Adverse effects from traditional Chinese medicine.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Young.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We present 3 patients with otopalatodigital (OPD) syndrome type II and omphalocele; 2 of the cases are brothers. There are now 6 known cases of OPD type I or II with omphalocele. We propose that this combination is not coincidental and discuss mechanisms that may result in the combination of OPD, omphalocele, and other midline defects.
We examined hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in insulin-dependent diabetic outpatients (N = 22) and age-, sex-, and weight-matched normal controls (N = 22). The evaluation included measurements of 9:00 AM fasting plasma cortisol and cortisol-binding globulin (CBG) levels, 24-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) excretion, and plasma corticotropin and cortisol responses to intravenously administered ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone ([CRH] 1 microgram/kg given as a bolus at 8:00 PM). Diabetic patients had significantly elevated 9:00 AM plasma cortisol levels (mean +/- SE, 300.7 +/- 99.3 v 237.3 +/- 99.3 nmol/L, P < .04), higher 24-hour UFC excretion (313.2 +/- 112.6 v 244.2 +/- 69.3 nmol/24 h, P < .02), and greater cortisol responses to CRH infusion (time-integrated values: 49,408.2 +/- 11,289.8 v 40,217.9 +/- 7,228.6 nmol/L.120 min, P < .004; peak cortisol values: 529.7 +/- 107.6 v 438.7 +/- 77.3 nmol/L, P < .002) than controls. UFC excretion values were positively correlated with both 5-year averaged hemoglobin A1c level (P = .03) and total number of insulin units administered per day (P = .03). These results suggest that insulin-dependent diabetic outpatients have mild chronic hypercortisolism, which might influence the control of the disease and play a role in the development of its chronic complications.
This study reports the development of an antibody against protein(s) from the tissue of the northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago). Northern fowl mite proteins were obtained by affinity chromatography and used for immunization. Western blot analysis identified proteins that were reactive with sera from birds immunized with the antigen; this indicated that serum antibodies against the northern fowl mite had been produced. Chickens that had been immunized or infested, or both, with the northern fowl mite produced sera that were reactive with a 100 kilodalton (kD) protein. The response was greater if the chicken had been immunized with the antigen and infested with the northern fowl mite. Experimentally immunized and infested chickens experienced limited decreases in the levels of northern fowl mite infestation. Survival of bloodfed mites after ingestion of the immune chicken blood was assessed in an in vitro feeding study using blood-filled parafilm sacs; minor differences in northern fowl mite feeding tendencies were noted. The chickens developed antibodies to the northern fowl mite proteins, but this immunity did not decrease the infestation level or in vitro feeding.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD) is a rare form of muscular dystrophy inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. The LGMD locus was recently mapped to chromosome 15. We tested the hypothesis that fibrillin is a candidate in the etiology of the disorder by genetic linkage analysis. A large Amish kindred segregating the disorder was genotyped for two markers specific for the fibrillin gene on chromosome 15. A total of 105 individuals were genotyped and a maximum LOD score of Z = 9. 135 at theta = 0.04 was obtained. Our results confirmed the mapping of the LGMD on chromosome 15 and excluded fibrillin as a candidate molecule. These data will be useful in the construction of a fine map of the region surrounding the LGMD locus, a prerequisite for the cloning of the LGMD gene.
Ganglioside (GM1) modulation of CD4 off the surface of T lymphocytes defined functions of the CD4 molecule during signal transduction through the T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex. Antibody cross-linking of CD3 alone (3 x 3) stimulated phospholipase C (PLC) activity, rapid Ca2+ flux, and protein phosphorylations in freshly isolated human T lymphocytes. Antibody cross-linking of CD4 and CD3 (3 x 4) stimulated greater signaling than that caused by 3 x 3. Cross-linking CD4 alone did not stimulate these signaling processes. GM1-modulation of CD4 from the cell surface blocked all aspects of the augmented signaling imparted by CD4 co-modulation with CD3. In comparison, pretreatment with the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein inhibited 3 x 4-stimulated PLC activity and protein phosphorylation but not Ca2+ flux. Antibody cross-linking of the tyrosine phosphatase CD45 with 3 x 4 (3 x 4 x 45) also inhibited CD4-augmented phosphorylations and like genistein did not reduce Ca2+ levels. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that CD4 can augment signal transduction through the TCR/CD3 complex by its physical proximity to CD3. TCR/CD3-signaling augmentation by CD4 stimulated protein tyrosine kinases and PLC activities but stimulated intracellular Ca2+ flux through an independent mechanism(s).
Offensive or 'bad' breath (foetor ex ore) has traditionally become known as halitosis and can be very distressing for the individual concerned. This paper reviews the causes and management of halitosis for the general practitioner, who is in an ideal situation to help such patients.
Aconitine and its related alkaloids are known cardiotoxins with no therapeutic role in modern western medicine. The rootstocks of Aconitum plants, which contain aconite alkaloids, have been common components of Chinese herbal recipes. We have documented life-threatening intoxication in 17 Chinese subjects after accidental herb-induced aconite poisoning. All patients developed symptoms of aconite toxicity within 2 h of herb ingestion. Most developed tachyarrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation from which 2 patients died. Toxicological evaluation revealed that aconites from the Aconitum rootstocks were the only plausible casual factor for intoxication. These cases point to the need for strict surveillance of herbal substances with low safety margins.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
You don't have to have a degree in computing or a 1 m pounds budget to create a system that improves efficiency or saves money. Gren Manuel introduces a special report which celebrates the small-scale initiatives devised and implemented by health staff armed only with a personal computer.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The Philadelphia1 (Ph1) chromosome results from a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and chromosome 22, which fuses a portion of the ABL oncogene to the BCR gene, forming the BCR/ABL fusion gene. This produces a fusion protein with a greatly increased protein tyrosine kinase activity in comparison to that of the normal ABL protein. The BCR/ABL gene is transcribed from the promoter of the normal BCR gene, but little is known about the regulation of its expression. In this study, we asked whether there are sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins (DBP) that bind to the breakpoint cluster region (bcr, or Mbcr) within the BCR gene. Sequence-specific DBP located within the Mbcr could have a transcription-regulating effect, and they could participate in the recombination that generates BCR/ABL. Our data show that there are sequence-specific DBP that bind within the Mbcr.
A speaker has several ways in which he or she may highlight the fact that an error or imprecision of speech has been made and subsequently altered. The three principal ones are by signalling through the structure of the speech that surrounds the error (the repair-syntax), by the use of prosody, and through the semantic content. The role of prosody in the correction process is investigated in the current studies. Analysis of the prosody of a number of errors and their alterations drawn from unrestricted speech are reported. The analysis shows that pauses occur at the moment of interruption and that an increase in stress occurs at the start of the alteration. Pauses could indicate the moment of interruption, and stress could highlight what has been altered. Two sets of perceptual experiments were carried out to assess whether these cues are salient for listeners who hear constructions containing an error and its alteration. Two paradigms were employed in each set of experiments: (1) direct judgement about the comprehensibility of sentences containing errors and alterations, and (2) repeating a message that had an error and alteration without the error. The effects of stress and pauses on (Experiments 1A and 1B) or pauses around (Experiment 2A and 2B) the alterations were assessed. In the first set of experiments it was shown that pauses and stress help listeners process repairs. When a word is spoken in error, the speaker may repeat a section of speech immediately preceding the alteration and/or a section immediately following that word. Inclusion of these repeated sections allows assessment of whether pauses signal where the interruption occurred. The second experiment shows that the placing of the pause before the retrace, rather than at other locations, indicates to listeners where the repair starts.