Biomedical subjects

P Chou

Publications and source records attributed to P Chou.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Adenomyosis and risk of preterm delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of preterm delivery in patients with adenomyosis. DESIGN: A 1:2 nested case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary-care institution. POPULATION: A base cohort population of 2138 pregnant women who attended routine prenatal check-up between July 1999 and June 2005. METHODS: From this base cohort population, gravid women with singleton pregnancy who delivered prior to the completion of 37 weeks of gestation were identified and formed the study group. Singleton gravid women who had term delivery and who matched with age, body mass index, smoking, and status of previous preterm delivery were recruited concurrently and served as control group. Preterm delivery cases were further divided into spontaneous preterm delivery and preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) cases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk analysis of preterm delivery between gravid women with and without adenomyosis. RESULTS: One-hundred and four preterm delivery case subjects and 208 control subjects were assessed. Overall, gravid women with adenomyosis were associated with significantly increased risk of preterm delivery (adjusted odds ratio 1.96, 95% CI 1.23-4.47, P=0.022). For subgroup analysis, gravid women with adenomyosis had an adjusted 1.84-fold risk of spontaneous preterm delivery (95% CI 1.32-4.31, P=0.012) and an adjusted 1.98-fold risk of PPROM (95% CI 1.39-3.15, P=0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Gravid women with adenomyosis were associated with increased risk of both spontaneous preterm delivery and PPROM. A common pathophysiological pathway may exist in these two disorders. Further in-depth biochemical and molecular studies are necessary to explore this phenomenon.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of perforation risk among physicians, other medical professionals and general adults with acute appendicitis in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the risk of appendiceal perforation among physicians, other medical professionals and general adults, when hospitalized for acute appendicitis. METHODS: National population-based data for 92 143 patients with acute appendicitis, aged 20 years or more, who underwent appendicectomy or drainage of an appendiceal abscess in Taiwan from 1996 to 2001 were analysed retrospectively. The outcome measure was appendiceal perforation. Patients were categorized as physicians (Western medical doctors), other medical professionals (such as dentists or nurses) or general adults (not medical professionals). Adjusted odds ratios and 95 per cent confidence intervals (c.i.) were estimated by multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis showed that appendiceal perforation was 0.67 (95 per cent c.i. 0.46 to 0.96) and 0.78 (95 per cent c.i. 0.62 to 0.99) times less likely in physicians and other medical professionals respectively than in general adults, after adjusting for patient and admitting hospital characteristics, and for calendar year. CONCLUSION: The risk of perforation was significantly lower among physicians and other medical professionals than in general adults. Medical knowledge, familiarity with the healthcare system and better patient-doctor communication may have been contributory factors.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Fully automated large-scale assessment of visceral and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue by magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate a fully automated method for characterizing abdominal adipose tissue from magnetic resonance (MR) transverse body scans. METHODS: Four MR pulse sequences were applied: SE, FLAIR, STIR, and FRFSE. On 39 subjects, each abdomen was traversed by 15 contiguous transaxial images. The total abdominal adipose tissue (TAAT) was calculated from thresholds obtained by slice histogram analysis. The same thresholds were also used in the manual volume calculation of TAAT, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) and visceral abdominal adipose tissue (VAAT). Image segmentation methods, including edge detection, mathematical morphology, and knowledge-based curve fitting, were used to automatically separate SAAT from VAAT in various 'nonstandard' cases such as those with heterogeneous magnetic fields and movement artefacts. RESULTS: The percentage root mean squared errors of the method for SAAT and VAAT ranged from 1.0 to 2.7% for the four sequences. It took approximately 7 and 15 min to complete the 15-slice volume estimation of the three adipose tissue classes using automated and manual methods, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that the proposed method is robust and accurate. Although the separation of SAAT and VAAT is not always perfect, this method could be especially helpful in dealing with large amounts of data such as in epidemiological studies.

Abdominal Fat↗

PubMed2006

A comparative efficacy and safety study of long-acting risperidone injection and risperidone oral tablets among hospitalized patients: 12-week randomized, single-blind study.

OBJECTIVE: The superiority of risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) over oral typical and atypical antipsychotics demonstrated in previous studies may be related to the improved drug compliance. The aim of the 12-week randomized, single-blind study was to test whether the superiority of RLAI remained among hospitalized patients that drug compliance could be optimally controlled. METHODS: Fifty hospitalized stable schizophrenic patients, who had maintained on oral risperidone for more than 3 months, were randomized to the RLAI and oral risperidone group. Finally 49 patients (98 %) completed the study, and no dose change of oral risperidone, or RLAI was noted among all patients. RESULTS: The RLAI group showed significantly increased positive score of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) than the risperidone group (0.72 +/- 3.52 vs. -1.24 +/- 3.81, p = 0.022), but without significance difference for the PANSS total, negative and general psychopathology scores. The RLAI group also showed a significantly improved Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) Scale (p = 0.037), social life domains of Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) (p = 0.011), and reduced prolactin level (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that with optimal controlling of drug compliance among hospitalized patients, RLAI showed no benefit of efficacy over oral risperidone, but with advantages of improved side-effect profiles, social life ratings, and reduced prolactin levels.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed2006

Shock resuscitation with acupuncture: case report.

A 77 year old aboriginal woman in an isolated village became drowsy and shocked. Poor weather conditions delayed the arrival of the medical and support team--the roads had been seriously destroyed by torrential rains and helicopter was the only means for delivering critical medical care and support. While waiting for the arrival of the helicopter, and in the absence of the necessary emergency medical equipment, the patient's condition deteriorated. Administration of persistent emergency acupuncture stimulation for 80 minutes helped maintain the patient's vital signs until successful transfer of the patient to hospital. She recovered without any complications of shock and was discharged six days later.

Acupuncture Points↗

PubMed2005

Impact of stereopsis on quality of life.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of stereopsis on vision-related quality of life and general health status of the elderly. METHODS: A quota of 200 subjects aged 65 years or older and had their households registered in Guando district was recruited for a general physical examination including ophthalmic evaluation. A structured questionnaire consisting of seven vision-specific items as well as 36-item short-form survey of the Medical Outcomes Study (SF-36) was administered. Stereoscopic level was divided into three groups: no stereopsis, gross stereopsis, and fine stereopsis. Fisher's exact test was used to detect any difference in subjective visual functioning and Mann-Whitney U test was used for analyses of SF-36 scores. RESULTS: A total of 187 volunteers were recruited and 150 were analysed for stereoscopic levels. There was no significant difference in vision-specific difficulty among the three stereoscopic groups. For SF-36, having no stereopsis scored significantly less than having gross (P=0.005) and fine (P<0.0001) stereopsis in the vitality/energy dimension. General health perception dimension fared significantly lower in the group with no stereopsis compared to the fine stereoscopic group (P=0.01). In multivariate analysis, having fine stereopsis scored significantly higher in the energy/vitality dimension than having no stereopsis (P=0.02). On the other hand, visual impairment imposed significant adverse effect on five vision-specific items and had no significant relationship with the eight dimensions of SF-36. CONCLUSIONS: Defective stereopsis in the elderly imposes no significant adverse effect on vision-related quality of life. However, subjects may feel more exhausted in accomplishing their usual tasks.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

Effects of electroacupuncture in reducing weight and waist circumference in obese women: a randomized crossover trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of weight control on simple obese women between electroacupuncture and sit-up exercise. DESIGN: Randomized and crossover trial conducted from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002. The subjects were randomly divided into groups A and B. Group A received electroacupuncture treatment first while group B received sit-up exercise treatment first. After 6 weeks of treatment and 7 days of washout, group A switched to sit-up exercise treatment and group B received electroacupuncture treatment for another 6 weeks. PATIENTS: In total, 54 simple obese women, with waist circumference (WC)>90 cm and body mass index (BMI)>30 kg/m(2), and who had not received any other weight control maneuver within the last 3 months. MEASUREMENT: The measurements of body weight (BW), BMI and WC were performed at the beginning, 6, 8 and 13 weeks. The data at different time periods were compared and expressed as % reductions. RESULTS: Electroacupuncture (n=46) showed significant differences in the % reductions in BW (P=0.001), BMI (P=0.003) and WC (P=0.005) compared with sit-up exercise. At the end of 13 weeks, there were no significant difference between groups A (n=24) and B (n=22) in all the measurements. At the end of the study, groups A and B showed significant differences in the % reductions in BW (P=0.004; 0.001), BMI (P=0.003; 0.021) and WC (P< or =0.001; 0.001) compared with the initial values. CONCLUSIONS: Electroacupuncture treatment is more effective than sit-up exercise in reducing weight and WC, making it an alternative treatment option for weight and WC control on obese women.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The relationship between quality of life and psychiatric impairment for a Taiwanese community post-earthquake.

This purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between quality of life and psychiatric impairment in a Taiwanese community located near the epicenter of the 1999 earthquake, as assessed four to six months after the natural catastrophe. Trained assistants interviewed the 4223 respondents using the disaster-related psychological screening test (DRPST), an instrument specifically designed and validated by senior psychiatrists for assessment of psychiatric impairment after natural catastrophe. Additionally, the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate quality of life. The collected results were analyzed using Windows SPSS 10.0 software. Psychiatric impairment rated moderate to severe was assessed for 1448 (34.3%) of the responding residents. The 4223 respondents were divided into 4 psychiatric-impairment groups based on DPRST score: healthy (n = 952); mild impairment (n = 1823); moderate impairment (n = 1126); and, severe impairment (n = 322). The four groups were compared for a number of salient factors, including gender, age, current marital status and psychiatric-impairment score, to determine impact on quality of life. Respondents assessed as psychiatrically impaired tended to be older, female, divorced/widowed, and less educated, and they were more likely to have experienced major familial financial loss as an immediate consequence of the earthquake. Further, the greater the severity of the psychiatric impairment, the lower the scores for quality of life, for both the physical and mental aspects of this important general indicator.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

The impact of visual impairment and use of eye services on health-related quality of life among the elderly in Taiwan: the Shihpai Eye Study.

To evaluate the effect of impaired vision on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), the authors administered the Medical Outcomes Survey Short-Form 36 (SF-36) to the elderly in a metropolitan Taiwanese community and assessed their visual impairment status. A structured questionnaire was used for door-to-door data collection. Interviewers also collected information on demographics, medical history, and HRQoL. Those who were interviewed were invited to the study hospital for a detailed eye examination. An eye examination, including presenting visual acuity and best-corrected visual acuity, was conducted by ophthalmologists. Presenting visual acuity and best-corrected visual acuity were measured in the better eye. Impaired vision was defined as presenting visual acuity in the better-seeing eye worse than 6/12 (or 20/40) and was used to evaluate the correlation to HRQoL. A total of 1361 subjects at least 65 years of age participated in both the interview and eye examination. Internal-consistency and test-retest reliability of the eight scales were high. Based on the separate multiple regression model, after controlling for all other covariates, subjects in contact with vision services offered by an ophthalmologist had more positive scores on general health perceptions (beta = 4.29; p < 0.001), vitality/energy (beta = 2.73; p < 0.001), and mental health (beta = 2.06; p = 0.01). Impaired vision was associated with significantly lower scores in physical functioning (beta = -3.62; p < 0.001) and social functioning scales (beta = -3.25; p = 0.015). The findings suggest that visual impairment is associated with lower quality of life and use of eye care services is associated with higher quality of life.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Impact of the high-risk and mass strategies on hypertension control and stroke mortality in primary health care.

Stroke has been the second leading cause of death in Taiwan in recent years. Following a 6-month pilot study in Yu-Chi in 1993, a 3.5-year hypertension control programme was performed to examine the effectiveness of combined high-risk and mass strategies in a rural community with limited medical resources. All Yu-Chi residents aged 40 years and older were invited to participate in the programme. The high-risk strategies included hypertension screening, home visits, and follow-up for the hypertensives. The mass strategies included health education and village-based campaigns. Changes over time in the participants' hypertension knowledge, behaviour, and blood pressure control status were evaluated. A comparison of the stroke mortality between the intervention community and a neighbourhood reference community before and after the intervention programme was performed. A total of 4977 residents were screened and 3761 completed the first and second rescreening. The hypertension knowledge and behaviour scores in the hypertensives significantly improved, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and waist-to-hip ratio significantly reduced, and the rates of hypertension treatment and control increased significantly at 1 and 3.5 years after intervention. In contrast, blood pressure levels increased significantly in the normotensives. Between 1994 and 1997, stroke mortality rate decreased by 39.9 and 4.8% in the intervention and reference communities, respectively. The results indicated that the community-based hypertension control programme was effective. The immediate decline in stroke mortality appeared to be mostly related to the high-risk strategies.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Intrinsic stability of an unconstrained metacarpophalangeal joint implant.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the intrinsic stability of an unconstrained resurfacing metacarpophalangeal arthroplasty to that of a normal human cadaveric joint. DESIGN: Cadaveric joints and metacarpophalangeal prostheses were studied in a mechanical testing machine at different angles and axial loads to determine the stability ratio in eight directions of movement. BACKGROUND: An unconstrained resurfacing arthroplasty was designed to replicate the normal anatomy with the exception of the proximal component having a greater arc of curvature on its dorsal aspect. METHODS: Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric joints and five different sizes of the AVANTA metacarpophalangeal prosthesis were studied at 0 degrees, 45 degrees and 90 degrees angles of flexion and at eight different directions of motion with three different axial loads (0, 20, 40 N). A 6-component load cell measured the force needed to sublux the joint. The stability ratio was the measured outcome and is defined as ratio of the force of subluxation to the axial force. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The unconstrained resurfacing arthroplasty has more intrinsic stability than the cadaveric metacarpophalangeal joint in all eight directions tested. RELEVANCE: A major complication of metacarpophalangeal implants is ulnopalmar subluxation. The AVANTA implant is designed to decrease the risk of ulnopalmar subluxation by having a greater arc of curvature on the dorsal aspect of the proximal component. This study shows that the designed implant has greater stability due to the geometry of the implant compared to that of the anatomical joint.

Arthroplasty↗

PubMed2002

Evaluation of mixed hematopoietic chimerism in pediatric patients with leukemia after allogeneic stem cell transplantation by quantitative PCR analysis of variable number of tandem repeat and testis determination gene.

In order to monitor the clinical outcome of pediatric patients with leukemia following allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation, tests of variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) and sex determination by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed. PCR results combined with the blast counts from 21 leukemia patients were analyzed. Complete chimerism (100% donor cells) was found in 15 cases with remission, and incomplete chimerism in six cases with relapse. In the majority of cases, complete chimerism was always associated with no detectable blasts, while blasts were often detected in association with incomplete chimerism. There is significant correlation (P<0.0001) between the percentage of donor DNA and blast percentage in these patients. Early detection of incomplete chimerism may therefore predict a poor prognosis. In one patient (case 15), a differing percentage of donor DNA was observed between samples of bone marrow and peripheral blood collected on the same day. This may be due to the fact that allogeneic stem cells proliferate at different rates depending on their environment (bone marrow or peripheral blood). In addition, 100% donor cells found in the peripheral blood may not reflect the number of cells in the bone marrow. In case 17, asynchronous engraftment of donor cells was present between the white and red blood cell lineages, indicating that the degree of chimerism may not be the same in all cell lineages. At the time of this report, the significance of this observation is unknown and needs further investigation.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Using the prevalence of an elevated serum alanine aminotransferase level for identifying communities with a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) is a widely accepted method for the diagnosis of HCV infection. However, it is too expensive to use in large-scale health surveys. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the use of the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level to predict the prevalence of HCV infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A sample of 6095 residents aged 35 years old or older in a small township of southern Taiwan, Republic of China, were examined in a community health survey. These persons were walk-ins to the government-sponsored stations after an intensive health promotion for this survey. Blood samples were obtained and analyzed for serum ALT levels. The presence of hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-HCV were determined by enzyme immunoassay methods. RESULTS: The overall prevalences of hepatitis B surface antigens(+), anti-HCV(+), and elevated ALT levels were 11.8%, 15.0%, and 7.5%, respectively. Among the 13 villages in this community, the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen(+) ranged from 6.8% to 17.3%, anti-HCV(+) ranged from 7.2% to 37.6%, and an elevated ALT level ranged from 5.8% to 16.5%. A strong positive correlation was found between the prevalence of an elevated ALT level and anti-HCV(+) (r= 0.91, Spearman rank correlation; P<.001). However, nearly 0 correlation (r= -0.05, P=.87) was obtained between the prevalence of an elevated serum ALT level and hepatitis B surface antigen(+). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of an elevated serum ALT level in a community is a strong indicator of its prevalence of anti-HCV(+), even in areas where there is a similar prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection. This result is useful for economically identifying hyperendemic communities with HCV infection.

Alanine Transaminase↗

PubMed2001

Epidemiology of type 2 diabetes in Taiwan.

In the face of the growing worldwide prevalence of type 2 diabetes, effective methods of preventing further increases in prevalence are needed. In this paper, we review the community-based epidemiologic studies of diabetes in Taiwan published during the last decade, and look at the effectiveness of a two-stage screening protocol for identifying subjects at risk for progression to type 2 diabetes. The results of these studies indicate that the age-adjusted prevalence rate of undiagnosed diabetes in Taiwan is stable, at around 4.0%, while the annual incidence rate is about 1.8%. The results of several studies strongly suggest that a two-step screening strategy, in which only subjects with a fasting plasma glucose level of 5.6-7.8 mmol/l receive the oral glucose tolerance test, may be an effective means of identifying diabetics and persons at high risk for progression to type 2 diabetes and, ultimately, slowing the increase in the prevalence of this disease.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2↗

PubMed2001

Direct costs-of-illness of patients with diabetes mellitus in Taiwan.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the characteristics of healthcare costs for diabetic patients in Taiwan. The study analyzed claim data from the Bureau of National Health Insurance for the period from July 1997 to June 1998. There were 536159 documented diabetic patients who were treated within the universal healthcare system in Taiwan during this study period. The annual number of visits of these diabetic patients was 6.2% of the total outpatient visits of all patients due to all causes during the one-year study period. Diabetes-related problems were the causes of 25.2% of outpatient visits among diabetic patients, while 74.8% of visits were for causes unrelated to diabetes. The distribution of treatment for the diabetic patients was by oral hypoglycemic agents 88.3%, insulin only 6.9%, and a combination of insulin and oral agents 4.8%. Diabetic patients accounted for 4,724,711 hospital inpatient days during the study period, which was 22.1% of the total inpatient days in Taiwan. Of the inpatient admissions, 13.9% were for diabetes as the principal cause, 23.4% were for diabetes-related disease, and 62.7% were for causes unrelated to diabetes. The direct costs of healthcare for the documented diabetic patients was 11.5% of the total costs of healthcare in Taiwan, and was 4.3 times higher than the average costs of care for non-diabetic individuals.

Ambulatory Care↗

PubMed2001

The impact of years since menopause on the development of impaired glucose tolerance.

This is a community-based population survey carried out by the Yang-Ming Crusade to investigate the impact of years since menopause on the development of glucose intolerance in post-menopausal women. A total of 5412 women were screened with fasting plasma glucose. Those with fasting plasma glucose levels between 5.5 and 7.8 mM were given an oral glucose tolerance test. Among the 5412 women screened, 2039 (37.7%) were post-menopausal with a median age at menopause of 49 years. Pre-menopausal women showed impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes mellitus (DM) prevalences of 3.7% and 3.1% respectively, whereas the corresponding figures for post-menopausal women were 8.4% and 17.6%, respectively. Comparing DM versus normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and IGT versus NGT as dependent variables in logistic regression analysis, menopause status was significantly associated with DM and IGT. In post-menopausal women, after maintaining body mass index, waist-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, family history of DM, age at menopause, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides as controls, years since menopause was the only significant factor associated with IGT (OR = 1.05, 95%CI 1.01-1.08) and years since menopause was not associated with DM. Further analysis indicated years since menopause (OR = 1.06, 95%CI, 1.01-1.11) was the only factor significantly associated with IGT for women whose age at menopause was greater than 49 years. Our study indicates that in subjects who have not undergone hormone replacement therapy and whose age at menopause is greater than 49 years, an increase in years since menopause confers a negative influence on glucose tolerance and increases the risk of IGT by 6% for each year after menopause.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Characteristics of males who father babies born to adolescents versus older adult women in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: To identify characteristics of males who father babies born to adolescent mothers in southern Taiwan. METHODS: This was a population-based cross-sectional study of male partners of 1,145 primigravidas (555 adolescent primigravidas and 590 adults) in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, which compared their reports of their male partners' characteristics. Data were collected by a questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, health behavior problems, and attitudes toward the pregnancy. RESULTS: In multiple logistic regression analyses, the males who father babies born to adolescent primigravidas achieved a lower level of education; a greater age discrepancy between themselves and the mothers; a greater unemployment rate; less financial independence; more smoking, drinking, and drug abuse; less supportive attitude toward pregnancy; poorer attendance at childbirth; less provision of postpartum care for mothers and infants; and greater domestic violence than adult primigravidas (p < .05). These negative findings persist even after stratification by age discrepancy. Male partners of the adolescent mothers with an age difference of 5 years or more were more likely to report drug abuse and domestic violence than those of adult primigravidas. CONCLUSIONS: Males who father babies born to adolescent primigravidas were found to have many negative characteristics that place their partners and offspring at risk. Questions asked of or about the father of the baby during prenatal visits may help identify pregnant adolescents who need support during pregnancy and after delivery.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Treatment of the T98G glioblastoma cell line with antisense oligonucleotides directed toward mRNA encoding transforming growth factor-alpha and the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Antisense oligonucleotides (oligos) complementary to mRNA encoding transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and its target, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are efficacious against human prostate and breast cancers carried in athymic nude mice. Glioblastomas, also regulated by EGFR expression, would appear to be similarly susceptible, and we now employ them against the T98G tumor model. T98G cells were distributed into wells and allowed to adhere prior to addition of oligos (12.5 microM) directed against TGF-alpha and/or EGFR for 6 d of treatment before thymidine radiolabeling. Supplemental media and oligos (25 microM final concentration) were added after d 3. Statistically significant inhibition by oligos directed against TGF-alpha, EGFR, and their combination was 13.8%, 26.3%, and 18.1%, respectively. In a subsequent experiment cells were incubated with increasing amounts of each oligo and their combination for 3 d prior to radiolabeling. Statistically significant inhibition of growth for either oligo at every concentration was found. Cells incubated with 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 microM antisense directed against TGF-alpha had a mean inhibition of 29.3%, 33.3%, 21.7%, and 46.6%, respectively. Cells similarly treated with oligos against EGFR had a mean inhibition of 77.9%, 80.3%, 82.0%, and 83.7%, respectively, and cells incubated with 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 50 microM of each oligo had a mean inhibition of 74.7%, 70.6%, 70.8%, and 76.3%, respectively. Lastly, in a paired experiment, cells treated with 0, 0.39, 0.78, 1.56, 3.125, and 6.25 microM of oligos, either specifically directed against EGFR or a random control, for 3 d were evaluated for both thymidine incorporation and EGFR expression. Statistically significant inhibition of 3H-thymidine incorporation was seen in cells with the oligo specifically directed against EGFR at 3.125 microM and 6.25 microM when compared to non-oligo containing controls. This was accompanied by a comparable significantly decreased expression of a low-MW reactive derivative of EGFR at 3.125 microM and 6.25 microM in Western blots, and of a high-MW reactive EGFR at 6.25 microM. The significant effect against high-MW EGFR was observed vs both the non-oligo containing control and the random sequence. Oligo concentrations between 0.78 and 1.5 microM also resulted in decreased expression of the low-MW form, but not significant differences in thymidine radiolabeling. In recovery experiments, cells treated initially with greater oligo concentrations required significantly increased time to recover, particularly in cells treated with EGFR directed oligos. Intracellular uptake and nuclear localization was demonstrated with FITC tagged oligos. In summary, even at relatively low oligo concentrations and short exposure, oligos against TGF-alpha, and particularly EGFR, significantly inhibit in vitro growth of the T98G glioblastoma, possibly mediated by decreased EGFR expression.

Blotting, Western↗