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Biomedical subjects

X Hu

Publications and source records attributed to X Hu.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[A study on risk factors of neural tube defects].

One hundred and twenty-three cases with neural tube defects collected during 1991 to 1993 from 12 hospitals with birth defect surveillance in Hebei Province, and their pair-matched controls were analyzed with single and multiple conditional logistic regression to study the effects of food and drinking water on occurrence of neural tube defects. Results showed factors contributing to neural tube defects were maternal previous history of birth defects, much consumption of dried and pickled vegetables during pregnancy, too much nitrate content in drinking water (containing more than 10 mg nitrogen per liter of water), less consumption of meat, eggs, and beans in their diet.

China↗
PubMed1996

[Nitric oxide delivery through ventilator and its toxic oxidative product nitrogen dioxide].

OBJECTIVE: To observe nitric oxide(NO) delivery through mechanically ventilator. NO is rapidly converted to nitrogen dioxide(NO2)in oxygen(O2) environments. METHODS: NO(800 ppm)was blended with compressed air, delivered to the high-pressure air inlet of a Siemens Servo 900C or VIP BIRD ventilator, and used to ventilator as a test lung. The ventilator settings were varied, minute ventilation (VE)from 2 to 6 L/min, inspired O2 fraction(FiO2)from 0.25 to 0.65, and NO concentration from 10 to 80 ppm. The inspiratory gas mixture was sampled just at the outlet port of ventilator. NO and NO2 were measured both by hemiluminescence and electro-chemical fuel cell technique. RESULTS: No NO was detected during any trial with VE 5 or 6 L/min., with FiO2 0.35 or 0.25, with NO 20 or 10 ppm. Low VE and low NO, NO2 values were greater with Servo 900C ventilator than with VIP BIRD ventilator at similar settings High VE and low NO or low VE and high NO, NO2 values were similar with both ventilators. High VE and high NO, NO2 values were greater with VIP BIRD ventilator than with Servo 900C ventilator. At same VE, NO2 values increased with increased FiO2 and NO. (NO2) = 0.0607 (NO)- 0.6604 VE + 7.004 FiO2, R2 = 0.7649 with Servo 900C ventilator,(NO2) = 0.0929(NO)- 0.1296 VE + 7.9360 FiO2, R2 = 0.8687 with VIP BIRD ventilator. CONCLUSIONS: NO(800 ppm) was blended with compressed air, delivered to the high-pressure air inlet of a Siemens Servo 900C or VIP BIRD ventilator is a portable, accurate, and adaptable system to deliver NO. During NO inhalation, VIP BIRD ventilator is more adaptable while low VE. Servo 900C ventilator is more adaptable while high VE.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

An STS-based map of the human genome.

A physical map has been constructed of the human genome containing 15,086 sequence-tagged sites (STSs), with an average spacing of 199 kilobases. The project involved assembly of a radiation hybrid map of the human genome containing 6193 loci and incorporated a genetic linkage map of the human genome containing 5264 loci. This information was combined with the results of STS-content screening of 10,850 loci against a yeast artificial chromosome library to produce an integrated map, anchored by the radiation hybrid and genetic maps. The map provides radiation hybrid coverage of 99 percent and physical coverage of 94 percent of the human genome. The map also represents an early step in an international project to generate a transcript map of the human genome, with more than 3235 expressed sequences localized. The STSs in the map provide a scaffold for initiating large-scale sequencing of the human genome.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

FT-IR difference spectroscopy of hemoglobins A and Kempsey: evidence that a key quaternary interaction induces protonation of Asp beta 99.

Fourier transform infrared difference spectra are reported for the CO adduct of human hemoglobin versus deoxyHb, in H2O and D2O. In addition to the well-known CO stretching and S-H(D) stretching bands, the difference spectra reveal numerous bands in the 1200-1700 cm-1 region, a number of which are assigned. Several amide modes are identified via their frequencies and D2O sensitivities. Bands arising from histidine protonation have also been found via comparison of the difference spectra at different pH(D) values, with the aid of aqueous histidine spectra. Of particular interest is the observation of a negative band at 1697 cm-1, which is assigned to the C = O stretch of carboxylic acid. This carboxylic acid is tentatively identified as the side chain of Asp beta 99, because it is missing in the difference spectrum of Hb Kempsey, a mutant in which Asp beta 99 is replaced by Asn. Asp beta 99 forms a critical contact with Tyr alpha 42 across the alpha 1 beta 2 interface in deoxyHb, which is broken upon ligation. Protonation of Asp beta 99 in deoxyHb is consistent with UV resonance Raman evidence that Tyr alpha 42 is the acceptor rather than the donor of the quaternary H-bond.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of the interaction of NADH with proton pumping E. coli transhydrogenase reconstituted in the absence and in the presence of bacteriorhodopsin.

(1) Proton-pumping nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase from Escherichia coli was purified in a reconstitutively active form employing affinity chromatography on immobilized palmitoyl-Coenzyme A. Reconstituted transhydrogenase showed an active proton pumping and a stimulation of the rate of reduction of 3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ by NADPH by uncouplers. Reconstitution in the absence of a thiol-reducing agent, e.g. dithiothreitol, abolished proton pumping without affecting catalytic activity, giving a decoupled transhydrogenase. (2) Co-reconstitution of transhydrogenase with bacteriorhodopsin gave vesicles which catalyzed a 5-10-fold increased rate of reduction of thio-NADP+ by NADH in the light. The Km for NADH, but not that for thio-NADP+, decreased markedly in the light, indicating an effect of the electrochemical proton potential on the affinity of the enzyme for NADH. Inhibition by substrate derivatives in the absence or presence of light supported this conclusion. Replacement of NADH with 2'-deoxy-NADH gave a strongly sigmoidal concentration dependence, indicating an allosteric change induced by binding to the NAD(H)-site. (3) Reduction of 3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ by NADH in the presence of NADPH, previously demonstrated to be catalyzed by both reconstituted bovine transhydrogenase and detergent-dispersed E. coli transhydrogenase, occurred at a pH below 6.5. This reaction did not pump protons. Proton pumping by 3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ plus NADPH occurred at a pH above 5.5. The two reactions were thus close to mutually exclusive, with a cross point at pH 5.8. Assuming a helix bundle structure of the membrane domain of transhydrogenase, a model is proposed involving histidine 91 of the beta subunit which previously was shown to be essential by site-directed mutagenesis. According to the model the extent of protonation of this histidine determines whether proton pumping or the NADH-3-acetylpyridine-NAD+ reaction takes place.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗
PubMed1995

Synthesis, conformation and opioid activity of deltorphins.

A series of deltorphin analogues was prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis. Their opioid activity was evaluated in rat opiatic assay and their conformation was determined by two-dimension Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. The analogues containing D-alanine acid at position 2 were much more potent in the assay than their corresponding isomers containing L-alanine acid at this position. The conformational analysis on NMR study in DMSO showed that C-terminal tetrapeptides of both deltorphin II and its L-alanine analog might form a 3(10) helix, which confirms that the substitution of D-amino acid at position 2 decreased the opioid activity.

Analgesics↗
PubMed1995

Bicycling exposure and severe injuries in school-age children. A population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine exposure to bicycling and its association with severe bicycle injuries in school-age children in a defined population. DESIGN: Random-digit dialing telephone survey and analysis of hospital discharge records. SETTING: Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario. SUBJECTS: Sample of parents of children aged 5 to 17 years who owned a bicycle; all children who were admitted to hospitals with bicycle-related injuries from April 1989 to March 1991. MAIN OUTCOMES: Median annual bicycling hours and distance by age and sex; age- and sex-specific incidence rates by population at risk, cumulative exposure hours, and riding distances. RESULTS: More than half of the children of all age groups were exposed to bicycling more than 100 hours per year. Boys spent more hours and rode longer distances than girls in every age group. The overall annual injury rates were 8.1 and 3.4 per 10,000 population at risk for boys and girls, respectively. About half of the injuries suffered were head injuries. When rates were estimated on the basis of exposure, boys still experienced a higher injury rate than girls. Boys displayed a slight increase with age in rates per unit of exposure hours. Conversely, age appeared to be negatively associated with overall and head injury rates when exposure was expressed by distance ridden. CONCLUSIONS: Boys had a higher injury rate than girls, and bicycle-related injuries are more likely to be associated with exposure time than distance ridden.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Continuous update with random encoding (CURE): a new strategy for dynamic imaging.

Although dynamic imaging is presently used for various applications, it is still limited by the temporal resolution. In this paper, we present a new technique that uses a random phase-encoding strategy to facilitate faster and smoother update of images and to improve the temporal resolution in dynamic studies. The technique was implemented on a conventional clinical scanner and demonstrated with various in vivo studies. Technical details, simulations, and experimental results are described. Images from experimental studies indicate that the new technique is robust in generating dynamic images and can be potentially utilized for clinical applications.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1995

BOLD based functional MRI at 4 Tesla includes a capillary bed contribution: echo-planar imaging correlates with previous optical imaging using intrinsic signals.

We show that the EPI time course in functional MR imaging at 4 Tesla displays a multiphasic response in response to photic stimulation. Focal areas of gray matter display an initial negative change in signal intensity that reaches a maximum of 1% about 2 s after the onset of photic stimulation. This component then changes sign, reaching a positive maximum about 5 s after the onset of the stimulus. Other areas, including those where draining veins are visible, show only a positive signal change, reaching a maximum of about 6% after the onset of the visual stimulus. These time constants are in very good agreement with published data obtained with intrinsic optical mapping techniques, where a deoxygenation phase has been shown to occur in functionally specific cortical columns, followed by an increase in blood volume which is more distributed in nature. Thus, we believe there is strong evidence that a sensitivity to capillary oxygenation state is present in high S/N functional MR images obtained with EPI at 4 T.

Artifacts↗
PubMed1995

Retrospective estimation and correction of physiological fluctuation in functional MRI.

Image-to-image fluctuation due to physiological motion is a major limitation to the accurate detection of neuronal activity with functional MRI. In this paper, a new and general technique for the estimation and compensation of the physiological effects is presented. By simultaneously monitoring the respiration and heart beat during the acquisition of imaging data, and retrospectively synchronizing the imaging data with physiological activity, physiological effects are estimated and removed. This technique does not rely on the periodicity of the respiration or the heart beat, does not affect the signal changes arising from neuronal activation, and is beneficial to images acquired with any speed. Experimental studies performed with FLASH and EPI sequences have demonstrated that the new technique is effective in reducing physiological fluctuation and improving the sensitivity of functional MRI and is generally applicable.

Algorithms↗