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Biomedical subjects

J C Liu

Publications and source records attributed to J C Liu.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Nosocomial outbreak of scabies.

Scabies is a common infestation caused by the human itch mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Small outbreaks in communities or hospitals are not uncommon, but are rarely documented. In this paper, we report on a nosocomial outbreak of scabies originating from a patient with Norwegian scabies at the Intensive Care Unit in Taiwan Provincial Tainan Hospital. Twenty-nine individuals including four inpatients and 25 hospital personnel were involved. The diagnosis was based on history, clinical findings or a positive skin scraping. Unfamiliarity with the clinical manifestations delayed the diagnosis and the highly contagious nature of Norwegian scabies precipitated this outbreak. Early initiation of effective control measures with extensive therapeutic and prophylactic treatment of all contacts resulted in successful eradication of the outbreak.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Changes in corneal topography after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy for myopia.

Computer-assisted analysis of corneal topography was performed in 17 normally sighted human eyes during the first year after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia. Laser ablation of the central cornea produced an optical zone with a smooth power transition to the peripheral cornea. Decentration of the ablation was noted in some eyes (less than 0.5 mm in 3 eyes, 0.5 to 1.0 mm in 10 eyes, 1 to 1.5 mm in 3 eyes, and 2.1 mm in 1 eye), suggesting that careful alignment of the laser beam is critical. Improved methods to align the ablation within the center of the entrance pupil are needed. In 12 of 17 eyes, the topographic pattern appeared to stabilize between 3 and 7 months after PRK. In the remaining five eyes, central ablation power changed by more than 0.5 diopters (D) between the 6- and 12-month examinations. Regression was more common and more pronounced in eyes with intended corrections more than 5 D, whereas the majority of eyes with intended corrections of 5 D or less showed good correspondence between the final change in central ablation power and the attempted correction. Two eyes had a loss of at least two lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity that was attributable to irregular astigmatism, decentration of the ablation, and/or corneal opacification.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Central photorefractive keratectomy for myopia. Partially sighted and normally sighted eyes.

Ten partially sighted and 19 normally sighted eyes underwent excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy for the correction of myopia. Nine of the partially sighted and 17 of the normally sighted eyes had 12 months of follow-up. Epithelial healing was complete in all eyes by day 6. None of the eyes had recurrent erosions, infections, or other medical complications. An increase in corneal haze after surgery was followed by a slow trend toward clearing. Average uncorrected visual acuity in the 7 normally sighted eyes with attempted corrections of 5 diopters (D) or less was 20/40 from month 2 on; the eyes with greater than 5 D attempted corrections had an average of 20/80--at month 2, which declined to 20/200--by month 6. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was within +/- 1 Snellen line of preoperative values in 14 of the normally sighted eyes, improved 2 or more lines in 2 eyes, and worsened two or more lines in two eyes. Hard contact lens overcorrection restored all of the two-line loss in 1 eye and 1 line of the 3-line loss in the other. Refraction and keratometry indicated corneal flattening without induced astigmatism.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Origins of the afferent fibers to the cat superior cervical ganglion.

The origins of the afferent fibers to the cat's superior cervical ganglion (SCG) were demonstrated by using the retrograde horseradish peroxidase tracing method. We found that the preganglionic neurons were located in the spinal segments C8-T5, particularly in T1-T3. These neurons were situated mainly in the intermediolateral column. The extra-SCG neurons along with the cervical sympathetic trunk originated ipsilaterally from the middle cervical and stellate ganglia, and contralaterally from the caudal part of the SCG. Labeled neurons also originated from the mandibular division of the trigeminal ganglion. Our results demonstrated that many fiber sources projected to the SCG, which plays a complicated synaptic role in controlling the visceral organs of the head and neck region.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Morphometric studies of parietal cells in cats before and after lesser-curvature seromyotomy.

A modified, highly selective vagotomy-seromyotomy of the lesser curvature of the stomach was performed on five groups of cats. The horseradish peroxidase (HRP) tract-tracing method was used to detect the regeneration or reinnervation of vagal nerve branches. Morphological changes to the parietal cells and to the gastric mucosa were also examined by light and electron microscopy. Following surgery, the cats were sacrificed at the fourth, eighth, twelfth, sixteenth and the twentieth week. At the sixteenth week, partial regeneration of vagal nerve branches was found. Between the fourth and the twelfth week there was a significant increase in the number of parietal cells per 0.1 mm-wide of mucosa column and in the volume fraction of the mucosa made up of parietal cells. Of the four types of parietal cells, "stimulated", "partially stimulated", "returning" and "resting", the resting type was predominant after seromyotomy, especially between the fourth and the twelfth week. Based on the above observation, we concluded that the modified lesser-curvature seromyotomy depresses the function and responsiveness of the parietal cells despite an increase in their number and in their volume fraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Nevus of Ota with glaucoma: report of three cases.

We report three cases of unilateral open-angle glaucoma associated with ipsilateral nevus of Ota. All three occurred in black patients and were associated with ipsilateral melanocytic infiltration of the outflow tracts. Glaucoma probably is associated with nevus of Ota in blacks more frequently than has been reported. All patients with nevus of Ota should be examined regularly to screen for glaucoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Characterization of the barrier properties of mucosal membranes.

The barrier properties of the nasal, rectal, and vaginal membranes were investigated in the rabbit by comparing physical characteristics and permeability to model hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds. It was found that the nasal, rectal, and vaginal mucosae differ in their physical characteristics and interactions. The nasal mucosa had the highest in vitro transport of both the model hydrophilic compound, mannitol, and the model lipophilic compound, progesterone. Although the nasal mucosa was found to have some hydrophilic character, it appears that these mucosae are primarily lipophilic in nature. The role of the lipid domain in the barrier properties of these mucosal membranes was investigated using progesterone and a series of its hydroxyprogesterone analogues. Membrane permeability was found to decrease as the order of hydrophilicity of the progestins increased, indicating that the lipid domain plays an important role in the barrier function of these membranes. The changes observed in the physical properties and permeability of the mucosal membranes after extraction of the lipids also demonstrated the importance of the lipid domain in the maintenance of the mucosal barrier.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Bioavailability of propranolol following oral and transdermal administration in rabbits.

The systemic bioavailability of propranolol was evaluated following oral and transdermal administration in rabbits. Using a four-way crossover study, the bioavailability of propranolol following oral administration was determined to be 12.3 +/- 5.9%, indicating that propranolol is subject to extensive hepatic first-pass metabolism in rabbits. Transdermal delivery of propranolol, via an adhesive delivery device, resulted in a bioavailability of 74.8 +/- 10.1%, indicating that the transdermal delivery of propranolol can significantly increase systemic bioavailability over oral administration. Skin irritation studies indicated that neither propranolol nor the adhesive used in the device caused any appreciable skin irritation.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1990

Treatment of experimental suprachoroidal hemorrhage with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator.

Suprachoroidal hemorrhages were created in 15 albino rabbit eyes by injecting 0.1 cc of autologous blood into the suprachoroidal space. One day later, 10 of these eyes were treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). Doses of 1 mg per kg were given to each rabbit over 2 to 3 hours by intravenous infusion. Five eyes served as control. The rate of clearance of hemorrhage was compared in the two groups. Average day of clearance was 14 days for the treated group, and 20.2 for the untreated control group. In this study, TPA given intravenously appears to accelerate the clearance of suprachoroidal hemorrhage.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Treatment of experimental suprachoroidal hemorrhage with subconjunctival injection of tissue plasminogen activator: a negative report.

Suprachoroidal hemorrhage was created in 10 albino rabbit eyes. Five eyes were treated with subconjunctival injections of 40,000 IU of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) daily for 6 days; five eyes served as controls. It took approximately the same amount of time for the suprachoroidal hemorrhages to clear in both the control and treatment eyes. We conclude that subconjunctival injection of tPA does not accelerate the clearance of suprachoroidal hemorrhage.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Drug absorption through mucosal membranes: effect of mucosal route and penetrant hydrophilicity.

The influence of mucosal route and penetrant hydrophilicity on the in vivo absorption of a model lipophilic compound, progesterone, was investigated in ovariectomized rabbits. The absorption rate and systemic bioavailability of progesterone and its monohydroxy, dihydroxy, and trihydroxy derivatives were evaluated and compared following oral, nasal, rectal, and vaginal administrations. Nasal delivery resulted in a significantly higher rate and extent of progesterone absorption than oral, rectal, or vaginal administration. The rate and extent of mucosal absorption decreased as penetrant hydrophilicity increased for the nasal, rectal, and vaginal routes. The results of this investigation indicate that the absorption characteristics of a lipophilic compound, such as progesterone, are influenced by the properties of both the mucosa and the drug.

Absorption↗
PubMed1989

Transdermal controlled delivery of propranolol from a multilaminate adhesive device.

The feasibility of transdermal controlled delivery of propranolol was investigated by conducting in vitro skin permeation studies using rabbit pinna (ear) skin. A new multilaminate adhesive device which is capable of releasing propranolol in a controlled fashion over a 24-hr period had been developed and was evaluated transdermally using rabbit pinna skin. Skin permeation of propranolol from the device was found to be controlled by the stratum corneum during the early phase of permeation and then by the adhesive device during steady-state permeation. The rabbit pinna skin was shown to be a good animal model for studying the transdermal permeation of propranolol from the device, when compared to human cadaver skin.

Adhesives↗
PubMed1989

[Plasminogen activator activity in mouse ovaries during periovulatory period].

Immature mice were injected subcutaneously with 5 IU PMSG for 2 days to stimulate follicle development, which was followed by administration of 5 IU hCG to induce ovulation. The ovaries were removed at various periovulatory stages for preparing ovarian homogenates, granulosa cells and cumulus-oocyte complexes. The activity of plasminogen activator in the samples, separated by SDS-PAGE, were determined by fibrin-overlay technique. The results show that 15% of the gonadotropin-treated animals were ovulated 8h after hCG administration, about 6-8h earlier than that occurred in rat. Moreover, both tPA, and uPA activity were stimulated following PMSG treatment in ovarian homogenates and granulosa cells. Subsequent hCG injection further increased the two types of PA activity in a time-dependent manner, reaching maximum 4-8h after hCG treatment, and declined following ovulation. Greater uPA activity (70%) in the cultured mouse granulosa cells was found. It is, therefore, suggested that both tPA and uPA may be involved in the regulation of ovulation in mouse. The cumulus-oocyte complexes contained mainly tPA, which activity showed a time-dependent increase and reached a maximum between 12-24h after hCG treatment. Since cumulus-oocyte complexes collected from oviducts post ovulation still retain a considerable amount of tPA, the enzyme in the complexes may also play a role in the process of cumulus dispersion, oocyte transportation and implantation.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Detection and preliminary studies of small double capsid virus.

This article reports the detection of small double capsid virus and results of preliminary studies on its morphology, serology and relationship to gastroenteritis. A kind of small virus particles with morphological characteristics was found in fecal samples of 3 of 23 infants with autumn gastroenteritis. The average diameter of this virus particles is 34.1 +/- 1.1 nm, possessing core, double capsids and spoke-like capsomers. It can be differentiated from other viruses in morphology. Correlated antigenicity exists among 3 strains of the virus but not among other studied viruses and this virus. The titer of the antibody to small double capsid virus in convalescent phase-sera of 2 patients was more than 4-fold as high as that in control sera. This virus was absent in fecal samples of recovered patients as well as in those of normal infants. These show that small "double layer like" capsid virus might be one of the etiological agents of acute gastroenteritis.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1989

Different respiratory patterns elicited by microinjection of L-glutamic acid into the ventrolateral nucleus of the tractus solitarius in cats.

Only limited information relating neurotransmitters to central regulation of the respiratory system exists. L-glutamic acid has been proposed as the primary neurotransmitter in the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) of cats. To test whether or not glutamic acid has an effect on the respiratory center, we microinjected L-glutamic acid (1 M, 0.1 microliter) via a 1 microliter Hamilton microsyringe into the ventrolateral area of the NTS dorsal respiratory groups (DRG) of unanesthetized, decerebrated cats at two-second intervals with continuous monitoring of tidal volume (VT), respiratory rate (f), end tidal CO2, blood pressure and heart rate. The results showed that glutamate induced the following respiratory changes: VT and f increased; VT and f decreased; and VT decreased but f increased. In addition to VT or f changes elicited by glutamate microinjection, changes in other rhythmic patterns such as apnea, apneusis and irregular respiration were observed. Glutamic acid appears to play a significant role in the modulation of the respiratory drive in the DRG. We, therefore, suggest that the excitatory amino acid L-glutamic acid may be involved in central respiratory control.

Animals↗