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Biomedical subjects

M M Wang

Publications and source records attributed to M M Wang.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Zinc and ethanol: dietary interrelationships in pregnant rats.

Pregnant rats were fed three different liquid diets with ethanol providing 33.3, 35.6 and 50.8% of the total calories. The 35.6 and 50.8% ethanol diets, containing egg white as a source of protein, were zinc deficient and were fed to two groups of rats without zinc supplementation. At each level of ethanol, one additional group was supplemented with a moderate level of zinc and another group with a high level of zinc. The 33.3% ethanol diet contained casein as a source of protein and had a high level of zinc. Each rat in the ethanol group was yoked with another rat fed a diet in which the ethanol was replaced by an isocaloric amount of carbohydrate. Records were kept of food consumed, weight gained or lost, number of pups delivered, total weight of litter, and weights of each pup. Maternal and neonatal tissues were taken for zinc and copper analyses. The rats fed ethanol diets were found to ingest the same amount of ethanol-derived calories per day regardless of diet or concentration of ethanol. On the higher level of ethanol (50.8%), the rats, therefore, ingested fewer total calories and lost weight. No pups were delivered from this group of dams. Their respective pair-fed groups, although restricted in weight gain, delivered live pups at all levels of zinc. The pups from dams fed zinc-deficient diets had lower total body zinc levels and lower liver zinc levels. Sufficient dietary zinc improved the condition of the pregnant rats and their progeny, but there were no indications that higher levels of dietary zinc resulted in further improvement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diurnal variation in mRNA encoding serotonin N-acetyltransferase in pineal gland.

Formation of the pineal gland hormone melatonin increases markedly at night in response to light-dark environmental alterations. Melatonin is synthesized from serotonin by an initial N-acetylation followed by methylation of the 5-hydroxy moiety by hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase. Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT; EC2.3.1.87), which catalyses the first reaction, is the rate-limiting enzyme in this process, and its activity increases dramatically with the onset of darkness. Because melatonin may play important biological roles in reproduction, ageing and sleep, understanding the molecular factors that regulate NAT is of particular importance. To identify proteins that regulate light-dark variations in pineal function, we used a subtractive hybridization technique based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to isolate rat pineal gland messages that are differentially expressed by day and night. Here we report the molecular cloning of NAT and dramatic diurnal variations in its transcription. Independently, Klein and associates have cloned NAT from sheep pineal glands.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Multiple dens evaginatus: diagnosis, management, and complications: case report.

Dens evaginatus is a disturbance in tooth formation that appears clinically as an accessory occlusal tuberculated cusp composed of enamel and dentin, usually enclosing pulp tissue. The tubercle often fractures or is worn away, with subsequent pulp exposure leading to pulpal inflammation, necrosis, and periapical inflammation. When this happens to an immature tooth, diagnosis may be complicated by the similarity in radiographic appearance of the periapical lesion and the dental follicle. The management of such teeth may be complicated because of their immaturity. A case report of multiple abraded dens evaginatus with pulp necrosis is presented that illustrates 1) the difficulty of diagnosing otherwise apparently healthy teeth associated with periapical lesions and sinus tracts, and 2) their management and treatment complications including recurrent infections and root fractures.

Bicuspid↗