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Biomedical subjects

S F Lin

Publications and source records attributed to S F Lin.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Supervised adaptive Hamming net for classification of multiple-valued patterns.

A Supervised Adaptive Hamming Net (SAHN) is introduced for incremental learning of recognition categories in response to arbitrary sequences of multiple-valued or binary-valued input patterns. The binary-valued SAHN derived from the Adaptive Hamming Net (AHN) is functionally equivalent to a simplified ARTMAP, which is specifically designed to establish many-to-one mappings. The generalization to learning multiple-valued input patterns is achieved by incorporating multiple-valued logic into the AHN. In this paper, we examine some useful properties of learning in a P-valued SAHN. In particular, an upper bound is derived on the number of epochs required by the P-valued SAHN to learn a list of input-output pairs that is repeatedly presented to the architecture. Furthermore, we connect the P-valued SAHN with the binary-valued SAHN via the thermometer code.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed1997

Comparison of intravenous granisetron with metoclopramide plus dexamethasone in the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with emetogenic cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Fifty-one patients who received their first course of chemotherapy were studied to compare the respective efficacy and safety of granisetron and metoclopramide plus dexamethasone in the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by emetogenic cytotoxic drugs. The results showed the response rate of antiemesis in the first 24 hours was higher in the metoclopramide plus dexamethasone group than in the granisetron group: 95% vs 84%. For the next six days of the study period, the response rate of the granisetron group was shown to be more effective than that of metoclopramide plus dexamethasone group: 77% vs 60%. Furthermore, the granisetron seemed to display enhanced tolerability with less drug-related side effects and no extrapyramidal effects which appeared in 2 cases of the metoclopramide plus dexamethasone group. In conclusion, a single dose of granisetron can be as effective as the gold standard of metoclopramide plus dexamethasone regimen in preventing and treating acute nausea and vomiting. For preventing delayed nausea and vomiting, granisetron is shown to be more effective than metoclopramide plus dexamethasone.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

The binge eating and emotional change in a patient with postinfectious encephalomyelitis.

Postinfectious encephalomyelitis is a kind of demyelinating disease with pathological characteristics and a monophasic clinical course. Herein, we describe a patient who had the symptoms of binge eating, fatigue, memory impairment, hypotalkativeness, hypoactivity, lethargy, incoherent speech, dysphoric mood, and episodic disorientation. Only elevation of CSF protein was noted upon initial admission; however, blurred vision of the eyes developed progressively after discharge. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) scanning of the brain demonstrated scattered lesions of low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high areas on T2-weighted images in the left thalamus, bilateral hypothalamus and midbrain. The findings of MRI image, CSF, and clinical course all suggested postinfectious encephalomyelitis. After a treatment of prednisolone, a follow-up MRI revealed evidence of improvement, and the binge eating also improved.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

High dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cells transplantation in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphomas preliminary reports.

High dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cells transplantation (PBSCT) has been used worldwide in the treatment of patients with various hematological malignancies and other solid tumors. It has just come into use as a salvage therapy in various malignancies in Taiwan in recent years. We report eight cases with relapsed or refractory lymphoma treated with high dose chemotherapy and PBSCT. Our results showed all cases but one achieved complete remission. The mean days of white cell recovery were 10 days to > 500/microliter (ranges, 8-16 days) and 12 days to > 1,000/microliter (ranges, 9-19 days). The mean days to platelet transfusion independent, i.e. platelet > 20,000/microliters, was 14 days. No specific side effect was noted except death in one case on D+9 during cytopenia state. Four patients relapsed and died during the follow-up after PBSCT. From our preliminary results we suggest that high dose chemotherapy with PBSCT could be used as a salvage therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphomas with favorable and sustained hematological recovery. Most cases were tolerable with myeloablative chemotherapy and re-achieved remission, however, remission duration was still short and relapse remained the main problem to be overcome. The long term effects of high dose chemotherapy with PBSCT still need further study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Multiple myeloma with oral manifestations--report of two cases].

Multiple myeloma is a neoplastic disorder of bone that originates from cells of bone marrow. It is most commonly seen within the age range of 50-80 years, cases under the age of 40 being rare. Men are affected more frequently than are women. Bone pain is the cardinal clinical symptom in multiple myeloma. Because of the destruction of bone, pathologic fracture is fairly common. In the oral manifestations, the mandible is involved far more frequently than the maxilla, especially the most active hematopoietic areas-the remus, angle and molar region of the mandible. Other signs and symptoms of jaw involvement include swelling, pain, and increased tooth mobility. Extraosseous lesions may result in paresthesia of soft tissue and gingival enlargement with bleeding tendency. Roentgenographic examination will usually reveal numerous punched-out lesions in a variety of bones. In addition, blood examination will reveal hyperglobulinemia and Bence-Jones protein may be present in the urine of myeloma patients. The histological features of myeloma are closely packed cells resembling plasma cells. Case 1 in this report is a 64-year-old female, who has been diagnosed as having multiple myeloma (IgG, lambda). She was referred to our hospital because of gingival swelling, bleeding and pain. Case 2 is a 60-year-old female suffering from spontaneous gingival bleeding. After blood, urine examination and bone marrow biopsy, multiple myeloma was diagnosed (IgG, lambda). This paper reports the clinical manifestations and treatment courses of these two cases, and the concerns of treatment of multiple myeloma are also discussed.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Polyadenylylated nuclear RNA encoded by Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.

A newly recognized gamma herpesvirus known as Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) or human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is present in Kaposi sarcomas and body-cavity-based lymphomas. Here we identify a novel abundant 1.2-kb RNA, polyadenylated nuclear RNA (PAN RNA), encoded by the virus. The majority of cDNAs produced from poly(A)-selected RNA isolated from a human body cavity lymphoma cell line 48 hr after butyrate induction of KSHV lytic replication represented PAN RNA. Within PAN RNA were two 9 and 16 nt stretches with 89% and 94% identity to U1 RNA. A third stretch of 14 nt was 93% complementary to U1. The 5' upstream region of PAN RNA contained both proximal and distal sequence elements characteristic of regulatory regions of U snRNAs, whereas the 3' end was polyadenylylated. PAN RNA was transcribed by RNA polymerase II, lacked a trimethylguanosine cap, and did not associate with polyribosomes. PAN RNA formed a speckled pattern in the nucleus typical of U snRNAs and colocalized with Sm protein. Therefore, PAN represents a new type of RNA, possessing features of both U snRNA and mRNA.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Purification and characterization of a glycerol oxidase from Penicillium sp. TS-622.

A novel extracellular glycerol oxidase was purified 39-fold from wheat bran culture of a soil-isolated Penicillium strain TS-622 with an overall yield of 3%. The addition of Triton X-100 into the extraction buffer improved the extraction yield by 90 times, indicating that the enzyme is bound to the cell surface. The molecular weight of this enzyme was 400,000 as determined by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. The optimum pH was from 6 to 7 and the optimum temperature was 45 degrees C. This enzyme showed high specificity toward dihydroxyacetone and glycerol. It was inhibited by KCN, NaN3, and hydroxylamine.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1996

Purification and partial characterization of an alkaline lipase from Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes F-111.

An extracellular alkaline lipase of alkalophilic Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes F-111 was purified to homogeneity. The apparent molecular weight determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 32,000, and the isoelectric point was 7.3. With p-nitrophenyl esters as its substrates, the enzyme shows preference for C12 acyl and C14 acyl groups. It was stable in the pH range of 6 to 10, which coincides with the optimum pH range.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Induction therapy of newly diagnosed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia with idarubicin and cytosine arabinoside--the Taiwan experience.

From October 1993 to December 1994, 26 patients with newly diagnosed and untreated acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) received induction chemotherapy with the 3 + 7 regimen, i.e., idarubicin (IDA) 12 mg/m2/d for 3 days any cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) 100 mg/m2/d for 7 days. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 80.8% of the whole group and in 66.7% (two of three) of the elderly subgroup (age > or = 60 years). Seventeen patients achieved a CR after only one course, whereas four needed two courses. Toxicity was tolerable. All of the patients experienced myelosuppression, and infection episodes were noted in all except one patients. Other toxicities included vomiting (62%, mostly mild to moderate, grade I/II), diarrhea (46%, mostly grade I), mucositis (65%, mostly grade I), and alopecia (100%). None presented with liver dysfunction or cardiotoxicity. Of the 21 complete responders, one refused further consolidation, 20 received either two additional courses of IDA/Ara-C or high-dose Ara-C as consolidation, and one died of infectious complications during consolidation. As of May 1995, nine had relapsed, and 11 (55%) continued in CR for 6 to 21 months (median, 14.5). All four patients who needed two courses of IDA/ Ara-C to achieve remission had relapsed, with either high-dose Ara-C or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as postremission therapy. We suggest that induction failure with one course of IDA/Ara-C is a poor prognostic factor in ANLL.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Decreased bone mineral density in premenopausal patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

To study bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal adult female patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its relation with clinical parameters, 56 SLE patients (mean age 31 years, mean disease duration 6.3 years) and 15 normal controls were studied. BMD at the lumbar vertebrae (L2-L4) was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Classification of BMD was made according to the WHO criteria in 1994. Correlation between BMD and clinical parameters was calculated. It was found BMD in the SLE patients (0.942 +/- 0.136 g/cm2) was lower than in the control group (1.055 +/- 0.080 g/cm2) (P < 0.01). According to the WHO criteria, 17 patients (30%) had normal BMD, 22 patients (40%) had osteopenia and 17 patients (30%) had osteoporosis. BMD was inversely correlated with disease duration in SLE patients (p < 0.005). The minimal disease duration for a female SLE patient to develop osteopenia was 3.5 years. In conclusion, SLE patients have lower lumbar BMD than normal controls. SLE patients with longer disease duration have lower BMD. In order to achieve early prevention of osteoporosis, we suggest that female SLE patients with disease duration for more than 3.5 years should take a BMD examination.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Clinical manifestations, microbiology and prognosis of 42 patients with necrotizing fasciitis.

Forty-two cases of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) surgically confirmed between January 1991 and October 1995 were retrospectively reviewed. This was done in order to describe the underlying diseases, clinical presentations, etiology and outcome of NF and to assess the prognostic value of a simplified severity scoring system. The system scores changes in consciousness status, body temperature, blood pressure and ventilation to determine the likely outcome of NF. Twenty-five men and 17 women with a median age of 51 years (range, 17-87 yr) were included. Diabetes mellitus (57.1%) was the most common underlying disease. The mean duration of symptoms before admission was 8 days (median, 7 d; range, 1-30 d). The extremities (66.7%) were most commonly involved. Initial clinical presentations within 48 hours of admission included skin erythema and swelling at the affected site (97.6%), pyrexia (61.9%), hypotension (33.3%), altered consciousness (28.6%), bullous lesions (26.2%) and crepitus (9.5%). The mean number of isolated pathogens was 1.8 (range, 0-6). Eight patients had mixed aerobic and anaerobic infections. The attributable case fatality rate was 23.8%. Higher severity score (> or = 4 points), hypotension, altered consciousness, respiratory failure requiring ventilator support, elevation of alanine aminotransferase levels > twofold, serum creatinine > 177 mumol/L, thrombocytopenia (< 100 x 10(9)/L), and worsening symptoms and signs within 48 hours of admission were associated with higher fatality rates (p < 0.05).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of Epstein-Barr virus DNase and its interaction with the major DNA binding protein.

Bacterially expressed Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNase was purified to 98% purity and used as the source for characterization of the enzyme activities. Complete digestion of DNA by EBV DNase yielded 5'-monophosphate nucleosides as the final products. During the logarithmic phase of the reaction, EBV DNase acted processively on dsDNA but distributively on ssDNA. Both 5' to 3' and 3' to 5' exonuclease activities were present, although the former was shown to be 10-fold stronger. No significant discrepancy was seen in the liberation of end-labeled nucleotides by DNase when substrates with 5'-protruding, blunt, or 3'-protruding ends were used. EBV DNase was demonstrated also to have an endonuclease activity using supercoiled plasmid DNA as substrate. Two preferential dsDNA cleavage sites were mapped on pBS-TR, a pBlueScript vector containing one copy of the EBV terminal repeat; both are in vector sequences. Finally, an N-terminally truncated EBV major DNA binding protein, but not EA-D, was shown to inhibit EBV DNase activity. This inhibitory effect may due to direct protein-protein interactions between EBV DNase and the major DNA binding protein. The biological significance of these characteristics is discussed.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1995

Virtual electrodes in cardiac tissue: a common mechanism for anodal and cathodal stimulation.

Traditional cable analyses cannot explain complex patterns of excitation in cardiac tissue with unipolar, extracellular anodal, or cathodal stimuli. Epifluorescence imaging of the transmembrane potential during and after stimulation of both refractory and excitable tissue shows distinctive regions of simultaneous depolarization and hyperpolarization during stimulation that act as virtual cathodes and anodes. The results confirm bidomain model predictions that the onset (make) of a stimulus induces propagation from the virtual cathode, whereas stimulus termination (break) induces it from the virtual anode. In make stimulation, the virtual anode can delay activation of the underlying tissue, whereas in break stimulation this occurs under the virtual cathode. Thus make and break stimulations in cardiac tissue have a common mechanism that is the result of differences in the electrical anisotropy of the intracellular and extracellular spaces and provides clear proof of the validity of the bidomain model.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Application of ABO genotyping using polymerase chain reaction method to assess engraftment in bone marrow transplantation--a case report.

We described a case of acute promyelocytic leukemia with O blood type who received bone marrow transplantation during a second remission from his HLA identical, B blood type sibling. Using PCR genotyping of the ABO group and analysis of the variable number of tandem repeats of the D1S80 locus, we could quickly document the successful early engraftment in this patient. We emphasize that the use of PCR ABO genotyping is a quick and valuable method which could be applied to assess the engraftment and its follow up in those transplant cases with donors of mismatched blood groups.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1995

Clonal analysis in acute myeloid leukemia by polymerase chain reaction.

We have used PCR to amplify a polymorphic portion of the X-chromosome linked phosphoglycerate kinase gene (PGK) combined with a methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme digestion of the active X chromosome to examine the frequency of heterozygosity in Taiwanese females and analyze clonality in 18 female patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We used hair follicles as normal tissue control. We found that the incidence of heterozygosity of the PGK gene in 102 hematological normal females and 18 patients tested was 35% (42/120). In five AML patients, a monoclonal X-inactivation pattern of leukemic blasts was found at presentation, which then returned to polyclonal at remission. In two of these five cases, a monoclonal pattern recurred at relapse. We also found that the hair follicles were readily accessible normal tissue for control, were easy to obtain, and were non-invasive.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

MDR1 gene expression in acute myeloid leukemia: clinical correlation.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has a poor long-term prognosis, with a disease-free survival rate of only 20%. Drug resistance remains the major obstacle in this disease, although relatively little data are available on the correlation of multi-drug resistance (MDR) and clinical outcome. We examined 28 bone marrow samples from 24 patients with AML. The MDR1 RNA levels were determined by slot blot analysis. The incidence of positive expression of MDR1 mRNA in patients was 64.7% in samples from newly-diagnosed patients and 85.7% in relapse samples. The overall complete remission rate was 45%. However, the complete remission rate was lower for patients in the MDR1 RNA positive group than in the negative group. In three cases, the MDR1 RNA expression steadily rose during the period of disease progression and after several courses of chemotherapy. We suggest that a high frequency of MDR1 gene expression in patients with AML and higher MDR1 RNA levels are associated with a lower incidence of complete remission as well as a shorter disease-free time. The expression of MDR1 is a poor prognostic factor for AML treatment and it may play an important role in resistance to chemotherapy.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗