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Biomedical subjects

M Wang

Publications and source records attributed to M Wang.

At least 811 records · Page 45Linked to original sources

Cytokine (IL-10, IL-6) induction of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 in primary human prostate tumor cell lines.

Northern blots and scintillation counting showed that tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) mRNA was expressed by low passage, primary epithelial cultures (n = 5) of low-grade human prostatic carcinoma. TIMP-1 mRNA levels were normally low in the primary cell lines, but were inducible by interleukin (IL) 10 and 6. Dose and time-course studies indicated that IL-10 was the most potent stimulator of TIMP-1 expression. Cycloheximide blocked the effects of IL-10 in a reversible manner. In situ hybridization assays with TIMP-1 oligonucleotide antisense probes confirmed the northern blot results and indicated that IL-10 preferentially stimulated TIMP-1 mRNA synthesis. We suggest that IL-10, and to a lesser extent IL-6, may normally influence TIMP-1 expression by human prostatic epithelial cells.

Blotting, Northern↗

The modality of huoxue-huayu in treatment of retinal vein occlusion.

BACKGROUND: There were some reports in China about Huoxue-Huayu therapy on retinal vein occlusion (RVO), but prospective and systematic studies are very few. The curative effect and mechanism of this therapy on RVO have not been reported previously. METHODS: 80 patients with RVO were randomly divided into 2 groups, Fundus III (group A) and urokinase group (group B). Group A was treated by Fundus III oral liquid (a composite herbal recipe for Huoxue-Huayu or invigoration of blood circulation and reduction of blood stasis) 10ml/time P.O. t.i.d. The treatment course was 1 mouth. Group B was treated by urokinase. The urokinase that produced in China was used 10,000 u + 5% glucose 500ml/day i.v. drip for 5 days in a course, the rest 5 days going on another course. The total treatment courses lasted 1 month, too. RESULTS: The visual acuity in group A was remarkably improved while that in group B did not change. The extravasated retinal blood was evidently absorbed in 92.7% of the cases in group A and in 66.7% of those in group B. The difference was significant. Fundus III also improved the retinal circulation, decreased the whole blood viscosity and fibrinogen and reduced leakage of the retinal capillaries. The total effective rates were 83.7% in group A and 53.7% in group B with significant statistical difference between the 2 groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Fundus III may alleviate retinal edema and necroses, improve the recovering of visual acuity, the retinal microcirculation, the rate of absorbing of retinal haemorrhage and treat RVO, and the curative effect is better than urokinase.

Adult↗

[Is anomalous junction of pancreaticobiliary duct related to pancreatitis].

Among 1779 patients was subjected to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), an anomalous junction of pancreaticobiliary duct (AJPB) was found in 48 (AJPB group), a normal common channel was found in 734 (control group A), and a non-common channel was found in 284 (control group B). Another 713 patients were excluded because the pancreaticobiliary duct was not clear. In AJPB group, the length of the common channel ranged from 15 to 35mm (17.9 +/- 5.06mm). 16 patients were of P-B type and 32 patients B-P type. As to pancreatitis there were 21 patients in AJPB group, 48 in control group A and 22 in control group B. As to acute pancreatitis (AP) there were 4 patients in AJPB group, 9 patients in control group A and 4 patients in control group B. In AJPB group, there were 13 P-B type patients and 8 B-P type patients with pancreatitis. The incidence of pancreatitis in AJPB group was larger than that in control group A or B (P < 0.01), and in AJPB group, the incidence of pancreatitis of B-P type was less than that of P-B type (P < 0.01). The results showed that AJPB is related to pancreatitis. We consider that AJPB is an anatomic factor inducing pancreatitis. The pancreatic ductal high pressure may play an important role in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis caused by AJPB.

Adolescent↗

TEMPOL, a superoxide dismutase mimic, ameliorates light-induced retinal degeneration.

The efficacy of 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-l-oxyl (TEMPOL), a metal independent superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimic, in ameliorating light-induced retinal degeneration was investigated. Thirty-six Lewis albino rats were exposed to green fluorescent light (490-580 nm, 160-180 foot-candles) for 24 hr, after dark adaptation for 24 hr. The animals received six intraperitoneal (IP) injections of TEMPOL (100 mg/kg) or an equivalent volume of saline solution (vehicle-treated control groups) at 6 hr intervals starting 6 hr before the light exposure and ending 24 hr after light exposure. Another six rats were used as unexposed controls. The animals were killed at 6 hr, 6 days and 14 days after light exposure. Retinal damage was assessed by light and electron microscopy, measurements of outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness and rhodopsin levels and counting of macrophages in the subretinal space. After light exposure, the TEMPOL-treated rats showed mild edema of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), less densified inner segments (IS) at 6 hr and better preserved photoreceptors at 6 days and 14 days compared with vehicle-treated control groups. Morphometrically the ONL was thicker in the TEMPOL-treated rats than in the vehicle-treated control at 6 days (p<0.01) and 14 days (p<0.05) but no significant difference occurred at 6 hr (p>0.05). Rhodopsin levels in the TEMPOL-treated rats were significantly higher at 6 days (p<0.05) but not at 6 hr (p>0.05) or 14 days (p>0.05). Our results demonstrated that TEMPOL ameliorated light-induced retinal degeneration in rats. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that superoxide radicals may play a crucial role in mediating light-induced retinal degeneration.

Animals↗

Adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia: prognostic significance of pathologic and treatment factors.

The records of 146 patients who had surgery for adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia between 1977 and 1992 at National Taiwan University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The prognostic significance of pathologic and surgical treatment factors was examined by log rank test and stepwise regression procedures. The overall 2-year and 5-year survival rates were 40.2% and 23.7%, respectively. The pathologic factors analyzed included: age, sex, tumor diameter, esophageal invasion, pathologic grading, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, depth of invasion, node-status, distant metastasis and number of positive lymph nodes. The surgical treatment factors analyzed included:surgical procedure, region of lymphadenectomy, resection margin and resection status. Resection status was classified into three categories: absolute curative, relative curative and palliative. Univariate analyses showed that esophageal invasion, vascular invasion, depth of invasion, node status, node number, resection margin and resection status were significant prognostic factors. The selected stepwise regression model identified three significant independent factors: node status, resection status and esophageal invasion. Aggressive surgical management, including combined resection and extended lymphadenectomy, may be helpful for patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastric cardia.

Adenocarcinoma↗

[Overexpression of c-myc and p53 gene in human hepato-cellular carcinoma--a study with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization].

Immunohistochemistry (ABC method) and in situ hybridization (DNA-RNA) were used to detect c-myc and p53 gene expression in tissues of human HCC and nearby non-tumorous liver (NT) from 23 patients. The results showed that the positive rates of P62c-myc were 87% (20/23) in HCC and 91% (21/23) in NT. The positive rates of P53 protein were 39% (9/23) in HCC as well as in NT. The positive rates of c-myc and p53 mRNA were 70% (16/23) and 56% (13/23) in HCC and NT respectively. The expression of c-myc and p53 at protein level was significantly correlated with that at mRNA level. These observations suggest a close association of c-myc and p53 gene overexpression with hepatocarcinogenesis. Immunohistochemistry (ABC method) on section of paraffin embedded tissue is a reliable method for detecting c-myc and p53 gene expression in HCC.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

Pharmacokinetics of tablet huperzine A in six volunteers.

AIM: To study pharmacokinetics of tablet huperzine A (Hup-A) in Chinese volunteers to help establishing its drug administration schedule. METHODS: For 6 volunteers after a single oral dose of 0.99 mg, drug concentrations in plasma were assayed by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) at 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with a 3P87 program by computer. RESULTS: The time course of plasma concentrations conformed to a one-compartment open model with a first order absorption. The pharmacokinetic parameters were as follows: T 1/2ka = 12.6 min, T 1/2ke = 288.5 min, Tmax = 79.6 min, Cmax = 8.4 micrograms L-1, AUC = 4.1 mg L-1 min. CONCLUSION: Hup-A was absorbed rapidly, distributed widely in the body, and eliminated at a moderate rate.

Adult↗

[A cytogenetic study of four species of turtle from China].

The karyotypes, C-banding and Ag-NORs of four species of turtle from China have been studied. The results demonstrated that Cuora aurocapitata has 2n = 52(14M + 2SM + 4ST + 6T / 26m), NF = 72, 8 + 5 + 13(karyotypic formulae). Its secondary constrictions (SC) located on No. 1 p inter of group I; C. trifasciata has 2n = 52(12M + 4SM + 4ST + 6T + 26m), NF = 72, 8 + 5 + 13; Cistoclemmys flavomarginatus has 2n = 52(16M + 4ST + 6T + 26m), NF = 72, 8 + 5 + 13. The SC is also on No. 1 p inter of group I; C. galbinifrons has 2n = 52(16M + 2SM + 4ST + 6T + 24m), NF = 74, 9 + 5 + 12. Four pairs of SC of C. galbinifrons are on No. 1 p inter, No. 3,7 p par and No. 6(X chromosome) q per of group I. The heteromorphic chromosomes related with sexuelity were discovered in C. galbinifrons, while there is no that in other three species. All the centrometric regions of the chromosomes for the four studied species showed the various degree staining of C-positive. Only one homologous pair of Ag-NOR, is found for C. galbinifrons, which locate on No. 5 q per of group II. The Ag-NOR, of other three species lies in No. 7 q ter of group I. The mechanism of the karyotypic evolution is discussed. Individual evolutional mechanism of an heteromorphic sex pair of chromosomes.

Animals↗

[An immunohistochemical study of intestinal mucinous antigens and CEA in ovarian epithelial tumors].

Using monoclonal antibodies specific to the large intestinal mucinous antigen (LIMA), small intestinal mucinous antigen (SIMA) and CEA, the expression and localization of these proteins in 78 formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues from ovarian epithelial tumors were studied. The localization of LIMA, SIMA and CEA was associated with tumor features and differenciation. Positive stain of benign and borderline tumors were mostly located on the lumina border while malignancies were situated both on the lumina border and in the cytoplasm and tended to concentrate in the latter with the increase in histological grade. No difference in positive rate was seen between serous and mucinous carcinomas. However, staining intensity of CEA in serous carcinomas was lower than that in mucinous carcinomas and the expression and intensity in endometrioid carcinomas were low. On the other hand, positive CEA and LIMA was associated with a significantly worse survival.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗

[Detection of K-ras oncogene activation in human lung cancer and its possible clinical application].

By using a modified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique, we detected K-ras codon 12 mutation in 102 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from surgical samples of lung cancer patients. The X2 test was used to determine the statistical significance of difference, according to the presence or absence of mutation in codon 12 of K-ras oncogene. We found 25 cases (24%) positive for mutation of K-ras 12 codon. Mutation occurred in 6 of the 40 cases (15%) of squamous cell carcinoma, 18 of 37 adenocarcinoma cases (49%), 1 of 2 adenosquamous cases, 0 of 1 carcinoid patient, but no K-ras activation was found in small cell carcinoma (0/22) cases. Analysis of the clinical and pathological features of 37 adenocarcinoma cases showed no apparent associations between the K-ras codon 12 mutation and sex, disease stage, tumor size (T), metastatic status (M) and the degree of differentiation (all P values greater than 0.05), but the nodes (N) of K-ras-positive adenocarcinoma tended to be more than the K-ras-negative ones (P < 0.01). From 26 male cases of adenocarcinoma mutation in codon 12 of K-ras occur more frequently in adenocarcinoma from smokers than non-smokers (P < 0.05), suggesting that smoking is an important factor in the induction of the mutation. Among 37 adenocarcinoma cases, only 25 cases can be traced the recurrence rate in 1-year. The 1-year recurrence rates were 85% (11/13) in K-ras mutational patients, more than 25% (3/12) in K-ras negative ones (P < 0.01), whereas there was no relationship between recurrence and differentiation in these 25 cases. The findings suggest the K-ras gene mutation may be one of the prognostic markers for human lung adenocarcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Correlation of in vivo infectivity of hepatitis C virus to in vitro infectivity and to virion properties.

Serum from an individual who was chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) was inoculated into chimpanzees and a human T cell line. The serum contained a quasispecies population of HCV consisting of at least six genetic sequences. However, only two sequences (the same two sequences) were recovered both in chimpanzees and in cultured human T cell line, indicating that infection of the culture system reflects infection in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mapping a mutator, mu2, which increases the frequency of terminal deletions in Drosophila melanogaster.

A mutator, mu2, in Drosophila melanogaster has been identified recently that potentiates the recovery of terminal deficiencies. The deleted chromosomes behave as if they had been capped; that is, they are protected from degradation and from fusion with other chromosome fragments. The mutator maps near the telomere on the left arm of chromosome 3. Using the selectable marker Aprt, 150 deficiencies for region 62 of the cytological map have been recovered. These deficiencies identify the map position of mu2 as 62B11-C1. A yeast artificial chromosome spanning this region has been subcloned into lambda phage, and the positions of deficiency breakpoints on either side of the mu2 gene have been identified within the subclones. These positions limit the location of the left end of the gene to a 23 kb region. In the course of these experiments, three additional, presumptive mutant alleles were identified, suggesting that other mutator alleles remain undiscovered in many standard laboratory stocks.

Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase↗

ard-1: a human gene that reverses the effects of temperature-sensitive and deletion mutations in the Escherichia coli rne gene and encodes an activity producing RNase E-like cleavages.

The Escherichia coli rne gene affects a variety of bacterial functions, including the activity of RNase E. We report the existence of a human gene (ard-1, for activator of RNA decay) that complements temperature-sensitive and deletion mutations of rne in E. coli, allowing growth of rne-defective cells, correcting abnormal cell shape, activating chemical decay of bulk mRNA, and producing site-specific cleavages characteristic of RNase E in vivo and in vitro. ard-1 encodes a highly basic 13.3-kDa proline-rich peptide that has features in common with Rne and also with eukaryotic proteins implicated in RNA binding and macromolecular transport.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression efficiency of the human thrombomodulin-encoding gene in various vector and host systems.

Expression systems were developed for evaluating recombinant human thrombomodulin (TM) production in different host cell lines by investigating the performance of five mammalian expression vectors. The expression vectors were constructed so that they contain multiple monocistronic gene cassettes which include a gene encoding a dominant selectable marker, HyR (hygromycin B phosphotransferase), under the regulation of the thymidine kinase promoter, the target gene which encodes a truncated human re-TM under the regulation of various promoters, an amplifiable gene (Dhfr) encoding murine dihydrofolate reductase under the regulation of either the SV40 early or late promoter along with the SV40 enhancer and the SV40 ori. We tested the performance of the five expression vectors in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293), baby hamster kidney cells (BHK), human melanoma cells (CHL-1) and Dhfr- Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO/Dhfr-). We found that the efficiency of DNA uptake, transient expression and stable expression of the different expression vectors were all cell-line dependent. However, the myeloproliferative sarcoma virus (MPSV) LTR promoter consistently showed higher expression levels in all cell lines, particularly in HEK293 cells. These results were confirmed by the distribution curves of the level of expression of individual clones. Furthermore, by amplifying Dhfr in transfected CHO/Dhfr- cells with 100 nM methotrexate, we achieved a 20-fold increase in re-TM production using the SV40 late promoter to control murine Dhfr expression. Our data from DNA and mRNA analysis reveal that pMPSV-TM has a high transcription efficiency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Biomarkers of environmental tobacco smoke in preschool children and their mothers.

BACKGROUND: Adverse health effects attributable to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) include respiratory illness and lung cancer in nonsmokers. There is accumulating evidence that children may be at heightened risk of cancer later in life as a result of exposure to carcinogens during their early development. It is of concern that as many as 9 million American children under the age of 5 years may be exposed to ETS. PURPOSE: Our goal was to assess whether levels of cotinine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-albumin (PAH-albumin) are associated with ETS exposure in children and in women of reproductive age, after accounting for background exposures to PAHs in the diet, workplace, and the home environment. METHODS: The study cohort was composed of 87 Hispanic and African-American mothers and 87 of their preschool children (2-5 years of age). Plasma cotinine was analyzed by gas chromatography; PAH-albumin adducts in peripheral blood were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Exposure data were obtained by interview-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: Both cotinine and PAH-albumin were significantly higher in the children whose mothers smoked than in the children of nonsmoking mothers (P < .001 and P < .05, respectively). Among the children of nonsmoking mothers, cotinine levels were also significantly higher in those who had ETS exposure from others in the household compared with the unexposed children. By regression analysis, after adjustment for ethnicity, there was a significant dose-response relationship between cotinine and the number of cigarettes smoked per day by the mother, both in the children (partial r2 = .23; P = .01) and in the mothers (partial r2 = .22; P = .01). Among the nonsmoking mothers, regression of biomarkers against total passive smoking exposure also showed a significant association with cotinine (r2 = .25; P = .04). PAH-albumin did not show the same dose-related response with the smoking variables. Mothers' cotinine levels were significantly correlated with those of their children (r = .76; P < .001) as were PAH-albumin adducts (r = .27; P = .014). CONCLUSION: ETS exposure of young children via their mothers' smoking is associated with increases not only in the internal dose of ETS (cotinine), which has been previously reported, but also in the biologically effective dose of the carcinogenic (PAH) components of ETS (PAH-albumin adducts). This observation underscores the carcinogenic and public health hazard of ETS. IMPLICATIONS: Given the relatively low level of ETS exposure in this study, these results reinforce the need for effective programs aimed at smoking prevention and cessation among women, particularly women of reproductive age and minorities.

Adult↗