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Biomedical subjects

W Yeung

Publications and source records attributed to W Yeung.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Pathways from emotional adjustment to glycemic control in youths with diabetes in Hong Kong.

OBJECTIVE: To examine factors that influence emotional adjustment, adherence to diabetic care, and glycemic control in Hong Kong youths with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). METHODS: Seventy youths, their mothers, and matched controls provided information on health beliefs, authoritarian parenting style, parent-child conflict, emotional adjustment, and adherence to medical regimen. Glycosylated hemoglobin levels were obtained to measure glycemic control. RESULTS: Predictors explained 34% of the variance in emotional adjustment and 39% of the variance in glycemic control. The data supported a pathway from emotional adjustment to self-efficacy to adherence behaviors to glycemic control. In contrast to Western culture and consistent with prediction, parenting style did not associate with negative outcomes, and even relatively low levels of parent-child conflict correlated negatively with emotional adjustment in this culture. CONCLUSIONS: Management of conflict and self-efficacy enhancing interactions are suggested interventions to enhance adherence to diabetic care in Hong Kong youths with IDDM.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. How do patients who consult family physicians use these therapies?

OBJECTIVE: To determine how a population of Chinese patients consulting family physicians in Vancouver use traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specifically Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. DESIGN: Bilingual survey (English and Chinese). SETTING: Four family practices with predominantly Chinese patients in metropolitan Vancouver. PARTICIPANTS: The 932 patients or family members who visited one of the practices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic characteristics; frequency and reason for visiting a family physician, Chinese herbalist, or acupuncturist; choice of practitioner if affected by one of 16 common conditions. RESULTS: The study population was mostly Chinese and immigrant to Canada. Chinese herbal medicine was currently used by 28% (262/930) of respondents (more than one visit in the last year), and another 18% (172/930) were past users. Acupuncture was currently used by 7% (64/927) and had been used in the past by another 8% (71/927). Use of Chinese herbal medicine varied significantly (P < .01) according to age, sex, immigrant status, and ethnicity. Acupuncture use varied significantly only by age. The main reasons for consulting Chinese herbalists were infection (41%, 157/382), respiratory problems (11%, 42/382), and rheumatologic problems (10%, 38/382), whereas acupuncturists were consulted almost exclusively for rheumatologic problems (80%, 45/56). CONCLUSIONS: Using TCM in conjunction with visiting family physicians was very popular among this predominantly Chinese study population. Patients with acute conditions, such as influenza, consulted both their family physicians and Chinese herbalists in quick succession. On the other hand, those suffering from more chronic conditions, such as rheumatologic diseases, were more likely to start using TCM after repeated visits to their family physicians.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

The metalloproteinase stromelysin-1 (transin) mediates PC12 cell growth cone invasiveness through basal laminae.

Matrix metalloproteinases have been implicated in various extracellular matrix remodeling events that occur during normal development and in a number of pathologies. In previous work with PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells, we found that the matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin-1 (ST1) was highly induced by nerve growth factor (NGF), but not by epidermal growth factor (EGF). Here, we show that ST1 immunoreactivity is present in growth cones of NGF-treated PC12 cells, but not EGF-treated or untreated cells. To determine whether ST1 expression confers neurite invasiveness, three lines of PC12 cells were produced that constitutively express ST1 antisense mRNA. These lines expressed and secreted significantly reduced levels of ST1 protein, as determined by immunoblot and immunocytochemical methods, but otherwise responded normally to NGF-treatment by elaborating neurites. We found, however, that the neurites of these ST1 antisense cells showed a significantly reduced ability to penetrate a Matrigel reconstituted basal lamina, as compared to the parental cells, suggesting that ST1 confers neurite invasiveness. Finally, we show that ST1 is also expressed in vivo in sections through Embryonic Day 15 rat embryos, including neurons of both the peripheral and central nervous systems. These data indicate that ST1 may play a role in axonal growth in vivo, including a role in growth cone invasiveness.

Animals↗

Identification of a novel murine receptor for corticotropin-releasing hormone expressed in the heart.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is the principal regulator of the stress response. CRH stimulates production of ACTH via specific CRH receptors located on pituitary corticotropes. In addition to pituitary and central nervous system effects, peripheral effects of CRH have been observed involving the immune and cardiovascular systems. Specific CRH binding studies in several peripheral organs, as well as functional studies, have implied the existence of peripheral CRH receptors. Although a pituitary/brain CRH receptor has recently been identified, it is expressed at very low levels in peripheral sites where CRH effects have been observed. We report here the identification of a novel murine CRH receptor that is highly expressed in the heart. The newly cloned CRH receptor cDNA (CRH-R2) was isolated from a mouse heart cDNA library and encodes a 430-amino acid protein containing seven putative transmembrane domains characteristic of G protein-coupled receptors. CRH-R2 is 69% identical with the previously identified murine pituitary CRH receptor and is encoded by a distinct gene. In addition to a high level of expression in the heart, weak expression was also observed in the brain and lungs. Functional studies using CRH-R2-transfected cells indicate that CRH and the CRH-related amphibian peptide, sauvagine, bind with high affinity to CRH-R2 and stimulate intracellular accumulation of cAMP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Clinical features, survival rate, and prognostic factors in young adults with cystic fibrosis.

The medical records of 142 patients with cystic fibrosis were reviewed. The patient group included 78 males and 64 females; three patients were black. Periods of observation ranged from two to 25 years (mean, 14.5 years). The analysis focused on clinical evaluation at age 18 years and included information gained at an earlier age. Evaluation at age 18 years was based on Shwachman and Kulczycki's (S-K) scoring system, Brasfield chest roentgenographic scoring system, pulmonary function measurements, height-adjusted weight percentile, sputum bacteriologic results, number of hospitalizations for treatment of pulmonary infections prior to the age of 18 years, time of onset of clubbing, and frequency of complications. There were no significant differences between the sexes in clinical features. Median survival from the time of diagnosis to the conclusion of the study period (1955 to 1984) was 22 years for females and 25 years for males (NS). Median length of survival beyond the age of 18 years was eight years for females and 12 years for males (NS). Stepwise logistic regression and Cox regression analysis applied to 11 variables identified the S-K clinical score at 18 years of age as the best predictor of survival to the age of 23 years. The median durations of survival after the age of 18 years for patients with clinical scores of 30 to 49, 50 to 64, and 65 to 75 at age 18 were five, seven and a half, and 12 years, respectively (p less than 0.0001). Low clinical score, low weight percentile, and Pseudomonas cepacia colonization of the lower respiratory tract at the age of 18 years indicated a poor prognosis. On the other hand, high clinical score, good weight percentile, and colonization with Staphylococcus aureus alone were likely to be found in patients with mild disease and an increased likelihood of long-term survival with preserved pancreatic function.

Adolescent↗