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Yan Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Yan Liu.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

[Comparison of pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of cefdinir, cefpodoxime proxetil and cefaclor against common bacteria of community acquired infections].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics property of cefdinir, cefpodoxime proxetil and cefaclor against common bacteria of community acquired infections and evaluate the recommended regimens. METHODS: The antibacterial activities of 3 agents against 238 clinical isolates were determined by standard agar dilution test and the pharmacokinetics of these antibiotics in male healthy volunteers were conducted in Latin-square manner. The time over MIC (T > MIC) of serum antibiotic concentrations were calculated with pharmacokinetic equation and MIC. RESULTS: The value of MIC90 s cefdinir against these bacterial strains except penicillin non-sensitive pneumococci were 0.031-1 mg/L. Cefpodoxime held similar antibacterial activity with cefdinir, but was less potent against staphylococci. Cefaclor had much higher MIC values than other two drugs. After oral administration of 250 mg cefaclor, the drug concentration quickly reached peak concentration of 4.95 mg/L +/- 2.41 mg/L and the eliminative half time was 0.69 h +/- 0.6 h; the Tmax, Cmax and T1/2beta of cefdinir and cefpodoxime after oral administration of 100 mg were 2.5 h +/- 0.48 h, 0.81 mg/L +/- 0.19 mg/L, 1.73 h +/- 0.3 h and 2.38 h +/- 0.43 h, 1.12 mg/L +/- 0.28 mg/L, 1.92 h +/- 0.55 h, respectively. T > MIC of cefdinir in thrice daily administration were longer than 40% of medication interval against most of the tested isolates; no T > MIC period was found in cefpodoxime against staphylococci and the T > MICs of cefaclor after 250 mg oral administration were shorter than expected values against most bacteria. CONCLUSION: With powerful antibacterial activity, the T > MICs of cefdinir after 100 mg oral administration can meet with the clinical requirement in most infections; PK/PD value of cefpodoxime proxetil against staphylococci is lower than expectancy and 250 mg cefaclor 3 times daily is not enough to the treatment of common community acquired infections, the regimens of cefpodoxime proxetil and cefclor should be furtherly optimized.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2004

Positive and negative regulation of FcepsilonRI-mediated signaling by the adaptor protein LAB/NTAL.

Linker for activation of B cells (LAB, also called NTAL; a product of wbscr5 gene) is a newly identified transmembrane adaptor protein that is expressed in B cells, NK cells, and mast cells. Upon BCR activation, LAB is phosphorylated and interacts with Grb2. LAB is capable of rescuing thymocyte development in LAT-deficient mice. To study the in vivo function of LAB, LAB-deficient mice were generated. Although disruption of the Lab gene did not affect lymphocyte development, it caused mast cells to be hyperresponsive to stimulation via the FcepsilonRI, evidenced by enhanced Erk activation, calcium mobilization, degranulation, and cytokine production. These data suggested that LAB negatively regulates mast cell function. However, mast cells that lacked both linker for activation of T cells (LAT) and LAB proteins had a more severe block in FcepsilonRI-mediated signaling than LAT(-/-) mast cells, demonstrating that LAB also shares a redundant function with LAT to play a positive role in FcepsilonRI-mediated signaling.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed2004

Recent developments in electrolytic devices for ion chromatography.

Recent developments in new electrolytic devices that utilize the electrolysis of water and charge-selective electromigration of ions through ion-exchange media have significantly changed the routine operation of ion chromatographic methods. Examples of these new electrolytic devices include on-line eluent generators that produce high-purity electrolyte eluents using deionized water as the carrier stream, continuously regenerated trap columns that remove ionic contaminants in the eluents, and continuously regenerated suppressors that reduce eluent background conductance prior to conductivity detection. The combined use of these electrolytic devices has made it possible to perform various ion chromatographic separations using only deionized water as the mobile phase. This paper reviews the operation principles of these electrolytic devices and their applications in the ion chromatographic determination of anionic and cationic analytes.

Cation Exchange Resins↗
PubMed2004

Repulsion and attraction of axons by semaphorin3D are mediated by different neuropilins in vivo.

Class 3 semaphorins are known to repel and/or sometimes attract axons; however, their role in guiding developing axons in the CNS in vivo is still essentially unknown. We investigated the role of Semaphorin3D (Sema3D) in the formation of the early axon pathways in the zebrafish CNS. Morpholino knock-down shows that Sema3D is essential for the correct formation of two early axon pathways. Sema3D appears to guide axons of the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (nucMLF) by repulsion and modulation of fasciculation. In contrast, Sema3D appears to be attractive to telencephalic neurons that form the anterior commissure (AC). Knock-down of Neuropilin-1A (Npn-1A) phenocopied the effects of Sema3D knock-down on the nucMLF axons, and knock-down of either Npn-1A or Npn-2B phenocopied the defects of the AC. Furthermore, simultaneous partial knock-down experiments demonstrated genetic interactions among Sema3D, Npn-1A, and Npn-2B. Together, these data support the hypothesis that Sema3D may act as a repellent through receptors containing Npn-1A and as an attractant via receptors containing Npn-1A and Npn-2B.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Human Bcl-2 activates ERK signaling pathway to regulate activating protein-1, lens epithelium-derived growth factor and downstream genes.

The proto-oncogene, bcl-2, has various functions besides its role in protecting cells from apoptosis. One of the functions is to regulate expression of other genes. Previous studies have demonstrated that Bcl-2 regulates activities of several important transcription factors including NF-kappaB and p53, and also their downstream genes. In our recent studies, we reported that Bcl-2 substantially downregulates expression of the endogenous alphaB-crystallin gene through modulating the transcriptional activity of lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF). In the present communication, we report that human Bcl-2 can positively regulate expression of the proto-oncogenes c-jun and c-fos. Moreover, it enhances the DNA binding activity and transactivity of the activating protein-1 (AP-1). Furthermore, we present evidence to show that Bcl-2 can also activate both ERK1 and ERK2 MAP kinases. Inhibition of the activities of these kinases or the upstream activating kinases by pharmacological inhibitors or dominant-negative mutants abolishes the Bcl-2-mediated regulation of AP-1, LEDGF and their downstream genes. Together, our results demonstrate that through activation of the ERK kinase signaling pathway, Bcl-2 regulates the transcriptional activities of multiple transcription factors, and hence modulates the expression of their downstream genes. Thus, our results provide a mechanism to explain how Bcl-2 may regulate expression of other genes.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Potential involvement of leptin in carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate the potential involvement of leptin in carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to elucidate the etiology, carcinogenesis and progress of HCC. METHODS: Expressions of Ob gene product, leptin and its receptor, Ob-R were investigated in 36 cases of HCC specimens and corresponding adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues with immunohistochemical staining. The effect of leptin on proliferation of Chang liver cell line and liver cancer cell line SMMC-7721 was studied with cell proliferation assay (MTT). RESULTS: Leptin expression was detected in 36 cases of adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues (36/36, 100%) with moderate (++) to strong (+++) intensity; and in 72.22%(26/36) of HCC with weaker (+) intensity (P<0.05). Thirty of 36 (83.33%) cases of adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues were positive for Ob-R, with moderate (++) to strong (+++) intensity. In HCC, 11/36 (30.56%) cases were positive, with weak (+) intensity (P<0.05). In cell proliferation assay, leptin inhibited the proliferation of Chang liver cells. The cell survival rate was 10-13% lower than that of the untreated cells (P>0.05). Leptin had little effect on the proliferation of liver cancer cells (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: High level expression and decreased or absent expression of leptin and its receptor in adjacent non-tumorous liver cells and HCC cells, inhibitory effect of leptin on the proliferation of normal Chang liver cells and no effect of leptin on proliferation of liver cancer cells, may provide new insights into the carcinogenesis and progression of human HCC. It could be assumed that leptin acting as an inhibitor and/or promoter, is involved in the process of carcinogenesis and progress of human HCC.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Identification of differentially expressed genes in human lung squamous cell carcinoma using suppression subtractive hybridization.

Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths. Over the past decade, much has been known about the molecular changes associated with lung carcinogenesis; however, our understanding to lung tumorigenesis is still incomplete. To identify genes that are differentially expressed in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, we compared the expression profiles between primarily cultured SCC tumor cells and bronchial epithelial cells derived from morphologically normal bronchial epithelium of the same patient. Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), two cDNA libraries containing up- and down-regulated genes in the tumor cells were constructed, named as LCTP and LCBP. The two libraries comprise 258 known genes and 133 unknown genes in total. The known up-regulated genes in the library LCTP represented a variety of functional groups; including metabolism-, cell adhesion and migration-, signal transduction-, and anti-apoptosis-related genes. Using semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, seven genes chosen randomly from the LCTP were analyzed in the tumor tissue paired with its corresponding adjacent normal lung tissue derived from 16 cases of the SCC. Among them, the IQGAP1, RAP1GDS1, PAICS, MLF1, and MARK1 genes showed a consistent expression pattern with that of the SSH analysis. Identification and further characterization of these genes may allow a better understanding of lung carcinogenesis.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗
PubMed2004

Protein kinase CbetaII regulates its own expression in rat intestinal epithelial cells and the colonic epithelium in vivo.

Protein kinase C betaII (PKCbetaII) is induced early during colon carcinogenesis. Transgenic mice expressing elevated PKCbetaII in the colonic epithelium (transgenic PKCbetaII mice) exhibit hyperproliferation and enhanced colon carcinogenesis. Here we demonstrate that nullizygous PKCbeta (PKCbetaKO) mice are highly resistant to azoxymethane (AOM)-induced preneoplastic lesions, aberrant crypt foci. However, reexpression of PKCbetaII in the colon of PKCbetaKO mice by transgenesis restores susceptibility to AOM-induced colon carcinogenesis. Expression of human PKCbetaII in rat intestinal epithelial (RIE) cells induces expression of endogenous rat PKCbetaII mRNA and protein. Induction of PKCbetaII is dependent upon catalytically active PKCbetaII and does not appear to involve changes in alternative splicing of the PKCbeta gene. Two human PKCbeta promoter constructs are activated by expression of PKCbetaII in RIE cells. Both PKCbeta promoter activity and PKCbetaII mRNA levels are inhibited by the MEK1 and -2 inhibitor U0126, but not the Cox-2 inhibitor celecoxib in RIE/PKCbetaII cells. PKCbeta promoter activity correlates directly with expression of endogenous PKCbetaII mRNA and protein in HT29 and HCT116 human colon cancer cell lines. PKCbeta promoter activity and PKCbetaII mRNA expression in HCT116 cells are inhibited by the selective PKCbeta inhibitor LY317615 and by U0126, demonstrating autoregulation of PKCbetaII expression. Transgenic PKCbetaII mice exhibit specific induction of endogenous PKCbetaII, but not its splice variant PKCbetaI, in the colonic epithelium in vivo. Taken together, our results demonstrate that 1) expression of PKCbetaII in the colonic epithelium is both necessary and sufficient to confer susceptibility to AOM-induced colon carcinogenesis in transgenic mice, 2) PKCbetaII regulates its own expression in RIE and human colon cancer cells in vitro and in the colonic epithelium in vivo, and 3) PKCbetaII autoregulation is mediated through a MEK-dependent signaling pathway in RIE/PKCbetaII and HCT116 colon cancer cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Ultrasensitive potentiometric immunosensor based on SA and OCA techniques for immobilization of HBsAb with colloidal Au and polyvinyl butyral as matrixes.

A novel potentiometric immunosensor for detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) has been developed by means of self-assembly (SA) and opposite-charged adsorption (OCA) techniques to immobilize hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) on a platinum electrode. A cleaned platinum electrode was first pretreated in the presence of 10% HNO3 and 2.5% K2CrO4 solution and held at -1.5 V (vs SCE) for 1 min to make it negatively charged and then immersed in a mixing solution containing hepatitis B surface antibody, colloidal gold (Au), and polyvinyl butyral (PVB). Finally, HBsAb was successfully immobilized onto the surface of the negatively charged platinum electrode modified nanosized gold and PVB sol-gel matrixes. The modified procedure was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The immobilized hepatitis B surface antibody exhibited direct electrochemical behavior toward hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The performance and factors influencing the performance of the resulting immunosensor were studied in detail. More than 95.7% of the results of the human serum samples obtained by this method were in agreement with those obtained by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The resulting immunosensor exhibited fast potentiometric response (<3 min) to HBsAg. The detection limit of the immunosensor was 2.3 ng.mL(-1), and the linear range was from 8 to 1280 ng.mL(-1). Moreover, the studied immunosensor exhibited high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability (>6 months).

Adsorption↗
PubMed2004

CD24 controls expansion and persistence of autoreactive T cells in the central nervous system during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

In the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for multiple sclerosis (MS), autoreactive T cells must be activated and clonally expand in the lymphoid organs, and then migrate into the central nervous system (CNS) where they undergo further activation. It is unclear whether the autoreactive T cells further expand in the CNS and if so, what interactions are required for this process. We have demonstrated previously that expression by the host cells of the heat-stable antigen (CD24), which was recently identified as a genetic modifier for MS, is essential for their susceptibility to EAE. Here we show that CD24 is essential for local clonal expansion and persistence of T cells after their migration into the CNS, and that expression of CD24 on either hematopoietic cells or nonhematopoietic antigen-presenting cells in the recipient is sufficient to confer susceptibility to EAE.

Adoptive Transfer↗
PubMed2004

B7-CD28 interaction promotes proliferation and survival but suppresses differentiation of CD4-CD8- T cells in the thymus.

Costimulatory molecules play critical roles in the induction and effector function of T cells. More recent studies reveal that costimulatory molecules enhance clonal deletion of autoreactive T cells as well as generation and homeostasis of the CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory T cells. However, it is unclear whether the costimulatory molecules play any role in the proliferation and differentiation of T cells before they acquire MHC-restricted TCR. In this study, we report that targeted mutations of B7-1 and B7-2 substantially reduce the proliferation and survival of CD4(-)CD8(-) (double-negative (DN)) T cells in the thymus. Perhaps as a result of reduced proliferation, the accumulation of RAG-2 protein in the DN thymocytes is increased in B7-deficient mice, which may explain the increased expression of TCR gene and accelerated transition of CD25(+)CD44(-) (DN3) to CD25(-)CD44(-) (DN4) stage. Qualitatively similar, but quantitatively less striking effects were observed in mice with a targeted mutation of CD28, but not CTLA4. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the development of DN in the thymus is subject to modulation by the B7-CD28 costimulatory pathway.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Factors affecting menstrual cycle characteristics.

This 1989-1991 study in California and Utah used daily urinary metabolites of estrogen and progesterone and computer algorithms to assess ovulatory status and day of ovulation. The authors examined the associations of risk factors with menstrual cycle characteristics for 309 working women aged 20-44 years who collected a median of five cycles each of daily urine samples. Linear mixed models were used to assess continuous menstrual outcomes. Compared with women less than age 35 years, women aged 35 years or older had a significantly decreased (-0.94 days, 95% confidence interval: -1.83, -0.05) adjusted mean cycle length. Age modified the effects of smoking, physical activity, ethnicity, and alcohol consumption on mean follicular phase length. Asian women had a significantly longer (1.65 days, 95% confidence interval: 0.54, 2.76) adjusted mean cycle length compared with Caucasian women. Compared with women who did not consume alcoholic drinks, women who did had a significantly shorter (-1.26 days, 95% confidence interval: -2.21, -0.31) adjusted mean cycle length. Mean cycle and phase lengths were significantly associated with length of the prior luteal phase. These results indicate that potentially modifiable risk factors, as well as immutable host factors, are associated with menstrual cycle characteristics that may in turn be related to subsequent disease risk.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Clinical evaluation of radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer after metallic stent placement.

AIM: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy for esophageal cancer after expandable metallic stent placement. METHODS: Ten cases of advanced esophageal cancer were evaluated, 7 having complete obstruction and 3 with digestive-respiratory fistula. Ten nitinol stents were placed at the site of stenosis. Patients were treated with a total dose of 1 200 cGy divided into 3 fractions of 400 cGy 4-7 d after stents placement. RESULTS: All the 10 stents were placed successfully at one time. After radiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer, the survival period of the cases ranged from 14 to 22 mo, with a mean survival of 17 mo. No re-stenosis occurred among all the 10 cases. CONCLUSION: Stent placement combined with radiotherapy for esophageal cancer is helpful to prolong patients' survival and reduce occurrence of re-stenosis.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Bayesian analysis of risk factors for anovulation.

Two algorithms for assessing ovulatory status using daily urinary levels of oestrogen and progesterone metabolites have been applied to non-clinic-based, free-living populations of women. These relatively new methods for assessing ovarian function have been used to assess the potential adverse effects of occupational and environmental exposures, such as smoking, on the reproductive health of women. One algorithm has been validated against serum hormone measurements and gives good sensitivity and specificity for anovulation. However, a gold standard is generally not available in epidemiologic field studies in which these daily urine samples are collected. In this paper, we used Bayesian methods to estimate: (i) the probability of occurrence of anovulation, (ii) the sensitivity and specificity of the two algorithms, and (iii) the association between anovulation and smoking and other risk factors in the absence of a perfect test. We evaluated the two published algorithms for assessing ovulatory status, based on their cross-classified results applied to one randomly selected cycle from each woman in a sample of 338 employed women. We first assumed that the algorithms were independent, conditional on ovulatory status. Then, we used a dependence model to allow for correlation between the results of the two algorithms. We implemented a Bayesian logistic regression analysis that allowed the outcome measurement to be partially imperfect. We incorporated the posterior distributions for algorithm accuracy obtained from the dependence model as prior distributions for this logistic regression model. Then, we compared the results with those obtained from a standard multiple logistic approach using the algorithm determination of ovulatory status as if it were perfect. Our results indicated that increasing physical activity was associated with a significantly increased risk of anovulation; and smokers had a potentially, but not statistically significant, increased occurrence of anovulation.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Hierarchical self-assembly of noncovalent amphiphiles.

Amphiphiles defined by noncovalent inclusion complexes between an alkylated beta-cyclodextrin and PEG-conjugated guests assemble into higher-ordered structures whose thermodynamic stability reflects that of the defining intermolecular interactions.

Alkylation↗
PubMed2004

Comparison of probabilistic combination methods for protein secondary structure prediction.

MOTIVATION: Protein secondary structure prediction is an important step towards understanding how proteins fold in three dimensions. Recent analysis by information theory indicates that the correlation between neighboring secondary structures are much stronger than that of neighboring amino acids. In this article, we focus on the combination problem for sequences, i.e. combining the scores or assignments from single or multiple prediction systems under the constraint of a whole sequence, as a target for improvement in protein secondary structure prediction. RESULTS: We apply several graphical chain models to solve the combination problem and show that they are consistently more effective than the traditional window-based methods. In particular, conditional random fields (CRFs) moderately improve the predictions for helices and, more importantly, for beta sheets, which are the major bottleneck for protein secondary structure prediction.

Algorithms↗