented with subarachnoid haemorrhage of which 26% were secondary to a cerebral tumour. This study suggests that cerebral tumour is a common cause of subarachnoid haemorrhage in children.
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The in vitro incubation of cells from turpentine-induced rat myeloid hyperplastic marrow and peritoneal monocyte/macrophage with 14C-arachidonic acid resulted in the incorporation of the radiolabel into the particulate phospholipids. Challenge of the radiolabeled cells with a highly purified type I CSF (CSF I) from human pancreatic carcinoma cells in continuous culture resulted in the hydrolysis and release of the 14C-arachidonic acid from the cellular phospholipids. The simultaneous challenge of the prelabeled cells with CSF-I and its specific antibody (anti-CSF-I antibody) inhibited the CSF-I induced hydrolysis of 14C-arachidonic acid from the cells. These results confer a specificity on the CSF-I induced release of arachidonic acid from the cellular phospholipids. Our data also demonstrated that the 14C-arachidonic acid released from the cellular phospholipids was further transformed into products of the cyclooxygenation and lipoxygenation pathways by cellular enzyme systems in both populations of cells. Interestingly, our data also indicate that the challenge of the granulocytic hyperplastic marrow cells and the monocyte/macrophage cells with purified CSF-I resulted in a higher generation of lipoxygenase products in the predominantly granulocytic cell population than in the population rich in monocyte/macrophage cells. The biological significance of this observation remains to be further explored. Thus, the CSF-I induced release of cellular arachidonic acid explains, at least in part, the presence of prostaglandins and other metabolites of arachidonic acid that are found in the media of hemopoietic cells incubated with a variety of CSF preparations.
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Thirty patients with cervical spine pain syndromes persisting a mean of 8 years were assigned randomly into equal treatment and control groups. After 12 weeks, 12 of 15 (80%) of the treated group felt improved, some dramatically, with a mean 40% reduction of pain score, 54% reduction of pain pills, 68% reduction of pain hours per day and 32% less limitation of activity. Two of 15 (13%) of the control group reported slight improvement after 12.8 weeks. The control group had a mean 2% worsening of the pain score, 10% reduction in pain pills, no lessening of pain hours and 12% less limitation of activity.
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