Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Z Wang.
Morphological and histological characters of the rhizome and root of Alpinia nigra (Gaertn.) Burtt, used as the origin of a traditional Chinese medicine, were described and illustrated with line drawing. These studies provide referential information for the identification and quality control.
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BACKGROUND: St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a popular over-the-counter dietary supplement and herbal remedy that has been implicated in drug interactions with substrates of several cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes. The effect of St John's wort on CYP activity in vivo was examined with a probe drug cocktail. METHODS: Twelve healthy subjects (5 female, 7 male) completed this 3-period, open-label, fixed schedule study. Tolbutamide (CYP2C9), caffeine (CYP1A2), dextromethorphan (CYP2D6), oral midazolam (intestinal wall and hepatic CYP3A), and intravenous midazolam (hepatic CYP3A) were administered before, with short-term St John's wort dosing (900 mg), and after 2 weeks of intake (300 mg 3 times a day) to determine CYP activities. RESULTS: Short-term administration of St John's wort had no effect on CYP activities. Long-term St John's wort administration caused a significant (P <.05) increase in oral clearance of midazolam from 121.8 +/- 70.7 to 254.5 +/- 127.8 and a corresponding significant decline in oral bioavailability from 0.28 +/- 0.15 to 0.17 +/- 0.06. In contrast to the >50% decrease in the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) when midazolam was administered orally, long-term St John's wort administration caused a 20% decrease in AUC when midazolam was given intravenously. There was no change in CYP1A2, CYP2C9, or CYP2D6 activities as a result of St John's wort administration. CONCLUSION: Long-term St John's wort administration resulted in a significant and selective induction of CYP3A activity in the intestinal wall. St John's wort did not alter the CYP2C9, CYP1A2, or CYP2D6 activities. Reduced therapeutic efficacy of drugs metabolized by CYP3A should be anticipated during long-term administration of St John's wort.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is one of the two most common cerebral arteriopathies seen in the brains of elderly patients. The other is arteriosclerosis (AS), historically considered a consequence of chronic hypertension and also described as lipohyalinosis (LH), a clinicopathologic association that is increasingly questioned. These and other less frequently encountered degeneralions of the cerebral microvasculature (CADASIL, Binswanger subcortical leukoencephalopathy) share the common feature of degeneration of the medial smooth muscle layer within arteriolar walls. This can be dramatic in CAA, in the course of which complete replacement of medial smooth muscle by fibrillar amyloid may occur. It is a less prominent feature of CADASIL and BSLE: in the latter condition, medial smooth muscle hyperplasia, possibly a response to some kind of injury, is a more dramatic finding. In some of these "angiomyopathies", fibrinoid necrosis of the arterial wall and microaneurvsm formation may lead to stroke, manifest as cerebral hemorrhage. With CADASIL and BSLE, ischemic brain injury is more common. In the case of CAA, upregulation of the Abeta-amyloid precursor protein occurs when arteriolar smooth muscle cells in culture are exposed to prolonged hypoxia, especially with reoxygenation. Injury to arteriolar smooth muscle cells may be one mechanism by which angiomyopathies progress and become symptomatic.
Shandong Province (present population 89 million) in the People's Republic of China established a leprosy control programme in 1955. Between that year and the end of 1999, allowing for death and migration, the cumulative number of cases registered was 53,618, including 120 cases on multiple drug therapy (MDT) and 18,248 who had completed satisfactory courses of dapsone monotherapy and/or MDT. Of this latter group, 9500 cases (52%) suffered from visible disabilities (grade 2 of the WHO classification). Prevalence and incidence rates of leprosy have decreased dramatically since 1955 and, on average, only 50-70 new cases are now being detected annually in the entire province. Leprosy is thus no longer a public health problem, but the existence of such a large number of patients with grade 2 disabilities is clearly a matter of serious concern. This paper describes a pilot project to investigate the potential of health personnel in the leprosy programme and the dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases services to (a) prevent deterioration of existing disabilities in ex-patients through self-care and (b) prevent new neuritis in patients on MDT through early detection and the use of steroids.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the change of calcium channel behavior in bronchial smooth muscle cells (BSMCs) and the airway hyperresponsiveness in guinea-pigs with asthma. METHODS: The changes of calcium channel dynamics in BSMCs of 4 asthma guinea-pig models (22 cells) and 5 normal guinea-pigs (25 cells), and the inner peak calcium current in BSMCs of 5 asthma guinea-pig models (25 cells) and 6 normal guinea-pigs (24 cells) were determined by patch-clamp techniques. RESULTS: (1) The open time of calcium channel in BSMCs of asthma group was (1.70 +/- 0.40) ms, 2.32 times as much as that of control group (0.70 +/- 0.10) ms; the close time of calcium channel in BSMCs of asthma group (5.7 +/- 0.6) ms, was significantly shorter that that of control group (7.9 +/- 0.4) ms; The open probability in asthma group (0.40 +/- 0.10)% was significantly increased than that of control group (0.20 +/- 0.20)%, (P < 0.01); (2) The inner peak calcium current in BSMCs of asthma group was (-54 +/- 23) PA, 1.17 times as muth as that of control group (-25 +/- 8) PA, (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The enhanced activity of calcium channel an BSMCs of asthma guinea-pig mudels may be one of the important factors responsible for the airway hyperresponsiveness.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effective method for surgical treatment of craniopharyngioma. METHODS: 110 patients with craniopharyngioma were operated on. Their tumors were totally removed. Of the 110 patients, 62 were male and 58 female, with age ranging from 15 to 67 years (mean 34.4 years). Pterional approach was performed in 102 patients, subfrontal approaches in 5, and transcallosum into the anterior third ventricle part in 3. The perforating arteries from the carotid, posterior and anterior communicating and anterior choroidal arteries to the hypothalamic structures were preserved when the tumors were excised by pterional approaches via the parachiasmal opticocarotid, carotidotentorial spaces and by opening the lamina terminals. The neural structures of the third ventricular floor were preserved by the transcallosum approach to the anterior part of the third ventricular floor. The cystic fluid was initially aspirated from cystic tumors, solid portion of the tumor was excised by piecemeal and calcification mass was crushed for removal. RESULTS: Of the 110 patients, 101 had a total removal of tumor, 7 a subtotal removal of tumor, and 3 a partial removal of tumors. The pituitary stalk was preserved in 57 patients, ruptured in 29, and unidentified in 24. In 54 patients with diabetes insipidus after surgery, 52 recovered from 3 months to one year after surgery and only two patients failed to over one year after surgery. 52 patients had normal blood sodium level 3 months after surgery. Three patients after surgery had decreased visual acuity. In 3 patients with oculomotor paralysis after surgery, one failed recover till one year. Two patients after surgery had temporal paralysis of the extremities. All the patients after surgery were followed up for one month to five years (mean, 1.1 years). Four patients died after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The proper surgical approaches for the removal of craniopharyngiomas are the key to achieve good surgical results and avoid the injury to the hypothalamic structures and the perforating arteries to hypothalamus.
OBJECTIVES: The renin-angiotensin system may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) participates in most signal pathways involved in the inflammatory process. In this project the effect of angiotensin II (Ang II) on NF-kappa B activation and the promotion of PDGF-B mRNA expression in human endothelial cell line ECV304 was studied. METHODS: Electrophoretic mobility shift assay, immunofluorescence and immunoelectronic microscope techniques, including confocal microscopy and gold particle labelled electronic microscopy were applied to investigate the mechanism by which Ang II activates NF-kappa B, ECV304 cells were transiently transfected with an NF-kappa B/luciferase reporter gene and catalytically inactive NIK, IKK alpha, IKK beta mutants respectively. Northern blot was carried out to detect PDGF-B mRNA. RESULTS: By the findings of immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, immunoelectronic microscopy and Northern blot, Ang II was effective in stimulating NF-kappa B activation and there was definited cytoplasmic-to-nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B subunits p50 and p65 and overexpression of PDGF-B mRNA expression. Over-expression of the transiently transfected IKK alpha-KM, IKK beta-KM and NIK-KM mutant genes enabled to block the reporter gene activation induced by ang II. CONCLUSION: Ang II is effective to activate NF-kappa B through a pathway dependent on NIK, IKK alpha and IKK beta, and induces PDGF-B transcription in the endothelial cell line ECV304.
OBJECTIVE: To diagnose a patient with Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) and investigate her gene abnormality. METHODS: Platelet size and structure were studied under light and electron microscopies. Platelet membrane glycoproteins (GP) were measured by flow cytometry. PCR and DNA sequencing were used to identify gene abnormality. RESULTS: The patient had thrombocytopenia with giant platelets. Ristocetin-induced platelet agglutination was absent. GP I b/IX complex in the platelet membrane was significantly decreased, which was resulted from an Ala139 Thr substitution in the transmembrane domain of GPIX. CONCLUSION: Ala139 Thr mutation of the GPIX gene in this patient is a novel missense mutation, which has not been reported in BSS.
AFLP analysis of Acacia auriculiformis populations in 3 different planted communities with the same provenance and same planting time indicated that the genetic heterozygosity was quite high in the plantation population. 90.73% of total genetic variance distributed within a population, while only 9.27% among populations. The most distinct genetic structural difference was found between pure plantation and legume mixed plantation, next was between legume and non-legume mixed plantation, and the most similar was between pure and non-legume mixed plantation, which revealed that the genetic variation in this Acacia auriculiformis population was relatively higher than that from the natural forests by isoenzymic analysis data. The genetic differentiation was not the result of gene flow, but the result of the artificial selection and the microenvironmental changes.
Soil available N, NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N contents and soil urease activity were measured after application of rave earth elements(REEs). The results showed that the contents of soil available N and NH4(+)-N were affected by application of REEs, being significantly differed from those in the control when the dosage was higher than 5 mg.kg-1 dry soil. However, soil NO3(-)-N content in treated plots did not differed from that in the control. No observed effect concentration (NOEC) for the potential influence of REEs on the chemical transformation and availability of soil available nitrogen was found to be 5 mg.kg-1 dry soil. The decrease of soil available N concentration was found closely correlated to the inhibition of soil urease activity (R2 = 0.87). It was suggested that the inhibition effect of REEs on the enzymatic nitrogen mineralization should be one of the major causes for the decline of soil available nitrogen concentration. The decrease of available nitrogen concentration occurred shortly after REEs application, indicating that there should be a self-regulation process to maintain the available nitrogen concentration in soil.
Soil microsite plays an important role in the regeneration, seedling survival, and individual growth of trees. This paper studied the relationship between soil microsite moisture-physical properties and Fraxinus mandshurica growth. Variation was found not only among different sites in traditional scale, but also among different microsites. Some variations of soil properties among different microsite were greater than those among different sites. The growth of Fraxinus mandshurica varied greatly among different microsites. Microsites affected most soil moisture-physical properties and tree growth. The study demonstrated the importance of matching trees to the proper microsite on the growth of plantation stand.
The effect of light intensity, pH, temperature, salinity on the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus by Gracilaria tenuistipitata var. liui Zhang et Xia was were studied under laboratory conditions. The uptake rate of nitrogen reached as high as 0.32-0.36 mumol.g-1.h-1 at favorable light intensity of 800-2400 mumol photon.m-2.s-1, while that of phosphorus reached 0.017-0.018 mumol.g-1.h-1 at 320-1600 mumol photon.m-2.s-1. The nutrient uptake rate reached the maximum at pH 8.0. A significant difference of N uptake rate at different temperatures or salinities and that of P uptake rate at different temperatures were found. The N uptake rate was higher at 21-26 degrees C and 20@1000-28@1000, but P uptake was higher at 21-26 degrees C. There was no interaction between temperature and salinity.
OBJECTIVE: To develop probability model for dental visits based on analysis of the factors affecting people's dental services utilization in urban area of Beijing, thus providing some evidence for forecasting further demanded dental care and building the more efficient oral health care delivery system. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted amnog 1,517 subjects of all age groups in Beijing selected by stratified, clustering, random sampling. The first model of dental care demand--probability model for dental visits was established with logistic regression. RESULTS: Awareness of oral health showed the most important relationship. Different social background and economic factors also had great effects on demand. Higher demand for care were existed among those who suffered from a disease that was painful or resulted in poor oral function. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that dental care has different characters from general health service. Utilization of dental service is largely determined by people's awareness, income and insurance system. So oral health education should be extended in order to promote the effective demands and reduce the potential demands. Rational oral health insurance system should be set up to provide some priority to certain people, thus stimulating the supply of dental care and improving the utilization of dental service. Since raising price for care will restrain the low-incomer's basic demand, and it will neither add the profit nor improve people's oral health, the price decision should be considered carefully. At last, oral health care should be emphasized on children and adolescent as priority age groups based on the conclusion from demand model.
OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing so to investigate the relation between insulin resistance and development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A 1:1 pair-matched case-control study was conducted with diagnostic criteria recommended by WHO. Controls matched with cases by age, sex, race and resident place. Information on demographic, history of disease, life-style were obtained through questionnaire. Variables including fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting blood insulin (FBI), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-thigh ratio (WTR) were measured for every subject. Conditional logistics regression was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that insulin resistance, history of hypertension and waist-to-hip ratio were associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The values of OR were 1.530 (95% CI: 1.234-1.896), 4.833 (95% CI: 1.966-11.703), 21.996 (95% CI: 5.461-88.593), respectively. CONCLUSION: Insulin resistance was risk factor causing type 2 diabetes mellitus, independent of other risk factors.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) frequency of microsatellite loci in primary gastric cancer samples and locate the deleted regions on 19p in which might exist human gastric cancer related genes. METHODS: The LOH of microsatellite loci on chromosome 19p was analyzed using PCR-SSLP-silver stain method in 43 primary gastric cancers and their paired normal tissues. RESULTS: In 43 primary gastric tumors, LOH was detected on the site for D19S424(29.63%), D19S216(11.53%), D19S406 (33.33%), D19S413(8.57%), D19S221(13.15%), D19S226(8.00%), D19S411(6.45%), D19S883(6.89%), and D19S886(10.71%), microsatellite instability (MSI) was found at the same time at locus D19S886 (17.85%). CONCLUSION: The most common LOH occurrence at D19S406 and D19S424 might imply the existence of the potential genes related to the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer in these loci.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the response of multiple myeloma (MM) cells to arsenic trioxide (As2O3) and their possible mechanisms. METHODS: Two MM-derived cell lines RPMI8226 and U266 cells were used as in vitro models. Cell apoptosis was assessed by morphology, flow cytometry, and DNA gel electrophoresis. Mitochondrial transmembrane potentials (delta psi m) were evaluated by measuring cellular Rhodamine 123 staining intensity. Protein expression was analyzed using Western blot. RESULTS: Zero point one to 0.5 mumol/L As2O3 inhibited cell proliferation and 2.0 mumol/L As2O3 induced cell apoptosis, while 1.0 mumol/L As2O3 inhibited proliferation with a weak degree of apoptosis induction in RPMI8226 and U266 cell lines. As2O3-induced apoptosis was accompanied by mitochondrial transmembrane potentials (delta psi m) collapse and caspase-3 activation in the presence of intact membrane. Glutathione depleter buthionine sulfoximine enhanced, while disulfide bond-reducing agent dithiothreitol partially antagonized As2O3-induced delta psi m collapse and apoptosis in MM cells. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) could also induce apoptosis in RPMI8226 cells, but it did not show any cooperative effects with As2O3. CONCLUSION: As2O3 exerts apoptosis-inducing and growth-inhibiting effects on MM cells, and mitochondrium is a pivotal and common target of As2O3 for apoptosis induction.
OBJECTIVE: To develop a retroviral-mediated high efficient expression system of human coagulation factor VIII. METHODS: The LNC-FVIIIBD retroviral vector was generated by cloning a human B-domain-deleted (760aa-1639aa) Factor VIII (FVIII) cDNA (FVIII cDNA BD) into the retroviral vector pLNCX. Several mammalian cell lines, including NIH3T3, CHO, Cos-7 and human hepatic cell line, L-02, were transduced with viral supernatant from the highest virus-producing PA317 clone. Antigen and coagulant activity of human FVIII in cell culture medium were measured by ELISA and a one-stage method, respectively. RT-PCR was performed for the detection of FVIIIBD mRNA. RESULTS: Human FVIII was expressed in all four target cells, with the highest FVIII expression observed in NIH3T3. The coagulant activity of secreted FVIII was up to 1.6 U/10(6) cells.24 hrs-1, and the FVIII antigen was 500 ng/10(6) cells.24 hrs-1. FVIII coagulant activity and antigen expressed by transduced CHO cells were 0.12 U/10(6) cells.24 hrs-1 and 62.4 ng/10(6) cells.24 hrs-1, respectively. Human FVIII expression was relatively low in Cos-7 and L-02 cells. RT-PCR results demonstrated transcription of FVIII cDNA BD in the target cells. CONCLUSIONS: The constructed retroviral vector was able to direct high level expression of human FVIII in various mammalian cell lines. It has potential utility in the future gene therapy for Hemophilia A.