Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Q Hua.
Twelve cases of tumours of the nose and sinuses misdiagnosed at the first time as nasal polyp are reported. Of them, 4 were benign and 8 malignant. The endoscopic technique is helpful to differential diagnosis of benign or malignant lesions and polyps in these areas.
The health status of 623 elderly people aged 60 years and over in different residential areas of Beijing was investigated. Among them 289 lived in the Xuanwu district, an urban area, 194 lived in a suburb area of Beijing, the Daxing county and 140 lived in a mountain area of the Huairou county. It was found that the prevalence rates of overweight (BMI 24-27) and obesity (BMI > or = 28), hyperlipidemia and diabetes in urban residents were much higher than that in the suburb and mountain residents (P < 0.01 and 0.05, respectively). The rate of obesity is higher in female than in male (P < 0.05). The rates of overweight and obesity decreased with increase of age (P < 0.001). In subjects with overweight and obesity the rates of hyperlipidemia, hypertension and diabetes were higher than those in the subjects without (P < 0.001). The detected rates of coronary heart disease and calcified valvular heart disease between the four groups with different body weight did not differ significantly.
The chondrocyte pericellular matrix is an essential zone for cartilage matrix assembly and turnover. Electron micrographs of native endogenous and composition-defined exogenous pericellular matrices, both preserved via ruthenium hexaminetrichloride fixation procedures, depict strikingly similar networks of hyaluronan and proteoglycan extending out from the cell surface. Biochemical and morphological analyses of matrix regrowth show that monoclonal antibodies directed against the hyaluronan receptor CD44 blocked chondrocyte pericellular matrix assembly. Immunoperoxidase electron microscopy was used to display regular repeating spacing patterns of hyaluronan/proteoglycan assembly at the cell surface. These patterns compared well with the ultrastructural immunolocalization of CD44 at the cell surface. All of these data suggest that the hyaluronan receptor CD44 retains and participates in the assembly of the chondrocyte pericellular matrix.
Doppler echocardiographic atrial pacing stress tests were performed in 23 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 35 normal subjects. It was found that the peak flow velocity (PFV) through the mitral valve decreased at 160 beats per minute (BPM) during pacing in the CAD group (P less than 0.01), but no significant variation was seen in the normal group. No differences between the two groups were observed in 1/3 filling fraction (1/3 FF), total diastolic filling period (DFP) and the ratio of early diastolic filling period (EDFP) to DFP before pacing. However, 1/3 FF and DFP decreased and EDFP/DFP increased immediately following rapid pacing in the CAD group but did not change in the normal group (P less than 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001 respectively). The peak flow velocity during atrial contraction (APFV), time velocity integral during atrial contraction (ATVI) and the ratio of ATVI to total TVI (ATVI/TTVI) increased immediately following pacing in the CAD group. Using two of three indices--ATVI/TTVI more than 0.35, ATVI increase and 1/3 FF decrease immediately following pacing--as diagnostic criteria for CAD, the sensitivity was 86% and the specificity was 77%. It may be concluded that the Doppler echocardiographic atrial pacing stress test is a feasible and reliable method for detecting CAD.
Heart function and plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), plasma renin activity (PRA) and angiotension II (Ang II) were examined with echocardiography and radioimmunoassay in 9 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 41 with rheumatic heart disease (RHD), 29 with hyperthyroidism (Ht) and 24 normal subjects. ANP level was significantly increased as heart failure progressed (P < 0.01 and 0.001). There was negative correlation between ANP and left ventricular fractional shortening, and between ANP and ejection fraction in DCM and Ht groups. There was positive correlation between ANP and maximal left atrial diameter, right atrial area, and diastolic diameter or volume of left ventricle in DCM and RHD groups, and negative correlation between ANP and peak flow velocity in aorta or through mitral valve in DCM group (r = -0.608, P < 0.05 and r = 0.710, P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the stronger the myocardial contractility and the faster the blood flow, the lower the plasma ANP level.
Several studies have suggested that chondrocytes must have the capacity to internalize and degrade extracellular hyaluronan. In the present study we show direct evidence that hyaluronan is, in fact, endocytosed by chondrocytes and that the endocytosis is mediated via cell surface CD44/hyaluronan receptors. Cultures of bovine articular chondrocytes as well as rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes were incubated with either fluorescein- or 3H-labeled hyaluronan. Intense binding and accumulation of labeled hyaluronan was visualized by fluorescence microscopy or bright-field/dark-field microscopy following autoradiography. Cell surface hyaluronan was removed with either trypsin or Streptomyces hyaluronidase in order to distinguish and quantify intracellular endocytosed hyaluronan. Labeled hyaluronan was visualized within small discrete intracellular vesicles distributed throughout the cytoplasm. Binding and endocytosis of fluorescein- or 3H-labeled hyaluronan was totally blocked by the addition of excess unlabeled hyaluronan or hyaluronan hexasaccharides, competitive inhibitors of hyaluronan/hyaluronan receptor interactions. Binding and endocytosis was also blocked by the addition of anti-CD44 monoclonal antibodies. Characterization of endocytosed 3H-labeled hyaluronan demonstrated that a significant portion of the hyaluronan was degraded by both the bovine articular and rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes. Interestingly, a higher proportion of bound hyaluronan was internalized by the bovine chondrocytes. Therefore, hyaluronan receptor-mediated endocytosis and degradation of hyaluronan may provide a critical link to the maintenance and homeostasis of cartilage tissue.
Through ecological investigations and experimental studies, it has been shown that C. volvatus is a fungus growing on decaying matter; the carbon source of culture medium comes from glucose, honey, fructose, mannitol, etc; and its nitrogen source from peptone, yeast powder, etc. The best ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N) is 20-25: 1, optimum pH 5.5-6.5 and optimal temperature 25-30 degrees C.
Doppler echocardiographic transesophageal atrial pacing stress test was performed in 23 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 35 normal subjects. It was found that 1/3 filling fraction (1/3 FF) decreased and peak flow velocity of atrial contraction (APFV), time velocity integral of atrial contraction (ATVI) and the ratio of ATVI to total TVI (ATVI/TTVI) increased immediately after rapid atrial pacing in CAD group. No differences were found between before and after pacing in normal group. Using 2 of the 3 criteria ATVI/TTVI greater than 0.35, ATVI increases and 1/3 FF decreases after pacing as the criteria for diagnosis in CAD, the sensitivity was 86% and specificity was 77%. Thus, Doppler echocardiographic transesophageal atrial pacing stress test may be a feasible, reliable and noninvasive method in detecting CAD.
17 patients with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) and 8 with diastolic hypertension (DH) were treated with 10 mg of nifedipine sublingually. In ISH group the blood pressure decreased on the average from 180.2/87.4 to 166.2/84.2, 161.9/82.6, 163.4/83.7 mmHg after 5.20 and 60 minutes, while in DH group the blood pressure decreased on the average from 139.2/102.0 to 138.0/100.0, 137.6/97.6, 134.4/97.2 mmHg. With pulsed Doppler echocardiography, we found that early diastolic time-velocity integral increased (P less than 0.001) and E time prolonged (P less than 0.01) after 20 and 60 minutes in ISH group; and 1/3 filling fraction increased (P less than 0.05) after 20 minutes in DH group. With M-mode echocardiography we found that cardiac index and ejection fraction were improved in both groups. No obvious side effects were noted. From above-mentioned findings we are of the opinion that sublingual nifedipine is effective in reducing blood pressure and improving left ventricular performance especially in ISH patients.
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The effects of glucose, vitamins, and DO concentrations on efficient pyruvic acid fermentation were investigated using Torulopsis glabrata IFO 0005, and a novel biphasic culture method was developed on the basis of the metabolic flux analysis. T. glabrata requires the four vitamins nicotinic acid (NA), thiamine hydrochloride (B(1)), pyridoxine hydrochloride, and biotin for cell growth. The deficiency of these vitamins plays an essential role in pyruvate fermentation. In the present study, we considered the effects of the first two vitamins on the pyruvate fermentation. On the basis of several batch and fed-batch experiments, it was found that, as a result of glucose inhibition of cell growth, the initial glucose concentration should be around 30-40 g/L, and the glucose concentration during fermentation should be controlled at high level around 30 g/L. On the basis of an analysis of carbon flux distribution, a biphasic fermentation method was developed where the cultivation started with a high DO (at 40-50% of air saturation) for efficient cell growth and then was reduced to 5-10% for efficient pyruvate production. Since a fair amount of ethanol was formed when the DO concentration was decreased, the addition of NA turned out to be effective in reducing the ethanol formation. This may be due to a relaxing of the requirement for NADH oxidation by the alcohol dehydrogenase pathway. Since B(1) affects both the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and pyruvate decarboxylase, its initial concentration must be carefully determined by considering both the cell growth and pyruvate production phases.