Biomedical subjects

Fan Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Fan Zhou.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Association between infectious diseases and type 1 diabetes: a case-crossover study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the role of infectious diseases in the development of type 1 diabetes, this study estimated the relative risks of type 1 diabetes immediately after infectious diseases. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A case-crossover design was employed. Information on infectious diseases during 407 d before the onset of type 1 diabetes was collected from medical records and parents' interviews for 260 patients in Chinese type 1 diabetes registry. The frequency of infectious diseases in 42 d before the onset of type 1 diabetes was compared with either the usual frequency of infectious diseases over the past year or the actual frequency of infectious diseases in a comparable 42-d control period. RESULTS: Forty-eight (18%) patients were reported to have infectious diseases during this period based on medical records and interviews with parents. The relative risk of type 1 diabetes onset was markedly elevated to 10.1 (5.6, 17.9) immediately after infectious diseases, suggesting the role of infections as a precipitator. The relative risk decreased gradually before and after 42 d and was similar between male and female patients. CONCLUSION: The results showed that infectious diseases are associated with a large and transient increase in the risk of type 1 diabetes during 42 d after the infection.

Causality↗

PubMed2005

Administration of MIP-3alpha gene to the tumor following radiation therapy boosts anti-tumor immunity in a murine model of lung carcinoma.

Dendritic cells (DC), the most potent antigen presenting cells (APC), have been shown able to process apoptotic tumor cells and necrotic tumor cells for antigen presentation. Apoptosis and necrosis are the two common final pathways through which the tumors are killed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The tumor cells receiving radiation often produce the "danger signal" cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1. Another cytokine MIP-3alpha that is able to attract DC to the tumor site is normally not secreted. We hypothesize that if artificial introduction of a large number of DC to the necrotic tumor site after radiation therapy by transfecting any cells at the tumor site to secrete DC-tropic MIP-3alpha, an anti-tumor immune response would be initiated. C57BL/6J mice bearing a well-known Lewis lung carcinoma are used to assess efficacy of this modality. The plasmid DNA containing pcDNA3.1/MIP-3alpha was injected into the subcutaneous tumors after radiation treatment. We demonstrate a detectable local expression of MIP-3alpha and local accumulation of DC. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes after the treatment are predominantly CD8+ T-cells with rare CD4+ T-cells. The anti-tumor immune response was also measurable, which contributes at least in part to the finding that the treated mice have smaller tumor and prolonged survival, comparing to the control groups. This study suggests a potential new means of immune modulation and provides us a new concept of immunotherapy of cancer.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with bile duct tumor thrombi.

AIM: To study the surgical treatment effect and outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombi (BDTT). METHODS: Fifty-three consecutive HCC patients with BDTT admitted in our department from July 1984 to December 2002 were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical data, diagnostic methods, surgical procedures and outcome of these patients were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: One patient rejected surgical treatment, 6 cases underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) for unresectable primary disease, and the other 46 cases underwent surgical operation. The postoperative mortality was 17.6%, and the morbidity was 32.6%. Serum total bilirubin levels of these patients with obstructive jaundice decreased gradually after surgery. The survival time of six cases who underwent PTCD ranged from 2 to 7 mo (median survival of 3.7 mo). The survival time of the patients who received surgery was as follows: 2 mo for one patient who underwent laparotomy, 5-46 mo (median survival of 23.5 mo, which was the longest survival in comparison with patients who underwent other procedures, P = 0.0024) for 17 cases who underwent hepatectomy, 5-17 mo (median survival of 10.0 mo) for 5 cases who underwent HACE, 3-9 mo (median survival of 6.1 mo) for 11 cases who underwent simple thrombectomy and biliary drainage, and 3-8 mo (median survival of 4.3 mo) for four cases who underwent simple biliary drainage. CONCLUSION: Jaundice caused by BDTT in HCC patients is not a contraindication for surgery. Only curative resection can result in long-term survival. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment are the key points to prolong the survival of patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Unfair treatment, discrimination, and ambulatory blood pressure in black and white adolescents.

The authors tested the hypotheses that unfair treatment and its attribution to race, physical appearance, and peer group were related to elevated ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). During 2 school days, 207 Black and White adolescents wore an ABP monitor and answered questions about mood, posture, location, and activity level at the time of the ABP assessment. At a separate session, in-clinic resting blood pressure and perceptions of unfair treatment were measured. Multilevel mixed models showed that unfair treatment and its attribution to race were not associated with ABP. However, adolescents who indicated that the primary reason for unfair treatment was their physical appearance had elevated ABP. Feeling unfairly treated because of physical appearance may impact blood pressure uniquely during the adolescent transition.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

[Use of autologous tumor vaccine in preventing recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of autologous tumor vaccines in preventing recurrences of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: From March 1999 to June 2003, 80 patients with HCC undergoing resections were randomly assigned into a tumor vaccine group (n=40) and a control group (n=40). Tumor vaccines, consisting of formalin-fixed HCC tissue fragments, biodegradable sustained-releasers of granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor, interleukin-2, and an adjuvant, were developed. Every vaccine group patient received 3 vaccinations at a 2-week interval and the control group just received the adjuvant. Delayed-type-hypersensitivity (DTH) test and recurrent rates were analyzed. RESULTS: Eight patients of the vaccine group and five patients of the control group were lost in the follow-up. Thirty-two patients completed the tumor vaccine procedure and no essential adverse effects occurred. 23/32 patients developed DTH responses against the fragments of HCC. The follow-up averaged 34.3 months (from 15 to 55 months). 1-, 2-, 3-year recurrence rates of the vaccine group were 12.6%, 35.9% and 54.0%, respectively; 1-, 2-, 3-year recurrence rates of the control group were 31.6%, 61.3% and 72.1%, respectively. The recurrent rate was significantly better in the tumor vaccine group than in the control group (P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Autologous tumor vaccine is a promising adjunctive modality to prevent recurrence of human HCC.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Reversion of multidrug resistance in HL-60/VCR cells by down-regulation of bcl-2 with bcl-2 siRNA].

To evaluate the feasibility of gene therapy using bcl-2 as target in multiple drug resistance of leukemia, the small interfering RNA eukaryotic expression vector specific to human bcl-2 gene was constructed by gene recombination, then transfected into HL-60/VCR cells. Stable transfectants were obtained by G418 screening. The growth curve and drug sensitivity were detected by using MTT. The expression of Bax and ZNRD1 was analyzed by Western blot. The results showed that mU6pro-bcl-2 siRNA was successfully constructed and transfected into HL-60/VCR cells. The IC(50) of transfected cells to vincristine and adriamycin was significantly reduced as compared with that of the control. The expression of ZNRD1 in transfected cells was decreased as compared with that of the control, while Bax not. It is concluded that the bcl-2 siRNA restores the sensitivity of HL-60/VCR cells to conventional chemotherapeutic agents to a certain degree.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed2004

Validation of a combined corneal topographer and aberrometer based on Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensing.

A corneal aberrometer based on Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensing was developed and validated by using calibrated aspheric surfaces. The aberrometer was found to accurately measure corneal reflective aberrations, from which corneal topography and corneal refractive aberrations were derived. Measurements of reflective aberrations correlated well with theory (R2 = 0.964 to 0.994). The sag error root mean square (RMS) was small, ranging from 0.1 to 0.17 microm for four of the five calibrated surfaces with the fifth at 0.36 microm as a result of residual defocus. Measured refractive aberrations matched with theory and whole-eye aberrometry to within a small fraction of a wavelength. Measurements on three human corneas revealed very large refractive astigmatism (0.65-1.2 microm) and appreciable levels of trefoil (0.08-0.47 microm), coma (0.14-0.19 microm), and spherical aberration (0.18-0.25 microm). The mean values of these aberrations were significantly larger than the RMS in repeated measurements.

Algorithms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A greater reduction in high-frequency heart rate variability to a psychological stressor is associated with subclinical coronary and aortic calcification in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: Reduced cardiac parasympathetic activity, as indicated by a reduced level of clinic or ambulatory high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. We tested whether the reduction in HF-HRV to a psychological stressor relative to a baseline level is also associated with subclinical coronary or aortic atherosclerosis, as assessed by calcification in these vascular regions. METHOD: Spectral estimates of 0.15 to 0.40 Hz HF-HRV were obtained from 94 postmenopausal women (61-69 years) who engaged in a 3-minute speech-preparation stressor after a 6-minute resting baseline. A median of 282 days later, electron beam tomography (EBT) was used to measure the extent of coronary and aortic calcification. RESULTS: In univariate analyses, a greater reduction in HF-HRV from baseline to speech preparation was associated with having more extensive calcification in the coronary arteries (rho = -0.29, p = .03) and in the aorta (rho = -0.22, p = .06). In multivariate analyses that controlled for age, education level, smoking status, hormone therapy use, fasting glucose, high-density lipoproteins, baseline HF-HRV, and the stressor-induced change in respiration rate, a greater stressor-induced reduction in HF-HRV was associated with more calcification in the coronary arteries (B = -1.21, p < .05), and it was marginally associated with more calcification in the aorta (B = -0.92, p = .09). CONCLUSION: In postmenopausal women, a greater reduction in cardiac parasympathetic activity to a psychological stressor from baseline may be an independent correlate of subclinical atherosclerosis, particularly in the coronary arteries.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Autologous tumor vaccine lowering postsurgical recurrent rate of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A tumor vaccine consisting of formalin-fixed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue fragments, biodegradable sustained-releasers of granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-2 (IL-2), and an adjuvant was developed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of autologous tumor vaccine for protective immunity against HCC. METHODOLOGY: C57BL/6J mice were immunized intradermally with the Hepa1-6 tumor vaccine on day 0 and 7, followed by intrahepatic challenge with live Hepa1-6 cells. On day 21, the tumor volumes were measured and the effect of tumor vaccine was evaluated. Lymphocytes from the immunized mice were cultured and the specific cytotoxicity against Hepa1-6 was accessed. Then from March 1999 to June 2003, 67 patients with HCC undergoing curative resection were randomly divided into a tumor vaccine group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 35). Patients in the tumor vaccine group received 3 vaccinations at a 2-week interval and the control group only adjuvant treatment for symptoms. A delayed-type-hypersensitivity test was performed before and after vaccination. Primary endpoint was time to first recurrence and recurrent rates were analyzed. RESULTS: The tumor vaccine protected 87% of syngeneic mice from Hepa1-6 cells inoculation. In an in vitro experiment, splenocytes from the vaccinated mice exhibited a 56% lytic activity against the Hepa1-6 cells at an effector/target (E/T) ratio of 5, whereas they did not exhibit such activity against other tumor cells. The cytotoxic activity was inhibited by the treatment with anti-CD3, anti-CD8, and anti-MHC-class II monoclonal antibodies but not with anti-CD4 and anti-MHC-class I antibodies. In clinical trial, thirty-two patients had completed the tumor vaccine procedure and no essential adverse effect occurred. The follow-up averaged 33.6 months (range from 15 to 54 months). The recurrent rate was significantly better in the tumor vaccine group (1 year, 12.6%; 2 years, 35.9%; 3 years, 54%) than in the control group (1 year, 31.6%; 2 years, 61.3%; 3 years, 72.1%; P = 0.037). 23/32 patients developed a DTH response against the fragments of HCC and DTH-response-positive patients had a lower recurrent rate than DTH-response-negative patients (7/23 vs. 5/9). CONCLUSIONS: The autologous tumor vaccine is a promising adjunctive modality to prevent recurrence of human HCC.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To study the value of surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). METHODOLOGY: From January 1997 to December 2001, 63 cases of HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus underwent liver resection combined with PVTT removal (group 1). Between December 2001 and December 2003, 20 patients received adjuvant portal vein chemotherapy (PVC) after the surgical procedures mentioned above (group 2). Treatment outcome and the surgical features in these two groups were studied. RESULTS: The median overall survival in group 2 was significantly longer than that in group 1 (10.9 months vs. 7.8 months, p < 0.05). There were significant differences between the survival of the two groups (log-rank, p < 0.05). In group 1 the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 18.0%, 14.8% and 1.6%, respectively. In group 2 the 1-year survival rate was 30%. CONCLUSIONS: Liver resection combined with PVTT removal and the postoperative PVC is beneficial to the survival of HCC patients with PVTT. Postoperative PVC might enhance the effect of these surgical approaches.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗