Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

X Z Lin

Publications and source records attributed to X Z Lin.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Clinical analysis of choledochoduodenal fistula with cholelithiasis in Taiwan: assessment by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

OBJECTIVES: Choledochoduodenal fistula (CDF) is occasionally found during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Cholelithiasis is suspected to be the leading cause in some endemic areas. We focus on this cause of CDF to determine which clinical characteristics are relevant to formation of fistulas and to learn whether CDF of various types would imply different clinical significance. METHODS: In 1882 ERCP studies from 1988 to 1993, we found 27 CDF with cholelithiasis in 1066 patients. Their clinical backgrounds and ERCP findings were compared with those of 492 patients who had cholelithiasis but no CDF. RESULTS: The prevalence of CDF was 2.53%. A longer past history of biliary stones, recurrent biliary tract infection (BTI), and the presence of common bile duct stones (CBS) were factors relevant to the formation of fistula. In the case of 24 distal fistulas, including seven of type I and 17 of type II, there was concurrent distal CBS. Three cardinal features of fistula of the distal type were: 1) the length of CDF was less than 1.5 cm, 2) its orifice was just around or on the papillary fold, and 3) all cases of distal type II had prominent pneumobilia, less jaundice, and larger CBS than type I. Aggressive endoscopic or surgical treatment of distal type CDF decreased the recurrence of BTI, as indicated by surveillance for 1 yr. Three fistulas of the proximal type were longer and drained into the duodenum far from the papilla. All of these cases deserved early surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS: CDF really serves as a chronic sequel of cholelithiasis. Different clinical features of CDF of various types help one to establish diagnosis and treatment. To avoid recurrence of BTI, aggressive therapy to correct CDF is mandatory.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Long-term outcome of triple therapy in Helicobacter pylori-related nonulcer dyspepsia: a prospective controlled assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether triple therapy alters the history of Helicobacter pylori (HP)-related nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD). METHODS: Forty-one young (<45 yr) dyspeptic patients were confirmed to be HP-related NUD by serology, rapid urease test, and antral biopsy. Endoscopy excluded the presence of ulcer. These cases were randomly plotted into control (n = 21) and triple therapy (n = 20) groups. In the former group, H2 blocker was given for 2 months and then intermittent antisecretory agents for up to 1 yr. In the latter group, 20 patients received a course of triple therapy and then were treated like the control group. The symptom scores (range: 0-10) were collected on enrollment, and at the end of 2nd, 6th, and 12th months. Each case had serial tests of HP IgG ELISA titer on start, at weeks 2, 4, and 8, at the 6th month, and at the end of the 1st yr. The second endoscopy was done in the 9th wk for eradication survey, and the third endoscopy, at the end of the 1st yr to resurvey the HP status. The histological gradings of biopsy specimens, sampled on each endoscopy, were compared. RESULTS: In the triple therapy group, the rate of eradication of HP was 75%. At he end of the 2nd month, the HP-eradicated cases of the triple therapy group improved the symptom score more significantly then the noneradicated cases (2.42+/-1.37 vs.4.76+/-1.58, p <0.001). At the ends of the 6th month and 1st yr, the symptom scores of the eradicated cases improved more significantly than those of the control group (6th month, 0.61+/-1.18 vs.] 2.66+/-2.06; 1st yr, 0.82+/-1.17 vs.] 3.56+/-2.89, p <0.001). The decline trend of ELISA titers occurred only in eradicated cases and became significantly evident from the 4th wk (0.30+/-0.15 vs.] 0.49+/-0.07, p <0.05) and thereafter. Both acute and chronic pathological grading was improved in the triple group at the end of the 1st yr (acute, 1.95-0.46; chronic, 1.9-0.92; p <0,01) CONCLUSION: Compared with control therapy at 1 yr, triple therapy showed greater symptomatic, serological, and histological improvements. Therefore, triple therapy is beneficial to symptomatic HP-related NUD.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis with esophageal involvement.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is an unusual disease entity characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gut with gastrointestinal disturbance. The disease commonly involves the stomach and small bowel. Esophageal involvement is rarely reported. We present a patient with simultaneous achalasia, pyloric stenosis, and ascites. Macroscopically, the esophagus, stomach and small intestine were involved. Microscopically, the mucosa was involved to the serosa. The patient has remained well under low dose prednisolone treatment for 7 years since his condition was diagnosed.

Ascites↗
PubMed1995

Adenoma-carcinoma sequence: a reappraisal with immunohistochemical expression of ferritin.

To examine the biological significance of ferritin (FRN) expression, a retrospective immunohistochemical study was performed in normal colonic mucosae (n = 8), adenomas (n = 88), and colorectal carcinomas (n = 104). FRN was present in some epithelia in the crypt base of normal colonic mucosae. Significant cytoplasmic staining for FRN was revealed in 26 (29.5%) cases of adenoma and 54 cases (51.9%) of adenocarcinoma. The cancer cells had a higher proportion of FRN expression than those of adenomas or non-neoplastic mucosae (P < 0.001). Expression of FRN showed a positive association with the degree of dysplasia (P = 0.039) and the distal location of adenoma (P = 0.013). FRN expression tended to be associated with the tumor size (P = 0.083), but no substantial difference was observed among the histologic types of adenoma (P = 0.754). The results suggest that cytoplasmic FRN expression is associated with cellular proliferation. The proliferative index shows a significant difference through the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Further investigation is necessary to clarify the clinical implication of FRN expression in tumor cells and normal-appearing mucosae.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Suprahepatic gallbladder and right lobe anomaly of the liver in patients with biliary cancers.

The suprahepatic region is a rare ectopic location of the gallbladder. It usually combines with right lobe anomaly of the liver. Here we report two unusual cases of suprahepatic gallbladder with agenesis or hypogenesis of the right lobe of the liver and biliary cancer. A patient with a gallbladder tumor was admitted to our emergency room with acute cholecystitis and liver abscess. Imagining examinations and operation confirmed the suprahepatic position of gallbladder, agenesis of the right lobe, and dissemination of gallbladder cancer. In the patient with cholangiocarcinoma, CT scans and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography documented the presence of a hilar tumor and hypogenesis of the right lobe. Both of these patients died from biliary tract cancer soon after operation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Toxic effects of cholelitholytic solvents on gallbladder and liver. A piglet model study.

We evaluated the toxic effects of four currently used chemolytic solvents--dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, 99%), ethyl propionate (EP, 99%), tetrasodium ethyl-dimethyl tetraacetate (4Na-EDTA, 2%, pH 11), and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE, purity = 99.5%) in an animal model. Each solvent was tested in nine farm piglets (Landrace), weighing between 20 and 25 kg. A solvent-resistant catheter was inserted transhepatically into the gallbladder (GB) using sonographic guidance 24 hr prior to each experiment. Seventy-five milliliters of each solvent was infused over 3 hr into the gallbladder. The following day, a laparotomy was performed in order to assess for possible damage to the liver, GB, bile ducts (BD), or intestines. The GB and liver were resected and their histology examined. The following pathologic grades were assigned to GB, BD, and liver specimens to describe the tissue damage: normal (0), mild (1), moderate (2), and severe (3). We found that DMSO had the highest score on gallbladder and bile duct injury (49, 3), followed by EP (36, 2), EDTA (14, 1) and MTBE (16, 0), respectively; the difference in gallbladder damage was statistically significant. Very mild hepatocyte damage was present in the DMSO (2) and MTBE (2) groups. The administration of EP and EDTA resulted in no liver injury at all. Piglets within each treatment group suffered from varying degrees of tissue injury. No deaths were attributed to the administered solvents. We concluded that DMSO, EP, EDTA, and MTBE do not have serious local toxic effect on the GB, BD, and intestine; nor do they lead to severe hepatotoxicity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Cholelithiasis in Taiwan. Gallstone characteristics, surgical incidence, bile lipid composition, and role of beta-glucuronidase.

The nature and occurrence of gallstones in Taiwan and their etiologic factors might not be the same as in Western countries and warranted a systematic investigation. Gallbladder biles and gallstones were obtained at surgery from 100 and 74 patients, respectively. Common duct bile and stones were either drained through an indwelling common duct T-tube or aspirated through a nasobiliary catheter in 108 patients. Gallstones were analyzed for bilirubin, cholesterol, bile acid, calcium, and residue, and biles for bile acid, cholesterol, phospholipid, bilirubin, and beta-glucuronidase. There were four major kinds of gallstones in Taiwan: cholesterol/mixed stones, high-residue black formed pigment stones, low-residue brown formed pigment stones, and muddy pigment stones. The surgical incidence of all types of stones increased steadily during the past four decades. During the past 15 years the relative frequencies for mixed, formed pigment, and muddy pigment stones had been roughly 40, 40, and 20%, respectively, with a further increase in the mixed stones and a decrease in the muddy pigment stones in recent years. Improvement of nutritional status and living standards might contribute to such changes. Cholesterol content in the common duct and gallbladder biles was higher in the mixed stone group than in other groups. Bacterial beta-glucuronidase activity was detected in 53% of patients with muddy pigment stones. Endogenous beta-glucuronidase activity and concentration were also highest in this group, intermediate in the formed pigment and mixed stone group, and lowest in the control. We concluded that hypercholesterobilia was responsible for increasing incidence of mixed stones during the past two decades, while both bacterial and human beta-glucuronidase might contribute to pigment cholelithiasis.

Bile↗
PubMed1995

Three-dimensional reconstruction of biliary tract from biplane projections.

Over the past few years, very little has been done in the area of 3-D reconstruction of the bile duct. Since the system in use for 3-D visualization of the biliary tree is built by surgical or autopsy materials, it generally cannot be applied to clinical diagnosis. In this paper, an algorithm for three-dimensional reconstruction of the biliary tree from two mutually orthogonal is presented to provide accurate and reproducible 3-D information of the biliary tree structure. It has been proven to be useful in diagnosis prior to operation or non-surgical treatment, particularly, obstructive stones can be visualized by using a transparency technique. As experiments demonstrated, the proposed method can be used as a useful tool for the visualization of 3-D structure of biliary tree in clinical applications.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1995

Endoscopic variceal ligation versus conservative treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and bleeding esophageal varices.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) is currently a favored treatment for control of bleeding from esophageal varices. However, little is known about the treatment of bleeding varices in hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: EVL was performed in 16 patients with bleeding esophageal varices due to concomitant hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment results were compared with those of another 23 patients who were conservatively treated. RESULTS: Comparing the two groups, ligation significantly reduced the risk of fatal bleeding (44% vs 70%; P < 0.05). Significantly fewer patients in the ligation group died at the time of the index hemorrhage (11% vs 52%; P < 0.05). Rebleeding occurred in 44% of the ligation group and 73% in the control group (P > 0.05). The mean days of survival were 40 +/- 20 (range, 7 to 103) in the ligation group and 20 +/- 30 (range, 1 to 136) in the control group (P = 0.08). In the absence of portal vein thrombosis, ligation significantly reduced the rebleeding rate (17% vs 50%, P < 0.05) and the mortality rate (0% vs 100%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: EVL is a good choice for palliation in patients with esophageal variceal bleeding and hepatocellular carcinoma. Aggressive use of EVL may be tried in those patients without portal venous thrombosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the biliary tract from two-dimensional biliary images.

To make conventional two-dimensional cholangiography easier and more precise to read, we used techniques in computer vision to reconstruct the images in three dimensions. A 72-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman suffering from acute cholangitis were treated using endoscopic nasobiliary drainage. Their cholangiograms, from two orthogonal views, were used for three-dimensional reconstruction. We used video image-grabber and film scanner methods to digitize the original conventional biliary radiographs, and applied two different image processing methods to show the biliary structure. Both methods of three-dimensional reconstruction of the biliary tract were highly useful in evaluating the biliary tracts in these two patients, especially when a semitranslucence overlapping display technique was applied in the second patient. With this technique, the biliary tree itself and the stones inside the common bile duct can be clearly delineated. The technique of three-dimensional reconstruction of biliary images can make the conventional cholangiographs more lifelike and has great potential in surgical simulation in the near future.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

[Effects of emodin, sennosides and rheum polysaccharides on free calcium in isolated rat liver cells].

The effects of emodin (EMD), sennosides (SEN) and Rheum polysaccharides (RPP) on the free calcium level in the isolated rat liver cells were studied with Ca2+ level 131.60 +/- 37.79 nmol/L in the liver cells. After adding CaCl2 (2 mmol/L) and KCl (120 mmol/L) to liver cell suspension sequentially, the free Ca2+ levels were significantly elevated compared with that of the resting status (P < 0.01). When the liver cells were pretreated with EMD (0.037 mmol/L) for 10 min, in the resting status or using the above doses of CaCl2 and KCl, the free Ca2+ levels were significantly increased compared with that of the control groups (P < 0.01). On the contrary, after administration of SEN (0.046-0.092 mmol/L) and RPP (0.1-0.2 mg/ml), the free Ca2+ levels were obviously decreased compared with that of the control groups (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the inhibitory effect was dose dependent. The opposite effects of the different active ingredients of rhubarb (EMD,SEN,RPP) on the free Ca2+ levels suggested that rhubarb has many kinds of regulatory function in the liver cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Effects of sennosides, rhubarb polysaccharides and emodin on the cytoplasmic free calcium in isolated rat brain cells].

Free intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) levels in rat brain were measured by Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent indicator Fura-2/Am and the effects of sennoside (SEN), polysaccharides from Rheum palmatum (RPP) and emodin (EMD) were studied. Results showed that the resting [Ca2+]i level in the brain cells was 176.25 +/- 44.67 nmol.L-1 (n = 10) in Ca(2+)-free Hank's solution containing EGTA 0.5 mmol.L-1. After adding CaCl2 (2 mmol.L-1) and KCl (120 mmol.L-1) to the brain cells suspension sequentially, the free [Ca2+]i levels were obviously elevated (P < 0.01) compared with that of resting level. The brain cells were pretreated with SEN (0.07, 0.37 mmol.L-1) for 10 min. In the resting or using the above doses of CaCl2 and KCl, the [Ca2+]i were obviously decreased compared with the control groups (P < 0.01) at the same conditions. RPP dose-dependently decreased the [Ca2+]i. On the contrary, when brain cells were pretreated with EMD (0.037 mmol.L-1) for 10 min, the [Ca2+]i were obviously increased compared with the control groups (P < 0.01) at the same conditions. The results showed that EMD could not only promote the release of intracellular Ca2+ but also the influx of extracellular Ca2+. The opposite effects of the different active components of rhubarb on the [Ca2+]i levels suggest that rhubarb may have different kinds of regulatory functions on brain cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Severe hepatocellular damage induced by chlormezanone overdose.

Chlormezanone is a widely prescribed muscle relaxant (1-3) whose pharmacology is well known (4-6), but the clinical effect of overdose still remains relatively obscure (1, 7, 8). We here report a recent case of a patient who had severe liver function impairment and other associated findings typical of chlormezanone overdose. The ingested dose (at least 12 g) is much larger than those of previous record (1, 2, 7, 8); thus, her critical presentation deserves to be reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Bacteremia in acute pancreatitis of different etiologies.

To evaluate the rationale of using antibiotics in acute pancreatitis and to determine whether the indication for their use depends upon the etiology of the pancreatitis, the records of 202 patients with acute pancreatitis were retrospectively reviewed. The incidence of abnormal body temperature, leukocytosis, bacteremia and the results of biochemistry tests in different etiologies of the disease were investigated. Pancreatitis was found to be alcohol-related (47 patients), gallstone-related (105 patients), idiopathic (26 patients) and miscellaneous (24 patients). On admission, 83 patients had abnormal body temperature and 146 patients showed leukocytosis. Bacteremia occurred in 20 patients. Of these, 15 had gallstone-related pancreatitis, two had pancreatic cancers and one developed bacteremia after endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP). These 18 patients had abnormal biochemistry results (including high serum levels of direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltransferase) and dilated bile ducts on imaging studies, indicating biliary infections. The remaining two patients with bacteremia included one alcoholic patient and one patient with idiopathic pancreatitis. The most commonly involved pathogens were Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In addition, eight patients (4%) developed secondary pancreatic infections during hospitalization; the blood cultures of seven of these patients were negative on admission. Although fever and leukocytosis are not good predictors of infection in acute pancreatitis our results showed that bacteremia is common in patients whose pancreatitis is related to gallstones, ERCP or pancreatic malignancy with obstructive jaundice. We recommend that antibiotics be used only in this subset of acute pancreatitis patients.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma. A review of 141 Taiwanese cases and comparison with nonrupture cases.

We reviewed the records and statistics of 560 patients hospitalized with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) over a 5-year period. One hundred and forty-one patients (26%) had spontaneous rupture of their HCCs. Different characteristics of the rupture (R) and nonrupture (NR) groups were compared; there were statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the size of the tumor (R, 9.83 +/- 4.36 cm, and NR, 7.67 +/- 4.01 cm; p < 0.0001), and the minimal thickness of peritumor liver parenchyma (R, 0.03 +/- 0.20 cm, and NR, 0.30 +/- 0.70 cm; p < 0.001), the presence of the ¿hump sign¿ (R, 87.8%, and NR, 45.7%; p < 0.0001), and the minimal thickness of peritumor liver parenchyma (R, 0.03 +/- 0.20 cm, and NR, 0.30 +/- 0.70 cm; p < 0.001). The percentage of left-lobe tumors was significantly higher in the rupture group than in the nonrupture group (p < 0.05). In addition, the Child-Pugh's score and serum transaminase levels were higher, and the prothrombin times more prolonged, in the rupture group. Factors that were not statistically significant included sex, age, etiology of cirrhosis, platelet count, portal vein thrombosis, and the presence of a varix. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the tumor size, the presence of a hump sign, and the Pugh's score correlated the best with HCC rupture (p < 0.05). Ninety-four patients from the rupture group died during hospitalization. The mortality rate was 66.7%. We conclude that (a) spontaneous rupture of HCC is a likely sequel of progressive expansion of tumor that finally protrudes outside the liver surface and hemorrhages, (b) left-lobe tumor presents a higher risk of rupture, and (c) portal hypertension does not play a major role in the pathogenesis of tumor rupture.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Influence of paraesophageal venous collaterals on efficacy of endoscopic sclerotherapy for esophageal varices.

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of computer tomography in the detection of venous collaterals surrounding the esophagus in patients with portal hypertension, preoperative computer tomography interpretations of these veins in 15 patients who were candidates for the Sugiura procedure for treatment of esophageal varices were correlated with those of the intraoperative assessment. Laparotomy revealed severe paraesophageal varices in five patients; four of them were found to have paraesophageal varices in computer tomography films. The sensitivity and specificity of computer tomography in diagnosing severe paraesophageal varices were 80% and 100%, respectively. A second assessment was performed in 59 additional patients with esophageal variceal hemorrhage to investigate the influence of paraesophageal varices on the efficacy of endoscopic sclerotherapy in the treatment of varices. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A included 17 patients with and group B 42 patients without paraesophageal varices on presclerotherapy computer tomography. All patients underwent elective sclerotherapy after being deemed hemodynamically stable. Patients in group A required more treatment sessions, more sclerosant and longer periods to obliterate varices completely than did group B patients. Eight patients in group A and six in group B (57% vs. 16%, p < 0.05) had variceal recurrence after obliteration during mean follow-ups of 20.8 and 19.9 mo, respectively. The mean time elapsed before variceal reappearance was shorter for group A than for group B (4.1 +/- 3.3 vs. 11.8 +/- 2.7 mo, p < 0.05). Among patients who developed new varices, five patients in group A and one in group B experienced repeat bleeding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Collateral Circulation↗