Biomedical subjects

Y H Lin

Publications and source records attributed to Y H Lin.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Molecular and chemical taxonomic differentiation of Candida boidinii Ramirez strains.

Molecular and chemical taxonomic characteristics, including DNA base composition, electrophoretic karyotype, restriction fragment length polymorphism of genes coding for rRNA, cellular fatty acid composition, and ubiquinone systems, were studied for 19 strains of Candida boidinii Ramirez. Electrophoretic karyotype and restriction fragment length polymorphism demonstrated marked differences among these strains. A combination of molecular and chemical analyses can serve as a reliable tool for culture authentication and quality control of industrial strains.

Base Composition↗

PubMed1996

Epidemiological typing of Flavimonas oryzihabitans by PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Flavimonas oryzihabitans has emerged as a potential nosocomial pathogen in recent years. The typing method for characterization of this species has never been reported before. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-based PCR were used to generate DNA fingerprints for 14F. oryzihabitans isolates obtained from eight episodes of nosocomial infections during a 2-year period. Both techniques successfully classified these clinical isolates into eight distinct genotypes, thus indicating that all of these episodes of infections were independent. In contrast, repeated isolates from the same patient were assigned to identical genotypes. The reproducibility of both techniques was good. Therefore, we conclude that both PFGE and ERIC-PCR have comparable reproducible and discriminatory powers for the typing of F. oryzihabitans and may be useful for clarifying the epidemiology of this species; however, ERIC-PCR has the advantages of both speed and simplicity.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

PubMed1996

Epidemiological typing of isolates from an outbreak of infection with multidrug-resistant Enterobacter cloacae by repetitive extragenic palindromic unit b1-primed PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

An outbreak of multidrug-resistant Enterobacter cloacae infection lasted for 4 months in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Forty-six isolates from the NICU and 20 epidemiologically unrelated strains were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and repetitive extragenic palindromic unit b1-primed PCR (REPUb1-PCR) typing. The PFGE patterns after XbaI restriction of the bacterial DNA were analyzed by computer software (Gelcompar) using the UPGMA (unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages) clustering method and the Dice coefficient. The 46 isolates from the NICU were classified by PFGE typing into five clusters: A (further classified into 7 subtypes, A1 to A7), B, C, D, and E. This outbreak was attributed to multiple genetically related strains of cluster A which had a similarity of 85.8% +/- 4.6%. The minor band differences among strains of cluster A were probably due to minor genetic mutations. The type A1 and A3 strains were isolated from the clinical specimens of patients and hands of nurses. It was probable that these outbreak strains were transmitted among patients via the hands of personnel. REPUb1-PCR typing of the 46 isolates also demonstrated five types, in agreement with results obtained by the PFGE technique, but could not detect the minor mutations among the cluster A strains. Twenty epidemiologically unrelated strains were well distinguished by both PFGE and REPUb1-PCR typing. We conclude that PFGE is a highly discriminatory but time-consuming method for epidemiological typing of E. cloacae and that REPUb1-PCR is a more rapid method with good reproducibility and discriminatory power comparable to that of PFGE.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

PubMed1996

The protective effect of Alstonia scholaris R. Br. on hepatotoxin-induced acute liver damage.

The hepatoprotective effect of Alstonia scholaris R. Br. on liver injuries induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). beta-D-galactosamine, acetaminophen and ethanol were investigated by means of serum-biochemical and histopathological examinations. Post treatment of A scholaris reduced dose-dependently the elevation of serum transaminases level and histopathological changes such as cell necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, which were caused by the single administration of 32 microliters/kg CCl4 or 600 mg/kg acetaminophen in mice. A. scholaris significantly lowered 288 mg/kg beta-D-galactosamine induced serum transaminases elevation in the serum-biochemical analysis in rats. A tendency was also shown to inhibit cell necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration caused by beta-D-galactosamine in histopathological examination. All serological and histopathological effects of A. scholaris were compared with those of Bupleurum chinense, which has been reported previously as a treatment criteria of hepatitis.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMed1996

Protective and therapeutic effects of huanglian-jie-du-tang on hepatotoxin-induced liver injuries.

The hepatoprotective effect of Huanglian-Jie-Du-Tang (HLJDT), a Chinese medicinal prescription, was investigated in three kinds of experimental models. The animals were treated with HLJDT (300 mg/kg, p.o.) thrice at 2, 4 and 10 hours after administration with carbon tetrachloride (32 microliters/kg, i.p.), acetaminophen (600 mg/kg, i.p.) and beta-D-galactosamine (188 mg/kg, i.p.). Significant hepatoprotective effects on carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen induced liver injuries were noted, but no significant effect on beta-D-galactosamine induced liver injury was observed. These hepatoprotective effects were evidenced by comparing the serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) levels in HLJDT treated and untreated groups. Serum enzyme activities in the carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen experiments were significantly lower in the treated groups while the herbal prescription has no effect on the beta-D-galactosamine experiment. These results demonstrated that Huanglian-Jie-Du-Tang has a hepatoprotective effect against experimental liver injuries induced by specific hepatotoxins, and therefore may be useful in treating some, but not all, liver injuries.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Transcription of the blk gene in human B lymphocytes is controlled by two promoters.

Genomic DNA containing the first exon and 5'-flanking region of the human protein tyrosine kinase, blk, was isolated. Sequence analysis identified a TG repeat element in this region with enhancer activity, but no TATA or CCAAT sequences were found. Two blk transcripts of 2.2 and 2.5 kilobases were identified in various B-cell lines by Northern blot analyses, and primer extension experiments demonstrated two clusters of multiple transcription start sites. Subsequent promoter analyses by transient transfection assays with a reporter gene identified two promoter elements in the human blk gene. Promoter P1 contains sequences that have been shown to regulate the expression of immunoglobulin genes and promoter P2 contains elements that are highly conserved in the promoter of major histocompatibility complex class II genes, as well as a B-cell-specific activator protein- (BSAP) binding site. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the binding of a protein to the BSAP-binding site was correlated with the presence of the 2.5-kilobase blk transcript. These data suggest that the two human blk RNAs arise from the transcription of the blk gene by two distinct promoters and that these promoters may be subject to regulation by different trans-acting factors.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed1995

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of evodiamine in rat plasma: application to pharmacokinetic studies.

A previously published simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination and identification of rutaecarpine in rat plasma was used for evodiamine determination. However, the ultraviolet detection was not 344 nm, but 227 nm. The method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study of evodiamine in rats after 2 mg/kg intravenous administration. A biphasic phenomenon with a rapid distribution followed by a slower elimination phase was observed from the plasma concentration-time curve. Compartmental analysis yielded a two-compartment model.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

DNA fingerprinting of Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O11 by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

We report the use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to characterize clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O11 collected from an incident of hospital-acquired infection. Both typing techniques differentiated 20 different strain types among seven epidemiologically related isolates and 22 epidemiologically unrelated isolates. There was complete concordance between these two techniques. Our results indicate that the ERIC-based PCR technique represents a rapid and simple means for typing P. aeruginosa serotype O11 with a level of discrimination equivalent to that of PFGE.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Comparison of susceptibility to extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics and ciprofloxacin among gram-negative bacilli isolated from intensive care units.

The in vitro activities of extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics (including piperacillin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefepime, imipenem, and meropenems) were assessed and compared with the activity of ciprofloxacin against 366 clinical Gram-negative bacilli isolates from the intensive care units of Taichung Veterans General Hospital. The most prevalent species isolated were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. The activities of ceftazidime, cefepime, imipenem, and meropenem against these isolates were comparable to that of ciprofloxacin. Meropenem was found to be the most potent extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic tested and the MIC50s and MIC90s for most of these multiresistant strains were lower than those of imipenem, ceftazidime, and cefepime, except for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The extended-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics that were still active against S. maltophilia were piperacillin and ceftazidime. More than 50% of Enterobacter spp. were resistant to third-generation cephalosporins and piperacillin, but they remained susceptible to carbapenems and cefepime.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1995

Comparison of different PCR approaches for characterization of Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia isolates.

In this study, we evaluated three PCR methods for epidemiological typing of Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia--PCR-ribotyping, arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC-PCR)--and compared them with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The analysis was performed with 31 isolates of B. cepacia, comprising 23 epidemiologically unrelated isolates and 8 isolates collected from the same patient during two episodes of bacteremia. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, ERIC-PCR, and AP-PCR identified 23 distinct types among the 23 unrelated isolates, while PCR-ribotyping only identified 12 strain types, even after AluI digestion of the amplification products. Among the eight isolates collected from the same patient, all typing techniques revealed two clones of strains. The day-to-day reproducibilities of PCR-ribotyping and ERIC-PCR were good, while greater day-to-day variations were noted in the fingerprints obtained by AP-PCR. We conclude that all three PCR techniques are useful for rapid epidemiological typing of B. cepacia, but ERIC-PCR seems to be more reproducible and discriminative.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Analysis of clonal relationships among isolates of Shigella sonnei by different molecular typing methods.

Shigella sonnei is a major cause of diarrheal disease in developed as well as in developing countries. Epidemiologic studies of this organism have been limited by the lack of a simple and effective method for comparing strains. In this study, we have compared different molecular typing methods, i.e., plasmid profile analysis, restriction endonuclease analysis of plasmids, rRNA gene restriction analysis (ribotyping), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequence-based PCR (ERIC-PCR) for typing 20 clinical isolates of S. sonnei collected from six incidents of infection. PFGE and ERIC-PCR fingerprintings had the highest discriminatory power for discrimination of epidemiologically related isolates from epidemiologically unrelated strains of S. sonnei, and both gave seven distinct strain types among these isolates and the type strain of the species. Plasmid study and ribotyping produced only six and typing techniques demonstrated two distinct patterns, respectively, among these strains. All of these molecular an identical fingerprint for eight temporally related sporadic isolates. It is possible that these temporally related isolates belonged to a single bacterial clone and circulated obscurely through the community. Our results indicate that the ERIC-PCR technique represents a rapid and simple means for typing S. sonnei with a level of discrimination equivalent to that of PFGE but greater than those of plasmid profile analysis, restriction endonuclease analysis of plasmids, and ribotyping.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

PubMed1995

Comparative studies of types 1 and 2 herpes simplex virus infection of cultured normal keratinocytes.

AIMS: To investigate the differences in biological properties, multiplication patterns, and cytopathic effects between type 1 and type 2 herpes simplex virus (HSV) through the replication of HSV in cultured normal human keratinocytes. METHODS: Keratinocytes were obtained from surgical specimens of normal gingiva, cervix, trunk skin, and newborn foreskin. They were cultured in serum free, chemically defined, culture medium and infected with a pool of HSV collected from clinical specimens. RESULTS: The reproductive patterns of HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV type 2 (HSV-2) differed from each other regardless of the anatomical source of the cultured cells. This was made evident by the dissimilarity of their growth curves and cytopathic effects. The growth curve of HSV-2 showed a more or less continuously rising titre, whereas HSV-1 titres varied substantially at different time intervals. The cytopathic effects induced by HSV-1 infection took 24 more incubation hours than those induced by HSV-2 infection to manifest. During the early stages, the cytopathic changes of the two viruses looked different. However, all cultured cells, whether cultured with HSV-1 or HSV-2, eventually became small and globular in shape. The infective titres of both HSV-1 and HSV-2 were higher in infected cultured cervix than in infected cultured normal gingiva. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that each serotype of HSV has its own unique replication pattern in human keratinocytes regardless of the cell origin.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed1995

Protective and therapeutic effects of Curcuma xanthorrhiza on hepatotoxin-induced liver damage.

Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. (Zingiberaceae family, commonly known as temu lawak or Javanese turmeric in Indonesia), which is found both wild and cultivated in Indonesia, has been traditionally used for medicinal purposes. C. xanthorrhiza is also used as a tonic in Indonesia. The aim of the present study is to clarify whether C. xanthorrhiza treatment may prevent acute liver damage induced by acetaminophen and carbon tetrachloride in mice. The results clearly indicated that extract of C. xanthorrhiza could reduce significantly the acute elevation of serum transaminases levels induced by the two kinds of hepatotoxins, and alleviated the degree of liver damage at 24 hours after the intraperitoneal administration of two hepatotoxins. It may be concluded that C. xanthorrhiza can protect the liver from various hepatotoxins, hence C. xanthorrhiza could be useful in the treatment of liver injuries and has promise as a kind of broad spectrum hepatoprotective agent.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMed1995

The quantitative measurements of hip isometric muscle torques in Chinese young adults--a preliminary report.

A standard procedure for measurement of hip muscle strength (maximal isometric torque) with the Cybex 340 isokinetic dynamometer is presented. Twenty-two healthy males aged 30-40 years (average 34.3 years) were tested on hip flexors, extensors and abductors; in which the factors as sex, age, dominant side and testing session were all eliminated. The test was redone two weeks later on the same 10 males to evaluate its reproducibility. The results disclosed the maximal isometric torque of the hip flexors was stronger than that of extensors and abductors in both sides hips. The comparison between two sides hips showed only the abductors of right side hip significantly stronger than that of left side (P = 0.0259). The tests between the two different periods were quite compatible. The results have clinical implications for objective assessment of preoperative and postoperative hip strengths in patients with hip arthropathy and thus giving a reasonable guidance for physiotherapeutic management.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the broad ligament.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the broad ligament origin is extremely rare. We report a case of a 64-year-old female with a broad ligament tumor mass, who underwent complete excision of the mass, total hysterectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Pathology showed a malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the broad ligament. The postoperative course was uneventful and no radiation or chemotherapy was given. She has been carefully monitored for 16 months and is without recurrence.

Broad Ligament↗

PubMed1994

Alpha-fetoprotein in women during pregnancy and in the neonate during intrapartum.

To evaluate alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in women during pregnancy and in the neonate, 256 singleton pregnancies without medical, gynecologic, obstetric, or neonatal complications were studied. Sera for measuring maternal AFP (MAFP) levels were taken in midtrimester (16 to 18 weeks), third trimester (32 to 34 weeks), and during intrapartum (38 to 41 weeks). For measuring umbilical arterial AFP (UAAFP) and umbilical venous AFP (UVAFP) levels, sera of newborn were taken from the umbilical cord at delivery. AFP levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Our results show that the MAFP levels at third trimester were higher than during intrapartum or midtrimester. Birthweights correlated well with MAFP levels in midtrimester. However, they did not significantly correlate with the MAFP levels at third trimester or intrapartum, nor with UAAFP or UVAFP levels. UAAFP levels were not significantly different from UVAFP levels. Intrapartum MAFP correlated well with UAAFP but not with UVAFP, birthweight, or parity. The concentration gradient between fetal and maternal serum during intrapartum is approximately 750:1. We conclude that MAFP levels in midtrimester can reflect birthweight. The data of normal AFP gradient may also be useful for diagnosing intrapartum fetomaternal hemorrhage.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1994

Protective and therapeutic effects of ban-zhi-lian on hepatotoxin-induced liver injuries.

The hepatoprotective effect of Ban-zhi-lian was investigated in three kinds of experimental models. The animals were treated with Ban-zhi-lian (300 mg/kg, p.o.) at 2,4, and 10 hours after carbon tetrachloride (32 l/kg, i.p.), acetaminophen (600 mg/kg, i.p.), and beta-D-galactosamine (188 mg/kg, i.p.) administration. Significant protective effects from these hepatotoxins were expressed. This protection was evidenced by comparing the serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), and histopathologic examination in animals treated and untreated with Ban-zhi-lian. Serum enzyme activities were significantly lower in Ban-zhi-lian-treated groups. In the histopathologic observation, liver damage induced by three hepatotoxins was markedly improved in Ban-zhi-lian treated animals. These results demonstrated that Ban-zhi-lian has a protective effect against experimental liver damage induced by various hepatotoxins.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMed1994

Hepatoprotective effects of Taiwan folk medicine: wedelia chinensis on three hepatotoxin-induced hepatotoxicity.

The hepatoprotective effects of a Taiwanese crude herb, Hwang-hua-mih-tsay (Wedelia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.), were investigated. Acute hepatitis was induced by three hepatotoxins: carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen in mice, and D(+)-galactosamine in rats. After treatment with W. chinensis (300 mg/kg, p.o.) at 2, 6 and 10 hours, a reduction in the elevation of serum glutamate oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and glutamate pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) levels was observed at 24 hrs after hepatotoxins were administered. These serological observations were confirmed by histopathological examinations. A microscopic examination of the liver showed a marked improvement in groups receiving W. chinensis. In order to further confirm the hepatoprotective effect of W. chinensis, all pharmacological and histopathological effects were compared with Bupleurum chinense DC. (family Umbelliferae), a well documented antihepatotoxicity herb. It was concluded that W. chinensis has a definite hepatoprotective effect against liver injuries.

Acetaminophen↗