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Biomedical subjects

J Woo

Publications and source records attributed to J Woo.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Assessment of glucose tolerance test criteria for diagnosis of diabetes in Chinese subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To examine and compare WHO diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHOD: The relationship between FPG and 2-h glucose are examined in 680 OGTTs with a quadratic regression model and ROC analysis. Simultaneous measurements of HbA1 and fructosamine are also compared with multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Two hundred eighteen subjects (32%) had 2-h glucose greater than or equal to 11.1 mM, of which only 86 had FPG greater than or equal to 7.8 mM. Only 2 subjects had FPG greater than 7.8 mM and 2-h glucose less than 7.8 mM. Of subjects with 2-h glucose less than 7.8 mM (n = 332), only 9 had FPG greater than 6.0 mM. From the quadratic model, the predicted FPG corresponding to 2-h glucose = 11.1 mM was 5.7 mM, whereas the predicted 2-h glucose corresponding to FPG = 7.8 mM was 15.2 mM. ROC analysis showed that, with 2-h glucose greater than or equal to 11.1 mM as indicating diabetes, an FPG of 5.6 mM gave an intersect for sensitivity and specificity of 87%. HbA1 and fructosamine correlated more closely with 2-h glucose and area under the OGTT curve than with FPG. CONCLUSIONS: Given that a 2-h glucose cutoff of 11.1 mM can be justified from other studies, our results suggest that the FPG cutoff of 7.8 mM when used for screening purposes should be reduced. At a suggested value of 7.0 mM, specificity remains 98.5%, whereas sensitivity increases to 57%.

China↗
PubMed1992

Influence of obesity on plasma fructosamine concentration.

The influence of obesity on plasma fructosamine concentration was studied in 68 diabetic and 1335 nondiabetic subjects from a Chinese community. Obese nondiabetic men (body mass index > 25 kg/m2) had lower fructosamine concentrations than nonobese nondiabetic men (body mass index < or = 25 kg/m2); the pattern was similar for diabetic women. Stepwise multiple-regression analysis showed that, apart from known factors (total protein, albumin, and indices of glycemic control), fructosamine was also associated with body mass index and plasma fasting triglycerides. However, the contribution of these were small except in diabetic women. We conclude that the effect of obesity on fructosamine is small.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Blood pressure and urinary cations in a Chinese population.

The prevalence of hypertension and the relationship between blood pressure, age, body mass index (BMI) and urinary cations from casual urine specimens were examined in 1,513 Chinese employees of a public utility company and non-medical personnel of a district hospital. The prevalence of hypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 or a diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mmHg, or a past history of hypertension, was 17% in men and 5% in women. After excluding subjects who were on antihypertensive medication, age, body mass index, and urinary sodium/potassium ratio were independently and positively associated with blood pressure, while urinary potassium/creatinine ratio was inversely related to blood pressure. No association with urinary sodium or sodium/creatinine ratio was found. Higher mean blood pressure in men was accompanied by lower urinary potassium/creatinine and potassium concentration and higher sodium/potassium ratio, even though men had the same mean BMI when compared with women. A difference in potassium intake between the sexes may partly account for this finding. We conclude that in this Chinese population, whose dietary intake is more influenced by the West compared with Chinese in the Peoples' Republic of China, age and BMI are important determinants of blood pressure, together with potassium intake as reflected by urinary potassium excretion. No association of blood pressure with sodium excretion was demonstrated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Blood pressure and 40 month mortality in elderly Chinese subjects aged 70 years and over.

The association between blood pressure and 4 year mortality was examined in a cohort of 970 Chinese subjects aged 70 years and above. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking habit, place of residence, and the presence of heart or chronic lung diseases, a U-shaped association between blood pressure and mortality was observed, the risks of mortality among subjects in the extreme quartiles being twice as high as those in the middle quartiles. Subjects with the lowest systolic blood pressure quartile also had a higher risk of developing functional limitations.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Isradipine treatment for hypertension in general practice in Hong Kong.

A 6-week open study of the introduction of isradipine treatment was conducted in general practice in Hong Kong. 303 Chinese patients with mild to moderate hypertension entered the study. Side effects were reported in 21% of patients and caused withdrawal from the study in 3 patients. The main side-effects were headache, dizziness, palpitation and flushing and these were not more frequent than reported in other studies with isradipine or with placebo. Supine blood pressure was reduced (P less than 0.01) from 170 +/- 20/102 +/- 6 mmHg to 153 +/- 19/92 +/- 8, 147 +/- 18/88 +/- 7 and 144 +/- 14/87 +/- 6 mmHg at 2, 4 and 6 weeks respectively in evaluable patients. Similar reductions occurred in standing blood pressure and there was no evidence of postural hypotension. Normalization and responder rates at 6 weeks were 86% and 69% respectively. Dosage was increased from 2.5 mg b.d. to 5 mg b.d. at 4 weeks in patients with diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg and their further response was greater than those remaining on 2.5 mg b.d.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1992

Association between insulin and blood pressure in a community population with normal glucose tolerance.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between insulin and BP in patients with normal glucose tolerance. The associations between systolic and diastolic BP, age, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, fasting glucose, insulin, fructosamine, glycosylated haemoglobin, lipid profile, and glucose and insulin two hours after 75 g oral glucose were examined in 1,520 employees of a public utility company and non-medical staff of a district hospital. Patients with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus (using WHO criteria) were excluded. In men (mean age 35.6 +/- 8.7 years, n = 769), both systolic and diastolic BP were positively associated with age, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, fasting and 2h glucose and insulin, triglycerides and apolipoprotein B, and were negatively associated with glucose/insulin ration, and high density lipoprotein and cholesterol and its subfractions. However, in multivariate analysis only body mass index, age, fasting glucose and insulin were independent predictors of systolic BP, while only body mass index and age predicted diastolic BP. In women, age, glycosylated haemoglobin, 2h glucose/insulin ratio, 2h glucose, fructosamine and triglycerides were predictors of systolic BP. Fasting or 2h insulin, and glucose/insulin ratios did not predict diastolic BP. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that systolic hypertension may reflect a hyper-insulinaemic state even in those with normal glucose tolerance, independent of age and obesity. The association between plasma lipids and blood pressure is probably mediated by insulin and obesity.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Free triiodothyronine in sera of acutely ill general medical patients: a prognostic indicator?

We measured free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyrotropin (TSH), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in sera of 39 acutely ill medical patients who died within three months of admission and 39 age- and sex-matched control patients selected at random from a total of 294 acute medical admissions. Serum FT3 in nonsurvivors (1.91 +/- 1.51 pmol/L) was significantly lower than that in survivors (3.01 +/- 1.3 pmol/L, P less than 0.01) and the CRP in nonsurvivors (54.6 +/- 59.2 mg/L) was significantly higher than in survivors (43.6 +/- 59.5 mg/L, P less than 0.05). There was no difference in plasma TSH between the two groups. The estimated odds ratio relating death to a plasma FT3 value less than 1.0 pmol/L on admission was 17 (highly significant: P less than 0.001). We conclude that plasma FT3 may be a useful prognostic indicator in acutely ill patients.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Hydrazine--a possible cause of isoniazid--induced hepatic necrosis.

Pharmacokinetic parameters of isoniazid, hydrazine (a metabolite of isoniazid), rifampicin and pyrazinamide in a 74-year-old man with pulmonary tuberculosis who died of submassive hepatic necrosis eight days after starting antituberculosis therapy were compared with those of other elderly patients who did not develop hepatotoxicity. Steady-state plasma hydrazine and rifampicin concentrations in this patient exceeded twice the mean +/- 2 SD value for the group of patients without hepatotoxicity, while concentrations for isoniazid and pyrazinamide were comparable. The findings suggest that HYD may have a role in isoniazid-induced hepatic necrosis.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Therapeutic problems in the management of elderly patients with tuberculosis.

Adverse reactions to antituberculous drugs are more common in the elderly. With the increasing numbers of elderly people and the higher incidence of tuberculosis in this age group, clinicians will encounter more therapeutic problems in the use of antituberculous drugs than in younger patients. Existing studies regarding pharmacological and non-pharmacological factors which may predispose to increased adverse effects in the elderly are reviewed. Reduced clearances of isoniazid and rifampicin at steady state, possible increase in free drug concentration of drugs normally bound to albumin, possible differences in disposition of toxic metabolites such as hydrazine, concomitant administration of both isoniazid and rifampicin, poor nutrition and severity of the disease in the elderly may be contributing factors. Further studies in these areas should provide clearer guidelines on whether dosages or drug combinations should be modified in elderly patients with tuberculosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Association of serum lipoprotein(a) concentration with other cardiovascular risk factors in a Chinese population.

The association between serum Lp(a) concentration, a risk factor for atherothrombotic disease, and other cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, alcohol intake, hypertension, obesity, and indices of glycemic control is examined in a cohort of 313 elderly Chinese subjects (M = 160, mean age +/- SD = 68 +/- 11 year; F = 153, mean age +/- SD = 73 +/- 11). Although associations existed for the above risk factors and other serum lipid levels, there was no association with serum Lp(a) concentration in the overall population. Men with Lp(a) greater than or equal to 30 mg/dl had a higher mean age and blood pressure. A higher percentage of subjects with Lp(a) greater than or equal to 30 mg/dl had a family history of stroke, although the total number of those with a family history was too small to reach statistical significance. The lack of association with known modifiable cardiovascular risk factors is compatible with the conclusion that Lp(a) concentration is primarily under genetic control and therefore unlikely to be a modifiable risk factor.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Creatine kinase isoenzymes in the diagnosis of intestinal infarction.

Total creatine kinase and its isoenzymes CK-MB and CK-BB were measured in the serum of patients admitted with acute abdominal pain or signs suggestive of an intraabdominal catastrophe. Total creatine kinase was measured by automated spectrophotometry, CK-MB by chemiluminescent assay, and CK-BB by radioimmunoassay. Patients were grouped according to their final diagnosis: intestinal infarction (N = 8); all other diagnoses (N = 22); controls (N = 20). CK-BB in the infarction group (22.3 +/- 5.3 ng/ml, mean +/- SE) was significantly greater (P less than 0.01) than in the noninfarction or the control groups (11.0 +/- 0.8 ng/ml and 5.8 +/- 0.7 ng/ml, respectively). There were no differences in total creatine kinase and CK-MB in the three groups. Stepwise deletion multiple regression analysis of 26 independent regressors showed that among a cluster of six significant variables (R2 = 0.92, P less than 0.005), CK-BB greater than 20 ng/ml was the best predictor of intestinal infarction. Results of this study indicate that CK-BB isoenzyme measurement may be useful in the diagnosis of intestinal infarction in man.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Enhanced haloperidol-induced prolactin stimulation with chronic neuroleptic treatment in the rat.

Animals were treated either acutely, or chronically for 21 days, with a low dose (0.1 mg/kg) of haloperidol, then sacrificed to obtain trunk blood for radioimmunoassay of prolactin (PRL) level. PRL concentrations on day 21 of chronic treatment were greater than two-fold those produced by acute neuroleptic. Challenge with apomorphine to rats withdrawn for 48 hours revealed similar PRL reductions as a group withdrawn from chronic vehicle injections.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

The effect of rapamycin on renal function in the rat: a comparative study with cyclosporine.

Male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 14 days with either rapamycin (RAP, 1.5 mg/kg/d i.p.) in carboxymethylcellulose (RAP/CMC) or polyethyleneglycol (RAP/PEG), cyclosporine (CsA, 15 mg/kg/d by gavage) or with the appropriate drug vehicles. Biochemical indices of renal function and integrity were determined throughout the experimental period, at the end of which the rats were killed and kidneys examined histologically. All animals gained weight at a similar rate to untreated animals except those treated with RAP; RAP/PEG animals were lighter on day 14 compared with day 0 values, whilst RAP/CMC animals were lighter only in comparison with CMC-only controls on day 14. Significant increases in urinary flow rate (UFR) were found in each drug treatment group. RAP/CMC, RAP/PEG and CsA caused mild renal functional impairment, but only with CsA was there a significant reduction in 51Cr-EDTA clearance. Significant enzymuria, resulting from drug but not vehicle administration, was observed only in the CsA-treatment group. Increased plasma and urinary glucose levels, elevated in all drug-treatment groups, were related to increased UFR. Kidneys of RAP-treated rats appeared normal, whereas mild, focal, acute tubular necrosis was evident in all CsA-tested animals. Pancreases of all drug-treated animals were histologically normal.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1991

Neuromuscular impairment: a major cause of non-syncopal falls in elderly Chinese.

A survey was conducted on 138 residents in Old Age Hostels and 217 subjects living at home. Twenty-five percent of women and 12% of men reported one or more non-syncopal falls in the previous year. Neuromuscular impairment, which included knee pain, a positive Romberg sign, an abnormal gait and use of walking aids, was the main risk factor for falls in this population. Screening and preventive programmes may be based on these findings.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1991

Toxicity of rapamycin--a comparative and combination study with cyclosporine at immunotherapeutic dosage in the rat.

Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 14 days with rapamycin (RAP; 1.5 mg/kg/day i.p.), cyclosporine (15 mg/kg/day by gavage), both drugs in combination, or appropriate drug vehicles. Hematological parameters and biochemical indices of renal and hepatic function were determined throughout the experimental period, at the end of which the rats were killed and tissues examined histologically. There was a significant reduction in weight gain in RAP- but not CsA-treated animals, while rats given both drugs showed a reduction in body weight over the 14-day experimental period. There were no significant alterations in absolute or differential white blood cell counts or in T or B cell numbers, except in the drug combination group, in which an absolute lymphopenia was detected on day 14. Small but significant increases in urinary flow rate (UFR) were found with either drug alone, and there was a marked (4-fold) increase in UFR in response to drug combination. Both RAP and CsA caused a small elevation in serum creatinine concentrations, but only with CsA was there a significant elevation in urinary enzyme activity and reduction in 51Cr. EDTA clearance. The drug combination exacerbated renal impairment, the extent of which was greater than the additive effect of either drug alone. Hyperbilirubinemia of similar magnitude was observed in rats receiving either CsA alone or in combination with RAP. In contrast to its effect on renal function, however, the CsA+RAP combination was without additional effect on liver function compared with the minor changes seen with either drug alone. Plasma and urinary glucose levels were elevated in all drug treatment groups and especially in animals given both drugs. RAP administration did not significantly affect whole-blood CsA concentrations, although the possibility of a pharmacokinetic interaction cannot be totally excluded. Histological studies revealed striking thymic medullary atrophy in all drug-treated animals. In addition, all rats given RAP showed focal myocardial necrosis of overall mild-moderate severity. Kidneys of RAP-treated rats appeared normal, whereas mild, focal, acute tubular necrosis was evident in all CsA-treated animals. Pancreases of all drug-treated animals were normal.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Immune responses to noninherited maternal RT1A antigens in inbred rats.

Humoral responses to non-inherited maternal class I antigens (class I NIMAs) were assessed in 3 groups of inbred rats expressing the RT1u phenotype. Group 1 consisted of the progeny of (AO X DA)F1 X PVG matings; their haplotype was RT1u/c and their non-inherited maternal haplotype RT1a. Group 2 were the progeny of (AO X LEW)F1 X PVG matings the haplotype of which was also RT1u/c, but their non-inherited maternal haplotype was RT1l. Group 3 comprised 8 (AO X PVG)F1 (RT1u/c) hybrids. All rats received 2 intravenous blood transfusions (0.5 ml) from male DA (RT1Aa) donors on days 0 and 7. They were bled at weekly intervals for 6 weeks and again at 20 weeks after the first transfusion. Alloantibody responses to RT1Aa were assessed by an indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA)* and by a 51Chromium-release complement-dependent red cell cytotoxicity assay. All groups exhibited vigorous anti-class I antibody responses to the DA transfusions. No significant differences were detected, however, in antibody titers between the groups either by IHA or CDC or in the rates of decay of antibody titers up to week 20. In addition no blocking activity was found in sera obtained on day 0 from group 1 animals and tested for antiidiotypic antibody activity to cytotoxic anti-RT1Aa antibodies. In order to assess whether suppressor activity had been activated by the initial transfusions, in the animals in which class I NIMA was RT1Aa, all groups were rechallenged with a DA transfusion at week 20. All animals exhibited vigorous anamnestic responses to this challenge and no significant differences were detected between groups. In order to determine whether cellular tolerance to the noninherited maternal haplotype was present in group 1 animals, proliferative responses were assessed by one-way mixed lymphocyte cultures, using DA lymph node stimulator cells. No significant differences were detected in proliferative or kinetic responses between lymph node cells from rats the noninherited maternal haplotype of which was RT1a or from naive (AO X PVG)F1 hybrids. Peak proliferative responses to DA cells in rats the noninherited maternal haplotype of which was RT1l were similar, but maximal on day 4 as opposed to day 3. Hence in these inbred rat strains no evidence of humoral tolerance to class I NIMAs was detected. In addition there was no evidence of cellular tolerance to the noninherited maternal MHC haplotype.

Animals↗