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Biomedical subjects

J Yan

Publications and source records attributed to J Yan.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

[Measurement of content of collagen type IV and laminin in tissue of oral squamous cell carcinoma and its clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the content of collagen type IV (ColIV) and laminin (LN) in tissue of oral squamous cell carcinoma and the clinicopathological parameters. METHODS: 30 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma came into the study, 6 normal mucosa tissue came from patients who underwent orthogathic operations. The extraction solution was prepared by homogenizing of cancer and normal mucosa tissue in extraction buffer. The content of ColIV and LN in tissue of oral squamous cell carcinoma were measured by radioimmunoassay and represented by amount of per milliliter extraction solution. Mode of invasion (MI) was divided into 4 types basing on the relationship between normal and cancer tissue. The results of measurement of content of ColIV and LN were expressed using mean +/- s, whose correlation with clinicopathological parameters was evaluated by using Student t test. RESULTS: The MI classification showed that type I consisted of 4 cases, and type II comprised 12 cases. 5 and 9 cases belonged to type III and type IV respectively. The content of LN and ColIV in tumor tissue were 1.02 +/- 0.11 micrograms/ml and 1.83 +/- 0.21 micrograms/ml respectively, and the content of LN and ColIV in normal tissue were 1.98 +/- 0.23 micrograms/ml and 2.87 +/- 0.45 micrograms/ml respectively. There was significant difference between the content of ColIV and LN in normal and tumor tissue, and the content of ColIV and LN in normal tissue was much higher than that in cancer tissue (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). No relationship was found between the variation of ColIV and LN content and location and pathological grade of squamous cell carcinoma (P > 0.05), but it was found the content of LN and ColIV in patients with neck lymph node metastasis were greater than that in patients without metastasis (P < 0.05). Content of LN and ColIV also showed negative relationship with the MI index. CONCLUSION: The assay of LN and ColIV in tumor might be useful for diagnosis of metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma, and moreover, the relationship between ColIV and LN and MI also gives the suggestion that ColIV and LN may play some roles in preventing the invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

[Investigation of a gas chromatographic column system for the on-line analysis of gaseous components in de-propane tower of pyrolysis equipment].

Multi-dimensional gas chromatograph has become an important process analyzer due to the advantages of high resolution and fast speed. According to the production requirement, a gas chromatographic column switching system has been investigated for the on-line analysis of gaseous components from high-pressure and lower-pressure de-propane towers of pyrolysis equipment. By using two different injection times on three injectors, and fore-flush and back-flush techniques, C2-hydrocarbons, propane, propene, methylacetylene, propadiene and C4-hydrocarbons can be separated on 7 columns in 7 minutes. The practical application showed the developed column system is suitable for the on-line monitoring of the production process.

English Abstract↗
PubMed2000

[Protective effect of ciliary neurotrophic factor on the hippocampal neuronal damage induced by stress and its mechanisms in rats].

Effect of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on behavior and morphology of hippocampal neurons were observed and its mechanisms in rats were explored by Nissl staining, Bielschowsky-Gros-Lawrentjew staining, transmission electron microscopy, behavior determination, primary culture of hippocampal neuron, running photography of living cell, whole-cell patch clamp recording, detection of intracellular free Ca2+ and immunohistochemical detection of P53 protein. The results showed that there was no statistically significant change in the morphology of hippocampal neurons as a result of acute stress. The behavioral activity was increased during acute stress stage, which was not affected by CNTF. In chronic stress stage, neuronal damage in hippocampus was significant, and behavioral activity was significantly decreased under basal line. Administration of CNTF into bilateral hippocampus prevented neurons from damage and improved behavior. In vitro, CNTF could significantly suppress channel current, intracellular Ca2+ content and the expression of P53 protein in the nucleus induced by glutamate. The results suggested that the protective effect of CNTF may involve rapid effects on cell membrane and cytoplasma, and delayed effects on nucleus, thereby improve behavioral defects.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

A clinical analysis of idiopathic orbital inflammatory pseudotumor.

PURPOSE: To observe the clinical findings and response to treatment in patients with a diagnosis of idiopathic orbital inflammatory pseudotumor. METHODS: 209 idiopathic orbital inflammatory pseudotumor cases seen between Jan 1, 1978 and Dec 31, 1999 in our hospital were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 209 cases, 118 were male and 91 were female; there were 90 in the right eye, 81 left eye and 38 both eyes. Patients age ranged from 4 to 80 years (mean 44.4). Proptosis (66%), palpable mass (65%), swollen eyelid (55%), increased orbital pressure (55%) and motility restriction (48%) were the five most common presenting signs. According to radiologic and surgical findings, focal mass within orbit was the most frequent subtype (43%), followed by lacrimal inflammatory pseudotumor (32%), diffuse orbital inflammation (10%), myositis (8%). Perineuritis (2%), periscleritis (2%), acute inflammation (2%) and eyelid pseudotumor (1%) were rare clinical findings. The response to treatment (with a mean follow-up of 1.5 years) showed that the cure rate was 40% and the effective rate 97% after combined management of surgical resection, systemic steroid and local low dose radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Although recurrence of IOIP is common, the success rate of treatment for this group of patients is high.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Gene rearrangement analysis of orbital lymphoid infiltrating disorders.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the use of polymerase chain reaction for B-cell gene rearrangement in patients with orbital lymphoid infiltrate disorders could be useful in the diagnosis of lymphoma, especially, in differentiating benign lesion from malignant one. METHODS: In addition to clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical evaluations, 48 cases of orbital lymphoid infiltrate disorders were examined for immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) gene rearrangement by means of PCR to amplify the FR3 region with formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues. RESULTS: Gene rearrangement in the third frame-work of the IgH region was detected in specimens obtained from 15 cases of malignant lymphoma, 4 of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia and 3 of orbital pseudotumor. All of these patients showed a discrete band (100 bp) which reflected monoclonal proliferation of B lymphocytes. 5 cases of malignant lymphoma, 6 of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia and 15 of orbital pseudotumor did not show a discrete band on PCR. CONCLUSIONS: The FR3 region gene rearrangement of Ig heavy in patients with orbital lymphoid infiltrate disorders may be an additional diagnostic tool in differentiating benign from malignant lymphoid diseases and in offering a useful adjunct for diagnosis in difficult or unclear cases. It is a reliable and practical method of gene diagnosis in orbital lymphoid infiltrate disorders and helps to identify the molecular mechanism of malignant lymphoma.

Carrier Proteins↗
PubMed1999

A multiple-capillary electrophoresis system for small-scale DNA sequencing and analysis.

A five-capillary system has been developed for DNA sequencing and analysis. The post-column fluorescence detector is based on a sheath-flow cuvette. The instrument provides uniform and continuous illumination of the samples. The cuvette virtually eliminates cross-talk in the fluorescence signal between capillaries. Discrete single-photon counting avalanche photodiodes provide high efficiency light detection. The instrument has detection limits (3sigma) of 130 +/- 30 fluorescein molecules injected onto each capillary. Over 650 bases of sequence at 98.8% accuracy were generated in 100 min at 50 degrees C from M13mp18. Separation and detection of short tandem repeats proved efficient and accurate with the use of internal standards for direct comparison of migration times between capillaries.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A kinetic proofreading mechanism for disentanglement of DNA by topoisomerases.

Cells must remove all entanglements between their replicated chromosomal DNAs to segregate them during cell division. Entanglement removal is done by ATP-driven enzymes that pass DNA strands through one another, called type II topoisomerases. In vitro, some type II topoisomerases can reduce entanglements much more than expected, given the assumption that they pass DNA segments through one another in a random way. These type II topoisomerases (of less than 10 nm in diameter) thus use ATP hydrolysis to sense and remove entanglements spread along flexible DNA strands of up to 3,000 nm long. Here we propose a mechanism for this, based on the higher rate of collisions along entangled DNA strands, relative to collision rates on disentangled DNA strands. We show theoretically that if a type II topoisomerase requires an initial 'activating' collision before a second strand-passing collision, the probability of entanglement may be reduced to experimentally observed levels. This proposed two-collision reaction is similar to 'kinetic proofreading' models of molecular recognition.

DNA↗
PubMed1999

Mouse ULK2, a novel member of the UNC-51-like protein kinases: unique features of functional domains.

The UNC-51 serine/threonine kinase of C. elegans plays an essential role in axonal elongation, and unc-51 mutants exhibit uncoordinated movements. We have previously identified mouse and human cDNAs encoding UNC-51-like kinase (ULK1). Here we report the identification and characterization of the second murine member of this kinase family, ULK2. Mouse ULK2 cDNA encodes a putative polypeptide of 1033 aa which has an overall 52% and 33% amino acid identity to ULK1 and UNC-51, respectively. ULKs and UNC-51 share a typical domain structure of an amino-terminal kinase domain, a central proline/serine rich (PS) domain, and a carboxy-terminal (C) domain. Northern blot analysis showed that ULK2 mRNA is widely expressed in adult tissues. In situ hybridization analysis indicated that ULK2 mRNA is ubiquitously localized in premature as well as mature neurons in developing nervous system. ULK2 gene was mapped to mouse chromosome 11B1.3 and rat chromosome 10q23 by FISH. HA-tagged ULK2 expressed in COS7 cells had an apparent molecular size of approximately 150 kDa and was autophosphorylated in vitro. Truncation mutants suggested that the autophosphorylation occurs in the PS domain. Although expression of ULK2 failed to rescue unc-51 mutant of C. elegans, a series of ULK2/UNC-51 chimeric kinases revealed that function of the kinase and PS domains are conserved among species, while the C domain acts in a species-specific manner. These results suggest that ULK2 is involved in a previously uncharacterized signaling pathway in mammalian cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Beta-glucan, a "specific" biologic response modifier that uses antibodies to target tumors for cytotoxic recognition by leukocyte complement receptor type 3 (CD11b/CD18).

beta-Glucans were identified 36 years ago as a biologic response modifier that stimulated tumor rejection. In vitro studies have shown that beta-glucans bind to a lectin domain within complement receptor type 3 (CR3; known also as Mac-1, CD11b/CD18, or alphaMbeta2-integrin, that functions as an adhesion molecule and a receptor for factor I-cleaved C3b, i.e., iC3b) resulting in the priming of this iC3b receptor for cytotoxicity of iC3b-opsonized target cells. This investigation explored mechanisms of tumor therapy with soluble beta-glucan in mice. Normal mouse sera were shown to contain low levels of Abs reactive with syngeneic or allogeneic tumor lines that activated complement, depositing C3 onto tumors. Implanted tumors became coated with IgM, IgG, and C3, and the absent C3 deposition on tumors in SCID mice was reconstituted with IgM or IgG isolated from normal sera. Therapy of mice with glucan- or mannan-rich soluble polysaccharides exhibiting high affinity for CR3 caused a 57-90% reduction in tumor weight. In young mice with lower levels of tumor-reactive Abs, the effectiveness of beta-glucan was enhanced by administration of a tumor-specific mAb, and in SCID mice, an absent response to beta-glucan was reconstituted with normal IgM or IgG. The requirement for C3 on tumors and CR3 on leukocytes was highlighted by therapy failures in C3- or CR3-deficient mice. Thus, the tumoricidal function of CR3-binding polysaccharides such as beta-glucan in vivo is defined by natural and elicited Abs that direct iC3b deposition onto neoplastic cells, making them targets for circulating leukocytes bearing polysaccharide-primed CR3. Therapy fails when tumors lack iC3b, but can be restored by tumor-specific Abs that deposit iC3b onto the tumors.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Wild-type but not Alzheimer-mutant amyloid precursor protein confers resistance against p53-mediated apoptosis.

Amyloid precursor proteins (APPs) are expressed in multiple organs and cell types in diverse species. Their conservation across species and high abundance in brain and the association of various APP missense mutations with autosomal dominant forms of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) suggest important roles for APP in the central nervous system. However, the basic functions of APP in the central nervous system remain largely unknown. To assess potential effects of APP on neuronal death and survival, we transfected APP-deficient rat neuroblastoma cells (B103) with DNA constructs encoding wild-type or FAD-mutant human APP. Wild-type, but not FAD-mutant, APP effectively protected cells against apoptosis induced by ultraviolet irradiation, staurosporine, or p53. Wild-type APP also strongly inhibited p53 DNA-binding activity and p53-mediated gene transactivation, whereas FAD-mutant APP did not. We conclude that APP protects neuronal cells against apoptosis by controlling p53 activation at the post-translational level. Disruption of this function by mutations or alterations in APP processing could enhance neuronal vulnerability to secondary insults and contribute to neuronal degeneration.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1999

[Serum sex hormone and urinary metabolites of male workers exposed to carbon disulfide].

Serum luteotropic hormone(LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolectin(PRL) and testosterone (T) were determined by radioimmunoassay methods in 50 workers exposed to carbon disulfide(CS2) in a viscose rayon factory. Urinary excretion of 2-thio-thiazolidine-4-carboxilic acid (TTCA) in workers by the end of work shift was analyzed with modified high-performance liquid chromatography. The working conditions of the factory had not been changed since 1950s. The concentration of CS2, determined by Multigas Monitor (type 1320) in workplace, was (14.4 +/- 4.62) mg/m3. The results showed that: (1) serum FSH of CS2 group (10.04 +/- 7.35)IU/L was significantly higher than that of control group (7.50 +/- 7.07 IU/L), PRL of CS2 group (5.72 +/- 4.18) ng/L was significantly lower than that of control group (6.89 +/- 4.64 ng/L). Serum LH was declined with the increase of time exposed to CS2, (2) urinary TTCA in CS2 group was 1.072 +/- 1.013 mg/g Cr. Serum FSH was declined with the increase of TTCA excretion. The results suggested that the function of endocrine system was disturbed in workers exposed to CS2.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

TNF-induced haptoglobin release from human neutrophils: pivotal role of the TNF p55 receptor.

Haptoglobin (Hp), TNF-alpha, and neutrophils are parts of a highly interactive ensemble participating in inflammatory processes. Hp is taken up by neutrophils, stored within a cytoplasmic granular compartment, and is secreted during phagocytosis by those cells. In the present study, the effects of TNF-alpha on the release of Hp from human neutrophils were investigated. Incubation of neutrophils with TNF-alpha induced the release of Hp from cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner as revealed by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. The release of Hp induced by TNF-alpha was not due to nonspecific lysis of the cells. TNF-alpha is a highly pleiotropic cytokine that mediates its effects by binding to two distinct receptors (p55 and p75). Administration of TNF-alpha mutants binding specifically either to the p55 or to the p75 TNF receptors showed that there is a preference of TNF-alpha for the p55 receptor in the mediation of Hp release by neutrophils. A stimulated release of Hp was also induced by the chemotactic tripeptide fMLP. The TNF-alpha-induced release of Hp from neutrophils was inhibited by erbstatin, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. These findings suggest that TNF-alpha may promptly increase the level of Hp at sites of infection or injury, leading to the modulation of the acute inflammatory response.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1999

The beta-glucan-binding lectin site of mouse CR3 (CD11b/CD18) and its function in generating a primed state of the receptor that mediates cytotoxic activation in response to iC3b-opsonized target cells.

Mouse leukocyte CR3 (Mac-1, alphaMbeta2 integrin) was shown to function as a receptor for beta-glucans in the same way as human CR3. Soluble zymosan polysaccharide (SZP) or pure beta-glucans labeled with FITC or 125I bound in a saturable and reversible manner to neutrophils, macrophages, and NK cells. This lectin activity was blocked by anti-CD11b mAb M1/70 or 5C6 and did not occur with leukocytes from CR3-/- (CD11b-deficient) mice. SZP preparations containing primarily mannose or glucose bound to CR3, and the binding of 125I-labeled beta-glucan to CR3 was competitively inhibited by beta-glucans from barley or seaweed, but not by yeast alpha-mannan. Also, as with human CR3, the lectin site of mouse CR3 was inhibited by alpha- or beta-methylglucoside (but not D-glucose), alpha- or beta-methylmannoside, and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Phagocytosis of zymosan and serum-opsonized zymosan was partially inhibited by anti-CR3 and was reduced to <40% of normal with leukocytes from CR3-/- mice. As with neutrophils from patients with CD18 deficiency, neutrophils from CR3-/- mice exhibited no phagocytosis of particulate beta-glucan. SZP or beta-glucans primed CR3 of neutrophils, macrophages, and NK cells for cytotoxicity of iC3b-opsonized tumor cells that otherwise did not trigger killing. beta-Glucan priming for cytotoxicity was inhibited by anti-CR3 and did not occur with leukocytes from CR3-/- mice. The primed state of macrophage and NK cell CR3 remained detectable for 18 to 24 h after pulsing with beta-glucans. The similarity of mouse and human CR3 in response to beta-glucans highlights the utility of mouse tumor models for development of therapeutic beta-glucans.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

EPR spin trapping and 2-deoxyribose degradation studies of the effect of pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) on *OH formation by the Fenton reaction.

The search for effective iron chelating agents was primarily driven by the need to treat iron-loading refractory anemias such as beta-thalassemia major. However, there is a potential for therapeutic use of iron chelators in non-iron overload conditions. Iron can, under appropriate conditions, catalyze the production of toxic oxygen radicals which have been implicated in numerous pathologies and, hence, iron chelators may be useful as inhibitors of free radical-mediated tissue damage. We have developed the orally effective iron chelator pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH) and demonstrated that it inhibits iron-mediated oxyradical formation and their effects (e.g. 2-deoxyribose oxidative degradation, lipid peroxidation and plasmid DNA breaks). In this study we further characterized the mechanism of the antioxidant action of PIH and some of its analogs against *OH formation from the Fenton reaction. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) with 5, 5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) as a spin trap for *OH we showed that PIH and salicylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (SIH) inhibited Fe(II)-dependent production of *OH from H2O2. Moreover, PIH protected 2-deoxyribose against oxidative degradation induced by Fe(II) and H2O2. The protective effect of PIH against both DMPO hydroxylation and 2-deoxyribose degradation was inversely proportional to Fe(II) concentration. However, PIH did not change the primary products of the Fenton reaction as indicated by EPR experiments on *OH-mediated ethanol radical formation. Furthermore, PIH dramatically enhanced the rate of Fe(II) oxidation to Fe(III) in the presence of oxygen, suggesting that PIH decreases the concentration of Fe(II) available for the Fenton reaction. These results suggest that PIH and SIH deserve further investigation as inhibitors of free-radical mediated tissue damage.

Cyclic N-Oxides↗
PubMed1999

Candidate EPA, NIOSH method for determining carbon disulfide in air with capillary gas chromatography by orthogonal design.

This paper describes a candidate NIOSH EPA method for the determination of carbon disulfide in the air of workplaces with capillary gas chromatography using an orthogonal design. This method is designed to replace the packed column of the NIOSH method with a capillary column. The first part of this work concerned the setup of the method, particularly the choice of chromatographic parameters and finding their main favorable working ranges. The second part, using the statistical method orthogonal design, focused on optimizing the GC conditions, which were: column temperature, T(c) = 90 degrees C; injector temperature, T(i) = 140 degrees C; U section detector temperature, FPDU = 160 degrees C; L section detector temperature, FPDL = 210 degrees C; flow rate of carrier gas, F(c) = 20 cm/s; split ratio = 1/70; and injection volume = 1 microL. The quality control test showed that the coefficient of intra-day variation (CV) was 2.21%. A good logarithm linear correlation between the standard solutions and their peak areas was obtained. In general, the method reported here seems a valid candidate for a NIOSH EPA method due to its high precision and accuracy.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1999

Regulation of the production of soluble IL-4 receptors in murine cutaneous leishmaniasis. The roles of IL-12 and IL-4.

These studies were undertaken with the purpose of elucidating the key signals involved in the regulation of the production of soluble interleukin-4 receptors (sIL-4R) in mice during Th1 and Th2 responses to infection with the parasite Leishmania major. Our results showed that the production of sIL-4R was consistently higher in lymph node cell cultures from animals mounting a predominant Th2 response (BALB/c mice), and that sIL-4R production paralleled that of IL-4 in both mouse strains, even in the presence of a dominant Th1 response (C3H/FeJ mice). Consistently, administration of anti-IL-12 antibodies to infected C3H/ FeJ mice induced a switch from a Th1- to a Th2-type response and resulted in enhanced production of sIL-4R. Addition of rIL-12 to splenic cell cultures, however, was found not to have a direct effect on sIL-4R production induced by IL-4 or T cell mitogens. Moreover, the production of sIL-4R appears to be little influenced by Th1-produced cytokines, inasmuch as recombinant interferon-gamma or supernatants derived from antigen-stimulated Th1 clones did not affect the production of sIL-4R by activated splenic cultures. Despite its correlation with Th2 responses, the presence of IL-4 was not an absolute requirement for the up-regulation of the expression of sIL-4R because increased levels could be induced on cells obtained from IL-4-/- mice. These results indicate that, although enhanced sIL-4R production is a feature related to the activation and/or generation of Th2 responses, it is not absolutely dependent on IL-4 or directly inhibited by IL-12 or Th1 cytokines.

Animals↗