Biomedical subjects

Ming Ye

Publications and source records attributed to Ming Ye.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Electrochemically controlled formation and growth of hydrogen nanobubbles.

Electrogenerated microscale bubbles that are confined at the electrode surface have already been extensively studied because of their significant influence on electrochemistry. In contrast, as far as we know, whether nanoscale bubbles exist on the electrode surface has not been experimentally confirmed yet. Here, we report the observation of electrochemically controlled formation and growth of hydrogen nanobubbles on bare highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface via in-situ tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM). By using TMAFM imaging, we observed that electrochemically generated hydrogen gas led to the formation of nanobubbles at the HOPG surface. We then employed a combination of techniques, including phase imaging, ex-situ degassing, and tip perturbation, to confirm the gas origin of such observed nanobubbles. We further demonstrated that the formation and growth of nanobubbles could be well controlled by tuning either the applied voltage or the reaction time. Remarkably, we could also monitor the evolution process of nanobubbles, that is, formation, growth, coalescence, as well as the eventual release of merged microbubbles from the HOPG surface.

Electrochemistry↗

PubMed2006

[Analysis of the causes of surgical complications of medial sphenoidal ridge meningioma].

OBJECTIVE: To find out the causes of severe surgical complications of sphenoidal ridge meningioma of and the methods to avoid them. METHODS: The clinical data of 56 cases of sphenoidal ridge meningioma, 37 being medial (clinoidal) type, 5 being middle (alar) type, and 14 being lateral (pterional) type, with the diameters of 3.5 - 7 cm, 3.8 - 5.2 cm, and 3.8 - 7.5 cm respectively, who underwent operation. RESULTS: The tumors of 19 cases of lateral and middle types were resected completely without surgical complication. Facial nerve injury occurred in 2 cases of medial type because of failure to know well the course of facial nerve and over-stretching of skin flap. Oculomotor nerve injury occurred in 7 cases, 5 of which were transient, and trochlear nerve injury occurred in 1 case, all caused by inappropriate manipulations. Too early resection of tumor-related vessel caused middle cerebral artery injury in one case. Resection of the tumor infiltrating the carotid artery inadequately caused injury of the carotid artery. Lenticulostriate artery injury was caused in 2 cases by over-separation of the lateral fissure. CONCLUSION: Severe surgical complications can be avoided if the surgeons, with great skills, are able to predict different topographic changes and difficulties encountered during operation in the light of the specific conditions in operation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Distribution of class I and II human leukocyte antigens in the larynx.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the antigenic distribution of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) of the human larynx. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Twelve human larynges were examined for Class I (HLA-A, -B, -C) and Class II (HLA-DR) histocompatibility antigens using mouse monoclonal antibodies in an indirect immunoperoxidase assay. Structures of the larynx and surrounding tissues were examined and given a semiquantitative score based on HLA Class I and II expression. RESULTS: The mucosal surface epithelium of the larynx stains 2+ or stronger for HLA Class I antigens and 1+ for Class II antigens. The deeper submucosal glands stain 1+ for Class I antigens and 2+ or stronger for Class II antigens. Thyroid cartilage showed 2+ or stronger staining of the chondrocytes for Class I antigens only. Thyroid follicular cells also stain only for Class I antigens. Perichondrium and Schwann cells of nerves stain stronger for Class I antigens than Class II antigens. Cartilage matrix, muscle cells, and axons of nerves do not stain for either class of antigens. Endothelium stains 3+ for both classes of antigens. CONCLUSIONS: The detailed distribution of major transplantation antigens in the human larynx is elucidated. Class II antigens implicated as initiators of organ transplant rejection were primarily found in 6 areas: mucosal surface epithelium, submucosal glands, ducts, vascular endothelium, perichondrium, and Schwann cells of nerves. The relevance of these findings to the initiation and detection of laryngeal allograft graft rejection is discussed.

Endothelium, Vascular↗

PubMed2006

Proprietary Rel-Ease drug delivery technology: opportunity for sustained delivery of peptides, proteins and small molecules.

Proprietary Rel-Ease (Praecis Pharmaceuticals) drug delivery technology uses biocompatible polymers as carriers to incorporate a drug into a polymer matrix through opposite charge interaction or complexation. The resulting low solubility complexes can be used to prepare sustained release depot injections or potentially sustained release formulations for oral administration. As a regulatory approved and commercialised drug delivery technology, Rel-Ease is used in abarelix for injectable suspension, a monthly depot injection for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer. The technology offers high drug loading and minimal-to-no initial burst effect in vivo. It uses aqueous processes and is compatible for complexation with many peptide and protein therapeutics; its mechanism can also be applied to many small-molecule therapeutics and offers conventional and alternative methods for sustained release delivery via an oral route.

Delayed-Action Preparations↗

PubMed2006

Species diversity of Lachnum (Helotiales, Hyaloscyphaceae) from temperate China.

Twenty-three temperate China species of Lachnum, Lachnum abnorme, L. angustum, L. brevipilosum, L. calosporum, L. calyculiforme, L. carneolum, L. ciliare, L. controversum, L. flavidulum, L. cf. fushanese, L. indicum, L. kumaonicum, L. lushanese, L. minutum, L. montanum, L. cf. pteridophyllum, L. pygmaeum, L. sclerotii var. sclerotii, L. sclerotii var. sichuanense, L. subpygmeaum, L. tenuissimum, L. virgineum and L. willisii are reported, whose main characteristics are given in a formula of the described species, some of which are discussed below.

Ascomycota↗

PubMed2005

Involvement of GIGANTEA gene in the regulation of the cold stress response in Arabidopsis.

The Arabidopsis GIGANTEA (GI) gene has been shown to regulate several developmental processes, including photoperiod-mediated flowering, phytochrome B signaling, circadian clock, and carbohydrate metabolism. However, little is known about the role of GI gene in mediating the cold stress response. Here, we show that GI gene is involved in mediating the cold stress response. GI gene was induced by cold stress, but not by salt, mannitol, and abscisic acid. Moreover, gi-3 plants showed an increased sensitivity to freezing stress. However, no significant differences were detected in the transcript levels of CBF genes CBF1, CBF2, and CBF3 as well as their targeted genes RD29A, COR15A, KIN1, and KIN2 between wild-type and gi-3 plants in response to cold stress. These results suggest that GI gene positively regulates freezing tolerance via a CBF-independent pathway. In addition, intermittent cold treatments had a greater effect on flowering time in gi-3 plants than that in wild-type plants, suggesting that there may be a link between flowering time and cold stress response through GI in Arabidopsis.

Abscisic Acid↗

PubMed2005

H1 family histones in the nucleus. Control of binding and localization by the C-terminal domain.

H1 histones bind to DNA as they enter and exit the nucleosome. H1 histones have a tripartite structure consisting of a short N-terminal domain, a highly conserved central globular domain, and a lysine-and arginine-rich C-terminal domain. The C-terminal domain comprises approximately half of the total amino acid content of the protein, is essential for the formation of compact chromatin structures, and contains the majority of the amino acid variations that define the individual histone H1 family members. This region contains several cell cycle-regulated phosphorylation sites and is thought to function through a charge-neutralization process, neutralizing the DNA phosphate backbone to allow chromatin compaction. In this study, we use fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to define the behavior of the individual histone H1 subtypes in vivo. We find that there are dramatic differences in the binding affinity of the individual histone H1 subtypes in vivo and differences in their preference for euchromatin and heterochromatin. Further, we show that subtype-specific properties originate with the C terminus and that the differences in histone H1 binding are not consistent with the relatively small changes in the net charge of the C-terminal domains.

Arginine↗

PubMed2005

Simultaneous analysis of piperacillin and tazobactam in rabbits: application to pharmacokinetic study.

A simple and rapid assay is developed for the simultaneous analysis of piperacillin and tazobactam in rabbit serum and tissue cage fluid (TCF). To eliminate endogenous interferences, a wavelength switch technique was applied, in which the programmable UV detector changed the monitoring wavelength from 218 to 254 nm at 10 min. After liquid-liquid extraction, sample analyses were performed on a C(18) column by gradient elution; the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and phosphate buffer (0.014 m, pH 2.4). Owing to the limited amount of rabbit TCF available, a cross-validation of a proxy matrix was evaluated. The relative standard deviation of the between- and within-batch precision of both compounds was less than 5.1%; the relative error of the between- and within-batch accuracy was less than 7.3%. The recoveries of both compounds in serum and TCF were larger than 80%. This assay was successfully applied to simultaneously analyze piperacillin and tazobactam in rabbit serum and TCF samples.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Systemic priming-boosting immunization with a trivalent plasmid DNA and inactivated murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) vaccine provides long-term protection against viral replication following systemic or mucosal MCMV challenge.

We previously demonstrated that vaccination of BALB/c mice with a pool of 13 plasmid DNAs (pDNAs) expressing murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) genes followed by formalin-inactivated MCMV (FI-MCMV) resulted in complete protection against viral replication in the spleen and salivary glands following sublethal intraperitoneal (i.p.) challenge. Here, we found that following intranasal (i.n.) challenge, titers of virus in the lungs of the immunized mice were reduced approximately 1,000-fold relative to those for mock-immunized controls. We next sought to extend these results and to determine whether similar protection levels could be achieved by priming with a pool of three pDNAs containing three key plasmids (IE1, M84, and gB). We found that the three-pDNA priming elicited IE1- and M84-p65-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes and, following FI-MCMV boost, high levels of virion-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and virus-neutralizing antibodies. When mice were i.n. challenged 4 months after the last boost, titers of virus in the lungs of immunized mice were reduced 1,000- to 2,000-fold from those for controls during the peak of viral replication. Additionally, titers of virus were either at or below the detection limits for the salivary glands, liver, and spleen of the majority of the immunized mice. Following sublethal i.p. challenge, virus was undetectable in all of the above target organs of the immunized mice. Virion-specific IgA in the lungs was consistently detected by day 6 post-i.n. challenge for the immunized mice and by day 14 for controls. These results demonstrate the immunity and high levels of protection of the priming-boosting vaccination against both systemic and mucosal challenge.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMed2005

[Digital geometry processing and its applications in maxilla and mandible reconstruction surgery].

A new method to fabricate exact-fit medical implants is proposed. Medical image processing and digital geometry processing are adopted for bone triangular mesh modeling from CT image series. After geometric operations such as decimation, defragmentation, cutting and mirroring are applied to the original triangular mesh, an RP model of same size as the bone is fabricated with LOM method. RP models are used for manufacturing exact-fit implants and they also serve surgery-guiding purpose. This novel technique has been applied in over 30 clinical cases, and it is proven to be practicable.

Humans↗

PubMed2004

MHC class II tetramers containing influenza hemagglutinin and EBV EBNA1 epitopes detect reliably specific CD4(+) T cells in healthy volunteers.

Tracking antigen specific T cells with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) tetramers has provided us with insights into the dynamics of the adaptive immune system and holds great promise to aid in patient management and drug and vaccine development. Progress has been made primarily using MHC class I tetramers to monitor CD8(+) T cells, whereas corresponding efforts to stain CD4(+) T cells with class II tetramers have not been as successful. Two major reasons have been proposed for this lack of progress: (1). The frequency of antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells is lower than the frequency of CD8(+) T cells and (2). some, but not all, antigen- specific CD4(+) T cells can bind tetramer because of low functional avidity. In this study, we asked if CD4(+) T cells specific for common human viruses (e.g., influenza and Epstein-Barr) can be detected in healthy individuals previously exposed to them. We were able to clearly detect specific CD4(+) T cells in all donors after in vitro expansion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, we observe a clear separation of tetramer negative and tetramer positive CD4(+) T cells in most samples similar to patterns commonly seen with class I tetramers. The data indicate that MHC class II tetramers can be used reliably for the identification of CD4(+) T cells specific for ubiquitous infectious agents in normal donors.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Multiple epitopes in the murine cytomegalovirus early gene product M84 are efficiently presented in infected primary macrophages and contribute to strong CD8+-T-lymphocyte responses and protection following DNA immunization.

We previously demonstrated that after vaccination of BALB/c mice with DNA encoding murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) IE1 or M84, a similar level of protection against MCMV infection was achieved. However, the percentage of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells elicited by IE1 was higher than that by M84 as measured by intracellular cytokine staining when splenocytes were stimulated with an epitope peptide (M. Ye at al., J. Virol. 76:2100-2112, 2002). We show here that after DNA vaccination with M84, a higher percentage of M84-specific CD8(+) T cells was detected when splenocytes were stimulated with J774 cells expressing full-length M84. When the defined M84 epitope 297-305 was deleted, the mutant DNA vaccine was still protective against MCMV replication and induced strong M84-specific CD8(+)-T-cell responses. The M84 gene was subsequently subcloned into three fragments encoding overlapping protein fragments. When mice were immunized with each of the M84 subfragment DNAs, at least two additional protective CD8(+)-T-cell epitopes were detected. In contrast to strong responses after DNA vaccination, M84-specific CD8(+)-T-cell responses were poorly induced during MCMV infection. The weak M84-specific response after MCMV infection was not due to poor antigen presentation in antigen-presenting cells, since both J774 macrophages and primary peritoneal macrophages infected with MCMV in vitro were able to efficiently and constitutively present M84-specific epitopes starting at the early phase of infection. These results indicate that antigen presentation by macrophages is not sufficient for M84-specific CD8(+)-T-cell responses during MCMV infection.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Minimizing central bile duct injury during radiofrequency ablation: use of intraductal chilled saline perfusion--initial observations from a study in pigs.

PURPOSE: To determine whether intraductal perfusion with chilled saline reduces thermal injury to bile ducts during radiofrequency (RF) ablation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In swine, anesthesia was induced and the common bile duct was surgically cannulated with a pediatric feeding tube. RF thermal lesions were created adjacent to bile ducts by using an expandable-hook 2-cm RF electrode and 90-W generator. In three pigs, chilled saline was perfused through the ducts at 1.5 L/h (26 mL/min), and in another pig, room-temperature saline was perfused at the same rate. In three pigs (control group), RF lesions were created without perfusion. After 48 hours, animals were sacrificed. Periductal sections from all animals were reviewed by a liver pathologist. The degree of injury to biliary epithelium and subepithelial glands was assessed on a scale of 0%-100%. Significance of differences between degrees of injury was assessed with the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: In the control group, there was a mean of 100% injury to biliary ductal epithelium and 99.3% to subepithelial ductal glands. In the room-temperature saline group, there was a mean of 100% biliary epithelial injury and 84.4% glandular injury. In the chilled saline group, there was a mean of 52.9% ductal epithelial injury and 12.1% subepithelial glandular injury. In comparison with the control group, there was significantly less (P <.05) thermal injury to biliary epithelium in the chilled saline group and to subepithelial glands in both the room-temperature and chilled saline perfusion groups. CONCLUSION: RF-induced bile duct injury may be decreased significantly with an intraductal infusion of chilled saline.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

[Digital model of human lower extremity musculature based on CT & MRI].

A new method to reconstruct comparatively complete muscle model of human lower limb from CT and MRI data is presented. Topological structure of more than fourteen muscles is built and the coordinates of origin and insertion points are given. Based on this model, straight-line model and centroid-line muscle model are acquired. Muscle force prediction is discussed according to the model reconstructed, and a multi-objective optimization method is put forward for evaluating muscle forces of human lower extremity.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

Modeling measured glottal volume velocity waveforms.

The source-filter theory of speech production describes a glottal energy source (volume velocity waveform) that is filtered by the vocal tract and radiates from the mouth as phonation. The characteristics of the volume velocity waveform, the source that drives phonation, have been estimated, but never directly measured at the glottis. To accomplish this measurement, constant temperature anemometer probes were used in an in vivo canine constant pressure model of phonation. A 3-probe array was positioned supraglottically, and an endoscopic camera was positioned subglottically. Simultaneous recordings of airflow velocity (using anemometry) and glottal area (using stroboscopy) were made in 3 animals. Glottal airflow velocities and areas were combined to produce direct measurements of glottal volume velocity waveforms. The anterior and middle parts of the glottis contributed significantly to the volume velocity waveform, with less contribution from the posterior part of the glottis. The measured volume velocity waveforms were successfully fitted to a well-known laryngeal airflow model. A noninvasive measured volume velocity waveform holds promise for future clinical use.

Air Movements↗

PubMed2003

Surgical anatomy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve: implications for laryngeal reinnervation.

Functional laryngeal reinnervation depends upon the precise reinnervation of the laryngeal abductor and adductor muscle groups. While simple end-to-end anastomosis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) main trunk results in synkinesis, functional reinnervation can be achieved by selective anastomosis of the abductor and adductor RLN divisions. Few previous studies have examined the intralaryngeal anatomy of the RLN to ascertain the characteristics that may lend themselves to laryngeal reinnervation. Ten human larynges without known laryngeal disorders were obtained from human cadavers for RLN microdissection. The bilateral intralaryngeal RLN branching patterns were determined, and the diameters and lengths of the abductor and adductor divisions were measured. The mean diameters of the abductor and adductor divisions were 0.8 and 0.7 mm, while their mean lengths were 5.7 and 6.1 mm, respectively. The abductor division usually consisted of one branch to the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle; however, in cases in which multiple branches were seen, at least one dominant branch could usually be identified. We conclude that the abductor and adductor divisions of the human RLN can be readily identified by an extralaryngeal approach. Several key landmarks aid in the identification of the branches to individual muscles. These data also indicate the feasibility of selective laryngeal reinnervation in patients who might be candidates for laryngeal transplantation after total laryngectomy.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

[Using laser scanning to 3-D reconstruct an ear model].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to get the ear data from a laser scanning so that a. STL file can be promoted though which a 3-d ear reconstruction can be held. METHODS: A laser scanning manufactured by France was used to get the data of an auricular model, then the data was turned into a. STL file so that a 3-d image of ear was got. RESULTS: The result shows that a 3-d ear reconstructed image can be got quickly and precisely. The digital image shows that the dimension, shape and long axis of the ear is really similar to the ear model. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that laser scanning is helpful and effective to get the data of ear. Through this method, it makes it possible to be ready for the technique of rapid prototyping and provide a new, convenient, effective and safe method to auricular prosthesis.

Ear, External↗

PubMed2003

[Celastrol in the inhibition of neovascularization].

OBJECTIVE: To study the inhibition effect of celastrol on neovascularization. METHODS: The effect of celastrol on the in vitro proliferation of endothelial cell of vessel (ECV) was examined by MTT assay. The effect of celastrol on endothelial cell migration, tube formation on Matrigel and Chick chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis was also examined. Matrigel plug assay was used to evaluate the effect of celastrol on angiogenesis in vivo. RESULTS: The proliferation of ECV was inhibited significantly by celastrol with IC(50) being 1.33 microg/ml. Celastrol inhibited endothelial cell migration and tube formation in a dose-dependent manner. Celastrol also inhibited angiogenesis both in Matrigel plug of mouse model and in chick chorioallantoic membranes. CONCLUSION: Celastrol, which can inhibit angiogenesis, could be developed as an antiangiogenic drug.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗