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Biomedical subjects

Ying Hu

Publications and source records attributed to Ying Hu.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

[A study of hemodynamic changes in the arteries of rabbit's eye caused by acute high intraocular pressure].

OBJECTIVE: Using the color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) to measure and to study the hemodynamic changes of rabbit's retrobulbar artery caused by changes of intraocular pressure (IOP). To provide information for screening of drugs that improves the blood circulation and decrease the IOP. METHODS: This is a self-contrast research performed at the left eye: high IOP was induced, then the hemodynamic changes of rabbit's retrobulbar artery at different IOP stages were observed. RESULTS: Rabbit's ophthalmic artery (OA), ciliary artery (CA), short posterior ciliary artery (SPCA), central retinal artery (CRA) are low resistant artery. When the IOP raised rapidly, the velocity of blood flow became slower and resistance force index became higher. The hemodynamic changes could not return to normal even after the IOP decreased to the normal level. CONCLUSION: A short-term high IOP can influence the hemodynamic pattern of retro-bulbar arteries. Color Doppler flow imaging is a valuable method for monitoring these changes.

Animals↗

[Observe the dissection of the tunnels of augmentation rhinoplasty under endoscope].

OBJECTIVE: To observe and analyse the dissection of the tunnels in traditional blind operation of augmentation rhinoplasty. METHODS: 11 Cases of augmentation rhinoplasty were collected and be observed by an endoscope as soon as the tunnels were formed during the operations. RESULTS: (1) Some of the tunnels did not go through one layer. (2) The bilateral cartilage separated in the mid-line. (3) There were two blood vessels in the surface of alar cartilage. There were perforating blood vessels in the edge of pyriform aperture. (4) In some cases whose incision were in unilateral alar margin, the tunnel were asymmetric. CONCLUSION: In some cases of traditional blind operation of augmentation rhinoplasty, tunnels were not suitable, they were asymmetric; and there were desmo and septa in the tunnels. Those might be the causes of complications post-op of augmentation rhinoplasty.

Endoscopes↗

Stereoselective inhibition of glutamate carboxypeptidase by organophosphorus derivatives of glutamic acid.

A series of alkyl and aryl phosphonyl, thiophosphonyl, and dithiophosphonyl derivatives of (S)- and (R)-glutamic acid were prepared and examined for inhibitory potency against glutamate carboxypeptidase (carboxypeptidase G). The acquisition of the phosphonamidodithioic acids and the individual phosphonamidothioic acid diastereomers was achieved through a common phosphonamidothiolate precursor, which also allowed for the chromatographic resolution of the chiral phosphorus center of the phosphonamidothioic acids. The most potent inhibitor of the series was the n-butylphosphonamidate derivative of the natural isomer of glutamic acid. Although each diastereomeric pair of three phosphonamidothionates exhibited stereoselective inhibition consistent with the configuration of the chiral phosphorus center, this effect was generally not remarkable. More important, was the effect of carbon stereochemistry upon glutamate carboxypeptidase inhibition as exemplified by a limited series of enantiomeric pairs of phosphonamidate and phosphonamidodithionate derivatives of glutamic acid. The phosphonamidate analogs derived from the unnatural stereoisomer of glutamic acid were devoid of inhibitory potency in contrast to their enantiomers. Surprisingly, the phosphonamidodithionates derived from the unnatural stereoisomer of glutamic acid demonstrated greater inhibitory potency than their naturally-derived antipodes.

Carboxypeptidases↗

Doxycycline inducible expression of SERCA2a improves calcium handling and reverts cardiac dysfunction in pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Delayed cardiac relaxation in failing hearts has been attributed to reduced activity and/or expression of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a). Although constitutive overexpression of SERCA2a has proven effective in preventing cardiac dysfunction, it is unclear whether increasing SERCA2a expression in hearts with preexisting hypertrophy will be therapeutic. To test this hypothesis, we generated a binary transgenic (BTG) system that allows tetracycline-inducible, cardiac-specific SERCA2a expression. In this system (tet-on SERCA2a), a FLAG-tagged SERCA2a transgene is expressed in the presence of doxycycline (Dox) but not in the absence of Dox (2.3-fold more mRNA, 45% more SERCA2a protein). Calcium transients measured in isolated cardiac myocytes from nonbanded Dox-treated BTG mice showed an accelerated calcium decline and an increased systolic Ca2+ peak. Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium loading was increased by 45% in BTG mice. In the presence of pressure overload (aortic banding), echocardiographic analysis revealed that expression of SERCA2a-FLAG caused an improvement in fractional shortening. SERCA2a-FLAG expression alleviated the resultant cardiac dysfunction. This was illustrated by an increase in the rate of decline of the calcium transient. Cell shortening and SR calcium loading were also improved in cardiac myocytes isolated from banded BTG mice after SERCA2a overexpression. In conclusion, we generated a novel transgenic mouse that conditionally overexpresses SERCA2a. This model is suitable for both long- and short-term studies of the effects of controlled SERCA2a expression on cardiac function. In addition, inducible overexpression of SERCA2a improved cardiac function and calcium handling in mice with established contractile dysfunction.

Animals↗

Association of specific haplotypes of D2 dopamine receptor gene with vulnerability to heroin dependence in 2 distinct populations.

CONTEXT: Dopamine receptor-mediated pathways play critical roles in the mechanism of addiction. However, associations of the D(2) dopamine receptor gene (DRD2) with substance abuse are controversial. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether susceptibility sites resided at DRD2. DESIGN: Haplotype-based case-control analysis of 2 distinct populations using 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with heroin dependence. SETTING: Universities of Mainz and Bonn, Germany, and 3 local hospitals in southwestern China. Patients Cases and control subjects recruited from China (486 cases, 313 controls) and Germany (471 cases, 192 controls). INTERVENTIONS: Genotyping for 10 SNPs by 5'-exonuclease fluorescence assays. The D' value of linkage disequilibrium and haplotypes were generated by the expectation-maximization algorithm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies were compared between cases and controls by chi(2) tests constructed for each population. An additional 32 SNPs randomly distributed in the genome were genotyped for detecting population admixture in the 2 populations. RESULTS: A haplotype block of 25.8 kilobases (kb) was defined by 8 SNPs extending from SNP3 (TaqIB) at the 5' end to SNP10 site (TaqIA) located 10 kb distal to the 3' end of the gene. Within this block, specific haplotype cluster A (carrying TaqIB1 allele) was associated with a high risk of heroin dependence in Chinese patients (P = 1.425 x 10(-22); odds ratio, 52.80; 95% confidence interval, 7.290-382.5 for 8-SNP analysis). A putative recombination "hot spot" was found near SNP6 (intron 6 ins/del G), creating 2 new daughter haplotypes that were associated with a lower risk of heroin dependence in Germans (P = 1.94 x 10(-11) for 8-SNP analysis). There was no evidence of population stratification in either population. CONCLUSIONS: These results strongly support a role of DRD2 as a susceptibility gene with heroin dependence in Chinese patients and was associated with low risk of heroin dependence in Germans.

Adult↗

Comparative sequence analysis of imprinted genes between human and mouse to reveal imprinting signatures.

We performed a comparative genomic sequence analysis between human and mouse for 24 imprinted genes on human chromosomes 1, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, and 20. The MEME program was used to search for motifs within conserved sequences among the imprinted genes and we then used the MAST program to analyze for the presence or absence of motifs in the imprinted genes and 128 nonimprinted genes. Our analysis identified 15 motifs that were significantly enriched in the imprinted genes. We generated a logistic regression model by combining multiple motifs as input variables and the 24 imprinted genes and the 128 nonimprinted genes as a training set. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of our model were 98, 92, and 99%, respectively. The model was further validated by an open test on 12 additional imprinted genes. The motifs identified in this study are novel imprinting signatures, which should improve our understanding of genomic imprinting and the role of genomic imprinting in human diseases.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

A computational approach to measuring coherence of gene expression in pathways.

This study uses a computational approach to analyze coherence of expression of genes in pathways. Microarray data were analyzed with respect to coherent gene expression in a group of genes defined as a pathway in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. Our hypothesis is that genes in the same pathway are more likely to be coordinately regulated than a randomly selected gene set. A correlation coefficient for each pair of genes in a pathway was estimated based on gene expression in normal or tumor samples, and statistically significant correlation coefficients were identified. The coherence indicator was defined as the ratio of the number of gene pairs in the pathway whose correlation coefficients are significant, divided by the total number of gene pairs in the pathway. We defined all genes that appeared in the KEGG pathways as a reference gene set. Our analysis indicated that the mean coherence indicator of pathways is significantly larger than the mean coherence indicator of random gene sets drawn from the reference gene set. Thus, the result supports our hypothesis. The significance of each individual pathway of n genes was evaluated by comparing its coherence indicator with coherence indicators of 1000 random permutation sets of n genes chosen from the reference gene set. We analyzed three data sets: two Affymetrix microarrays and one cDNA microarray. For each of the three data sets, statistically significant pathways were identified among all KEGG pathways. Seven of 96 pathways had a significant coherence indicator in normal tissue and 14 of 96 pathways had a significant coherence indicator in tumor tissue in all three data sets. The increase in the number of pathways with significant coherence indicators may reflect the fact that tumor cells have a higher rate of metabolism than normal cells. Five pathways involved in oxidative phosphorylation, ATP synthesis, protein synthesis, or RNA synthesis were coherent in both normal and tumor tissue, demonstrating that these are essential genes, a high level of expression of which is required regardless of cell type.

Databases, Genetic↗

The characterization of cationic fusogenic liposomes mediated antisense oligonucleotides into HeLa cells.

Antisense oligonucleotides (ODNs) are potential therapeutic agents, but their development is still limited due to poor cellular uptake and high degradation rate in biological media. To resolve these problems, we propose to attach the Sendai virus to cationic liposomes. Cationic-fusogenic liposomes (CFLs) were prepared by reverse-phase evaporation and fused with the Sendai virus. The mean diameter was about 186 nm, determined by photon correlation laser light scattering method. The cytotoxicity of CFLs and the ODN loading efficiency depended on the +/- charge ratio. The fluorescence intensity in cytoplasm was enhanced with the increasing of DC-Chol content and +/- charge ratio. We also investigated the mechanism of cellular uptake using temperature shifts and lysosomotropic agent. The results indicated that the vector was introduced into the cells, not via endocytosis but membrane fusion. The preliminary experiment showed that CFLs are a promising formulation for ODN delivery with high levels of transfection and minimal cytotoxicity.

Deoxyribonuclease I↗

Differential structural properties and expression patterns suggest functional significance for multiple mouse desmoglein 1 isoforms.

The four isoforms of desmosomal cadherin desmogleins (Dsg1-4) are expressed in epithelial tissues in a differentiation-specific manner. Extensive sequencing of the human genome has revealed only one copy of the Dsg1 gene. However, we recently cloned two novel additional mouse Dsg1 genes, Dsg1-beta and -gamma, which flank the original Dsg1-alpha on chromosome 18. Sequence conservation between the Dsg1 isoforms diverged significantly at exon 11, particularly in the region that encodes for the extracellular anchoring (EA) domains. Computational analysis revealed very low hydrophilic potential of the Dsg1-gamma EA compared with the corresponding sequences of Dsg1-alpha and -beta, suggesting that the Dsg1-gamma EA domain may have a stronger affinity to the cell membrane. We generated antibodies using synthetic peptides or recombinant proteins localized within the EA domains. These antibodies were tested for their specificity and were then used to demonstrate expression of Dsg1 isoforms in various tissues. In the epidermis, all Dsg1 isoforms were differentially expressed in the differentiating cell layers. In the hair follicle, all Dsg1 isoforms were present throughout the entire process of its development and cycling but the expression of Dsg1 isoforms is subject to significant hair cycle-dependent changes. Dsg1-beta and -gamma, but not Dsg1-alpha, were detected in the sebaceous gland epithelium and the stratified epithelium of the stomach. Finally, Dsg1-alpha and Dsg1-beta, but not Dsg1-gamma, are proteolytically cleaved by exfoliative toxin A. These results suggest that the developmental complexity of mouse tissues, including skin and hair, may play a significant role in the evolutionary driving force to maintain multiple Dsg1 genes in mouse.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Bioinformatics tools for single nucleotide polymorphism discovery and analysis.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are a valuable resource for investigating the genetic basis of disease. These variants can serve as markers for fine-scale genetic mapping experiments and genome-wide association studies. Certain of these nucleotide polymorphisms may predispose individuals to illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, or cancer, or affect disease progression. Bioinformatics techniques can play an important role in SNP discovery and analysis. We use computational methods to identify SNPs and to predict whether they are likely to be neutral or deleterious. We also use informatics to annotate genes that contain SNPs. To make this information available to the research community, we provide a variety of Internet-accessible tools for data access and display. These tools allow researchers to retrieve data about SNPs based on gene of interest, genetic or physical map location, or expression pattern.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Genetic alterations in doxorubicin-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells: a combined study of spectral karyotyping, positional expression profiling and candidate genes.

Despite a prolongation of patient survival, the overall response of doxorubicin (DX) treatment on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains modest. This is largely attributed to the development of tumor drug resistance either at the onset or during the course of treatment. To investigate the genetic changes associated with DX chemo-resistance, we examined the cytotoxic effect of DX on a panel of 9 HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, PLC/PRF/5, and six in-house established, HKCI-1, 2, 3 and 4, C1 and C2). The karyotypic abnormalities were examined by spectral karyotyping (SKY) and the chromosome loci defined were investigated for underlying deregulated genes by positional expression profiling. Quantitative RT-PCR was employed to verify the profiling findings, and also used to examine a number of drug resistance-related candidate genes (MDR1, MRP1, MGMT, PTEN, BCL2, BAX, TP53 and P21). Our results indicated that the cytotoxic effect of DX in cell lines exhibited IC50 values that ranged from sensitive to resistant (0.07 to 3.55 microM). While the overall chromosome aneuploidy did not correlate with DX resistance, aberrations on chromosome 10 demonstrated significant correlation with increasing IC50 (p=0.007). Positional profiling further suggested the consistent down-regulation of CGI-18 and ECHS1 on chromosome 10q. The array findings were substantiated by quantitative RT-PCR, which further pointed to a repressed ECHS1 expression in correlation with DX resistance (p=0.021). Among the candidate genes studied, an inverse relationship of P21 (p=0.034) and BAX (p=0.002) expression with DX resistance was also indicated. Our present study highlights the usefulness of multimodality approaches in identifying genetic markers, and further describes the novel finding of ECHS1 down-regulation in the DX chemo-resistance of HCC.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗

[Endoscope-assisted parotidectomy for benign tumors via a short hidden auricular incision].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a technique of endoscope-assisted parotidectomy for benign tumor via a short hidden auricular incision. METHODS: Twenty-six volunteer patients were selected for the new approach, 16 with mixed tumor, 9 Warthin's tumor and 1 lymphoepithelial cyst. The tumor size was 1.6 approximately 3 cm (average 2.2 cm) and the incision ranged 3.5 approximately 5.5 cm(average 4.5cm) divided into two parts: 1) basic segment--started from anterio-superior crease of tragus, went downward along tragal margin and pre-earlobial fold,and stopped at earlobe root; 2) extended segment--went from earlobe root, curved down posterio-inferiorly. The length of the latter was generally not beyond 1 cm. The procedure began with raising the myo-cutaneous flap and dissecting the whole posterior portion of the gland. Thus, two working spaces needed for endoscopic manipulation could be artificially created with suitable retracting instruments. Endoscopic view was then established, and the surgeons operated continuously in the later steps. Modified techniques, such as the antegrade facial nerve dissection, retrograde great auricular nerve dissection and direct coagulate-cut method with ultrasonically activated scalpel, were employed to archive the goals of endoscopical nerve preservation and tissue resection. RESULTS: All tumors were entirely removed. No postoperative paralysis occurred, excepting 1 case who suffered from an temporary paralysis for two months. The appearance was good due to overlapping the short scar onto the irregular line of auricular contour and hiding its lowest part in the earlobe shadow. CONCLUSIONS: Parotidectomy for benign tumors could be safely done via a much-shortened incision, assisted by an endoscope. The postoperative stress of patients can be obviously reduced with the minimally invasive manipulation and the good appearance.

Adenolymphoma↗

Effective asymmetry in gap junctional intercellular communication between populations of human normal lung fibroblasts and lung carcinoma cells.

The dysfunction of homologous and/or heterologous gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been implicated in tumorigenesis of many kinds of cells. Here we have characterized GJIC and the expression of connexins in six human lung carcinoma cell lines and normal lung fibroblasts (HLF). Compared with HLF, all the carcinoma cells showed reduced or little homologous GJIC. They expressed remarkably reduced connexin(Cx)43 mRNA and variable levels of Cx45 mRNA, but neither Cx43 nor Cx45 protein could be detected. However, using a preloading assay, transfer of calcein was observed between donor HLF cells and first order neighboring recipient tumor cells (recipient cells in 1000-fold excess). Transfer from tumor to HLF cells under the same conditions was not seen, although increasing the ratio of donor tumor cells to recipient HLF cells and plating the cells at low density did reveal weak transfer from tumor cells to HLF. Transfection of Cx43 into giant cell carcinoma PG cells increased homologous communication and eliminated the rectifying behavior of heterologous communication. This indicates that the apparent rectification of dye transfer between normal and tumor cells was a product of low rates of heterologous transfer linked to (i) rapid dilution of the dye to below detectable limits through a very well coupled cell population (tumor to HLF) and (ii) concentration of dye in immediate neighbors in a poorly coupled cell population (HLF to tumor cells). These results suggest that the coupling levels may need to exceed a certain threshold to allow propagation of signals over a sufficient distance to affect behavior of a cell population. We propose that the relative rates of heterologous and homologous coupling of cell populations and the 'pool size' of shared metabolites in tumor cells and the surrounding normal tissue are likely to be very important in the regulation of their growth.

Base Sequence↗

Gene expression analysis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma reveals consistent molecular profiles related to a family history of upper gastrointestinal cancer.

Tumor and matched normal tissue from 19 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients from a high-risk area of China were analyzed with 7680 gene cDNA microarrays. Forty-one genes were differentially expressed (P < 0.001; >/==" BORDER="0">2-fold change) between tumor and matched normal samples (13 overexpressed and 28 underexpressed). Hierarchical clustering showed consistent molecular profiles across patients. Multidimensional scaling plots visually distinguished cases by family history status, which was confirmed statistically using a global permutation test (P = 0.007); we then identified 152 genes of which the expression differed in tumors from family history positive versus negative cases (55 overexpressed and 97 underexpressed at P < 0.001). These data indicate that molecular profiles in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma are highly consistent and that expression patterns in familial cases differ from those in sporadic cases.

Aged↗

Effect of resistant starch on genotoxin-induced apoptosis, colonic epithelium, and lumenal contents in rats.

The effect of different doses of a type-2 resistant starch (RS) in the form of high amylose cornstarch (HAS) on the intralumenal environment and the acute-apoptotic response to a genotoxic carcinogen (AARGC) in the colon was assessed to determine if changes in lumenal conditions were associated with an enhanced apoptotic response to DNA damage. The control diet was a modified form of the AIN-76 diet containing fully digestible starch but no dietary fibre. HAS was added to the control diet at the expense of digestible starch to give 10% HAS, 20% HAS and 30% HAS. Rats were fed the different experimental diets for a period of 4 weeks, after which a single injection of azoxymethane was given to induce DNA damage in the colonic epithelium; 6 h later AARGC was measured. Other measures included fecal and cecal short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and pH, and cell proliferation in the colonic epithelium. In HAS-supplemented rats, fermentation events were significantly increased in both cecum and feces. There was a progressive decrease in pH in both the cecum and feces as the amount of HAS in the diet increased. SCFA concentrations, including butyrate, were significantly elevated by HAS with higher levels being observed in the cecum than in the feces. There was a significant increase in colonic AARGC with HAS doses of 20 and 30% (P < 0.01) but not with 10% HAS. Cell proliferation was not affected by any dose of HAS. Correlations with AARGC, independent of dietary group, were seen for fecal SCFAs and pH, suggesting that fermentation events, might explain the effect of RS on AARGC. Altering amounts of dietary RS changes fermentative activity in the colon. Increased RS is associated with enhanced AARGC. Changes in amount of fermentable substrate are capable of changing the biological response to DNA damage.

Amylose↗

Computation method to identify differential allelic gene expression and novel imprinted genes.

MOTIVATION: Genomic imprinting plays an important role in both normal development and diseases. Abnormal imprinting is strongly associated with several human diseases including cancers. Most of the imprinted genes were discovered in the neighborhood of the known imprinted genes. This approach is difficult to extend to analyze the whole genome. We have decided to take a computational approach to systematically search the whole genome for the presence of mono-allelic expressed genes and imprinted genes in human genome. RESULTS: A computational method was developed to identify novel imprinted or mono-allelic genes. Individuals represented in human cDNA libraries were genotyped using Bayesian statistics, and differential expression of polymorphic alleles was identified. A significant reduction in the number of libraries that expressed both alleles, measured by Z-statistics, is a strong indicator for an imprinted or a mono-allelic gene. AVAILABILITY: The data sets are available at http://leelab.nci.nih.gov/leelab/jsp/IGDM/IGDM.html

Algorithms↗

Computational analysis and experimental validation of tumor-associated alternative RNA splicing in human cancer.

A genome-wide computational screen was performed to identify tumor-associated alternative RNA splicing isoforms. A BLAST algorithm was used to compare 11,014 genes from RefSeq with 3,471,822 human expressed sequence tag sequences. The screen identified 26,258 alternative splicing isoforms of which 845 were significantly associated with human cancer, and 54 were specifically associated with liver cancer. Furthermore, canonical GT-AG splice junctions were used significantly less frequently in the alternative splicing isoforms in tumors. Reverse transcription-PCR experiments confirmed association of the alternative splicing isoforms with tumors. These results suggest that alternative splicing may have potential as a diagnostic marker for cancer.

Algorithms↗