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E Lim

Publications and source records attributed to E Lim.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

An X-linked zinc finger gene mapping to Xq21.1-q21.3 closely related to ZFX and ZFY: possible origins from a common ancestral gene.

We describe a new zinc finger gene sequence (CMPX1 or HGM symbol ZNF6; isolated by cross-hybridization of ZFY to clones in a testis cDNA library) which possesses a zinc finger domain closely related to the transcriptional activator gene ZFX. The putative acidic activation domain is only 11.5% homologous with ZFX, whereas the putative DNA binding domain shares 75% homology and shows the same organisation composed of a basic two fingered repeat unit. ZNF6 has an unusually large 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 1.2 Kb which contains 26 potential ATG initiation codons, only one of which is associated with a long open reading frame. Southern and Northern blot analysis has shown that this 5' UTR is shared with many other sequences in the genome and transcribed associated with a large range of mRNA species. In situ hybridisation, analysis of somatic cell hybrids and male individuals carrying deleted X chromosomes have mapped the gene to Xq21.1-q21.3. The gene is highly conserved amongst the primates, in the mouse and can be detected weakly in the genome of a metatherian mammal (possum). Dosage in male and female mice indicates that it is also X-linked in this species. Possible origins of ZFX, ZFY and CMPX1 from a common ancestral gene are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Large tidal volume ventilation improves pulmonary gas exchange during lower abdominal surgery in Trendelenburg's position.

Impaired pulmonary gas exchange is a common complication of general anaesthesia. Periodic hyperinflation of the lungs and large tidal volume ventilation were the first preventive measures to be widely embraced, but their effectiveness in clinical practice has never been clearly established by controlled clinical studies. To assess their effects in high-risk patients we studied 24 adults having lower abdominal gynaecological surgery in the Trendelenburg (head down) position. Pulmonary oxygen exchange was determined during four steady-states: awake control (AC), after 30 min of conventional tidal volume (CVT, 7.5 ml.kg-1) or high tidal volume (HVT, 12.7 ml.kg-1) ventilation, introduced in random order, and five minutes after manual hyperinflations (HI) of the lungs. The patients' lungs were ventilated with air/O2 by an Ohmeda volume-controlled ventilator via a circle system. The FIO2 was controlled at 0.5, and FETCO2 was controlled by adding dead space during HVT. Arterial blood gas analysis was used to calculate the oxygen tension-based indices of gas exchange. There was significant deterioration of (A-a)DO2 at 30 min in Group A, whose lungs were first ventilated with CVT (81.6 +/- 7.2 to 166.8 +/- 13.7 mmHg, P less than 0.001); but not in Group B, whose lungs were first ventilated with HVT (77.0 +/- 9.9 to 104.4 +/- 16.8 mmHg). When Group A and B data were pooled there was no difference between randomized CVT and HVT, but improvement occurred after HI. In this model of compromised O2 exchange large inflation volumes (HVT and HI) were of considerable clinical benefit, HVT prevented and HI reversed the gas exchange disorder.

Abdomen↗

UCLA and UNOS Registries. Overview.

The subjects of this study were transplant recipients entered in the UCLA Registry file since 1984 and in the UNOS Registry since 1987. [table: see text] 5. Based on the data above, we conclude that the near 20% loss rate in the first year can be roughly allocated as follows: death 3%, technical 3%, agonal kidney damage 6%, and histocompatibility differences 7%. 6. The quality of HLA typing was assessed by examining the frequencies of the various specificities reported for cadaver donors in 8 yearly periods from 1984 to 1991. The A and B loci specificities were remarkably constant. The DR specificities were still undergoing stabilization. 7. No urine output on the first day, which occurred in approximately 10% of the first cadaver-donor transplants, resulted in about a 20 percentage point lower graft survival rate at 1 year. 8. Anuria on the first day increased with cold ischemia time, donor age, cerebral vascular accident donors, and retransplant recipients. 9. Graft survival with anuria on the first day and: [table: see text] 10. When dialysis was required during the first week, there was an approximate 15 percentage point decrease in 1-year graft survival in 25% of the patients. 11. One rejection in the first hospitalization period resulted in 67% 1-year graft survival. More than 1 rejection led to 57% 1-year graft survival. 12. Serum creatinine at discharge was an accurate indicator of subsequent graft survival. Approximately a 7 percentage point drop in 1-year graft survival was noted with each unit of serum creatinine above 2.0 mg/dl.

Adolescent↗

Preferential transposition of the maize element Activator to linked chromosomal locations in tobacco.

The autonomous maize transposon Activator (Ac) has been used in maize for gene isolation by tagging and may prove similarly useful in other species. To test the feasibility of gene tagging with heterospecific transposons, we have examined three key genetic properties of a slightly modified Ac in tobacco. First, we show that frequencies of germinal excision of this Ac element from the antibiotic resistance gene streptomycin phosphotransferase can be comparable with or slightly lower than in maize. Second, we show that about half of the progeny carrying a germinal excision product also carry a transposed Ac. Last, we have mapped transposed Ac locations relative to the streptomycin transferase gene excision product and have shown that as in maize Ac in tobacco preferentially transposes to genetically linked sites.

Blotting, Southern↗

Automated reading of the microcytotoxicity test.

From studies of 16,993 reactions in the microlymphocyte cytotoxicity test, we concluded that automatic fluorescent readings are comparable to those produced by visual readings with eosin dye exclusion. The r values (counting only strong reactions as positive) were as follows: 0.94 fluorescence machine versus visual fluorescence reading; 0.96 eosin visual reading, reader 1 versus reader 1; 0.97 eosin visual reading, reader 2 versus reader 2; 0.91 eosin visual reading, reader 1 versus reader 2; 0.98 fluorescence machine 1 versus machine 1; 0.98 fluorescence machine 2 versus machine 2; 0.96 fluorescence machine 1 versus machine 2; 0.92 fluorescence machine versus eosin visual reading; It was further shown that there was 93% concordance in assignment of HLA specificities between machine-assigned specificities and assigned by an experienced technologist. Most of the extra reactions obtained by fluorescence were in the crossreactive groups. Thus, the extra positive reactions obtained by the machine were likely to be the result of greater sensitivity than detection of random extraneous reactions.

Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic↗

Cloning of rat "prion-related protein" cDNA.

Rat prion-related protein (PrP) cDNA has been cloned and sequenced. Comparison of this cDNA with those from human, hamster, and mouse indicates extremely high conservation (about 95%). The deduced partial rat PrP possesses: (a) a highly conserved region composed of repetitive sequences in what is presumably an extracellular domain, (b) a hydrophobic transmembrane domain, (c) a highly charged region which should stop membrane transfer, (d) a substantial cytoplasmic domain (which contains all of the nonconservative substitutions and a high proportion of conservative substitutions), and (e) a hydrophobic C-terminus. Dot and Northern blot analyses suggest a limited expression of PrP in rat tissues and indicate that PrP expression is decreased in the brain during the acute phase response systemically. Our results lend support to the notion that PrP is a highly conserved, normal cellular membrane protein of essential (although unknown) biologic function, which may be deposited in fibrillar amyloid form as a result of abnormal processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Regulatory factors specific for adult and embryonic globin genes may govern their expression in erythroleukemia cells.

In order to test if trans-acting regulatory factors specific for globin genes of the adult and embryonic stages of development exist in erythroid cells, transcriptionally active embryonic and adult globin genes on the same chromosome were transferred by cell fusion from the human leukemia cell K562 into phenotypically adult mouse erythroleukemia cells. Restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms of the K562 zeta (embryonic) globin genes were used to establish that all three copies of human chromosome 16 present in the K562 cell showed the same pattern of human globin gene expression after transfer to the mouse erythroleukemia cell. Adult (alpha) but not embryonic (zeta) human globin mRNA was detected in all nine of the independently derived mouse erythroleukemia hybrid cells, each of which contained human chromosome 16. Restriction endonuclease studies of the K562 alpha- and zeta-globin genes after transfer into the mouse erythroleukemia cell showed no evidence of rearrangements or deletions that could explain this loss of zeta-globin gene expression. These data suggest that regulation of globin gene expression in these erythroleukemia cells involves trans-acting regulatory factors specific for the adult and embryonic stages of development.

Animals↗

Increased FDG uptake in pulmonary epitheloid hemangioendothelioma.

A 40 year-old female was examined for complaints of left arm pain and restriction of movement in the left upper extremity for 3 months. Chest X-ray showed a mass in the left upper lung and the patient was evaluated with computed tomography that confirmed the significant mass in the left paratracheal region and also showed small nodules in both of the lungs. A whole-body FDG-PET scan was performed for the suspicion of malignancy. FDG-PET indicated high FDG accumulation in the lung lesions mainly in the left paratracheal region. FDG-PET findings were highly suspicious of malignancy so the patient had thoracoscopic biopsy of the lesion. The histological findings and immunohistochemistry tests were consistent with pulmonary epitheloid hemangioendothelioma (PEH). Epitheloid hemangioendothelioma (EH) is a systemic name that represents a rare type of malignant tumor of vascular endothelial origin, which can arise in bone, liver, soft-tissue, or lung. PEH is currently known as the lung form of EH. Consequently, our patient had resection of the left paratracheal mass. This report presents a rare case of histologically confirmed PEH, which showed increased FDG accumulation on FDG-PET study. PEH should be added to the other causes of increased FDG uptake.

Adult↗

A nursing model for orthopaedics.

A nurse manager, an educationalist and a clinician describe their nursing model, which has been implemented on an orthopaedic unit. Based on an appreciation of the unique nature of the nurse-patient relationship, the model aims to foster and develop patient empowerment as a means of encouraging rehabilitation.

Humans↗

Joint hypermobility: the use of a new assessment tool to measure lower limb hypermobility.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to compare the use of a new assessment tool for diagnosis of hypermobility in the lower limb to the Beighton score for generalised hypermobility. METHODS: Three groups of children were compared (n = 225) and included a "normal" population of 116 school children, a "possible hypermobile" group of 88 children attending afoot and gait clinic and a "known hypermobile" group of 21 children referred from a paediatrician or rheumatologist. The Beighton score was used to measure generalised hypermobility. The Lower Limb Assessment Score was used to measure hypermobility in the lower limbs. RESULTS: The Lower Limb Assessment Score was able to distinguish between the three groups of children better than the Beighton score. At a threshold of 5/9 indicating hypermobility, the Beighton score identified hypermobility in 34% of school children; the lower limb score identified hypermobility in 21% of school children after a threshold was identified. There was disagreement between the scores in school children where 26.7% of children appeared to have a positive Beighton score that was not accompanied by a positive lower limb score. In the "known hypermobile" group the Beighton score was positive in only 10% of children when the lower limb score was negative for hypermobility. CONCLUSION: In this group of school children, the Beighton score appeared to over-diagnose hypermobility at the threshold of 5/9. Specific thresholds for diagnosis need to be set dependant on the age and ethnic group of the population being studied. The Lower Limb Assessment Score may be a useful score for health professionals specifically interested in lower limb hypermobility.

Adolescent↗