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Torre E, Arici M, Lodrini AM, Ferrandi M, Barassi P, Hsu SC, Chang GJ, Altomare C, Ferrari P, Bianchi G, Rocchetti M. SERCA2a stimulation by istaroxime improves intracellular Ca2+ handling and diastolic dysfunction in a model of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Europace 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/europace/euab116.534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: Private grant(s) and/or Sponsorship. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by CVie Therapeutics Limited (Taipei, Taiwan) and Windtree Therapeutics (Warrington, USA)
Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a multifactorial disease characterized by an early onset of diastolic dysfunction (DD) that precedes the development of systolic impairment. Mechanisms that can restore cardiac relaxation improving intracellular Ca2+ dynamics represent a promising therapeutic approach for cardiovascular diseases associated to DD. Istaroxime has the double property to accelerate Ca2+ uptake into sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) through the SR Ca2+ pump (SERCA2a) stimulation and to inhibit Na+/K+ ATPase (NKA). The project aims to characterize istaroxime effects at a concentration (100 nM) marginally affecting NKA, in order to highlight its effects dependent on the stimulation of SERCA2a in a model of mild diabetes.
Streptozotocin (STZ) treated diabetic rats were studied at 9 weeks after STZ injection in comparison to controls (CTR). Istaroxime effects were evaluated in vivo and in left ventricular (LV) preparations. STZ animals showed 1) marked DD not associated to cardiac fibrosis, 2) LV mass reduction associated to reduced LV cell dimension and T-tubules loss, 3) reduced LV SERCA2 protein level and activity and 4) slower SR Ca2+ uptake rate, 5) LV action potential (AP) prolongation and increased short-term variability (STV) of AP duration, 6) increased diastolic Ca2+, 7) unaltered SR Ca2+ content and stability in intact cells. Acute istaroxime infusion (0.11 mg/kg/min for 15 min) reduced DD in STZ rats. Accordingly, in STZ myocytes istaroxime (100 nM) stimulated SERCA2a activity and blunted STZ-induced abnormalities in LV Ca2+ dynamics. In CTR myocytes, istaroxime increased diastolic Ca2+ level due to NKA blockade albeit minimal, while its effects on SERCA2a were almost absent.
SERCA2a stimulation by istaroxime improved STZ-induced DD and intracellular Ca2+ handling anomalies. Thus, SERCA2a stimulation can be considered a promising therapeutic approach for DD treatment. Abstract Figure.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Torre
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - M Arici
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - AM Lodrini
- University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - M Ferrandi
- Windtree Therapeutics Inc., Warrington, United States of America
| | - P Barassi
- Windtree Therapeutics Inc., Warrington, United States of America
| | - SC Hsu
- CVie Therapeutics Limited, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - GJ Chang
- Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - C Altomare
- Cardiocentro Ticino Foundation, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - P Ferrari
- Windtree Therapeutics Inc., Warrington, United States of America
| | - G Bianchi
- Windtree Therapeutics Inc., Warrington, United States of America
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Orozco JIJ, Bustos MA, Nelson N, Hsu SC, Cheung G, Bostick PJ, Lucci A, DiNome M, Kelly DF, Hoon DSB, Marzese DM. Abstract P1-04-04: DNA methylation landscapes of breast cancer progression to brain metastasis: A pre-clinical study. Cancer Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs16-p1-04-04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Due to improvements in overall survival rates, breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) is a major life-limiting condition with rising incidence. The molecular mechanisms involved in breast cancer (BC) progression to brain metastasis are still poorly understood. We have demonstrated that DNA methylation, a key epigenetic regulatory mechanism, is involved in BC progression to metastatic disease. Here, we characterized the BCBM DNA methylation landscapes according to their molecular subtypes. Methods: This study included 22 BCBM specimens from 19 patients (ER+/PgR+/HER2-(n=6), HER2+(n=7), and ER-/PgR-/HER2-(TNBC; n=6)) and primary BC specimens with paired molecular subtypes. After microdissection, we generated genome-wide DNA methylomes using HM450K BeadChips. Results: Multidimensional scaling revealed that DNA methylation patterns specifically clustered BCBMs according to their respective molecular subtypes. Additionally, we observed that while ER+/PgR+/HER2- BCBM showed a significant global hypermethylation, HER2+ and TNBC BCBMs presented a significant global hypomethylation compared to the respective primary BC specimens. Hypermethylation on ER+/PgR+/HER2- BCBMs mainly affected CpG islands and was significantly enriched in regions overlapping tumor-related genes, such as APC2, CREB3L1, and GLI3; and a large number of developmental genes, including HOXA9, HOXA10, HOXB13, and PAX6 (Table1). On the other hand, hypomethylation on HER2+ and TNBC BCBMs significantly overlapped with conserved intergenic cis regulatory elements. Two significantly affected regions included enhancer elements associated with NEUROD1, a neurogenic differentiation factor, and MYT1L, a Pan-neural transcription factor associated with neuronal differentiation, suggesting an acquisition of brain-like properties (Table2). Conclusions: Our study suggests a significant role of DNA methylation reprogramming during BC progression to brain metastasis and describes the existence of molecular subtype-specific DNA methylomes. Altogether, this data offers new insight into the complexity of this clinical complication.
Table1: Hypermethylated CpG sites in ER+/PgR+/HER2- BCBMChrStartGeneCpG ContextDiff. MethFDR P-val1746802888HOXB13Island0.824.6E-061656666575MT1MIsland0.813.7E-101685160569IntergenicShelf0.773.7E-17742277807GLI3Island0.738.7E-0567728888BMP6Island0.713.1E-051811149470FAM38BIsland0.703.4E-081146317577CREB3L1Shore0.705.3E-17191467979APC2Island0.693.0E-05727213984HOXA10Island0.697.5E-061131826421PAX6Island0.677.4E-06727205381HOXA9Island0.651.7E-061396204854CLDN10Island0.642.1E-042176956678HOXD13Island0.632.3E-04
Table2: Hypomethylated CpG sites in HER2+ and TNBC BCBMsChrStartGeneCpG ContextDiff. Meth.FDR P-val1746619555IntergenicShore-0.583.2E-042182543233NEUROD1OpenSea-0.566.9E-0312132900938GALNT9Island-0.562.1E-051391827042IntergenicShore-0.558.7E-051746618614IntergenicShore-0.551.4E-0522119853MYT1LOpenSea-0.532.5E-041156623074BCANOpenSea-0.532.1E-0310128275008IntergenicOpenSea-0.521.6E-04480885981ANTXR2Island-0.515.2E-037157280331IntergenicShelf-0.516.9E-032059832924CDH4Shelf-0.512.7E-0241407858IntergenicIsland-0.513.7E-03592925721NR2F1Shore-0.513.1E-08
Citation Format: Orozco JIJ, Bustos MA, Nelson N, Hsu SC, Cheung G, Bostick PJ, Lucci A, DiNome M, Kelly DF, Hoon DSB, Marzese DM. DNA methylation landscapes of breast cancer progression to brain metastasis: A pre-clinical study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-04-04.
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Affiliation(s)
- JIJ Orozco
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - MA Bustos
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - N Nelson
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - SC Hsu
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - G Cheung
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - PJ Bostick
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - A Lucci
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - M DiNome
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - DF Kelly
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - DSB Hoon
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
| | - DM Marzese
- John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Sequencing Core Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA; Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Baton Rouge, LA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Brain Tumor Center, Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
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Merritt EC, Moser AL, Hsu SC, Loverich J, Gilmore M. Experimental characterization of the stagnation layer between two obliquely merging supersonic plasma jets. Phys Rev Lett 2013; 111:085003. [PMID: 24010448 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.085003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We present spatially resolved measurements characterizing the stagnation layer between two obliquely merging supersonic plasma jets. Intrajet collisionality is very high, but the interjet ion-ion mean free path is of the order of the stagnation layer thickness of a few centimeters. Fast-framing camera images show a double-peaked emission profile transverse to the stagnation layer, with the central emission dip consistent with a density dip in the interferometer data. We demonstrate that our observations are consistent with collisional oblique shocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- E C Merritt
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA and University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
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Raub CB, Hsu SC, Chan EF, Shirazi R, Chen AC, Chnari E, Semler EJ, Sah RL. Microstructural remodeling of articular cartilage following defect repair by osteochondral autograft transfer. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2013; 21:860-8. [PMID: 23528954 PMCID: PMC3684698 DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2013.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2012] [Revised: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2013] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess collagen network alterations occurring with flow and other abnormalities of articular cartilage at medial femoral condyle (MFC) sites repaired with osteochondral autograft (OATS) after 6 and 12 months, using quantitative polarized light microscopy (qPLM) and other histopathological methods. DESIGN The collagen network structure of articular cartilage of OATS-repaired defects and non-operated contralateral control sites were compared by qPLM analysis of parallelism index (PI), orientation angle (α) relative to the local tissue axes, and retardance (Γ) as a function of depth. qPLM parameter maps were also compared to ICRS and Modified O'Driscoll grades, and cell and matrix sub-scores, for sections stained with H&E and Safranin-O, and for Collagen-I and II. RESULTS Relative to non-operated normal cartilage, OATS-repaired regions exhibited structural deterioration, with low PI and more horizontal α, and unique structural alteration in adjacent host cartilage: more aligned superficial zone, and reoriented deep zone lateral to the graft, and matrix disorganization in cartilage overhanging the graft. Shifts in α and PI from normal site-specific values were correlated with histochemical abnormalities and co-localized with changes in cell organization/orientation, cloning, or loss, indicative of cartilage flow, remodeling, and deterioration, respectively. CONCLUSIONS qPLM reveals a number of unique localized alterations of the collagen network in both adjacent host and implanted cartilage in OATS-repaired defects, associated with abnormal chondrocyte organization. These alterations are consistent with mechanobiological processes and the direction and magnitude of cartilage strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- CB Raub
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - SC Hsu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - EF Chan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - R Shirazi
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - AC Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - E Chnari
- Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, Edison, NJ
| | - EJ Semler
- Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, Edison, NJ
| | - RL Sah
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA,Center for Musculoskeletal Research, Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA
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Welch DR, Genoni TC, Thoma C, Bruner N, Rose DV, Hsu SC. Simulations of magnetic field generation in unmagnetized plasmas via beat-wave current drive. Phys Rev Lett 2012; 109:225002. [PMID: 23368130 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.109.225002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This work describes the scientific basis and associated simulation results for the magnetization of an unmagnetized plasma via beat-wave current drive. Two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations have been performed for a variety of angles between the injected waves to demonstrate beat-wave generation in agreement with theoretical predictions of the beat-wave wave vector and saturation time, revealing new 2D effects. The simulations clearly demonstrate electron acceleration by the beat waves and resultant current drive and magnetic field generation. The basic process depends entirely on the angle between the parent waves and the ratio of the beat-wave phase velocity to the electron thermal velocity. The wave to magnetic energy conversion efficiency of the cases examined is as high as 0.2%. The technique could enable novel plasma experiments in which the use of magnetic coils is infeasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Welch
- Voss Scientific, LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108, USA
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Hsu SC, Chang CP, Tsai CY, Hsieh SH, Wu-Hsieh BA, Lo YS, Yang JM. Steric recognition of T-cell receptor contact residues is required to map mutant epitopes by immunoinformatical programmes. Immunology 2012; 136:139-52. [PMID: 22121944 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2011.03542.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
MHC class I-restricted CD8 T-lymphocyte epitopes comprise anchor motifs, T-cell receptor (TCR) contact residues and the peptide backbone. Serial variant epitopes with substitution of amino acids at either anchor motifs or TCR contact residues have been synthesized for specific interferon-γ responses to clarify the TCR recognition mechanism as well as to assess the epitope prediction capacity of immunoinformatical programmes. CD8 T lymphocytes recognise the steric configuration of functional groups at the TCR contact side chain with a parallel observation that peptide backbones of various epitopes adapt to the conserved conformation upon binding to the same MHC class I molecule. Variant epitopes with amino acid substitutions at the TCR contact site are not recognised by specific CD8 T lymphocytes without compromising their binding capacity to MHC class I molecules, which demonstrates two discrete antigen presentation events for the binding of peptides to MHC class I molecules and for TCR recognition. The predicted outcome of immunoinformatical programmes is not consistent with the results of epitope identification by laboratory experiments in the absence of information on the interaction with TCR contact residues. Immunoinformatical programmes based on the binding affinity to MHC class I molecules are not sufficient for the accurate prediction of CD8 T-lymphocyte epitopes. The predictive capacity is further improved to distinguish mutant epitopes from the non-mutated epitopes if the peptide-TCR interface is integrated into the computing simulation programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiou-Chih Hsu
- Vaccine Research and Development Centre, National Health Research Institute, Miaoli County, Taiwan
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Weng CT, Chung TJ, Liu MF, Weng MY, Lee CH, Chen JY, Wu AB, Lin BW, Luo CY, Hsu SC, Lee BF, Tsai HM, Chao SC, Wang JY, Chen TY, Chen CW, Chang HY, Wang CR. A retrospective study of pulmonary infarction in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from southern Taiwan. Lupus 2011; 20:876-85. [PMID: 21693494 DOI: 10.1177/0961203311401458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Since large-scale reports of pulmonary infarction in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are limited, a retrospective study was performed for this manifestation in 773 hospitalized patients in southern Taiwan from 1999 to 2009. Pulmonary infarction was defined as the presence of pulmonary embolism, persistent pulmonary infiltrates, and characteristic clinical symptoms. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological images data were analyzed. There were 12 patients with pulmonary embolism and 9 of them had antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Six patients (19 to 53 years, average 38.2 ± 12.6) with 9 episodes of lung infarction were identified. All cases were APS and four episodes had coincidental venous thromboembolism. There were four episodes of bilateral infarction and seven episodes of larger central pulmonary artery embolism. Heparin therapy was routinely prescribed and thrombolytic agents were added in two episodes. Successful recovery was noted in all patients. In conclusion, there was a 0.8% incidence of pulmonary infarction in patients with SLE, all with the risk factor of APS. Differentiation between pulmonary infarction and pneumonia in lupus patients should be made; they have similar chest radiography with lung consolidation but require a different clinical approach in management. Although this report is a retrospective study with relatively small numbers of lupus patients with lung infarcts, our observation might provide beneficial information on the clinical features and radiological presentations during the disease evolution of pulmonary infarction in SLE with APS.
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Affiliation(s)
- CT Weng
- Section of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Dou-Liou Branch, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - TJ Chung
- Department of Radiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - MF Liu
- Section of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Dou-Liou Branch, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - MY Weng
- Section of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Dou-Liou Branch, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - CH Lee
- Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - JY Chen
- Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - AB Wu
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - BW Lin
- Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - CY Luo
- Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - SC Hsu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - BF Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - HM Tsai
- Department of Radiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - SC Chao
- Department of Dermatology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - JY Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - TY Chen
- Section of Hemato-oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - CW Chen
- Section of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - HY Chang
- Section of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
| | - CR Wang
- Section of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Dou-Liou Branch, Tainan, Taiwan–Republic of China
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Lynn AG, Merritt E, Gilmore M, Hsu SC, Witherspoon FD, Cassibry JT. Diagnostics for the plasma liner experiment. Rev Sci Instrum 2010; 81:10E115. [PMID: 21033980 DOI: 10.1063/1.3478116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The goal of the Plasma Liner Experiment (PLX) is to explore and demonstrate the feasibility of forming imploding spherical "plasma liners" via merging high Mach number plasma jets to reach peak liner pressures of ∼0.1 Mbar using ∼1.5 MJ of initial stored energy. Such a system would provide HED plasmas for a variety of fundamental HEDLP, laboratory astrophysics, and materials science studies, as well as a platform for experimental validation of rad-hydro and rad-MHD simulations. It could also prove attractive as a potential standoff driver for magnetoinertial fusion. Predicted parameters from jet formation to liner stagnation cover a large range of plasma density and temperature, varying from n(i)∼10(16) cm(-3), T(e)≈T(i)∼1 eV at the plasma gun mouth to n(i)>10(19) cm(-3), T(e)≈T(i)∼0.5 keV at stagnation. This presents a challenging problem for the plasma diagnostics suite which will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A G Lynn
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA.
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Abstract
Exocytosis is a highly ordered vesicle trafficking pathway that targets proteins to the plasma membrane for membrane addition or secretion. Research over the years has discovered many proteins that participate at various stages in the mammalian exocytotic pathway. At the early stage of exocytosis, co-atomer proteins and their respective adaptors and GTPases have been shown to play a role in the sorting and incorporation of proteins into secretory vesicles. At the final stage of exocytosis, SNAREs (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor) and SNARE-associated proteins are believed to mediate the fusion of secretory vesicles at the plasma membrane. There are multiple events that may occur between the budding of secretory vesicles from the Golgi and the fusion of these vesicles at the plasma membrane. The most obvious and best-known event is the transport of secretory vesicles from Golgi to the vicinity of the plasma membrane via microtubules and their associated motors. At the vicinity of the plasma membrane, however, it is not clear how vesicles finally dock and fuse with the plasma membrane. Identification of proteins involved in these events should provide important insights into the mechanisms of this little known stage of the exocytotic pathway. Currently, a protein complex, known as the sec6/8 or the exocyst complex, has been implicated to play a role at this late stage of exocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Wang
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Nelson Biological Laboratories, 604 Allison Rd, D419, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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Swinney RM, Hsu SC, Hirschman BA, Chen TTC, Tomlinson GE. MDM2 promoter variation and age of diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia 2005; 19:1996-8. [PMID: 16167062 DOI: 10.1038/sj.leu.2403941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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11
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Hsu SC, Bellan PM. Experimental identification of the kink instability as a poloidal flux amplification mechanism for coaxial gun spheromak formation. Phys Rev Lett 2003; 90:215002. [PMID: 12786562 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.90.215002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The magnetohydrodynamic kink instability is observed and identified experimentally as a poloidal flux amplification mechanism for coaxial gun spheromak formation. Plasmas in this experiment fall into three distinct regimes which depend on the peak gun current to magnetic flux ratio, with (I) low values resulting in a straight plasma column with helical magnetic field, (II) intermediate values leading to kinking of the column axis, and (III) high values leading immediately to a detached plasma. Onset of column kinking agrees quantitatively with the Kruskal-Shafranov limit, and the kink acts as a dynamo which converts toroidal to poloidal flux. Regime II clearly leads to both poloidal flux amplification and the development of a spheromak configuration.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
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Sung JM, Hsu SC, Chen FF, Huang JJ. Systemic lupus erythematosus presented as non-inflammatory necrotizing vasculopathy-induced ischemic glomerulopathy and small vessels-related ischemic cardiomyopathy. Lupus 2003; 11:458-62. [PMID: 12195789 DOI: 10.1191/0961203302lu228cr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The clinical significance of lupus non-inflammatory necrotizing vasculopathy (NINV) is not well established. For example, since lupus renal NINV is usually reported to coexist with proliferative and active glomerulonephritis, it is difficult to demonstrate the role of NINV on renal pathophysiology. Here we report a 16-year-old SLE boy with renal NINV presenting as ischemic glomerulopathy and small vessels-related ischemic heart failure. The renal biopsy demonstrated mild proliferative glomerulonephritis and NINV initially, and one month later repeated renal biopsy showed NINV with ischemic glomerulopathy. These findings established that NINV, but not proliferative glomerulonephritis, was responsive for his acute renal failure (ARF). Another interesting question is about the pathophysiology of his myocardial dysfunction. This patient presented typical angina and congestive heart failure (CHF). Echocardiograms and ventriculography revealed dilatation of four chambers and low ejection fraction. Serial electrocardiograms demonstrated evolutionary ischemic changes. Coronary angiography revealed no abnormality of large vessels. These findings suggested small vascular lesions-induced myocardial ischemia was the underlying mechanism of dilated cardiomyopathy. As myocardial biopsy was not done in our case, we could only speculate, but not prove, that the NINV observed in renal biopsy may also involve in cardiac microvascular beds. Nevertheless, this interesting case emphasized the role of obliterative small vascular lesions in the pathophysiology of ARF and myocardial dysfunction. The patient was treated with high-dose corticosteroid, plasma infusion and hemodialysis. His cardiac function improved gradually, however the renal function did not recover.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Sung
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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14
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this prospective 3-year clinical study was to examine the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on uterine fibroid growth among postmenopausal women. METHODS Thirty-seven postmenopausal women with uterine solitary fibroids were recruited randomly for HRT in a 3-year program. All participants received 0.625 mg conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) and 5 mg medroxyprogesterone (MPA) daily. Fibroid volume was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography at baseline and then at 12-month intervals for 3 times. Clinically, significant fibroid growth was defined as an increase in volume of more than 25% compared with baseline. Also, 35 postmenopausal women with uterine fibroid were studied as control who did not receive HRT during the study period. RESULTS Fibroid volume had increased significantly after 1 year both in HRT users and non-users. These increases continued to the second year significantly in HRT users but not in non-users. However, the volumes declined significantly at the third year to similar levels as those measured at baseline in control. In HRT users, fibroid volume though significantly increased at the third year (vs. baseline) but declined insignificantly in comparison with the second year. Clinically, at end of the third year study, one of 34 and three of 34 women increased fibroid volume over 25% compared with baseline in HRT non-users and users, respectively. CONCLUSIONS HRT does increase uterine fibroid volume statistically. However, its effect appears in the first 2 years of use. The increased fibroid volume begins to decline at the third year both in HRT users and non-users. Clinically, the increased effect of HRT on uterine fibroid of postmenopausal women should be not over-emphasized at least for 3 years of usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- C H Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Menopause Study Group, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Rd, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC
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15
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Long CY, Jang MY, Chen SC, Chen YH, Su JH, Hsu SC. Changes in vesicourethral function following laparoscopic hysterectomy versus abdominal hysterectomy. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2002; 42:259-63. [PMID: 12230059 DOI: 10.1111/j.0004-8666.2002.00259.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess whether total hysterectomy is associated with increased postoperative vesicourethral abnormalities. SAMPLE Forty-five patients had a laparoscopic hysterectomy and 36 patients had a total abdominal hysterectomy. DESIGN Before and after hysterectomy, patients underwent a urinalysis, a personal interview, and an urodynamic study. RESULTS Of the laparoscopic hysterectomy group, 27 patients (60%) exhibited urinary symptoms preoperatively, and 22 patients (48.9%) remained symptomatic following surgery. There was no significant change in the number of women with one or more urinary symptoms, but the incidence of urinary frequency and stress incontinence decreased significantly following hysterectomy (p < 0.05). Of the total abdominal hysterectomy group, preoperative voiding symptoms were present in 22 patients (61.1%). After surgery, urinary symptoms were present in 19 patients (52.8%). Some patients did not complain of any urinary frequency or stress incontinence following hysterectomy, but this figure did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Maximal urethral closure pressure and maximal cystometric capacity demonstrated significant increases for both groups following surgery. CONCLUSIONS The results indicated that total hysterectomy, either laparoscopic or total abdominal hysterectomy, did not significantly increase the subjective and objective incidence of vesicourethral dysfunction. On the contrary, some patients experience a substantial improvement of pre-existing urinary frequency or stress incontinence, partly as a result of an increase in the maximal urethral closure pressure and total bladder capacity following hysterectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Y Long
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Municipal Hsiao Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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16
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Long CY, Hsu SC, Chen YH, Chen SC, Chen WC, Su JH. The effects on vesicourethral function following laparoscopic hysterectomy. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2001; 17:564-9. [PMID: 11852463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of our study is to determine whether laparoscopic hysterectomy is associated with increased postoperative urinary symptoms and to assess the change in urodynamic parameters after operation. Forty-five women were arranged for laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH). Each patient received urinalysis, interview, and urodynamic study including uroflowmetry, filling and voiding cystometry and urethral pressure profilometry before and after hysterectomy. A total of 27 patients (60%) had urinary symptoms preoperatively. After operation, only 22 patients (48.9%) remained symptomatic. There was no significant change in the number of women with one or more voiding symptoms before and after surgery, but the incidence of urinary frequency and stress incontinence decreased significantly after laparoscopic hysterectomy (P < 0.05). In addition, maximal urethral closure pressure and maximal cystometric capacity showed significant increases after operation. They were 73.1 cm H2O (range: 49-114) vs 104.4 cm H2O (range: 60-147) (P < 0.001), and 363.3 ml (range: 287-423) vs 396.1 ml (range: 265-515) (P < 0.001), respectively. The result indicated that laparoscopic hysterectomy did not significantly increase the subjective or objective incidence of vesicourethral dysfunction. On the contrary, some patients might be cured of urinary frequency or stress incontinence postoperatively.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Y Long
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Municipal Hsiao Kang Hospital, Taiwan
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Long CY, Chen YH, Chen SC, Lee JN, Su JH, Hsu SC. Pseudo-Meigs syndrome and elevated levels of tumor markers associated with benign ovarian tumors--two case reports. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2001; 17:582-5. [PMID: 11852467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Elevated tumor markers for a post-menopausal woman presenting with a multilocular adnexal mass, ascites, and pleural effusion were interpreted as being highly suspicious of malignancy. This paper describes two cases of ovarian tumors presenting with all signs of malignancy. Following surgical excision of the masses, and histopathological assay, a benign pure struma ovarii and a mucinous cystadenoma were diagnosed by pathologists. The immediate and complete resolution of symptoms were achieved post-operatively, and the previously-evident abnormal tumor markers rapidly declined to the normal range, the two tumors were subsequently classified as pseudo-Meigs' syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Y Long
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, 482 Shan-Ming Rd., Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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18
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Abe K, Abe K, Adachi I, Ahn BS, Aihara H, Asano Y, Aso T, Aulchenko V, Aushev T, Bakich AM, Banas E, Bartel W, Behari S, Behera PK, Beiline D, Bondar A, Bozek A, Browder TE, Casey BC, Chang P, Chao Y, Cheon BG, Choi SK, Choi Y, Dragic J, Drutskoy A, Eidelman S, Enari Y, Fang F, Fujii H, Fukunaga C, Fukushima M, Garmash A, Gordon A, Gotow K, Guo R, Haba J, Hamasaki H, Hanagaki K, Hara K, Hara T, Hastings NC, Hayashii H, Hazumi M, Heenan EM, Higasino Y, Higuchi I, Higuchi T, Hirano H, Hojo T, Hoshi Y, Hou SR, Hou WS, Hsu SC, Huang HC, Igarashi Y, Iijima T, Ikeda H, Inami K, Ishikawa A, Ishino H, Itoh R, Iwai G, Iwasaki H, Iwasaki Y, Jackson DJ, Jalocha P, Jang HK, Jones M, Kagan R, Kakuno H, Kaneko J, Kang JH, Kang JS, Kapusta P, Katayama N, Kawai H, Kawai H, Kawamura N, Kawasaki T, Kichimi H, Kim DW, Kim H, Kim HJ, Kim H, Kim SK, Kim TH, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi S, Koishi S, Krokovny P, Kulasiri R, Kumar S, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lange JS, Lee SH, Liventsev D, Lu RS, Marlow D, Matsubara T, Matsui S, Matsumoto S, Matsumoto T, Mikami Y, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Miyata H, Moloney GR, Moorhead GF, Mori S, Mori T, Murakami A, Nagamine T, Nagasaka Y, Nagashima Y, Nakadaira T, Nakano E, Nakao M, Nam JW, Narita S, Natkaniec Z, Neichi K, Nishida S, Nitoh O, Noguchi S, Nozaki T, Ogawa S, Ohshima T, Okabe T, Okuno S, Olsen SL, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Palka H, Park CS, Park CW, Park H, Peak LS, Peters M, Piilonen LE, Prebys E, Rodriguez JL, Root N, Rozanska M, Rybicki K, Sagawa H, Sakai Y, Sakamoto H, Satapathy M, Satpathy A, Schrenk S, Semenov S, Senyo K, Sevior ME, Shibuya H, Shwartz B, Stanic S, Sugi A, Sugiyama A, Sumisawa K, Sumiyoshi T, Suzuki JI, Suzuki K, Suzuki S, Suzuki SY, Swain SK, Takahashi T, Takasaki F, Takita M, Tamai K, Tamura N, Tanaka J, Tanaka M, Tanaka Y, Taylor GN, Teramoto Y, Tomoto M, Tomura T, Tovey SN, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Tsukamoto T, Uehara S, Ueno K, Unno Y, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Vahsen SE, Varvell KE, Wang CH, Wang JG, Wang MZ, Watanabe Y, Won E, Yabsley BD, Yamada Y, Yamaga M, Yamaguchi A, Yamamoto H, Yamashita Y, Yamauchi M, Yanaka S, Yoshida K, Yusa Y, Yuta H, Zhang CC, Zhang J, Zhao HW, Zheng Y, Zhilich V, Zontar D. Observation of B --> J/psi K(1)(1270). Phys Rev Lett 2001; 87:161601. [PMID: 11690197 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.87.161601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We report the first observation of the exclusive decay process B-->J/psi K(1)(1270) using a sample of 11.2M BB macro meson pairs collected in the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric energy e(+)e(-) collider. We measure branching fractions of B[B(0)-->J/psi K(0)(1)(1270)] = (1.30+/-0.34+/-0.32) x 10(-3) and B[B(+)-->J/psi K(+)(1)(1270)] = (1.80+/-0.34+/-0.39) x 10(-3), where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. These modes constitute approximately 15% of the total number of B-->J/psi X decays. No evidence is seen for B-->J/psi K(1)(1400) and we set an upper limit for this branching fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Abe
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Japan
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Lu SC, Kao CL, Chin LT, Chen JW, Yang CM, Chang JH, Hsu SC, Chang AC, Chen BH. Seroprevalence and demographic characteristics of HTLV-I among blood donors in Taiwan: 1996-1999. Int J Hematol 2001; 74:333-7. [PMID: 11721972 DOI: 10.1007/bf02982070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Screening for the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and-II in blood donors was implemented in Taiwan beginning in February 1996. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the changes in HTLV-I seroprevalence in all unpaid blood donors in Taiwan during the period from February 1996 to December 1999 and to determine the influence of age and sex on the HTLV-I seropositivity of donors. HTLV-I and HTLV-II screening was performed using combined HTLV-I/II immunoassay. Repeated reactive samples were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Of a total of 3,701,087 donors in all 6 blood centers in Taiwan, 2,311 (0.058%) were seropositive for HTLV-I. The HTLV-I seropositivity was 0.130%, 0.063%, 0.044%, and 0.032% in the years 1996, 1997,1998, and 1999, respectively. There was a linear increase of HTLV-I seropositivity with advancing age. The HTLV-I carrier rate for female donors was twice that for the male donors. Ninty-seven percent of HTLV-I seropositive results came from first-time donors. Our findings suggest that Taiwan is a low-prevalence nonendemic area for HTLV-I infection. The large-scale HTLV-I screening program has decreased HTLV-I seropositivity among blood donors and is useful for preventing HTLV-I transmission via blood transfusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Lu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan
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20
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Abe K, Abe K, Adachi I, Ahn BS, Aihara H, Akatsu M, Alimonti G, Asano Y, Aso T, Aulchenko V, Aushev T, Bakich AM, Bartel W, Behari S, Behera PK, Beiline D, Bondar A, Bozek A, Browder TE, Casey BC, Chang P, Chao Y, Cheon BG, Choi SK, Choi Y, Eidelman S, Enari Y, Enomoto R, Fang F, Fujii H, Fukunaga C, Fukushima M, Garmash A, Gordon A, Gotow K, Guo R, Haba J, Hamasaki H, Hanagaki K, Handa F, Hara K, Hara T, Hastings NC, Hayashii H, Hazumi M, Heenan EM, Higuchi I, Higuchi T, Hirano H, Hojo T, Hoshi Y, Hou WS, Hsu SC, Huang HC, Igarashi Y, Iijima T, Ikeda H, Inami K, Ishikawa A, Ishino H, Itoh R, Iwai G, Iwasaki H, Iwasaki Y, Jackson DJ, Jalocha P, Jang HK, Jones M, Kagan R, Kakuno H, Kaneko J, Kang JH, Kang JS, Katayama N, Kawai H, Kawai H, Kawasaki T, Kichimi H, Kim DW, Kim H, Kim HJ, Kim H, Kim SK, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi S, Krokovny P, Kulasiri R, Kumar S, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lange JS, Lee MH, Lee SH, Liventsev D, Lu RS, Marlow D, Matsubara T, Matsumoto S, Matsumoto T, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Miyata H, Moloney GR, Mori S, Mori T, Murakami A, Nagamine T, Nagasaka Y, Nakadaira T, Nakano E, Nakao M, Nam JW, Narita S, Neichi K, Nishida S, Nitoh O, Noguchi S, Nozaki T, Ogawa S, Ohshima T, Okabe T, Okuno S, Olsen SL, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Palka H, Park CS, Park CW, Park H, Peak LS, Peters M, Piilonen LE, Rodriguez JL, Root N, Rozanska M, Rybicki K, Ryuko J, Sagawa H, Sakai Y, Sakamoto H, Satapathy M, Satpathy A, Schrenk S, Semenov S, Senyo K, Sevior ME, Shibuya H, Shwartz B, Sidorov V, Singh JB, Stanic S, Sugi A, Sugiyama A, Sumisawa K, Sumiyoshi T, Suzuki JI, Suzuki K, Suzuki S, Suzuki SY, Swain SK, Takahashi T, Takasaki F, Takita M, Tamai K, Tamura N, Tanaka J, Tanaka M, Taylor GN, Teramoto Y, Tomoto M, Tomura T, Tovey SN, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Tsukamoto T, Uehara S, Ueno K, Unno Y, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Usov Y, Vahsen SE, Varner G, Varvell KE, Wang CC, Wang CH, Wang JG, Wang MZ, Watanabe Y, Won E, Yabsley BD, Yamada Y, Yamaga M, Yamaguchi A, Yamamoto H, Yamashita Y, Yamauchi M, Yanaka S, Yokoyama M, Yoshida K, Yusa Y, Yuta H, Zhang CC, Zhang J, Zhao HW, Zheng Y, Zhilich V, Zontar D. Observation of Cabibbo suppressed B --> D(*)K- decays at Belle. Phys Rev Lett 2001; 87:111801. [PMID: 11531511 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.87.111801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We report observations of the Cabibbo suppressed decays B-->D((*))K- using a 10.4 fb(-1) data sample accumulated at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e(+)e(-) storage ring. We find that the ratios of Cabibbo suppressed to Cabibbo favored branching fractions are B(B--->D0K-)/B(B--->D0pi(-)) = 0.079+/-0.009+/-0.006, B(B(0)-->D+K-)/B(B(0)-->D+pi(-)) = 0.068+/-0.015+/-0.007, B(B--->D(*0)K-)/B(B--->D(*0)pi(-)) = 0.078+/-0.019+/-0.009, and B(B(0)-->D(*+)K-)/B(B(0)-->D(*+)pi(-)) = 0.074+/-0.015+/-0.006. These are the first observations of the B-->D+K-, D(*0)K-, and D(*+)K- decay processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Abe
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba
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21
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Abe K, Abe K, Adachi I, Ahn BS, Aihara H, Akatsu M, Alimonti G, Asano Y, Aso T, Aulchenko V, Aushev T, Bakich AM, Bartel W, Behari S, Behera PK, Beiline D, Bondar A, Bozek A, Browder TE, Casey BC, Chang P, Chao Y, Chen KF, Cheon BG, Choi SK, Choi Y, Eidelman S, Enari Y, Enomoto R, Fang F, Fujii H, Fukushima M, Garmash A, Gordon A, Gotow K, Guo R, Haba J, Hamasaki H, Hanagaki K, Handa F, Hara K, Hara T, Hastings NC, Hayashii H, Hazumi M, Heenan EM, Higuchi I, Higuchi T, Hirano H, Hojo T, Hoshi Y, Hou WS, Hsu SC, Huang HC, Igarashi Y, Iijima T, Ikeda H, Inami K, Ishikawa A, Ishino H, Itoh R, Iwai G, Iwasaki H, Iwasaki Y, Jackson DJ, Jalocha P, Jang HK, Jones M, Kakuno H, Kaneko J, Kang JH, Kang JS, Katayama N, Kawai H, Kawai H, Kawasaki T, Kichimi H, Kim DW, Kim H, Kim HJ, Kim H, Kim SK, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi S, Krokovny P, Kulasiri R, Kumar S, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lange JS, Lee MH, Lee SH, Liventsev D, Lu RS, Marlow D, Matsubara T, Matsumoto S, Matsumoto T, Mikami Y, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Miyata H, Moloney GR, Mori S, Mori T, Murakami A, Nagamine T, Nagasaka Y, Nakadaira T, Nakano E, Nakao M, Nam JW, Narita S, Nishida S, Nitoh O, Noguchi S, Nozaki T, Ogawa S, Ohshima T, Okabe T, Okuno S, Olsen SL, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Palka H, Park CS, Park CW, Park H, Peak LS, Peters M, Piilonen LE, Rodriguez JL, Root N, Rozanska M, Rybicki K, Ryuko J, Sagawa H, Sakai Y, Sakamoto H, Satapathy M, Satpathy A, Schrenk S, Semenov S, Senyo K, Sevior ME, Shibuya H, Shwartz B, Sidorov V, Singh JB, Stanic S, Sugi A, Sugiyama A, Sumisawa K, Sumiyoshi T, Suzuki JI, Suzuki K, Suzuki S, Suzuki SY, Swain SK, Tajima H, Takahashi T, Takasaki F, Takita M, Tamai K, Tamura N, Tanaka J, Tanaka M, Taylor GN, Teramoto Y, Tomoto M, Tomura T, Tovey SN, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Tsukamoto T, Uehara S, Ueno K, Unno Y, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Usov Y, Vahsen SE, Varner G, Varvell KE, Wang CC, Wang CH, Wang JG, Wang MZ, Watanabe Y, Won E, Yabsley BD, Yamada Y, Yamaga M, Yamaguchi A, Yamamoto H, Yamashita Y, Yamauchi M, Yanaka S, Yokoyama M, Yusa Y, Yuta H, Zhang CC, Zhang J, Zhao HW, Zheng Y, Zhilich V, Zontar D. Measurement of branching fractions for B --> pipi, Kpi, and KK decays. Phys Rev Lett 2001; 87:101801. [PMID: 11531472 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.87.101801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K Abe
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba
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Hsu SC, Ong GH. Evaluation of problem-based learning: a lecturer's perspective. Ann Acad Med Singap 2001; 30:524-7. [PMID: 11603139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The exponential growth in medical/dental knowledge and the ever-expanding influence and sophistication of information technologies have placed a burden of responsibilities on dental educators to fashion out a curriculum that can prepare students to face the coming challenges in the new millennium. Consequently, a curriculum reform took place in the Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore in 1997. Problem-based learning (PBL) was first introduced to the Faculty in 1996 as a pilot project to the 4th year. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the 4-year experience in PBL teaching and learning from the lecturers' point of view. MATERIALS AND METHODS All 12 lecturers, who had been involved in the PBL teaching, participated in this questionnaire survey, which was composed of 17 questions with a 5-digit Likert scale. Data analysis was carried out using the Spearman's correlation, t-test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS Six female, 5 male and 1 unidentified lecturers were recruited into this survey with a 100% response rate. In general, lecturers learned more in teaching PBL and significantly took pleasure in the interactive learning and self-directed learning modes inherent to PBL (P = 0.004). Compared to the male lecturers, female lecturers had a greater propensity to feel that PBL teaching might not be cost-effective (P = 0.03). Senior lecturers felt more fulfilled compared with the younger ones (P = 0.026). Those lecturers who enjoyed the interactive learning experience in PBL seemed to like the self-directed learning and felt more fulfilled through teaching PBL compared to the traditional teaching (TT) (P < 0.01). They also felt that PBL may be cost-effective (P < 0.01). Lecturers did not have difficulties in being a facilitator (P = 0.04). Interestingly, lecturers who found difficulties in being a facilitator for the PBL class seemed to learn more in teaching PBL classes than in TT (P < 0.05). Overall, lecturers would like to suggest more PBL to be incorporated into the curriculum (P = 0.02). Nevertheless, lecturers were concerned about the knowledge gaps in students learning with PBL (P = 0.01) and the time constraint of students (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION The results of this study reveal the pros and cons of the current PBL teaching method and may thus provide proper guidelines to shape the further development of PBL in our faculty.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074.
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23
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Abe K, Abe K, Abe R, Adachi I, Ahn BS, Aihara H, Akatsu M, Alimonti G, Asai K, Asai M, Asano Y, Aso T, Aulchenko V, Aushev T, Bakich AM, Banas E, Behari S, Behera PK, Beiline D, Bondar A, Bozek A, Browder TE, Casey BC, Chang P, Chao Y, Chen KF, Cheon BG, Chistov R, Choi SK, Choi Y, Dong LY, Dragic J, Drutskoy A, Eidelman S, Eiges V, Enari Y, Enomoto R, Everton CW, Fang F, Fujii H, Fukunaga C, Fukushima M, Gabyshev N, Garmash A, Gershon TJ, Gordon A, Gotow K, Guler H, Guo R, Haba J, Hamasaki H, Hanagaki K, Handa F, Hara K, Hara T, Hastings NC, Hayashii H, Hazumi M, Heenan EM, Higasino Y, Higuchi I, Higuchi T, Hirai T, Hirano H, Hojo T, Hokuue T, Hoshi Y, Hoshina K, Hou SR, Hou WS, Hsu SC, Huang HC, Igarashi Y, Iijima T, Ikeda H, Ikeda K, Inami K, Ishikawa A, Ishino H, Itoh R, Iwai G, Iwasaki H, Iwasaki Y, Jackson DJ, Jalocha P, Jang HK, Jones M, Kagan R, Kakuno H, Kaneko J, Kang JH, Kang JS, Kapusta P, Katayama N, Kawai H, Kawai H, Kawakami Y, Kawamura N, Kawasaki T, Kichimi H, Kim DW, Kim H, Kim HJ, Kim H, Kim SK, Kim TH, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi S, Koishi S, Konishi H, Korotushenko K, Krokovny P, Kulasiri R, Kumar S, Kuniya T, Kurihara E, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lange JS, Leder G, Lee MH, Lee SH, Leonidopoulos C, Lin YS, Liventsev D, Lu RS, MacNaughton J, Marlow D, Matsubara T, Matsui S, Matsumoto S, Matsumoto T, Mikami Y, Misono K, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Miyata H, Moffitt LC, Moloney GR, Moorhead GF, Mori S, Mori T, Murakami A, Nagamine T, Nagasaka Y, Nagashima Y, Nakadaira T, Nakamura T, Nakano E, Nakao M, Nakazawa H, Nam JW, Natkaniec Z, Neichi K, Nishida S, Nitoh O, Noguchi S, Nozaki T, Ogawa S, Ohshima T, Ohshima Y, Okabe T, Okazaki T, Okuno S, Olsen SL, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Palka H, Park CS, Park CW, Park H, Peak LS, Peters M, Piilonen LE, Prebys E, Rodriguez JL, Root N, Rozanska M, Rybicki K, Ryuko J, Sagawa H, Sakai Y, Sakamoto H, Satapathy M, Satpathy A, Schrenk S, Semenov S, Senyo K, Settai Y, Sevior ME, Shibuya H, Shwartz B, Sidorov A, Stanic S, Sugi A, Sugiyama A, Sumisawa K, Sumiyoshi T, Suzuki J, Suzuki K, Suzuki S, Suzuki SY, Swain SK, Tajima H, Takahashi T, Takasaki F, Takita M, Tamai K, Tamura N, Tanaka J, Tanaka M, Taylor GN, Teramoto Y, Tomoto M, Tomura T, Tovey SN, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Tsukamoto T, Uehara S, Ueno K, Unno Y, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Vahsen SE, Varvell KE, Wang CC, Wang CH, Wang JG, Wang MZ, Watanabe Y, Won E, Yabsley BD, Yamada Y, Yamaga M, Yamaguchi A, Yamamoto H, Yamanaka T, Yamashita Y, Yamauchi M, Yanaka S, Yashima J, Yokoyama M, Yoshida K, Yusa Y, Yuta H, Zhang CC, Zhang J, Zhao HW, Zheng Y, Zhilich V, Zontar D. Observation of large CP violation in the neutral B meson system. Phys Rev Lett 2001; 87:091802. [PMID: 11531561 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.87.091802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We present a measurement of the standard model CP violation parameter sin2 phi(1) based on a 29.1 fb(-1) data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. One neutral B meson is fully reconstructed as a J/psi K(S), psi(2S)K(S), chi(c1)K(S), eta(c)K(S), J/psi K(L), or J/psi K(*0) decay and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time intervals between the two B meson decay points, we determine sin2 phi(1) = 0.99+/-0.14(stat)+/-0.06(syst). We conclude that we have observed CP violation in the neutral B meson system.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Abe
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba
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24
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Abstract
The majority of familial Alzheimer's disease cases have been attributed to mutations in the presenilin 1 (PS1) gene. PS1 is synthesized as an inactive holoprotein that undergoes endoproteolytic processing to generate a functional N- and C-terminal heterodimer (NTF and CTF, respectively). We identified a single residue in PS1, Ser(397), which regulates the CTF levels in a population of dimer that has a rapid turnover. This residue is part of a highly conserved glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) consensus phosphorylation site within the loop domain of PS1. Site-directed mutagenesis at the Ser(397) position increased levels of PS1 CTF but not NTF or holoprotein. Similar increases in only CTF levels were seen when cells expressing wild type PS1 were treated with lithium chloride, an inhibitor of GSK-3beta. Both wild type and PS1 S397A CTF displayed a biphasic turnover, reflecting rapidly degraded and stable populations. Rapid turnover was delayed for mutant PS1 S397A, causing increased CTF. These data demonstrate that PS1 NTF.CTF endoproteolytic fragments are generated in excess, that phosphorylation at Ser(397) by GSK-3beta regulates the discard of excess CTF, and that the disposal of surplus NTF is mediated by an independent mechanism. Overall, the results indicate that production of active NTF.CTF dimer is more complex than limited endoproteolysis of PS1 holoprotein and instead involves additional regulatory events.
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25
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Rauchfuss TB, Contakes SM, Hsu SC, Reynolds MA, Wilson SR. The influence of cyanide on the carbonylation of iron(II): synthesis of Fe-Sr-Cn-Co centers related to the hydrogenase active sites. J Am Chem Soc 2001; 123:6933-4. [PMID: 11448203 DOI: 10.1021/ja015948n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T B Rauchfuss
- Department of Chemistry University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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26
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Galceran J, Hsu SC, Grosschedl R. Rescue of a Wnt mutation by an activated form of LEF-1: regulation of maintenance but not initiation of Brachyury expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:8668-73. [PMID: 11447280 PMCID: PMC37493 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.151258098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the LEF-1/TCF family of transcription factors have been implicated in mediating a nuclear response to Wnt signals by association with beta-catenin. Consistent with this view, mice carrying mutations in either the Wnt3a gene or in both transcription factor genes Lef1 and Tcf1 were previously found to show a similar defect in the formation of paraxial mesoderm in the gastrulating mouse embryo. In addition, mutations in the Brachyury gene, a direct transcriptional target of LEF-1, were shown to result in mesodermal defects. However, direct evidence for the role of LEF-1 and Brachyury in Wnt3a signaling has been limiting. In this study, we genetically examine the function of LEF-1 in the regulation of Brachyury expression and in signaling by Wnt3a. Analysis of the expression of Brachyury in Lef1(-/-)Tcf1(-/-) mice and studies of Brachyury:lacZ transgenes containing wild type or mutated LEF-1 binding sites indicate that Lef1 is dispensable for the initiation, but is required for the maintenance of Brachyury expression. We also show that the expression of an activated form of LEF-1, containing the beta-catenin activation domain fused to the amino terminus of LEF-1, can rescue a Wnt3a mutation. Together, these data provide genetic evidence that Lef1 mediates the Wnt3a signal and regulates the stable maintenance of Brachyury expression during gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Galceran
- Gene Center and Institute of Biochemistry, University of Munich, Feodor Lynenstrasse 25, 81377 Munich, Germany
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27
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Wu CH, Yang CH, Lee JN, Hsu SC, Tsai EM. Weekly and monthly regimens of paclitaxel and carboplatin in the management of advanced ovarian cancer. A preliminary report on side effects. Int J Gynecol Cancer 2001; 11:295-9. [PMID: 11520368 DOI: 10.1046/j.1525-1438.2001.011004295.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This preliminary study was carried out over 18 months to evaluate whether the side effects in patients with advanced ovarian cancer receiving chemotherapy using paclitaxel-carboplatin differed between weekly (98 cycles in 14 patients) and monthly (102 cycles in 15 patients) administrations. We used paclitaxel (60 mg/m2) and carboplatin (AUC of 2) in the weekly regimen and 175 mg/m2 of paclitaxel and carboplatin (AUC of 6) in the monthly regimen. All eligible patients received at least four cycles of treatment in both regimens. The results revealed significantly decreased hematological toxicity in weekly regimens relative to monthly ones, ie, 7.1% vs. 18.6% of anemia (> or = grade 2), 7.1% vs. 32.3% of grade 3/4 granulocytopenia, and 0% vs. 15.7% of >grade 2 thrombocytopenia. There was no significant difference in nonhematological toxicities between the two regimens. The incidence of unscheduled events was much less in the weekly regimen than in the monthly one; ie, delayed treatment (3 vs. 18 events), unanticipated hospitalizations (3 vs. 15 times), and supplemental support with G-CSF (7 vs. 33 times). Complete responses were observed in 6 of 14 patients in the weekly regimen and in five of 15 patients in the monthly regimen, while partial responses were seen in four and five patients in the weekly and monthly regimens, respectively. The present results demonstrate that the weekly regimen can achieve the benefits of tolerable toxicity with significantly reduced myelosuppression and improved cost-effectiveness in terms of unscheduled events.
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Affiliation(s)
- C H Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
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28
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Vega IE, Hsu SC. The exocyst complex associates with microtubules to mediate vesicle targeting and neurite outgrowth. J Neurosci 2001; 21:3839-48. [PMID: 11356872 PMCID: PMC3674029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
During neuronal development, vesicles are targeted to the growth cone to promote neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis. The Exocyst complex is an essential macromolecule in the secretory pathway that may play a role in vesicle targeting. Although it has been shown that this complex is enriched in rat brain, the molecular mechanism underlying its function is largely unknown. Here, we report that the Exocyst complex coimmunoprecipitates with microtubules from total rat brain lysate. Additionally, the Exocyst complex subcellular localization changes on neuronal differentiation. In undifferentiated pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, this complex is associated with microtubules at the microtubule organizing center. However, in differentiated PC12 cells and cultured hippocampal neurons, the Exocyst complex and microtubules extend to the growing neurite and colocalize at the growth cone with synaptotagmin. Inhibition of the NGF-activated MAP kinase pathway blocks the Exocyst complex and microtubule redistribution, abolishing neurite outgrowth and promoting cytosolic accumulation of secretory vesicles. Consistently, the overexpression of Exocyst sec10 subunit mutant blocks neurite outgrowth. These results indicate that the Exocyst complex targets secretory vesicles to specific domains of the plasma membrane through its association with the microtubules, promoting neurite outgrowth.
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Affiliation(s)
- I E Vega
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
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29
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Abe K, Abe K, Adachi I, Ahn BS, Aihara H, Akatsu M, Alimonti G, Aoki K, Asai K, Asai M, Asano Y, Aso T, Aulchenko V, Aushev T, Bakich AM, Banas E, Behari S, Behera PK, Beiline D, Bondar A, Bozek A, Browder TE, Casey BC, Chang P, Chao Y, Cheon BG, Choi SK, Choi Y, Doi Y, Dragic J, Eidelman S, Enari Y, Enomoto R, Everton CW, Fang F, Fujii H, Fujita Y, Fukunaga C, Fukushima M, Garmash A, Gordon A, Gotow K, Guler H, Guo R, Haba J, Haji T, Hamasaki H, Hanagaki K, Handa F, Hara K, Hara T, Hastings NC, Hayashi K, Hayashii H, Hazumi M, Heenan EM, Higuchi I, Higuchi T, Hirai T, Hirano H, Hojo T, Hoshi Y, Hou WS, Hsu SC, Huang HC, Huang YC, Ichizawa S, Igarashi Y, Iijima T, Ikeda H, Ikeda K, Inami K, Inoue Y, Ishikawa A, Ishino H, Itoh R, Iwai G, Iwasaki H, Iwasaki Y, Jackson DJ, Jalocha P, Jang HK, Jones M, Kagan R, Kakuno H, Kaneko J, Kang JH, Kang JS, Kapusta P, Kasami K, Katayama N, Kawai H, Kawai M, Kawamura N, Kawasaki T, Kichimi H, Kim DW, Kim H, Kim HJ, Kim H, Kim SK, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi S, Koike S, Koishi S, Konishi H, Korotushenko K, Krokovny P, Kulasiri R, Kumar S, Kuniya T, Kurihara E, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lee MH, Lee SH, Leonidopoulos C, Li HB, Lu RS, Makida Y, Manabe A, Marlow D, Matsubara T, Matsuda T, Matsui S, Matsumoto S, Matsumoto T, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Miyata H, Moffitt LC, Mohapatra A, Moloney GR, Moorhead GF, Mori S, Mori T, Murakami A, Nagamine T, Nagasaka Y, Nagashima Y, Nakadaira T, Nakano E, Nakao M, Nakazawa H, Nam JW, Narita S, Natkaniec Z, Neichi K, Nishida S, Nitoh O, Noguchi S, Nozaki T, Ogawa S, Ohshima T, Ohshima Y, Okabe T, Okazaki T, Okuno S, Olsen SL, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Palka H, Park CS, Park CW, Park H, Peak LS, Peters M, Piilonen LE, Prebys E, Raaf J, Rodriguez JL, Root N, Rozanska M, Rybicki K, Ryuko J, Sagawa H, Sakai Y, Sakamoto H, Sakaue H, Satapathy M, Sato N, Satpathy A, Schrenk S, Semenov S, Sevior ME, Shibuya H, Shwartz B, Sidorov A, Sidorov V, Stanic S, Sugi A, Sugiyama A, Sumisawa K, Sumiyoshi T, Suzuki J, Suzuki K, Suzuki S, Suzuki SY, Swain SK, Tajima H, Takahashi T, Takasaki F, Takita M, Tamai K, Tamura N, Tanaka J, Tanaka M, Tanaka Y, Taylor GN, Teramoto Y, Tomoto M, Tomura T, Tovey SN, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Tsujita Y, Tsukamoto T, Tsukamoto T, Uehara S, Ueno K, Ujiie N, Unno Y, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Usov Y, Vahsen SE, Varner G, Varvell KE, Wang CC, Wang CH, Wang MZ, Wang TJ, Watanabe Y, Won E, Yabsley BD, Yamada Y, Yamaga M, Yamaguchi A, Yamaguchi H, Yamaoka H, Yamaoka Y, Yamashita Y, Yamauchi M, Yanaka S, Yokoyama M, Yoshida K, Yusa Y, Yuta H, Zhang CC, Zhao HW, Zheng Y, Zhilich V, Zontar D. Measurement of B(0)(d)-B_(0)(d) mixing rate from the time evolution of dilepton events at the upsilon(4S). Phys Rev Lett 2001; 86:3228-3232. [PMID: 11327938 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.86.3228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2000] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We report a determination of the B(0)(d)-&B_(0)(d) mixing parameter Deltam(d) based on the time evolution of dilepton yields in Upsilon(4S) decays. The measurement is based on a 5.9 fb(-1) data sample collected by the Belle detector at KEKB. The proper-time difference distributions for same-sign and opposite-sign dilepton events are simultaneously fitted to an expression containing Deltam(d) as a free parameter. Using both muons and electrons, we obtain Deltam(d) = 0.463+/-0.008 (stat)+/-0.016 (syst) ps(-1). This is the first determination of Deltam(d) from time evolution measurements at the Upsilon(4S). We also place limits on possible CPT violations.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Abe
- High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba
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Abstract
Metabolic alkalosis (MA), defined as a primary increment in plasma bicarbonate concentration, is a common complication in hospitalized patients and is associated with high morbidity and mortality in severe cases. One of the major routes of compensation for MA (ie, the secretion of an alkaline urine) is lost in renal failure patients. We report three cases involving four episodes of extreme MA with an arterial pH value greater than 7.60, serum bicarbonate concentration greater than 55 mmol/L, and stupor or seizure. Profound vomiting or massive gastric drainage combined with concurrent oliguric renal failure was the underlying mechanism for severe MA. Hydration and normal central venous pressure failed to improve the MA. The extreme MA was reversed quickly and safely by conventional hemodialysis with normal bicarbonate dialysate of 25 to 28 mmol/L. To our knowledge, this is the first reported successful use of normal bicarbonate dialysate in the treatment of severe MA. We also found that either H(2) blockers or proton-pump inhibitors have a prophylactic effect on the formation of MA.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Departments of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Abashian A, Abe K, Abe K, Adachi I, Ahn BS, Aihara H, Akatsu M, Alimonti G, Aoki K, Asai K, Asai M, Asano Y, Aso T, Aulchenko V, Aushev T, Bakich AM, Banas E, Behari S, Behera PK, Beiline D, Bondar A, Bozek A, Browder TE, Casey BC, Chang P, Chao Y, Cheon BG, Choi SK, Choi Y, Doi Y, Dragic J, Drutskoy A, Eidelman S, Enari Y, Enomoto R, Everton CW, Fang F, Fujii H, Fujimoto K, Fujita Y, Fukunaga C, Fukushima M, Garmash A, Gordon A, Gotow K, Guler H, Guo R, Haba J, Haji T, Hamasaki H, Hanagaki K, Handa F, Hara K, Hara T, Haruyama T, Hastings NC, Hayashi K, Hayashii H, Hazumi M, Heenan EM, Higashi Y, Higashino Y, Higuchi I, Higuchi T, Hirai T, Hirano H, Hirose M, Hojo T, Hoshi Y, Hoshina K, Hou WS, Hsu SC, Huang HC, Huang YC, Ichizawa S, Igarashi Y, Iijima T, Ikeda H, Ikeda K, Inami K, Inoue Y, Ishikawa A, Ishino H, Itoh R, Iwai G, Iwai M, Iwamoto M, Iwasaki H, Iwasaki Y, Jackson DJ, Jalocha P, Jang HK, Jones M, Kagan R, Kakuno H, Kaneko J, Kang JH, Kang JS, Kapusta P, Kasami K, Katayama N, Kawai H, Kawai H, Kawai M, Kawamura N, Kawasaki T, Kichimi H, Kim DW, Kim H, Kim HJ, Kim H, Kim SK, Kinoshita K, Kobayashi S, Koike S, Koishi S, Kondo Y, Konishi H, Korotushenko K, Krokovny P, Kulasiri R, Kumar S, Kuniya T, Kurihara E, Kuzmin A, Kwon YJ, Lee MH, Lee SH, Leonidopoulos C, Li HB, Lu RS, Makida Y, Manabe A, Marlow D, Matsubara T, Matsuda T, Matsui S, Matsumoto S, Matsumoto T, Mikami Y, Misono K, Miyabayashi K, Miyake H, Miyata H, Moffitt LC, Mohapatra A, Moloney GR, Moorhead GF, Morgan N, Mori S, Mori T, Murakami A, Nagamine T, Nagasaka Y, Nagashima Y, Nakadaira T, Nakamura T, Nakano E, Nakao M, Nakazawa H, Nam JW, Narita S, Natkaniec Z, Neichi K, Nishida S, Nitoh O, Noguchi S, Nozaki T, Ogawa S, Ohshima T, Ohshima Y, Okabe T, Okazaki T, Okuno S, Olsen SL, Ostrowicz W, Ozaki H, Pakhlov P, Palka H, Park CS, Park CW, Park H, Peak LS, Peters M, Piilonen LE, Prebys E, Rodriguez JL, Root N, Rozanska M, Rybicki K, Ryuko J, Sagawa H, Saitoh S, Sakai Y, Sakamoto H, Sakaue H, Satapathy M, Sato N, Satpathy A, Schrenk S, Semenov S, Settai Y, Sevior ME, Shibuya H, Shwartz B, Sidorov A, Sidorov V, Singh JB, Stanic S, Sugi A, Sugiyama A, Sumisawa K, Sumiyoshi T, Suzuki J, Suzuki J, Suzuki K, Suzuki S, Suzuki SY, Swain SK, Tajima H, Takahashi T, Takasaki F, Takita M, Tamai K, Tamura N, Tanaka J, Tanaka M, Tanaka Y, Taylor GN, Teramoto Y, Tomoto M, Tomura T, Tovey SN, Trabelsi K, Tsuboyama T, Tsujita Y, Tsukamoto T, Tsukamoto T, Uehara S, Ueno K, Ujiie N, Unno Y, Uno S, Ushiroda Y, Usov Y, Vahsen SE, Varner G, Varvell KE, Wang CC, Wang CH, Wang MZ, Wang TJ, Watanabe Y, Won E, Yabsley BD, Yamada Y, Yamaga M, Yamaguchi A, Yamaguchi H, Yamamoto H, Yamanaka T, Yamaoka H, Yamaoka Y, Yamashita Y, Yamauchi M, Yanaka S, Yokoyama M, Yoshida K, Yusa Y, Yuta H, Zhang CC, Zhao HW, Zhang J, Zheng Y, Zhilich V, Zontar D. Measurement of the CP violation parameter sin2 phi(1) in B(0)(d) meson decays. Phys Rev Lett 2001; 86:2509-2514. [PMID: 11289969 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.86.2509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2001] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We present a measurement of the standard model CP violation parameter sin2 phi(1) (also known as sin2beta) based on a 10.5 fb(-1) data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e(+)e(-) collider. One neutral B meson is reconstructed in the J/psiK(S), psi(2S)K(S), chi(c1)K(S), eta(c)K(S), J/psiK(L), or J/psipi(0) CP-eigenstate decay channel and the flavor of the accompanying B meson is identified from its charged particle decay products. From the asymmetry in the distribution of the time interval between the two B-meson decay points, we determine sin2 phi(1) = 0.58(+0.32)(-0.34)(stat)+0.09-0.10(syst).
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Kirschenbaum F, Hsu SC, Cordell B, McCarthy JV. Substitution of a glycogen synthase kinase-3beta phosphorylation site in presenilin 1 separates presenilin function from beta-catenin signaling. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:7366-75. [PMID: 11104755 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m004697200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of cases with early onset familial Alzheimer's disease have been attributed to mutations in the presenilin 1 (PS1) gene. PS1 protein is a component of a high molecular weight membrane-bound complex that also contains beta-catenin. The physiological relevance of the association between PS1 and beta-catenin remains controversial. In this study, we report the identification and functional characterization of a highly conserved glycogen synthase kinase-3beta consensus phosphorylation site within the hydrophilic loop domain of PS1. Site-directed mutagenesis, together with in vitro and in vivo phosphorylation assays, indicates that PS1 residues Ser(353) and Ser(357) are glycogen synthase kinase-3beta targets. Substitution of one or both of these residues greatly reduces the ability of PS1 to associate with beta-catenin. By disrupting this interaction, we demonstrate that the association between PS1 and beta-catenin has no effect on Abeta peptide production, beta-catenin stability, or cellular susceptibility to apoptosis. Significantly, in the absence of PS1/beta-catenin association, we found no alteration in beta-catenin signaling using induction of this pathway by exogenous expression of Wnt-1 or beta-catenin and a Tcf/Lef transcriptional assay. These results argue against a pathologically relevant role for the association between PS1 and beta-catenin in familial Alzheimer's disease.
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Abstract
PURPOSE Ammonio methacrylate copolymer is a pharmaceutical excipient widely used as a coating material for encapsulation of pellet and tablet dosage forms. Because of the charged ammonio function groups within the polymer, ionic drugs may interact with the coating film while transporting through it. The kinetic swelling and drug permeation properties of the ammonio methacrylate copolymer membranes were studied to delineate the effect of ionic interaction between the ionic drugs and the membranes. METHODS The pH and ionic strength of the solutions and the charged properties of drugs were varied to study the effects on the transport properties through the membranes. Ambroxol was chosen as a model cationic drug and aspirin as a model anionic drug. RESULTS The degree of membrane swelling in the drug-free solution decreases as the ionic strength increases but it is irrelevant to the pH. With the presence of ionic drugs, the degree of membrane swelling is affected by the drug species as well as the pH of the solutions in addition to the effect of ionic strength. The degree of swelling for a membrane in a solution containing aspirin is higher at a lower pH and ambroxol is lower at a lower pH. Aspirin experiences a three-stage permeation and ambroxol a two-stage one. The ion-exchange reaction between the anionic carboxylic groups in aspirin and the cationic ammonio groups in the membranes results in a slow permeation stage during the transient state. The pseudo steady-state permeability for each drug follows the trend as the degree of membrane swelling in the drug media at various pH and ionic strengths. However, it is much higher for aspirin than ambroxol although the degree of membrane swelling is higher in an ambroxol solution than that in an aspirin solution. The permeability of ambroxol through the membrane is largely reduced because of the Donnan exclusion effect. CONCLUSIONS The interaction between ionic drugs with the cationic groups in the membranes affects the ionic strength of the solutions and results in a pH-dependent degree of swelling. The ionic interaction also determines the drug permeation rates as well as the transient permeation behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y M Sun
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Chung-Li, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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Chuang CH, Hsu SC, Hsu CL, Hsu TC, Syu WJ. Construction of a tagging system for subcellular localization of proteins encoded by open reading frames. J Biomed Sci 2001; 8:170-5. [PMID: 11287747 DOI: 10.1007/bf02256409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously characterized a monoclonal antibody (SC1D7) that is directed to maltose-binding protein (MBP) of Escherichia coli and other closely related enteric bacteria. SC1D7 does not cross-react with proteins in eucaryotes and appears to be a highly specific tool in immunochemical analyses. To better map the epitope, we took advantage of an available plasmid, pMAL-c2, that encodes the E. coli MBP-coding sequence and constructed plasmids to express MBP fragments. A construct containing the N-terminal portion of MBP does not react with SC1D7, whereas a second construct expressing glutathione S-transferase fused with the C-terminal half of MBP does react with SC1D7. To precisely define the epitope, random peptides displayed on M13 were used to react with SC1D7. Sequences of reactive peptides were aligned, and a consensus sequence of XDXRIPX was deduced. This sequence matches MBP with an amino acid stretch of KDPRIAA. To consolidate the mapping result, a sequence encoding this epitope was inserted into an expression vector and the resulting recombinant protein did react with SC1D7. Thereafter, this epitope was incorporated into a eucaryotic expression plasmid containing a previously defined hepatitis delta virus epitope for protein tagging. This two-epitope-tagging vector is useful in various molecular analyses. We demonstrate its usage for localization of a bacterial virulence factor in host cells. This vector should be applicable for high-throughput characterization of new open reading frames found in genome sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- C H Chuang
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang Ming University, Shih-Pai, Taipei 112, Taiwan, ROC
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35
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Hsu SC, Tsen HY. PCR primers designed from malic acid dehydrogenase gene and their use for detection of Escherichia coli in water and milk samples. Int J Food Microbiol 2001; 64:1-11. [PMID: 11252491 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1605(00)00425-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli has been the appropriate focus for monitoring of potential enteric pathogens in water and foods. Although several methods have been used for the detection or enumeration of E. coli cells in water and foods, the time and accuracy limitations of these methods suggest the need of a rapid and specific method. By comparison of the gene sequences coding for malic acid dehydrogenase (mdh) of E. coli and non-E. coli strains, two oligonucleotides were designed and their possible use as E. coli-specific PCR primers was tested. All of the 110 E. coli strains tested, including non-pathogenic and various pathogenic strains, generated the expected PCR products with Mw equal to 392 bp. On the other hand, only 97 of these 110 E. coli strains were detectable using the BAM gas production method. With the exception of Shigella strains, non-E. coli strains, including strains of the family of Enterobacteriaceae, did not generate any false positive PCR results. When this PCR system was used for the monitoring of E. coli cells inoculated into water and milk samples, as low as 10(0) cfu per 100 ml of water or per ml of milk sample could be detected if an 8 h preculture step was performed prior to the PCR. Including the preculture step, the whole PCR detection process may be completed within 12 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Department of Food Science, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
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Huang JJ, Hsu SC, Chen FF, Sung JM, Tseng CC, Wang MC. Adult-onset minimal change disease among Taiwanese: clinical features, therapeutic response, and prognosis. Am J Nephrol 2001; 21:28-34. [PMID: 11275629 DOI: 10.1159/000046215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There are some racial differences in the prevalence and prognosis of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome; however, reports about minimal change disease (MCD) in Chinese were rare. We retrospectively analyzed 123 Chinese adults with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, who received percutaneous renal biopsy in our institution within the last 10 years. In total, 46 patients (37.4%) were compatible with the pathological diagnosis of MCD. The male to female ratio was 1.2:1. The mean age of onset was 30.9 years, and 80% of the patients with MCD were less than 40 years. The mean daily proteinuria was 10.2 g, and serum albumin was 1.8 mg/dl. Azotemia occurred in 16 (35%) of 46 cases; hypertension, 13%; and microscopic hematuria, 13%. High selectivity index for proteinuria (SI <0.1) was noted in 12 (39%) of 31 cases; and high IgE level was found in 83.7% of the study subjects, although only one case had allergic history. Complete remission in 36 MCD patients treated with corticosteroid was achieved by 42% (15/36), 80% (29/36), and 94% (34/36) within 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively. The time interval to remission was similar between the younger group (<40 years old, 1.7 months) and older group (>40 years old, 1.6 months). Nineteen (56%) of 34 cases with steroid response did not relapse, and the other cases (44%) had a mean relapse rate of 1.5 times per patient within a period of 45 months. The age of onset in MCD cases was not significantly correlated with steroid-responsive rate, and the time interval to remission. However, a tendency existed between the onset in the young age and the sequentially relapsing rate (p = 0.06). Two cases with primary steroid resistance and 5 cases with frequent relapse or steroid dependence responded well to intravenous pulse therapy of cyclophosphamide, except one refractory case. No thrombotic episode was ever noted in our group. Regarding infectious complications, primary peritonitis occurred in one, pneumonia in one, and cellulitis in 6 cases during active nephrotic stage. Two mortality cases, one with E. coli-related necrotizing fasciitis and one from pneumonia, were noted. In brief, compared with children, adult patients with MCD had lesser high selectivity index for proteinuria, the same steroid-responsive rate (94%), but slower response, and significantly lesser relapsing rate. The intravenous pulse therapy of cyclophosphamide may be an alternative regimen for adult patients with steroid resistance or dependency. In addition, the Asian adult-onset MCD had younger age, male predominance, and lesser relapsing rate in comparison to those of the Western population.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Huang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
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Abstract
Determination of hepatitis D virus (HDV) genotypes is epidemiologically and clinically important. Phylogenic analysis based on sequencing analysis of multiple HDV strains isolated from sera of patients is not convenient for mass screening in routine laboratories. This study was designed to develop genotype-specific antibodies against hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg) and to apply these antibodies for immunohistochemical differentiation of HDV genotypes in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver biopsies of patients. Divergence in the carboxyl-terminal 19 amino acids of the large HDAg between genotypes I and II is more than 70%. Peptides covering these residues were conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin and were used for immunization. The generated antibodies were confirmed for their specificity by binding to type-specific HDAgs expressed in DNA-transfected Huh-7 hepatoma cells. Liver biopsies from 6 patients who had dominant genotype I HDV and 33 patients who had dominant genotype II HDV in sera were stained with these antibodies. The accuracy for these antibodies was 94.9%, and the agreement between dominant HDV genotypes in serum and dominant hepatic HDV genotypes based on HDAg staining was nearly perfect (kappa = 0.83). In summary, the carboxyl-terminal 19 amino acids of the large HDAg can be used as immunogens to generate genotype-specific antibodies. These antibodies were proven to be useful in immunohistochemical differentiation of HDV genotypes in liver biopsies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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Hsu SC, Huang JJ, Sung JM, Wang MC, Tseng CC, Lee SY. Tumoural calcinosis associated with subclavian vein occlusion and hypercalcaemia in a haemodialysis patient. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2000; 15:1262-4. [PMID: 10910465 DOI: 10.1093/ndt/15.8.1262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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Abstract
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) superinfection is one of the major causes of fulminant hepatitis in endemic areas of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Currently, there is no effective treatment or vaccine against HDV superinfection. DNA-based immunization is a promising antiviral strategy to prevent or treat persistent viral infections. In this study, we investigated the immunological effects of DNA vaccines against HDV in BALB/c mice. Plasmid (pD) encoding large hepatitis D antigen (L-HDAg), or plasmid (pS/pD) coexpressing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and L-HDAg, were injected into mice intramuscularly. The seroconversion rate, anti-HBs levels, anti-HDV titers, T-cell proliferation responses, and T-helper (Th)-release cytokine profiles were analyzed. Mice immunized with plasmids, pS/pD or pD, produced low, but significant, titers of anti-HDV antibodies. In contrast, pS/pD induced much stronger anti-HBs titers in the immunized animals. Interestingly, splenic lymphocytes derived from pS/pD-inoculated mice demonstrated significant proliferation responses to recombinant HBsAg and HDAg, and resulted in a Th1-like immune response as suggested by the production of interferon gamma (INF-gamma) and interleukin-2 (IL-2), but not IL-4. The splenic lymphocyte derived from the pD-inoculated mice showed a similar Th1 response to the stimulation of HDAg, but not to HBsAg. In conclusion, our results suggest that DNA vaccines against HDV can induce significant cellular immune responses with a Th1 preference. HBV and HDV coimmunization can be performed by DNA vaccines. These results are promising for the future development of prophylactic and therapeutic HDV vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y H Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Hsu SC, Lin HP, Wu JC, Ko KL, Sheen IJ, Yan BS, Chou CK, Syu WJ. Characterization of a strain-specific monoclonal antibody to hepatitis delta virus antigen. J Virol Methods 2000; 87:53-62. [PMID: 10856752 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-0934(00)00147-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Sequences of the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) vary to different degrees among isolates. A monoclonal antibody, designated as HP6A1, against the antigen of HDV (HDAg) has been characterized for its specificity. HP6A1 bound to HDAg of isolate 25 (genotype I) that was used for immunization, but not to others of both genotypes I and II. The epitope recognized by HP6A1 was then determined by a phage library displaying various heptapeptides. A consensus peptide deduced has the best match with that of residues 4-10 of HDAg (isolate 25). To confirm the phage mapping result, Escherichia coli recombinant proteins containing different lengths and various segments of HDAg (isolate 25) were constructed. The shortest HDAg segment contained in the fusion protein that reacted with HP6A1 was residues 1-10. When this peptide was added to the N-terminus of a heterologous protein engineered for eucaryotic expression, the fusion protein was detected by HP6A1. It is concluded that HP6A1 recognizes an epitope located at the N-terminus of HDAg (isolate 25). Since viruses of quasi-species exist in natural infections, a question of how different viral strains interact in vivo remains to be explored. The highly specific MAb opens a possibility to examine the fate of one strain in the presence of other related species in a cell transfection system.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Institutes of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Abstract
At present, in most oceans the lead (Pb) biogeochemical cycling has been disturbed by anthropogenic Pb through atmospheric input. The Pb concentrations in the upper water positively correlate with atmospheric input fluxes of Pb. The North Pacific is affected greatly by atmospheric substances via long-range transport from eastern Asia, especially from Mainland China. Mainland China may export considerable amounts of pollutants into the seas via rivers and the atmosphere owing to its recent fast growth in industry and economy. The East China Sea lies in an important geographical position--a transit between Mainland China and the western North Pacific. However, no data are available for seawater concentrations of Pb, a representative element with anthropogenic origin. In this work seawater samples from both 5 and 30-50 m water layers of 15 stations occupied over a cyclonic eddy in the southern East China Sea were analyzed for particulate Pb (PPb) and dissolved Pb (DPb). The Mean concentration of DPb (approximately 128 ng/l) in the southern East China Sea upper waters (< or = 50 m) is approximately several times higher than those in the Pacific; the high DPb concentrations in the southern East China Sea waters correspond to much higher atmospheric supplies of Pb to the East China Sea. Thus, this study partly fills the 'data gap' of the marginal seas. Also, it indicates that the East China Sea may be considerably contaminated by deposited polluted aerosols. Spatial distributions of DPb in the surface water show a tendency of increasing concentrations with distance offshore, that depends on the magnitudes of atmospheric Pb inputs and on particle scavenging processes. In contrast to DPb, spatial distributions of PPb basically display an 'omega'-like picture and a tendency of decreasing concentrations with distance offshore. These are related to riverine and scavenging sources and to the drive by the eddy. Additionally, the residence times of DPb in the surface water were estimated to be about 2 years, agreeing well with the reported data.
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Affiliation(s)
- F J Lin
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Hsu SC, Huang JJ, Wang MC, Tseng CC. Gas-forming retroperitoneal abscess associated with crepitant myositis of right buttock and thigh. J Infect 2000; 40:295-7. [PMID: 10908031 DOI: 10.1053/jinf.1999.0631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Hsu SC, Fiksel G, Carter TA, Ji H, Kulsrud RM, Yamada M. Local measurement of nonclassical ion heating during magnetic reconnection. Phys Rev Lett 2000; 84:3859-3862. [PMID: 11019224 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.84.3859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/1999] [Revised: 03/01/2000] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Local ion temperature and flows are measured directly in the well-characterized reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma. The measurements indicate strongly that ions are heated due to reconnection and that more than half of the reconnected field energy is converted to ion thermal energy. Neither classical viscous damping of the observed sub-Alfvenic ion flows nor classical energy exchange with electrons is sufficient to account for the ion heating, suggesting the importance of nonclassical dissipation mechanisms in the reconnection layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- SC Hsu
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543, USA
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Hsu SC, Lan RR, Tseng CC, Lai CT, Huang JJ. Extrapulmonary tuberculous infection manifested as peritoneal fluid eosinophilia in a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patient. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2000; 15:284-5. [PMID: 10648689 DOI: 10.1093/ndt/15.2.284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Lin KC, Hsu SC, Kuo CH, Zhou JY. Difference of plasma leptin levels in venous and arterial cord blood: relation to neonatal and placental weight. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 1999; 15:679-85. [PMID: 10645128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
To investigate the physiological significance of umbilical plasma leptin in the fetal growth and its possible origin of production during pregnancy, plasma leptin concentrations in venous and arterial cord bloods were measured in 42 neonates (male = 23, female = 19, gestational age 36-41 weeks, birth weight 2600-4000 g). Leptin concentrations in umbilical veins (5.65 +/- 0.53 ng/mL, n = 42) and umbilical arteries (0.56 +/- 0.07 ng/mL, n = 42) were significantly (P < 0.001) lower than those in maternal peripheral veins (22.36 +/- 1.06 ng/mL, n = 42). Mean plasma leptin concentration (+/- SEM) in venous cord blood was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than that of arterial cord blood. There was significantly positive correlation (r = 0.447, P < 0.01) between umbilical venous leptin levels and neonatal body mass index (BMI). A positive correlation (r = 0.435, P < 0.01) was also found between umbilical arterial leptin and neonate BMI. There was no positive correlation between umbilical leptin levels in venous cord blood and placental weight. We thus conclude that umbilical plasma leptin may play an essential role in the fetal growth and metabolism during pregnancy and placenta is one of the major sources of leptin production, but the level of leptin in umbilico-placental circulation is independent of the weight of placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- K C Lin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Abstract
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is activated by T cell receptor engagement. Here we showed that T cell receptor activated p38alpha but not p38delta. Inhibition of p38alpha by the specific inhibitor SB 203580 prevented activation-induced cell death in T cells. SB 203580 had no effect on Fas-initiated apoptosis. Instead, SB 203580 preferentially inhibited activation-induced Fas ligand (FasL) expression. The inhibition on FasL expression by SB 203580 was correlated with the suppression on the FasL promoter activation. Overexpression of active MAPK kinase 3b, the activator of p38 MAPK, led to activation of FasL promoter and induction of FasL transcripts in T cells. Stress stimulation of T cells by anisomycin also induced FasL expression in a p38 MAPK-dependent manner. The induction of FasL expression in nonlymphoid cells such as 293T also required activation of p38 MAPK. Our results suggest that p38 MAPK is essential for FasL expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Microbiology, National Taiwan University School of Medicine, Taipei 10018, Taiwan, R.O.C
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47
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Abstract
Apoptosis of lymphocytes is triggered by different stimuli through the induced expression of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL). Using T cell activation-induced Fas/FasL expression as a model system, we observed a differential regulation of the induction of Fas and FasL. cAMP inhibited activation-induced apoptosis by an effective suppression of TCR-coupled FasL expres sion. In contrast, cAMP weakly interfered with activation-induced Fas expression, and the remaining Fas molecules on cAMP-treated T cells still mediated apoptosis. Among the major transcription elements on the FasL promoter, the activation of NF-kappaB, but not of NF-AT and AP-1, was suppressed by cAMP. The prominent role of NF-kappaB was further demonstrated by a better activation of the FasL promoter and an elevated expression of FasL induced by p65 (RelA) overexpression than those induced by AP-1 or NF-AT. Our results demonstrate the essential role of NF-kappaB for the expression of the death receptor ligand FasL, and suggest a direct link between NF-kappaB activation and the expression of FasL. NF-kappaB may be the common mediator in the induction of FasL through TCR activation and by various stress stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Microbiology, National Taiwan University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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Hsu SC, Chargelegue D, Obeid OE, Steward MW. Synergistic effect of immunization with a peptide cocktail inducing antibody, helper and cytotoxic T-cell responses on protection against respiratory syncytial virus. J Gen Virol 1999; 80 ( Pt 6):1401-1405. [PMID: 10374957 DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-80-6-1401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) or neutralizing antibodies can protect against RSV infection when induced separately by immunization with synthetic peptides. In the work described here, RSV-specific neutralizing antibodies and CTLs were induced after immunization with a cocktail of peptides consisting of a B-cell mimotope (S1S-MAP), a T-helper epitope (SH:45-60) and a CTL epitope linked to a fusion (F) peptide (F/M2:81-95) that were comparable to those induced by the peptides alone. Following challenge, a 190-fold reduction in RSV titre was observed in the lungs of peptide cocktail-immunized mice. The combination of RSV-specific humoral and cellular immunity induced by the peptide cocktail was thus more effective at clearing RSV than peptide-induced humoral or cellular immunity alone.
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Abstract
The delivery of secretory vesicles to appropriate docking and fusion sites on the plasma membrane is crucial for many cellular functions, including formation of synapses, exocytosis of neurotransmitter, establishment and maintenance of cell polarity, cell growth and plasma membrane wound healing. Cell-biological, genetic and biochemical approaches have identified crucial proteins and protein interactions important for vesicle docking and fusion. However, a description of the molecular mechanisms underlying vesicle targeting to specific membrane-fusion sites remains elusive. This review discusses a set of proteins that might direct vesicles to specific domains of the plasma membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Hsu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Dept of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Hazuka CD, Foletti DL, Hsu SC, Kee Y, Hopf FW, Scheller RH. The sec6/8 complex is located at neurite outgrowth and axonal synapse-assembly domains. J Neurosci 1999; 19:1324-34. [PMID: 9952410 PMCID: PMC6786045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecules that specify domains on the neuronal plasma membrane for the delivery and accumulation of vesicles during neurite outgrowth and synapse formation are unknown. We investigated the role of the sec6/8 complex, a set of proteins that specifies vesicle targeting sites in yeast and epithelial cells, in neuronal membrane trafficking. This complex was found in layers of developing rat brain undergoing synaptogenesis. In cultured hippocampal neurons, the sec6/8 complex was present in regions of ongoing membrane addition: the tips of growing neurites, filopodia, and growth cones. In young axons, the sec6/8 complex was also confined to periodic domains of the plasma membrane. The distribution of synaptotagmin, synapsin1, sec6, and FM1-43 labeling in cultured neurons suggested that the plasma membrane localization of the sec6/8 complex preceded the arrival of synaptic markers and was downregulated in mature synapses. We propose that the sec6/8 complex specifies sites for targeting vesicles at domains of neurite outgrowth and potential active zones during synaptogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C D Hazuka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5428, USA
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