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Biomedical subjects

M Fang

Publications and source records attributed to M Fang.

102 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Production of fibronectin by HUH6 C15 cell line established from a human hepatoblastoma.

Fibronectin was detected by indirect immunofluorescence on the cell surfaces of HUH6 C15 cells, established from a human hepatoblastoma and maintained with serum-free RPMI 1640 medium. Fibronectin synthesized by HUH6 Cl5 was purified by gelatin-Sepharose affinity chromatography and compared with human plasma fibronectin in respect to molecular weight, electrophoretic mobility and antigenicity. Fibronectin synthesized by this cell line was proved to be identical with human plasma fibronectin.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed1981

Routine chest x-ray films in a Veterans Hospital.

The routine chest x-ray films of 113 patients admitted to two general medicine wards at a Veterans Administration hospital were analyzed to determine the value of this examination in screening for new chest abnormalities. The admission chest x-ray films of 52 patients (46%) revealed abnormal findings. The prevalence of abnormality was much greater than in other recently reported series. This study suggests that obtaining routine admission chest x-ray films continues to be necessary for hospitals with a high prevalence of intrathoracic disease, such as those hospitals serving veterans.

Female↗
PubMed1967

Citrate and the conversion of carbohydrate into fat. The regulation of fatty acid synthesis by rat liver extracts.

1. The rate of fatty acid synthesis by particle-free extracts prepared from rat liver is increased greatly if the enzyme system is first activated with citrate. 2. The extent of the activation depends on the citrate concentration and on the time of activation in an interdependent manner. 3. Citrate activation is strongly dependent on temperature. 4. Tricarballylate can replace citrate as an activator, but its presence in the assay inhibits fatty acid synthesis. 5. Mg(2+) ions can replace citrate in the activation but not in the complete reaction system. 6. ATP prevents the activating effect of citrate and Mg(2+) ions. 7. The rate of fatty acid synthesis is increased by palmitoyl-dl-carnitine. This type of activation, additional to that caused by citrate, is rapid and does not depend on prior incubation. 8. Inhibition of fatty acid synthesis by palmitoyl-CoA can be prevented by palmitoyl-dl-carnitine or by increasing the concentration of protein.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Echo-planar imaging of the central nervous system at 1.0 T.

Echo-planar imaging (EPI) on the authors' 1-T prototype imager provides high-quality 100-msec images of the central nervous system. Contrast parameters can be chosen freely. Three-dimensional EPI sequences provide isotropically resolved data sets with 1-mm resolution. Brain perfusion and blood-brain barrier disruption can be assessed in time-course studies with gadopentetate dimeglumine. The current state of development of the authors' midfield research EPI system is discussed and its image quality illustrated through selected patient studies.

Blood-Brain Barrier↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impact of genetically modified crops and their management on soil microbially mediated plant nutrient transformations.

One of the potential environmental effects of the recent rapid increase in the global agricultural area cultivated with transgenic crops is a change in soil microbially mediated processes and functions. Among the many essential functions of soil biota are soil organic matter decomposition, nutrient mineralization and immobilization, oxidation-reduction reactions, biological N fixation, and solubilization. However, relatively little research has examined the direct and indirect effects of transgenic crops and their management on microbially mediated nutrient transformations in soils. The objectives of this paper are to review the available literature related to the environmental effects of transgenic crops and their management on soil microbially mediated nutrient transformations, and to consider soil properties and climatic factors that may affect the impact of transgenic crops on these processes. Targeted genetic traits for improved plant nutrition include greater plant tolerance to low Fe availability in alkaline soils, enhanced acquisition of soil inorganic and organic P, and increased assimilation of soil N. Among the potential direct effects of transgenic crops and their management are changes in soil microbial activity due to differences in the amount and composition of root exudates, changes in microbial functions resulting from gene transfer from the transgenic crop, and alteration in microbial populations because of the effects of management practices for transgenic crops, such as pesticide applications, tillage, and application of inorganic and organic fertilizer sources. Possible indirect effects of transgenic crops, including changes in the fate of transgenic crop residues and alterations in land use and rates of soil erosion, deserve further study. Despite widespread public concern, no conclusive evidence has yet been presented that currently released transgenic crops, including both herbicide and pest resistant crops, are causing significant direct effects on stimulating or suppressing soil nutrient transformations in field environments. Further consideration of the effects of a wide range of soil properties, including the amount of clay and its mineralogy, pH, soil structure, and soil organic matter, and variations in climatic conditions, under which transgenic crops may be grown, is needed in evaluating the impact of transgenic crops on soil nutrient transformations. Future environmental evaluation of the impact of the diverse transgenic crops under development could lead to an improved understanding of soil biological functions and processes.

Agriculture↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Persistency of bacterial indicators in biosolids stabilization with coal fly ash and lime.

Alkaline coal fly ash and lime were tested for their effectiveness in pathogen removal from biosolids at different time intervals and temperatures. Coal fly ash at 10 and 35% w/w was mixed with dewatered biosolids and then the ash-biosolids mixture was mixed separately with 0, 1.1, 2.2, 4.4, 8.5, 11, and 18% calcium oxide (w/w on a dry weight basis) with and without heating to 55 degrees C. Total bacteria, salmonella, and total coliforms were monitored at various time intervals. Both ash-biosolids mixtures with or without lime amendment had a significantly lower total bacterial population than the biosolids control, but the residual indigenous bacterial flora in the ash and lime stabilized biosolids still maintained a population of greater than 10(4) g(-1) dry biosolids. Alkaline-stabilized biosolids with a lime amendment rate greater than 8.5% could maintain pH greater than or equal to 12 for more than 2 hours, which effectively removed total coliforms and salmonella in the mixture. Heat treatment to 55 degrees C and a storage time of 14 days provided an added advantage resulting in a further reduction in pathogens for all treatments. It is recommended that 10% ash-biosolids mixture should be amended with a minimum of 8.5% lime on a dry weight basis for at least 2 hours to achieve acceptable levels of salmonella and total coliforms to ensure no pathogenic risk following land application.

Bacteria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Seeding effect on cocomposting wastewater biosolids with coal fly ash.

The seeding effect on fly ash-amended biosolids composting was evaluated by inoculating a mixture of ash and biosolids with seeding materials before composting. These inocula included thermophilic bacteria (Bacillus. brevis, B. coagulans, and B. licheniformis) isolated from the ash-biosolids compost, a commercial decomposter, and recycled biosolids compost. Although the addition of these microbial additives to the ash-biosolids compost improved the population of thermophilic bacteria at the early stage of composting, the improvement was negligible after 4 days of composting. Inoculation with isolated bacterial culture, milk powder, or the decomposter, only, did not effectively improve the decomposition of organic matter compared with those receiving inoculation of both microbial additives and milk powder together. The isolated Bacillus species was as efficient as the commercial decomposter in accelerating the decomposition rate during ash-amended biosolids composting as indicated by the high amounts of carbon dioxide evolved and cumulative weight loss. Ash-biosolids compost inoculated with 15% (dry weight basis) of recycled compost showed a comparable decomposition activity to those inoculated with bacterial culture and the commercial decomposter with milk powder. Taking into consideration the lower operating cost and acceptable decomposition efficiency, recycled biosolids compost seemed to be a promising additive to ash-amended biosolids compost to improve composting efficiency.

Bacillus↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Involvement of p21Waf1 in mediating inhibition of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis by epidermal growth factor in MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells.

Paclitaxel (Taxol) is currently one of the most widely used anti-cancer drugs for human breast cancer. In this study, we investigated how epidermal growth factor (EGF) modulated paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-468 human breast adenocarcinoma cells. Pulse-exposure of the cells to paclitaxel resulted in cell death through apoptosis. When EGF was present during the post-paclitaxel culture period, this paclitaxel-induced apoptosis was inhibited in an EGF dose-dependent manner. The induction of apoptosis by paclitaxel was accompanied by an elevated level of p34cdc2 kinase activity, which was inhibited in the presence of EGF during the post-paclitaxel culture period. Exposure of MDA-MB-468 cells to EGF induced expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Waf1. Incubation of paclitaxel-treated MDA-MB-468 cell extracts with EGF-treated MDA-MB-468 cell extract, which exhibited elevation of p34cdc2 activity, inhibited the kinase activity. This inhibition was not observed with p21Waf1-immunodepleted EGF-treated cell extract. Transfection of the cells with p21Waf1 antisense oligonucleotide abolished the induction of p21Waf1 and also significantly reduced inhibition by EGF of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. These studies demonstrate that p21Waf1 plays a key role in the inhibition of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis by EGF in MDA-MB-468 cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗