Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J H Lu

Publications and source records attributed to J H Lu.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty for congenital critical pulmonary stenosis in neonates.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty (PBVP) was performed on 6 neonates with severe pulmonary stenosis to evaluate its efficacy. METHODS: The 6 studied neonates were aged from 1 to 30 days and weighed 2.5 to 3.3 kg. Follow-up period ranged 6-21 months with a mean of 11.5 +/- 6.3 months. RESULTS: Dramatic improvement after PBVP was obtained not only on the clinical manifestations but also on the hemodynamic data. After percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty, the aortic O2 saturation increased significantly from 71.3 +/- 14.8% to 83.2 +/- 9.3% (p = 0.001) in 5 neonates who had cyanosis before PBVP. The right to left ventricular peak systolic pressure ratio decreased significantly from 1.65 +/- 0.41 to 0.77 +/- 0.27 (p < 0.001). The peak systolic right ventricular pressure dropped significantly from 104.0 +/- 18.8 to 48.8 +/- 13.6 mmHg (p < 0.001). The peak systolic gradient between right ventricle and main pulmonary artery dropped significantly from 83.2 +/- 16.2 to 24.3 +/- 16.3 mmHg (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty is safe and effective in treating the neonates with congenital critical pulmonary stenosis.

Catheterization↗

Connatal periventricular pseudocysts in the neonate.

Connatal periventricular pseudocysts are important sequelae of different noxious insults in the developing brain. Accurate diagnosis of those pathologic entities during early life has therefore become of direct concern to the clinician. Our experience with 12 infants of connatal periventricular pseudocysts provides the basis of this study. They belonged to different pathological entities: focal paraventricular pseudocysts (5 cases), subependymal pseudocyst (3 cases), connatal viral infection (3 cases), and chromosomal abnormality (1 case). When present at birth, they suggest an intrauterine pathology. It has only been with the advent of real-time cranial ultrasound that periventricular pseudocystic lesions can be detected in neonates following an abnormal pregnancy. Some obstetric complications during the second trimester can cause paraventricular or subependymal pseudocyst in the foetus. Neurotrophic viral infection and chromosomal abnormalities have also been implicated in the production of cystic lesions in this region. These lesions are not a terminal event in infants but may be a condition of major clinical importance for further neurological development.

Brain Diseases↗

Pituitary function before, during, and after chronic gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine possible adverse effects on pituitary function of long-term administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a). DESIGN: Prospective analysis of blood sampling before, during, and after GnRH-a therapy. SETTING: Tertiary institutional outpatient care. PATIENTS: Twelve normally ovulatory women with a diagnosis of endometriosis. INTERVENTIONS: Six-month suppression with GnRH-a. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, free thyroxin index, cortisol (F), growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). RESULTS: Basal and stimulated values of gonadotropins, PRL, F, TSH, and GH were normal and unchanged by 6 months of GnRH-a after resumption of menses. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing dynamic pituitary function tests, we were unable to demonstrate an adverse effect of long-term GnRH-a therapy on pituitary function.

Adult↗

[Nosology and ultrasound findings in porencephaly].

Congenital cerebral defects can be classified into two groups of porencephaly. Agenetic porencephaly results from development disturbances during early neuronal migration and can often be observed in the region of the fissura Sylvii. Encephaloclastic porencephaly, which is relatively rare, is a late prenatal or perinatal vascular lesion due to arterial ischemic stroke or venous thrombosis, and is located in the supply areas of the vessels involved. Cerebral defects can always be detected by ultrasonography. High resolution ultrasonic instruments or magnetic resonance imaging are appropriate means to find out disturbed patterns of gyration pointing to early fetal developmental disturbances.

Brain↗

Binding of the pentamer/hexamer forms of mannan-binding protein to zymosan activates the proenzyme C1r2C1s2 complex, of the classical pathway of complement, without involvement of C1q.

The serum lectin, mannan binding protein (MBP), was isolated in a yield of 40 micrograms/liter from pooled normal human serum by affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose, followed by gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatography and finally by passage down an anti-IgM Sepharose column. A rabbit antiserum was prepared against the purified MBP and an enzyme-linked immunoassay developed that used both the specificity of the polyclonal antibody and the Ca+(+)-dependent carbohydrate binding property of MBP. Assay of the sera from 103 blood-donors showed a wide range of MBP levels, ranging from 0 to 870 micrograms/liter. MBP, after interaction with zymosan, caused efficient activation of a C1r2 125I-C1s2 complex that was prepared by incubation of 125I-C1s2 with serum, from a patient with a complete genetic deficiency of C1q, followed by gel-filtration on Sepharose 6B. The purified MBP is composed of a mixture of trimers, tetramers, pentamers, and hexamers of an approximate 90-kDa structural unit as judged by chromatography, SDS-PAGE and electron microscopy studies. Only the molecules in the pentamer/hexamer fraction, which have a similar overall structure to that of C1q, appeared to cause efficient, zymosan-dependent, activation of C1s within the C1r2C1s2 complex. The pentamer/hexamer form of MBP may therefore play an important role in antibody-independent activation of the C system during the early stages of certain infections.

Calcium↗

Lissencephaly.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Cerebral Cortex↗

[Cardiologic diagnosis using color Doppler echocardiography].

Colour-coded Doppler echocardiography (Colour Flow Imaging) is a new noninvasive method that offers new perspectives in the cardiographical diagnosis of cardiac defects with regard to diagnostic safety, easily interpreted manner of presentation, and in coping with the complexities of cardiac blood flow. This method also helps to optimise the use of well-established methods such as continuous-wave Doppler echocardiography enabling quantitative pressure measurement in children. Finally, the quantifiability of regurgitations and shunt lesions will be considerably improved by the introduction of digital flow mapping which is expected to be introduced in near future.

Adult↗

[Clinical and etiopathogenetic aspects of lissencephaly type II syndrome].

Two cases of lissencephaly syndrome type II are reported. Lissencephaly (smooth brain) is caused by a disorder of neuronal migration resulting in connatal hydrocephalus and lack of gyri as well as developmental abnormalities of the eye and muscles. Embryological relationships between these malformations and clinical appearances are described.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

A pilot study on universal immunization of newborn infants in an area of hepatitis B virus and primary hepatocellular carcinoma prevalence with a low dose of hepatitis B vaccine.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) had been considered as the main causative factor of primary hepatocellular carcinoma and universal immunization of newborns was recommended as the major approach to control hepatitis and hepatoma in areas of prevalence. As the initial phase of the first vaccination program for such a purpose, a pilot study was done from September 1983 to May 1984 in a high incidence rural area of China. In an area of 214,343 inhabitants, 1,703 newborns (99% of all births) were vaccinated. Ninety-seven percent of all vaccinees were followed up at 1 year. The vaccine used was Hep-B Vax, given intramuscularly at 0, 1, and 6 months after birth. Four immunization regimes were used: 5-micrograms or 2.5-micrograms doses with or without hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) added in the case of carriers children. These groups were defined by drawing lots at community level. A matched control was selected on a voluntary basis. Each group consisted of 400 infants. Vaccination was proven to be very safe and well accepted by the public. The prevalence of HBV infection in the area was further demonstrated by the high HBsAg-positive rate measured: 14.2% of the 1,180 mothers (3.9% were also e-antigen positive), 7.6% and 10.1% of the unvaccinated children at 6.5 months and 1 year of age, respectively. It was shown that vaccination with a 5-micrograms or 2.5-micrograms dose significantly lowered the HBsAg positives to a level close to 1.5% versus 10% in the control group at 1 year. An 85% protection was thus achieved. A 5-micrograms dose plus HBIG did not show additional benefit. A 2.5-micrograms dose plus HBIG gave less protection, and anti-HB levels were also significantly lower than in other groups. Among the 12 failures found in the 5-micrograms and 2.5-micrograms groups, 11 were born to HBsAg-positive mothers, nine of whom also had e-antigen. Available data showed that 29% of children born by e-antigen-positive and 2.7% of children born by e-antigen-negative carriers had the risk of becoming carriers during the first year of life following vaccination. The present study demonstrated the feasibility and rationale of conducting universal immunization of newborns in endemic rural area for controlling hepatitis and hepatoma. The significance of the possible use of the vaccination at lower dose had also been stressed.

Adult↗

[Cerebro-oculo-muscular syndrome].

The case of a newborn with COMS is reported. The patient presented hydrocephalus, malformations of the eye and congenital myopathy. Typical pathological changes are interpreted as belonging to type II lissencephaly. Relationships to other similar but not identical syndromes are discussed.

Brain↗

Biological effects of various doses of vaginally administered conjugated equine estrogens in postmenopausal women.

To determine whether vaginal administration of conjugated equine estrogens (VCE) could provide physiological replacement while avoiding effects on hepatic function, as occurs with oral administration, a study was conducted in which 20 postmenopausal women were evaluated before and after the vaginal administration of CE. The dosages studied were 0.3, 0.625, 1.25, and 2.5 mg/day for 4 weeks. Twenty premenopausal women were also studied, and their values were presumed to reflect normal physiological function. The findings in the postmenopausal women were compared with previously reported results obtained in a similar group of subjects given oral CE (OCE). Vaginal cytology returned to premenopausal values with 0.3 mg VCE. This response was similar to that exerted with 1.25 mg OCE. Stepwise increases in circulating estrone and estradiol occurred with increasing dosages. The 2.5-mg dosage of VCE raised estrone levels to values similar to those in premenopausal women in the late follicular phase, and estradiol concentrations were similar to early follicular phase concentrations. Limited or no responses of the systemic markers of estrogen action occurred with all doses of VCE. Small decreases in LH and FSH levels occurred, but no dosage significantly reduced the level of either gonadotropin. Although the urinary calcium to creatinine ratio was significantly reduced by the two largest dosages of VCE, the effect of the 2.5-mg dosage was less than that observed with 0.625 mg OCE, the lowest dosage that protects against osteoporosis. Hepatic protein synthesis was significantly increased only by the higher dosages tested. No dosage had a significant effect on circulating levels of triglycerides or total or fractionated cholesterol levels. These data suggest that the vaginal administration of CE exerts mainly a local effect, with limited or no measurable changes in systemic markers of the action of estrogen.

Administration, Oral↗