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Biomedical subjects

W T Liu

Publications and source records attributed to W T Liu.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Distribution of type A and type B EBV in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The subtypes of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) according to EBNA 2 genes were investigated in 53 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies in Taiwan by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by Southern blot hybridization method. EBV DNA was found present in all NPC biopsies. Type A was the predominant type and comprised of 94.3% of the EBV of NPC. Type B or coinfection of type A and type B comprised of only 3.8% and 1.9% respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Serum lipids in Chinese patients using oral contraceptive pills.

Eighty-four Chinese patients attending the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong for contraception with oral contraceptive pills were randomized into 2 groups. The first group received pills containing 0.15 mg levonorgestrel and 0.03 mg ethinyl oestradiol. The second group received pills containing 0.15 mg desogestrel and 0.03 mg ethinyl oestradiol. Blood was taken after overnight fast before the use of pills for assay of serum total lipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The tests were repeated at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after the use of pills. There was a significant increase in the serum total lipids in the levonorgestrel group but not in the desogestrel group. The serum triglycerides showed a significant increase in the desogestrel group but not in the levonorgestrel group. There was no significant change in the serum total cholesterol levels in both groups. There was a significant decrease in the HDL-C in the levonorgestrel group but there was no significant change in the desogestrel group.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Immunosuppressive actions of retroviruses.

The immunosuppressive properties of retroviruses were first demonstrated by Old et al. We later showed that Gross Passage A retrovirus superinfection in mice resulted in decreased antibody production and diminished allograft rejection. We have studied in some detail the immunosuppression which occurs subsequent to infection with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) as characterized by profoundly depressed T and B lymphocyte responses and decreased production of gamma-interferon. Injection of staphylococcal protein A (SPA) corrected these deficient immune responses, cleared circulating FeLV from blood and produced a regression of FeLV-induced lymphomas and leukemias. The immunosuppressive properties of FeLV and certain other retroviruses have been linked to the transmembrane viral envelope peptide, p15E. Cianciolo et al synthesized a 17-amino acid viral component which shares sequence homology with a highly conserved region of p15E. In vitro analyses have shown that this synthetic retroviral peptide suppresses T and B cell functions, inhibits the generation of cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) responses and dramatically alters the morphology and distribution of monocytes. The latter finding, along with reports that cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage play a critical role in the initiation of human immunodeficiency infection, suggests that monocytes and macrophages may play a crucial role in retroviral infection and some of the associated immunodeficiencies associated with retroviral infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Single-stage cluster sampling with a telescopic respondent rule: a variation motivated by a survey of dementia in elderly residents of Shanghai.

In this report, we consider the situation in which one wishes to identify a cohort of a specified number of individuals within each of several domains for future follow-up studies based on a single-stage cluster sampling design. We develop sample size formulae relevant to this situation and introduce a variation of single-stage cluster sampling that seems more suitable in this situation than is ordinary single-stage cluster sampling. The basis for this variation is the concept that the definition of eligible respondents is not the same for all clusters. The use of this modified respondent rule (which we call telescopic) enables one to meet specified sample sizes in all domains of interest without the need to sample extra individuals in some domains. We used a version of this sampling design successfully in the field with a survey of elderly persons conducted in Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Cross-cultural studies of dementia: use of a Chinese version of the Blessed-Roth Information-Memory-Concentration test in a Shanghai dementia survey.

A culturally adapted Chinese version of the Blessed-Roth Information-Memory-Concentration test (CIMC) was used in a dementia screening survey of a probability sample of 5,055 elderly Shanghai residents. The individual items on the CIMC that best predicted the overall score were similar to the best predictor of an American version of the IMC. Performance on the CIMC was markedly affected by the level of education or lack thereof. In a subsample for whom clinical diagnoses were obtained, it was possible to establish cutoff values on the CIMC by stratifying the sample according to education.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Cognitive impairment among elderly adults in Shanghai, China.

This study reports the methods and initial findings of the first longitudinal study of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in China. A probability sample of 5,055 noninstitutionalized elderly persons in Shanghai was tested directly during the first phase of the study using a Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Details of sampling design and data collection procedures are described. Overall, some 4.1 percent of adults 55 years or older may be classified as having severe cognitive impairment, and 14.4 percent are mild cases. The rates for females are higher than for males by a ratio of 3.75 in the severe category, and 2.6 in the mild group. Within each age group, cognitive impairment rates vary by education. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine, within each age group, the nature of the association between the presence of a cognitive impairment and educational level controlling for sex. The results showed that educational attainment has a highly significant inverse relationship with prevalence of cognitive impairments (severe vs others). On the other hand, when educational attainment was controlled for in the logistic regression model, sex was significantly associated with prevalence of cognitive disorders for the age groups 65-74 and 75 years or older, but not for the group 55-64 years. These findings suggest the impact that basic educational deficits have on human cognitive functioning as measured through tests like the MMSE. Cross-tabulations of impairment rates according to marital status, economic status, and health-related problems are also presented.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Niemann-Pick disease in the Chinese. A report of four cases in three Chinese families.

We report the first four documented cases of childhood Niemann-Pick disease in Chinese. The clinical histories and biochemical, histopathological and ultrastructural findings are given. The four children born to consanguineous parents were from three families. Three of the four cases have features of Type A disease while the younger of the affected sisters, who had over 20% residual sphingomyelinase activity, was more typical of Type B disease. Post-mortem cultured fibroblasts, when compared to control fibroblasts, revealed early features of the disease at the ultrastructural level.

Cerebral Cortex↗
PubMed1989

Operation of fluidized-bed bioreactor containing immobilized yeast cells and the diacetyl levels of green beer.

A fluidized-bed bioreactor containing yeast cells immobilized in calcium alginate gel was operated by means of a circulating wort system. The optimum volume fraction of gel beads was found to be 0.40 (phi, v/v) for fermentation. The effects of the flow rates of the wort on the period of the primary fermentation and the diacetyl levels in green beer were studied under the conditions of the volume fraction of gel beads at phi = 0.40, the fermentation temperature at 10 degrees C, and the ratio of circulation at n = 5. The experimental results indicated that the period of the primary fermentation was shortened as the flow rate of wort increased, whereas the concentration of diacetyl increased with the increasing flow rate of the wort. The period of the primary fermentation and the concentration of the diacetyl were found to be 14 h and 0.5 ppm respectively, when the residence time tau t in the reactor was 2.8 h.

Beer↗
PubMed1989

Cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonitis in a bone marrow transplant recipient.

A 15-year-old girl suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonitis 34 days after an allogenic bone marrow transplantation. The disease was diagnosed by open lung biopsy. Histopathologic examination disclosed intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies, as well as, a positive cytomegalovirus antigen detected by an immunofluorescence stain using a cytomegalovirus monoclonal antibody. The virus culture also eventually produced cytomegalovirus. Because of the lack of ganciclovir in this country, antiviral therapy of a non-specific nature was given to this patient. However, the treatment was ineffective and she subsequently died. There is an association between the immunologic events of a graft-versus-host disease and the development of cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonitis. The pathogenesis of cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonitis in a bone marrow transplant recipient is evidence of an immunopathologic disease, rather than that of a purely infectionus disease. years, the treatment modality of cytomegalovirus interstitial pneumonitis in bone marrow transplant recipients has become a combination of specific antiviral and immune therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Seroepidemiologic study of rubella in selected Chinese female.

To have a better understanding of rubella seroepidemiology among female population in Taiwan, we report a serologic survey of 4030 examinations for 2030 school girls and 2000 pregnant women, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of rubella specific IgG. RA 27/3 vaccines were given to susceptible volunteer students and postpartum women for the evaluation of vaccine efficiency and its side effects. The results showed that the rubella susceptible female among 8 to 22-year-old girl students was 44.97%, which was higher than expected, as most of them experienced the outbreak of rubella in 1977. The susceptibility rate among the pregnant women was 19.35%, which was also higher than expected for an age group having been through two outbreaks in the past. All the vaccinees showed good tolerance to the vaccine and the seroconversion rate was 100%. With such high susceptibility rate among women of child bearing age and girl students, plus the endemic property of rubella infection in Taiwan, we can expect a high risk of congenital rubella syndrome. Mass vaccination against rubella should be brought into effect immediately.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

A Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination; impact of illiteracy in a Shanghai dementia survey.

A dementia screening survey was carried out in Shanghai using a culturally adapted Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. A probability sample of 5055 community-dwelling elderly in Shanghai was surveyed, 1497 aged 55-64, 2187 aged 65-74, and 1371 aged 75 and over. In the 73.3% of the subjects who had gone to school, using the age and education adjustments suggested by Kittner et al. (1986), [Kittner et al. J Chron Dis 39: 163-170; 1986] suitable cutoff scores could readily be selected to identify the subjects who should be examined intensively for the presence of dementia. However, in the 26.7% who had not gone to school, there was a significant increase in low scores on the mental status test as well as a different error pattern, reflecting the lack of formal education. Methods for following cognitive changes in illiterate individuals need further development.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Immunomodulation of influenza virus infection in the precipitating asthma attack.

Twelve asthmatic children (ages four to ten years) had attacks of asthma associated with influenza infection during the spring of 1985. Virus isolation and serologic studies proved eight cases were A/Philippine/2/82 (H1N2) and four cases were B/USSR/100/83. Four cases of A/Philippine/2/82 and two cases of B/USSR/100/83 were isolated from six control subjects who had suffered from influenza infection without asthma attack. The absolute lymphocyte count, T cell subsets increased in influenza patients both with and without asthma attack. However, the OKT4/OKT8 ratio markedly decreased in the influenza with asthma group during the acute phase. Since the fresh asthmatic patients had decreased OKT4/OKT8 ratio and increased lympho-proliferative response, IL-2 production increased after their lymphocytes were stimulated with housedust antigen and returned to near normal after hyposensitization therapy. Therefore, these results suggest that influenza virus has asthmagenicity and may contribute to precipitating an asthma attack.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

An autopsy-proved case of AIDS in Taiwan.

The first case of AIDS positively identified in a non-foreigner in Taiwan was a 25-year-old unmarried male who had practiced homosexuality for ten years. The patient began to have abdominal pain accompanied with loose stools and weight loss in June 1985, followed by fever, cough, headache, dizziness, and loss of memory. Facial hyperpigmentation and extensive oroesophageal candidiasis were noted. Laboratory studies showed severe lymphopenia with a reversed T-helper to T-suppressor ratio, cutaneous anergy and polyclonal gammopathy. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies were positive by ELISA and Western blot, and the virus was isolated from the blood. At autopsy, disseminated cytomegalovirus infection, extensive CNS toxoplasmosis and early lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma were demonstrated. The detection of HIV in the adrenal medulla supports the consensus that the virus is neurotropic.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗