Biomedical subjects

S C Hu

Publications and source records attributed to S C Hu.

80 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed1980

Ultrastructural observations on cellular and subcellular aspects of experimental Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease.

The ultrastructural organization of Mycoplasma pneumoniae membranes and spatial relationships of this pathogen to epithelial cells in tracheal organ cultures were examined ultrastructurally by freeze-fracture techniques. Areas of morphologically distinct cell membrane variability characterized by membrane blebs and altered distributions of membrane associated particles were observed in replicas of M. pneumoniae cells. Inspection of the host tracheal epithelium demonstrated the alignment of M. pneumoniae to the epithelium with an accompanying deterioration in the integrity of the lumenal surface membranes and subsequent loss of the epithelial cell cytosol. Ciliary dysfunction was suggested by the observation of ciliary lesions and of disorganized epithelial cell cilia. The methodology used in these studies has permitted a new perspective of host-pathogen interactions at both the cellular and subcellular levels in tracheal organ cultures. These studies may also illustrate ultrastructural correlates of the alteration of host macromolecular synthesis in experimental M. pneumoniae infection.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Conversion of reactions to leprolin and lepromin in patients with lepromatous leprosy by the transfer factor.

Conversion of leprolin and early lepromin reactions was achieved by two injections of transfer factor made of lymphocytes from lepromin-positive tuberculoid leprosy patients. However, the late reaction to lepromin remained unchanged. The importance of the degree of sensitivity of the cell donor was demonstrated, and a booster dose was also found to be useful. The feasibility of using transfer factor in treatment of lepromatous leprosy is briefly discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

The granulomatous response of leprosy patients to lepromin and killed BCG.

The volunteers studied included 6 tuberculoid and 11 lepromatous leprosy patients (Ridley and Jopling). Each received intradermally 0.1 ml of lepromin (Wade method) and 0.1 ml of autoclaved BCG (grown on Dubos medium) at 2 separate sites on the left upper arm. Observations were made at weekly intervals, and biopsy specimens were taken at the fourth wk. Within 3 to 4 wk all 6 tuberculoid patients responded to lepromin with typical granulomas (5 of which measured 5 mm or more in diameter) composed of epithelioid cells, lymphocytes and giant cells. In contrast, 8 of the 11 lepromatous patients remained negative; the other 3 developed tiny papules less than 3 mm in diameter which disappeared after 2 wk. Biopsy specimens taken from injection sities at the fourth wk showed essentially normal histology. All 1 patients developed typical granulomas to heat-killed BCG (non were less than 5 mm in diameter and most were larger) consisting of epithelioid cells, many lymphocytes and a few giant cells. The reaction in tuberculoid leprosy was stronger than that in lepromatous leprosy and the reaction to BCG in tuberculoid leprosy was stronger than that to lepromin, but the differences were not very remarkable.

Adult↗

PubMed1978

Pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus infection in ferret and fetal human tracheas in organ culture.

The pathogenesis of human respiratory syncytial virus infection was studied in ferret and fetal human tracheas in organ culture. Although the patterns of virus growth were similar in these species, the sites and morphologic consequences of virus replication differed markedly. In human trachea, synthesis of respiratory syncytial virus occurred in a population of ciliated epithelial cells, whereas other cells in the epithelial layer were spared. Virus replication was associated with cell injury characterized by ballooning degeneration and syncytium formation. In ferret trachea, virus growth occurred in fibroblasts of the lamina propria and serosa. Ciliated epithelial cells did not contain viral antigen and remained histologically normal. These observations are relevant to understanding the pathogenesis of human disease and the evaluation of animal models of respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The applicability of the theory of planned behavior to the intention to quit smoking across workplaces in southern Taiwan.

An examination of the applicability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to the intention to quit smoking across workplaces was conducted. Subjects were randomly selected from three workplaces in southern Taiwan. Those from a large public steel-manufacturing company were used for model building, and those from two private auto-parts-manufacturing companies served to cross-validate the model. Eligible subjects were divided into three study samples: a learning sample and two test samples. Three predictors--priority of quitting, past behavior (measured as previous quit attempt), and habit (measured as nicotine dependence)--were added to the TPB model. The results of this study show that TPB based on the learning sample fit well in another sample from the same workplace but poorly in other workplaces. When priority of quitting and past behavior were added to the TPB model, prediction to other workplaces significantly improved. Habit had no significant contribution to the intention to quit in the TPB model. Detailed discussions of the results are provided.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Microtubular discontinuities as acquired ciliary defects in airway epithelium of patients with chronic respiratory diseases.

A critical relationship exists between ordered ciliary ultrastructure and optimal mucociliary clearance in the respiratory airways. Structurally defective cilia derived from heritable syndromes or from epithelial cell injury may promote or exacerbate chronic disease processes. A lesion of airway epithelial cilia characterized by microtubular discontinuities and previously associated with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) has been documented in other forms of chronic airways diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF). Nasal cilia obtained by curettage of the inferior nasal turbinate from 89 patients without CF but exhibiting symptoms favoring PCD were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy. Of the 89 patients in the study group, 19 (21.4%) were diagnosed with PCD. Among the PCD patients, 16 (84.2%) exhibited microtubular discontinuities. Nine patients from this group without ultrastructural evidence of PCD also exhibited these defects, however. Furthermore, seven of eight nasal biopsy specimens from patients with CF in a separate disease control group exhibited microtubular discontinuities. Microtubular discontinuities were quantitatively negligible among control groups of healthy human subjects and individuals experimentally and naturally subjected to acute airway injury. These data provide evidence that ciliary microtubular discontinuities represent acquired ciliary defects reflective of chronic airway disease injury and are not components of a primary structural abnormality in PCD.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Anthropometric study on Down syndrome in Taiwan].

Anthropometric studies of Down syndrome in foreign children had been reported. To have similar information for Chinese children with Down syndrome, data based on 1624 measurements of height and 1208 measurements of weight were done on 496 children who took part in a collaborative study done via several hospitals and institutions in Taiwan. Height and weight were measured using standard methods. Additional data about these children were also solicited from hospital and school records to obtain semilongitudinal data which were then analyzed with SAS PC software. Descriptive statistics and percentiles were estimated using flexible mathematical functions. Results showed that ethnic Chinese children with Down syndrome were significantly shorter than normal children. Mean weight, however, was not significantly different from normal children. Centile charts for assessment of stature and weight are also presented.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Establishing the norm of Cognitive Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) in Chinese infants.

The Cognitive Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/CLAMS) has been recommended as a useful diagnostic tool for cognitive delay. To provide wider application of this instrument as a general screening tool for pediatricians, a normative percentile graph from a large convenience sample of Chinese infants has been established. The effects of environmental factors on early language and adaptive development were also analyzed. A total of 402 normal infants aged 4 to 36 months attending well-child clinics were recruited. These infants were from all socioeconomic strata, and half were bilingual with Mandarin and Taiwanese. Grandmothers were the chief caretakers or co-caretakers in 28% of this population. The milestones were attained in a sequential and orderly fashion. In contrast to the adaptive ability, there was a wide variation in language acquisition between age 12 and 24 months. Multiple stepwise regression of demographic and environmental factors revealed that age was the main variance in CAT score (P = 0.0001). In CLAMS score, however, age and caretakers were the significant predictors (P = 0.0001). Infants cared for by both mothers and grandmothers had higher CLAMS score by two months over those cared by mothers only (P = 0.001). Those cared for by grandmothers only had lower language score than those by mothers only, though without statistical significance (P = 0.05). Bilingualism, birth order, numbers of siblings, familial structures, and parental socioeconomic status had no effect on early development.

Child Rearing↗