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Biomedical subjects

Y Fan

Publications and source records attributed to Y Fan.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Acetabuloplasty for congenital dislocation of the hip in children.

A modified acetabuloplasty, which has been employed at our hospital since 1977, is described for the treatment of congenital dislocation of the hip in children. The procedure has been performed on a total of 74 hips in 61 children (average age 6.7 years), with satisfactory results obtained in 87.8% of hips. The technique, its indications, and pre- and postoperative management are detailed. The procedure possesses the advantages of both the shelf and Pemberton procedures and has proved to be an effective operation for older children with poor acetabular development. Our results show that, when performed correctly, this procedure is simple, safe, and effective.

Acetabulum↗

Specific cloning of DNA fragments unique to the dog Y chromosome.

A novel technique that enabled the specific cloning of a DNA fragment unique to the dog Y chromosome is described. The method involves competitive hybridization of DNA prepared from male dog lymphocytes with biotin-labeled DNA prepared from female dog lymphocytes. The biotinylated female-female and male-female hybrid DNA fragments were removed by capture with streptavidin-coated paramagnetic particles. Full-length double-stranded DNA was generated from the remaining fragments by using the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I, followed by direct cloning using a low-background ligation technique. Analysis of putative recombinant clones derived by this method has led to the identification of a fragment that hybridizes specifically to male dog DNA. The clones were selected initially on the basis of a differential signal obtained when hybridized to dilutions of male and female dog DNA immobilized on neural nylon membrane. To evaluate its suitability as a probe for trans-sexually grafted cells in transplantation studies, the fragment was labeled with digoxigenin and hybridized in situ to male and female dog tissue sections. The clone designated number 6.2 hybridized strongly to male dog nuclei. The cloning strategy employed could be extended to other studies in which competitive reassociation can be used to identify unique DNA sequences.

Animals↗

Common functional elements of Drosophila melanogaster seminal peptides involved in reproduction of Drosophila melanogaster and Helicoverpa armigera females.

Sex peptide (SP) and Ductus ejaculatorius peptide (Dup) 99B are synthesized in the retrogonadal complex of adult male Drosophila melanogaster, and are transferred in the male seminal fluid to the female genital tract during mating. They have been sequenced and shown to exhibit a high degree of homology in the C-terminal region. Both affect subsequent mating and oviposition by female D. melanogaster. SP also increases in vitro juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis in excised corpora allata (CA) of D. melanogaster and Helicoverpa armigera. We herein report that the partial C-terminal peptides SP(8-36) and SP(21-36) of D. melanogaster, and the truncated N-terminal SP(6-20) do not stimulate JH biosynthesis in vitro in CA of both species. Both of these C-terminal peptides reduce JH-III biosynthesis significantly. Dup99B, with no appreciable homology to SP in the N-terminal region, similarly lacks an effect on JH production by H. armigera CA. In contrast, the N-terminal peptides - SP(1-11) and SP(1-22) - do significantly activate JH biosynthesis of both species in vitro. We conclude that the first five N-terminal amino acid residues at the least, are essential for allatal stimulation in these disparate insect species. We have previously shown that the full-length SP(1-36) depresses pheromone biosynthesis in H. armigera in vivo and in vitro. We now show that full-length Dup99B and the C-terminal partial sequence SP(8-36) at low concentrations strongly depress (in the range of 90% inhibition) PBAN-stimulated pheromone biosynthesis of H. armigera. In addition, the N-terminal peptide SP(1-22), the shorter N-terminal peptide SP(1-11) and the truncated N-terminal SP(6-20) strongly inhibit pheromone biosynthesis at higher concentrations.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Solution-phase synthesis of a 1,5-dialkylamino-2,4-dinitrobenzene library and the identification of novel antibacterial compounds from this library.

In this report we demonstrate that a 1,5-dialkylamino-2,4-dinitrobenzene small molecule library can be generated by a highly efficient solution-phase synthesis method. From this 2485-member library, a series of novel compounds with antibacterial activity were isolated. The significance of this report is that the synthetic scheme is extremely simple, with minimal number of liquid handling steps, and the solvents and reagents left in the final library preparation are fully compatible with cell-based assays.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Mining the NCI anticancer drug discovery databases: genetic function approximation for the QSAR study of anticancer ellipticine analogues.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) conducts a drug discovery program in which approximately 10,000 compounds are screened every year in vitro against a panel of 60 human cancer cell lines from different organs of origin. Since 1990, approximately 63,000 compounds have been tested, and their patterns of activity profiled. Recently, we analyzed the antitumor activity patterns of 112 ellipticine analogues using a hierarchical clustering algorithm. Dramatic coherence between molecular structures and activity patterns was observed qualitatively from the cluster tree. In the present study, we further investigate the quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) of these compounds, in particular with respect to the influence of p53-status and the CNS cell selectivity of the activity patterns. Independent variables (i.e., chemical structural descriptors of the ellipticine analogues) were calculated from the Cerius2 molecular modeling package. Important structural descriptors, including partial atomic charges on the ellipticine ring-forming atoms, were identified by the recently developed genetic function approximation (GFA) method. For our data set, the GFA method gave better correlation and cross-validation results (R2 and CVR2 were usually approximately 0.3 higher) than did classical stepwise linear regression. A procedure for improving the performance of GFA is proposed, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of using GFA for QSAR studies are discussed.

Algorithms↗

Mining and visualizing large anticancer drug discovery databases.

In order to find more effective anticancer drugs, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) screens a large number of compounds in vitro against 60 human cancer cell lines from different organs of origin. About 70,000 compounds have been tested in the program since 1990, and each tested compound can be characterized by a vector (i.e., "fingerprint") of 60 anticancer activity, or -[log(GI50)], values. GI50 is the concentration required to inhibit cell growth by 50% compared with untreated controls. Although cell growth inhibitory activity for a single cell line is not very informative, activity patterns across the 60 cell lines can provide incisive information on the mechanisms of action of screened compounds and also on molecular targets and modulators of activity within the cancer cells. Various statistical and artificial intelligence methods, including principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, stepwise linear regression, multidimensional scaling, neural network modeling, and genetic function approximation, among others, can be used to analyze this large activity database. Mining the database can provide useful information: (a) for the development of anticancer drugs; (b) for a better understanding of the molecular pharmacology of cancer; and (c) for improvement of the drug discovery process.

Algorithms↗

Air pollution-type fluorosis in the region of Pingxiang, Jiangxi, Peoples' Republic of China.

This paper reports on the epidemiology, environmental factors, geological features, and total amount of fluoride intake by residents of the Pingxiang region in the Peoples' Republic of China where there is a high incidence of endemic fluorosis. The results demonstrate that the type of endemic fluorosis is related to air pollution, the major source of which comes from coal that is burned by the residents in their homes. Air pollution also originates from the small kilns that are used to make bricks and tile. The fluorine content in the coal and mud used to mix the coal is considerably high; the content in the mud used as adobe for tiles exceeds 10,000 mg/kg. During the process of burning coal or baking bricks or tiles, a large amount of nonsoluble fluorine is converted into water-soluble fluoride, which can have major human health effects.

Adolescent↗

Hearing loss and trace elements Fe2+ and Zn2+ in the perilymph.

Fe2+ and Zn2+ levels in perilymph of guinea pigs injected with gentamicin (GM) were examined and compared with the corresponding concentrations in CSF, serum and hairs. We observed a preventive and therapeutic action of sea buckthorn oil and injectio gastrodini to hearing loss. The results showed that: (1) the Fe2+ content in GM-injected guinea pigs was increased in perilymph and hairs; it was decreased after prevention and treatment, but there was no obvious change in CSF and serum; (2) the Zn2+ content in perilymph and CSF was increased in GM-injected guinea pigs. It rose further after prevention, but in serum and hairs it decreased. The results indicate that the ototoxic reaction to GM is related to the rise of the Fe2+ content in perilymph. The elevation of Zn2+ is a compensatory reaction. The changes in the chemical composition of perilymph are more important than those in CSF, serum and hairs for pathological changes of the cochlea. Sea buckthorn oil can prevent GM ototoxicity.

Animals↗