Biomedical subjects

Hua Liang

Publications and source records attributed to Hua Liang.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

[Detection of a novel mutation in COL4A5 gene from a Chinese family with X-linked alport syndrome].

By means of PCR and direct sequencing, all 51 exons and their neighbouring intronic sequences of the COL4A5 gene were analyzed to detect mutations in 17 members from a Chinese family with X-linked Alport syndrome(XLAS). At the position 2240 in exon 26, a single-base deletion(2240deIC) is found in all male patients, and a heterozygous deletion is found in all female patients, whereas no mutation is found in normal and 80 control individuals. Meanwhile, the corresponding PCR products of female patients are cloned and sequenced to confirm the results. It is concluded that the 2240deIC mutation is the underlying cause of XLAS in this family,not a polymorphism. Furthermore,this single-base deletion mutation in COL4A5 gene is first reported in X-linked Alport syndrome.

Chromosomes, Human, X↗

PubMed2003

Ceramides modulate programmed cell death in plants.

The balance between the bioactive sphingolipid ceramide and its phosphorylated derivative has been proposed to modulate the amount of programmed cell death (PCD) in eukaryotes. We characterized the first ceramide kinase (CERK) mutant in any organism. The Arabidopsis CERK mutant, called accelerated cell death 5, accumulates CERK substrates and shows enhanced disease symptoms during pathogen attack and apoptotic-like cell death dependent on defense signaling late in development. ACD5 protein shows high specificity for ceramides in vitro. Strikingly, C2 ceramide induces, whereas its phosphorylated derivative partially blocks, plant PCD, supporting a role for ceramide phosphorylation in modulating cell death in plants.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2003

The relationship between virologic and immunologic responses in AIDS clinical research using mixed-effects varying-coefficient models with measurement error.

In this article we study the relationship between virologic and immunologic responses in AIDS clinical trials. Since plasma HIV RNA copies (viral load) and CD4+ cell counts are crucial virologic and immunologic markers for HIV infection, it is important to study their relationship during HIV/AIDS treatment. We propose a mixed-effects varying-coefficient model based on an exploratory analysis of data from a clinical trial. Since both viral load and CD4+ cell counts are subject to measurement error, we also consider the measurement error problem in covariates in our model. The regression spline method is proposed for inference for parameters in the proposed model. The regression spline method transforms the unknown nonparametric components into parametric functions. It is relatively simple to implement using readily available software, and parameter inference can be developed from standard parametric models. We apply the proposed models and methods to an AIDS clinical study. From this study, we find an interesting relationship between viral load and CD4+ cell counts during antiviral treatments. Biological interpretations and clinical implications are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗