Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J C Wang

Publications and source records attributed to J C Wang.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

A comparison of fusion rates between single-level cervical corpectomy and two-level discectomy and fusion.

A single corpectomy and strut grafting has been proposed as an alternative to performing two-level adjacent discectomies with multiple grafts to produce superior fusion rates. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and radiographic success of two-level discectomy and fusion with anterior cervical plate fixation compared with a single-level corpectomy. Fifty-two patients were treated with either a two-level adjacent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with cervical plating, or by a single-level corpectomy and plate. Thirty-two patients had two-level discectomies, whereas 20 had a single corpectomy and a strut graft (average follow-up was 3.6 years). One patient had a pseudarthrosis from a single-level corpectomy and required subsequent surgery to obtain an osseous union. The fusion rates between the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.385). The clinical results of the surgeries were similar between the groups based on Odom's criteria. The addition of cervical plates to either two-level discectomies or single-level corpectomies yielded similar fusion and complication rates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Assessment of cervical ligamentous injury in trauma patients using MRI.

During a 7-year period, a consecutive retrospective series of 89 trauma patients at a Level One trauma center who had negative standard radiographs with suspected occult cervical injury were administered a cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The MRI studies were fully able to assess the ligamentous status of the cervical spine in all patients and were the final step in determining the treatment of the spine. Of the total 89 patients, 82 had no ligamentous injury, and 7 had ligamentous injury. Two patients underwent surgery because of the findings on the MRI study. MRI studies of patients with negative standard radiographs but with suspected occult cervical injury are excellent and safe studies for the evaluation of cervical spinal stability because of their ability to detect ligamentous injuries that are not evident on plain radiographs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Relationship of hypolipidemia to cytokine concentrations and outcomes in critically ill surgical patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship of hypolipidemia to cytokine concentrations and clinical outcomes in critically ill surgical patients. DESIGN: Consecutive, prospective case series. SETTING: Surgical intensive care unit of an urban university hospital. PATIENTS: Subjects were 111 patients with a variety of critical illnesses, for whom serum lipid, lipoprotein, and cytokine concentrations were determined within 24 hrs of admission to a surgical intensive care unit. Controls were 32 healthy men and women for whom serum lipid, lipoprotein, and cytokine concentrations were determined. INTERVENTIONS: Blood samples were drawn on admission to the intensive care unit. Predetermined clinical outcomes including death, infection subsequent to intensive care unit admission, length of intensive care unit stay, and magnitude of organ dysfunction were monitored prospectively. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Measurements included total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoproteins A-I and B, phospholipid, triglyceride, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors p55 and p75. Mean serum lipid concentrations were extremely low: total cholesterol, 127 +/- 52 mg/dL; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 75 +/- 41 mg/dL; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 29 +/- 15 mg/dL. Total, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and apolipoprotein concentrations inversely correlated with interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and interleukin-10 concentrations, whereas the triglyceride concentration correlated positively with tumor necrosis factor soluble receptors p55 and p75. Clinical outcomes were related to whether the admission cholesterol concentration was above (n = 56) or below (n = 55) the median concentration of 120 mg/dL. Each of the clinical end points occurred between 1.9- and 3.5-fold more frequently in the very low cholesterol (<120 mg/dL) group. Nine patients (8%) died during the hospitalization. Seven of the nine patients who died had total cholesterol concentrations below the median concentration of 120 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS: Low cholesterol and lipoprotein concentrations found in critically ill surgical patients correlate with interleukin-6, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and interleukin-10 concentrations and predict clinical outcomes.

APACHE↗
PubMed2001

Prevalence of emphysema in individuals who underwent screening CT for lung cancer in Nagano prefecture of Japan.

BACKGROUND: Screening for lung cancer with low-dose spiral computed tomography (CT) was carried out in Nagano prefecture in Japan. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of emphysema in 7,847 individuals based on the Nagano spiral CT screening and to correlate the prevalence and severity of emphysema with various factors. METHODS: Spiral CT images with scan parameters of 120 kV, 50 mA, 10-mm collimation and a pitch of 2 obtained at full inspiration were retrospectively evaluated in 7,847 individuals. Emphysema was defined as the presence of low-attenuation areas in the lung parenchyma. Extent of emphysema was graded on a four-level scale and correlated with gender, age and smoking habits. RESULTS: There were 4,288 males and 3,559 females. Mean age of the subjects was 61 years; 45.8% of the participants were smokers. Overall prevalence of emphysema was 2.9%; the prevalence was significantly higher in males (5.0%) than in females (0.5%); it was also significantly higher in smokers, and increased with age. Emphysema was positively correlated with age, but there was no correlation with smoking indices. Emphysema was mostly mild and localized in the upper lung. The logistic model revealed that gender, age and smoking indices were significant factors for developing emphysema. CONCLUSIONS: Overall prevalence of emphysema was 2.9%. The prevalence was higher in males and in older people. Smoking was also related to a higher prevalence of emphysema but not to its severity.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Choriocarcinoma of the gallbladder: treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

A case of non-gestational choriocarcinoma, primary in the gallbladder, is described. Pathology showed a mixture of adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma. A Medline search for the last 10 years has shown no similar cases reported. The use of cisplatin-based chemotherapy to treat non-gestational choriocarcinoma has also not been described. This patient showed a rapidly progressive disease as described in other reported cases of non-gestational choriocarcinoma. However, cisplatin-based chemotherapy, in this patient, produced a partial response defined as significantly decreased beta-HCG titers (more than 50%), and with stable appearance or slightly improvement of hepatic metastasis and survival for 1 yr.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2001

Growth and development of the pediatric cervical spine documented radiographically.

BACKGROUND: The radiographic anatomy of the cervical spine in children is complex and can be difficult to interpret. The present study was undertaken to document radiographically the growth and development of the cervical spine in a prospective, longitudinal manner and to establish standard radiographic measurements on the basis of findings in patients who were followed serially from the age of three months until skeletal maturity. METHODS: The radiographic resources of the Cleveland Study of Normal Growth and Development (Bolton-Brush Collection, Cleveland, Ohio) were reviewed. From this large database, we identified fifty boys and forty-six girls who had a sufficient number of radiographs of the cervical spine for inclusion in our study. With use of a computerized image analyzer, the growth and development of the atlantodens interval, the diameter of the spinal canal, the Torg ratio, the height and width of the second through fifth cervical vertebral bodies, the height of the dens, and the ossification of the first cervical vertebra were assessed on serial radiographs made from the age of three months until skeletal maturity. RESULTS: Serial measurements of the atlantodens interval, the anteroposterior diameter of the cervical canal, the height and anteroposterior width of the cervical vertebral bodies, and the height of the dens, made in normal, healthy children from the age of three months to fifteen years, are presented in tabular and graphic forms. The median Torg ratio was 1.47 for both males and females primarily, and it reached values of 1.06 for males and 1.10 for females by maturity. The anterior arch of the first cervical vertebra had ossified in 33% of the children by the age of three months and in 81% of the children by the age of one year. Closure of the synchondroses was completed in all children by the age of three years. CONCLUSIONS: The measurements presented in the current study are important because they are the first, as far as we know, to document the radiographic parameters of the cervical spine in children who were followed longitudinally from before the age of three years through the course of growth and development until skeletal maturity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Tracheal invasion by thyroid carcinoma: prediction using MR imaging.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of MR imaging in predicting tracheal invasion by thyroid carcinomas and to determine MR imaging criteria for diagnosing tracheal invasion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging was performed on the normal trachea of one cadaver and 30 healthy subjects as a standard of reference. Then, MR imaging findings in 67 patients with thyroid carcinoma were reviewed and correlated with surgical and pathologic findings. A logistic regression model was used to determine which MR imaging features were significant for predicting tracheal invasion. RESULTS: Twenty-three (34%) of the 67 patients had tracheal invasion. Logistic regression model analysis revealed that significant MR characteristics for determining tracheal invasion included soft-tissue signal in the tracheal cartilage (p < 0.001), intraluminal mass (p < 0.001), and degree of tumor circumference around the trachea (p = 0.001). The highest accuracy (90%) for determining tracheal invasion was achieved using a combination of findings. A case was considered positive for tracheal invasion if there was soft-tissue signal in the cartilage, an intraluminal mass, or a tumor that abutted a circumference of the trachea of 180 degrees or greater. Using these factors resulted in seven false-positive diagnoses because soft-tissue signal in the cartilage was sometimes seen in healthy trachea. Although intraluminal mass invariably reflected deep tracheal invasion, soft-tissue signal in the cartilage rarely indicated actual cartilage invasion but rather indicated tumor extension between the cartilaginous rings. CONCLUSION: Tracheal invasion by thyroid carcinomas can be accurately diagnosed with MR imaging, and using a combination of criteria is the most accurate method of predicting this phenomenon.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Antimutagenicity of extracts of Hericium erinaceus.

Hericium erinaceus is valuable in the diet and in medical treatment. It contains water-soluble polysaccharides that have been found to enhance immunity and which show anti-artificial pulmonary metastatic tumor effects. In this study, water and ethanol extracts of the mycelium and fruiting body of Hericium erinaceus were examined by the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 to screen for antimutagenic effects against 5 mutagens: AFB1, B[a]P, Glu-P-1, NQNO, and Trp-P-1. We found that both extracts have the strongest antimutagenic activity against Trp-P-1, followed by Glu-P-1, B[a]P-1, AFB1, and finally NQNO. In addition, the antimutagenicity of the extracts was produced in a concentration-dependent manner. At a concentration of 200 ppm, both extracts showed the highest inhibitory action. However, the linear correlation indicated that concentration-activity relationship was not significant (p > 0.05). In addition, extracts showed less antimutagenicity after heat treatment (p < 0.05). This suggests that the antimutagenicity of the extracts is heat-labile. The ethanol extract from mycelium or fruiting body had better antimutagenic effects than did the water extract (p < 0.05). Also, the extract from the fruiting body had better antimutagenic effects than did that from the mycelium.

Antimutagenic Agents↗
PubMed2001

[Experimental study on compound of xenogenic inorganic bone and auto-marrow encapsuled by pedicled muscular flap].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possibility of prefabricate a vascularized artificial bone-muscular flap, a compound of xenogenic inorganic bone and auto-marrow, with capability of osteogenesis. METHODS: Twelve 6-month New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups, compound of xenogenic inorganic bone and auto-marrow implanted into the muscle near to radia and ulna of left forefoot as experimental group. Simple xenogenic inorganic bone implanted into the same site of right side as control group. After 2, 8, 12 weeks, x-ray examination, gross evaluation and histological observation were carried out. RESULTS: X-ray film showed that the implant had a cancellus-like density, and no variance with time. Since 2 weeks after implantation, gross observation showed a complete fusion formed between the implant and the host muscular tissue, with obvious blood vessels on the surface of the muscular flap in which the compound was encapsulated. No necrosis was observed in the following 30 minutes after the compound was dissected from its surrounding tissues. The histological investigation showed a contact connection between implant and its surroundings. In the experimental group, no new bone formed but in-growth of blood vessels was observed at the end of the 2nd week, and a little new bone formed along the edge of xenogenic inorganic bone at the end of the 8th week, while at the end of 12th week, more new bone formed in the compound with osteocytes in bone lacuna, plenty blood vessels in bone matrix, and lots of osteoblasts surrounded by un-differentiated mesenchymal cells at the fringe of the new bone. While in the control group, there were only loose connective tissue with blood vessels grew into xenogenic inorganic bone with no new bone formation until 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The compound of xenogenic inorganic bone and auto-marrow can promote the formation of vascularized myo-bone flap with new bone formation.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Antitumor and immunoenhancing activities of polysaccharide from culture broth of Hericium spp.

The fruiting body and culture broth of many edible mushrooms contain water-soluble polysaccharides. Numerous researchers have reported that these polysaccharides have immunoenhancing effects. In this study, Hericium erinaceus and Hericium laciniatum were separately cultivated in a shaker at 25 degrees C for 25 days. Polysaccharides were extracted from the culture broth. The molecular weights were larger than 1 x 10(5) k Da and their polysaccharide components were mainly glucose in H. erinaceus and galactose in H. laciniatum. Furthermore, we investigated these two purified water-soluble polysaccharides for their anti-artificial pulmonary metastatic tumor and immunoenhancing effects in ICR mice. The results revealed that both polysaccharides had significant anti-artificial pulmonary metastatic tumor effects in mice (p < 0.05). Additionally, the polysaccharide from H. erinaceus was more effective than that from H. laciniatum. However, both of the polysaccharides enhanced the increase of T cells and macrophages. The numbers of CD4+ cells and macrophages were significantly higher in the test group than in the control group (p < 0.05). From our results, no differences were found between the two purified water-soluble polysaccharides in the antitumor effects and immunoenhancing activities (p > 0.05).

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2001

Expression, Purification and Functional Identification of Extracellular Part of Discoidin Domain Receptor 2.

Discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) is a new type of receptor tyrosine kinases, and was thought to be involved in the metastasis of some tumors. Its ligand is fibrillar collagen. The activation of DDR2 induced by collagen mediates the over-expression of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) in cells. A specific inhibitor of DDR2 was necessary for the study of DDR2 function. Theoretically, a soluble receptor could possibly be used as specific inhibitor for the native receptor on cell membrane. In this report, a fragment (DB) of extracellular part of DDR2 was cloned and expressed for the use as potential inhibitor. This DB fragment corresponded to the polypeptide from the 23rd amino acid residue to the 293rd amino acid residue of DDR2. The fragment was amplified by RT-PCR from human lung cancer tissue, and the product was cloned into pMD18-T vector. After identification by sequence analysis, the fragment was sub-cloned into pGEX-4T-1 vector. Fusion protein of GST-DB was expressed in JM109 E.coli cells as expected and the soluble part accounted for about 13% of the total fusion protein. The soluble fusion protein was then purified with glutathione affinity resin, and GST-DB with purity of 86.1% was obtained. Competitive combination inhibitory test showed that the purified GST-DB inhibited the interaction between collagen II and DDR2 on the surface of RA synovial fibroblasts. Zymography analysis showed that the level of MMP-1 of both NIH 3T3 cell and RA synovial fibroblasts with collagen II-stimulation decreased after adding GST-DB fusion protein. The results indicated that the fusion protein GST-DB could inhibit the function of DDR2 on cells, and DDR2 might mediate collagen II-induced over-expression of MMP-1 in these cells.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Selective diphosphine ligand chelation and pi bond coordination in CoRu(CO)7(mu-PPh2): kinetics and X-ray structure of CoRu(CO)4(mu-bma)(mu-PPh2).

Thermolysis of CoRu(CO)7(mu-PPh2) (1) in refluxing 1,2-dichloroethane in the presence of the diphosphine ligands 2,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)maleic anhydride (bma) and 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-4-cyclopenten-1,3-dione (bpcd) furnishes the new mixed-metal complexes CoRu(CO)4(mu-P-P)(mu-PPh2) [where P-P = bma (3a), bpcd (3b)] along with trace amounts of the known complex CoRu(CO)6(PPh3)(mu-PPh2) (4). The requisite pentacarbonyl intermediates CoRu(CO)5(mu-P-P)(mu-PPh2) [where P-P = bma (2a), bpcd (2b)] have been prepared by separate routes (mild thermolysis and Me3NO activation) and studied for their conversion to CoRu(CO)4(mu-P-P)(mu-PPh2). The penta- and tetracarbonyl complexes have been isolated and fully characterized in solution by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The kinetics for the conversion of 2a-->3a and of 2b-->3b were measured by IR spectroscopy in chlorobenzene solvent. On the basis of the first-order rate constants, CO inhibition, and the activation parameters (2a-->3a, delta H++ = 29.2 +/- 1.4 kcal mol-1 and delta S++ = 8.2 +/- 3.8 eu; 2b-->3b, delta H++ = 27.7 +/- 0.6 kcal mol-1 and delta S++ = 1.4 +/- 1.6 eu), a mechanism involving dissociative CO loss as the rate-limiting step is proposed. The solid-state structure of CoRu(CO)4(mu-bma)(mu-PPh2) (3a), as determined by X-ray crystallography, reveals that the two PPh2 groups are bound to the ruthenium center while the maleic anhydride pi bond is coordinated to the cobalt atom.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Effect of APOE genotype and promoter polymorphism on risk of Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the association between APOE gene promoter polymorphisms and the development of AD and to determine whether the effect of promoter polymorphisms on AD is independent of the APOE epsilon4 allele. BACKGROUND: Three polymorphisms in the APOE promoter have been shown to modify APOE expression in vitro. Several studies have suggested that these polymorphisms may also modulate risk for AD, either independently or by modifying the effect of the APOE coding polymorphism. METHODS: The authors analyzed allele and genotype distributions for APOE and all three known APOE promoter polymorphisms (-491 A/T, -427 T/C, and -219 G/T) in a study group consisting of 237 subjects with AD and 274 age-matched controls. They then used log-linear and logistic regression analyses to test for possible interactions between APOE genotype and the promoter polymorphisms on risk of AD. CONCLUSION: A strong association between the APOE epsilon 4 allele and AD was detected regardless of promoter polymorphism status. In addition, the -491 AA genotype appears to be an independent genetic risk factor for AD. The -427 T/C polymorphism and the -219 T/G polymorphism were not directly associated with AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Role of Bacillus subtilis SpoIIIE in DNA transport across the mother cell-prespore division septum.

The SpoIIIE protein of Bacillus subtilis is required for chromosome segregation during spore formation. The COOH-terminal cytoplasmic part of SpoIIIE was shown to be a DNA-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) capable of tracking along DNA in the presence of ATP, and the NH(2)-terminal part of the protein was found to mediate its localization to the division septum. Thus, during sporulation, SpoIIIE appears to act as a DNA pump that actively moves one of the replicated pair of chromosomes into the prespore. The presence of SpoIIIE homologs in a broad range of bacteria suggests that this mechanism for active transport of DNA may be widespread.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2000

Study of charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar-vector final states.

We report results of searches for charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar( pi(+/-), K+/-, pi(0), or K(0)(S))-vector( rho, K(*), or omega) final states. By using 9.7x10(6) BB pairs collected with the CLEO detector, we report the first observation of B(-)--->pi(-)rho(0), B(0)-->pi(+/-)rho(-/+), and B(-)-->pi(-)omega, which are expected to be dominated by hadronic b-->u transitions. The measured branching fractions are (10.4(+3.3)(-3.4)+/-2.1)x10(-6), (27.6(+8.4)(-7.4)+/-4.2)x10(-6), and (11.3(+3.3)(-2.9)+/-1. 4)x10(-6), respectively. Branching fraction upper limits are set for all of the other decay modes investigated.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Interaction between yeast sgs1 helicase and DNA topoisomerase III.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sgs1 protein is a member of the RecQ family of DNA helicases that includes the human Bloom's syndrome and Werner's syndrome proteins. In this work, we report studies on the interaction between Sgs1 and DNA topoisomerase III in vitro and in vivo. Affinity chromatography experiments with various fragments of Sgs1, a 1447-amino acid polypeptide, suggested that its N-terminal one-fifth was sufficient for interaction with DNA topoisomerase III. Gel electrophoretic mobility shift assays also indicated that a fragment Sgs1(1-283), containing residues 1-283, inhibited the binding of DNA topoisomerase III to single-stranded DNA. A shorter protein fragment containing residues 1-107 also showed partial inhibition in these assays. Studies of a sgs1 top1 double mutant lacking both Sgs1 and DNA topoisomerase I showed that the slow growth phenotype of this double mutant is suppressed by expressing full-length Sgs1, but not Sgs1 without the N-terminal 107 amino acid residues. In sgs1 top3 cells devoid of DNA topoisomerase III, however, expression of full-length Sgs1 or Sgs1 lacking the N-terminal 107 amino acid residues has the same effect of reducing the growth rate of the double mutant. These in vitro and in vivo data indicate that Sgs1 and DNA topoisomerase III physically interact and that this interaction is physiologically significant.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Observation of B --> K(+/-) pi(0) and B --> (K)0 pi(0), and evidence for B --> pi(+)pi(-).

We have studied charmless hadronic decays of B mesons into two-body final states with kaons and pions and observe three new processes with the following branching fractions: beta(B-->pi(+)pi(-)) = (4.3(+1. 6)(-1.4)+/-0.5)x10(-6), beta(B-->K(0)pi(0)) = (14.6(+5.9+2.4)(-5.1-3. 3))x10(-6), and beta(B-->K(+)/-pi(0)) = (11.6(+3.0+1.4)(-2.7-1.3))x10(-6). We also update our previous measurements for the decays B-->K(+)/-pi(-/+) and B+/--->K(0)pi(+/-).

Journal Article↗