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Biomedical subjects

J F Lee

Publications and source records attributed to J F Lee.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Food bolus intestinal obstruction in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to review the authors' experience of the diagnosis and management of food bolus obstruction in a Chinese population. METHODS: During the period 1990-96, 31 patients were treated for food bolus obstruction. The records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (58%) had a history of previous gastric surgery and 13 patients (42%) had an intact gastrointestinal tract. The most common site of impaction was the terminal ileum, and a synchronous site of food bolus obstruction was present in 16% of cases. A total of 91% of the food bolus retrieved was phytobezoar. In 15 cases, the food bolus was successfully milked into the caecum. Enterotomy for removal was necessary in 12 patients, and two underwent small-bowel resection for necrosis. CONCLUSION: Food bolus obstruction affects not only those who have had previous gastric surgery, but also a significant proportion of those with an intact gastrointestinal tract.

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Insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins produced by Vero cells, human oviductal cells and human endometrial cells, and the role of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 in mouse embryo co-culture systems.

Co-culturing embryos on helper cells can mimic the in-vivo environment, thereby enhancing embryo development in vitro. Insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and their binding proteins (IGFBP) also enhance embryo development. To investigate the kinds of IGFBP produced by various cell monolayers and the effects of IGFBP-3 on mouse embryo co-culture systems, 2-cell ICR mouse embryos were cultured in either human tubal fluid medium alone or in the presence of Vero cells, human oviductal cells or endometrial cells. The helper cells were analysed immunohistochemically to investigate the types of IGFBP produced by various cell monolayers. The concentrations of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in media obtained from the culture of embryos alone, cells alone or cells plus embryos were determined by radioimmunoassays. On day 7, more blastocysts hatched in the co-culture groups (73% in the Vero cell group, 76% in the endometrial cell group and 74% in the oviductal cell group) than in the control group (43%) (P < 0.0001). The results of immunohistochemistry revealed that (i) all three cell groups produced a lot of IGFBP-1, -2 and -3, but only a little of IGFBP-4 and -5; and (ii) IGFBP-1, -2, and -3 were present in blastocysts in either the presence or absence of helper cells. The IGF-I secreted by cell monolayers or embryos was undetectable (detection limit 0.83 microg/l). The IGFBP-3 concentrations in media obtained from co-cultured embryos and cells were significantly higher than in media without embryos (median values in oviductal cell culture medium, 165 versus 127 microg/l, P = 0.04; median values in endometrial cell culture medium, 277.5 versus 183.5 microg/1, P = 0. 0002; median values in Vero cell culture medium, 219 versus 120 microg/l, P = 0.011). Although IGFBP-3 concentration in the medium that contained embryos alone was undetectable by radioimmunoassay (detection limit 1.1 microg/l), immunohistochemistry demonstrated the presence of IGFBP-3 in the embryos. Co-culture in systems in which there was an increased production of IGFBP-3 led to an improved development of mouse embryos. IGFBP can improve the binding of IGF to cell surface receptors of target tissue, and thus enhance the effect of limited IGF concentrations in promoting embryo development in a co-culture system. We conclude that Vero cells, human endometrial cells and oviductal cells produce IGFBP-1, -2, -3, -4 and -5. IGFBP-3 may play a role in embryotrophic potential by either regulating the action of IGF or directly enhancing embryo development.

Animals↗

Risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities in idiopathic polyhydramnios.

BACKGROUND: Polyhydramnios is often associated with fetal anatomical abnormalities; thus chromosome analysis is indicated for fetuses with those indications. However, chromosome analysis for patients with idiopathic polyhydramnios is often overlooked. This is an attempt to evaluate the necessity for chromosome analysis in pregnancies with idiopathic polyhydramnios. METHODS: Genetic amniocentesis or percutaneous umbilical blood sampling was done in 33 cases with idiopathic polyhydramnios which appeared at 26 to 34 weeks' gestation. To exclude false idiopathic polyhydramniotic cases, a level II sonographic examination was carefully performed for those fetuses with abnormal chromosome. Autopsy ultrasound examination and X-ray examination were done in four neonates with abnormal karyotypes, and the results were compared with prenatal sonographic findings. RESULTS: Seven (21.2%) out of the 33 cases were, surprisingly found to have chromosomal abnormalities. Three out of the seven cases were diagnosed to have fetal anatomical defects, at a repeated level II sono-graphic examination. The incidence of fetal chromosome abnormalities in idiopathic polyhydramnios was 13.3% (4/30). After 7 cases of women older than 34 years and 3 cases with false idiopathic polyhydramnios were excluded, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in pregnancies of those under 34 years of age with idiopathic polyhydramnios was 8.3% (2/24). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study and other papers, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with idiopathic polyhydramnios is much higher than that for maternal age specific risk at 34 years of age. Therefore fetal chromosome analysis for pregnancies with idiopathic polyhydramnios is recommended to avoid unnecessary Cesarean sections and deliveries of viable babies with abnormal chromosomes.

Adult↗

Maffucci's syndrome (hemangiomatosis osteolytica): a report of four cases.

Maffucci's syndrome is a congenital nonfamilial syndrome combining dyschondroplasia, (enchondromatosis) and hemangiomatosis. It is a rare disease; only 200 cases have been reported throughout the world in the past 140 years. Over the past 20 years, four patients have been admitted with signs and symptoms consistent with Maffucci's syndrome. Three were children ages 3, 7, and 9 years. The fourth was 23 years old. Two were male and two female. All had hemangiomas at birth, and all had skeletal deformities and enchondromas. All complained of pain and heaviness of the involved extremity. Three patients had the arterial inflow evaluated with arteriograms, and one had magnetic resonance imaging. Two also had venograms. Two patients had excision of their hemangiomas, and one had sclerotherapy and compression therapy. All had bone biopsies performed. None of the enchondromas or the soft tissue lesions had undergone sarcomatous transformation.

Adult↗

Specific restriction fragment length polymorphism in liver mitochondrial DNA of the Chinese.

By use of restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, we examined the liver mitochondrial DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction from 60 Chinese subjects of 31 to 78 years of age. We found nine specific mtDNA polymorphisms that had never been reported before. Eleven subjects had an Alu I polymorphic site in the subunit 2 gene of NADH dehydrogenase, five had a Hae III polymorphic site in the cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 gene, and five had a Hinf I polymorphic site in the subunit 3 gene of cytochrome oxidase. No polymorphic site was found in the structural genes coding for subunits 1, 3, 4, 4L and 6 of NADH dehydrogenase, cytochrome b, and subunit 8 of ATP synthase. Detailed analysis of the RFLP data did not show age-dependent mtDNA polymorphisms. In addition, the analysis of the restriction patterns of all the mtDNAs revealed 12 mtDNA haplotypes in all the Chinese subjects examined. Among them, type 1 mtDNA was found to be the most predominant and comprised 63.3% of the total study subjects. The restriction patterns of type 1 mtDNA generated by all restriction enzymes were identical to those deduced from the Cambridge sequence of human mtDNA. About 8.3% of the subjects exhibited type 2 mtDNA, and 5% had types 3, 5 and 8 mtDNA, respectively. Each of the rest seven mtDNA types comprised about 2% of the samples. Moreover, type 1 mtDNA was found in the platelets of three white Americans. These findings suggest that type 2 to type 12 mtDNAs have come into existence through the generation or loss of specific polymorphic restriction sites in the mtDNA of the Chinese.

Adult↗

Decreased amniotic fluid index in term pregnancy. Clinical significance.

In a study of 331 term pregnancies a four-quadrant technique was used to obtain amniotic fluid index measurements, and the results were compared with the current widely used single-pocket measurement. In contrast to the "2-cm rule," the amniotic fluid index measurements consistently demonstrated higher sensitivity in predicting poor fetal outcome with no decrease in specificity. It was noted that pregnancies with an index of < or = 8 cm showed higher incidences of meconium staining, cesarean delivery for fetal distress, abnormal fetal heart rate monitoring and Apgar scores of < or = 7 or less at one minute.

Amniotic Fluid↗

Leiomyosarcoma of the broad ligament--report of two cases.

Leiomyosarcoma of the broad ligament (LBL) is a very rare tumor. Up to 1989, there had been only 7 cases reported in the English literature. During recent 12 years, we have had 15 cases of leiomyosarcoma in our department. Among them, there were two cases of LBL. The others were leiomyosarcoma of the uterine corpus. The first patient was 36 years old. She received total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and paraaortic lymph node sampling followed by chemotherapy with adriamycin. Intra-abdominal recurrence with hepatic metastasis occurred 18 months after operation and she received palliative radiotherapy. The second patient was 65 years old and received subtotal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omental biopsy and suprapubic cystostomy followed also by chemotherapy with adriamycin. She received segmental resection of ileum and ileostomy due to intestinal obstruction caused by metastasis 5 months after her initial operation. Both patients were still alive when reported with 33 and 26 months of survival, respectively. The nature and management for LBL are scarcely reported, accumulation of cases and clinical experiences are needed.

Adult↗

Vascular rehabilitation: benefits of a structured exercise/risk modification program.

A vascular rehabilitation program was designed to increase exercise tolerance and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with lower extremity arterial occlusive disease. Sixty-eight patients (32 men, 36 women); ages 55 to 85 years (mean, 68 years) with claudication 30 (44%), or recovering from lower extremity revascularization 36 (53%), or endovascular procedures 2 (3%) entered the vascular rehabilitation program. Each underwent a physical examination, risk factor assessment, noninvasive arterial studies, and cardiac evaluation. A history was taken from each patient also. Six patients (9%) were excluded on recognition of silent myocardial ischemia. Sixty-two patients (91%) were accepted for exercise training in a program designed to offer 24 (1-hour) monitored exercise sessions, 12 (1-hour) personalized education lectures, and development of a home maintenance exercise program. No deaths or major morbidity occurred. Seventeen patients (27%) did not finish the program, eight (13%) because of development of significant cardiac, extremity, or cerebrovascular disease and nine for nonmedical reasons. Of the 45 patients (73%) who completed the program, 38 (88%) had documented increases in walking distances of greater than 100% (122% to 450%). All 45 patients designed home exercise programs, and 88% of the smokers quit. Long-term follow-up was available on 100% of the patients. Thirty-eight patients (84%) have been followed for 2 years or more. Thirty-eight (84%) maintained or improved walking distances recorded on exit from the program. Thirty of the 36 patients (83%) who stopped smoking remained nonsmokers. Significant reductions in cholesterol were seen at 1 year, and significant reductions in triglycerides were seen at 12 weeks and 1 year.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Substituted 1,3-dihydro-2H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-2-ones as potential antiinflammatory agents.

A series of analogues based on the 1,3-dihydro-2H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-2-one ring system have been synthesized and shown to possess oral antiinflammatory activity in both the reverse passive Arthus reaction (RPAR) pleural cavity assay in rats and in the adjuvant-induced arthritic rat model (AAR). Several members of this series additionally exhibit an inhibitory effect on the in vivo production of prostaglandin- and leukotriene-derived products or arachidonic acid metabolism although these compounds exhibit no significant inhibitory activity against the cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase enzymes in vitro. Structure-activity relationships in this series are discussed.

Animals↗

Changing patterns in the presentation of breast cancer over 25 years.

The clinical stage at presentation of 280 women with histologically proven breast cancer is reviewed over a 25 year time span from 1962 to 1987. The data from 240 unscreened patients, including 87 women from the period 1962 to 1963, 103 women from 1981 to 1982, and 50 women from 1986 to 1987 demonstrate a chronologically based improvement in the stage of disease at presentation over the 25 years. Specifically, over that period, there was a fall in the mean tumour diameter, a reduction in the proportion of patients with involved axillary nodes, and a greater percentage of patients with Stages I and II disease. A reduction in the symptomatic period was also noted over this time, and a direct relationship was found between the duration of symptoms and tumour size, nodal status and overall stage of disease. A subsequent comparison with the staging data from 40 women with breast cancer detected at a breast screening clinic (1985-87) shows that significant further advances in the earlier diagnosis of breast cancer can be achieved. Mammographic breast screening centres represent the best-known means of early breast cancer detection, and thus may hold the key to reducing breast cancer mortality.

Adult↗

Effect of ethanol intake on rat liver mitochondrial respiration and oxidative phosphorylation.

The effect of ethanol intake on liver mitochondrial functions was investigated by feeding rats with a liquid isocaloric diet containing various concentrations of ethanol. We found that after feeding the liquid diet for 2 to 3 months, the body weight of rats did not show a significant difference between treated and control groups. However, the mitochondrial respiration rate decreased significantly with the increase of ethanol concentration in the diet. We found that when the rats were fed on 10.8% ethanol, the average succinate-supported State 3 respiration rate decreased from 54.5 to 44.8 nmol O2/min/mg and the glutamate-malate-supported State 3 respiration rate decreased from 38.8 to 23.6 nmol O2/min/mg as compared with the control. Interestingly, we noted that ethanol intake caused a more drastic effect on State 3 respiration than on State 4 respiration, irrespective of the substrate utilized by the mitochondria. In addition, the respiratory control and ADP/O ratios were found to decrease concomitantly with the increase of ethanol level in the diet. Moreover, we found that the effect of ethanol on both respiratory control and ADP/O ratios of liver mitochondria was more pronounced in glutamate-malate-supported respiration than succinate-supported respiration. These results clearly demonstrate that ethanol intake by the rat can cause impairment of liver mitochondrial respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, and that these effects are exerted through damage to mitochondrial membranes.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Antiallergy agents. 1. Substituted 1,8-naphthyridin-2(1H)-ones as inhibitors of SRS-A release.

A novel class of antiallergy agents, the substituted 1,8-naphthyridin-2(1H)-ones, is described. The present compounds are orally active, potent inhibitors of allergic and nonallergic bronchospasm in animal models. Structure-activity studies of the lead compound in this series, 1-phenyl-3-n-butyl-4-hydroxynaphthyridin-2(1H)-one (11), identified three compounds of interest, 1-phenyl-3-(2-propenyl)-4-acetoxy-1,8-naphthyridin-2(1H)-one (12), 1-(3'-chlorophenyl)-3-(2-propenyl)-4-acetoxy-1,8-naphthyridin-2(1H )-one (87), and 1-(3'-methoxyphenyl)-3-(2-propenyl)-4-acetoxy-1,8-naphthyridin-2(1 H)-one (89). The mechanism of antiallergy activity may involve inhibition of the release of the sulfidopeptide leukotrienes. 1-Phenyl-3-(2-propenyl)-4-acetoxy-1,8-naphthyridin-2(1H)-one, Sch 33303 (12), was selected for preclinical development as an antiallergy agent.

Animals↗

Vein compression by arterial aneurysms.

This study was done to emphasize the importance of early, accurate diagnosis of arterial aneurysms that show the symptoms of venous obstruction. Fourteen patients were identified as having atherosclerotic aneurysms producing venous compression. Nine patients had popliteal aneurysms, causing popliteal vein thrombosis in three patients and vein compression without thrombosis in six patients. Five patients had iliac artery aneurysms, producing left iliac vein thrombosis in one patient and venous compression without thrombosis in four patients. In 10 patients the cause of the venous compression symptoms was correctly identified and appropriate revascularization was performed with successful results. In four patients, two with iliac artery aneurysms and two with popliteal artery aneurysms, the associated aneurysm was not identified. One patient died of a ruptured aneurysm and three patients had below-knee amputations because of untreatable distal ischemia. Inappropriate treatment of patients with venous obstruction from unrecognized arterial aneurysms is associated with unacceptable morbidity and mortality. Accurate diagnosis with timely aneurysm repair eliminates the risk of aneurysm rupture or thrombosis and simultaneously alleviates venous compression symptoms.

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