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Biomedical subjects

H C Chiu

Publications and source records attributed to H C Chiu.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

[A replication of multidimensionality of activities of daily living(ADL): on the elderly in southern Taiwan].

The purpose of the present study is to test whether Wolinsky and Johnson's declaration that activities of daily living (ADL) can be divided into three subdimension (basic, household, and advanced ADL), and whether these three dimensions could be replicated or not in Taiwan. Furthermore, to confirm the relationship of advanced ADL and cognitive function. The analyses were based on a sample of 790 respondents over 65 years of age who lived in the community of Southern Taiwan. Fourteen items were adopted from the ADL section of OARS Multidimensional Functional Assessment (OMFAQ, Chinese Version) for performing a confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, 10 items from the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) were selected for a zero-order correlation and regression analyses to examine the relationship between the advanced ADL and cognitive function. The results support Wolinsky & Johnson's assertion, but some items that are comprised in each factor structure, however, are not consistent with those in Wolinsky & Johnson's study, such as taking medicine, grooming, eating, shopping, and transporting. Significant correlation between advanced ADL and cognitive function was also confirmed in the study (r = 0.612, p < 0.05).

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Humic acid induces expression of tissue factor by cultured endothelial cells: regulation by cytosolic calcium and protein kinase C.

Blackfoot disease is a thrombotic peripheral vascular disease causally related to the fluorescent humic acid (HA) found in the drinking water of wells in endemic areas in Taiwan. In this study we examined the effect of HA on tissue factor (TF) expression by vascular endothelial cells. Incubation of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with HA isolated from endemic area drinking water or with a synthetic humic acid polymer (SHA), resulted in enhanced cell surface expression of TF activity by HUVEC. The intracellular calcium level ([Ca2+]i) was measured using a calcium-specific fluorescent probe, fura 2. Changes in [Ca2+]i level were followed and quantitatively analyzed by spectrofluorometric microscopy, after incubation of the fura 2-loaded HUVEC with HA or SHA in a medium containing 1.8 mM CaCl2. Both HA and SHA increased [Ca2+]i in the presence of extracellular calcium ions, but not in their absence, indicating that influx of extracellular Ca2+ occurred during incubation of HUVEC with HA or SHA. Verapamil, a potent calcium channel blocker, did not abolish the enhancement of [Ca2+]i induced by HA or SHA, indicating that specific calcium channels may not be involved in the HA/SHA-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i. The elevated [Ca2+]i level induced by HA or SHA returned to basal level following removal of HA or SHA and incubation of the washed cells in medium containing 1.8 mM CaCl2. All these changes occurred in the absence of significant cytotoxic effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1994

[A comparison on health status between Paiwan and Min-Nan elderly].

The study investigated the Taiwanese elderly in two different ethnic groups (Paiwan and Min-Nan) regarding their multifunctional status. The purpose was to make known and compare the subjective and objective health status of these two groups. The results for the objective measurements indicated that an elderly Paiwanese had 2.74 kinds of diseases on average. The most prevalent diseases among the Paiwan elderly were arthritis (rheumatism), circulation troubles in arms or legs, high blood pressure, stomach or intestinal disorders or gall bladder problems, cataract, heart trouble, emphysema (chronic bronchitis), skin disorder (leg ulcers or severe burns), asthma, and digestive system ulcers. Of all disease, five (arthritis, circulation trouble, emphysema, skin disorder, and tuberculosis) were statistically more prevalent among the Paiwan elderly than among the Min-Nan elderly. In terms of health scoring, the two groups were comparable except in the following two aspects: (1) more Paiwan elderly were unable to take medicine by themselves, and (2) the Paiwan elderly had lower cognitive ability ratings. In the subjective arena, the Paiwan elderly had a lower score in self-rating health status. Condensed, the health status of the Paiwan was worse than that of the Min-Nan elderly both in objective and subjective measurements.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein enhances monocyte-endothelial cell binding against shear-stress-induced detachment.

Oxidatively modified low-density lipoprotein may be involved in the adherence of blood monocytes to arterial endothelium in the early atherosclerotic lesion. The present study employed static assays and flow-chamber technique to investigate the adhesive interactions between isolated human blood monocytes and cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell (EC) monolayer pretreated with Cu(2+)-oxidized human plasma LDL (Ox-LDL) and native LDL (N-LDL). The cell-cell binding force was estimated by the intensity of wall shear stress needed to detach monocytes from an EC monolayer. The number of monocytes attached to EC monolayer was quantitated by microscopic observation, measurement of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in monocyte and cellular uptake of Rose Bengal stain. The results show that the proadhesive activity of EC surface for monocytes was strongly induced by Ox-LDL and weakly modulated by N-LDL. Pretreatment of an EC monolayer with Ox-LDL (25 micrograms/ml) for 6 h induced a 2.2-fold increase in the number and an 8-fold increase in the force of monocyte binding to EC monolayer as compared to untreated control. A significant number of monocytes (4.4-times control) were able to maintain their adhesion to Ox-LDL-pretreated EC monolayer under high shear stress (30 dyn/cm2). The cell surface expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), but not vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), in umbilical vein EC was increased by 2.6-fold after treatment of EC with Ox-LDL (50 micrograms/ml) for 6 h compared with non-treated control. On prolonged (> 12 h) incubation, Ox-LDL (> 100 micrograms/ml) was found to have cytotoxic effect on EC as reflected by the loss of EC integrity and detachment at low shear stress. It indicates that a sublethal dose of oxidized LDL may alter vascular endothelium physiology, up-regulate expression of ICAM-1 in EC, enhance monocytes binding against shear-stress-induced detachment, and thus may contribute to atherogenesis.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed1993

Decreased expression of a particular epitope on plasma apolipoprotein B of patients with coronary artery disease.

Plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL) of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) may be qualitatively different from those of normal persons. To study the immunochemical difference in plasma LDL between CAD patients and normals, we employed competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using one polyclonal and five monoclonal anti-LDL antibodies to measure apolipoprotein B (apo B) epitope expression in whole plasma from 20 angiographically documented CAD patients and 7 healthy control subjects. The patient group had a significantly higher plasma concentration of apo B but showed decreased relative expression of the 4B11 epitope in plasma LDL. No significant difference in the expression of the other four epitopes was found between patients and controls. The 4B11 monoclonal anti-LDL antibody was demonstrated to inhibit the modification of native LDL by endothelial cells (EC) and to reduce subsequent uptake and degradation by J774 macrophages. In vitro oxidative modification of LDL by EC or Cu2+ was associated with a decrease in the 4B11 immunoreactivity on apo B. The results imply that plasma LDL may be somewhat oxidatively modified in vivo by vascular endothelium in patients with CAD. Competitive inhibition assay further showed that plasma LDL of CAD patients had greater ability to compete for scavenger receptor and less ability to compete for LDL receptor of J774 macrophages than those of controls. Pretreatment of EC with plasma LDL of CAD patients as compared to those of control subjects induced a significantly greater increase in U937 monocyte adhesion. In conclusion, plasma LDL of CAD patients demonstrated decreased expression of a particular apo B epitope related to scavenger receptor-binding site of EC-modified LDL and greater affinity for scavenger receptor, and caused enhanced adherence of monocytes to EC. The data support the existence of qualitative changes in plasma LDL of CAD patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Stimulation of endothelin production in cultured human endothelial cells by fluorescent compounds associated with blackfoot disease.

The fluorescent compounds (FC) in humic substances isolated from the drinking water of endemic areas of blackfoot disease have been characterized as the causative factor of the disease. In this report we studied the effects of these fluorescent compounds on the synthesis and secretion of endothelin-1 by cultured human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in order to explore the possible pathological mechanism(s) of FC in the development of atherothrombotic vasculopathy in blackfoot disease. Incubation of confluent HUVEC with FC (100 micrograms/ml) enhanced endothelin mRNA expression. A sensitive ELISA method was developed to quantitate secreted endothelin antigen levels in conditioned medium. Incubation of confluent HUVEC cultures with different concentrations of FC (0-200 micrograms/ml) resulted in concentration-dependent enhanced production of endothelin. No significant changes in endothelin production were observed when subconfluent HUVEC cultures were incubated with FC. FC dose-dependently reduced the growth rate of subconfluent cultured HUVEC and exerted cytotoxic effects on the viability and integrity of confluent HUVEC monolayers. Since endothelin is one of the most potent vasoconstrictors affecting blood pressure and blood flow, and is mitogenic for smooth muscle cell proliferation, these results imply that the enhanced endothelin production and the reduced cell viability and growth rate induced by FC may contribute to the atherothrombotic vasculopathy observed in blackfoot disease.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗
PubMed1993

Risk factors on the occurrence of response fluctuations and dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease.

We studied the risk factors that influence the occurrence of response fluctuations and dyskinesias in 194 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). These factors included age at onset, disease severity at levodopa initiation, duration of illness prior to levodopa therapy and the daily dose of levodopa at the end of study. The first three were fixed covariates and the last one was time-dependent. Patients with age onset before 50 years showed a higher risk of developing response fluctuations (RF) and dyskinesias in univariate analysis. We estimated the combined effects of these covariates through multivariate analysis and found that the age at onset was the sole factor related to the incidence of both complications. Additionally, it was the only variable that could enter the predictive model of stepwise regression. Our observation suggested that age at onset determined the occurrence of RF and dyskinesias. Patients with younger age at onset had higher risk of developing these adverse effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Association of HLA-Bw46DR9 combination with juvenile myasthenia gravis in Chinese.

One hundred and fifty two Chinese patients with myasthenia gravis in Taiwan were investigated for HLA-A, B, C and DR/DQ typing. HLA-Bw46 and DR9 frequencies were significantly increased in patients compared with the control group, and there was a decrease in DR3. Further analysis between different subgroups of patients showed Bw46 and DR9 were more significantly increased in the juvenile group than in the adult group. No single HLA allele was associated with either clinical type or thymic pathology, but there was an excess of BW46DR9 combination in both juvenile and ocular type patients. The Chinese population with myasthenia gravis is characterised by earlier age at onset, more ocular forms and less clinically severe illness than in whites, and these characteristics indicate a special subgroup that correlates with the strong Bw46DR9 association.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Characterization of a human keratinocyte cell line immortalized by human papillomavirus 16 DNA.

A human keratinocyte cell line was established by transfecting neonatal foreskin keratinocytes of a Chinese with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA. As evidenced by the prolonged life span, the clone formation from a single cell, the piling up after prolonged culturing without passage and the chromosomal aneuploidy, this cell line possesses the biological characteristics of immortalization. The reason for obligatory growth requirements on epidermal growth factor (EGF) is not clear. The partial growth requirement on hydrocortisone for this immortalized cell line suggests that the glucocorticoid responding element of HPV 16 may play a role in cell immortalization. The constant over-expression of keratin 19 in this and other HPV 16 immortalized squamous epithelia indicates that it may serve as a useful marker for the potential malignant transformation of squamous epithelial cells. This immortalized cell line provides a model for investigating the factors and cofactors involved in carcinogenesis and differentiation of human epithelial cells.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1993

Dispase pretreatment enhances cell outgrowth from explanted human hair papillae.

An improved method which accelerates the attachment of cultured human hair papillae and enhances cell outgrowth is described. Bulbs of human hair follicles were exposed and treated in situ with dispase solution (50 units/mL) at 37 degrees C for 45 minutes before isolation and culture of the dermal papillae. About 45% of dispase-treated dermal papillae showed cell outgrowth five days after explant culture, while none of the control papillae did so. At 10 days after culture, 95% of dispase-treated dermal papillae had cell outgrowth, while the comparative figure for the control papillae was only 63%. In addition, many more outgrowing cells were found around the dispase-treated dermal papillae at any time compared to the control papillae. Dispase pretreatment is recommended as a routine procedure in the culture of the dermal papilla cells of human hair follicles.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1992

Pseudoathetosis as a presenting symptom of spinal multiple sclerosis.

We report on a 38-year-old female patient with acute proprioceptive sensory impairment and pseudoathetosis in the four limbs, particularly in the fingers of both hands. She had great difficulty in buttoning, unbuttoning, using chopsticks and writing, because she was no longer able to feel her fingers in space. There was a profound loss of position and vibration sensation in all limbs, especially in both hands. Pseudoathetoid movement, a rare presentation of multiple sclerosis, was observed in the outstretched hands and extended fingers. T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spinal cord revealed an inactive intramedullary lesion in the C2-C5 segments. Gadolinium-enhanced MRI revealed an active lesion in the posterior columns of the cervical cord at the C3 vertebral level, which is very likely responsible for pseudoathetoid movement. Based on the disseminated lesions in the spinal cord verified by MRI the four neurologic manifestations, and the abnormal somatosensory-evoked potentials, we made a definitive diagnosis of multiple sclerosis of the spinal cord.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Motor-evoked potentials in diabetes mellitus.

By using magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex and in the cervical region, conduction time in the central motor pathway was measured in 35 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and in 41 control subjects. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the contralateral thenar muscles. Central conduction time (CCT) was obtained by subtracting the latency of the spinal MEP from that of the scalp MEP. To compare central and peripheral nerve functions, the motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV) of the median nerve was also tested in patients with DM. In the 35 cases of DM, the mean latency of the cortical MEPs showed a significant increase, compared with normal controls; the mean CCT was also significantly prolonged in the patient group. There was a good correlation between central motor abnormalities and the duration of DM, as well as with impairment of the peripheral nervous system. Latencies of greater than two standard deviations were defined as abnormal. The abnormal rate in patients with DM was 29% for latency of the cortical MEP, 20% for latency of the cervical MEP and 37% for the CCT. In addition, there was a 35% abnormal rate for distal latency of the median MCV and a 40% abnormal rate for the median MCV. These findings support the theory that the metabolic disturbance in DM affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems in man. MEP studies provide objective measurements of central motor pathways.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Dystrophin gene deletion in Chinese Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy patients via multiplex DNA amplification.

Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) is a progressive muscle-wasting disease. The dystrophin gene responsible for the disease is the largest human gene ever cloned and is prone to gross gene deletion in two "hot spot" regions. Using nine pairs of oligonucleotide primers deduced from the two regions, we have screened 23 unrelated Chinese DMD/BMD patients by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Nine (39%) patients were noted to have gene deletion, one in the 5' terminus and eight in the distal half of the gene. The incidence is similar to that reported in other large series mainly on Caucasian patients. The "hot-spot" regions also seem to be present in Chinese patients. Multiplex gene amplification for deletion analysis is useful in the diagnosis of patients with neuromuscular diseases and is an important aid in the prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling of at-risk families.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1991

[Macro electromyography in motor neuron disease].

Macroelectromyography (macroEMG) is a technique that provides information about the size of a motor unit which the conventional EMG is not able to. We used macroEMG to study 11 cases of motor neuron disease (MND), presenting with upper extremities symptoms (no lower extremities symptoms). Muscles we selected to study were the biceps brachii and the tibialis anterior. Amplitude, area and fiber density (FD) were analysed. The controlled groups consisted of 11 cases of myasthenia gravis (MG) and 11 normal subjects. Our study demonstrated that in the MND group, amplitude, area and FD of both muscles were significantly increased over those of the normal subjects. We also found that the amplitude and area of biceps brachii in patients who had clinical symptoms less than 2 years, were significantly higher than those over 2 years. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups of the tibialis anterior. This was probably due to the fact that the disease process was not severe enough to cause significant differences. Further follow up studies are necessary to clarify this question. In MG, amplitude, area and FD were not significantly different than those of the normal subjects. Increased amplitude, area and FD in MND provides information regarding the reinnervation process of the disease. As the disease progresses, the above findings may decrease because the motor neurons can no longer support the enlarged motor unit. All of the MND patients in our study, had no symptoms in the lower extremities; however, we found there were significant changes in the macro-EMG findings of the tibialis anterior. This indicates that macro-EMG can detect early electrophysiological changes in the motor unit before clinical symptoms develop.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Clinical manifestations and thyrotropin releasing hormone therapy in cerebellar degenerations.

Twenty-nine documented cases of cerebellar degeneration at the National Taiwan University Hospital during a 8-year period (1980 through 1987) were reviewed. They were classified as familial (N = 14) or sporadic (N = 15) to compare the clinical signs and symptoms between both groups. The familial cases had earlier onset, and gaze paresis was found only in this group. Patients younger than 30 years old were more often familial cases and had more frequent deep sensation involvement. Oculomotor abnormalities on electrooculographic (EOG) tracings of 21 patients were analysed. The defects included abnormal OKN (86%), jerky pursuit (76%), ocular dysmetria (57%), slow saccades (43%), abnormal VOR or VVOR (43%), and fixation instability (19%). Intravenous TRH therapy was used in 17 patients, and resulted in 8 (47%) subjectively and 6 (35%) objectively improved cases. The use of TRH therapy in cerebellar degeneration was discussed.

Central Nervous System↗
PubMed1990

Acute triphenyltin intoxication: a case report.

A 23 year old male developed abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting several hours after poisoning with acute triphenyltin intoxication in a suicide attempt. Severe ataxia, dysmetria, nystagmus, and blurring of vision soon supervened. Disturbance of consciousness and confusion developed 12 days later and lasted for two months. A delayed sensorimotor polyneuropathy was shown by electrophysiological studies to be due to axonal degeneration and demyelination. The neuropathy rapidly recovered after consciousness was regained.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Intrathecal anti-myelin basic protein antibody production in Chinese patients with multiple sclerosis.

Cerebrospinal fluids and paired serums from 23 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were studied for intrathecal synthesis of oligoclonal band and antimyelin basic protein (MBP) antibody. Three parameters for anti-MBP antibody were designed to represent three different pathophysiological meanings, including value, index and ratio of anti-MBP antibody. Oligoclonal band was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis in 23 MS patients, and anti-MBP was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 11 MS patients to investigate these anti-MBP parameters in MS group and non-inflammatory control group. The anti-MBP assay revealed that intrathecal anti-MBP antibody production was increased during active stage of MS. However, anti-MBP antibody production correlated poorly with the IgG index, nor was it conspicuously higher than IgG production. This might imply that, except for MBP, still other protein components are involved in this immune process.

Adolescent↗