How deep a superficial gravity abscess?
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
W-C Chang
Publications and source records attributed to W-C Chang.
Acute renal infarction: a 10-year experience.
The diagnosis of acute renal infarction (ARI) is often delayed or unrecognised because of its non-specific presentation and the rarity of the disease. We evaluated the clinical presentations, laboratory findings, underlying medical conditions and treatment of 18 Chinese patients with ARI who presented to the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary teaching hospital from 1995 to 2004. We identified 14 non-trauma and four trauma patients with ARI. The mean duration from the onset of symptoms to the diagnosis of ARI was 1.9 days. The prevalence of concurrent events was 39%. About 64.5% of non-trauma patients had histories of atrial fibrillation, structural heart diseases or previous embolic events. The laboratory characteristics were neither specific nor sensitive for the diagnosis of ARI. Conservative treatment, local intra-arterial thrombolytic and i.v. thrombolytic therapies were provided in nine, five and two patients respectively. Decreased effective renal plasma flow in affected kidneys was found in three of three patients. Serum creatinine (Cr) was normal or elevated not more than 25% of baseline in 16 cases. ARI may resemble many non-renal diseases; however, repeated evaluation and a high index of suspicion are required for early diagnosis. Concurrent injuries or thromboembolism in other foci should be noticed. Early contrast-enhanced computerized tomography scan should be considered for high-risk patients. Patients with ARI should be followed by functional studies rather than serum Cr level.
Acute Disease↗
Conversion of a tumor-binding peptide identified by phage display to a functional chimeric T cell antigen receptor.
Adoptive transfer of ex vivo expanded tumor-specific T cells is a promising therapeutic modality for promoting or augmenting antitumor immunity. Several groups, including ours, are developing antigen receptor gene transfer strategies as a means of generating effector cells for adoptive therapy. Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have been described that use single-chain antibodies or cytokine ligands as tumor targeting domains. Here, we describe the capacity of a tumor-binding peptide identified by phage display combinatorial library screening to serve as a CAR targeting domain. A phage library-selected high-affinity 12-mer peptide (Bpep) specific for alpha(v) beta(6) integrin (alpha v beta6) was chosen for these studies. Primary human T cells were genetically modified to express the Bpep-CAR consisting of an alpha v beta6-specific peptide and human IgG4 hinge-Fc extracellular domain fused to the cytoplasmic tail of CD3-zeta. T cell expression of the Bpep-CAR was assessed by Western blot analysis, and trafficking of the Bpep-CAR to the cell surface was demonstrated by flow cytometry. Functionally, Bpep-CAR redirected cytotoxic T lymphocytes specifically kill integrin alpha v beta6+ ovarian tumor targets, and are activated for interferon gamma secretion. Our data suggest that large new repertoires of tumor-specific T cell antigen receptor transgenes might be available through merging combinatorial peptide libraries with CAR construct design.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Pelvic adhesions and laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy.
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Adult↗
Differential expression of glucocorticoid receptor in human breast tissues and related neoplasms.
Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a steroid hormone receptor that has been shown to play important roles in mammary development and differentiation, and has been implicated in breast tumourigenesis, but its precise biological significance in mammary pathophysiology remains unclear. In order to generate a comprehensive expression profile for GR in normal versus neoplastic breast tissues, GR expression was investigated in situ in 400 human breast tissue samples, comprising normal tissue and a range of benign, pre-invasive, and invasive lesions, using immunohistochemical assays. The novel expression of GR in myoepithelium, not observed in luminal epithelium, not only demonstrates expression patterns exclusive to the alpha form of oestrogen receptor and progesterone receptor and suggests distinctive functions between GR and these two important steroid hormone receptors in the breast, but may also indicate unique physiological and perhaps pathological roles for the myoepithelium in mediating the effects of glucocorticoid hormones in the breast. The strong expression of GR in metaplastic carcinomas (94.4%) and malignant phyllodes tumours (92.3%) suggests a pathogenetic role for GR, and implies that targeting GR in these tumours may have potential therapeutic application. However, studies on the roles of GR in mammary carcinogenesis should be interpreted with great caution, based on the lack of GR expression in cancer cells in the great majority (98.2%) of non-metaplastic carcinomas, which has gone unnoticed in previous studies. This marked discrepancy warrants a re-examination of the biological roles of GR in the pathophysiology of breast malignancy. The lack of methylation in the promoter region of the GR gene in all 118 non-metaplastic carcinomas, as demonstrated by methylation-specific PCR and bisulphite DNA sequencing analysis, indicates that methylation is less likely to play a role in the reduction of GR expression in non-metaplastic carcinoma of the breast.
Base Sequence↗
Betel nut chewing and other risk factors associated with obesity among Taiwanese male adults.
OBJECTIVE: The research aimed at examining betel nut chewing and other risk factors associated with obesity among Taiwanese male adults. DESIGN: The research analyzed the data obtained by the 2001 National Health Interview Survey in Taiwan that covered all the administrative divisions in Taiwan. Multistage stratified systematic sampling design was adopted for survey. All members of a sampled household received the interview. SUBJECTS: The research analyzed questionnaires answered by nonaboriginal male respondents aged between 20 and 59 years old, and the total number of samples analyzed read 6126. Since very few female subjects chewed betel nut, they were excluded from the analysis. MEASUREMENTS: Criteria of obesity was defined as body mass index > or = 27 kg/m2. The variables incorporated for analysis included the respondents' status of betel nut chewing, age, educational background, presence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus, drinking and smoking status, exercise status, and demand for physical strength at job. Generalized estimating equations model was employed to estimate the odd ratios (with 95% CI) of obesity of each independent variable. RESULTS: Approximately 16.2% of respondents were obese. The distribution of betel nut chewing was current chewers 15.9%, ex-chewers 4.3%, and nonchewers 79.8%. After controlling above-mentioned independent variables, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, betel nut chewing, never exercising, and sedentary jobs were closely associated with obesity. CONCLUSION: The research found that betel nut chewing closely associated with obesity. The increased appetite of betel nut chewers is speculated as the underlying cause. The prospective study is needed to clarify this issue. In addition to increasing the risk of developing oral cancer, betel nut chewing seemed to be related with another health hazard: obesity.
Adult↗
Oxidative stress in nonallergic nasal polyps associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
BACKGROUND: Nasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of upper airway with unknown etiology. NP is frequently associated with asthma; the interaction between these comorbidities remains interesting. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of NP and asthma. The aim of this study is to investigate the significance of oxidative stress in sinonasal microenvironments by evaluating its association with clinopathological parameters and its impacts on the pathogenesis of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in NP. METHODS: Polyp biopsy specimens were obtained from 20 nonallergic patients; control mucosas were obtained from 20 volunteers. The levels of free radicals in the tissues and in blood were determined by a sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method. NP patients were substratified into three subgroups, NP without BHR, NP with asymptomatic BHR, and NP with BHR and asthma by the results of provocative testing. Four histological characteristics of NP, inflammatory cells, eosinophil infiltration, edema and fibrosis were estimated and applied to correlate with the tissue-CL. RESULTS: The mean CL level in polyp-tissues, but not in blood, was higher than in the control specimens. In NP patients, tissue-CL was associated with endoscopy score; high tissue-CL levels were positively correlated with the abundance of inflammatory cells and eosinophils. Tissue-CL and endoscopy score were associated with BHR/asthma phenotype. CONCLUSION: These results suggest an important role for oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of NP and a causal relation between oxidative stress and inflammatory cells, especially the eosinophils. Free radical levels in polyp-tissues associated with NP severity and with BHR/asthma phenotype in nonallergic NP patients.
Adult↗
A method for inflorescence proliferation.
Most perennial plants must pass through a long juvenile phase of vegetative development before they are capable of flowering. We have developed a method specifying inflorescence proliferation to bypass juvenility and maintain the adult phase. Bamboo ( Bambusa edulis) inflorescences were amplified by incubation in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l thidiazuron. Mutant albino inflorescences also proliferated in this medium. This method is equally effective with dicotyledonous plants. Ginseng ( Panax ginseng) buds were incubated in B5 medium supplemented with 1 mg/l benzyladenine and 1 mg/l gibberellic acid; new inflorescences developed from the base of the explants. Ginseng flowers were parthenocarpic and some of the fruit proliferated in vitro. Using the inflorescences as the material of somatic embryogenesis, we demonstrated that these were not mutations. The regenerated plants still had a juvenile phase and grew normally.
Bambusa↗
Wound healing effects of porcine placental extracts on rats with thermal injury.
BACKGROUND: Placental extracts have been used as Chinese folk medicines to accelerate wound healing. However, the molecular mechanism of placental extracts on wound healing has not been identified. It is known that fibroblast growth factors (FGF) and transforming growth factors (TGF) are two key factors involved in wound healing. OBJECTIVES: To determine the molecular mechanism of placental extracts on wound healing. METHODS: The protein levels of both growth factors in rat skins with thermal injury were therefore studied to explore the molecular mechanism of placental extracts on wound healing. As cell proliferation is essential for wound healing, effects of placental extracts on fibroblast proliferation were also determined. RESULTS: As compared with the controls, the S phase of fibroblasts was significantly increased by 1.5-, 1.7- and 4.7-fold for 1, 10 and 30 mg mL(-1) of placental extracts, respectively. The increase of the S phase was not due to the minute amount of sex hormones in the placental extracts as the addition of equivalent amounts of hormones showed no increase of the S phase. In addition, a 2.5-fold increase of TGF-beta1 in wound skin biopsy was noticed with 30 mg mL(-1) of porcine placental extracts. The FGF levels in the wound skin receiving 30 mg mL(-1) of porcine placental extracts were also significantly increased compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: These ex vivo data support the observation that the application of 30 mg mL(-1) of placental extracts reduced the wound healing time by about 50%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to explore the molecular mechanisms of porcine placental extracts on wound healing. These results may provide the insight into the potential use of porcine placental extracts as an alternative medicine for accelerating wound healing.
3T3 Cells↗
Physician experience affects costs and clinical outcomes in laparoscopy-assisted vaginal hysterectomy.
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Adult↗
Does eptifibatide confer a greater benefit to patients with unstable angina than with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction? Insights from the PURSUIT Trial.
AIMS: To evaluate the differential effects of eptifibatide therapy on unstable angina vs non-ST elevation myocardial infarction at enrollment, since the separate impact on these two major diagnostic subsets of acute coronary syndrome patients has not been fully investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the 9461 patients in the PURSUIT trial (conducted between 1995 and 1997) to compare the effects of eptifibatide on unstable angina and myocardial infarction. The study showed greater and more consistent effects of eptifibatide therapy on unstable angina than non-ST elevation myocardial infarction in reducing 30-day death/(re)infarction (from the unadjusted rate of 13.0% to 11.2%, P=0.059 for unstable angina; and 18.9% to 17.9%, P=0.387 for myocardial infarction), especially among patients who underwent early percutaneous coronary intervention (odds ratios=0.49 and 0.86, 95% confidence intervals=0.30-0.80 and 0.53-1.42, respectively, for unstable angina and myocardial infarction). The only subgroup for whom the benefit of eptifibatide was not evident was female myocardial infarction patients who did not undergo early percutaneous coronary intervention. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that eptifibatide benefited unstable angina patients more than myocardial infarction patients, especially among those who underwent early percutaneous coronary intervention, and support its use as concomitant therapy with early percutaneous coronary intervention especially in female myocardial infarction patients.
Adult↗
The meaning and goals of equity in health.
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Health Expenditures↗
Effects of young barley leaf extract and antioxidative vitamins on LDL oxidation and free radical scavenging activities in type 2 diabetes.
BACKGROUND: The effects of supplementation of young barley leaf extract (BL) and/or antioxidative vitamins C and E on different low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions susceptibility to oxidation and free radical scavenging activities in patients with type 2 diabetes were evaluated. METHODS: Thirty-six type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled in this study. The subjects received one of the following supplements daily for 4 weeks: 15 g BL, 200 mg vitamin C and 200 mg vitamin E (CE), or BL plus CE (BL + CE). RESULTS: The lucigenin-chemiluminescence (CL) and luminol-CL levels in blood were significantly reduced in all groups. Vitamin E content of LDL subfractions increased significantly following supplements, especially for BL + CE group. The percent increase of lag times in the BL + CE was significantly higher than those in the BL or CE group. The antioxidative effect of BL + CE was the greatest for small, dense LDL (Sd-LDL) with further increases in percentage of lag times 4 folds compared to BL alone. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that supplementation with BL may help to scavenge oxygen free radicals, save the LDL-vitamin E content, and inhibit LDL oxidation. Furthermore, the addition of vitamins C and E to BL can inhibit the Sd-LDL oxidation more effectively, which may protect against vascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.
Aged↗
Depressed host immunity in a case of metachronous primary uterine papillary serous carcinoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Metachronous primary malignant tumors of uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are rare. UPSC is a clinically aggressive and morphologically distinctive variant of endometrial carcinoma. We describe the clinical features of a 63-year-old patient with UPSC that was found 2 years after chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma of neck, stage IV and 5 months after radiation therapy for recurrence. This patient had undergone staging surgery and postoperative radiation for UPSC. One month after completion of radiotherapy, the patient expired due to persistence of the disease. The association between host immunity and UPSC is rarely described in the literature. Immunological profiles of this patient, with compositional changes of natural killer, B, and T cell, dramatically altered the percentage of CD4(+) T cell, CD8(+) T cell, and CD4/CD8 ratio, signifying depressed host immunity. Immunological profile of this patient stressed the issue of depressed host immunity and associated malignancies.
Carcinoma, Papillary↗
Expression of inhibitory natural killer receptors on tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocyte lineage in human endometrial carcinoma.
To investigate the expression of natural killer receptors (NKRs) within the human tumor milieu, we directly examined the in vivo expressions of various NKRs on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) derived from human endometrial carcinoma (EC). In total, 22 patients with stage IA-IIIA EC were enrolled. TILs were isolated from tissue specimens by means of a mechanical dispersal technique. The subpopulations of immunocytes were quantified, and expressions of NKRs on CD8+ T cells were analyzed by triple-color flow cytometry. CD8+ T cells express higher ratios of CD94 and NKG2A in TILs than in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in human EC. Flow cytometry reveals that 15.90% of CD3+CD8+ TILs compared with 2.10% of CD3+CD8+ PBMCs express the NKG2A molecules (P < 0.001). The percentage expressions of CD94 are 8.40% in CD3+CD8+ TILs and 3.80% in CD3+CD8+ PBMCs (P= 0.013). The numbers of CD8+ T cells expressing CD158b and NKB1 are higher in CD3+CD8+ PBMCs in EC than in normal (CD158b: 10.70% vs 2.60%, P < 0.001; NKB1: 2.20% vs 0.40%, P= 0.018, respectively). Increased expression of CD94/NKG2A restricted to tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cell subsets may shape the cytotoxic responses, which indicate a possible role of tumor escape from host immunity in human EC.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗
Carcinosarcoma-like mural nodule in intestinal-type mucinous ovarian of borderline malignancy: a case report.
Epithelial ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy are tumors with histologic features and biologic behavior between benign and frankly malignant epithelial ovarian neoplasms. To date, we cannot accurately predict the patients who are prone to an aggressive course of disease. Here, we present a 35-year-old patient with carcinosarcoma-like mural nodule in intestinal-type mucinous ovarian tumor of borderline malignancy. Foci of intraepithelial carcinoma (about 10%) without stromal invasion are also noted. Total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, appendectomy, and omentectomy were performed, and the frozen pathology during operation showed mucinous tumor of borderline malignancy of left ovary on April 18, 2002. The patient was followed at our outpatient department for 19 months after operation and was free of the disease without any adjuvant chemotherapy. It is difficult to determine whether intestinal-type borderline mucinous tumors with intraepithelial carcinoma are associated with a worse prognosis compared with those with epithelial atypia alone due to disparate results in the published literature. In contrast, most patients with mural nodules of anaplastic carcinoma have had a malignant, often rapid, course. However, too few cases of carcinosarcoma-like mural nodule in mucinous tumor have been published to warrant a conclusion regarding their prognosis.
Adult↗