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Biomedical subjects

J Yoo

Publications and source records attributed to J Yoo.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Nuclear matrix protein patterns in human benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer.

The nuclear matrix represents the structural component of the nucleus that determines nuclear shape and higher order DNA organization. We have previously shown tissue specificity in nuclear matrix proteins (NMP), in rat sex accessory tissues, and in a rat model of prostate cancer. This study compares NMP patterns for fresh human normal prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer for 21 men undergoing surgery for clinically localized prostate cancer or BPH. NMP patterns were compared using high resolution two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We identified by molecular weight and isoelectric point 14 different proteins that were consistently present or absent among the various tissues. One protein (PC-1), a M(r) 56,000 protein with an isoelectric point of 6.58, appeared in 14 of 14 different nuclear matrix preparations from prostate cancer and was not detected in normal prostate (0 of 13) or BPH (0 of 14). The NMP patterns are consistent with a model of disease progression in which BPH shares many of the nuclear matrix changes observed in prostate cancer.

Antigens, Nuclear↗

The use of prostate specific antigen, clinical stage and Gleason score to predict pathological stage in men with localized prostate cancer.

Clinical stage, Gleason score and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels are used separately to predict pathological stage in patients with localized prostate cancer. Because the degree of tumor differentiation has a profound influence on the expression of serum PSA, serum PSA levels alone do not reflect tumor burden accurately. To overcome this obstacle we tested these 3 variables alone and in combinations as predictors of final pathological stage in 703 men with clinically localized prostate cancer at our institution. All patients were assigned a clinical stage by 1 urologist. The Gleason score was determined from preoperative needle biopsy and serum PSA levels were measured on an ambulatory basis. Final pathological stage was determined to be either organ confined, established capsular penetration, seminal vesicle involvement or lymph node involvement. Logistic regression analysis with the likelihood ratio chi-square test determined that serum PSA, Gleason score and clinical stage all predicted final pathological stage well. The results were improved with combinations of the 3 variables (serum PSA, Gleason score and clinical stage) and the combination provided the best separation. From these analyses probability plots and nomograms have been constructed to assist urologists in the preoperative prediction of final pathological stage for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Recipient vessels in head and neck microsurgery: radiation effect and vessel access.

Historical cohort analysis compared free-flap survival rates in 226 irradiated and 108 nonirradiated head and neck reconstructions. The failure rate for the irradiated flaps (3.5 percent) did not differ significantly from that for the nonirradiated group (2.9 percent). A case-control study of the failed irradiated flaps revealed infection and lag time between radiotherapy and surgery as the only factors significantly associated with free flap failure. Salvage techniques (vein grafting, cephalic transposition, and Corlett looping) for recruiting recipient vessels into radically ablated head and neck beds are reviewed.

Adult↗

A biomechanical analysis of atlantoaxial stabilization methods using a bovine model. C1/C2 fixation analysis.

The reliability and initial postoperative stability of six widely used C1-C2 surgical constructs were evaluated by nondestructive biomechanical testing of ten fresh bovine upper cervical spine segments. The six fixation techniques were the simple midline sublaminar C1 wiring (SMW), the modified Gallie wiring (MGW), the Brook wedge arthrodesis (BWA), the bilateral lateral mass screw (LMS), and the Clark arthrodesis without (CWO) and with (CW) the adjunctive use of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement. Instability was produced by resection of the base of the dens. Intact, destabilized, and instrumented constructs were tested in unconstrained flexion, extension, torsion, anterior, and posterior shear forces. The LMS and CW techniques proved the most effective in achieving C1-C2 stability. Sublaminar C2 wiring methods tended to have greater torsional and shear stiffness. Less rigid fixation techniques frequently loosened. All non-PMMA-enhanced wired constructs failed to restore the ability to adequately resist the posterior translation of C1 on C2. Stabilization of an unstable atlantoaxial articulation is best accomplished by a lateral mass screw or sublaminar C1-C2 PMMA-enhanced technique. Other techniques provided less consistent and reliable surgical fixation. Because of the inadequacy of wired constructs to resist posterior shear in patients with this instability pattern, the usual treatment may need to be modified to include more prolonged or protective external immobilization or more rigid fixation techniques. Although less rigid, the SMW and the MGW techniques are safer because they require less-frequent passage of sublaminar wires, avoid potential problems with PMMA, and obviate the hazards of further lateral dissection and insertion of the transarticular screws.

Animals↗

Electrofractionation: a technique for detecting and recovering biomolecules.

Electrofractionation (EF) is a technique that allows electrophoretic materials to be detected and recovered following electrophoresis. The EF apparatus utilizes the resolving power of electrophoresis and the mobile phase of liquid chromatography to create a continuous elution system. Our data indicate that EF is able to detect and recover oligonucleotides, as DNA fragments, proteins, and presumably other material that can be analyzed by electrophoresis. EF shares functional similarities with high-performance electrophoresis chromatography (HPEC) but operates by a different strategy and at a fraction of the cost. Moreover, EF can be constructed largely from standard laboratory equipment. The simplicity, rapid analysis times, low cost, and high recovery yields of EF make this system a practical alternative to the conventional detection and purification methods used for biomolecules.

Chemical Fractionation↗

Tracheitis: outcome of 1,700 cases presenting to the emergency department during two years.

A retrospective analysis was completed of the charts of the 1,727 patients with the diagnosis of croup seen during two years (1985 and 1986) in the Emergency Department of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Cough (91.4%) was the most common presenting symptom. Other presenting signs and symptoms included stridor (57.5%), chest wall retraction (38%), coryza and wheezing (18.5%) and tracheal tug (15%). The majority of patients were treated on an ambulatory basis while 377 (21.7%) were admitted for further management. Inpatient treatment included racemic epinephrine (120 patients) and parenteral steroids (17). Twelve (12) patients required airway support (endotracheal intubation). No tracheotomy for tracheitis was performed during this two year period. No deaths occurred in this patient population.

Child↗

Conversion of lysine 91 to methionine or glutamic acid in human choriogonadotropin alpha results in the loss of cAMP inducibility.

Human choriogonadotropin (hCG) is a heterodimeric glycoprotein hormone. The alpha subunit comprises 92 amino acids, of which 6 are Lys residues (Morgan, F.G., Birken, S., and Canfield, R.E. (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250, 5247-5258). Our photoaffinity-labeling studies indicate that several of these Lys residues make contact with the lutropin receptor and are covalently cross-linked to the receptor. Lys-91 of the alpha subunit is of interest because deletion of the two alpha C-terminal residues, Lys-91 and Ser-92, results in a significant reduction in the bioactivity of lutropin and thyrotropin (Cheng, K.-W., Glazer, A.N., and Pierce, J.G. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 7930-7937). To determine the importance of Lys-alpha 91, we substituted it with Arg, Met, or Glu. The resulting mutant alpha cDNA constructs were co-transfected into CHO cells with the wild type hCG beta cDNA construct. Secreted hCG dimers were assayed for binding to receptors on porcine granulosa cells and stimulation of cAMP synthesis in a murine Leydig tumor cell line. The natural hCG, wild type hCG, and all mutant hCGs recognized the receptor, although with somewhat divergent affinities. However, there was a striking difference in the ability of cAMP induction. The natural hCG, wild type hCG, and Lys-91----Arg mutant hCG induced cAMP synthesis, whereas the Lys-91----Met and Lys-91----Glu mutants did not. These results demonstrate that Lys-91 is important for receptor modulation in the stimulation of cAMP synthesis.

Animals↗

Interference screw fixation of cervical grafts: a biomechanical study of a new method of cervical fixation.

The dislodgement of anterior bone graft in the cervical spine is a frequent complication of attempted fusion following discectomy or corpectomy. It has been hypothesized that fixation augmented with interference screws may increase the pull-out strength of the construct and decrease the rate of these complications. Mechanical tests were conducted to compare interference screw fixation methods for enhancing the fixation between the bone graft and the adjacent vertebra. The anterior pull-out strengths of cervical bone grafts were compared using fixation with and without the addition of interference screws. Both discectomy and corpectomy graft models were examined in vitro. The mean pull-out force for a Smith-Robinson type bone graft alone was 58.1 N (SD +/- 11.4 N); for the graft augmented with two 3.5 mm cancellous bone screws, 153.9 N (+/- 58.9 N); for the graft with four 3.5 mm screws, 217.1 N (SD +/- 69.9 N). The pull-out strengths of the two and four 3.5 mm screw constructs were significantly greater than the strength of the graft alone (p less than 0.05). Similarly placed 2.7 mm cortical screws of the same length provided increased pull-out strength (123.7 N +/- 38.6 N and 142.5 N +/- 38.2 N for two and four screws, respectively); however, in comparison to the graft alone, these differences were not statistically significant. For both screw types, the four screw fixations were stronger than the two-screw fixations, although these differences were not statistically different.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Esophageal foreign bodies in children. 15-year review of 484 cases.

The findings of a retrospective analysis of the charts of 426 children admitted on 484 occasions with diagnoses of esophageal foreign bodies that were managed at the Hospital for Sick Children for 15 years to the end of 1989 are reported. In the majority of cases, ingestion of the foreign body was either witnessed or suspected. Removal was completed with the use of general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation in 90% of cases. The postcricoid area was the commonest site for impaction. Coins were the commonest foreign body. Approximately 5% of children had more than one foreign body. Fifty-nine children had esophageal anomalies. Thoracotomy or laparotomy for the retrieval of foreign bodies was necessary in less than 1% of patients. Complications occurred in 13% of patients; there were no deaths.

Adolescent↗

Protective effects of specific platelet-activating factor receptor antagonists in experimental glomerulonephritis.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the hypothesis that enhanced production of platelet-activating factor (PAF) contributes to the renal hemodynamic alterations and impaired glomerular permselectivity that characterize the heterologous phase of nephrotoxic serum nephritis. Intravenous administration of nephrotoxic gamma globulin to normal rats led to a rapid decline in glomerular filtration rate within 60 min from 1.08 +/- 0.08 to 0.45 +/- 0.12 ml/min/100 g b.wt., P less than .001, and in effective renal plasma flow rate from 2.56 +/- 0.15 to 1.35 +/- 0.21 ml/min/100 g b.wt., P less than .02. Concomitantly, the fractional excretion of protein rose from 3.4 +/- 0.6 X 10(-5) to 11.6 +/- 2.3 X 10(-5), P less than .03. Pretreatment with the specific PAF receptor antagonists WEB 2086 or WEB 2170 significantly ameliorated the impairment in glomerular filtration rate and in effective renal plasma flow rate induced by nephrotoxic globulin. Filtration rate declined by 0.63 +/- 0.12 ml/min/100 g b.wt. 60 min after administration of nephrotoxic globulin, but fell only 0.30 +/- 0.14 ml/min/100 g b.wt. in rats pretreated with WEB 2086, P less than .05 and 0.34 +/- 0.11 ml/min/100 g b.wt. in rats pretreated with WEB 2170, P less than .01. The decline in effective renal plasma flow rate 60 min after administration of nephrotoxic globulin was 1.21 +/- 0.30 ml/min/100 g b.wt., but only 0.86 +/- 0.23 ml/min/100 g b.wt. in rats pretreated with WEB 2086, NS, and 0.52 +/- 0.21 ml/min/100 g b.wt. in rats pretreated with WEB 2170, P less than .003.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Thromboxane mediates the renal hemodynamic effects of platelet activating factor.

The mechanism by which platelet-activating factor affects renal hemodynamics is controversial. In the present study we examined the hypothesis that thromboxane mediates the renal hemodynamic response to platelet activating factor (PAF) by determining the effects of pretreatment with a selective thromboxane receptor antagonist. Infusion of platelet-activating factor into the left renal artery of normal rats in a dose that failed to alter mean arterial pressure or blood hematocrit values reduced urinary flow rate from 25.9 +/- 6.3 to 12.6 +/- 1.5 microliters/min (P less than .01), reduced effective renal plasma flow rate from 14.01 +/- 2.09 to 5.42 +/- 2.38 ml/min/kg body weight (P less than .01), reduced glomerular filtration rate from 4.81 +/- 1.00 to 1.68 +/- 0.34 ml/min/kg (P less than .03), and increased the fractional excretion of protein from 0.021 +/- 0.008 to 0.094 +/- 0.005 percent (P less than .05). Pretreatment with the selective thromboxane receptor antagonist SKF 96148 (10 mg/kg) not only prevented PAF-induced reductions in effective renal plasma flow rate and glomerular filtration rate but increased these values (effective renal plasma flow rate: 14.09 +/- 2.76 vs. 16.84 +/- 2.08 ml/min/kg, P less than .05; glomerular filtration rate: 4.42 +/- 0.43 vs. 5.50 +/- 0.59 ml/min/kg, P less than .03) and aborted proteinuria. Pretreatment with indomethacin (2 mg/kg) ameliorated PAF-induced alterations in renal hemodynamics and glomerular permselectivity in the final collection period. Infusion of lyso-PAF, a biologically inactive precursor of PAF, or of indomethacin alone or SKF 96148 alone had no significant effect on measured parameters. These observations suggest that thromboxane mediates the renal hemodynamic and permselective effects of PAF.

Animals↗

Evidence for an HIV-related nephropathy: a clinico-pathological study.

The existence of an HIV-related nephropathy as a distinct disease entity is controversial. We observed a high incidence of renal disease in our AIDS patients. Of 182 patients, 59 patients (32.4%) were found to have heavy proteinuria (greater than 2 g/24 h). Of these, 24 patients had slow progression of renal insufficiency and 2 patients had rapid deterioration to end stage renal disease. There was a notable absence of hypertension in these cases. The incidence of proteinuria was similar in blacks and hispanics; however 22.8% of blacks had renal insufficiency as compared to 6.9% of hispanics. There was no difference in the incidence of heavy proteinuria between intravenous drug abusers (32.3%) and nonabusers (33.3%). Renal morphology when examined showed characteristic changes, including cytomembranous structures and virus-like particles. These changes were similar in patients with heavy or light proteinuria, though they were less severe in the latter. We conclude that a HIV-related nephropathy exist and the presence of cytomembranous structures and virus-like particles in the renal tissue raises the possibility of a viral etiology for this disorder.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Renal ultrastructural markers in AIDS-associated nephropathy.

Renal tissues from two groups of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) were examined: Group A had severe proteinuria and varying degrees of renal insufficiency, designated AIDS-associated nephropathy (AAN), and Group B had no renal involvement. Control Group C consisted of patients with heroin-associated nephropathy (HAN) with proteinuria comparable to patients in Group A but without AIDS or its related complex (ARC). The most frequent finding, common to both AAN and HAN, was focal glomerular sclerosis. In contrast to HAN, AAN tissue showed mesangial hypocellularity, sparse interstitial infiltrates, severe tubular degenerative changes, tubular microcystic ectasia, Bowman's space dilatation, and presence of multiple complex inclusions both in the nuclei and cytoplasm in a variety of cells. Abundant tubuloreticular inclusions were found in the endothelial and occasionally in the interstitial cell cytoplasm. Nuclear bodies (NBs) were seen in greater frequency, complexity, size, and heterogeneity, and of budding configuration in Group A as compared with Groups B and C; NBs in Group C were mostly of simple types (I and II). In addition, a peculiar granulofibrillary transformation in many tubular and interstitial cell nuclei was observed in Group A. This transformation was rarely present in Group B and was never seen in Group C. Because complex NBs (Types III to V) and various intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions present in Group A are often associated with viral invasion, their presence in kidneys of AIDS patients with proteinuria suggests a viral etiology for AAN.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Single-molecule magnets: a new class of tetranuclear manganese magnets.

The preparation, X-ray structure, and detailed physical characterization are presented for a new type of single-molecule magnet [Mn4(O2CMe)2(pdmH)6](ClO4)2 (1). Complex 1.2MeCN.Et2O crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1, with cell dimensions at 130 K of a = 11.914(3) A, b = 15.347(4) A, c = 9.660(3) A, alpha = 104.58(1) degree, beta = 93.42(1) degree, gamma = 106.06(1) degree, and Z = 1. The cation lies on an inversion center and consists of a planar Mn4 rhombus that is mixed-valent, MnIII2MnII2. The pdmH- ligands (pdmH2 is pyridine-2,6-dimethanol) function as either bidentate or tridentate ligands. The bridging between Mn atoms is established by either a deprotonated oxygen atom of a pdmH- ligand or an acetate ligand. The solvated complex readily loses all acetonitrile and ether solvate molecules to give complex 1, which with time becomes hydrated to give 1.2.5H2O. Direct current and alternating current magnetic susceptibility data are given for 1 and 1.2.5H2O and indicate that the desolvated complex has a S = 8 ground state, whereas the hydrated 1.2.5H2O has a S = 9 ground state. Ferromagnetic interactions between MnIII-MnII and MnIII-MnIII pairs result in parallel spin alignments of the S = 5/2 MnII and S = 2 MnIII ions. High-frequency EPR spectra were run for complex 1.2.5H2O at frequencies of 218, 328, and 436 GHz in the 4.5-30 K range. A magnetic-field-oriented polycrystallite sample was employed. Fine structure is clearly seen in this parallel-field EPR spectrum. The transition fields were least-squares-fit to give g = 1.99, D = -0.451 K, and B4 degrees = 2.94 x 10(-5) K for the S = 9 ground state of 1.2.5H2O. A molecule with a large-spin ground state with D < 0 can function as a single-molecule magnet, as detected by techniques such as ac magnetic susceptibility. Out-of-phase ac signals (chi'' M) were seen for complexes 1 and 1.2.5H2O to show that these complexes are single-molecule magnets. A sample of 1 was studied by ac susceptibility in the 0.4-6.4 K range with the ac field oscillating at frequencies in the 1.1-1000 Hz range. A single peak in chi'' M vs temperature plots was seen for each frequency; the temperature of the chi'' M peak varies from 2.03 K at 995 Hz to 1.16 K at 1.1 Hz. Magnetization relaxation rates were evaluated in this way. An Arrhenius plot gave an activation energy of 17.3 K, which, as expected, is less than the 22.4 K value calculated for the thermodynamic barrier for magnetization direction reversal for an S = 8 complex with D = -0.35 K. The 1.2.5H2O complex with an S = 9 ground state has its chi'' M peaks at higher temperatures.

Journal Article↗