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Biomedical subjects

Y H Liang

Publications and source records attributed to Y H Liang.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Coronary risk factors and plaque morphology in men with coronary disease who died suddenly.

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking and abnormal serum cholesterol concentrations are risk factors for acute coronary syndromes, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We studied whether cigarette smoking and abnormal cholesterol values may precipitate acute coronary thrombosis and sudden death resulting from either rupture of vulnerable coronary plaques or erosion of plaques. METHODS: We examined the hearts of 113 men with coronary disease who had died suddenly and also analyzed their coronary risk factors. We found an acute coronary thrombus in each of 59 men, and severe narrowing of the coronary artery by an atherosclerotic plaque without acute thrombosis (stable plaque) in 54. Cases of acute thrombosis were divided into two groups: 41 resulting from rupture of a vulnerable plaque (a thin fibrous cap overlying a lipid-rich core), and 18 resulting from the erosion of a fibrous plaque rich in smooth-muscle cells and proteoglycans. Vulnerable plaques that had not ruptured were counted in each heart. RESULTS: Cigarette smoking was a risk factor in 44 (75 percent) of the men with acute thrombosis, as compared with 22 (41 percent) of the men with stable plaques (P<0.001). The mean (+/-SD) ratio of serum total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was markedly elevated in the men who died of acute thrombosis with plaque rupture (mean, 8.5+/-4.0) but only mildly elevated in the men without acute thrombosis (5.5+/-2.4; P<0.001) and in the men with thrombi overlying eroded plaques (5.0+/-1.8; P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed an association between an elevated ratio of serum total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol and the presence of vulnerable plaques (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Among men with coronary disease who die suddenly, abnormal serum cholesterol concentrations - particularly elevated ratios of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol - predispose patients to rupture of vulnerable plaques, whereas cigarette smoking predisposes patients to acute thrombosis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Effect of hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy on coronary artery morphology in sudden cardiac death.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have shown that hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) increase the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD). However, autopsy studies comparing the morphological substrates for SCD in normotensives and hypertensives are lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: Heart weight and coronary plaque morphology were prospectively compared in SCD in 36 hypertensive and 63 normotensive individuals. The frequency of CAD was similar in hypertensives (69%, n = 25) and normotensives (73%, n = 46). In 71 hearts with CAD, acute coronary thrombi were present in 76% of normotensives versus 36% of hypertensives (P = .002), LVH was present in 64% of hypertensives versus 33% of normotensives (P = .01) and in 72% of hypertensives with one-vessel disease versus 17% of normotensives with one-vessel disease (P = .0005), and a healed or acute infarct without acute thrombus was present in 36% of hypertensives versus 9% of normotensives (P = .007). Heart weight was higher in all cases of plaque rupture (519 +/- 109 g) than eroded plaque (381 +/- 92 g, P = .0002). In contrast to hypertensives, normotensive hearts with severe CAD showed a stepwise increase in heart weight with one-, two-, and three-vessel disease (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Severe CAD is present in most SCD in hypertensive and normotensive individuals, but acute thrombi are more common in normotensives. LVH is an important contributing mechanism of SCD in hypertensives, especially in cases of one-vessel disease. LVH is associated with plaque rupture and extent of disease in SCD in normotensives with severe CAD.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1996

Insulin-like growth factor IEa2 is the predominantly expressed form of IGF in common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

An insulin-like growth factor (IGF) complementary DNA (cDNA) was isolated from a liver cDNA library of adult common carp, Cyprinus carpio. The identity of this cDNA clone was confirmed by nucleotide sequence determination. Sequence comparison with other vertebrate and rainbow trout IGFs showed that this cDNA encodes a particular subtype of IGF-I, IGF-IEa2. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay showed that this IGF-I is expressed mainly in the liver (hepatopancreas) of adult common carp. Analyses of 26 other cDNA clones isolated from the same library (using a probe carrying the conserved region of the common carp IGF-IEa2 cDNA clone) showed that these clones represent different insert sizes of the same IGF-IEa2. In conclusion, IGF-IEa2 is the predominantly expressed IGF in the liver of adult common carp.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Home care for the urban chronically ill elderly in the People's Republic of China.

This study examines the home care situation of seventy-five urban chronically ill men and women and their caregivers in three cities in the People's Republic of China. It documents the type of home care provided, the severity of illness, and the dependency in activities of daily living in order to appreciate the complexity of these care situations. The findings reveal that women serve as the caregivers in the majority of the cases and often they are elderly spouses with health problems of their own. The physical, social, psychological, and financial problems experienced by these patients create an enormous burden for the caregivers whether spouses or younger family members coming home from work to a second shift. If alternatives to home care, such as nursing homes, were available, 54 percent of these caregivers would be willing to institutionalize their elderly relative. All caregivers express the need for more assistance in providing home care. This study raises questions regarding the role of the family, the state, and specifically the health care system in caring for the elderly chronically ill in light of their increasing numbers in the population.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1995

Localization of human immunodeficiency virus 1 RNA in thymic tissues from asymptomatic drug addicts.

Thymic tissue was collected from 11 human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1)-seropositive drug users who died suddenly of drug intoxication or trauma. None of the 11 individuals had symptoms related to HIV-1 infection or were known to be seropositive for HIV-1 before death. Secondary B-cell follicles were present in every thymus, and Warthin-Finckeldey giant cells were noted in three cases. These follicles were enlarged or fragmented and appeared similar to those in lymph nodes excised from the same individuals. Localization of viral RNA by in situ hybridization demonstrated abundant virus in a follicular center cell distribution within hyperplastic follicles and in scattered medullary lymphocytes. In nine thymus glands from seronegative drug addicts and five thymus glands from seronegative trauma victims who were not drug addicts, secondary follicles were absent and no hybridization signal was present. Other than the presence of germinal centers associated with HIV-1 RNA, there were no histologic differences among the thymus glands of seropositive drug addicts, seronegative drug addicts, and seronegative controls without a history of drug abuse. We conclude that the thymus gland in early stages of infection with HIV-1 is characterized by induction of secondary B-cell follicular hyperplasia in medullary tissues, the germinal centers of which contain abundant viral RNA.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Systemic lymphadenopathic histology in human immunodeficiency virus-1-seropositive drug addicts without apparent acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

We examined lymph nodes from multiple sites in 50 individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) who died accidentally of drug overdoses and in whom there was no evidence of opportunistic infection. The size, histologic pattern, presence of Warthin-Finkeldey-type giant cells, and estimation of CD4 cell count of these lymph nodes were compared with those of 13 seronegative drug addicts (controls). Lymph nodes from seropositive individuals were slightly but significantly larger than those of controls. Lymph nodes from seropositive cases were much more likely to contain secondary follicles (90%) than were those from controls (20%). Unlike follicles in control nodes, most secondary follicles in the seropositive cases were in various stages of fragmentation and involution. As follicular changes progressed, there was a decrease in CD4 cells and an increase in intrafollicular and paracortical plasma cells. Plasmacytosis was much more prevalent in lymph nodes from seropositive individuals than in controls. Warthin-Finkeldey-type giant cells were present in at least one node in 29 of 50 seropositive cases, were most numerous in those showing follicular hyperplasia with fragmentation (45% of cases), and were especially numerous in Peyer's patches (61% of cases). There was generally good concordance of HIV-1-associated follicular morphology among diverse lymph node groups. There is prolonged generalized, mild hyperplastic lymphadenopathy with frequent syncytial cells in intravenous drug addicts with asymptomatic HIV-1 infection.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1994

The reaction of Chinese parents to a terminally ill child with cancer.

Twenty-two families who had a child dying from cancer in hospitals in China were interviewed regarding their situation. The interviews were all conducted in Chinese, and the results were analyzed descriptively. Cancer was identified by all families as the most frightening aspect of their situations. Not having enough money for medicines and hospitalization were identified as being the most difficult problem. Sixteen of 22 families paid for the total cost of medical treatment and hospitalization by themselves. The families gave suggestions for other families who may have a child with cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Clinical features and splenic pathologic changes in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia and congenital hemolytic anemia.

We characterized the pathologic changes in 50 spleens from patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia and in 13 spleens from patients with congenital hemolytic anemia. The major pathologic findings in autoimmune hemolytic anemia were mild to pronounced cord congestion and variable white pulp area, erythrophagocytosis in conjunction with an increased polymorphonuclear neutrophil reaction, and increased deposition of hemosiderin and extramedullary hematopoiesis. In contrast, both the severity and the frequency of polymorphonuclear neutrophil reactions, deposition of hemosiderin, and extramedullary hematopoiesis were less in patients with congenital hemolytic anemia, and prominent cord congestion associated with an empty or collapsed sinus was noted in patients with hereditary spherocytosis. The activity of erythrophagocytosis in the sinus was more distinct in patients with congenital hemolytic anemia, especially those with nonspherocytic congenital hemolytic anemia, than in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia. These findings are consistent with the existence of different mechanisms of trapping and destruction of erythrocytes in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and congenital hemolytic anemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Chinese families after the death of a child from cancer.

As part of a major study of the impact of childhood cancer on Chinese families, 17 families agreed to be interviewed after the death of their child from cancer. They convey what happens to the child's body after death and what remembrances the family has kept of their child's belongings. They share how they have adjusted and what they would like other parents who have a child with cancer to know. A picture emerges of what it is like to have a child die from cancer in China.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The impact of childhood cancer on 50 Chinese families.

As part of a larger study, a descriptive study of the impact of childhood cancer on 50 Chinese families was conducted in Guangzhou (Canton) in the Guangdong Province of the Peoples' Republic of China. The parents of children whose cancer was newly diagnosed (n = 25) or undergoing treatment (n = 25) were interviewed in Chinese and their responses were then translated to English. The children ranged in age from 3 to 16 years and had a variety of cancer diagnoses. Parental occupations and incomes varied. The majority (42%) of the families only had the child with cancer. The duration of symptoms before the diagnosis ranged from 1 week to greater than 2 years. Thirty-five parents (70%) believed that their child knew very little or nothing about their disease. The children learned of their diagnosis in a variety of ways. The parents varied in their degree of openness regarding the child's diagnosis with relatives, friends, and colleagues. Some families had previous experience with a serious illness or death, but all identified cancer as the most frightening disease. Forty-one percent of the families felt they had not adjusted yet to the diagnosis. Few acknowledged the impact on siblings. Families also described their outlook on life and their fears of death. Seventy-six percent of the families were paying the total cost of their child's care themselves, and 14% of the total number of families reported major financial problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

[Effect of compound and minor prescription of heat-nature products radix Aconiti lateralis preparata, rhizoma Zingiberis and cortex Cinnamomi on the sympathetic nervous system, adrenal gland, TSH and LH].

The effect of compound and minor prescriptions of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata, Rhizoma Zingiberis and Cortex Cinnamomi on sympathetic nervous system, adrenal gland, TSH and LH of rats was studied. Results showed that both prescriptions made the heart rate quicken, estrous cycle shorten, improved the adrenal cortex hormone and promote TSH and LH synthesis and secretion. The two Heat-nature products (Radix Aconiti Praeparata and Rhizoma Zingiberis) may be used instead of all the three products to make a Heat Syndrome animal model.

17-Hydroxycorticosteroids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The reactions of Chinese children who have cancer.

While many studies have explored the impact of childhood cancer on children and their families, few articles have examined the effects of this disease on selected cultural groups. Reactions of children and families in a select group from the People's Republic of China are described.

Activities of Daily Living↗