Biomedical subjects

Zhi Jun Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Zhi Jun Zhang.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

The role of 5-HT2C receptor polymorphisms in the pharmacogenetics of antipsychotic drug treatment.

The development of novel, atypical antipsychotics has been welcomed due to their lower incidence of extrapyramidal side effects. However, as with all pharmacotherapy, patient response is often varied and these novel compounds are not without their own side effect profile, most notably weight gain. Inter-individual variations in response to drug treatment are, in part, due to polymorphisms of the genes encoding drug targets. The importance of the serotonin system in psychiatric symptomatology and several side effects of antipsychotic drugs is well established. Thus genetic polymorphisms of two central 5-HT receptors (5-HT2A and 2C), at which many of the newer antipsychotic drugs act, are prime candidates for pharmacogenetic analysis of the effects of these drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia. To date, much work has focussed on the 5-HT2A receptor subtype. However, pharmacological evidence and recent molecular genetic studies would suggest a role for the 5-HT2C receptor in the consequences of antipsychotic treatment, particularly in relation to the development of both drug-induced dyskinesias and weight gain. This review briefly examines the pharmacology and physiology of the 5HT2C receptor in the context of its genetics, with discussion of known polymorphisms of this receptor gene and its promoter region. Associations between these polymorphisms and the development of schizophrenia, the symptom responses to antipsychotic treatment and side effects of such treatment, notably tardive dyskinesia and weight gain, are assessed and related to the presumed functionality of these polymorphisms. Such studies clearly demonstrate the potential of pharmacogenetics in optimising treatment for the individual patient.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Towards a Chinese definition of nursing.

BACKGROUND: A theory of nursing derived from nurses' experience can reflect indigenous practice values, which in turn can act as a fertile source of ideas and inventiveness in developing a relevant knowledge base to inform practice. However, systematic study of how Chinese nurses articulate nursing in their everyday practice is lacking. AIM: The aim of this paper is to describe how Chinese nurses conceptualize the practice of nursing; and to arrive at a definition of nursing based on this common understanding. METHOD: A systematic inquiry using a modified version of Van Kaam's controlled explication was designed. In the prescientific phase, 254 written accounts of nurses' views on nursing as lived in their everyday practice were collected in eight Chinese cities. In the scientific phase, concept analysis based on Aristotle's notion of four causes was adopted to capture the richness of the phrases that explain the multi-dimensionality of Chinese nurses' concepts of nursing. This was followed by a survey of 1782 nurses to verify the findings. The most commonly held views were summarized and a Chinese definition of nursing was drafted. FINDINGS: Nursing in the Chinese sense means to understand the dynamic health status of a person, to verify health concerns dialectically, and to consider interventions with the goal of assisting the person to master the appropriate health knowledge and skills for the attainment of optimal well-being. The survey findings show that nursing has developed into a professional caring practice in China today. The definition has some similarities with those of Western nurses, but the underpinning epistemic concerns are grounded in the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine and Eastern ideologies. CONCLUSION: The findings provide Chinese nurses with a definition of nursing articulated in their own language. The identification of qing, li, zhi, and xin as its epistemic concerns, and the articulation of the process of nursing as 'dialectical verification', provides a perspective for understanding nursing based on Eastern philosophies. The findings can enhance nurses' engagement in a cross-cultural dialogue to promote better understanding of nursing as it is practised in different parts of the world.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Interaction between polymorphisms of the dopamine D3 receptor and manganese superoxide dismutase genes in susceptibility to tardive dyskinesia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the influence of a functional polymorphism of the dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3), and assess its interaction with a Mn superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) polymorphism, in contributing to tardive dyskinesia in a chronic inpatient population with schizophrenia. METHODS: Chinese Han patients with schizophrenia were assessed for abnormal involuntary movements, and subgroups of 42 patients with persistent tardive dyskinesia and 59 consistently without dyskinesias were assessed for the DRD3 ser9gly and the MnSOD ala-9val polymorphisms. RESULTS: A higher, but not significant, frequency of DRD3 ser/gly heterozygotes was observed in the tardive dyskinesia group (0.52 versus 0.33, chi2=5, degrees of freedom=2, P=0.08). However, assessment of the combined influence of the two polymorphisms demonstrated a significant effect (chi2=8.09, degrees of freedom=3, P=0.04), whereby the combination of the MnSOD -9val and DRD3 9ser alleles was associated with tardive dyskinesia. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate a possible synergistic effect of genetic factors influencing mitochondrial free radical scavenging and dopamine receptor function on the susceptibility to tardive dyskinesia.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2002

A selective decrease in the relative density of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the hippocampus in schizophrenia.

Neuropathological studies have demonstrated deficits of GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus in schizophrenia. and selective deficits in some GABAergic sub-populations defined by calcium-binding proteins (CBPs) have been reported in the cortex in schizophrenia. In the present study, the relative densities of cells immunoreactive for the CBPs parvalbumnin (PV) and calretinin (CR) were determined in hippocampal tissue sections taken from patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression and from matched control subjects (15 per group). No significant difference in the density of CR-immunoreactive neurons was found between subject groups. Relative to normal controls, schizophrenic patients showed a significant and profound deficit in the relative density of PV-immunoreactive neurons in all hippocampal sub-fields. These reductions were more apparent in male than female schizophrenic patients, and were unrelated to antipsychotic drug treatment, age or duration of illness. The density of PV-immunoreactive neurons did not differ significantly from controls in the depression group, although a trend toward decreased relative density of PV-immunoreactive neurons was apparent in bipolar disorder that reached significance in one sub-field. The findings provide further evidence to support a profound and selective abnormality of a sub-population of GABAergic neurons in the hippocampus in schizophrenia.

Bipolar Disorder↗