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Biomedical subjects

H C Hsu

Publications and source records attributed to H C Hsu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Spontaneous loss of HBsAg in children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Spontaneous loss of HBsAg is infrequent in adult HBV carriers. Little is known about this serological change in children. In a prospective study of 420 hepatitis B virus-carrier children who were observed for 1 to 12 yr (mean = 4.3 yr), spontaneous loss of HBsAg occurred in 10 patients, with an average incidence of 0.6%/yr. The HBsAg clearance rate was significantly higher in children who had anti-HBe; children who were at an older age on entry; children whose mothers were HBsAg-; or children with severe liver histological changes detected while they were HBeAg+. Children who seroconverted from HBeAg to anti-HBe before the age of 6 or who had a peak serum ALT level above 100 IU/L were more likely to clear HBsAg. In all 10 patients who became HBsAg-, serum hepatitis B virus DNA became undetectable by both spot hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction, suggesting a complete clearance of the virus from serum. After the loss of HBsAg, the anti-HBs levels were higher in the children born to carrier mothers than in those born to noncarrier mothers. These findings suggest that chronic hepatitis B virus-carrier children rarely lose HBsAg, especially if they have been infected during the perinatal period and have mild histological changes. The poor humoral immune response to HBsAg may be a contributing factor in the establishment of carrier status during horizontal infection but may not be primarily involved in the establishment of carrier status during perinatal infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Unregulated and basal transcriptional activities of the regulatory sequence of the type 18 human papillomavirus genome in transgenic mice.

Type 18 human papillomavirus (HPV18) is a genital virus closely associated with cervical carcinoma. To analyze the transcriptional activities of the long control region (LCR) of the HPV18 genome, we have produced 12 transgenic mice harboring the HPV18/LCR sequence fused to a promoterless SV40 T-antigen (TAg) gene. The mice were small in body size, generally very weak, and none lived longer than 110 days. Three mice with the longest life span (58-110 days) developed hyperplastic thymus and/or lymph node and were further analyzed. In these mice, Northern hybridization failed to detect TAg transcripts in any of the 25 organs studied. However, spliced TAg RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the hyperplastic thymus and lymph node and in the normal submaxillary gland, stomach, large intestine, urinary bladder, and the cerebrum, indicating the presence of very low cellular levels of TAg RNA in these organs. When immunostaining was performed on the hyperplastic thymus, TAg protein was detected only in the ductal epithelial cells. Our results appear to indicate that the HPV18/LCR sequence was able to express only unregulated and basal levels of transcriptional activity in transgenic mice. Such a mode of transcription has become a major hindrance in the use of transgenic mouse system for the studies of the biology of the human papillomavirus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil on atherosclerosis and myocardial injury during acute coronary occlusion-reperfusion in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits.

We studied myocardial injury during acute coronary occlusion-reperfusion and atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a high cholesterol diet with or without fish oil supplementation. New Zealand white male rabbits were divided into 3 groups. Eight control rabbits fed with laboratory standard rabbit chow were group I. In addition to the standard chow, 15 rabbits fed with a 1% cholesterol-enriched diet for 6 weeks were group II, and 10 rabbits fed with a 1% cholesterol-enriched and 10% fish oil supplemented diet for 6 weeks were group III. Acute coronary occlusion was induced by ligating the marginal branch of the left circumflex coronary artery for 1 h, followed by reperfusion for 4 h. Myocardial injury was assessed by tissue creatine kinase activities and amino-nitrogen concentrations from the ischemic (infarct) and nonischemic (normal) myocardium, and the infarct area/risk area ratios of the left ventricle. The surface area of the atherosclerotic lesions of the aorta and pulmonary artery was measured by planimeter. There was significantly more myocardial loss of creatine kinase and amino-nitrogen in the cholesterol-fed rabbits than the controls (p less than 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). The cholesterol and fish oil-treated rabbits had a nonsignificant reduction in myocardial loss of both agents as compared to their corresponding cholesterol-fed ones. The same trend was also found in the infarct area/risk area ratio. Fish oil treated rabbits had a good effect on the reduction of atherosclerotic lesions and tissue cholesterol levels in the aorta and pulmonary artery, but not in the left ventricle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amines↗
PubMed1992

Effects of dietary supplementation with fish oil on prostanoid metabolism during acute coronary occlusion with or without reperfusion in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits.

We studied the changes in myocardial and aortic concentrations of prostacyclin and thromboxane A2 during acute coronary occlusion with or without reperfusion in rabbits fed with a cholesterol-enriched diet with or without fish oil supplementation for a short (5 days) or long period (6 weeks). New Zealand white male rabbits were divided into 5 groups: Group I, 15 control rabbits fed with a laboratory standard rabbit chow. In addition to the standard chow, the 4 study groups were treated with cholesterol or fish oil. Group II, 17 rabbits fed with a 1% high cholesterol diet for 5 days. Group III, 16 rabbits fed with a diet containing 1% cholesterol and 10% fish oil for 5 days. Group IV, 17 rabbits fed with the same diet as group II for 6 weeks. Group V, 18 rabbits fed with the same diet as group III for 6 weeks. Each group of rabbits was randomly divided into the coronary occlusion or occlusion-reperfusion mode of experiment. Acute coronary occlusion was induced by ligating the marginal branch of the left circumflex coronary artery for 1 h. Subsequent reperfusion for 4 h was performed in the occlusion-reperfusion rabbits. The aortic tissue above the aortic valve and the ischemic and normal (nonischemic) areas of the left ventricle were excised for the measurement of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and thromboxane B2 levels by radioimmunoassay. Both during coronary occlusion and occlusion-reperfusion, rabbits showed higher myocardial concentrations of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and thromboxane B2 in the ischemic area than in the normal myocardium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Rotator interval tear: a case report.

Rotator cuff tear is one of the most common shoulder disorders. Most of the tears involve the critical area of the supraspinatus tendon. The rotator interval tear is extremely rare. Tear in this area is important due to its relationship with shoulder instability, different clinical symptom and different management. Recently we have uneventually treated a case with rotator interval tear after a violent throwing injury. The purpose of the paper is to emphasize the clinical differences of this unusual tear.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Comparison of different ligature materials used for T-tube esophageal exclusion.

Four different ligature materials--plain catgut, chromic catgut, dexon and silk--were used for ligature of the distal arm during T-tube exclusion of the cervical esophagus in 12 dogs. Ligature by plain catgut was maintained for only a short period, but the duration of esophageal occlusion with the other three ligature materials was around 10 days. Ligated esophageal segments were examined grossly and histologically two months after the procedure. The diameter of the esophageal lumen in the ligated segments had become smaller compared with the neighboring normal esophageal lumen. The most prominent histologic changes were atrophy and fibrosis of the muscle coat, vessel congestion and inflammatory cell infiltration in the ligated segments. These tissue reactions were more severe in the chromic catgut and silk ligatures. Among the 11 evaluable dogs, four had symptoms of dysphagia after removal of the T-tube. All four dogs had a sinus discharge and granuloma formation at the T-tube esophagostoma. The diameter of the esophageal lumen was more constricted in dogs with dysphagia. Among the four ligature materials, dexon had the advantages of a long duration of occlusion, less tissue fibrosis and little sequel of esophageal stenosis, making it the most suitable for ligature during esophageal exclusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Hepatocellular carcinoma in childhood. Clinical manifestations and prognosis.

From December 1964 to November 1989, 71 children from 3 to 17 years of age with the eventual diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presented at the National Taiwan University Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China). Forty-three of them had pathologic proof, whereas 28 were diagnosed on a clinical and laboratory basis. A male predominance (M:F = 3.2:1) was noticed. Most patients presented in a late, advanced stage. Abdominal pain and abdominal mass were the major symptoms and signs, followed by anorexia, fever, and internal bleeding. Hydrocele, purpura, and obstructive jaundice were rare presenting symptoms. Hepatosplenomegaly, superficial venous engorgement, and ascites were the main physical signs. The prognosis for such children with HCC was very poor. Only 10% of the patients survived longer than 1 year after the onset of the initial symptom. Among 49 patients who could be followed, only two had long-term survival of over 5 years. One patient had a small HCC with internal bleeding, whereas the other had a large HCC with abdominal distention. Both received surgical resection, and a resection was repeated for tumor recurrence in the patient with the large mass. The resectability of these 71 patients was low (9.8%). Resectability and nonicterus seemed to be the factors indicating favourable prognosis. Observation indicated that the prognosis for children with symptomatic HCC is grave but surgical resection, whenever possible, should be carried out.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Non-A, non-B hepatitis in children: a clinical, histologic, and serologic study.

Twenty-seven children with non-A, non-B hepatitis were studied with regard to their clinical, serologic, and histologic features. In contrast to adult patients, non-A, non-B hepatitis developed in most pediatric patients (19 out of 27) in the absence of identifiable parenteral exposure, probably because of fewer chances for exposure of children to blood or blood-contaminated products. Perinatal transmission was considered possible in one of the patients. Fulminant hepatitis had occurred in six patients, two of whom died. It is noteworthy that fulminant hepatitis usually occurred in children with sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis. The progression to chronic hepatitis after acute illness is less likely in children than in adults. Chronic hepatitis developed in four patients. Two of these were asymptomatic at presentation, suggesting that in some patients, non-A, non-B hepatitis infections may remain undetected and progress to chronic hepatitis. Liver histologic examination was performed in 11 patients. There were no characteristic histologic findings which could differentiate non-A, non-B from B hepatitis. Antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) were tested in 22 of the 27 patients and 8 (36%) were seropositive for anti-HCV.

Child↗
PubMed1991

Roles of in vitro- and in vivo-administered histamine and serotonin in compound 48/80-induced gastric acid secretion in isolated, perfused rat stomach.

In this investigation, an isolated, perfused rat stomach system was used to elucidate the roles of histamine, serotonin, and the action of cimetidine, methysergide, and propranolol in relation to the in vivo and in vitro administration of compound 48/80. While histamine administered both in vivo and in vitro stimulated acid secretion in the perfused rat stomach, serotonin, added in vitro, inhibited histamine-induced gastric acid secretion. Cimetidine, given either in vivo or in vitro, blocked histamine-induced acid secretion, and methysergide, but not propranolol, reversed the serotonin-induced inhibition of histamine-stimulated acid secretion. Compound 48/80, given in vitro, caused gastric acid secretion that was blocked by pretreatment with cimetidine. Administered in vivo, however, compound 48/80 inhibited both basal and histamine-stimulated acid secretion. This inhibition was partially reversed by pretreatment with methysergide. The absence of inhibition of acid secretion by in vitro-administered compound 48/80 may be related to the timing of the serotonin effect. When serotonin was given prior to histamine, it blocked acid secretion, whereas no inhibition occurred when serotonin was administered together with histamine. None of the other agents investigated affected basal acid secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Suppression of ethanol intake in chickens by fenfluramine and dietary tryptophan.

Two groups of 10-week-old White Leghorn cockerels were fed a commercial grower diet with or without an L-tryptophan (0.5%) supplement. After a 24-hr water deprivation and 13 to 14 hr without food, the birds were randomly injected with 0 (saline) 4, 8, or 12 mg of fenfluramine/kg body weight. Thirty minutes after injections, water or a 5% ethanol solution was offered, no choice, to the birds and fluid consumption as well as skin and rectal temperature before and after fluid availability were measured. The ethanol solution in otherwise untreated animals was consumed in similar amounts as water was. Fenfluramine (8 mg/kg) significantly reduced ethanol consumption and tryptophan further significantly reduced ethanol intake. At 12 mg/kg fenfluramine, both water and ethanol intake were sharply reduced. Ethanol decreased body temperature, an effect that was reversed by both tryptophan alone and fenfluramine + tryptophan in a dose-dependent manner. These observations are discussed in reference to the effects of central serotonergic manipulations and ethanol consumption.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1991

Granulomatous nasopharyngeal carcinoma: with emphasis on difficulty in diagnosis and favorable outcome.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) can provoke a local granulomatous reaction which may cause diagnostic difficulty. To further elucidate this possible diagnostic pitfall, 47 cases who were initially diagnosed as tuberculosis or granulomatous inflammation were reexamined; 7 cases (15%) were found to have NPC. In a routine histological stain, residual malignant tumor cells could be identified in 2 cases. In the remaining 5 cases, malignant tumor cells could only be accurately identified after careful examination. Immunohistochemical staining for keratin easily demonstrated the residual tumor cells engulfed in a granulomatous lesion in all 7 cases. This finding suggests that an immunohistochemical stain for keratin is useful and should be performed for any nasopharyngeal biopsy showing granulomatous lesion with suspicion of malignancy, particularly in countries where NPC is prevalent. The overall 5-year survival rate among these NPC patients was 83%, a most favorable outcome, which suggests that a granulomatous reaction may reflect a favorable local host, and a cell-mediated immune response.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Alpha-thalassemic traits are common in the Taiwanese population: usefulness of a modified hemoglobin H preparation for prevalence studies.

The aim of this study was to determine the crude prevalence of alpha-thalassemia traits in Taiwan. A total of 1435 healthy employees from a statewide company were randomly screened by complete blood count determination with indices. Subjects with mean corpuscular volume less than 80 fl were analyzed by hemoglobin electrophoresis on cellulose acetate to exclude beta-thalassemia and with serum ferritin to exclude iron deficiency. Modified hemoglobin H inclusion staining was performed to confirm the diagnosis of alpha-thalassemia traits, and DNA probe studies were used to confirm the validity of this test. The overall prevalence rate of alpha-thalassemia trait was 3.4% (48 out of 1435). In persons of mainland Chinese origin, prevalence was 0.4%, and among persons of Taiwanese origin, it was 4.0% (47 out of 1171). We conclude that alpha-thalassemia traits are common genetic disorders in Taiwan and that antenatal screening is advised to reduce the frequency of occurrence of hemoglobin Bart's hydrops fetalis. The methods we used proved to be reliable and inexpensive.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Hepatitis B virus integration in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma in childhood.

In Taiwan, hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the major malignancies in children between 5 and 14 yr of age. We studied the status of hepatitis B virus DNA in the hepatocellular carcinoma and nontumorous liver tissues of eight children with positive serum HBsAg and maternal HBsAg. The hepatocellular carcinoma tissues from five of the eight children showed integration of hepatitis B virus DNA into host cellular DNA sequences. A pattern of single-site integration in four children and a multiple-site integration pattern in one child were demonstrated. In the remaining three children, hepatitis B virus DNA could not be demonstrated in the tumor tissues. Using subgenomic fragments of the hepatitis B virus genome as probes, we found that the X gene fragment and the surface antigen gene fragment were the most conserved sequences. The single-site integration of hepatitis B virus DNA in childhood hepatocellular carcinoma may have hit the critical region, resulting in insertional mutagenesis and early development of hepatocellular carcinoma. With a short incubation period and less exposure to environmental carcinogens during early life, childhood hepatocellular carcinoma may provide a good model to study the carcinogenic potential of hepatitis B virus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Clonality and clonal evolution of hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple nodules.

To determine the clonal evolution of hepatocellular carcinoma, the integrated hepatitis B virus DNA patterns of the main tumor, satellites and/or metastatic lesions were analyzed by Southern-blot hybridization in 28 hepatocellular carcinomas, including three HBsAg-seronegative cases. Unicentric or multicentric hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed by histopathological criteria in 89% of the cases. Among 17 unicentric hepatocellular carcinomas, minor changes of the integration pattern--including partial loss or addition of the integration sites or both--were detected in the metastatic lesions in 29% of the cases. Furthermore, none of five cases with free-form hepatitis B virus DNA in the primary tumor had detectable free hepatitis B virus DNA in the metastatic lesions. These results suggest that the alteration of integrated hepatitis B virus DNA pattern during the course of tumor growth and metastasis may occur more often than previously perceived and that the switch-off of virus replication may be related to tumor metastatic potential. In eight cases with unilateral, multicentric hepatocellular carcinoma, two clones were detected in six cases, three were seen in another and four were seen in one. One case of note was a 9-yr-old boy with two histological types and two different integration patterns, one associated with vascular invasion and lung metastasis. Three patients with bilateral hepatocellular carcinoma were confirmed to have bicentric or tricentric hepatocellular carcinoma rather than intrahepatic dissemination and had survival rates similar to those in unicentric hepatocellular carcinoma. Three invasive HBsAg-seronegative hepatocellular carcinomas were found to have hepatitis B virus DNA integration and were of unicentric origin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1990

Iron overload in Chinese patients with hemoglobin H disease.

We examined the iron status of 23 adult patients with hemoglobin H (Hb H) disease. None of them had received multiple blood transfusions or prolonged iron therapy. Studies included serum iron and ferritin concentrations, transferrin saturation, a desferrioxamine test, computed tomography (CT) scan of the liver, and liver biopsy. Iron overload was found in 17 patients (73.9%), especially in males and in patients with splenomegaly (92.9% and 100%, respectively). Four patients with excessive alcohol consumption had clinical manifestations of severe iron overload. Idiopathic hemochromatosis associated HLA antigens, i.e., HLA-A3, -B7, or -B14, were not found in any of the 15 patients tested. These findings indicate that iron overload is common in adult patients with Hb H disease; such patients should abstain from alcohol and be considered for treatment with an iron chelating agent before irreversible organ damage occurs.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Continuous expression and replication of the hepatitis delta virus genome in Hep G2 hepatoblastoma cells transfected with cloned viral DNA.

To establish stable cell clones allowing continuous replication of hepatitis delta virus (HDV), Hep G2, a hepatoblastoma cell line containing no hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA sequences, was transfected with a recombinant plasmid containing a tandem trimer of HDV cDNA (driven by the simian virus 40 late promoter) and a neomycin-resistance gene. After selection with the neomycin analogue G418, at least two of the resistant clones were shown to have intact delta antigen by specific immunoblotting, and the delta antigen was located in the cell nucleus by immunofluorescence. Transfected cloned viral DNAs were found to be integrated into cell chromosomes. Replication of the HDV genome was demonstrated by the presence of not only genomic and antigenomic HDV RNAs but also HDV RNAs in multimeric and circular forms. In addition, a 0.8-kilobase antigenomic RNA containing a poly(A) tail and encoding the delta-antigen open reading frame was documented. Continuous replication and transcription of the HDV genome was thus achieved in these transfected cell lines. The results confirmed that replication of HDV was unassisted by HBV. Stable passage of such cell lines strongly suggests that HDV lacks direct cytopathicity in hepatocytes. These clones should be useful in studying the details of the HDV life cycle and the relationship between HDV and its helper virus, HBV.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1990

Prognostic implications of serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in neonatal hepatitis.

Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) values in 61 patients with neonatal hepatitis were compared with the normal ranges of AFP in infants and were expressed as standard deviation (SD) scores. The size of SD score indicates how many standard deviations the measured AFP value is away from the mean value of the normal population. An extremely elevated AFP value is arbitrarily defined as a SD score higher than 4.0, i.e., above mean + 4 SD. The result showed that rapid recovery from jaundice before 6 months of age occurred in 16 of 17 (94%) with SD scores of AFP lower than 4.0. By contrast, in 26 with SD scores of AFP higher than 4.0, 17 (65%) has less favorable clinical courses, either slow in recovery or progressing to chronic liver disease and even death. This correlation between AFP level and prognosis was related to the fact that higher AFP values were associated with more severe inflammatory changes in the liver, as assessed from either biochemical parameters (peak total and direct bilirubin levels) or histological findings (portal inflammation and giant cell transformation.

Aged↗