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Biomedical subjects

M Li

Publications and source records attributed to M Li.

At least 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Comparison of serum immunoglobulin levels in patients with alveolar and cystic echinococcosis].

Serum IgG, IgA and IgM levels of 91 patients with alveolar echinococcosis and 83 patients with cystic echinococcosis were compared with 104 healthy adults as controls by single radial immunodiffusion. The mean IgG, IgA and IgM concentrations in patients with alveolar echinococcosis and the mean IgG and IgM levels in patients with cystic echinococcosis were found to be significantly higher than those of the normal controls. The mean IgG, IgA and IgM levels in patients with alveococcosis were 510 +/- 413.06, 389.45 +/- 433.42 and 313.48 +/- 255.19, while those in cystococcosis were 308.36 +/- 339.24, 329.61 +/- 319 and 266.68 +/- 255.68 respectively. The geometric mean of IgG and IgM levels in patients with alveococcosis was 1.67 and 1.25 times that in cystococcosis. 76.9% of alveococcosis patients had IgG levels reaching 200 IU/ml or above, being significantly higher than that in the cystic hydatidosis (50.6%). 93.4% of alveolar echinococcosis cases showed elevated IgM levels up to 100 IU/ml or more, being also significantly higher than that of cystic echinococcosis cases (78.3). Statistically, there was significant correlation between IgG concentration and ELISA antibody titre.

Echinococcosis↗
PubMed1990

Urinary riboflavin excretion after a load test in rural China as a measure of possible riboflavin deficiency.

Urinary excretion of riboflavin was measured in 3318 adults 4 h after an oral dose of riboflavin. Male and female subjects aged 35-64 years were selected from 65 mostly rural counties located in 24 provinces of China. Counties were selected to represent a range of seven of the most prevalent cancer mortality rates in China and within counties households were selected at random. Urinary riboflavin excretion levels after a load test, erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficients (EGR-AC), dietary riboflavin intakes, and a large number of other biochemical, dietary, and environmental parameters were measured. Mean dietary intake of riboflavin was 75 per cent of the Chinese recommended dietary allowances (CRDA). Mean meat intake per reference man was very low (26.4 +/- 23.7 g/d) in comparison to Western standards and milk was not consumed at all in most counties. Mean EGR activity coefficients measured on 'blood pools' for both males (1.47 +/- 0.14) and females (1.48 +/- 0.16) indicated that more than two-thirds of the population surveyed was in the medium or high risk category of riboflavin deficiency. Using current reference standards of less than 1.4 mg for 4-h urinary excretion of riboflavin after a 5 mg load, more than 70 per cent of the individuals examined exhibited low levels usually associated with high risk of riboflavin deficiency. In view of the lack of specificity for clinical indications of riboflavin deficiency and the tentative validity of the present CRDA, the interpretation of the data is problematic. We suggest that the present CRDA for this vitamin is set too high and requires critical review and possibly some revision.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1989

Regulation of chloride channels by protein kinase C in normal and cystic fibrosis airway epithelia.

Apical membrane chloride channels control chloride secretion by airway epithelial cells. Defective regulation of these channels is a prominent characteristic of cystic fibrosis. In normal intact cells, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by phorbol ester either stimulated or inhibited chloride secretion, depending on the physiological status of the cell. In cell-free membrane patches, PKC also had a dual effect: at a high calcium concentration, PKC inactivated chloride channels; at a low calcium concentration, PKC activated chloride channels. In cystic fibrosis cells, PKC-dependent channel inactivation was normal, but activation was defective. Thus it appears that PKC phosphorylates and regulates two different sites on the channel or on an associated membrane protein, one of which is defective in cystic fibrosis.

Calcium↗
PubMed1989

Isolation of Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants deficient in excision repair and mitomycin C bioactivation.

Mitomycin C (MMC), a bifunctional alkylating agent, requires metabolic reduction to become biologically active. We have identified a series of genetically related Chinese hamster ovary cell lines which span approximately three orders of magnitude in the concentration of MMC required for cell killing. Many mechanisms, including drug transport, drug activation, drug detoxification, and the elimination, or repair, of drug-induced lesions, may contribute to the level of drug resistance in cells. By exploring each of the above mechanisms in the various Chinese hamster ovary cell lines, we have been able to classify these cell lines into four categories. Proceeding from least resistant to most resistant to MMC, the cell lines are: (a) proficient in the bioreduction of MMC and deficient in DNA excision repair; (b) deficient in some aspects of MMC bioreduction and deficient in repair; (c) bioreduction and repair proficient; and (d) bioreduction deficient and repair proficient.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Qa-2 expression in the adult murine thymus. A unique marker for a mature thymic subset.

The MHC Ag, Qa-2, is expressed on all peripheral T cells, a subset of bone marrow cells, and to a lesser extent on B cells. The Qa-2 Ag is also expressed on 5 to 6% of normal adult murine thymocytes. Through the use of flow cytometry, counterflow centrifugal elutriation and acridine orange staining, we have analyzed the cell surface phenotype, cell size, and cell cycle status of this thymic population. Our studies indicate that Qa-2+ thymocytes are large, non-mitotic, G1 cells which have the cell surface phenotype of CD5+, CD3+, J11dLO and lack receptors for peanut agglutinin. This population can be further subdivided into three categories; CD4+/CD8-, CD4-/CD8+, and CD4-/CD8-. These data indicate that Qa-2 surface expression can only be detected on thymocytes in the final stages of differentiation. The Qa-2 Ag can be used as a cell surface marker to identify a unique subset of mature thymocytes.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Effect of sodium on progesterone production in granulosa cells of rapidly growing chicken ovarian follicles.

The importance of extracellular sodium (Nao+) in the progesterone production in hen granulosa cells from the first (F1), second (F2), and third (F3) largest preovulatory follicles was investigated in short term incubations. Progesterone synthesis in the absence or presence of the gonadotropin increased with increasing Nao+ concentration. Luteinizing hormone (LH) caused an additional and significant increase in steroidogenesis at every Nao+ concentration tested. However, no significant difference in the ED50 of Nao+ among F1, F2, and F3 cells was observed whether in the absence or the presence of the gonadotropin. Furthermore, although LH provoked steroidogenesis dose dependently in F1, F2, and F3 granulosa cells, no significant change in the ED50 of LH was observed among F1, F2, and F3 cells. The Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor, amiloride, attenuated both basal and LH-stimulated steroidogenesis in a concentration-dependent manner in the presence of Nao+. Amiloride was ineffective in the absence of Nao+. The present studies indicate the importance of Nao+ in the modulation of steroidogenesis in hen granulosa cells. Since steroidogenesis was suppressed by amiloride only in the presence of sodium, it is suggested that Nao+ is important for the maintenance/regulation of intracellular pH by an exchange with intracellular H+. Our studies also suggest that the sodium modulatory mechanism may not be a determinant in the differential progesterone production observed among the three largest preovulatory follicles.

Amiloride↗
PubMed1989

Sodium-dependent regulation of steroidogenesis in rat granulosa cells: possible involvement of a Na+/H+ antiport.

The possible role of Na+/H+ antiport in the gonadotropic regulation of steroidogenesis was examined in rat granulosa cells incubated for up to 6 h in a chemically defined medium in the absence or presence of Na+ (128 mM), gonadotropin (FSH or LH; 0-500 ng/ml), dibutyryl cyclic AMP [Bu)2cAMP; 2 mM) and amiloride (0-1 mM). Replacement of Na+ (Na+0) in the incubation medium with choline chloride resulted in a marked decrease in basal and LH-, FSH- and (Bu)2cAMP-stimulated progesterone and 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20 alpha-OH-P) synthesis in vitro. The Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor, amiloride significantly suppressed basal and hormone-stimulated progestin production dose-dependently in the presence of Na+0. However, it was without effect in Na+-deficient medium. The effect of the inhibitor on progestin production appeared to be directed at specific step(s) involved in the synthesis of pregnenolone, as concentrations of amiloride which inhibited progesterone production failed to influence the metabolism of exogenous pregnenolone to progestins. Cell viability and the incorporation of [3H]leucine into acid-precipitable material were not affected by amiloride. Our findings support the contention that extracellular sodium is important for steroidogenesis in rat granulosa cells. The inhibition by amilordie indicates an involvement of the Na+/H+ exchange in the regulation of this granulosa cell function.

20-alpha-Dihydroprogesterone↗
PubMed1989

The efficacy of triclabendazole (Fasinex) against immature and adult Fasciola hepatica in experimentally infected cattle.

Eighteen Chinese cattle were experimentally infected with metacercariae of Fasciola hepatica and randomly assigned to 6 groups. Five groups of cattle were treated with a single oral dose of triclabendazole at a dose rate of 12 mg kg-1. At necropsy, the reduction in fluke burden compared with the untreated group was 85, 99.6, 99.8, 100 and 100% for cattle treated 2, 6, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after infection, respectively. Data are also presented on body weight changes during the experimental period and on serum gamma-GT activity in cattle from selected groups. Triclabendazole is considered to be safer and more efficacious than currently available fasciolicides in China.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Identification and regulation of whole-cell chloride currents in airway epithelium.

We used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to study membrane currents in human airway epithelial cells. The conductive properties, as described by the instantaneous current-voltage relationship, rectified in the outward direction when bathed in symmetrical CsCl solutions. In the presence of Cl concentration gradients, currents reversed near ECl and were not altered significantly by cations. Agents that inhibit the apical membrane Cl conductance inhibited Cl currents. These conductive properties are similar to the conductive properties of the apical membrane Cl channel studied with the single-channel patch-clamp technique. The results suggest that the outwardly rectifying Cl channel is the predominant Cl-conductive pathway in the cell membrane. The steady-state and non-steady-state kinetics indicate that current flows through ion channels that are open at hyperpolarizing voltages and close with depolarization. These Cl currents were regulated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase: when the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase was included in the pipette solution, Cl channel current more than doubled. We also found that reducing extracellular osmolarity by 30% increased Cl current, suggesting that cell-swelling stimulated Cl current. Studies of transepithelial Cl transport in cell monolayers suggest that a reduction in solution osmolarity activates the apical Cl channel: reducing extracellular osmolarity stimulated a short-circuit current that was inhibited by Cl-free solution, by mucosal addition of a Cl channel antagonist, and by submucosal addition of a loop diuretic. These results suggest that apical membrane Cl channels may be regulated by cell volume and by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Chlorides↗
PubMed1989

NBP, a protein that specifically binds an enhancer of immunoglobulin gene rearrangement: purification and characterization.

Immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor (TCR) genes are encoded in discrete germ line DNA segments that are joined by site-specific recombination during lymphocyte development. These DNA rearrangements are mediated by conserved heptamer and nonamer DNA sequence elements that lie near the sites of recombination. In this paper we show that the nonamer element coincides with the recognition site for a specific DNA-binding protein: mutations within the nonamer sequence, but not outside of it, decrease affinity for the binding protein by 300- to 1000-fold. Deletion of the binding site for the protein results in at least a 50-fold decrease in recombination frequency in vivo. By a combination of conventional and recognition site affinity chromatography, we have achieved greater than 20,000-fold purification of the protein from calf thymus, with an overall yield of 22%. The purified protein, which we now call nonamer-binding protein (NBP), has an apparent molecular weight of 63,000 and a frictional ratio of 1.27, suggesting that it exists as a globular monomer in 0.5 M NaCl. Our observations suggest that NBP is a component of the recombinational apparatus.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Thyroid autoimmunity in endemic goitre caused by excessive iodine intake.

The pathophysiology of endemic goitre caused by excessive iodine intake is not well defined. By interacting with the immune system, iodine excess may trigger the development of autoimmune thyroid disease such as lymphocytic Hashimoto's thyroiditis (LT). In an attempt to examine this further, we compared the presence of thyroid autoantibodies in 29 goitrous children, from an iodine excess area, and in 26 healthy children, from an iodine sufficient area, of north central China. Serum was tested for antimicrosomal (MAb), anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), second colloid antigen antibodies (CA2-Ab) and TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulins (TBII). Affinity chromatographically purified IgG was tested for thyroid growth-stimulating activity (TGI) by two different methods: a sensitive cytochemical bioassay (CBA) using guinea-pig thyroid explants and a mitotic arrest assay (MAA) employing a continuous rat thyroid cell line (FRTL-5). We found no increased prevalence of LT in patients with endemic iodine goitre. The levels of MAb, TgAb and CA2-Ab did not differ significantly between the two groups of children. Further, TBII were not present in either group. Thyroid growth-stimulating immunoglobulins (TGI) were the major autoantibodies found in children with goitres caused by iodine excess. In the CBA, 12 of 20 (60%) goitrous children and 0 of 12 (0% P less than 0.05) healthy children were positive for TGI. Similar results were found in the MAA, and a good correlation between results of the CBA and MAA was found (P = 0.003). Maximal TGI activity in dose-response CBA showed a good relation with clinical goitre size (r = 0.63; P less than 0.05) indicating a possible pathophysiological role for these antibodies. We conclude that endemic iodine goitre is not associated with Hashimoto's lymphocytic thyroiditis. Nevertheless, autoimmune growth factors such as TGI may play a primary role in the pathogenesis of thyroid growth in this condition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Phosphorylation-dependent regulation of apical membrane chloride channels in normal and cystic fibrosis airway epithelium.

The observations described herein allow us to make several inferences about PKC and regulation of normal and CF Cl- channels. FIGURE 5 shows a model that summarizes these observations. In this model, for the sake of clarity, we refer to the channel as a single entity, but note that it may consist of multiple subunits and associated proteins. FIGURE 5A shows the channel in an inactivated state following excision from the cell. The channel can be activated by strong membrane depolarization, via an unknown mechanism, or by phosphorylation with PKA or PKC at a low [Ca2+] We speculate that PKA and PKC may phosphorylate and activate the channel at the same site, or region of the channel, because phosphorylation-dependent activation by both is defective in CF. This result suggests that the CF defect might lie in a defective phosphorylation site on the channel, or associated protein, or in the mechanism that converts phosphorylation into a change in channel conformation, such as activation. Activated channels can be inactivated by PKC at a high [Ca2+]. At high [Ca2+], PKC maintains the channel in an inactivated state and it inactivates channels that have been activated by PKC at low [Ca2+], by depolarization, or by PKA. Both activation and inactivation appear to result from phosphorylation; neither can be explained by down-regulation of the channel. There are several possible ways to explain the two opposite effects of PKC on the Cl- channel: different responses may be due to an effect of Ca2+ on the channel, on PKC, or on the interaction between the two.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bronchi↗
PubMed1989

Activation of normal and cystic fibrosis Cl- channels by voltage, temperature, and trypsin.

In cystic fibrosis (CF) phosphorylation-dependent activation of outwardly rectifying apical membrane Cl- channels is defective. To further understand regulation of this channel we examined several other mechanisms of channel activation in normal and CF cells. Previous studies have shown that strong membrane depolarization can activate channels in excised cell-free membrane patches. Here we show that such activation is dependent on both the absolute membrane voltage and the duration of depolarization. Moreover, activation was reversible by membrane hyperpolarization. In some cases, excising patches of membrane from the cell caused channel activation, even in the absence of depolarization. However, the frequency of channel activation with patch excision increased when bath temperature was increased from 23 to 37 degrees C. Although the channel remained in the activated state when temperature was reduced to 23 degrees C, subsequent hyperpolarization inactivated the channel. In cell-attached patches, neither depolarization nor increasing bath temperature to 37 degrees C activated channels, suggesting that neither is physiologically important in regulation of the channel. Thus changes in membrane voltage and bath temperature appear to cause a nonenzymatic change in the channel's conformation; the interactions between voltage and temperature suggest that they may affect the same process. To determine if a proteolytic alteration of the channel could also cause activation, we added trypsin to the cytosolic surface of excised membrane patches. Trypsin activated channels, which could not then be inactivated by either hyperpolarization or phosphorylation with PKC, suggesting that trypsin removed or altered a region of the channel involved in inactivation. All of these interventions activated Cl- channels from both normal and CF cells. Thus many aspects of Cl- channel activation are normal in CF; only phosphorylation-dependent activation is defective.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Influence of A23187 and dibutyryl cyclic AMP on progestagen production by rat granulosa cells in vitro.

The gonadotrophic regulation of progesterone production by rat granulosa cells was examined in a chemically-defined medium containing FSH, dibutyryl cyclic AMP [Bu)2cAMP) and the calcium ionophore, A23187. FSH and A23187 alone significantly enhanced the production of pregnenolone, progesterone and its metabolite, 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20 alpha-OH-P) from endogenous substrate(s). Stimulation of progesterone production by A23187 was accompanied by an increase in 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta-HSD) but not 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20 alpha-HSD) activity, as attested by enhancement of the metabolism of exogenous pregnenolone to progesterone but not of progesterone to 20 alpha-OH-P. In contrast, although (Bu)2cAMP increased pregnenolone and progesterone production and the metabolism of exogenous progesterone to 20 alpha-OH-P, it failed to stimulate the conversion of exogenous pregnenolone to progesterone. The increase in progesterone production and in the conversion of exogenous pregnenolone to progesterone by FSH and A23187 was concentration- and time-dependent. Whereas maximal stimulation of de-novo progesterone synthesis by FSH was evident by 6 h (earliest time examined), a significant increase in the conversion of exogenous pregnenolone to progesterone in the presence of FSH or the ionophore was not noted until 12 h of incubation. Although a small but significant increase in progesterone production was also noted as early as 6 h of incubation in the presence of the calcium ionophore, this was markedly smaller than that elicited by FSH. We conclude that the calcium ionophore A23187 and (Bu)2cAMP have similar as well as distinct effects on progesterone production in rat granulosa cells in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

20-alpha-Dihydroprogesterone↗
PubMed1989

[Pharmacologic effects of an extract of Arillus longan (Lour.) Steud. and Gecko].

ALG is an extract from Arillus longan and Gecko. Our experiment has shown that ALG ig 20 ml/kg/d X 10 elevates significantly tolerance in mice under low and high temperatures and anoxia, and also increases the body-weight of normal mice, while ALG ig 15 ml/kg/d X 14 protects body-weight from decreasing in reserpinized mice. An increase in spleen-weight has also been observed in normal mice with ALG ig 20 ml/kg/d X 7, and ALG ig 15 ml/kg/d X 10 elevates the clearance rate of iv charcoal particles in normal mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the diagnosis of human multilocular echinococcosis].

The Avidin-Biotin-Peroxidase Complex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ABC-ELISA) with antigen from gerbils infected with alveolar hydatid (GAH) was performed on the sera of 54 patients with multilocular echinococcosis, 107 patients with other diseases and 102 healthy adults. All the sera were diluted 1:200 and an S/N value greater than 2.2 was taken as positive. Both the sensitivity and specificity were 98.1%. The S/N value (mean +/- SD) of sera of the patients with multilocular echinococcosis, other parasitic diseases, tuberculosis, other diseases and healthy adults were: 5.9 +/- 3.0, 1.1 +/- 0.4, 1.4 +/- 0.8, 1.1 +/- 0.5 and 1.0 +/- 0.4. The geometric mean titre (GMT) of antibody measured by ABC-ELISA was 13.7 times that of ELISA. The quantity of serum used in ELISA was 8 times that of ABC-ELISA. ABC-ELISA might be particularly helpful to identify cases with low immune responsiveness. In the detection of alveolar hydatidosis and cystic disease with GAH antigens, the positivity was 98.1 and 67.1% with 87 and 25.6% having S/N greater than 5, respectively. It is suggested that in the diagnosis of hydatid diseases by ABC-ELISA, homologous antigen should be used. The temperature and the incubation time needed for the present assay are practical, for the total time requires only 55 minutes.

Avidin↗