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Biomedical subjects

Hui Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Hui Zhang.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Emphasis on basic research for corneal diseases].

Corneal disease is the second leading cause of blindness in China. Improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of corneal disease depends on the deepening and widening of the basic research in this area. In some fields, the research conducted in our country has reached the top level in the world. However, in general, obvious disparities exist between China and the developed countries in terms of lack of systematic research, limited financial support, the insufficiency of the quality and quantity of researchers and so on. Based upon the current situations of China, the future basic research on corneal diseases should focus on the mechanism of infectious corneal diseases, gene mutation of corneal dystrophy, corneal tissue engineering, the pathogenesis of dry eye, the reconstruction after severe chemical burns of ocular surface, the pathogenesis of ocular surface neovascularization, the prophylaxis and therapy of corneal graft rejection, etc. Other important measures to improve the basic research of corneal diseases in our country would include applying for more research funds, training high quality researchers, and strengthening the cooperation with different disciplines and with other countries.

China↗
PubMed2006

Multiple-ligament injured knee.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristic of the multiple-ligament injured knee and evaluate the protocol, technique and outcome of treatment for the multiple-ligament injured knee. METHODS: From October 2001 to March 2005, 9 knees with combined anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears in 9 patients were identified with clinical and arthroscopic examinations. Of them, 5 knees were combined with ruptures of posteromedial corner (PMC) and medial collateral ligament (MCL), 4 with disruptions of posterolateral corner (PLC), 2 with popliteal vascular injuries and 1 with peroneal nerve injuries. Six patients were hospitalized in acute phase of trauma, 2 received repairs of popliteal artery and 4 had repairs of PMC and MCL. Reconstructions of ACL and PCL with autografts under arthroscope were performed in all patients at 4 to 10 weeks after trauma, including reconstruction of PLC with the posterior half of biceps femoris tendon tenodesis in 4 patients and reconstructions of PMC and MCL with femoral fascia in 1 patient. RESULTS: No severe complications occurred at early stage after operation in the 9 patients. All of them were followed-up for 10-39 months with an average of 23.00 months+/-9.46 months. Lysholm score was 70-95 with an average of 85.00+/-8.29. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score was from severely abnormal (Grade D) in 9 knees at initial examination to normal (Grade A) in 2 knees, nearly normal (Grade B) in 6 knees and abnormal in 1 knee at the last follow-up. Of the 9 patients, 7 returned to the same activity level before injury and 2 were under the level. CONCLUSIONS: The multiple-ligament injured knee with severe instability is usually combined with other important structure damages. Therefore, careful assessment and treatment of the combined injuries are essential. Reconstructions of ACL and PCL under arthroscope, combined with repairs or reconstructions of the extraarticular ligaments simultaneously or in stages, have advantage of minimal trauma in surgery and satisfactory outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[The expression of extracellular matrix in epithelial ingrowth after LASIK].

PURPOSE: To observe the expression of extracellular matrix in cornea and its relationship with corneal opacity after epithelial ingrowth in LASIK. METHODS: Corneal flap was made on rabbit eyes, and epithelial cells mechanically scraped from surroundings the flap were implanted underneath. The corneas were harvested 1, 3, 7 and 30 days following surgery, histological and immunohistochemical examination was performed. RESULTS: On slit-lamp examination, corneal opacity was observed in the area where epithelial cells were implanted. Histological study revealed clusters of epithelial cells at the flap and stroma bed interface. One week and one month post-operation intense immunoreactivity for collagen type IV was detected at the perimeters of the intrastromal epithelial island, but not in the ordinary interface area, strong staining for collage type III was also observed around the epithelial islands. CONCLUSION: The marked deposition of collagen type IV surrounding the ingrowth epithelial cells indicated that it might be the essential component of interface haze in epithelial ingrowth after LASIK.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Sampling survey of disability in 0-6 year-old children in China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of disabled children and prevalence of disabilities in children aged 0-6 years and their risk factors, and to provide scientific evidence for making relevant policies for disabled children. METHODS: In a community-based cross-sectional study, multi-phase, stratified, unequal proportional and cluster sampling was adopted to survey 60 124 children aged 0-6 years. All the investigated children were screened for disabilities, and those with positive screening tests were further diagnosed by various specialties. RESULTS: A total of 819 children were diagnosed as disabled with an overall prevalence of 1.362%, 0.155% for hearing disability, 0.160% for visual disability, 0.931% for intelligent disability, 0.424% for limb disability, and 0.101% for mental disability. Prevalence of disability in children was higher in rural areas, and in families with two or more children, low educational level or in divorced families. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of disability can be reduced by economic development, improvement of health care and quality of population, as well as harmonious familial relationship, early prevention of disability, and preschool education for disabled children.

Blindness↗
PubMed2005

Psychophysics of reading with a limited number of pixels: towards the rehabilitation of reading ability with visual prosthesis.

Psychophysics of reading with limited numbers of pixels has received increasing attention as the envisioned visual prosthesis offers a possibility to restore some useful reading ability to the blind through the pixelized vision it generates. This paper systematically studied how several important parameters of pixelized vision affect reading performance. A closed-circuit television reading platform with digital image processing capacities was developed to convert images of printed text into pixelized patterns made up of discrete dots. Reading rates in six normally sighted subjects were measured under different combinations of pixel number, window width, and angular subtense of pixel array. The results showed that reading is possible with as few as 6 x 6 binary pixels, at 15 words/min. It was also found that for a given array of pixels, maximum reading rates occur at a specific medium window width, due to a tradeoff between window width and character sampling resolution. It was also observed that pixelized reading exhibits more significant scale dependence than normal vision. Reading rates were decreased by increasing the angular subtense of the pixel array while keeping other parameters fixed. We hope these results will be helpful to the design of visual prosthesis for the rehabilitation of reading abilities.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Long term (5 years) outcome of radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma in 256 cases].

A total of 267 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in Peking University School of Oncology between 1999 and 2005 (421 RFA sessions). Among them, 254 patients were candidates for RFA treatment and the selective criteria were: (1) the greatest diameter of tumor 5 cm, respectively. According to tumor size, shape and location, we adopted a defined treatment strategy, which consisted of a mathematical protocol, an individualized protocol and adjunctive measures. And several methods were also used to prevent and deal with complications in tumors with different features. In this series the tumor complete necrosis rate (CR)was 95.2% (356/374 tumors). It was higher in 3.5 cm tumors with a CR of 91.3% (156/171 tumors). CR were 95.6% (44/46 tumors) for tumors near the gallbladder, 92.9%(79/85 tumors) for tumors near the diaphragm, 90.9%(40/44 tumors) for tumors near the gastrointestinal tract, 91.2% (31/34 tumors) for tumors near large vessel. In a follow-up period of 2-69 months, the local recurrence rates were 11.7% for HCC and 12.5% for recurrent HCC. The incidence of complications was 2.4% (10/409 sessions), including intraperitoneal hemorrhage (n=2), biliary duct stricture (n=1), hemothorax (n=1), bowel perforation (n=1) and needle tract seeding (n=5). Of these cases, only 3 required operation and the mortality related to RFA was zero in this series. We used Kaplain-Meier method and log-rank test to estimate and compare the survival rate. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates after RFA were 83.3%, 66.9%, 41.2%, respectively for all HCC patients and 74.6%, 41.3%, 33.6%, respectively for recurrent HCC. Survivals based on TNM stage, Child-Pugh grade, tumor number and tumor size are shown in Table 1. In conclusion, RFA with standard protocol has evolved as a minimally invasive local treatment that could achieve satisfactory outcomes for small liver tumors, and has become an effective and relatively safe alternative for the treatment of advanced tumors and recurrent tumors, which are not suitable for traditional therapy. RFA has broaded the treatment threshold for hepatic malignancies and might become one of the regular treatment methods in focal liver tumor and find wide application.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Removal of COD from landfill leachate by electro-Fenton method.

The treatment of landfill leachate by electro-Fenton (E-Fenton) method was carried out in a batch electrolytic reactor. The effect of operating conditions such as reaction time, the distance between the electrodes, electrical current, H(2)O(2) to Fe(II) molar ratio, Fenton's reagent dosage and H(2)O(2) feeding mode on the efficacy of E-Fenton process was investigated. It is demonstrated that E-Fenton method can effectively degrade leachate organics. The process was very fast in the first 30 min and then slowed down till it was complete in 75 min. There exists an optimal distance range between the electrodes so that an over 7% higher chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was achieved than the electrodes positioned beyond this range. COD removal efficiency increased with the increasing current, but further increase of current would reduce the removal efficiency. Organic removal increased as Fenton's reagent dosage increased at the fixed H(2)O(2) to Fe(II) molar ratio. COD removal was only 65% when hydrogen peroxide alone was applied to the electrolytic reactor, and the presence of ferrous ion greatly improved COD removal. COD removal efficiency increased with the increase of ferrous ion dosage at the fixed hydrogen peroxide dose and reached highest at the 0.038 mol/L of ferrous ion concentration. COD removal would decrease when ferrous ion concentration was higher than 0.038 mol/L. The stepwise or continuous addition of hydrogen peroxide was more effective than the addition of hydrogen peroxide in a single step. E-Fenton method showed the synergetic effect for COD removal as it achieved higher COD removal than the total COD removal by electrochemical method and Fenton's reagent.

Electrolysis↗
PubMed2005

Solvent effects on infrared spectroscopy of 17beta-hydroxy-17-methyl-2-oxa-5alpha-androstan-3-one in single solvents.

Infrared spectroscopy studies of 17beta-hydroxy-17-methyl-2-oxa-5alpha-androstan-3-one (HMOA) in 20 different pure organic solvents were undertaken to investigate the solute-solvent interactions and to correlate solvent properties, such as the KBM equation, the solvent acceptor number (AN), Schleyer's linear free energy equation (G-value), Dimroth and Reichardt's parameter E(T)(30) and Brownstein's parameter S with the frequency shifts of the carbonyl stretching vibration for solute. The result indicated that the KBM relationship is unsuitable to the complicated molecules. These frequencies exhibited a better correlation with the solvent parameters AN and G-value than others.

Dihydrotestosterone↗
PubMed2005

The effect of Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide extracts on vibriosis resistance and immune activity of the shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis.

Immunostimulants are valuable for control of shrimp diseases and the immunostimulatory effects of some polysaccharide additives for shrimp have been reported. In this study, the Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide extract (SFPSE) was assessed as a feed additive when supplemented in the diet (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0%) for juvenile shrimp, Fenneropenaeus chinensis, in order to study the effects of SFPSE on vibriosis resistance and immune activity. Shrimp were cultured in the same pond with cages. The body weight, survival, the cumulative mortality after injection with Vibrio harveyi (30 microl V. harveyi suspension at 9.3 x 10(7) CFU ml(-1) per shrimp), the total haemocyte counts (THCs), the protein concentration and the phenoloxidase (PO) activity in supernatant of haemolymph, the lysozyme (LSZ) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in muscle of the shrimp were assayed after 14 days feeding period. The results indicated that shrimp survival under the stress of V. harveyi was affected by the dietary SFPSE. The shrimp treated with 1.0% and 0.5% SFPSE displayed significantly lower cumulative mortalities after being injected with V. harveyi suspension 24 and 30 h later, respectively, compared with that of the control. However, cumulative mortality of 2.0% SFPSE treatment was not significantly different from that of the control. There was no significant difference of cumulative mortality between 0.5% and 1.0% SFPSE treatment groups. The immune activities of the shrimp also were affected by dosage of dietary SFPSE. The THCs of the shrimp rose with increasing SFPSE dosage. The protein concentration and PO activity in supernatant of haemolymph as well as muscular LSZ activity first rose then dropped with increasing SFPSE dosage. The protein concentration in supernatant of haemolymph appeared a maximum of 167.46 mg ml(-1) in 1.0% SFPSE treatment. The PO activity and LSZ activity reached the peaks as 13.20 U and 3.21 U mgprot(-1) in 0.5% SFPSE treatment, respectively. SOD activity of the shrimp was not significantly affected by dietary SFPSE. It is therefore suggested that oral administration of SFPSE at an optimal level of 0.5% and 1.0% for 14 days effectively improved vibriosis resistance and enhanced immune activity of the shrimp in general.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2005

[Amelioration of latent skin lesions in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by insulin].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the latent skin lesions in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and the mechanism of insulin prevention. METHODS: 81 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into control (C, n = 27) and STZ-induced diabetic groups (n = 54), and then the diabetic rats were randomized into 2 groups: Group A group (n = 27) that was treated with insulin enough to control the high concentration of blood glucose strictly, and Group B group (n = 27) in which insulin was given too nut not sufficient to control the high blood glucose. Twenty-seven normal rats were used as controls. Four, eight, and twelve weeks after STZ-induction, skin specimens from the back were collected to undergo hematoxylin-eosin staining and histological examination. The skin glucose content was measured by Beckman's autoanalyzer. The skin advanced glycation end products (AGEs) concentration was assessed by fluorescence spectrophotometry and immunohistochemistry. The ultrastructure changes of skin microvessel were observed by electron microscopy. RESULTS: Twelve weeks after the establishment of the DM model the skin thickness of Group B was decreased, the features of multilayer epithelium structure disappeared in epidermis, and part of the collagen fibers in dermis became atrophic, swollen and degenerated, infiltration of inflammatory cells to different degrees was found, and subcutaneous fat showed progressive atrophy or disappeared. However, such changes were not detected in Group A. The skin glucose contents of Group B at different time points were all higher than those of Group A and Group (all P < 0.01) without a significant difference between Groups A and C. The fluorescence values of skin collagen extracts of Groups A and B were significantly higher than that of normal rats. The 8-week fluorescence value of skin collagen extracts of Groups B was 34 U/mg +/- 4 U/mg, significantly higher than that of Group A (29 U/mg +/- 3 U/mg, P < 0.05). The 12-week fluorescence value of skin collagen extracts of Groups B was 41 U/mg +/- 4 U/mg, significantly higher than that of Group A (32 U/mg +/- 4 U/mg, P < 0.05). The 8-week AGEs positive expression rate of Group B was 32% +/- 4%, significantly higher than that of Group A (25% +/- 5%, P < 0.05), and the 12-week AGEs positive expression rate of Group B was 39% +/- 5%, significantly higher than that of Group A (27% +/- 4%, P < 0.05). Degeneration of endothelial cells and thickening of basement membrane were more markedly in Group B than in Group A. CONCLUSION: Accumulation of AGEs in skin and high concentration of glucose are important causes of diabetic skin complications. Insulin application at the early stage postpones the course of diabetic skin lesions with the possible mechanisms of lowering the high glucose, inhibiting AGEs synthesis, and blocking the action of AGEs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

InOOH hollow spheres synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction.

Novel micrometer-sized indium oxyhydroxide (InOOH) hollow spheres were successfully synthesized via a citric acid (CA) assisted hydrothermal process. The morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties of the product were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The optical band gap, E(g), was estimated to be 3.5 eV from the DRS spectrum, which is almost equal to that of indium oxide. Furthermore, on the basis of a series of SEM observations, phenomenological elucidation of a mechanism for the growth of the InOOH hollow spheres has been presented; key factors for the formation of the structures have been proposed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Aberrant splicing of cables gene, a CDK regulator, in human cancers.

Cables is a novel cell cycle regulatory protein that interacts with cdk2, cdk3, and cdk5. Cables inhibits cdk2 activity by enhancing cdk2 tyrosine 15 phosphorylation by Wee1, which consequently leads to inhibition of cell growth. Loss of Cables expression was found in many human cancers, especially colon and endometrial cancer. However, the role of the Cables gene in cancer development remains unclear. This study was undertaken to analyze transcripts of Cables gene in endometrial and colon cancers. The analysis of RT-PCR products of the Cables gene revealed shortened products in each sample along with the product of the expected size. Sequence analysis indicated that these shortened products represented eight intragenic deletions in Cables mRNA transcripts. Analysis of DNA from the same tumor sample failed to show genomic rearrangements corresponding to the transcripts containing deletions, suggesting that the deletions are the result of RNA splicing. Sequence analysis demonstrated that five of the deletions resulted from alternative splicing (splicing at the exon/intron boundary consensus sites), whereas the remaining three deletions resulted from aberrant splicing (splicing at sites not considered to be exon/intron boundary sites). All three aberrant splicing products were only detected in tumor tissues. Ectopic expression of one of the aberrant splicing products, which was detected in both endometrial and colon carcinomas, resulted in increased cell growth rate in human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells, suggesting a role as a dominant negative mutant.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2005

ISL1 physically interacts with BETA2 to promote insulin gene transcriptional synergy in non-beta cells.

ISL1 is a LIM homeodomain protein that plays an important role in insulin gene transcriptional activation and islet cell formation. BETA2 is a transcription factor in the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family, which activates expression of tissue-specific genes in several developmental systems. In this study, we investigated the functional and physical interactions of ISL1 and BETA2 in promoting insulin gene transcription in non-beta cells. Using the luciferase assay, we demonstrated that ISL1 and BETA2 could activate insulin gene transcription synergistically. Co-immunoprecipitation also supported that ISL1 and BETA2 appear in one complex and this physical interaction mediates the synergy between these two proteins.

Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins↗
PubMed2005

[Correlation between Stat3 signal transduction pathway and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in colorectal cancer cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression of Stat3 signal transduction pathway and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in colorectal cancer cells and their correlation with the clinicopathological parameters of colorectal cancer, and to reveal the mechanism of Stat3 signal transduction pathway regulating the expression of cCOX-2 in colorectal cancer cells. METHODS: RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of Stat3 and COX-2 and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of Stat3 and COX-2 in 50 specimens excised during operation from 50 patients with colorectal cancer aged 58 (37-75). Human colorectal cancer cells of the HT-29 strain were cultured. MTT method was used to examine the growth of the cells. AG490, an inhibitor of the upstream kinase JAK2 of Stat3 was added in to the culture fluid. 24, 48, and 72 hours later flow cytometry was used to examine the apoptosis of the cells. RESULTS: The mRNA expression levels of Stat3 and COX-2 in the colorectal cancer tissues were 1.97 and 1.88 times those of the adjacent normal tissues (both P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of Stat3 and COX-2 in the colorectal cancer tissues of the patients with lymph node metastasis were both significantly higher than those of the patients without lymph node metastasis (both P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of Stat3 and COX-2 in the colorectal cancer tissues of the patients of cancer with low differentiation were both significantly higher than those of the patients with high differentiation (both P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that Stat3 mRNA expression was linearly correlated with COX-2 mRNA expression (r = 0.749, P < 0.01). The protein expression levels of Stat3 and COX-2 in the colorectal caner tissues were significantly higher than those in the adjacent normal tissues (both P < 0.01). AG490 time and dose-dependently inhibited the growth of the HKC cells, induced apoptosis of the HKC cells, and down-regulated the protein expression of Stas3 and COX-2. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of Stat3 and COX-2 may play a critical role in the development of colorectal cancer. Stat3 pathway influences the proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cells and COX-2 gene expression. Blockade of the Stat3 signal pathway inhibits the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Prevention of fatal arrhythmias in high-risk subjects by fish oil n-3 fatty acid intake.

BACKGROUND: The long-chain n-3 fatty acids in fish have been demonstrated to have antiarrhythmic properties in experimental models and to prevent sudden cardiac death in a randomized trial of post-myocardial infarction patients. Therefore, we hypothesized that these n-3 fatty acids might prevent potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias in high-risk patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four hundred two patients with implanted cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with either a fish oil or an olive oil daily supplement for 12 months. The primary end point, time to first ICD event for ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT or VF) confirmed by stored electrograms or death from any cause, was analyzed by intention to treat. Secondary analyses were performed for "probable" ventricular arrhythmias, "on-treatment" analyses for all subjects who had taken any of their oil supplements, and "on-treatment" analyses only of those subjects who were on treatment for at least 11 months. Compliance with double-blind treatment was similar in the 2 groups; however, the noncompliance rate was high (35% of all enrollees). In the primary analysis, assignment to treatment with the fish oil supplement showed a trend toward a prolonged time to the first ICD event (VT or VF) or of death from any cause (risk reduction of 28%; P=0.057). When therapies for probable episodes of VT or VF were included, the risk reduction became significant at 31%; P=0.033. For those who stayed on protocol for at least 11 months, the antiarrhythmic benefit of fish oil was improved for those with confirmed events (risk reduction of 38%; P=0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Although significance was not achieved for the primary end point, this study provides evidence that for individuals at high risk of fatal ventricular arrhythmias, regular daily ingestion of fish oil fatty acids may significantly reduce potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmias.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Avidin-biotin system pretargeting radioimmunoimaging and radioimmunotherapy and its application in mouse model of human colon carcinoma.

AIM: To evaluate the multi-step pretargeting radioimmunoimaging (RII) and radioimmunotherapy (RIT) in nude mice bearing human colon carcinoma with avidin-biotin system labeled with (153)Sm. METHODS: Two- and three-step strategies for avidin-biotin system pretargeting techniques were established. In a three-step procedure, human colon carcinoma bearing nude mice were first injected with biotinylated monoclonal antibody (McAb-Bt) followed by cold avidin (Av) 48 h later and then (153)Sm-DB(2) 24 h thereafter; whereas the two-step procedure consisted of injection of (153)Sm-SA 48 h after pretargeting with biotinylated anti-CEA monoclonal antibody (CEA McAb-Bt). SPECT imaging and biodistribution were performed at 4, 24, 48, or 72 h after injection of (153)Sm-labeled compounds. Five groups of nude mice subcutaneously grafted with human colon carcinoma were treated 3 d after grafting. One group received the injection with 100 microg CEA McAb-Bt followed by cold avidin (80 microg) after 2 d and 11.1 MBq (153)Sm-DB(2) after 1 d. Four control groups were treated respectively with 11.1 MBq (153)Sm-CEA McAb, 11.1 MBq (153)Sm-nmIgG, 11.1 MBq (153)Sm-DB(2), 100 microL normal saline. Toxicity was evaluated by changes of leukocyte count, and the efficacy by variation in tumor volume. Histological analyses of tumors were performed. RESULTS: The three-step procedure allowed faster blood clearance and yielded higher tumor blood ratios (5.76 at 4 h and 12.94 at 24 h) of the (153)Sm-DB(2). The tumor was clearly visualized at 4 h in gamma-imaging after the injection of (153)Sm-DB(2), while a significant accumulation of (153)Sm-SA in the tumor was observed only 24 h after the injection and tumor blood ratios at 4 and 24 h were 1.00 and 2.03, respectively, in the two-step procedure. Pretargeting RIT and (153)Sm-CEA McAb had a strong tumor-inhibiting effect. The tumor inhibitory rate was 80.67% and 78.44%, respectively, five weeks after therapy. Histopathological evidence also indicated radioactive damage in tumor tissues as necrosis of tumor cells, while in the other organs such as liver and kidney no radioactive damage was observed. Leukocyte counts showed significant decrease after treatment in groups of (153)Sm-CEA McAb and (153)Sm-nmIgG. CONCLUSION: The two kinds of pretargeting strategies can elevate the target-to-nontarget ratio, decrease the blood background and shorten the imaging time compared to (153)Sm-CEA McAb. Three-step pretargeting RIT is as efficient as (153)Sm-CEA McAb, but markedly less toxic. This study provides experimental evidence for the clinical application of pretargeting RII and RIT.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Transcriptional and behavioral interaction between 22q11.2 orthologs modulates schizophrenia-related phenotypes in mice.

Microdeletions of 22q11.2 represent one of the highest known genetic risk factors for schizophrenia. It is likely that more than one gene contributes to the marked risk associated with this locus. Two of the candidate risk genes encode the enzymes proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which modulate the levels of a putative neuromodulator (L-proline) and the neurotransmitter dopamine, respectively. Mice that model the state of PRODH deficiency observed in humans with schizophrenia show increased neurotransmitter release at glutamatergic synapses as well as deficits in associative learning and response to psychomimetic drugs. Transcriptional profiling and pharmacological manipulations identified a transcriptional and behavioral interaction between the Prodh and Comt genes that is likely to represent a homeostatic response to enhanced dopaminergic signaling in the frontal cortex. This interaction modulates a number of schizophrenia-related phenotypes, providing a framework for understanding the high disease risk associated with this locus, the expression of the phenotype, or both.

Animals↗