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1.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci ; 27(16): 7749-7755, 2023 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37667953

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of parecoxib sodium combined with perioperative psychological nursing on postoperative pain in elderly patients with hip fractures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 80 elderly patients with hip fractures who received surgical treatment in our hospital were selected as the research subjects. According to the different interventions received by the patients, they were divided into a control group (CG) (n=40) who received intravenous parecoxib sodium intervention before surgery, and an observation group (OG) (n=40) who received perioperative psychological nursing intervention in addition to the intervention received by the CG. The pain status, psychological status, hip joint function, daily living ability level, and quality of life of the two groups were compared. RESULTS: After surgery, the VAS score, SAS score and SDS score of the OG were lower than those of the CG (p < 0.05). After surgery, the Harris score of the OG was higher than that of the CG (p < 0.05). Before surgery, there was no significant difference in the Barthel index and SF-36 score between the two groups (p > 0.05). After surgery, the Barthel index and SF-36 scores of both groups showed a significant improvement compared to before surgery, and the scores in the OG were higher than those in the CG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative psychological nursing combined with preemptive analgesia of parecoxib sodium has a significant positive effect on elderly patients with hip fractures after surgery. The combined nursing intervention can further alleviate postoperative pain, improve patients' psychological status, promote the recovery of hip joint function, and significantly improve the daily living ability and quality of life of patients. The combined intervention plan is worthy of clinical promotion and application.


Subject(s)
Hip Fractures , Quality of Life , Aged , Humans , Perioperative Care , Pain, Postoperative/drug therapy , Hip Fractures/surgery
2.
Clin Exp Dermatol ; 46(5): 910-914, 2021 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33864395

ABSTRACT

Lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei (LMDF) is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis of unknown aetiology, most often seen in young adults. Although many treatments for LMDF exist, treatment guidelines have not been developed, and response to therapy is generally unpredictable. We present the results of transcriptomic analysis of LMDF lesional skin, which revealed a variety of differentially expressed genes linking LMDF to alterations in innate and adaptive T helper 1 immunity. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed, identifying similar changes in T-cell immune responses. Given evidence for increased tumour necrosis factor (TNF) pathway activity, our patient, who had previously been refractory to multiple treatments, was initiated on TNF inhibitor therapy with excellent response. This characterization of the LMDF immune response may lead to improved treatment of this condition.


Subject(s)
Facial Dermatoses/immunology , Granuloma/drug therapy , Infliximab/therapeutic use , Rosacea/drug therapy , Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Administration, Intravenous , Chronic Disease , Drug Therapy, Combination/methods , Facial Dermatoses/genetics , Facial Dermatoses/pathology , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Granuloma/diagnosis , Granuloma/immunology , Humans , Immunity, Cellular/immunology , Immunohistochemistry/methods , Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Infliximab/administration & dosage , Male , Methotrexate/administration & dosage , Methotrexate/therapeutic use , Rosacea/diagnosis , Rosacea/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Th1 Cells/immunology , Treatment Outcome , Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors/administration & dosage , Young Adult
3.
Neuroscience ; 443: 71-83, 2020 09 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32682826

ABSTRACT

There is converging evidence that both aerobic exercise (AE) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can acutely modulate executive functions (EF). In addition, recent studies have proposed the beneficial effects of applying tDCS during AE on physical performance. This study aimed to investigate whether tDCS applied during an AE session additionally or differently effects EF. Therefore, five experiments were conducted in a counterbalanced pre-post-retention crossover design to explore the acute effects of tDCS and AE on EF (inhibition and updating) once in isolation (i.e., either cathodal, anodal tDCS or AE alone as controls) and once in a combined application (i.e., anodal and cathodal tDCS during AE versus sham tDCS during AE). No differences were found in any experiment in the cognitive test parameters. However, in the case of anodal tDCS vs. sham during AE, heart rate was significantly affected. For cathodal tDCS vs. sham during AE, a significant Anova interaction indicated that cathodal tDCS during AE slightly reduced ratings of perceived exertion. The nonsignificant effects of tDCS on EFs are in contrast to previous studies, as no replication of existing observations could be achieved. Thus, the protocol applied in this study does not provide any strong evidence that a combination of AE and tDCS has any effects on EFs, but indicates effects on physiological parameters and subjective exhaustion ratings. Further research should consider changes in AE and tDCS parameters (e.g., intensity or exercise mode) and sequence of applications (online vs. offline).


Subject(s)
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation , Executive Function , Exercise , Neuropsychological Tests , Prefrontal Cortex
4.
Neoplasma ; 67(6): 1409-1415, 2020 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32657611

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of the EC-T (4 cycles of epirubicin 90 mg/m2 + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2, followed by 4 cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m2) and TCb (6 cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m2, intravenous drip (ID), day 1 + carboplatin AUC 6, ID, day 1) neoadjuvant regimens in patients with TOP2A-normal stage II-III breast cancer. This study analyzed 280 patients enrolled from three studies registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03140553, NCT03154749, NCT03507465) with early TOP2A-normal stage II-III breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including 100 patients who received the EC-T regimen and 180 patients who received the TCb regimen. The primary endpoint was the ratio of RCB 0/1 (residual cancer burden 0/1) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The secondary endpoint was the safety of the two groups. There was no significant difference in the ratio of RCB 0/1 between the two groups (23% vs. 23.9%, p=0.614). Among the triple-negative breast cancer patients, the efficacy did not differ between the two groups (40% vs. 32%, p=0.52). Among the lymph node metastasis patients, the efficacy of the EC-T group was significantly better than that of the TCb group (14% vs. 2.6%, p=0.03). Regarding the side effects, the incidence of grade 3/4 anemia was higher in the EC-T group than in the TCb group (21.0% vs. 8.33%, p=0.002), while the incidence of grade 3/4 neutropenia was higher in the EC-T group than in the TCb group (17% vs. 14.44%, p=0.570), and the incidence of grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia was low in each group (EC-T group: 6 % and TCb group: 7.22%, p=0.697). In the EC-T group, grade 3/4 nausea and vomiting occurred in 5 patients. The EC-T group showed a higher rate of grade 3/4 myalgia than the TCb group (7% and 4.44%, respectively, p=0.363). To conclude, the TCb regimen can be used as an alternative regimen for TOP2A-normal stage II-III breast cancer patients in neoadjuvant chemotherapy. However, in patients with node-positive tumors, EC-T is still recommended. Though no difference of grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in two groups, grade 4 thrombocytopenia caused by the carboplatin-containing regimen should be taken seriously.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Breast Neoplasms , Neoadjuvant Therapy , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Carboplatin/therapeutic use , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use , Docetaxel/therapeutic use , Epirubicin/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Neoplasm Staging , Taxoids/therapeutic use , Treatment Outcome
5.
Int J Psychol ; 52(3): 171-179, 2017 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26260767

ABSTRACT

Detection of angry and happy faces is generally found to be easier and faster than that of faces expressing emotions other than anger or happiness. This can be explained by the threatening account and the feature account. Few empirical studies have explored the interaction between these two accounts which are seemingly, but not necessarily, mutually exclusive. The present studies hypothesised that prominent facial features are important in facilitating the detection process of both angry and happy expressions; yet the detection of happy faces was more facilitated by the prominent features than angry faces. Results confirmed the hypotheses and indicated that participants reacted faster to the emotional expressions with prominent features (in Study 1) and the detection of happy faces was more facilitated by the prominent feature than angry faces (in Study 2). The findings are compatible with evolutionary speculation which suggests that the angry expression is an alarming signal of potential threats to survival. Compared to the angry faces, the happy faces need more salient physical features to obtain a similar level of processing efficiency.


Subject(s)
Anger/physiology , Emotions/physiology , Facial Expression , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Happiness , Humans , Male , Young Adult
6.
7.
Health Technol Assess ; 18(6): vii-xxv, 1-101, 2014 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24467988

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are still prescribed to most patients attending primary care with acute sore throat, despite evidence that there is modest benefit overall from antibiotics. Targeting antibiotics using either clinical scoring methods or rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) could help. However, there is debate about which groups of streptococci are important (particularly Lancefield groups C and G), and uncertainty about the variables that most clearly predict the presence of streptococci. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare clinical scores or RADTs with delayed antibiotic prescribing. DESIGN: The study comprised a RADT in vitro study; two diagnostic cohorts to develop streptococcal scores (score 1; score 2); and, finally, an open pragmatic randomised controlled trial with nested qualitative and cost-effectiveness studies. SETTING: The setting was UK primary care general practices. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were patients aged ≥ 3 years with acute sore throat. INTERVENTIONS: An internet program randomised patients to targeted antibiotic use according to (1) delayed antibiotics (control group), (2) clinical score or (3) RADT used according to clinical score. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures were self-reported antibiotic use and symptom duration and severity on seven-point Likert scales (primary outcome: mean sore throat/difficulty swallowing score in the first 2-4 days). RESULTS: The IMI TestPack Plus Strep A (Inverness Medical, Bedford, UK) was sensitive, specific and easy to use. Lancefield group A/C/G streptococci were found in 40% of cohort 2 and 34% of cohort 1. A five-point score predicting the presence of A/C/G streptococci [FeverPAIN: Fever; Purulence; Attend rapidly (≤ 3 days); severe Inflammation; and No cough or coryza] had moderate predictive value (bootstrapped estimates of area under receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.73 cohort 1, 0.71 cohort 2) and identified a substantial number of participants at low risk of streptococcal infection. In total, 38% of cohort 1 and 36% of cohort 2 scored ≤ 1 for FeverPAIN, associated with streptococcal percentages of 13% and 18%, respectively. In an adaptive trial design, the preliminary score (score 1; n = 1129) was replaced by FeverPAIN (n = 631). For score 1, there were no significant differences between groups. For FeverPAIN, symptom severity was documented in 80% of patients, and was lower in the clinical score group than in the delayed prescribing group (-0.33; 95% confidence interval -0.64 to -0.02; p = 0.039; equivalent to one in three rating sore throat a slight rather than moderately bad problem), and a similar reduction was observed for the RADT group (-0.30; -0.61 to 0.00; p = 0.053). Moderately bad or worse symptoms resolved significantly faster (30%) in the clinical score group (hazard ratio 1.30; 1.03 to 1.63) but not the RADT group (1.11; 0.88 to 1.40). In the delayed group, 75/164 (46%) used antibiotics, and 29% fewer used antibiotics in the clinical score group (risk ratio 0.71; 0.50 to 0.95; p = 0.018) and 27% fewer in the RADT group (0.73; 0.52 to 0.98; p = 0.033). No significant differences in complications or reconsultations were found. The clinical score group dominated both other groups for both the cost/quality-adjusted life-years and cost/change in symptom severity analyses, being both less costly and more effective, and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves indicated the clinical score to be the most likely to be cost-effective from an NHS perspective. Patients were positive about RADTs. Health professionals' concerns about test validity, the time the test took and medicalising self-limiting illness lessened after using the tests. For both RADTs and clinical scores, there were tensions with established clinical experience. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting antibiotics using a clinical score (FeverPAIN) efficiently improves symptoms and reduces antibiotic use. RADTs used in combination with FeverPAIN provide no clear advantages over FeverPAIN alone, and RADTs are unlikely to be incorporated into practice until health professionals' concerns are met and they have experience of using them. Clinical scores also face barriers related to clinicians' perceptions of their utility in the face of experience. This study has demonstrated the limitation of using one data set to develop a clinical score. FeverPAIN, derived from two data sets, appears to be valid and its use improves outcomes, but diagnostic studies to confirm the validity of FeverPAIN in other data sets and settings are needed. Experienced clinicians need to identify barriers to the use of clinical scoring methods. Implementation studies that address perceived barriers in the use of FeverPAIN are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN32027234. SOURCE OF FUNDING: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 18, No. 6. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Pharyngitis/drug therapy , Streptococcal Infections/drug therapy , Antigens, Bacterial/immunology , Child, Preschool , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Female , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Male , Pharyngitis/diagnosis , Pharyngitis/economics , Pharyngitis/microbiology , Qualitative Research , Research Design , Severity of Illness Index , Streptococcal Infections/diagnosis , Streptococcal Infections/economics , Streptococcal Infections/microbiology , Streptococcus/immunology , Treatment Outcome
8.
Eur J Neurol ; 18(2): 252-259, 2011 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20561038

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) may relapse and some may ultimately convert to multiple sclerosis (MS); however, no criteria that can predict MS conversion are available to date. Our aim was to describe the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of patients with an initial ADEM attack and evaluate which MRI criteria can predict conversion to MS. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 36 patients diagnosed with ADEM. We determined clinical signs/symptoms, examined the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and performed brain MRI scans and compared the findings between patients who did and did not convert to MS. RESULTS: Clinical signs/symptoms, and CSF analysis show no significant difference between the two groups. The rate of conversion to MS from ADEM in Taiwanese patients is low (11%) after a mean follow-up period of 28.36 months. Modified McDonald criteria were fulfilled in 19/36 patients: 21% (4/19) of those patients developed MS according to Poser criteria subsequently. Of the other patients (17/36) who did not fulfill these criteria, none converted to MS. (log rank test; P=0.027). CONCLUSIONS: It is difficult to predict from initial clinical presentations to address which patients with ADEM will convert to MS. Patients with ADEM whose brain MRI findings met the modified McDonald criteria may have clinically isolated syndrome because they have a significantly higher probability of conversion to MS. In contrast, patients whose brain MRI findings did not meeting these criteria may be considered as having classic ADEM because they have a lower probability of conversion to MS.


Subject(s)
Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/complications , Encephalomyelitis, Acute Disseminated/pathology , Multiple Sclerosis/etiology , Multiple Sclerosis/pathology , Adult , Child, Preschool , Disease Progression , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Taiwan
9.
Mol Genet Genomics ; 269(3): 321-30, 2003 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12684875

ABSTRACT

The yeast pet18 mutant exhibits three distinct phenotypes: temperature-sensitive lethality, failure to maintain a dsRNA virus, and respiration deficiency. We have isolated a yeast mutant, H53, with phenotypes identical to those of pet18. Based on PCR and Southern hybridization analysis, H53 was found to result from a large chromosomal deletion extending from YCR019w to YCR028c on chromosome III. Genetic analysis was carried out on H53 to correlate individual loci with each of the observed phenotypes. Disruption of YCR020c-a/MAK31 brought about a loss of dsRNA without affecting the temperature sensitive phenotype. The loss of YCR020w-b/HTL1, which encodes a hypothetical protein of 78 amino acids in length, was shown to be responsible for the temperature-sensitive lethality of the H53 mutant. Using immunoblotting, we demonstrated that a 7-kDa protein was indeed expressed in wild-type yeast, but not in a HTL1 deletion mutant. Moreover, the significance of HTL1 was investigated by isolating genes that are functionally associated with HTL1. We demonstrated that Rsc8p interacts physically with Htl1p, and that the genes RSC3, STH1 and RSC30 interact with HTL1. Thus, HTL1 may play a role in the function of the RSC complex.


Subject(s)
Chromosomes/metabolism , Nuclear Proteins/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Amino Acid Sequence , Base Sequence , Cell Cycle Proteins , Molecular Sequence Data , Mutation , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins/metabolism , Temperature
10.
Chemosphere ; 46(6): 905-12, 2002 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11922071

ABSTRACT

The photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of a monoazo dye Procion Red MX-5B under various physico-chemical conditions was investigated. Degradation of the dye by PCO was enhanced by augmentation in UV intensity, titanium dioxide and hydrogen peroxide concentrations but was inhibited by increase in initial dye concentration. The PCO process was affected by pH in a peculiar way. In the presence of 100 mg/l of TiO2 and the absence of H2O2, the highest reaction rate was observed when the initial pH was 10. With 500 mg/l of TiO2 and 10 mM of H2O2, the reaction was the fastest at initial pH of 3-5. The optimal conditions for the degradation of the dye, at an UV intensity of 17 mW/cm2, were determined to be: TiO2 concentration, 500 mg/l; initial H2O2 concentration, 10 mM; initial pH, 5.0. Monitoring of TOC loss showed that the dye was mineralized by 90% within 80 min under these conditions. Nevertheless, the persistence of a low level of TOC indicated that mineralization was not complete and dead-end product(s) which was (were) resistant to PCO might have accumulated.


Subject(s)
Azo Compounds/chemistry , Coloring Agents/chemistry , Water Purification/methods , Catalysis , Hydrogen Peroxide/chemistry , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Oxidants/chemistry , Oxidation-Reduction , Photochemistry , Titanium/chemistry , Waste Disposal, Fluid
11.
Health Serv Manage Res ; 15(1): 1-13, 2002 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11854991

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of a demonstration project of priority setting by clinicians in Hong Kong's public hospitals. Thirty-five chiefs-of-service of public hospitals in Hong Kong participated in a three-round Delphi exercise on identifying interventions that should be charged in public hospitals on the basis of questionable effectiveness and other reasons. A total of 246 interventions were identified in the first round, 126 of which received a positive score (indicating a high degree of consensus amongst the participants) at the end of the final round. The interventions that received higher scores tend to be preventive services, treatment of an elective nature, and procedures for sex-related conditions. As the number of interventions with positive scores in the final round are relatively small, the amount of money to be recovered from charging these interventions is not likely to be substantial. Such results suggest that rationing by itself cannot be a solution to the problems of healthcare financing in Hong Kong.


Subject(s)
Health Care Rationing/organization & administration , Health Priorities , Hospitals, Public/organization & administration , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Delphi Technique , Hong Kong , Hospitals, Public/economics , Humans , Pilot Projects , Preventive Health Services/organization & administration , Research Design , Treatment Outcome
12.
Pediatr Hematol Oncol ; 15(3): 249-54, 1998.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-9615323

ABSTRACT

The thalassemias are common in Hong Kong. One of the severe forms, beta-thalassemia major, has been preventable locally by antenatal screening since 1983. Yet new patients are still being diagnosed. In this retrospective study, 34 children with severe beta-thalassemia syndromes were diagnosed in two major public hospitals between 1990 and 1996. They included one pair of identical twins and two pairs of siblings. Twenty-seven (79%) had homozygous beta-thalassemia and seven (21%) had beta E thalassemia. All but four (12%) were transfusion dependent. Fifty-five (89%) parents had been evaluated for their thalassemia status. Forty-eight had beta-thalassemia traits and seven were hemoglobin E carriers. The reasons for the birth of these children with severe beta-thalassemia syndromes were (1) late or no antenatal visit (n = 8, 24.2%), including three cross-border deliveries in which the pregnant mothers came from mainland China to Hong Kong for confinement, (2) lack of maternal screening (n = 13, 39.4%), (3) lack of paternal screening (n = 7, 21.2%), (4) parental refusal (n = 3, 9.1%), and (5) unknown (n = 2, 6.1%). These findings suggest that several factors undermine the effectiveness of antenatal screening for prevention of thalassemias. Many medical practitioners and the general public are still not aware of the screening procedures. The migration of population from mainland China to Hong Kong may result in the birth of many more children with beta-thalassemia major.


Subject(s)
Mass Screening , beta-Thalassemia/prevention & control , Female , Hong Kong/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Pregnancy , beta-Thalassemia/epidemiology
13.
Hong Kong Med J ; 4(2): 121-124, 1998 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11832562

ABSTRACT

Thalassaemia major is a classic example of a disease that is preventable by prenatal diagnosis. Although the technology was introduced to Hong Kong more than a decade ago, new patients are continuously seen in the Hong Kong Administrative Region. This retrospective review concerns children who were diagnosed to have severe beta-thalassaemic syndromes at the Tuen Mun Hospital from 1990 to 1996. Seventeen children (including a pair of identical twins) with homozygous beta-thalassaemia and five children with double heterozygous beta-E thalassaemia were identified. All except three children were transfusion-dependent. Thirty-six parents were available for the thalassaemic study. Thirty-one of them had beta-thalassaemic traits and the other five were carriers of haemoglobin E. Two of the parents with beta-thalassaemic traits and all five haemoglobin E carriers had a mean corpuscular volume above the cut-off for screening in antenatal diagnosis (>75 fL). Of the 21 at-risk pregnancies, seven were managed by public hospitals, 11 by maternal and child health centres, and two by private practitioners. Thalassaemia had not been diagnosed prenatally because of the lack of maternal screening (n=9), lack of paternal screening (n=3), late antenatal visit (n=7), and parental refusal (n=1). Thus, many of our patients are not benefiting from the availability of prenatal screening.

15.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg ; 90(3): 248-9, 1996.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8758065

ABSTRACT

A commercial microplate enzyme immunoassay (ProSpecT EIA; Alexon Inc., Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA) was compared with conventional microscopy for the diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica infection. Using specimens known to be infected, the sensitivity of the ProSpecT EIA was 78% and its specificity was 99%. No cross reaction with other intestinal parasites was observed. The ProSpecT EIA and conventional microscopy (using merthiolate-iodine-formaldehyde direct wet mounts and concentration techniques) were then used to detect E. histolytica infections in 431 patients in a mental hospital in Taiwan. Using single stool specimens, microscopy detected infection in 10.9% of the patients, compared with 16.9% detected by ProSpecT EIA. The latter method was simple and quick, but more expensive, and could be used to complement microscopy if a prompt diagnosis is desired clinically. However, ProSpecT EIA cannot differentiate between pathogenic E. histolytica and non-pathogenic strains (= E. dispar), which limits its usefulness.


Subject(s)
Entamoeba histolytica/isolation & purification , Feces/parasitology , Immunoenzyme Techniques/standards , Reagent Kits, Diagnostic/standards , Animals , Antigens, Protozoan/isolation & purification , Cross Reactions , Entamoeba histolytica/immunology , Humans , Sensitivity and Specificity
16.
Pediatr Hematol Oncol ; 11(5): 535-40, 1994.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7530031

ABSTRACT

The article describes two Chinese boys ages 2 and 3 years with unilateral Wilms' tumors complicated by intracaval and intracardiac extension. In contrast to the previously recommended treatment with surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the children were managed primarily with combination chemotherapy before definitive operation. Reduction of tumor size on serial imaging was documented, and no viable tumor cells were found when the involved kidney and right atrium were explored. Both patients remained alive without evidence of disease more than 5 years after initial diagnosis. A literature search revealed case reports and retrospective analyses of 70 patients with Wilms' tumors and intracardiac involvement, and a tendency toward preoperative chemotherapy with or without the addition of radiation therapy was observed. The overall outcome of this group of patients parallels the outcome of those without intracardiac extension by histology and stage. Wilms' tumor presenting with extension into the inferior vena cava and right atrium is thus rare and renders the affected child with additional cardiovascular complications and operative risks. As a result of the uncommon occurrence, a consensus on management based on prospective study would be difficult. The present report and the literature are supportive of the use of preoperative chemotherapy in the initial management of advanced Wilms' tumor extending into the right atrium.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Heart Atria/pathology , Kidney Neoplasms/pathology , Vena Cava, Inferior/pathology , Wilms Tumor/pathology , Child, Preschool , Combined Modality Therapy , Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage , Dactinomycin/administration & dosage , Humans , Ifosfamide/administration & dosage , Kidney Neoplasms/drug therapy , Kidney Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Kidney Neoplasms/surgery , Male , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Nephrectomy , Preoperative Care , Renal Veins/pathology , Vincristine/administration & dosage , Wilms Tumor/drug therapy , Wilms Tumor/radiotherapy , Wilms Tumor/surgery
17.
Hum Genet ; 93(5): 488-93, 1994 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7513295

ABSTRACT

Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by abnormal function of the FMR-1 gene. The majority of fragile X syndrome patients carry an expansion of the CGG tri-nucleotide repeat in the FMR-1 gene, whereas others have a deletion or a point mutation in the FMR-1 structural gene. In this report, we analyzed a typical family with three male patients. RNA from Epstein-Barr virus transformed lymphoblastoid cells was used for RNase protection assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Five normal individuals and one asymptomatic heterozygote from this family expressed detectable FMR-1 transcripts, whereas three fragile X patients showed no sign of expression with either assay. To extend the application of this PCR-based assay to laboratory diagnosis of fragile X syndrome, we confirmed that dried blood samples collected on screening filter papers for newborns are an adequate source of RNA for RT-PCR. Moreover, fragile X patients from the study family and another family were reliably identified by the absence of the FMR-1-specific PCR product from the dried blood specimens. Our studies indicate that this simple assay can be used to diagnose the fragile X syndrome for the majority of male patients.


Subject(s)
Fragile X Syndrome/blood , Fragile X Syndrome/genetics , Gene Deletion , Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics , RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , RNA/blood , Base Sequence , Blood Preservation , Cell Transformation, Viral , Cells, Cultured , DNA Primers/chemistry , DNA Primers/genetics , Female , Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein , Gene Expression , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Molecular Sequence Data , Pedigree , Polymerase Chain Reaction , RNA/isolation & purification
18.
J Paediatr Child Health ; 26(6): 339-42, 1990 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-2073420

ABSTRACT

A study was conducted on 447 healthy high school students of southern Chinese descent to determine the prevalence of anaemia and thalassaemia. Haematological data and serum ferritin levels were determined on all venous blood samples. Haemoglobin (Hb) electrophoretic study was conducted on 43 students who had anaemia (Hb less than 12 g/dL), and/or mean corpuscular volume (MCV) less than 80 fL. They were re-assessed after 1 month of oral iron therapy. Three girls had definite iron deficient anaemia (less than 1%). Thirty-nine students had either alpha, or beta-thalassaemia, only seven of whom showed anaemia. Since the overwhelming majority of both the thalassaemic students (38 of 39) and the participants (429 of 447) were of Cantonese extraction (native of Guangdong province), the overall incidence of 8.8% (alpha-thalassaemia 5.4%, beta-thalassaemia 3.4%) reflected the high frequency of the thalassaemia gene among this group of southern Chinese. MCV measurement, rather than Hb, was more useful in its detection.


Subject(s)
Anemia, Hypochromic/epidemiology , Thalassemia/epidemiology , Adolescent , China/ethnology , Erythrocyte Indices , Female , Hemoglobins/analysis , Hong Kong/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Prevalence
19.
Nature ; 348(6300): 455-8, 1990 Nov 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-1978929

ABSTRACT

Heatshock protein 60 (hsp60) in the matrix of mitochondria is essential for the folding and assembly of newly imported proteins. Hsp60 belongs to a class of structurally related chaperonins found in organelles of endosymbiotic origin and in the bacterial cytosol. Hsp60 monomers form a complex arranged as two stacked 7-mer rings. This 14-mer complex binds unfolded proteins at its surface, then seems to catalyse their folding in an ATP-dependent process. The question arises as to how such an assembly machinery is itself folded and assembled. Hsp60 subunits are encoded by a nuclear gene and translated in the cytosol as precursors which are translocated into mitochondria and proteolytically processed. In both intact cells and isolated mitochondria of the hsp60-defective yeast mutant mif4, self-assembly of newly imported wild-type subunits is not observed. Functional pre-existing hsp60 complex is required in order to form new, assembled, 14-mer. Subunits imported in vitro are assembled with a surprisingly fast half-time of 5-10 min, indicative of a catalysed reaction. These findings are further evidence that self-assembly may not be the principal mechanism by which proteins attain their functional conformation in the intact cell.


Subject(s)
Heat-Shock Proteins/physiology , Mitochondria/metabolism , Proteins/physiology , Biological Transport , Chaperonin 60 , Chaperonins , Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel , Fungal Proteins/metabolism , Macromolecular Substances , Molecular Weight , Protein Conformation , Protein Precursors/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae
20.
Nature ; 337(6208): 620-5, 1989 Feb 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-2645524

ABSTRACT

A nuclear encoded mitochondrial heat-shock protein hsp60 is required for the assembly into oligomeric complexes of proteins imported into the mitochondrial matrix. hsp60 is a member of the 'chaperonin' class of protein factors, which include the Escherichia coli groEL protein and the Rubisco subunit-binding protein of chloroplasts.


Subject(s)
Fungal Proteins/genetics , Heat-Shock Proteins/physiology , Mitochondria/metabolism , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Genes , Genes, Fungal , Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics , Mutation , Plasmids , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism
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