Elevation of serum haptoglobin and beta 2-microglobulin levels during chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
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Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
L Yang
Publications and source records attributed to L Yang.
Quantitative cellular and nuclear volumetric alterations in epithelium from lichen planus lesions of human buccal mucosa.
Patients with oral lichen planus lesions may represent a relatively high risk population for subsequent development of oral cancer. Little is known of the relative effects of chronic inflammation and the process of malignant transformation itself on the histological structure of transforming epithelia. We have assessed cellular and nuclear volumes in defined basal and spinous cells from normal buccal mucosa epithelium, from epithelium associated with a non-specific chronic inflammatory infiltrate and from lichen planus lesions. Normal (N) tissues were obtained from the margins of non-neoplastic buccal mucosa lesions. Inflammatory (INF) lesions were from areas of the buccal mucosa diagnosed clinically as traumatic irritation without ulceration, and lichen planus (LI) lesions were biopsied from areas exhibiting Wickham's striae. Basal and spinous epithelial cells from normal and pathological human buccal mucosa were measured on haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections imaged through a video camera using a Zeiss VIDAS analyser and from these measurements, nuclear (VN) and cellular (VCELL) volumes were determined. VN and VCELL derived for both basal and spinous strata were similar in N and INF groups but were almost doubled in the LI group. Comparisons between LI and all other groups were significantly elevated. The effects of the inflammatory infiltrate on the oral epithelium in lichen planus and in non-specific inflammation thus differ significantly. VN and VCELL may serve as potential discriminators between benign lesions and premalignant lichen planus.
Adolescent↗
Isolation of a human intestinal anaerobe, Bifidobacterium sp. strain SEN, capable of hydrolyzing sennosides to sennidins.
A strictly anaerobic bacterium capable of metabolizing sennosides was isolated from human feces and identified as Bifidobacterium sp., named strain SEN. The bacterium hydrolyzed sennosides A and B to sennidins A and B via sennidin A and B 8-monoglucosides, respectively. Among nine species of Bifidobacterium having beta-glucosidase activity, only Bifidobacterium dentium and B. adolescentis metabolized sennoside B to sennidin B, suggesting that the sennoside-metabolizing bacteria produce a novel type of beta-glucosidase capable of hydrolyzing sennosides to sennidins.
Anthracenes↗
Heritable susceptibility to severe Borrelia burgdorferi-induced arthritis is dominant and is associated with persistence of large numbers of spirochetes in tissues.
In human Lyme disease, symptoms with widely varying levels of severity have been observed. A mouse model of Lyme disease has been developed which allows analysis of mice with mild, moderate, and severe pathologies after inoculation with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. To determine whether the differences in symptoms reflect differences in the number of spirochetes persisting in affected tissues, a sensitive PCR technique was developed to detect B. burgdorferi DNA in virtually any tissue of an infected mouse. This analysis, which detects DNA from as few as three spirochetes, revealed the presence of B. burgdorferi DNA in many tissues from severely arthritic C3H/HeJ mice as early as 1 week postinfection. The heart, ear, and ankle were particularly heavily infected, although B. burgdorferi DNA was also detected in spleen, liver, brain, kidney, bladder, uterus, and lymph nodes. In contrast, much lower levels of spirochete DNA were detected in tissues of infected BALB/c mice, which develop less severe arthritis when infected with B. burgdorferi than do C3H/HeJ mice. This difference was evident throughout the 5-week analysis. A competitive PCR method allowed determination of the absolute number of spirochete gene sequences in infected tissues. Ankles and hearts from C3H/HeJ mice were found to harbor 10(7) copies of the B. burgdorferi ospA gene, while these tissues from BALB/c mice contained 5- and 10-fold less B. burgdorferi DNA, respectively. The genetic regulation of severe pathology was analyzed by infecting the offspring of a cross between C3H/HeJ and BALB/c mice. The F1 mice developed severe arthritis and contained high levels of Borrelia DNA in the heart and ankle, similar to the C3H/HeJ parent. These findings indicate that susceptibility to severe arthritis is a dominant trait and suggest that it may correlate with high levels of persisting spirochetes. Models of pathology in Lyme disease should take into consideration the fact that severity of pathology may be directly related to the number of organisms in infected tissues.
Animals↗
Outer surface lipoproteins of Borrelia burgdorferi stimulate nitric oxide production by the cytokine-inducible pathway.
The outer surface lipoproteins of Borrelia burgdorferi, OspA and OspB, stimulate the production of nitric oxide (NO) by murine bone marrow-derived macrophages from BALB/c, C3H/HeN, and C3H/HeJ mice. Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) caused a three- to fivefold enhancement of this production of NO, and the L-arginine analog N-guanidino-monomethyl L-arginine inhibited it. Activation of transcription of the inducible NO synthase gene in stimulated macrophages was demonstrated by reverse transcriptase rapid PCR. Although IFN-gamma increased the amount of NO produced in macrophage cultures, it did not cause transcription of the inducible NO synthase gene greater than that seen with the Borrelia proteins. OspA and OspB also induced the production of high levels (40 to 150 ng/ml) of IFN-gamma in cultures of macrophages incubated with interleukin-2 (IL-2)-elicited cells from normal (T and NK cells) and scid (NK cells) mice but not in macrophages or IL-2-elicited cells cultured individually. This suggests that OspA stimulated macrophage production of cytokines, which, in turn, stimulated the production of IFN-gamma by NK and T cells. Reverse transcriptase rapid PCR demonstrated that OspA and sonicated B. burgdorferi stimulated production of several inflammatory cytokines in macrophage cultures, including IL-1, IL-6, IL-12, IFN-beta, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. As tumor necrosis factor alpha, IFN-beta, and IL-12 are potent activators of IFN-gamma production by T and NK cells, their presence in these cocultures could be responsible for the IFN-gamma production. Lymphocytes from infected C3H mice also produced IFN-gamma when stimulated with B. burgdorferi; thus, immune cells may also modulate NO responses. The generation of NO during infection with B. burgdorferi may be important, as NO has potent antimicrobial properties. NO can also be involved in pathological inflammatory processes in which its generation is detrimental to the host. Thus, the colocalization of B. burgdorferi lipoproteins, NO-producing cells, and regulatory cytokines may determine the outcome of infection.
Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
Measurement of left ventricular function during arm ergometry using the VEST nuclear probe.
A chest-mounted left ventricular (LV) nuclear probe (VEST) for use during arm and leg ergometry is presented, with a discussion of the validity and reproducibility of LV function measures at rest and exercise. During both arm and leg ergometry in trained subjects, transient changes in LV function/volumes were observed. LV ejection fraction and relative end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes were 25 to 30% less with the arms versus the legs, agreeing with data from other studies using conventional techniques. At peak exercise with both limbs, LV ejection fraction and relative LV end-systolic volume increased, followed by immediate postexercise normalization. The effect was greatest with the arms and reflects the effect of high intramuscular and arterial pressures generated during arm cranking, leading to increased LV afterloading. The VEST permits rapid and noninvasive assessment of LV function during arm exercise, avoiding the limitations of other techniques.
Blood Pressure↗
The roles of GABAergic and glycinergic inhibition on binaural processing in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus of the mustache bat.
1. We studied the monaural and binaural response properties of 99 neurons in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) of the mustache bat before and during the iontophoretic application of antagonists that blocked gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptors (bicuculline) or glycine receptors (strychnine). All cells were driven by monaural stimulation of the contralateral ear, whereas monaural stimulation of the ipsilateral ear never evoked discharges. The binaural properties of 81 neurons were determined by holding the intensity constant at the contralateral ear and presenting a variety of intensities to the ipsilateral ear. This procedure generated interaural intensity disparity (IID) functions and allowed us to determine the effect of ipsilaterally evoked inhibition on a constant excitatory drive evoked by the contralateral ear. 2. One of the main findings is that the IID functions in the majority of DNLL neurons were not affected by application of either strychnine or bicuculline. Blocking glycinergic inhibition with strychnine had no effect on the IID functions in 75% of the cells studied. However, strychnine did change the IID functions in approximately 25% of the DNLL population. In those cells glycinergic inhibition appeared to be partially, or, in a few cases, entirely responsible for the ipsilaterally evoked spike suppression. In contrast, blocking GABAergic inhibition with bicuculline had no discernible effect on the ipsilaterally evoked spike suppression in any of the excitatory/inhibitory cells that we recorded. GABAergic inhibition, therefore, plays no role in the formation of IID functions of neurons in the DNLL. Furthermore, the results suggest that glycinergic inhibition also does not contribute to the suppression of spikes evoked by stimulation of the contralateral ear in the vast majority of DNLL neurons. 3. Although the majority of IID functions were not influenced when either GABAergic or glycinergic innervation was blocked, ipsilateral stimulation alone evoked both a glycinergic and GABAergic inhibition in most DNLL cells. These inhibitory events were demonstrated in 18 other cells by evoking discharges with the iontophoretic application of glutamate. Stimulating the ipsilateral ear alone under these conditions caused a suppression of the glutamate-evoked discharges. Furthermore, the spike suppression persisted for a period of time that was longer than the duration of the tone burst at the ipsilateral ear. 4. The application of bicuculline or strychnine had different effects on the glutamate-elicited spikes. Bicuculline reduced the duration of the inhibition, and it was always the latter portion of the inhibition that was abolished by bicuculline. In more than half of the cells studied strychnine also reduced the duration of the inhibition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Animals↗
GABA and glycine have different effects on monaural response properties in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus of the mustache bat.
1. We studied the monaural response properties of 81 neurons in the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) of the mustache bat before and during the iontophoretic application of antagonists that blocked gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptors (bicuculline) or glycine receptors (strychnine). The main finding is that GABAergic inhibition had substantial effects, whereas glycine had little or no effect on the activity evoked by contralateral stimulation. 2. Before the application of drugs, the monaural response properties of DNLL cells were characterized by two main features. The first was that the majority (86%) of neurons had monotonic rate-intensity functions, whereas only 14% had weakly nonmonotonic functions. The second was that most (66%) neurons displayed some form of chopping response pattern, in which there was a regular interval between discharges that was unrelated to the period of the tone burst frequency. 3. Bicuculline had two major effects on the majority of DNLL cells. It caused large increases in spike counts and changes in temporal discharge patterns. In 38 of 47 cells (81%) bicuculline changed the temporal discharge patterns into a sustained chopper pattern. In addition, the duration of the discharge train continued for a period of time longer than the duration of the tone burst in many but not all neurons. Prolonged firing of this sort was rarely seen in the predrug condition. Furthermore, in a few cells bicuculline caused a decrease in the interspike interval as well as a lengthening of the discharge train. 4. Blocking glycine, in contrast, caused either small increases in spike count or no increase at all and did not affect the temporal discharge patterns in the majority (87%) of neurons. 5. In most DNLL cells the shapes of the rate-intensity functions were virtually the same before and during the application of either antagonist. The rate-intensity functions of 91% of the cells were unaffected by bicuculline and 98% were unaffected by strychnine. 6. Blocking either GABAergic inhibition or glycinergic inhibition had no effect on discharge latency in the vast majority of DNLL cells. In a few neurons application of bicuculline or strychnine had a small influence and caused discharge latency to decrease by < or = 1 ms. 7. These results show that the excitation from stimulation of the contralateral ear evokes a sustained chopping discharge pattern in the vast majority of DNLL neurons. The sustained chopping response is changed into another discharge pattern by the GABAergic innervation that is also evoked by stimulation of the contralateral ear.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Animals↗
Immunocytochemical localization of vacuolar H-ATPase in the opossum (Monodelphis domestica) kidney: comparison with the rat.
With two different antibodies (a monoclonal antibody to the C terminus of the 31-kd subunit of H-ATPase and a polyclonal rabbit antiserum to whole bovine H-ATPase) the vacuolar-type H-ATPase pump in the different nephron segments of the gray short-tailed (Monodelphis domestica) opossum kidney has been immunocytochemically localized. There was moderate staining of the brush border and subvillar invaginations in the proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) of the opossum kidney only with the rabbit antiserum and not with the monoclonal antibody. This was in contrast to the rat kidney, where both antibodies showed significant staining of the brush border and subvillar invaginations. There was very minimal staining in the apical region of the thick ascending limb cells of the opossum as compared with a mild degree present in the rat kidney. The pattern and intensity of staining were similar in the remaining distal nephron segments with the only difference being that type A intercalated cells in the outer and inner medullary collecting ducts were less polarized in the opossum kidney. These findings suggest that different isoforms of H-ATPase exist in the brush border of the PCT versus the intercalated cells of the collecting duct in the opossum and between the PCT of opossum and rat kidneys.
Animals↗
[Role of EcoRI-BclI fragment at the promoter upstream region on the expression of alpha-amylase gene].
A series of plasmids derived from pNL201 with the promoter upstream region of alpha-amylase gene of B. licheniformis have been constructed. In the meantime, a series of plasmids derived from pAmy41 with full alpha-amylase gene have also been constructed and they have different promoter upstream region with the EcoRI-BclI fragment deleted or partial destroyed. The alpha-amylase activity of the engineering strains carrying alone or double plasmids has been determined. The statistical results show that the EcoRI-BclI fragment possesses negative regulation in the expression of alpha-amylase gene in B. subtilis.
Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI↗
[Electron microscopic study on the petechial hemorrhagic spots in patients with epidemic hemorrhage fever (EHF)].
EHF viral particles were found in the squamous epithelial cells and capillary endothelial cells of the petechial spots located at the mucous membrane of the soft palate in cases of early stage of severe type EHF by transmission electron microscopy. The viral particles are round or oval in shape, about 100 nm in diameter with a lipid bilayer envelope from which spikes are protruding. The virions matured by budding through the intracytoplasmic membranes into the smooth surfaced vesicles. The morphological characteristics of the virion coincided with the viral particles of Family Bunyaviridae. It was the first time to demonstrate that the squamous epithelial cells of the soft palate is one of the target cells in EHF virus infection and to describe the subcellular morphological evidence of the petechial spots at the soft palate by EM.
Adult↗
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts. Preliminary results in 18 patients.
In 18 consecutive patients receiving the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts (TIPSS), 15 were male and 3 female. The patients aged from 34 to 66 years had liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension and esophageal varices. Twelve had recurrent bleedings from raptured gastroesophageal varices. Shunts were established in 16 of the 18 patients and no operative death was noted. Portal vein pressure was reduced from 3.98 +/- 0.24 kPa before shunting to 2.40 +/- 0.16 kPa after shunting. Doppler ultrasound examination revealed that the maximum blood flow velocity in the main portal vein increased from 14.0 +/- 4.5 cm/sec to 48.0 +/- 16.5 cm/sec. The mean follow-up time in the successful cases was 4.5 months (range 2-8 months). The shunt patency was determined with color Doppler ultrasound in 15 patients: occlusion in one and no accites in 4. Varices disappeared in 8 patients and became less evident in 7. No patients had recurrence of varices bleeding or encephalopathy during follow-up. The results suggest that TIPSS is a safe and effective method for portal decompression in the treatment of variceal hemorrhage, and that portal vein puncture is largely dependent on understanding the three-dimensional relationships between hepatic and portal veins. To achieve an adequate portal decompression, we recommend that a stent of 12 mm in diameter be used in severe cases.
Adult↗
Genetic haplotyping of ataxia-telangiectasia families localizes the major gene to an approximately 850 kb region on chromosome 11q23.1.
The genotyping data given localize the major A-T gene to an approximately 850 kb region. They also localize the group A A-T gene (ATA) to a region that contains the approximately 850 kb region. They are compatible with linking A-TFresno to 11q22-23. NBS-V2 does not link to this region. Four non-linking families contain only single affecteds, suggesting that these may be spontaneous mutations rather than evidence for an A-T gene outside the 11q22-23 region. Finally, two other non-linking families contain recombinant haplotypes that are compatible with a second A-T gene at 11q22-23, slightly distal to the approximately 850 kb region. However, convincing evidence for a second gene is still lacking.
Adult↗
[Phage typing of Salmonella typhimurium in 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China].
Thirty strains of Salmonella bacteriophages were isolated from hospital sewage. Eleven strains selected from them, in combination with Felix Salmonella Phage O-I, were used as a phage typing set for serotyping Salmonella. Thirty-one identified types and 20 undefined types were detected in 2348 strains of Salmonella typhimurium collected from 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China. The nine types with higher frequencies were 7774 (accounted for 48.0%), 0774 (17.1%), 6774 (7.7%), 4774 (7.3%), 5774 (3.3%). 3774 (2.2%), 4000(2.1%), 0000 (1.8%) and 7000 (1.7%). Most outbreaks of nosocomial infection and food poisoning were caused by phage types 7774 and 4774. Phage types of Salmonella typhimurium in domestic ducks, pigs, rats, snails, and in sewages were analyzed, and their significance in epidemics was discussed.
Bacteriophage Typing↗
[Effect of the changes of amino acids on both signal peptide C-terminal and mature protein N-terminal region to the secretion of alpha-amylase in B. subtilis].
By site-directed mutagenesis, G and C have taken the place of T and G at nucleotide sequence 287 and 291 of B. licheniformis alpha-amylase gene to generate pAm-y413B and the N-terminal sequence of mature protein have been changed from 7Leu 8Met to 7Arg8Ile. By the insertion of polylinker into the C-terminal of the signal sequence of alpha-amylase gene of pAmy413, the signal peptide of alpha-amylase produced by pAmy413L is 13 amino acids more than the pAmy413 (which is 29 amino acids long) and also, a new recognition cleavage sequence for signal peptidase I (Ala-Gln-Ala decreases Ser) is created; The secondary structure of the signal peptide has been analyzed by computer programs. The alpha-amylase relative activity of the two mutant strains is 3% and 36% of pAmy413, respectively. The molecular weight of extracellular alpha-amylase is the same as pAmy413. Terminal analysis shows that the N-terminal amino acid of mature protein is Ala, not Ser, and suggests that SPase I prefers to cleavage at the wild type recognition site (Ala-Ala-Ala decreases Ala). Therefore, all of the above results show that the secretion of alpha-amylase in B. subtilis is in accordance with the co-translational transportation model.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
[Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts].
We studied the clinical and procedural results of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent shunts (TIPSS) procedures in 16 patients, of whom 13 were male, 3 female, with mean age of 48 years (range 24-66). All patients had cirrhosis with portal hypertension and varices. Twelve patients had recurrent bleeding for gastroesophageal varices. The results showed that shunts were successful in 14 of the 16 patients, and that no death was due to the procedure. Portal vein pressure was reduced from 3.98 +/- 0.24 kPa before shunting to 2.40 +/- 0.16 kPa after shunting. Doppler ultrasound revealed that the maximum blood flow velocity in the main portal vein increased from 14.0 +/- 4.5 cm/s to 48.0 +/- 16.5 cm/s. The mean follow-up time in the successful cases was 4.5 months (range, 2-7.5). The shunt patency was determined with color Doppler ultrasound in 13 patients, and occlusion of the tract was found in one. Mild ascites resolved in 4 patients; varices disappeared in 7 patients and abated in 6. No bleeding or encephalopathy was noted during the follow-up. The results suggested that TIPSS is an safe and effective method for portal decompression in the treatment of variceal hemorrhage, and that the key to TIPSS is understanding of the 3-dimensional relationships between hepatic and portal veins. To achieve an adequate shunt, we recommend that stent with 12 mm in diameter should be used.
Adult↗
[Synthesis of N-(4-carbomethoxy-4-phthalimidobutanoyl)-N-substituted glycines, proline and pyroglutamic acid].
This paper reports the synthesis of eleven N-(4-carbomethoxy-4-phthalimidobutanoyl)-N-substituted glycines (VII1-9), proline (VII10) and pyroglutamic acid (VII11) expected to have inhibitory activity on angiotensin converting enzyme. All of the compounds mentioned above and the corresponding t-butyl esters of VII1-9 were not reported in the literature previously. The structures were confirmed through their IR, 1HNMR, MS spectra and elemental analysis. In preliminary test in rats, compounds VII8, VII9 and VII10 showed marked hypotensive activity.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
Isolation, propagation, and characterization of rat liver serosal mesothelial cells.
Although rat liver epithelial cell (RLEC) lines have been developed by a number of laboratories, the identity of the clonogenic nonparenchymal progenitors is unknown. To provide insight into the derivation of RLEC, we immunoisolated serosal liver mesothelial cells (LMC) and bile duct epithelial cells and attempted to propagate each epithelial cell population using culture conditions routinely employed to establish RLEC lines. Briefly, the selective reactivity of LMC with two bile duct cell surface markers, OC.2 and BD.2, was exploited to develop an immunocytochemical technique to isolate LMC. Livers were collagenase dissociated, the mesothelial capsule was "peeled" and digested with pronase to destroy contaminating hepatocytes, and rare biliary ductal epithelial cells were immunodepleted using OC.2. LMC were subsequently isolated by selective binding to magnetic beads adsorbed with BD.2 and cultured in supplemented Waymouths 752/1 media containing 10% fetal calf serum. Proliferating BD.2+ LMC rapidly formed epithelial-like monolayers that could be continuously subcultured after trypsinization. In contrast, attempts to establish cell lines from purified OC.2+ bile duct epithelial cells were unsuccessful. Results from reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that LMC expressed Wilms' tumor transcripts, a lineage marker for mesodermally-derived cells. In summary, our findings clearly demonstrate that LMC can be continuously propagated using culture conditions routinely employed to establish RLEC lines, an observation that supports the contention that some RLEC lines may be derived from LMC.
Animals↗