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Biomedical subjects

T Chao

Publications and source records attributed to T Chao.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Pulmonary function during exercise in obese children.

BACKGROUND: Obesity imposes additional stress to ventilation during exercise. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pulmonary function changes with graded exercise and the habitual level of physical activity in obese children. METHODS: This study recruited 42 obese and 10 normal students, aged 11, from Tamsui Elementary School. Measurements of cardiopulmonary fitness were recorded after a jump rope test. Height, weight and body mass indices were determined before testing. RESULTS: A significant correlation was found between triceps skin-fold thickness and the body mass index (BMI; r = 0.65, p < 0.05). Blood systolic pressure significantly increased in the obese subjects in their post-exercise test. There was no significant difference between the obese and the non-obese groups in any of the lung function test measurements. Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Physiologic responses are not sufficiently different from between the obese subjects and the non-obese children. We should pay more attention to fostering confidence in the obese child exercise.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1996

Paraplegia following post-traumatic thoracic spinal stenosis: a case report.

Compromise of the spinal canal and its neural elements is a well-recognized pathological entity affecting the lumbar or cervical spine. Thoracic stenosis in the absence of a generalized rheumatological, orthopedic, or metabolic disorder is rare. The authors report a case of progressive thoracic myelopathy leading to paraplegia following severe thoracic spinal stenosis secondary to post-traumatic hypertrophy of thoracic laminae and ossification of the ligamentum flavum and posterior longitudinal ligament.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of radioisotopic and ultrasonic scanning in the evaluation of neonatal hypothyroidism.

BACKGROUND: Technetium-99m pertechnetate (Tc-99m) scan is presently the best diagnostic modality to delineate the anatomy of the neonatal thyroid. Because several factors will inhibit Tc-99m uptake in a normal thyroid gland and the Tc-99m scan requires expensive equipment and sometimes raises fear of radiation in parents, the ultrasonography might be an important complementary method for neonatal thyroid disorders. We described our experience with ultrasonography of the thyroid in 52 infants with suspected congenital hypothyroidism to compare the results obtained by using Tc-99m imaging in the same infants. METHODS: From Dec. 1991 to May 1992, 52 neonates with suspected congenital hypothyroidism by newborn screening were referred to Veterans General Hospital-Taipei for confirmatory diagnoses. All of them were investigated with Tc-99m and ultrasonography of the thyroid gland. Results of Tc-99m scan and ultrasonography were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The ultrasonography failed to identify any ectopic gland and all cases were misinterpreted as hypoplasia or hemiagenesis of thyroid gland, but it never misinterpreted them as normal thyroid glands. The ultrasound never misinterpreted normal thyroid gland, while the Tc-99m scan misguided a normal gland as an athyreotic gland. CONCLUSIONS: The ultrasonography may be adopted as the first line image examination for the babies with suspected congenital hypothyroidism. If sonography shows abnormal thyroid gland such as hypoplasia, hemiagenesis or agenesis, the isotopic scan may be a good complementary method to confirm the diagnosis.

Female↗
PubMed1992

Amplitude spectra of natural images.

Several studies have suggested that the amplitude spectra of photographs of natural scenes are remarkably similar and have the form: amplitude varies; is directly proportional to spatial frequency-1.0. This is, of course, a straight line with slope of -1.0 when plotted on double logarithmic coordinates. We have examined the amplitude spectra of 135 digitized photographs of natural scenes and have found that relatively few images conform exactly to the suggestion. About 25% of the images in our sample have spectra which show significant curvature when plotted on log-log coordinates. The best-fitting regression lines have slopes that range from -0.8 to -1.5; the average slope is -1.2, rather steeper than previously suggested.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of a once-a-day theophylline preparation in asthmatic children.

We conducted a study to evaluate the serum theophylline concentrations and dose interval of Theolan preparation in asthmatic children. A series of serum theophylline levels were measured both in 10 asthmatic children taking Theolan once a day and 9 children twice a day. In the once-a-day group, the peak serum theophylline level was greater than 20 micrograms/ml; whereas, in the twice-a-day group, it was mostly between 10 and 20 micrograms/ml. The difference of the peak-to-trough was more fluctuant in the once-a-day group than in the twice-a-day group. These results suggest that Theolan given once a day in the evening can be useful in the management of nocturnal asthma; however, it was difficult for once-a-day administration of Theolan to sustain rigid therapeutic serum theophylline levels. Because of rapid metabolism in children, they may require a more frequent interval than once-a-day dosing to suppress the symptoms of chronic asthma.

Asthma↗
PubMed1992

Class IV lupus nephritis associated with Graves' disease.

Graves' disease was initially diagnosed in an 11-year-old Chinese boy in March 1989. After regular propylthiouracil (PTU) and thyroxine, he achieved a euthyroid state. Heavy proteinuria with class IV lupus glomerulonephritis, anemia, arthralgia, low serum complement and anti-dsDNA (+) appeared 15 months later. Thyrotoxicosis also relapsed at this time. His condition fitted the diagnostic criteria of systemic lupus erythematosus. His antimicrosomal antibody titer was 1:1,600 (+) thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody level was strongly positive, and the titer of antiinsulin antibody was high as well. These clinical, laboratory and histological findings indicate that class IV lupus nephritis may be associated with Graves' disease.

Carbimazole↗
PubMed1989

Endothelin stimulates a sustained 1,2-diacylglycerol increase and protein kinase C activation in bovine aortic smooth muscle cells.

Endothelin is a long-lasting potent vasoconstrictor peptide. We report here that in bovine aortic smooth muscle cells, endothelin biphasically increased total cellular diacylglycerol (DAG) content. When cellular DAG was labeled with [14C] glycerol for 48h, endothelin stimulated [14C]DAG formation in a biphasic pattern. Only one prolonged phase of DAG accumulation was observed when cells were labeled with [3H]glycerol for 2 h. Endothelin induced an increase in the membranous protein kinase C (PKC) activities, which lasted for more than 20 min. These data suggest that (i) endothelin stimulates a sustained generation of DAG, (ii) this accumulation of DAG results in a sustained translocation of cytosolic PKC activities to the membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Characterization of endothelin receptors and effects of endothelin on diacylglycerol and protein kinase C in retinal capillary pericytes.

Retinal capillary pericyte is a cell type selectively lost in early diabetic retinopathy. The physiological function of pericytes is not yet clearly identified, although it probably has contractile properties. We determined the specific binding of endothelin 1, a 21-amino acid peptide with potent vasoconstrictive action, and the stimulation of diacylglycerol/protein kinase C (DAG/PKC) pathway in cultured retinal capillary pericytes by endothelin. A single specific binding site for 125I-labeled endothelin was identified, with an apparent Kd of 1.3 nM and a maximal binding capacity of approximately 1-2 x 10(5) sites/cell. Endothelin (100 nM) increased total cellular DAG content by 15% at 5 min and 24% at 10 min. When pericytes were labeled isotopically with [3H]glycerol, endothelin stimulated [3H]DAG formation by 100% at 10 min and 88% at 30 min. After 10 min of endothelin treatment, PKC activities were increased by 60 and 100% in the membranous and cytosolic pools, respectively. We conclude that bovine retinal capillary pericytes possess numerous high-affinity specific binding sites for endothelin that mediate the action of endothelin by the stimulation of the DAG/PKC pathway in pericytes. These findings suggest that endothelin is a regulator of the contractile properties of pericytes, which may be adversely affected in diabetic retinopathy.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

A study of the effect of humidification on temperature of incubators in the nursery in Taiwan.

To test whether it is necessary to humidify incubators in Taiwan, over a one-year-period, 180 sets of simultaneous recordings including room temperature, room humidity, incubator temperature and incubator humidity were collected. Water was randomly added to half of the incubators. Cultures from those and swab cultures from the other half, or the dry humidifiers were presented simultaneously for examination. Results showed that incubator humidities were unaffected by seasonal changes, while room humidities did change with the seasons. Adding water to incubators could raise the humidity to a significantly higher level (mean +/- SD: 60.70 +/- 7.86%) than in those without water (mean +/- SD: 50.30 +/- 6.45% P less than 0.01). Bacterial growth rate of incubators with water was significantly higher (89.09%) than those without water (37.93%, p less than 0.01), but the organisms cultured could not be related to babids' illnesses on clinical and/or laboratory grounds.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1984

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Light microscopic, ultrastructural and immunocytochemical studies of one case.

The lung and axillary lymph node biopsies of a 33-year-old male drug-abuser with clinical and immunologic evidences of AIDS were studied by light and electron microscopy. Encysted Pneumocystis carinii organisms with attached membranous expansions and virus-like particles were demonstrated in the alveolar spaces and, occasionally, in macrophages. The lymph node biopsy revealed areas of angioimmunoblastic proliferation associated with lymphocytic depletion of the interfollicular zones. Tubuloreticular structures (TRS) were prominent in lymphocytes and endothelial cells. Test-tube and ring-shaped forms (TRF) were less frequently seen and were present only in lymphocytes and immunoblasts. The combination of TRS and TRF appears to be an useful marker for AIDS. The possible significance of the angioimmunoblastic changes observed in the lymph nodes is also discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The correlation of serum ferritin level to Ca-P metabolism and bone density study in thalassemic patients.

A study of Ca-P related hormones and bone densities was carried out in seven homozygous beta-thalassemia patients. The levels of Ca, P, and Ca-P related hormones were not significantly changed except for 1,25(OH)2D3 which was significantly lower than in the control group and was inversely related to patients' ferritin levels. Bone densities were markedly reduced in all the thalassemic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Congenital hypothyroidism and concomitant anomalies.

To search for concomitant anomalies among babies with congenital hypothyroidism, 120 newborn babies with confirmed congenital hypothyroidism were studied at the Veterans General Hospital, Taipei. The incidence of concomitant anomalies was estimated to be 11.67% (14/120). Among these anomalies, cardiac and gastrointestinal systems were the most commonly involved, comprising 35.7% (5/14) and 28.6% (4/14) of all anomalies, respectively. The type (i.e. agenesis, ectopia or eutopic goiter) as well as the severity of hypothyroidism were analyzed between groups of babies with or without concomitant anomalies. No differences existed between the two groups of babies regarding these two aspects.

Congenital Abnormalities↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical implication of transient hyperglycemia in childhood.

The incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) in Chinese is much lower than for Western persons. The study was designed to determine whether Chinese children with transient hyperglycemia would develop diabetes as frequently as Western children. Ten children presenting with transient hyperglycemia were investigated using glucagon stimulation test, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and i.v. glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) to estimate pancreatic insulin secretory function. They were followed up for one to three years. Islet cell antibodies and insulin autoantibodies were also measured. During the follow-up period, 2 of the 10 children developed diabetes at 1 month and 1 year, respectively, after the occurrence of transient hyperglycemia. Both of them had lower C-peptide peak level to glucagon stimulation, decreased first phase insulin release to IVGTT and a diabetic sibling. Islet cell antibodies and insulin autoantibodies were all negative except in one of the two children who later developed diabetes. Although it is still premature owing to the small sample size to conclude that Chinese children with transient hyperglycemia are less likely to develop diabetes than Western children, it is advisable to closely follow up those with a family history of IDDM who seem to be at the greatest risk.

Adolescent↗