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Biomedical subjects

H Ou-Yang

Publications and source records attributed to H Ou-Yang.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Rapid, accurate genotyping of the common -alpha(4.2) thalassaemia deletion based on the use of denaturing HPLC.

AIMS: To develop an alternative assay for specific genotyping of the -alpha(4.2) thalassaemia deletion based on the DNA sequence features surrounding the breakpoint. METHODS: The 5' and 3' ends of the breakpoint regions of the -alpha(4.2) allele and the normal homologous segments were sequenced in Chinese individuals. A sequence haplotype composed of four single nucleotide variations within the X2/X1 box of the -alpha(4.2) breakpoint region was found in all of the 10 Chinese -alpha(4.2) thalassaemia alleles studied. Based on these findings, a novel polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) assay was developed for rapid genotyping of the -alpha(4.2) allele instead of traditional Southern blotting or Gap-PCR. This method involves amplification of the alpha globin target sequence encompassing these four polymorphic sites, followed by a partially denaturing HPLC analysis using the transgenomic WAVE DNA fragment analysis system. RESULTS: The three major genotypes (-alpha4.2/alphaalpha, -alpha(4.2)/--SEA, and alphaalpha/alphaalpha) could be distinguished through the characteristic chromatograms generated by the WAVE system. The accuracy of this technique was evaluated blindly, and the results were 100% (40 of 40) concordant with the genotypes previously characterised by Southern blotting or Gap-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: This study validates the PCR/DHPLC approach as a simple, rapid, highly accurate, and cost effective method, potentially adaptable for use in epidemiological surveys, genetic screening, and diagnosis of silent alpha+ thalassaemia and Hb H disease.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Diurnal and seasonal variations of the UV cut-off wavelength and most erythemally effective wavelength of solar spectra.

BACKGROUND: Biologically effective solar ultraviolet radiation is defined as the product of the intensity of the solar spectrum and the erythema action spectrum at each wavelength. In this way we may arrive at the weighted effectiveness of each wavelength of solar radiation to produce a sunburn reaction. There have been many measurements of the variation of the solar spectrum with the time of the day and the time of the year, but questions remain as to the variation of the quality of the spectrum and the contribution of the shortest wavelengths of solar terrestrial radiation. The purpose of the present study was to determine the variation of the biologically effective solar spectrum with the time of the day and the time of the year and to determine the variation of the shortest wavelength that contributes to the sunburn reaction with the time of the day and the time of the year. METHODS: Spectroradiometric measurements were made at ground level over the period of one year (1988-1989) and at different times of the day at latitude 29.5 degrees north. The measured spectral irradiance was multiplied wavelength by wavelength by the erythema action spectra. RESULTS: We determined that the biologically effective solar spectrum remains essentially the same over the times of the day that sunburn may be experienced. The maximally effective wavelength of biologically effective solar radiation was determined to be 308 nm. The cut-off wavelength for biologically effective solar radiation (defined as the wavelength at which the biologically effective solar radiation is at 1% of its maximum) varied from 291 to 295 nm over the time of the year and from 292 to 296 nm over the day. CONCLUSION: For all practical purposes the biologically effective spectrum of solar ultraviolet radiation may be considered to remain constant over the period when sunburn may occur and the minimal wavelength of sunlight that contributes to sunburn is in the range of 291-296 nm.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Infrared microscopic imaging of bone: spatial distribution of CO3(2-).

This article describes a novel technology for quantitative determination of the spatial distribution of CO3(2-) substitution in bone mineral using infrared (IR) imaging at approximately 6 microm spatial resolution. This novel technology consists of an IR array detector of 64 x 64 elements mapped to a 400 microm x 400 microm spot at the focal plane of an IR microscope. During each scan, a complete IR spectrum is acquired from each element in the array. The variation of any IR parameter across the array may be mapped. In the current study, a linear relationship was observed between the band area or the peak height ratio of the CO3(2-) v3 contour at 1415 cm(-1) to the PO4(3-) v1,v3 contour in a series of synthetic carbonated apatites. The correlation coefficient between the spectroscopically and analytically determined ratios (R2 = 0.989) attests to the practical utility of this IR area ratio for determination of bone CO3(2-) levels. The relationship forms the basis for the determination of CO3(2-) in tissue sections using IR imaging. In four images of trabecular bone the average CO3(2-) levels were 5.95 wt% (2298 data points), 6.67% (2040 data points), 6.66% (1176 data points), and 6.73% (2256 data points) with an overall average of 6.38+/-0.14% (7770 data points). The highest levels of CO3(2-) were found at the edge of the trabeculae and immediately adjacent to the Haversian canal. Examination of parameters derived from the phosphate v1,v3 contour of the synthetic apatites revealed that the crystallinity/perfection of the hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals was diminished as CO3(2-) levels increased. The methodology described will permit evaluation of the spatial distribution of CO3(2-) levels in diseased and normal mineralized tissues.

Bone and Bones↗
PubMed2000

Two-dimensional vibrational correlation spectroscopy of in vitro hydroxyapatite maturation.

Two-dimensional (2-D) Raman and 2-D IR correlation spectroscopy are applied to analyze changes in the nu(4) region of the IR spectrum and in the nu(1) region of the Raman spectrum during the maturation of hydroxyapatite (HA) following the solution-mediated conversion of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) to HA. The nu(1) region of the Raman spectrum exhibits a frequency shift and sharpening during the maturation. Comparison of the experimental and simulated 2-D plots for this process suggests that the shift of a single peak, rather than a change in the relative intensity of two overlapped bands, is responsible for the observed spectral changes. The nu(4) mode of the PO(3-)(4) ion (T(2) symmetry in the free species) splits into a triplet with components near 563, 575, and 603 cm(-1) in HA. In addition, broad features appear at 540 and 617 cm(-1). During the latest stages of the maturation, an OH(-) librational mode develops at approximately 632 cm(-1). Changes in the relative intensities of three components of the nu(4) mode are not all correlated with each other. The synchronous 2-D plots reveal that the 563 and 603 cm(-1) pair are positively correlated while the feature at 575 cm(-1) is absent. A 587 cm(-1) mode arising from ACP is negatively correlated with the 563 and 603 cm(-1) pair and is both synchronously (positively) and asynchronously correlated with the 540 cm(-1) feature during the early stages of the maturation but is absent from 2-D plots of the later stages of the maturation. Cross correlations between the nu(4) mode and the nu(1),nu(3) contour generally confirm and extend previous assignments for the latter spectral region. Finally, the suitability of the 2-D approach for analysis of IR spectral images is examined through studies of HA crystallinity in a human iliac crest biopsy sample. Trabecular bone contains a fraction of HA that is more crystalline and mature than could be achieved in vitro during the room temperature ACP --> HA interconversion.

Biopsy↗