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Biomedical subjects

J F Huang

Publications and source records attributed to J F Huang.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Hepatocellular carcinoma in western Sydney.

All the cases of proven hepatocellular carcinoma seen at Westmead Hospital, Sydney between January 1980 and the end of 1987 were reviewed. Hepatitis B infection was the major predisposing condition. Six patients had taken significant doses of sex steroids. Seventeen of the patients were cirrhotic at the time of diagnosis and in seven of these there was a significant history of alcohol abuse. AFP was elevated in only 15 of the 34 patients. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the single, independent determinant of a raised AFP level was found to be presence of Hepatitis B infection. Resection was possible in 10 patients. In the last ten months, seven patients have been treated by embolisation of the tumour with Adriamycin bonded to lipidol. Survival was influenced by the presence or absence of cirrhosis but not by evidence of Hepatitis B infection. The prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Australia is as dismal as it is in any other country. Although a rare tumour its incidence may well increase as the community now contains relatively greater numbers of immigrants from areas where the risk of developing a hepatocellular carcinoma is higher and because of the number of drug addicts who are frequently exposed to Hepatitis B infection. With the exception of patients with Hepatitis B infection, screening with AFP holds little promise in the Caucasian community.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Malignant jaundice.

Fifty-five consecutive patients presenting to a Surgical Unit for management of malignant obstructive jaundice are reported in this paper. An increasing incidence of bile-duct carcinoma has been noted since the end of 1983. The hospital mortality for all cases was 15%, a figure which did not differ significantly from the 11% mortality associated with the surgical management of benign obstructive jaundice. The median survival of patients with malignant obstructive jaundice was 6 months and the 2 year survival 10%. The only long-term survivors were those in whom pancreaticoduodenectomy was employed. Until radical improvements in treatment are achieved, effective palliation must remain the goal for the surgeon. This means that there is a need for rapid diagnosis, rapid decision making and early intervention to restore bile flow to the intestine. The best palliative procedure has yet to be defined and the status of stent insertion, of surgical bypass procedures and of palliative resection of some tumours remain unclear. Similarly, the place of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy have not been clearly established. There is a real need for a trial of various methods of treatment which employs an evaluation that takes into account both duration and quality of life.

Australia↗

Sulphomucin colonic type intestinal metaplasia and carcinoma in the stomach. A histochemical study of 115 cases obtained by biopsy.

One hundred fifteen gastroscopic biopsy specimens (54 cases of carcinoma and 61 of gastritis) were used in this histochemical study. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) was classified into small intestinal type (ST) and colonic type (CT). The former may be a reactive change only. The incidence of sulphomucin colonic type (SCT) metaplasia was higher in gastric carcinomas than in benign lesions (P less than 0.01), and a relation between SCT metaplasia and cancer was demonstrated by both histologic and histochemical procedures. This suggests that SCT IM is correlated with certain precancerous lesions. There was no significant difference in the incidence of O-acetyl sialomucin colonic type (OCT) metaplasia between benign and malignant diseases. Further study is needed to determine why slightly more than half of the SCT IM was accompanied by OCT IM.

Biopsy↗

Soil quality evolution after land use change from paddy soil to vegetable land.

A survey was done in 15 typical villages, 150 soil and 86 vegetable plant samples were taken in Jiaxin prefecture of the Taihu Lake region, northern Zhejian province. Results indicate that after 15-20 years land use changed from the paddy rice-wheat (or oilseed rape) double cropping system, to a continuous vegetable land has caused soil quality dramatic change. (1) Acidification: average soil pH was 5.4; about 61% of total samples were pH < 5.5. It was 0.9 units lower than 10 years ago with same upland vegetable cultivation and was 1.2 units lower than soil pH of paddy rice-wheat (or oilseed rape) rotation. (2) Fertilizer salt accumulation: the average salt content was 0.28%, among these about 36.2% of the total samples contained more than 0.3%. (3) Nitrate N and available phosphorus (P) over accumulation: on average it was 279 mg NO3-N/kg, and 45-115 mg P/kg. Nitrate N four times higher and available P 4-10 times more than it is in present paddy rice-wheat rotation soils respectively. This has caused wide concern because of possible groundwater and well drinking water pollution by leached nitrate N and the P losses to water by runoff from vegetable lands induce surface water eutrophication.

Agriculture↗

Changes of soil microbiological properties caused by land use changing from rice-wheat rotation to vegetable cultivation.

A survey was done recently in Jiaxing city of Zhejiang Province in the Yangtze River Delta to compare the differences of soil microbiological properties among paddy soils with different land use including continuous open-field vegetable cultivation (OFVC), plastic-greenhouse vegetable cultivation (PGVC) and traditional rice-wheat rotation (RWR). The soil types included are percolating, permeable and waterlogged paddy soils. The results indicate that the microbial flora was markedly changed as the land use changed for all the three soil types. In continuous vegetable cultivation soils, especially in PGVC soils, the bacteria amounts decreased dramatically, but the fungal and actinomyce amounts increased as compared with RWR soils. The dehydrogenase activities decreased significantly in vegetable soils, especially in PGVC soils as compared with RWR soils. The microbial biomass C and the total phospholipid contents (TPL) in vegetable cultivation soil greatly decreased as compared with RWR soils. Biolog analysis indicated that the kinds of carbon sources that could be metabolized by native microbes in PGVC soils greatly decreased as compared with OFVC soils and RWR soils, revealing that microbial diversity had decreased since land use change. The activities of some soil enzymes including urease, invertase and phosphase were all lower in OFVC soils than those in RWR soils, and those in PGVC soils were the lowest. The degradation of microbiological activities in continuous vegetable cultivation soils, especially in PGVC soils, as compared with RWR soils might have been caused by soil acidification and accumulation of salts due to overuse of both organic and inorganic fertilizers in vegetable cultivation.

Agriculture↗

Significance of portal hemodynamic investigation in prediction of hepatic functional reserve in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing operative treatment.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate clinical significance of portal hemodynamic investigation in prediction of hepatic functional reserve in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing operative treatment. METHODOLOGY: By using the color Doppler velocity profile technique, preoperative portal hemodynamic status was assessed in 29 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated surgically, including 15 segmentectomies, 6 hemihepatectomies and 8 transarterial chemoembolizations. Forty-six normal volunteers were taken as control. Comparison of preoperative portal hemodynamics between patients recovering from operation smoothly (tolerant subgroup) and those with major complications or death (intolerant subgroup) was done, and discriminant analysis was employed to identify the cut-off value for significant parameters that maximally separate the tolerant subgroup from the intolerant subgroup. RESULTS: In the portal trunk, CSVmax (maximum cross-sectional mean velocity) was significantly lower in the hepatocellular carcinoma group compared with the normal group (P < 0.01); flow volume was not obviously different between the two groups; congestion index was markedly higher in the hepatocellular carcinoma group than that of the normal group (P < 0.05). In the splenic vein, CSVmax and congestion index was not obviously different between the hepatocellular carcinoma and the normal groups; flow volume was significantly higher in the hepatocellular carcinoma group than that of the normal group (P < 0.05). In the hepatocellular carcinomas, twenty-three patients recovered smoothly from the operation and the remaining 6 had severe complications or death. Tolerant subgroup had a significantly higher preoperative CSVmax and flow volume and lower congestion index of the portal trunk compared with the intolerant subgroup (all P < 0.01). Discriminant analysis revealed that portal trunk CSVmax > 13.50 cm/s and flow volume > 12.13 mL/min/kg could predict tolerance for surgery, with an accuracy of 82.7% and 89.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that preoperative portal hemodynamic status in hepatocellular carcinomas had a close correlation with hepatic functional reserve, and CSVmax and flow volume of portal trunk might become valuable predictive parameters.

Adult↗

Surgical treatment of hilar strictures in hepatolithiasis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The management of biliary strictures in hepatolithiasis, particularly at the hilus of the liver including the right and left hepatic bile ducts and their confluence, presents a challenge for surgeons because of their difficult access for surgical procedures and the life-threatening consequences, such as unrelenting cholangitis, recurrent biliary calculi, liver abscess and septicemia they can cause. This study analyzed the response of a group of patients with hilar strictures undergoing different surgical operations to assess methods dealing with this condition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 545 patients with hepatolithiasis were admitted to our hospital. Among them, 256 patients were found to have an association of high bile duct strictures. These were classified into three types based on the sites of the stricture, and operated on with different combined surgical procedures in accordance with the type of the strictures. After the operation, further assessment was made during a follow-up period of between 12 months to 6 years. RESULTS: Postoperative morbidity and mortality were 15.7% (40/256) and 1.2% (3/256), respectively. Before discharge from the hospital, all patients underwent imaging investigation, and the retained stone rate was 20.3% (53/256). Of the 70% of patients (179/256) who were available for further assessment, 85% had good treatment results, were asymptomatic and required no medical treatment. A few patients got a poor result when symptoms of cholangitis occurred several times a year and required hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Successful treatment of hilar strictures in hepatolithiasis depends on the correct localization of the strictures, and complete exposure of the biliary tract proximal to strictures as well as the appropriate selection of the surgical procedures.

Adolescent↗