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Biomedical subjects

L C Li

Publications and source records attributed to L C Li.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Inhibitory effect of fluoride on renal stone formation in rats.

The effect of fluorine (F) on stone formation induced by ethylene glycol (EG) was studied in rats. For different groups, the drinking water was supplemented with EG, sodium fluoride (NaF), EG+NaF, or nothing as control. An isotope-tracing method was used to evaluate experimental stone formation in the kidneys by introducing 45Ca intraperitoneally into rats and then measuring the radioactivity of the kidney. At the end of the 4-week experiment, rats of the EG+NaF group showed a significantly lower incidence of gross urinary stones and lower 45Ca activity in their kidneys compared to the EG group of rats. Both the EG group and EG+NaF group had markedly increased urinary oxalate excretion, with the latter significantly lower than the former (p less than 0.05). Urinary oxalate excretion was relatively lower in the NaF group than in the control group. This study indicates that NaF can inhibit renal stone formation induced by EG by decreasing oxalate synthesis and urinary oxalate excretion, and suggests a possible clinical therapeutic value of NaF in the prevention of oxalate kidney stones.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Functional difference between intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways. Kinetics of factor X activation on human monocytes and alveolar macrophages.

Activation of coagulation factor X via the intrinsic pathway requires the assembly of factors IXa and VIII on lipid membranes. It is known that the platelet expresses membrane sites for assembly of factors IXa/VIII and promotes efficient factor X activation. We now show that human blood monocytes, but not lymphocytes or polymorphonuclear leukocytes, also express appropriate sites for factors IXa/VIII assembly. The maximal rate of factor X activation by factors IXa (0.75 nM) and VIII (1 unit/ml) assembled on monocytes is similar to the maximal rate on platelets. This rate, adjusted per micromole of lipid phosphorus, is 1636 +/- 358 nM factor Xa/min on monocyte, and 1569 +/- 54 nM factor Xa/min on platelets. At physiologic concentrations of factors X and VIII, the activation rate increases with factor IXa concentration asymptotically approaching a maximum. Half-maximal rate is achieved with 1.0 +/- 0.16 nM factor IXa. Monocytes and macrophages, but not platelets, can express membrane tissue factor and thus promote simultaneous assembly of two distinct factor X-activating protease complexes. In these studies, blood monocytes and alveolar macrophages are used as membrane sources in kinetic experiments comparing factor X activation by intrinsic (factor IXa/VIII) versus extrinsic (factor VII/tissue factor) protease complexes. At plasma concentration of factors VIII and VII, apparent Km on the monocyte is 14.6 +/- 1.4 nM for intrinsic and 117.0 +/- 10.1 nM for extrinsic activation. The apparent Km on alveolar macrophages is 12.1 +/- 1.9 and 90.6 +/- 10.2 nM for intrinsic and extrinsic activation, respectively. Maximal rates on monocytes at saturating concentration of factors IXa, VIII, and VII are 48.0 +/- 11.2 nM factor Xa/min, for intrinsic activation, and 16.5 +/- 5.5 nM factor Xa/min, for extrinsic activation. These data show that the monocyte/macrophage is the only blood-derived cell type with membrane sites for both intrinsic and extrinsic pathway assembly. We have exploited this characteristic of the monocyte/macrophage membrane to demonstrate that factor X activation by the intrinsic pathway protease is more efficient than activation via the extrinsic pathway protease complex.

Blood Coagulation↗
PubMed1990

The effect of moisture content on the compression properties of maltodextrins.

The effect of moisture content on the compression properties of maltodextrin powders obtained by different degrees of hydrolysis (depolymerization) of corn starch has been studied using the yield pressure determined from the Heckel plot and the compact tensile strength measured by the diametrical compression method. An increase in the moisture content of the powder reduced the yield pressure and improved the densification for all five maltodextrins evaluated. At the same moisture level, the extent of densification which occurred during compaction was greater for maltodextrins with a lower degree of polymerization. Compacts produced by maltodextrins with a lower degree of polymerization also exhibited a greater tensile strength for a given pressure at a moisture content below 8.0%. However, further increase in moisture content resulted in a decrease in compact tensile strength for maltodextrins having a lower degree of polymerization. Despite the significant difference in compression behaviour, the five maltodextrins did not show noticeable differences in crystallinity as revealed by their x-ray powder diffraction pattern.

Crystallization↗
PubMed1990

Unilateral degeneration of retina and optic nerve in Fischer-344 rats.

Unilateral degeneration of the retina and optic nerve was observed among Fischer-344 (F-344) rats fed a semi-purified synthetic feed. Further studies were conducted using standard cereal-based and synthetic diets. Beginning at 4 weeks of age, all experimental rats (169 F-344 rats) were fed various diets and were examined for morphologic and functional changes in the retina and optic nerve. No ocular lesions were observed in any F-344 rats prior to 21 weeks of age, whether fed a synthetic diet or a standard diet; however, approximately 16% (13/86) of the F-344 rats examined between 57 and 64 weeks of age developed unilateral degeneration of the retina and optic nerve. On the other hand, the F-344 rats fed the synthetic diet developed the degenerative lesions by 30 weeks of age, while the F-344 rats fed the standard diet did not develop lesions over this shorter time period. Degenerative changes of the affected retinas and optic nerves were closely related with functional abnormalities evaluated by electroretinogram and visual evoked potentials. In contrast with the F-344 rats, Long-Evans rats that were fed either the synthetic or standard diet up to the age of 68 weeks (77 rats) did not develop the ocular lesions. There was no apparent relationship of the development of the lesions with dietary modification, toxicity or trauma; thus, these observations appear to indicate that spontaneous unilateral degeneration of the retina and optic nerve occurs in F-344 rats and that these ocular lesions may be accelerated by the feeding of certain semi-purified synthetic diets.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Phagolysosomal alterations induced by unleaded gasoline in epithelial cells of the proximal convoluted tubules of male rats: effect of dose and treatment duration.

Short-term oral administration of unleaded gasoline to male rats reproduces the accumulation of phagolysosomes (hyaline droplets) in epithelial cells of the renal proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) observed following long-term inhalation of wholly volatilized gasoline. Phagolysosomes are partially composed of alpha 2u-globulin, a low-molecular-weight protein, unique to male rats. In this study, dose-dependent and chronologic alterations of phagolysosomes caused by gasoline were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Exposure to commercially available unleaded gasoline (0.4-2.0 ml/kg, po, once daily, 9 d) increased the number and size of phagolysosomes in epithelial cells of the PCT in male rat kidney. However, administration of 0.04 ml gasoline/kg or less was ineffective in inducing phagolysosomal accumulation. Subcellular analysis revealed that many of the phagolysosomes observed in treated rats (doses greater than 0.4 ml/kg) were angular and had cross-sectional diameters varying from 0.5 to 9 microns; in controls the majority of phagolysosomes were round and their diameter varied from 0.5 to 2.5 microns. Treatment of male rats with gasoline (2.0 ml/kg body weight, po, 1-9 d) caused a progressive increase in the number and size of phagolysosomes in PCT epithelial cells dependent on treatment duration. Alterations in phagolysosomal morphology and quantity occurred within 20 h following a single dose of gasoline, emphasizing that the process of phagolysosome accumulation is a dynamic phenomenon. Many of the enlarged phagolysosomes contained a condensed, crystalline core of greater electron density than the surrounding matrix. Furthermore, the rapid increase in abnormal, condensed contents in the phagolysosomes may indicate that a derangement of renal protein catabolism is the primary mechanism by which fuel hydrocarbons cause hyaline droplet nephropathy in male rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

DNA synthesis in pulmonary alveolar macrophages and type II cells: effects of ozone exposure and treatment with alpha-difluoromethylornithine.

An increase in the number of pulmonary alveolar macrophages (AM) can be induced by a number of toxic insults to the lung, including ozone, an important photochemical oxidant air pollutant. This increase could arise from an influx of monocytes from the vascular or interstitial compartments, or from proliferation of AM in situ. While proliferation of alveolar type II cells after oxidant exposure has been well documented, it is not clear whether AM are also capable of this response. Rats were exposed to air or to 0.12, 0.25, or 0.50 ppm ozone for 1, 2, 3, 7, or 14 d, 20 h/d. The labeling index in both AM and type II cells increased about 10-fold after 2 d of exposure to 0.25 and 0.50 ppm of ozone, but returned to control levels by the end of 1 wk of exposure. These changes closely paralleled the temporal and dose-response characteristics of changes in total lung DNA synthesis. alpha-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) administered to rats during a 2-d exposure to 0.50 ppm ozone did not inhibit the ozone-induced increase in labeling index in AM or type II cells, although evidence of inhibition of lung ornithine decarboxylase activity was obtained, and the ozone-induced increase in total lung DNA synthesis was inhibited by 23%. These results suggest that, like type II cells, AM are capable of entering the cell cycle and synthesizing new DNA in situ in response to short-term exposure to environmentally relevant doses of ozone, and that the ozone-induced stimulation of DNA synthesis in these cell types was refractory to inhibition by DFMO.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Particulate contamination from siliconized rubber stoppers--a statistical evaluation.

Siliconized stoppers, when used with parenteral drug products, have been shown to be a source of particulate contamination. In this study, five different variables: pH of the solution, buffer concentration, Teflon coating on the stopper, autoclaving cycle (F0), and lot-to-lot variation of the siliconization process were evaluated using an eight-run Plackett-Burman design with respect to their impact on the level of particulate contamination from siliconized stoppers. Results show that pH of the solution can significantly affect the particulate level of samples using siliconized stoppers (p < 0.05). An alkaline solution (pH = 8) was shown to produce a higher particulate load than an acid solution (pH = 4). The main effect of the remaining four variables was determined to be statistically insignificant (p > 0.15).

Analysis of Variance↗