Biomedical subjects

J C Hsu

Publications and source records attributed to J C Hsu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Development of the activities of pancreatic and caecal enzymes in White Roman goslings.

1. This study was to investigate the development of the activities of pancreatic and caecal enzymes in White Roman goslings from hatching to 28 d of age. 2. A total of 80 1-d-old goslings were used. At hatching, 3 and 7 d of age, 16 goslings (8 males and 8 females) were used. At 11, 14, 21 and 28 d of age, 8 goslings, 4 males and 4 females were selected. The activities of amylase, lipase, trypsin and chymotrypsin in each segment of the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) and their contents and the activity of cellulase in the caecal contents were measured. 3. The specific activity (SA) of amylase in the duodenal mucosa and contents increased significantly both from 11 to 14 and 14 to 21 d of age and declined after 28 d of age. In the jejunum and ileum, there was a significant peak in the SA of amylase in the mucosa in goslings from 7 to 21 d of age. On average, the SA of lipase of mucosa and content in the small intestine was initially low but gradually increased from 14 to 21 and from 21 to 28 d of age. 4. The SA of trypsin in the contents of the duodenum and the jejunum increased both from 7 to 11 and 11 to 14 d of age and there was high activity in the ileal contents from 14 to 21 d of age. From 3 to 14 d of age, the SA of chymotrypsin in the duodenal mucosa significantly increased and peaked. There was a significant peak at 11 d of age in the SA of chymotrypsin in the duodenal or jejunal contents and in the ileal contents at 7 d. The SA of cellulase in the caecal contents increased linearly with age, reaching a plateau at 28 d of age. 5. The rate of activity development varied from hatching to 28 d of age. However, the mean SA of amylase and lipase of intestinal contents reached a peak at 21 d, trypsin and chymotrypsin at 11 d and cellulase at 28 d of age, respectively. The quantitative changes in SA of cellulase, amylase, lipase, trypsin and chymotrypsin increased by about 4-, 3-, 5-, 2- and 3-fold, respectively, in the intestinal content of goslings. Thus, development of proteases in the intestine of goslings peaked more rapidly than amylase, lipase and cellulase during the first 4 weeks.

Aging↗

PubMed2006

The expression of pituitary gland genes in laying geese.

The purpose of this study was to detect differential expression of genes in the pituitary gland in laying geese by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Pituitary glands from prelaying and laying geese were dissected for mRNA extraction. The cDNA from pituitary glands of prelaying geese was subtracted from the cDNA from the pituitary glands of laying geese (forward subtraction); the reverse subtraction was also performed. We screened 384 clones with possible differentially expressed gene fragments by differential screening. Sixty-five clones from the differential screening results were subjected to gene sequencing and further analysis. We found that at least 19 genes were highly expressed in the pituitary glands of laying geese compared with prelaying geese. Among these, 6 genes (including 4 novel genes) were confirmed by virtual Northern analysis. We found that prolactin and visinin-like protein were highly expressed in the pituitary glands of laying geese compared with prelaying geese (P < 0.05). Further investigation is needed to demonstrate specific functions of the novel genes discovered in the current study.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment decreases post-ischemic neurotrophin-3 mRNA down-regulation in the rat hippocampus.

The therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on ischemic injury was investigated using in situ hybridization to detect the mRNA expression of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), which is thought to play a crucial role in protecting against neuronal death induced by brain ischemia. The rats under investigation were subjected to 10 min transient forebrain ischemia, and subsequently exposed to HBO (100% oxygen, 2.5 atm absolute) for 2 h. Levels of NT-3 mRNA in the CA1, CA2 and CA3 regions, and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus were measured after various reperfusion periods. Neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 region was also measured by Nissl staining, seven days post ischemia. The results demonstrated that HBO treatment significantly reduced the ischemia-induced down-regulation of the NT-3 mRNA level at 4 h post ischemia, and significantly increased cell survival 7 days after reperfusion. The findings suggest that an HBO treatment maintaining the NT-3 mRNA level in the hippocampus can be beneficial to the ischemic brain within a certain time frame.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Influence of sleep deprivation coupled with administration of melatonin on the ultrastructure of rat pineal gland.

The effects of sleep deprivation with or without melatonin treatment on the pineal morphology in rats were studied. Five days after sleep deprivation and using electron microscopy, many of the pinealocytes exhibited structural alterations including dilation of the cisternae of the rough/smooth endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi saccules and mitochondria, and an increase in the numbers of lipid droplets, vacuoles and dense-core vesicles. These features were considered as morphological evidence of increased synthesis or secretion by the pineal gland. In addition, numerous membranous profiles, considered to be degraded cellular organelles, were observed in some pinealocytes and sympathetic nerve terminals. It is suggested that the occurrence of degenerating organelles had resulted from the deleterious effect of sleep deprivation. This may be attributed to an overload of secretory activity of the pineal gland during stress elicited by the long-term sleep deprivation, leading to functional exhaustion and irreversible damage of the oxidation-related organelles. In sleep-deprived rats receiving a single injection of melatonin (10 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days, the above features indicative of pinealocytic activation were attenuated. In fact, all signs of degeneration of cellular organelles were rarely found. These results suggest that the pineal gland is itself a target for exogenously administered melatonin. Thus, melatonin when administered systemically may be used as a potential neuroprotective drug against neuronal damage induced by sleep deprivation.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

A confidence-set approach for finding tightly linked genomic regions.

As more studies adopt the approach of whole-genome screening, geneticists are faced with the challenge of having to interpret results from traditional approaches that were not designed for genome-scan data. Frequently, two-point analysis by the LOD method is performed to search for signals of linkage throughout the genome, for each of hundreds or even thousands of markers. This practice has raised the question of how to adjust the significance level for the fact that multiple tests are being performed. Various recommendations have been made, but no consensus has emerged. In this article, we propose a new method, the confidence-set approach, that circumvents the need to correct for the level of significance according to the number of markers tested. In the search for the gene location of a monogenic disorder, multiplicity adjustment is not needed in order to maintain the desired level of confidence. For complex diseases involving multiple genes, one needs only to adjust the level of significance according to the number of disease genes--a much smaller number than the number of markers in a genome screen-to ensure a predetermined genomewide confidence level. Furthermore, our formulation of the tests enables us to localize disease genes to small genomic regions, an extremely desirable feature that the traditional LOD method lacks. Our simulation study shows that, for sib-pair data, even when the coverage probability of the confidence set is chosen to be as high as 99%, our approach is able to implicate only the markers that are closely linked to the disease genes.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed2001

Anterior mediastinal tumour identified by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography.

PURPOSE: To report a child with anterior mediastinal tumour misdiagnosed as pericardial effusion who had been sent to the operating theatre for drainage. After induction of general anesthesia she developed cardio-respiratory collapse. The diagnosis was made with the aid of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). CLINICAL FEATURES: A 14-yr-old girl suffered from cough and intermittent fever for one month before admission. Four days before admission, she became orthopneic and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Precordial echocardiography showed an anterior and posterior echolucent space between the pericardium and epicardium that was thought to be a pericardial effusion. She was sent to the operating room for emergency drainage. After induction of general anesthesia, breath sounds were not heard on the left side of the chest. The patient developed increasing hypoxemia and hypotension despite cardiocentesis. A TEE determined that an anterior mediastinal mass was the cause of her hypoxemia and hypotension. The tumour was debulked and the patient made an uneventful postoperative recovery. CONCLUSION: In this case, the correct diagnosis of an anterior mediastinal mass was made with TEE. The place of TEE may be indicated in patients with unexplained hypoxemia and hypotension.

Child↗

PubMed2001

Effects of heparin immobilization on the surface characteristics of a biological tissue fixed with a naturally occurring crosslinking agent (genipin): an in vitro study.

Heparinized biomaterials have been used to manufacture blood-contacting prostheses. The present study was intended to characterize the surface properties of a genipin-fixed biological tissue immobilized with heparin using the methods of ionic binding (the /h-i tissue) or covalent binding via multi-point attachment (the /h-m tissue) or end-point attachment (the /h-e tissue). The surface characteristics of test tissues evaluated were water contact angle, surface tension, protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, and cellular compatibility. Nonheparinized and the glutaraldehyde-fixed counterparts were used as controls. It was found that immobilization of heparin on the glutaraldehyde- and genipin-fixed tissues increased their hydrophilicity and surface tension and suppressed their mole ratio of adsorbed fibrinogen to adsorbed albumin and the amount of platelets adhered. Among the heparinized tissues, the /h-m tissue was more hydrophobic and had a higher mole ratio of adsorbed fibrinogen to adsorbed albumin and a greater amount of platelets adhered than the /h-i and /h-e tissues. In general, the surface characteristics of the /h-i tissue were comparable to the /h-e tissue. However, it is known that the ionically immobilized heparin may be displaced from the surface by an ion-exchange mechanism when exposed to blood. There were no significant differences in hydrophilicity, surface tension, the mole ratio of adsorbed fibrinogen to adsorbed albumin, and the amount of platelet adhesion between the glutaraldehyde- and genipin-fixed tissues in comparison with their respective counterparts. However, the cellular compatibility of the genipin-fixed tissues with or without heparinization was significantly superior to its glutaraldehyde-fixed counterparts.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2001

Pneumopericardium after bronchoscopic carbon dioxide laser surgery--a case report.

A female baby sustained pneumopericardium after bronchoscopic CO2 laser surgery for tracheal stenosis. Perioperative pneumopericardium though rare is a life-threatening condition in babies. The symptoms are usually not specific such as hypotension, bradycardia, muffled heart sound, cardiovascular collapse, etc. The causes and clinical findings of pneumopericardium were reviewed, as are the radiographic features so as to differentiate the condition from pneumomediastinum. Early recognition of pneumopericardium is important, because emergent pericardiocentesis may be required if there is clinical evidence of cardiac tamponade.

Bronchoscopy↗

PubMed2001

Hemodynamic responses of thiopental and propofol in different-aged patients during endotracheal intubation.

BACKGROUND: Thiopental and propofol are 2 popularly used anesthetic induction agents that have different pharmacological and pharmacokinetic actions. It is not clear how the hemodynamic responses differ in different-aged patients using these 2 drugs for anesthetic induction. The aim of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic responses to propofol and thiopental of different-aged patients during endotracheal intubation. METHODS: Sixty patients, 20 to 83 years old, were included in this study. Patients were randomly divided into 6 groups according to age and different inductive anesthetics. Non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitoring was performed every minute before anesthesia, during anesthetic induction with 5 mg.kg-1 thiopental or 2 mg.kg-1 propofol intravenously, and after intubation. RESULTS: Propofol induction produced a smaller mean arterial pressure increase immediately after intubation than did thiopental induction in adult and elderly groups (101.0 +/- 18.5 and 104.0 +/- 21.1 mmHg in the propofol groups vs. 138.3 +/- 17.1 and 138.9 +/- 16.1 mmHg in the thiopental groups at 1 minute after intubation, p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Differences in heart rate between propofol and thiopental groups were found in young and adult groups (85.1 +/- 9.2 and 81.7 +/- 10.9 in the propofol groups vs. 94.5 +/- 9.9 and 95.0 +/- 14.0 beats per minute in the thiopental groups at 1 minute after intubation, p = 0.041 and p = 0.029, respectively). CONCLUSION: Propofol induction produced more stable hemodynamics after intubation in adult and elderly patients than did thiopental induction. Therefore, it is safer to use propofol for induction and intubation in adult and elderly patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Combined conventional and jet ventilation in airway management in tracheal tumor.

Tumors on the carina are uncommon, and their anesthetic management can present a considerable challenge. The principle anesthetic consideration is ventilation and oxygenation in the face of an open airway. A 60-year-old man patient suffered a carinal tumor, which occupied 70% of the both main bronchi and bled spontaneously while coughing. Surgical resection and reconstruction were done. The carinal surgical approach was a right posterolateral thoracotomy, and the patient was placed in the left decubitus position. Because we could not insert the jet catheter past the mass, high frequency jet ventilation to ventilate the dependent lung could not be applied. Our choice was differential lung ventilation with a combination of conventional and high frequency jet ventilation modes to preserve oxygenation during tumor excision and tracheal reconstruction. An episode of desaturation was successfully treated during removal of tumor. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient was sent to the intensive care unit after surgery and discharged on the 11th day. He received further combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy during his next admission. Fiberoptic examination on the 5 months later no evidence of recurrence. In summary, we described our airway management on carinal tumor excision, especially the tumor was so large that dependent lung jet ventilation could not employ.

High-Frequency Jet Ventilation↗

PubMed2001

Inadvertent hypothermia causes pulseless electrical activity in a patient during cervical spine surgery--a case report.

Recent studies have shown that hypothermia triples the incidence of major cardiac events. We present a happening in which a 71-year-old patient developed pulseless electrical activity (PEA) while he was undergoing cervical laminectomy for spinal stenosis in the sitting position. Thromboembolism or venous air embolism and acute myocardial infarction were respectively excluded by transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac enzymes analysis to be the causes of the cardiac event. The abnormal finding that stood out was low nasopharyngeal temperature (31 degrees C) during the procedure, which was thought to contribute to the development of the PEA episode.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Lateralization and prognostic value of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this prospective study were to investigate the stability of hippocampal metabolite ratios obtained by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), to evaluate the ability of MRS to determine the pre-surgical lateralization of seizure focus, and to assess the relationship between MRS results and postoperative outcomes in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. METHODS: Within- and between-acquisition variations were evaluated in 30 control subjects, using the chemical-shift imaging technique. The most stable metabolite ratio was then applied for pre-surgical evaluation of 14 patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. RESULTS: The ratio between N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline-containing compounds (Cho) plus creatine-phosphocreatine (Cr), i.e., NAA/(Cho+Cr), had an overall smaller percentage change between measurements (13%-28%) than did the other ratios: NAA/Cho (18%-37%), NAA/Cr (11%-60%), and Cho/Cr (19%-51%). With a mean follow-up period of 27 months (range, 12-55 months) after an anterior temporal lobectomy, 10 patients were in Engel s class I (71%), 2 were in class II (14%), and 2 were in class III (14%). Lateralization by MRS was consistent with the operation side in 11 (79%) patients, including class I in 8 patients, class II in 1 patient, and class III in 2 patients. Ranges of reduced NAA/(Cho+Cr) values were similar between patients with different post-surgical outcomes: 0.26-0.47 for class I, 0.40-0.45 for class II, and 0.34-0.40 for class III (p=0.651). CONCLUSIONS: Proton MRS may be helpful in pre-surgical lateralization of the seizure focus in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy; however, it cannot provide prognostic information about postoperative seizure control.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Different astroglial reaction between the vagal dorsal motor nucleus and nucleus ambiguus following vagal-hypoglossal nerve anastomosis in cats.

The dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) and nucleus ambiguus (NA) were both traced with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) retrograde labelling technique after vagal-hypoglossal nerve anastomosis (VHA). By light microscopy, reinnervation of the new target, viz. tongue skeletal musculature, by DMV and NA was established at 22 days postoperation (dpo) as shown by the neuronal labelling with HRP. Ultrastructurally, signs of retrograde degeneration occurred in some DMV and NA neurons between 3 and 25 days after VHA. The incidence of darkened dendrites, an early sign of dendritic loss, was more common in the DMV compared to the NA. Accompanying the neuronal alteration were drastic astrocytic reactions in the DMV, but not in the NA. Between 3 and 7 dpo, the astrocytes in the DMV showed extensively hypertrophied processes and by 22 dpo, the somata and dendrites of HRP-labelled DMV neurons, but not NA's, appeared to be delineated by the increased lamellar astrocytic processes. Such a feature was sustained throughout the remaining postoperative intervals up to 500 dpo. It is concluded that the DMV motoneurons being autonomic in nature are probably not conducive to the newly acquired target organ. Hence, the insulation of the regenerating DMV motoneurons by the astroglial ensheathment would be vital in the neuronal remodelling and reconstruction of the vagal-hypoglossal pathway.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

PubMed2000

Coronary artery calcium evaluation by electron beam computed tomography and its relation to new cardiovascular events.

Electron beam computed tomography is widely used to screen for coronary artery calcium (CAC). We evaluated the relation of CAC to future cardiovascular disease events in 926 asymptomatic persons (735 men and 191 women, mean age 54 years) who underwent a baseline electron beam computed tomographic scan. All subjects included in this report returned a follow-up questionnaire 2 to 4 years (mean 3.3) after scanning, inquiring about myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularizations. Sixty percent of men and 40% of women had a positive scan at baseline. Twenty-eight cardiovascular events occurred and were confirmed by blinded medical record review. The presence of CAC (a total calcium score of >0) and increasing score quartiles were related to the occurrence of new myocardial infarction (p <0.05), revascularizations (p <0.001), and total cardiovascular events (p <0.001). Those with scores at or above the median (score of 5) had a relative risk of 4.5 (p <0.01) for new events. From Cox regression models, adjusted for age, gender, and coronary risk factors, the relative risks for those with scores of 81 to 270 and -271 (compared with 0) for cardiovascular events were 4.5 (p <0.05) and 8.8 (p <0.001), respectively. These data support previous reports showing CAC to be a modest predictor of future cardiovascular events.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Dietitian intervention improves lipid values and saves medication costs in men with combined hyperlipidemia and a history of niacin noncompliance.

We asked if medical nutrition therapy (MNT) administered by registered dietitians could lead to beneficial clinical and financial outcomes in men with combined hyperlipidemia (hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia). A retrospective chart review was conducted on 73 men with combined hyperlipidemia who were being considered for statin therapy because of a previous history of noncompliance with niacin therapy. Subjects participated in an 8-week dietitian intervention program as a qualifying requirement, before statin therapy. Patient records were reviewed to determine the beginning and ending serum lipid concentrations and the number and length of dietitian sessions. Complete information was available on 43 subjects, aged 60.7 +/- 10.1 years (mean +/- standard deviation). Total dietitian intervention time was 169 +/- 19 minutes in 2.7 +/- 0.6 sessions (range = 2 to 4 sessions) during 6.5 +/- 2.2 weeks of MNT (range = 4 to 8 weeks). MNT lowered levels of total cholesterol 11% (P < .001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol 9% (P < .001), and triglycerides 22% (P < .0001) and body mass index 2% (P < .0001); MNT raised high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels 4%. After dietitian intervention, only 15 of 30 eligible patients required antihyperlipidemic medications, which led to an annual cost savings of $27,449.10 or $638.35 per patient. A cost saving of $3.03 in statin therapy was realized for each dollar spent on MNT. We conclude that an average of 3 individualized dietitian visits of 1 hour each over an 8-week period has a beneficial effect in treating patients with combined hyperlipidemia and recommend consideration of MNT as a cost-effective intervention.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

In vitro surface characterization of a biological patch fixed with a naturally occurring crosslinking agent.

The study was designed to characterize the surface properties (including water contact angle, surface tension, protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, and cellular compatibility) of a biological patch fixed with genipin, a naturally occurring crosslinking agent. Fresh and glutaraldehyde-fixed counterparts were used as controls. It was found that both glutaraldehyde and genipin are effective crosslinking agents for biological tissue fixation. Fixation of biological tissue with glutaraldehyde or genipin significantly increased its hydrophilicity and surface tension and reduced its mol ratio of adsorbed fibrinogen to adsorbed albumin as well as the amount of adhered platelet. There were no significant differences in hydrophilicity, surface tension, the mole ratio of adsorbed fibrinogen to adsorbed albumin, and the amount of platelet adhesion between the glutaraldehyde- and genipin-fixed tissues. However, the cellular compatibilities of fresh and the genipin-fixed tissues were significantly superior to the glutaraldehyde-fixed tissue.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2000

Selection of donor nerves--an important factor in end-to-side neurorrhaphy.

We have examined the effects of end-to-side neurorrhaphy on peripheral nerve regeneration using the median nerve as recipient nerve and either the antagonistic radial nerve or the agonistic ulnar nerve as donor nerves in rat upper limbs. A perineural window was created in all cases. Motor recovery up to 16 weeks postoperation was tested with the grasping test. No recovery of motor function was evident after end-to-side neurorrhaphy of the median nerve to the antagonistic radial nerve, whereas six of eight rats with end-to-side neurorrhaphy to the agonistic ulnar nerve achieved 367 g +/- 47 g grasping power as compared to 526 g +/- 6 g in end-to-end coapted control animals. No significant difference in flexor digitorum sublimus-motor nerve conduction velocity was found among all three groups. Radial nerve stimulation produced simultaneous contraction of both extensor and flexor muscles of the lower arm that disabled any coordinated movement of the paw. Histology (toluidine blue, acetylcholinesterase-stain) showed multiple regenerated (motor)-axons distal to the coaptation site in the median nerve. Reinnervation of the median nerve solely by the respective donor nerve was demonstrated by a retrograde double labelling technique. These results show that averaged 70% muscle power as compared to end-to-end neurorrhaphy with well coordinated muscle function can be achieved by axonal sprouting through end-to-side neurorrhaphy if an agonistic nerve is used as donor nerve. However, satisfying results are unpredictable. Antagonistic nerves show the ability to induce axonal regeneration, but no useful function can be expected.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

PubMed2000

Nerve transfer to the median nerve using parts of the ulnar and radial nerves in the rabbit--effects on motor recovery of the median nerve and donor nerve morbidity.

In this study, motor re-innervation of the median nerve by transfer of one-third, one-half, and two-thirds of either the agonistic ulnar nerve or the antagonistic radial nerve was investigated in both extremities of 20 rabbits. Recipient median nerve: Muscle contraction force of the flexor digitorum sublimus muscle after a one-third and a one-half of the ulnar nerve transfer achieved an average of 75 and 97% muscle power respectively as compared to conventional end-to-end neurorrhaphy. Muscle contraction force after one-third or one-half of the radial nerve transfer was significantly lower (36%). Donor nerves: Extensor carpi radialis muscle or flexor carpi ulnaris muscle contraction force 6 months postoperatively demonstrated a significant decrease after a one-half ulnar nerve and a two-thirds ulnar or radial nerve transfer, but not after a one-third transfer of either radial or ulnar nerves. Histologically, the number of axons in the re-innervated median nerve and both donor nerves distal to the coaptation site seemed to follow variable patterns. It was concluded that in the rabbit use of one-third of the agonistic ulnar nerve for re-innervation of the median nerve results in useful motor recovery with negligible donor site morbidity. Clinically, this technique may offer an alternative option for proximal nerve injuries or for free functioning muscle transplantations.

Animals↗