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Biomedical subjects

K Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to K Zhang.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Visualization of a large conformation change of ribosomes in Escherichia coli cells starved for tryptophan or treated with kirromycin.

Computer-aided electron tomography has been used to visualize ribosomes in Escherichia coli cells treated with kirromycin. This antibiotic stops bacterial growth by blocking the release of EF-Tu. GDP from the ribosome after GTP cleavage. Ribosomes in the kirromycin-treated cells are very compact, with the two subunits in close contact with each other. This closed structure is different from the open structure with spatially separated subunits that characterizes ribosomes in tryptophan-starved cells, giving deficiency for tryptophanyl.tRNA. A comparison of ribosomes in exponentially growing bacteria suggests that most ribosomes in an undefined working mode are in the closed conformation.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1998

Physiologically dependent appearance of a low density region that corresponds to the tunnel through the 50S part of the 70S ribosome.

Ribosomes have different conformations in cells that are starved for a required amino acid (giving aminoacyl.tRNA starvation), or treated with kirromycin (blocking EF-Tu.GDP release), or are in exponential growth. A tunnel spans the 50S ribosome from a location facing the 70S ribosomal intersubunit space to the back side of the subunit in Escherichia coli cells. Here we have analyzed the internal low density region that corresponds to this tunnel in ribosomes in vivo. The data suggest that the tunnel is opened in connection with spatial separation of the subunits in ribosomes that have an empty A-site due to starvation for aminoacyl.tRNA. A region that corresponds to this tunnel can be found in the more compact structure of ribosomes in kirromycin-treated cells only after a substantial removal of low density material. This region is even less prominent in ribosomes in undefined working modes in growing bacteria. The data suggest that appearance of the tunnel through the 50S ribosomal subunit is working-mode dependent and it is not a characteristic feature of the major fraction of the ribosomal population in growing cells.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1998

Far- and Mid-Infrared Emission Spectroscopy of LiH and LiD

High-resolution Fourier transform spectra of LiH and LiD were recorded in the far-infrared region, 100-360 cm-1, and the mid-infrared regions, 800-1200 cm-1 and 2000-3000 cm-1. A total of 261 pure rotational lines and 678 rovibrational lines were measured for the isotopomers 6LiH(D) and 7LiH(D). Molecular constants for the X1Sigma+ ground state in the form of mass-dependent Dunham Yij's and mass-independent Dunham Uij's were determined from a data set of 1476 lines, consisting of our measured line positions and previously reported microwave, millimeter-wave, and infrared lines. An effective internuclear potential for the ground electronic state where the Born-Oppenheimer part is modeled as a parameterized modified-Morse function was also determined from a fit of the data. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Left to right extracardial shunt to control hemorrhage of ascending aorta and left ventricle: a report of 3 cases.

Presented in this paper are 3 cases of hemorrhage of ascending aorta and left ventricle after open heart surgery treated by extracardial bypass in our hospital from Oct. 1994 to Dec. 1995. Remained aneurysmal wall enclosing conduit graft was used as a sac bypassed to right atrium to form a extracardial left-to-right shunt in order to control bleeding and the results turned out to be satisfactory. The bypass and hemodynamically ignorable shunt can close spontaneously without complications with recovery of coagulation system. The technique may find wide application in clinical practice.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Inhibition of the growth and development of asexual and sexual stages of drug-sensitive and resistant strains of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum by Neem (Azadirachta indica) fractions.

Neem (Azadirachta indica) has been shown to possess anti-malarial activity. In this study we systematically evaluated extracts of neem seeds and purified fractions further enriched in polar or non-polar constituents for their effect on in vitro growth and development of asexual and sexual stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Use of synchronized stages of parasites suggested trophozoites/schizonts as the susceptible target stages to various neem extracts. In addition, all the maturation stages of gametocytes were also killed by various neem fractions tested. The anti-plasmodial effect of neem components was also observed on parasites previously shown to be resistant to other anti-malarial drugs, i.e. chloroquine and pyrimethamine suggesting a different mode of action. Neem seed fractions are thus active not only against the parasite stages that cause the clinical infection but also against the stages responsible for continued malaria transmission.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Enhanced response of growth hormone to growth hormone-releasing hormone and a decreased content of hypothalamic somatostatin in a stress-induced rat model of depression.

This study was designed to evaluate changes in the hypothalamic somatostatin-growth hormone axis (SRIF-GH axis) in a stress-induced rat model of depression. We exposed male Wistar rats to intermittent walking stress for two weeks, and then measured their spontaneous running activities for 12 days. We divided the rats into the depression-model group and the partial recovery group according to their spontaneous running activities after the termination of exposure to stress. We examined the secretion of GH from the anterior pituitary by injecting human GH-releasing hormone (hGHRH) with intracardiac cannulae or by applying hGHRH or SRIF to isolated anterior pituitaries using a perifusion system. We also determined SRIF content in the stalk-median eminence (SME) and the plasma concentration of GH. In the depression-model group, intracardiac administration of hGHRH caused the enhanced release of GH into plasma, while application of hGHRH or SRIF to the anterior pituitary in vitro had similar effects on GH release in the control and partial recovery groups. Furthermore, the SRIF content was decreased in the SME and the GH concentration was increased in plasma. The partial recovery group gave similar values to the control group. The enhanced response of GH to hGHRH in the depression-model group might have been caused by the reduced content of SRIF in the SME in view of the unchanged response of GH to the infusion of hGHRH or SRIF in the perifusion system.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Novel monoclonal antibodies to putative selectin carbohydrate ligands that inhibit selectin binding to myeloid cells.

Four newly developed monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are characterized using flowcytometry, enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA), immunoprecipitation and Western blots, carbohydrate epitope mapping, glycosidase cleavage, and competition binding assays. Their effects on selectin binding to myeloid cells was tested. These MAbs react only with myeloid cells. MAbs CI-1, BU60, and HIM95 recognize epitopes expressed by CD11/CD18 (beta2) integrins, while HI247 and CSLEX1 do not. The epitopes require Lewis x [Galbeta1-4 (Fucalpha1-3)GlcNAc] based on reactivity with oligosaccharide-polyacrylamide-biotin or oligosaccharide-BSA conjugates. MAb HI247 recognizes a related structure, sialyl-Lewis x, NeuAcalpha2-3GaLbeta1-4(Fucalpha1-3)GlcNAc. The three MAbs against Lewis x show some minor differences in their reactivity such as recognizing their antigens on CD11/CD18 integrins after endo-beta-galactosidase treatment and recognizing free Lewis x. The hydroxyl group on C-3 of the terminal galactose is important for recognition by MAb CI-1, BU60, and HIM95 as its substitution with sulfo group of sialic acid abolishes the binding of these MAbs. The C-3 sialic acid is crucial for the binding of MAb HI247. Its replacement by sulphate or its cleavage by sialidase eliminates recognition by this MAb. MAbs HI247 and CSLEX-1 did not react in ELISA with immobilized CD11/CD18, suggesting that the majority of sialyl Lewis x on CD11/CD18 molecules may have sialic acid 6-linked rather than 3-linked to galactose. Unexpectedly, MAb BU60 inhibited binding of P-selectin mu chain chimera to HL-60 or U937 cells, while CI-1, HIM95 and three other defined anti-Lewis x MAbs (6C7, M6-1 and LeuM1) did not. MAb HI247 inhibited binding of both E- and P-selectin chimeras to these cell lines more effectively than several characterized MAbs (CSLEX-1, FH6, HECA-452) to sialyl Lewis x and related oligosaccharides. Certain combinations of these anticarbohydrate MAbs had additive inhibitory effects on selectin binding, suggesting a potential application of these new MAbs in cell adhesion/migration and tumor metastasis studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Mutations synthetically lethal with cep1 target S. cerevisiae kinetochore components.

CP1 (encoded by CEP1) is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromatin protein that binds a DNA element conserved in centromeres and in the 5'-flanking DNA of methionine biosynthetic (MET) genes. Strains lacking CP1 are defective in chromosome segregation and MET gene transcription, leading to the hypothesis that CP1 plays a general role in assembling higher order chromatin structures at genomic sites where it is bound. A screen for mutations synthetically lethal with a cep1 null allele yielded five recessive csl (cep1 synthetic lethal) mutations, each defining a unique complementation group. Four of the five mutations synergistically increased the loss rate of marker chromosomes carrying a centromere lacking the CP1 binding site, suggesting that the cep1 synthetic lethality was due to chromosome segregation defects. Three of these four CSL genes were subsequently found to be known or imputed kinetochore genes: CEP3, NDC10, and CSE4. The fourth, CSL4, corresponded to ORF YNL232w on chromosome XIV, and was found to be essential. A human cDNA was identified that encoded a protein homologous to Csl4 and that complemented the csl4-1 mutation. The results are consistent with the view that the major cellular role of CP1 is to safeguard the biochemical integrity of the kinetochore.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Altered K+ current of ventricular myocytes in rats with chronic myocardial infarction.

The aim of the present study was to define the cellular mechanisms underlying changes in K+ channel function in the failing heart after myocardial infarction. Rats with left coronary artery ligation were prepared and allowed to recover for 16 wk before study. Animals with chronic infarction exhibited marked cardiac hypertrophy and signs of heart failure, as indicated by a nearly twofold increase in heart weight- and lung weight-to-body weight ratios, respectively, compared with time-matched controls. Cardiac hypertrophy was also evident by a 49% increase in whole cell capacitance of isolated left ventricular myocytes (P < 0.05). Voltage-clamp experiments revealed that the maximum density of the Ca(2+)-independent, transient outward current (I.t.o.), measured at +60 mV, was 42% less in myocytes from infarcted hearts than in myocytes from control hearts (P < 0.05), whereas the inward rectifier current (IK1) density was not different between groups. The reduced Ito density in the infarcted group was reversed, however, in 4-5 h by treatment with exogenous dichloroacetate or pyruvate, both activators of pyruvate dehydrogenase. Moreover, control myocytes incubated for 6 h in the presence of an inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase, 3-bromopyruvate, exhibited a concentration-dependent decrease in Ito density compared with untreated cells. The present data demonstrate that Ito density is reversibly decreased in surviving myocytes from infarcted hearts and suggest that mechanisms related to glucose metabolism via pyruvate dehydrogenase may be involved. These postinfarction changes in myocyte Ito channel function may relate to impaired contractility and arrhythmogenesis, which are characteristic of the intact, failing heart.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Effect of nitric oxide within the paraventricular nucleus on renal sympathetic nerve discharge: role of GABA.

Both nitric oxide (NO) and GABA are known to provide inhibitory inputs to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and are involved in the control of sympathetic outflow. The purpose of the present study was to examine the interaction of NO and GABA in the regulation of renal sympathetic nerve activity in rats. The responses of renal nerve activity, blood pressure, and heart rate to microinjection of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, into the PVN were measured in the presence and absence of blockade of the GABA system (bicuculline; 2 nmol). Microinjection of SNP (50, 100, and 200 nmol) into the PVN elicited significant decreases in renal nerve discharge, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate, reaching -36.4 +/- 9.7%, -11 +/- 5 mmHg, and -34 +/- 14 beats/min, respectively, at the highest dose. These responses were eliminated by blockade of the GABA system. Conversely, microinjection of Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 50, 100, and 200 nmol) elicited significant increases in the renal sympathetic nerve discharge, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate, reaching 88.9 +/- 16.6%, 9 +/- 1 mmHg, and 29 +/- 9 beats/min, respectively, at the highest dose. These sympathoexcitatory responses were masked by prior blockade of the GABA system with bicuculline. The sympathoexcitatory effect of L-NAME was also eliminated by activation of the GABA system with muscimol. In conclusion, our data indicate that the inhibitory effect of endogenous NO within the PVN on the renal sympathetic nerve activity is mediated by GABA.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Interpreting neuronal population activity by reconstruction: unified framework with application to hippocampal place cells.

Physical variables such as the orientation of a line in the visual field or the location of the body in space are coded as activity levels in populations of neurons. Reconstruction or decoding is an inverse problem in which the physical variables are estimated from observed neural activity. Reconstruction is useful first in quantifying how much information about the physical variables is present in the population and, second, in providing insight into how the brain might use distributed representations in solving related computational problems such as visual object recognition and spatial navigation. Two classes of reconstruction methods, namely, probabilistic or Bayesian methods and basis function methods, are discussed. They include important existing methods as special cases, such as population vector coding, optimal linear estimation, and template matching. As a representative example for the reconstruction problem, different methods were applied to multi-electrode spike train data from hippocampal place cells in freely moving rats. The reconstruction accuracy of the trajectories of the rats was compared for the different methods. Bayesian methods were especially accurate when a continuity constraint was enforced, and the best errors were within a factor of two of the information-theoretic limit on how accurate any reconstruction can be and were comparable with the intrinsic experimental errors in position tracking. In addition, the reconstruction analysis uncovered some interesting aspects of place cell activity, such as the tendency for erratic jumps of the reconstructed trajectory when the animal stopped running. In general, the theoretical values of the minimal achievable reconstruction errors quantify how accurately a physical variable is encoded in the neuronal population in the sense of mean square error, regardless of the method used for reading out the information. One related result is that the theoretical accuracy is independent of the width of the Gaussian tuning function only in two dimensions. Finally, all the reconstruction methods considered in this paper can be implemented by a unified neural network architecture, which the brain feasibly could use to solve related problems.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1998

Reactivity of antibodies with highly glycosylated MUC1 mucins from colon carcinoma cells and bile.

The 55 antibodies submitted to the ISOBM TD-4 Workshop were analysed for their reactivity with core proteins of the heavily glycosylated MUC1 mucins from the colon carcinoma cell line COLO205 and bile. Both these mucins (designated as H-CanAg and SBG2) are highly glycosylated having 15 and 50 sugar residues per oligosaccharide, respectively. Only a few of the antibodies (129, 139, 153 and 162) reacted with both SBG2 and H-CanAg, and not with a control mucin (L-CanAg) having a similar glycosylation as H-CanAg. These antibodies were tested for their ability to catch soluble mucins, and the antibody 162 was found to be good also in this type of assay. The antibodies selected here should be useful for the detection of high glycosylated forms of the MUC1 mucin in tissues and serum.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1998

Glutathione-related mechanisms in cellular resistance to anticancer drugs.

Glutathione conjugation and transport of glutathione conjugates of anticancer drugs out of cells have been shown to work as a system in the detoxification of many anticancer drugs. The major components of this system include glutathione (GSH), GSH-related enzymes and glutathione conjugate export pump (GS-X pump). GSH can combine with anticancer drugs to form less toxic and more water soluble GSH conjugates, the conjugation reaction is catalysed by glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). The GSH conjugates of anticancer drugs can be exported from cells by GS-X pump or multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP). GSH, glutathione-related enzymes and GS-X pump or MRP have been found to be increased or overexpressed in many drug resistant cells. Increased detoxification of anticancer drugs by this system may confer drug resistance. Inhibition of this detoxification system is a strategy for modulation of drug resistance.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1998

[Relationship between blood pressure and serum insulin in Yi and Han people in Liangshan, Sichuan Province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between blood pressure and serum insulin level in different nationalities and whether there is difference in the effects of insulin on raising blood pressure. METHODS: Study subjects were selected with cluster sampling from urban and rural areas in Xichang City, Butuo County and Zhaojue County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province during October to December 1996, including Yi farmers, Yi migrants and local Han residents. Their systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body height and weight, and serum insulin were measured. RESULTS: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure in Yi farmers were significantly lower than those in Yi migrants and local Han residents. There was no significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between Yi migrants and local Han residents and in serum insulin level between Yi farmers and Yi migrants, with the means of 9.078 microIU/ml and 8.892 microIU/ml, respectively. But, serum insulin level in Yi farmers and migrants was significantly higher than that in local Han residents (6.577 microIU/ml). Multivariate regression analysis showed that there was no significant relationship between serum insulin level and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in different populations, except for that there was a weaker relationship between serum insulin and systolic blood pressure in Yi migrants. CONCLUSION: The association between serum insulin and blood pressure was uncertainty, which suggested that blood pressure was little affected by serum insulin.

Adult↗