1
|
Dai HJ, Chen CC, Mir TH, Wang TY, Wang CK, Chang YC, Yu SJ, Shen YW, Huang CJ, Tsai CH, Wang CY, Chen HJ, Weng PS, Lin YX, Chen SW, Tsai MJ, Juang SF, Wu SY, Tsai WT, Huang MY, Huang CJ, Yang CJ, Liu PZ, Huang CW, Huang CY, Wang WYC, Chong IW, Yang YH. Integrating predictive coding and a user-centric interface for enhanced auditing and quality in cancer registry data. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 24:322-333. [PMID: 38690549 PMCID: PMC11059324 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.04.007] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Data curation for a hospital-based cancer registry heavily relies on the labor-intensive manual abstraction process by cancer registrars to identify cancer-related information from free-text electronic health records. To streamline this process, a natural language processing system incorporating a hybrid of deep learning-based and rule-based approaches for identifying lung cancer registry-related concepts, along with a symbolic expert system that generates registry coding based on weighted rules, was developed. The system is integrated with the hospital information system at a medical center to provide cancer registrars with a patient journey visualization platform. The embedded system offers a comprehensive view of patient reports annotated with significant registry concepts to facilitate the manual coding process and elevate overall quality. Extensive evaluations, including comparisons with state-of-the-art methods, were conducted using a lung cancer dataset comprising 1428 patients from the medical center. The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the developed system, consistently achieving F1-scores of 0.85 and 1.00 across 30 coding items. Registrar feedback highlights the system's reliability as a tool for assisting and auditing the abstraction. By presenting key registry items along the timeline of a patient's reports with accurate code predictions, the system improves the quality of registrar outcomes and reduces the labor resources and time required for data abstraction. Our study highlights advancements in cancer registry coding practices, demonstrating that the proposed hybrid weighted neural-symbolic cancer registry system is reliable and efficient for assisting cancer registrars in the coding workflow and contributing to clinical outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Jie Dai
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 70456, Taiwan
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Center for Big Data Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chang Chen
- Electromagnetic Sensing Control and AI Computing System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
| | - Tatheer Hussain Mir
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 70456, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Yu Wang
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 70456, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
- Department of Computer Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC
- Advanced Technology Laboratory, Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ya-Chen Chang
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 70456, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Jung Yu
- Center for Big Data Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Wen Shen
- Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Jiun Huang
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hsuan Tsai
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Yun Wang
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Jou Chen
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Shan Weng
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - You-Xiang Lin
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Wei Chen
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 80778, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Ju Tsai
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Shian-Fei Juang
- Department of Medical Information, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Su-Ying Wu
- Department of Medical Information, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Tsung Tsai
- Department of Medical Information, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Yii Huang
- Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Jen Huang
- Cancer Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Jen Yang
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Ping-Zun Liu
- Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei 10341, Taiwan
| | - Chiao-Wen Huang
- Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei 10341, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Yen Huang
- Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei 10341, Taiwan
| | | | - Inn-Wen Chong
- Division of Chest Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsin Yang
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 70456, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu J, Gupta S, Chen A, Wang CK, Mishra P, Dai HJ, Wong ZSY, Jonnagaddala J. OpenDeID Pipeline for Unstructured Electronic Health Record Text Notes Based on Rules and Transformers: Deidentification Algorithm Development and Validation Study. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e48145. [PMID: 38055317 PMCID: PMC10733816 DOI: 10.2196/48145] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electronic health records (EHRs) in unstructured formats are valuable sources of information for research in both the clinical and biomedical domains. However, before such records can be used for research purposes, sensitive health information (SHI) must be removed in several cases to protect patient privacy. Rule-based and machine learning-based methods have been shown to be effective in deidentification. However, very few studies investigated the combination of transformer-based language models and rules. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to develop a hybrid deidentification pipeline for Australian EHR text notes using rules and transformers. The study also aims to investigate the impact of pretrained word embedding and transformer-based language models. METHODS In this study, we present a hybrid deidentification pipeline called OpenDeID, which is developed using an Australian multicenter EHR-based corpus called OpenDeID Corpus. The OpenDeID corpus consists of 2100 pathology reports with 38,414 SHI entities from 1833 patients. The OpenDeID pipeline incorporates a hybrid approach of associative rules, supervised deep learning, and pretrained language models. RESULTS The OpenDeID achieved a best F1-score of 0.9659 by fine-tuning the Discharge Summary BioBERT model and incorporating various preprocessing and postprocessing rules. The OpenDeID pipeline has been deployed at a large tertiary teaching hospital and has processed over 8000 unstructured EHR text notes in real time. CONCLUSIONS The OpenDeID pipeline is a hybrid deidentification pipeline to deidentify SHI entities in unstructured EHR text notes. The pipeline has been evaluated on a large multicenter corpus. External validation will be undertaken as part of our future work to evaluate the effectiveness of the OpenDeID pipeline.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxing Liu
- School of Statistics and Mathematics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Aipeng Chen
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Department of Computer Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | | | - Hong-Jie Dai
- School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Zoie Shui-Yee Wong
- Graduate School of Public Health, St. Luke's International University, Tokyo, Japan
- The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jitendra Jonnagaddala
- School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, Australia
- NMC Royal Hospital, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Weissenbacher D, O’Connor K, Rawal S, Zhang Y, Tsai RTH, Miller T, Xu D, Anderson C, Liu B, Han Q, Zhang J, Kulev I, Köprü B, Rodriguez-Esteban R, Ozkirimli E, Ayach A, Roller R, Piccolo S, Han P, Vydiswaran VGV, Tekumalla R, Banda JM, Bagherzadeh P, Bergler S, Silva JF, Almeida T, Martinez P, Rivera-Zavala R, Wang CK, Dai HJ, Alberto Robles Hernandez L, Gonzalez-Hernandez G. Automatic Extraction of Medication Mentions from Tweets-Overview of the BioCreative VII Shared Task 3 Competition. Database (Oxford) 2023; 2023:baac108. [PMID: 36734300 PMCID: PMC9896308 DOI: 10.1093/database/baac108] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
This study presents the outcomes of the shared task competition BioCreative VII (Task 3) focusing on the extraction of medication names from a Twitter user's publicly available tweets (the user's 'timeline'). In general, detecting health-related tweets is notoriously challenging for natural language processing tools. The main challenge, aside from the informality of the language used, is that people tweet about any and all topics, and most of their tweets are not related to health. Thus, finding those tweets in a user's timeline that mention specific health-related concepts such as medications requires addressing extreme imbalance. Task 3 called for detecting tweets in a user's timeline that mentions a medication name and, for each detected mention, extracting its span. The organizers made available a corpus consisting of 182 049 tweets publicly posted by 212 Twitter users with all medication mentions manually annotated. The corpus exhibits the natural distribution of positive tweets, with only 442 tweets (0.2%) mentioning a medication. This task was an opportunity for participants to evaluate methods that are robust to class imbalance beyond the simple lexical match. A total of 65 teams registered, and 16 teams submitted a system run. This study summarizes the corpus created by the organizers and the approaches taken by the participating teams for this challenge. The corpus is freely available at https://biocreative.bioinformatics.udel.edu/tasks/biocreative-vii/track-3/. The methods and the results of the competing systems are analyzed with a focus on the approaches taken for learning from class-imbalanced data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Davy Weissenbacher
- Department of Computational Biomedicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Karen O’Connor
- DBEI, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Siddharth Rawal
- DBEI, The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Rd, Zhongli District, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan
| | - Richard Tzong-Han Tsai
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Rd, Zhongli District, Taoyuan 320, Taiwan
- IoX Center, National Taiwan University, Da’an District, Section 4, Roosevelt Rd, No. 1, Barry Lam Hall, Taipei 106, Taiwan
- Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Rd, Nangang District, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Timothy Miller
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dongfang Xu
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Bo Liu
- NVIDIA, Santa Clara, CA, USA
| | - Qing Han
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Jinfeng Zhang
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Igor Kulev
- Data and Analytics Chapter, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Switzerland
| | - Berkay Köprü
- Data and Analytics Chapter, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Switzerland
| | - Raul Rodriguez-Esteban
- Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elif Ozkirimli
- Data and Analytics Chapter, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Switzerland
| | - Ammer Ayach
- Speech and Language Technology Lab, DFKI, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland Roller
- Speech and Language Technology Lab, DFKI, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephen Piccolo
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Peijin Han
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - V G Vinod Vydiswaran
- Department of Learning Health Sciences, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ramya Tekumalla
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Juan M Banda
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | - João F Silva
- DETI, Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Tiago Almeida
- DETI, Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro, University of Aveiro, Portugal
- Department of Computation, University of A Coruña, Spain
| | - Paloma Martinez
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Renzo Rivera-Zavala
- Computer Science and Engineering Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Big Data Laboratory, Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Computer Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Jie Dai
- Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wu X, Wang CK, Zuo HY, Qu QY, Tong Y, Wang K, Wu SB, Zhou MQ. [Molecular mechanism of locus coeruleus involved in acupuncture anti-myocardial ischemia based on transcriptome sequencing]. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu 2021; 46:782-8. [PMID: 34558245 DOI: 10.13702/j.1000-0607.200722] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the molecular mechanism of locus coeruleus(LC) involved in electroacupuncture (EA) anti myocardial ischemia. METHODS Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation, model, EA and EA +lesion groups, with 6 rats in each group. The acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery. EA (2 Hz/15 Hz, 1 mA) was applied to bilateral "Shenmen" (HT7) -"Tongli" (HT5) and the middle-point between HT7 and HT5 for 30 min, once daily for 3 days. For rats of the EA +lesion group, the virus (300 nL) was injected into bilateral LC before EA treatment. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was detected by ELISA. The gene expression profiles of rat heart were detected by transcriptome sequencing, the differentially expressed genes were screened, and Gene Ontology (GO) functional classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway enrichment analysis were performed. RESULTS Compared with the sham-operation group, serum AST content was significantly increased in the model group (P<0.01). Following the intervention, serum AST was significantly reduced in the EA group (P<0.01), while the serum AST in the EA + lesion group was significantly higher compared with the EA group (P<0.05). Differential expression analysis showed that 1 138 differentially expressed genes were screened out between the model group and the sham-operation group, 1 330 differentially expressed genes between model and EA group, and 804 differentially expressed genes between EA and EA + lesion group. Among them, 218 differential genes were involved in the regulation of EA anti-myocardial ischemia in LC. GO functional classification analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes mainly involved in cell processes, metabolic processes and biological regulation in biological processes. KEGG pathway analysis showed that these differentially expressed genes were enriched in sulfur relay system, thiamine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, C5 branch dicarboxylic acid metabolism, cell adhesion molecules and Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation. CONCLUSION EA intervention has a positive effect in anti-myocardial ischemia, which may be related to the sulfur relay system, thiamine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, C5 branch dicarboxylic acid metabolism, cell adhesion molecules and Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation involved in LC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wu
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China; School of Acupuncture-moxibustion and Massage, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Hai-Yan Zuo
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Qiao-Yu Qu
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Yan Tong
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Kun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Sheng-Bing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China
| | - Mei-Qi Zhou
- Research Institute of Acupuncture-moxibustion and Meridian, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230038, China; Bozhou Institute of Chinese Medicine, Anhui Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Bozhou 236800, Anhui Province
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wu X, Wang CK, Zuo HY, Chen ZH, Wu SB, Zhou MQ. [Identification of potential genes involved in biosynthesis of flavonoid and analysis of biosynthetic pathway in Fagopyrum dibotrys]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 2021; 46:1084-1093. [PMID: 33787101 DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20201121.102] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In order to enrich the transcriptome data of Fagopyrum dibotrys plants, analyze the genes encoding key enzyme involved in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, and mine their functional genes, in this study, we performed RNA sequencing analysis for the rhizomes, roots, flowers, leaves and stems of F. dibotrys on the BGISEQ-500 sequencing platform. After de novo assembly of transcripts, a total of 205 619 unigenes were generated and 132 372 unigenes were obtained and annotated into seven public databases, of which, 81 327 unigenes were mapped to the GO database and most of the unigenes were annotated in cellular process, biological regulation, binding and catalytic activity. Besides, 86 922 unigenes were enriched in 136 pathways using KEGG database' and we identified 82 unigenes that encodes key enzymes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Comparing rhizome with root, flower, leaf or stem in F. dibotrys, 27 962 co-expressed differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were obtained. Among them, 23 515 DEGs of rhizome tissue-specific were enriched into 132 pathways and 13 unigenes were significantly enriched in biosynthesis of flavone and flavonol. In addition, we also identified 3 427 unigenes encoding 60 transcription factor(TFs) families as well as four unigenes encoding bHLH TFs were enriched in flavonoid biosynthesis. Our results greatly enriched the transcriptome database of plants, provided a reference for the analysis of key enzymes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in plants, and will facilitate the study of the functions and regulatory mechanisms of key enzymes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in F. dibotrys at the genetic level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wu
- School of Acupuncture and Massage,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Hai-Yan Zuo
- Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Zhao-Hui Chen
- School of Acupuncture and Massage,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Sheng-Bing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Mei-Qi Zhou
- School of Acupuncture and Massage,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China Bozhou Institute of Chinese Medicine,Anhui Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bozhou 236800,China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lin HC, Wang CK, Tung YC, Chiu FY, Su YP. Increased vasculogenesis of endothelial cells in hyaluronic acid augmented fibrin-based natural hydrogels - from in vitro to in vivo models. Eur Cell Mater 2020; 40:133-145. [PMID: 32951194 DOI: 10.22203/ecm.v040a08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascularisation efficiency plays an essential role in the success of bulk transplantation, while biocompatibility and safety are major concerns in clinical applications. Fibrin-based hydrogels have been exploited as scaffolds for their advantages in biocompatibility, degradability and mass transportation in various forms. However, the mechanical strength and degree of vascularisation remain unsatisfactory for clinical usage. An interpenetrating hydrogel was developed by adding hyaluronic acid (HA) to a fibrin-based natural hydrogel. The vasculogenesis of endothelial cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVECs) was characterised within the gel using both in vitro and in vivo animal studies. The in vitro vascular morphology analysis showed 17.9 % longer mean tube length and 14.3 % higher average thickness in 7 d cultivation within the HA-supplemented hydrogel. The in vivo results showed 51.6 % larger total tube area, 1.8 × longer average tube length and 81.6 % higher cell number in the HA-supplemented hydrogel compared to the hydrogel without HA. The experimental results demonstrated better vascularisation and cell recruitment in the HA- supplemented hydrogel. The material properties of the hydrogels were also analysed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results revealed 3.7 × higher elasticity of the HA-supplemented hydrogel, which provided better mechanical strength and support for easy handling during procedures. With the demonstrated advantages, the developed hydrogels showed promise for exploitation in various practical clinical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Y P Su
- Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Taipei Veteran General Hospital, 201, Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Shan CM, Wang CK, Shi YY, Zhang SX, Zhao LQ, Wu JW. [Identification of key enzyme genes involved in biosynthesis of steroidal saponins and analysis of biosynthesis pathway in Polygonatum cyrtonema]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 2020; 45:2847-2857. [PMID: 32627459 DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20200329.108] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Steroidal saponins, which are the characteristic and main active constituents of Polygonatum, exhibit a broad range of pharmacological functions, such as regulating blood sugar, preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and anti-tumor. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing(RNA-Seq) analysis for the flowers, leaves, roots, and rhizomes of Polygonatum cyrtonema using the BGISEQ-500 platform to understand the biosynthesis pathway of steroidal saponins and study their key enzyme genes. The assembly of transcripts for four tissues generated 129 989 unigenes, of which 88 958 were mapped to several public databases for functional annotation, 22 813 unigenes were assigned to 53 subcategories and 64 877 unigenes were annotated to 136 pathways in KEGG database. Furthermore, 502 unigenes involved in the biosynthesis pathway of steroidal saponins were identified, of which 97 unigenes encoding 12 key enzymes. Cycloartenol synthase, the first key enzyme in the pathway of phytosterol biosynthesis, showed conserved catalytic domain and substrate binding domain based on sequence analysis and homology modeling. Differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were identified in rhizomes as compared to other tissues(flowers, leaves or roots).The 2 437 unigenes annotated by KEGG showed rhizome-specific expression, of which 35 unigenes involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins. Our results greatly extend the public transcriptome dataset of Polygonatum and provide valuable information for the identification of candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of steroidal saponins and other important secondary metabolites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Miao Shan
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012, China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education, Experimental Center for Scientific Research, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038, China
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012, China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education, Experimental Center for Scientific Research, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038, China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Shi
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012, China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education, Experimental Center for Scientific Research, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038, China
| | - Sheng-Xiang Zhang
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012, China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education, Experimental Center for Scientific Research, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038, China
| | - Li-Qiang Zhao
- Graduate School, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012, China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education, Experimental Center for Scientific Research, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038, China
| | - Jia-Wen Wu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education, Experimental Center for Scientific Research, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038, China Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012, China Synergetic Innovation Center of Anhui Authentic Chinese Medicine Quality Improvement Hefei 230012, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dai HJ, Su CH, Lee YQ, Zhang YC, Wang CK, Kuo CJ, Wu CS. Deep Learning-Based Natural Language Processing for Screening Psychiatric Patients. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:533949. [PMID: 33584354 PMCID: PMC7874001 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.533949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of pre-trained language models in natural language processing (NLP) based on deep learning and the availability of electronic health records (EHRs) presents a great opportunity to transfer the "knowledge" learned from data in the general domain to enable the analysis of unstructured textual data in clinical domains. This study explored the feasibility of applying NLP to a small EHR dataset to investigate the power of transfer learning to facilitate the process of patient screening in psychiatry. A total of 500 patients were randomly selected from a medical center database. Three annotators with clinical experience reviewed the notes to make diagnoses for major/minor depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dementia to form a small and highly imbalanced corpus. Several state-of-the-art NLP methods based on deep learning along with pre-trained models based on shallow or deep transfer learning were adapted to develop models to classify the aforementioned diseases. We hypothesized that the models that rely on transferred knowledge would be expected to outperform the models learned from scratch. The experimental results demonstrated that the models with the pre-trained techniques outperformed the models without transferred knowledge by micro-avg. and macro-avg. F-scores of 0.11 and 0.28, respectively. Our results also suggested that the use of the feature dependency strategy to build multi-labeling models instead of problem transformation is superior considering its higher performance and simplicity in the training process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Jie Dai
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chu-Hsien Su
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - You-Qian Lee
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - You-Chen Zhang
- Intelligent System Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Big Data Laboratory, Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chian-Jue Kuo
- Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Shin Wu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zhang SX, Shi YY, Wang CK, Zhao DR, Yang QS, Ma KL, Wu JW. [Cloning and characterization of chalcone synthase and chalcone isomerase genes in Arisaema heterophyllum]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 2019; 44:1799-1807. [PMID: 31342705 DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20190130.001] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Chalcone synthase( CHS) and chalcone isomerase( CHI) are key enzymes in the biosynthesis pathway of flavonoids. In this study,unigenes for CHS and CHI were screened from the transcriptome database of Arisaema heterophyllum. The open reading frame( ORFs) of chalcone synthase( Ah CHS) and chalcone isomerase( Ah CHI) were cloned from the plant by RT-PCR. The physicochemical properties,expression and structure characteristics of the encoded proteins Ah CHS and Ah CHI were analyzed. The ORFs of Ah CHS and Ah CHI were 1 176,630 bp in length and encoded 392,209 amino acids,respectively. Ah CHS functioned as a symmetric homodimer. The N-terminal helix of one monomer entwined with the corresponding helix of another monomer. Each CHS monomer consisted of two structural domains. In particular,four conserved residues define the active site. The tertiary structure of Ah CHI revealed a novel open-faced β-sandwich fold. A large β-sheet( β4-β11) and a layer of α-helices( α1-α7) comprised the core structure. The residues spanning β4,β5,α4,and α6 in the three-dimensional structure were conserved among CHIs from different species. Notably,these structural elements formed the active site on the protein surface,and the topology of the active-site cleft defined the stereochemistry of the cyclization reaction. The homology comparison showed that Ah CHS had the highest similarity to the CHS of Anthurium andraeanum,while Ah CHI had the highest similarity to the CHI of Paeonia delavayi. This study provided the basis for the functional study of Ah CHS and Ah CHI and the further study on plant flavonoid biosynthesis pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Xiang Zhang
- Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Shi
- Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - De-Rui Zhao
- Graduate School,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China
| | - Qing-Shan Yang
- College of Pharmacy,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China Synergetic Innovation Center of Anhui Authentic Chinese Medicine Quality Improvement Hefei 230012,China Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China
| | - Ke-Long Ma
- Clinical College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China
| | - Jia-Wen Wu
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine,Ministry of Education,Anhui University of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230038,China Synergetic Innovation Center of Anhui Authentic Chinese Medicine Quality Improvement Hefei 230012,China Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine Hefei 230012,China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Dai HJ, Wang CK. Classifying adverse drug reactions from imbalanced twitter data. Int J Med Inform 2019; 129:122-132. [PMID: 31445246 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2018] [Revised: 04/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nowadays, social media are often being used by general public to create and share public messages related to their health. With the global increase in social media usage, there is a trend of posting information related to adverse drug reactions (ADR). Mining the social media data for this type of information will be helpful for pharmacological post-marketing surveillance and monitoring. Although the concept of using social media to facilitate pharmacovigilance is convincing, construction of automatic ADR detection systems remains a challenge because the corpora compiled from social media tend to be highly imbalanced, posing a major obstacle to the development of classifiers with reliable performance. METHODS Several methods have been proposed to address the challenge of imbalanced corpora. However, we are not aware of any studies that investigated the effectiveness of the strategies of dealing with the problem of imbalanced data in the context of ADR detection from social media. In light of this, we evaluated a variety of imbalanced techniques and proposed a novel word embedding-based synthetic minority over-sampling technique (WESMOTE), which synthesizes new training examples from the sentence representation based on word embeddings. We compared the performance of all methods on two large imbalanced datasets released for the purpose of detecting ADR posts. RESULTS In comparison with the state-of-the-art approaches, the classifiers that incorporated imbalanced classification techniques achieved comparable or better F-scores. All of our best performing configurations combined random under-sampling with techniques including the proposed WESMOTE, boosting and ensemble, implying that an integration of these approaches with under-sampling provides a reliable solution for large imbalanced social media datasets. Furthermore, ensemble-based methods like vote-based under-sampling (VUE) and random under-sampling boosting can be alternatives for the hybrid synthetic methods because both methods increase the diversity of the created weak classifiers, leading to better recall and overall F-scores for the minority classes. CONCLUSIONS Data collected from the social media are usually very large and highly imbalanced. In order to maximize the performance of a classifier trained on such data, applications of imbalanced strategies are required. We considered several practical methods for handling imbalanced Twitter data along with their performance on the binary classification task with respect to ADRs. In conclusion, the following practical insights are gained: 1) When dealing with text classification, the proposed word embedding-based synthetic minority over-sampling technique is more effective than traditional synthetic-based over-sampling methods. 2) In cases where large amounts of training data are available, the imbalanced strategies combined with under-sampling techniques are preferred. 3) Finally, employment of advanced methods does not guarantee better performance than simpler ones such as VUE, which achieved high performance with advantages like faster building time and ease of development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Jie Dai
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China; Post Baccalaureate Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Big Data laboratories of Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dai HJ, Wang CK, Chang NW, Huang MS, Jonnagaddala J, Wang FD, Hsu WL. Statistical principle-based approach for recognizing and normalizing microRNAs described in scientific literature. Database (Oxford) 2019; 2019:5365313. [PMID: 30809637 PMCID: PMC6391575 DOI: 10.1093/database/baz030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The detection of MicroRNA (miRNA) mentions in scientific literature facilitates researchers with the ability to find relevant and appropriate literature based on queries formulated using miRNA information. Considering most published biological studies elaborated on signal transduction pathways or genetic regulatory information in the form of figure captions, the extraction of miRNA from both the main content and figure captions of a manuscript is useful in aggregate analysis and comparative analysis of the studies published. In this study, we present a statistical principle-based miRNA recognition and normalization method to identify miRNAs and link them to the identifiers in the Rfam database. As one of the core components in the text mining pipeline of the database miRTarBase, the proposed method combined the advantages of previous works relying on pattern, dictionary and supervised learning and provided an integrated solution for the problem of miRNA identification. Furthermore, the knowledge learned from the training data was organized in a human-interpretable manner to understand the reason why the system considers a span of text as a miRNA mention, and the represented knowledge can be further complemented by domain experts. We studied the ambiguity level of miRNA nomenclature to connect the miRNA mentions to the Rfam database and evaluated the performance of our approach on two datasets: the BioCreative VI Bio-ID corpus and the miRNA interaction corpus by extending the later corpus with additional Rfam normalization information. Our study highlights and also proposes a better understanding of the challenges associated with miRNA identification and normalization in scientific literature and the research gap that needs to be further explored in prospective studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Jie Dai
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Big Data Laboratories, Chunghwa Telecom Co., Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Nai-Wen Chang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Siang Huang
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jitendra Jonnagaddala
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Feng-Duo Wang
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Taitung University, Taitung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Lian Hsu
- Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Islamaj Dogan R, Kim S, Chatr-Aryamontri A, Wei CH, Comeau DC, Antunes R, Matos S, Chen Q, Elangovan A, Panyam NC, Verspoor K, Liu H, Wang Y, Liu Z, Altinel B, Hüsünbeyi ZM, Özgür A, Fergadis A, Wang CK, Dai HJ, Tran T, Kavuluru R, Luo L, Steppi A, Zhang J, Qu J, Lu Z. Overview of the BioCreative VI Precision Medicine Track: mining protein interactions and mutations for precision medicine. Database (Oxford) 2019; 2019:5303240. [PMID: 30689846 PMCID: PMC6348314 DOI: 10.1093/database/bay147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Precision Medicine Initiative is a multicenter effort aiming at formulating personalized treatments leveraging on individual patient data (clinical, genome sequence and functional genomic data) together with the information in large knowledge bases (KBs) that integrate genome annotation, disease association studies, electronic health records and other data types. The biomedical literature provides a rich foundation for populating these KBs, reporting genetic and molecular interactions that provide the scaffold for the cellular regulatory systems and detailing the influence of genetic variants in these interactions. The goal of BioCreative VI Precision Medicine Track was to extract this particular type of information and was organized in two tasks: (i) document triage task, focused on identifying scientific literature containing experimentally verified protein-protein interactions (PPIs) affected by genetic mutations and (ii) relation extraction task, focused on extracting the affected interactions (protein pairs). To assist system developers and task participants, a large-scale corpus of PubMed documents was manually annotated for this task. Ten teams worldwide contributed 22 distinct text-mining models for the document triage task, and six teams worldwide contributed 14 different text-mining systems for the relation extraction task. When comparing the text-mining system predictions with human annotations, for the triage task, the best F-score was 69.06%, the best precision was 62.89%, the best recall was 98.0% and the best average precision was 72.5%. For the relation extraction task, when taking homologous genes into account, the best F-score was 37.73%, the best precision was 46.5% and the best recall was 54.1%. Submitted systems explored a wide range of methods, from traditional rule-based, statistical and machine learning systems to state-of-the-art deep learning methods. Given the level of participation and the individual team results we find the precision medicine track to be successful in engaging the text-mining research community. In the meantime, the track produced a manually annotated corpus of 5509 PubMed documents developed by BioGRID curators and relevant for precision medicine. The data set is freely available to the community, and the specific interactions have been integrated into the BioGRID data set. In addition, this challenge provided the first results of automatically identifying PubMed articles that describe PPI affected by mutations, as well as extracting the affected relations from those articles. Still, much progress is needed for computer-assisted precision medicine text mining to become mainstream. Future work should focus on addressing the remaining technical challenges and incorporating the practical benefits of text-mining tools into real-world precision medicine information-related curation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rezarta Islamaj Dogan
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sun Kim
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Chih-Hsuan Wei
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Donald C Comeau
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rui Antunes
- Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics (DETI)/Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro (IEETA), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sérgio Matos
- Department of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics (DETI)/Institute of Electronics and Informatics Engineering of Aveiro (IEETA), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Qingyu Chen
- School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Aparna Elangovan
- School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nagesh C Panyam
- School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Karin Verspoor
- School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Hongfang Liu
- Department of Health Science Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Yanshan Wang
- Department of Health Science Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Zhuang Liu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Berna Altinel
- Department of Computer Engineering, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | | | - Aris Fergadis
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou, Athens, Greece
| | - Chen-Kai Wang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Jie Dai
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Kaousiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Tung Tran
- Department of Computer Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ramakanth Kavuluru
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Ling Luo
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Albert Steppi
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Florida, USA
| | - Jinfeng Zhang
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Florida, USA
| | - Jinchan Qu
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Florida, USA
| | - Zhiyong Lu
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ye LH, Wang CK, Zhang HC, Liu ZQ, Zheng HW. [Clinicopathologic features of drug-induced vanishing bile duct syndrome]. Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2018; 25:317-320. [PMID: 28494557 DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.1007-3418.2017.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS) manifests as progressive destruction and disappearance of the intrahepatic bile duct caused by various factors and cholestasis. VBDS associated with drug-induced liver injury (D-VBDS) is an important etiology of VBDS, and immune disorder or immune imbalance may be the main pathogenesis. According to its clinical symptoms, serological markers, and course of the disease, D-VBDS is classified into major form and minor form, and its clinical features are based on various pathomorphological findings. Its prognosis is associated various factors including regeneration of bile duct cells, number of bile duct injuries, level and range of bile duct injury, bile duct proliferation, and compensatory shunt of bile duct branches. This disease has various clinical outcomes; most patients have good prognosis after drug withdrawal, and some patients may experience cholestatic cirrhosis, liver failure, and even death. Due to the clinical manifestation and biochemical changes are similar to the primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), it need to identify by clinical physician.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L H Ye
- Department of Pathology, Shijiazhuang Fifth Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
| | - C K Wang
- Heibei University of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050200, China
| | - H C Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Shijiazhuang Fifth Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
| | - Z Q Liu
- Department of Pathology, Shijiazhuang Fifth Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
| | - H W Zheng
- Hepatology center, Shijiazhuang Fifth Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Park NS, Kim SS, Lee YJ, Wang CK. Effects of longitudinal baffles on particles settling in a sedimentation basin. Water Sci Technol 2014; 69:1212-1218. [PMID: 24647186 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2013.818] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of longitudinal baffles on particles settling performance within a full-scale sedimentation basin with a flow rate of 1,000 m(3)/hr. Comparative experiments on turbidity removal efficiency and sludge deposit distribution were performed in longitudinally baffled and non-baffled sedimentation basins. The turbidity removal rate in the baffled sedimentation basin was observed to be higher than that in the non-baffled basin. In addition, the depth of the sludge deposit in the baffled sedimentation basin was approximately 20% less than that in the non-baffled sedimentation basin, and the sludge concentration was 10% higher. To explain these results and to further investigate the effects of longitudinal baffles, the authors performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for both basin types. The results of this CFD simulation indicated that the flow, particularly near the outlet orifice, was more stable in the longitudinally baffled sedimentation basin. Moreover, it could be concluded that the longitudinal baffle enables a fully developed flow and is thus more effective for sedimentation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N S Park
- Department of Civil Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, 501, Jinju-daero, Jinju, 660-701, Republic of Korea E-mail:
| | - S S Kim
- Water Research Center, Korea Institute of Water and Environment, K-water, 462-1, Jeonmin-Dong, Yusung-Gu, Daejeon, 305-730, Republic of Korea
| | - Y J Lee
- Water Research Center, Korea Institute of Water and Environment, K-water, 462-1, Jeonmin-Dong, Yusung-Gu, Daejeon, 305-730, Republic of Korea
| | - C K Wang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-Ro, Yusung-Gu, Daejeon, 305-764, Republic of Koera
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wang CK, Robinson RS, Flint APF, Mann GE. Quantitative analysis of changes in endometrial gland morphology during the bovine oestrous cycle and their association with progesterone levels. Reproduction 2007; 134:365-71. [PMID: 17660245 DOI: 10.1530/rep-06-0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This study describes a digital technique for uterine morphometry and its application to endometrial structure during the bovine oestrous cycle. Neither the number nor the size of uterine gland ducts changed during the cycle but a reduction in total endometrial area from days 0 to 8 after oestrus led to an increase in the proportion of the endometrium occupied by gland ducts (gland duct density). This effect on day 8 was maintained to day 16. When endometrial morphology was related to circulating progesterone concentrations on days 5 and 8 of the luteal phase, no relationships were found on day 5, but on day 8, a high progesterone concentration was associated with an increased number of gland ducts. Furthermore, in animals slaughtered on day 8, a high progesterone concentration on day 5 was associated with decreased gland duct size, though a simultaneous decrease in endometrial area led to an increase in gland duct density. The results suggest that contrary to expectation, endometrial glands do not grow and regress during the oestrous cycle, although cyclic changes in endometrial area controlled by progesterone lead to changes in gland duct density.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Division of Animal Physiology, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Hsu JH, Wang SS, Lu DV, Cheng KI, Wang CK, Wu JR. Optimal skin surface landmark for the SVC-RA junction in cancer patients requiring the implantation of permanent central venous catheters. Anaesthesia 2007; 62:818-23. [PMID: 17635431 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2007.05139.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [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: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We compared four different skin surface landmarks, the lower margin of the right 2nd costo-sternal junction (point A); the upper margin of the right 3rd costo-sternal junction (point B); the lower margin of the right 3rd costo-sternal junction (point C); and a point 5 cm below the manubrio-sternal junction (point D), in 20 cancer patients undergoing insertion of permanent central venous catheters whose tips were placed near the superior vena cava - right atrium (SVC-RA) junction under transoesophageal echocardiography guidance. The landmark was satisfactory if it was located within 1 cm of the SVC-RA junction. Points C and D were closer to the SVC-RA junction than points A and B (p < 0.0001). However, point C had the highest incidence (C: 70%, A: 0%, B: 20%, D: 30%, p < 0.0001) of being within 1 cm of the SVC-RA junction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J H Hsu
- Department of Paediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, 100 Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ayers CL, Averill L, Pillai V, Firan M, Wang CK, Lee WM, Karandikar NJ. Differential Dysfunction of Dendritic Cells and B-cells During Chronic HCV Infection (46.11). The Journal of Immunology 2007. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.178.supp.46.11] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by attenuated antiviral T cell responses. We hypothesized that HCV-associated dysfunction of antigen presenting cells (APC) may be responsible, in part, for such attenuation. We evaluated the function and phenotype of dendritic cells (myeloid vs. plasmacytoid), B cells, and monocytes, finding distinct functional differences among the APC subsets. Myeloid DC (MDC) from chronic HCV patients showed slightly lower APC capacity with lower HLA-DR and CD86 expression. HCV-MDC also had a tendency to secrete more IL-10, when compared to healthy MDC. On the other hand, HCV-plasmacytoid DC (PDC) showed a significantly reduced ability to make IFN-α. B cells from HCV patients had a hyperactivated phenotype and a marked enhanced APC capacity. Interestingly, the enhanced B cell APC function correlated with detection of virus in these cells. Finally, increased APC functionality was paradoxically associated with the generation of a higher proportion of induced regulatory T-cells, providing a plausible explanation for T-cell attenuation. In conclusion, our studies underscore the necessity to dissect APC subsets for functional perturbations and provide evidence for their role in the immune attenuation accompanying chronic HCV infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chris L Ayers
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| | - Lynn Averill
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| | - Vinodh Pillai
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| | - Mihail Firan
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| | - CK Wang
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| | - William M Lee
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| | - Nitin J Karandikar
- Molecular Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines blvd, Dallas, Tx, 75390
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Ahn HW, Park NS, Kim S, Park SY, Wang CK. Modeling of particle removal in the first coarse media of direct horizontal-flow roughing filtration. Environ Technol 2007; 28:339-53. [PMID: 17432386 DOI: 10.1080/09593332808618795] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal-Flow Roughing Filtration (HRF) is an alternative pretreatment method e.g. prior to Slow Sand Filtration (SSF). However, some of its limitations are that the effluent quality drops drastically at higher turbidity (>200NTU) and at higher filtration rate (>1 m h(-1)). To overcome these drawbacks, we suggested Direct Horizontal-Flow Roughing Filtration (DHRF), which is a modified system of Horizontal-Flow Roughing Filtration (HRF) by addition of a low dose of coagulant prior to filtration. To optimize the DHRF configuration, a conceptual and mathematical model for the coarse compartment has been developed in analogy with multi-plate settler. Data from simple column settling test can be used in the model to predict the filter performance. Furthermore, the model developed herein has been validated by successive experiments. The conventional column settling test has been found to be handy and useful to predict the performance of DHRF for different raw water characteristics (e.g. coagulated or uncoagulated water, different amounts of organic matter, etc.) and different initial process conditions (e.g. coagulant dose, mixing time and intensity, etc.). An optimum filter design for the coarse compartment (grain size 20 mm) has been found to be of 3m h(-1) filtration rate with filter length of 4-4.5 m.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H W Ahn
- Korea Institute of Water & Environment, 462-1, Jeonmin-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 205-730, Korea
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Abstract
A new plate-like tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) based on the gas electron multiplier (GEM) is being developed for use as a neutron rem meter. The advantage of a plate-like TEPC over a conventional spherical TEPC is that several of the plate-like TEPCs can be stacked together as one unit to increase sensitivity to neutrons. A GEM-based TEPC consists of four layers of materials in a series: the front cover made of polyethylene, the cathode made of A-150 plastic, the gas region containing 1/3 atm of P-10 and 1/3 atm of nitrogen and the anode made of a copper-coated printed circuit board. The dimensions of the TEPC are 10 cm x 10 cm x 1.8 cm. The computer simulation shows that the neutron response function of the TEPC closely resembles the response curve of H(10) for neutrons with energies between 0.25 eV and 10 MeV. The corresponding sensitivity for such a TEPC for a bare (252)Cf neutron source was calculated to be 5.0 cpm per microSv h(-1). This sensitivity can be increased many times by simply stacking several TEPCs together as one unit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Neely Research Center, 900 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332-0425, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Pillai V, Ortega SB, Wang CK, Karandikar NJ. Transient regulatory T-cells: a state attained by all activated human T-cells. Clin Immunol 2006; 123:18-29. [PMID: 17185041 PMCID: PMC1868523 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2006.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 269] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2006] [Revised: 10/31/2006] [Accepted: 10/31/2006] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) regulatory T-cells (T(regs)) form an important arm of the immune system responsible for suppressing untoward immune responses. T(regs) can be thymically derived or peripherally induced, even from CD4(+)CD25(-)FOXP3(-) T-cells. FOXP3 expression and in vitro suppressive activity are considered unique hallmarks of this dedicated and stable lineage of regulatory cells. Here we show that virtually all human CD4(+)CD25(-)FOXP3(-) T-cells and CD8(+)CD25(-)FOXP3(-) T-cells attain a transient FOXP3(+)CD25(+) state during activation. In this state of activation, these cells possess the classic phenotype of T(regs), in that they express similar markers and inhibit in vitro proliferation of autologous CD4(+)CD25(-) T-cells. This state is characterized by suppressed IFN-gamma production and robust TNF-alpha and IL-10 production. Interestingly, the great majority of the activated cells eventually downregulate FOXP3 expression, with a concomitant drop in suppressive ability. Our results show that, in humans, FOXP3 expression and T(reg) functionality are not exclusive features of a stable or unique lineage of T-cells but may also be a transient state attained by almost all T-cells. These results warrant caution in interpreting human studies using FOXP3 and suppressive activity as readouts and suggest that attempts to induce "T(regs)" may paradoxically result in induction of effector T-cells, unless stability is confirmed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vinodh Pillai
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9072, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Derecka K, Wang CK, Flint APF. Interactions between the cytomegalovirus promoter and the estrogen response element: implications for design of estrogen-responsive reporter plasmids. J Biomol Tech 2006; 17:218-27. [PMID: 16870713 PMCID: PMC2291789] [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: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
We aimed to produce an estrogen-responsive reporter plasmid that would permit monitoring of estrogen receptor function in the uterus in vivo. The plasmid pBL-tk-CAT(+)ERE was induced by estrogen in bovine endometrial stromal cells. When the CAT gene was replaced by the secreted alkaline phosphatase SeAP, the resulting construct pBL-tk-SeAP(+)ERE remained estrogen responsive. However when the tk promoter was replaced by the cytomegalovirus (cmv) promoter, the resulting plasmid (pBL-cmv-SeAP(+)ERE) was not estrogen responsive. Inhibition of ERE function was not due to an effect in trans or due to lack of estrogen receptor. It was not due to an interaction between the cmv promoter and the SeAP gene. cmv promoter function was dependent on NF-kappaB, and mutagenesis in the NF-kappaB sites reduced basal reporter expression without imparting responsiveness to estrogen. A mutation in the TATA box also failed to impart estrogen responsiveness. Modeling of DNA accessibility indicated the ERE was inserted at a site accessible to transcription factors. We conclude that the cmv promoter inhibits ERE function in cis when the two sequences are located in the same construct, and that this effect does not involve an interaction between cmv and reporter gene, NF-kappaB sites or the TATA box, or DNA inaccessibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Derecka
- Division of Animal Physiology, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Wang CK, Chen CM, Chang CY, Chang KH, Chen IC, Li ML, Lee-Chen GJ, Wu YR. α-Synuclein promoter RsaI T-to-C polymorphism and the risk of Parkinson’s disease. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2006; 113:1425-33. [PMID: 16604306 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-006-0435-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2005] [Accepted: 01/07/2006] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Increased alpha-synuclein expression may be involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the association of Rep1 microsatellite and RsaI T-to-C substitution in the alpha-synuclein promoter region with the risk of PD by a case-control study. The RsaI C/C genotype and C allele were found less frequently in PD patients than in controls. A reduced risk of the Rep1-RsaI 0-C haplotype (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.36-0.90) with PD was evident. The quantitative real-time PCR study showed that the alpha-synuclein mRNA expression was increased (although not significantly) in PD patients with RsaI T/T genotype or Rep1-RsaI 0-T haplotype as compared to T/C genotype or 0-C haplotype. Reporter constructs containing the RsaI C allele drove significantly lower transcriptional activity compared with the RsaI T allele in both IMR32 and 293 cells. The findings suggest that the RsaI T-to-C substitution may have a functional relevance to the susceptibility to PD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Chen HY, Zhang Q, Yin CC, Wang CK, Gong WJ, Mei G. Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Milk Production Traits on Bovine Chromosome 6 in a Chinese Holstein Population by the Daughter Design. J Dairy Sci 2006; 89:782-90. [PMID: 16428646 DOI: 10.3168/jds.s0022-0302(06)72140-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [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: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Fourteen microsatellite markers with a coverage of 63.5 cM on bovine chromosome 6 were selected, and 26 sire families with 2,260 daughters were analyzed for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting 5 milk production traits in a Chinese Holstein population. In the analyses across 26 families and within the largest significant families with a one-QTL model fitted, a QTL near BMS470 was detected that affected fat yield at the 5% experiment-wide significance level. When a 2-QTL model was fitted in the across-family analysis, it was found that there might exist 2 QTL affecting the 3 yield traits, although the exact or empirical thresholds for the significance testing were unknown. In all analyses, the results for milk yield and protein yield were generally consistent, which might have resulted from the same genetic background for milk and protein yield.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Y Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kwon SB, Park NS, Lee SJ, Ahn HW, Wang CK. Examining the effect of length/width ratio on the hydro-dynamic behaviour in a DAF system using CFD and ADV techniques. Water Sci Technol 2006; 53:141-9. [PMID: 16752775 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2006.218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Dissolved air flotation (DAF) is a solid-liquid separation system that uses fine bubbles rising from the bottom to remove particles in water. In this study, we investigated the effect of L/W(L; length, W; width) on the hydrodynamic behavior in a DAF system using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and ADV (acoustic Doppler velocimetry) technique. The factual full-scale DAF system, L/W ratio of 1:1, was selected and various UW ratio conditions (2:1, 3:1,4:1 and 5:1) were simulated with CFD. For modelling, 2-phase (gas-liquid) flow equations for the conservation of mass, momentum and turbulence quantities were solved using a Eulerian-Eulerian approach based on the assumption that a very small particle is applied in the DAF system. Also, for verification of CFD simulation results, we measured the actual velocity at some points in the full-scale DAF system with the ADV technique. Both the simulation and the measurement results were in good accordance with each other. We concluded that the L/W ratio and outlet geometry play an important role for flow pattern and fine bubble distribution in the flotation zone. In the ratio of 1:1, the dead zone is less than those in other cases. On the other hand, in the ratio of 5:1, the fine bubbles were more evenly distributed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S B Kwon
- International Water and Wastewater Research Center, Korea Water Resources Corporation, Daejeon, South Korea
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Wang CK, Wu YR, Hwu WL, Chen CM, Ro LS, Chen ST, Gwinn-Hardy K, Yang CC, Wu RM, Chen TF, Wang HC, Chao MC, Chiu MJ, Lu CJ, Lee-Chen GJ. DNA haplotype analysis of CAG repeat in Taiwanese Huntington's disease patients. Eur Neurol 2004; 52:96-100. [PMID: 15273431 DOI: 10.1159/000079938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2003] [Accepted: 05/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We studied the expanded CAG repeat and adjacent CCG repeat in 53 Huntington's disease (HD) patients and 172 unrelated normal subjects matched to the patients for ethnic origin. The range of the CAG repeat varied from 38 to 109 in the HD patients and from 10 to 29 in the control group. A significant negative correlation was found between the age at onset and the CAG expansion, with no significant influence of the adjacent CCG repeat on the age at onset by multiple regression analysis. Allelic association using CCG repeat and 2 flanking dinucleotide repeat markers within 150 kb of the HD gene revealed linkage disequilibrium for 2 of 3 markers. Haplotype analysis of 24 HD families using these markers identified 3 major haplotypes underlying 87.5% of HD chromosomes. The data suggested frequent haplotypes in the Taiwanese population on which one or more mutational events leading to the disease occurred.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Kwon SB, Ahn HW, Ahn CJ, Wang CK. A case study of dissolved air flotation for seasonal high turbidity water in Korea. Water Sci Technol 2004; 50:245-253. [PMID: 15686028] [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: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A DAF (Dissolved-Air-Flotation) process has been designed considering raw water quality characteristics in Korea. Although direct filtration is usually operated, DAF is operated when freshwater algae blooms occur or raw water turbidity becomes high. Pre-sedimentation is operated in case when the raw water turbidity is very high due to rainstorms. A main feature of this plant is that the operation mode can be changed (controlled) based on the characteristics of the raw water to optimize the effluent quality and the operation costs. Treatment capacity (surface loading rate) and efficiency of DAF was found to be better than the conventional sedimentation process. Moreover, low-density particles (algae and alum flocs) are easily separated while the removal of them by sedimentation is more difficult. One of the main concerns for DAF operation is a high raw water turbidity. DAF is not adequate for raw water, which is more turbid than 100 NTU. In order to avoid this problem, pre-sedimentation basins are installed in the DAF plant to decrease the turbidity of the DAF inflow. For simulation of the actual operation, bench and full-scale tests were performed for highly turbid water conditions. Consequently, it is suggested that pre-sedimentation with optimum coagulation prior to DAF is the appropriate treatment scheme.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S B Kwon
- International Water & Wastewater Research Center, Korea Water Resources Corporation, Yusung-gu, Daejeon, South Korea.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Abstract
The existing dosimetry protocol that uses the concept of RBE for 252Cf brachytherapy contains large uncertainties. A new formula has been developed to correlate the biological effect (i.e. cell survival fraction) resulting from a mixed n + gamma radiation field with two physical quantities and two biological quantities. The formula is based on a pathway model evolved from that of the compound-dual-radiation-action (CDRA) theory, previously proposed by Rossi and Zaider. The new model employs the recently published data on radiation-induced DNA lesions. The new formula is capable of predicting quantitatively the synergistic effect caused by the interactions between neutron events and gamma ray events, and it is intended to be included into a new dosimetry protocol for future 252Cf brachytherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Nuclear & Radiological Engineering Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Neely Research Center, 900 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332-0425, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
A new cholesterol-carborane conjugate (BCH) has been synthesized as a potential targeting agent for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of cancers. The compound is extremely water insoluble and was formulated in two liposomal formulations to determine if the compound could be adequately taken up by 9L rat glioma cells in cell culture. Several factors potentially affecting the cellular uptake were evaluated, such as concentration of BCH in the incubation medium, incubation time, cell confluence, and the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) phospholipids to the liposomal formulation. The studies indicated that the cellular uptakes of BCH in the conventional and PEG liposomal formulations were 49.1 and 45.9 microg boron/g cells, respectively. Therefore, this compound, formulated in both liposomal formulations, delivered sufficient levels of boron to cancer cells in vitro, indicating that BCH is a promising approach for use in BNCT. The uptake appeared to depend upon BCH concentration in the media as well as the confluence of the cells. The greater boron uptake by nonconfluent cells indicated that active growth of cells was a factor in the uptake of this compound.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G F Peacock
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Gordon AM, Rivera AJ, Wang CK, Regnier M. Cooperative Activation of Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 2003; 538:371-8; discussion 378-9. [PMID: 15098683 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-9029-7_34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A M Gordon
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Asenjo J, Fernández-Varea JM, Sánchez-Reyes A, Wang CK. Radial dose function of a 90Sr-90Y seed in water and A150: comment on "Calibration and characterization of beta-particle sources for intravascular brachytherapy". Med Phys 2002; 29:2737-8. [PMID: 12462742 DOI: 10.1118/1.1510455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 11/07/2022] Open
|
31
|
Abstract
In this study, we examined the patterns of goal orientations, perceived competence, reasons for behaving well and self-reported discipline in school physical education among 511 pupils from years 8 and 9 (mean age 14.2 years). Cluster analyses were conducted on two randomly split subsamples to identify homogeneous groups of pupils on these measures of achievement motivation and discipline. Three meaningful clusters emerged for the first subsample, which were then cross-validated for the second subsample. One group of pupils revealed low scores on task and ego orientations, perceived competence and feelings of self-determination about their behaviour in lessons. These perceptions were related to lower ratings of discipline in physical education than pupils who scored more highly on these variables. The highest discipline scores were reported by pupils with high task and ego orientations, perceived competence and feelings of autonomy. The results are useful for teachers and other physical activity leaders in enhancing motivation and disciplined behaviour in young people. Promoting more self-determined reasons for being disciplined, for example, could lead to more orderly classes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C M Spray
- Department of Physical Education, Sports Science and Recreation Management, Loughborough University, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
He CQ, Wang CK. Allelopathic effect of Acorus tatarinowii upon algae. J Environ Sci (China) 2001; 13:481-484. [PMID: 11723937] [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: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Besides competing with algae for light and mineral nutrients (i.e. N, P, etc.), the root system of Acorus tatarinowii excretes some chemical substances, which injure and eliminate alga cells, to inhibit the growth of the algae. When the algae cells were treated in "A. tatarinowii water", some of the chlorophyll a were destroyed and the photosynthetic rate of algae decreased markedly and the ability of alga cells to deoxidize triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduced greatly. Then alga cells turned from bright red to bluish green under fluorescence microscope. These showed that the allelopathic effects of A. tatarinowii on algae were obvious and planting A. tatarinowii can control some green algae. The experiment on the extractions of the secretions of the root system showed that the inhibitory effect had a concentration effect. If the concentration of the root secretion was below 30 microliters/disc, the inhibitory rate was negative; if it was over 45 microliters/disc, the inhibitory rate was positive. This proved that the influence of the root secretion on the same acceptor was a kind of concentration effect. When the concentration of the root secretion was low, it promoted the growth of algae; when the concentration reached a definite threshold value, it restrained the growth of algae. In present case, the threshold value was between 30 microliters/disc and 45 microliters/disc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Q He
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China.
| | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Abstract
A successful embryo transfer depends on the quality of the transferred embryos, recipients, and the transfer techniques. Among these, transfer techniques are often the limiting factor because transfer methodologies and personal skills vary. Suboptimal embryo transfer procedures can compromise transgenic experiments (pronuclear microinjection and gene targeting) and critical steps of mouse colony maintenance (embryo cryopreservation and mouse line rederivation). Here we present an efficient and simple procedure utilizing specific designs to improve the transfer quality. A 100% implantation rate is observed after the utero-tubal embryo transfer, which indicates that the modified method successfully prevents the embryos from flowing out of the punctured hole during embryo transfer. We believe this alternative methodology is able to fulfill the need of high efficiency of animal production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H J Chin
- Transgenic Core Facility, Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Hu MC, Hsu NC, Pai CI, Wang CK. Functions of the upstream and proximal steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1)-binding sites in the CYP11A1 promoter in basal transcription and hormonal response. Mol Endocrinol 2001; 15:812-8. [PMID: 11328860 DOI: 10.1210/mend.15.5.0636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The CYP11A1 gene encodes P450scc (cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme), which catalyzes the first step for the synthesis of steroids. Expression of CYP11A1 is controlled by transcription factor SF-1 (steroidogenic factor 1). Two functional SF-1-binding sites, P and U, located at -40 and -1,600 regions of the CYP11A1 gene, have been identified, but their exact functions with respect to basal activation vs. cAMP response have not been dissected. We have addressed this question by examining the ability of the mutated human CYP11A1 promoter to drive LacZ reporter gene expression in transgenic mouse lines. The activity of the mtP mutant promoter was greatly reduced, indicating the importance of the P site. Mutation of the upstream U site also resulted in reduced reporter gene expression, but some residual activity remained. This residual reporter gene activity was detected in the adrenal and gonad in a tissue-specific manner. ACTH and hCG can stimulate LacZ gene expression in the adrenals and testes of transgenic mice driven by the wild-type but not the mtU promoter. These results indicate that the upstream SF-1-binding site is required for hormonal stimulation. Our experiments demonstrate the participation of both the proximal and the upstream SF-1-binding sites in hormone-responsive transcription.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M C Hu
- Institute of Molecular Biology Academia Sinica Nankang, Taipei Taiwan 115, Republic of China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Stover ML, Wang CK, McKinstry MB, Kalajzic I, Gronowicz G, Clark SH, Rowe DW, Lichtler AC. Bone-directed expression of Col1a1 promoter-driven self-inactivating retroviral vector in bone marrow cells and transgenic mice. Mol Ther 2001; 3:543-50. [PMID: 11319916 DOI: 10.1006/mthe.2001.0293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene therapy of bone would benefit from the availability of vectors that provide stable, osteoblast-specific expression. This would allow bone-specific expression of Col1a1 cDNAs for treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta. In addition, such a vector would restrict expression of secreted therapeutic proteins to the bone-synthesizing regions of the bone marrow after ex vivo transduction of marrow stromal cells and reintroduction of the cells into patients. Retrovirus vectors stably integrate into target cell genomes; however, long-term regulated expression from internal cellular promoters has not been consistently achieved. In some cases this is due to a stem cell-specific mechanism for transcriptional repression of retroviruses. We evaluated the ability of self-inactivating ROSA-derived vectors containing a bone-directed 2.3-kb rat Col1a1 promoter to display osteoblast-specific expression. In vitro expression was examined in bone marrow stromal cell cultures induced to undergo osteoblastic differentiation. In vivo expression was evaluated in chimeric mice derived from transduced embryonic stem cells. The results indicate that self-inactivating retrovirus vectors containing the Col1a1 promoter are not permanently inactivated in embryonic stem cells and are specifically expressed in osteoblasts in vivo and in vitro. Thus these vectors should be useful for bone-directed gene therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M L Stover
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Abstract
Betel quid, a popular natural masticatory in Taiwan, is mainly composed of fresh areca fruit, Piper betle (leaf or inflorescence), and slaked lime paste. People say that halitosis disappears during betel quid chewing. In this study, the removal of mouth odor during betel quid chewing was discussed by using a model system which measured its inhibition on the volatility of methyl mercaptan. Results showed that crude extracts of betel quid (the mixture of areca fruit, Piper betle, and slaked lime paste) and extracts of the mixture of areca fruit and slaked lime paste exhibited marked effects on the volatility of methyl mercaptan, and the inhibition function increased when increasing amounts of slaked lime paste were added. The same condition (increased inhibition) was also found by replacing the slaked lime paste with alkaline salts (calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or sodium hydroxide). Areca fruit, the major ingredient of betel quid, contained abundant phenolics. However, the crude phenolic extract of areca fruit did not show any inhibitory activity on the volatility of methyl mercaptan. Great inhibitory activity occurred only when the crude phenolic extract of areca fruit was treated with alkali. Further studies by using gel filtration determined that the effect probably came from the oxidative polymerization of phenolics of areca fruit after alkaline treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Graduate Institute of Nutritional Science, Chung Shan Medical and Dental College, 110, Section 1, Chien-Kuo North Road, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Chi SI, Wang CK, Chen JJ, Chau LY, Lin TN. Differential regulation of H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA subunits, ferritin protein and iron following focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. Neuroscience 2001; 100:475-84. [PMID: 11098110 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(00)00317-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Iron may catalyse the production of reactive oxygen species during post-ischemic reoxygenation and subsequently lead to brain damage. Ferritin, an iron sequestering and storage protein, can also be a source of iron after ischemic insult. However, its role in ischemia-reperfusion has not been carefully investigated. In the present study, we examined the temporal and spatial induction profiles of both H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA and protein in a well-defined focal cerebral ischemia model. Results of northern blot analysis showed a delayed and prolonged induction of both H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA in the ischemic cortex of rats subjected to 60min ischemic insult. A significant induction of both H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA was observed at 12h and remained elevated for up to 336h after the onset of reperfusion. At the peak level, quantitative analysis of the blot indicated a 2.5-fold and a six-fold increase in H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA, respectively, compared with the sham-operated controls. No apparent change in the levels of either messenger RNA was observed in the contralateral side. Results of in situ hybridization studies revealed constitutive expression of both H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA throughout the brain in sham-operated animals, in particular the hippocampus and the piriform cortex. Nevertheless, the signal intensity of H-ferritin messenger RNA was much higher than that of L-ferritin messenger RNA. Seventy-two hours after 60min ischemia, marked expression of H-ferritin messenger RNA was observed in the area surrounding the middle cerebral artery irrigated cortex, the medial part of the caudoputamen and in the subfield of the CA1 hippocampal region of the ipsilateral hemisphere. Similarly, a large induction of L-ferritin messenger RNA was also noted in several areas, including the middle cerebral artery irrigated cortex, the lateral part of the caudoputamen and the stratum pyramidale of the CA1 hippocampal region, which were totally different from areas where H-ferritin messenger RNA was found. At 336h after ischemia, increased expression of H-ferritin messenger RNA was observed in the peri-necrosis and ipsilateral thalamus regions, while L-ferritin messenger RNA was noted exclusively at the edge within the necrosis. Results of immunohistochemical study further revealed that ferritin immunoreactivity was present in the same areas where increased ferritin messenger RNA was found. Sixty-minute ischemia also led to iron deposition in discrete areas. Iron deposition was highly associated with the induction of ferritin, particularly in the macrophage- and microglia-positive areas where cell death or tissue necrosis was noted.In summary, our initial findings indicate that ischemic insult leads to induction of both H- and L-ferritin messenger RNA. In the present study, although the temporal induction profiles were similar, the major expression areas for these two genes were totally different. Ferritin immunoreactivity was observed in the same areas where increased ferritin messenger RNA was found. Ischemia also resulted in iron deposition, which highly associated with the ferritin immunoreactivity. The exact regulatory mechanism and pathological significance for the differential expression of H- and L-ferritin genes following ischemia/reperfusion remain to be clarified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S I Chi
- Division of Neuroscience Research, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Deterding TA, Votaw JR, Wang CK, Eshima D, Eshima L, Keil R, Malveaux E, Kilts CD, Goodman MM, Hoffman JM. Biodistribution and radiation dosimetry of the dopamine transporter ligand. J Nucl Med 2001; 42:376-81. [PMID: 11216538] [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: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED 18F-labeled 2 beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-chlorophenyl)-8-(-2-fluoroethyl)nortropane ([18F]FECNT) is a recently developed dopamine transporter ligand with potential applications in patients with Parkinson's disease and cocaine addiction. METHODS Estimates of the effective dose equivalent and doses for specific organs were made using biodistribution data from 16 Sprague-Dawley rats and nine rhesus monkeys. PET images from two rhesus monkeys were used to calculate the residence time for the basal ganglia. The computer program MIRDOSE3 was used to calculate the dosimetry according to the methodology recommended by MIRD. RESULTS The basal ganglia were the targeted tissues receiving the highest dose, 0.11 mGy/MBq (0.39 rad/mCi). The effective dose equivalent was 0.018 mSv/MBq (0.065 rem/mCi), and the effective dose was 0.016 mSv/MBq (0.058 rem/mCi). CONCLUSION Our data show that a 185-MBq (5-mCi) injection of [18F]FECNT leads to an estimated effective dose of 3 mSv (0.3 rem) and an estimated dose to the target organ or tissue of 19.4 mGy (1.93 rad).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T A Deterding
- Center for PET, Department of Radiology, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Wang CK, Kuo YT, Liu GC, Tsai KB, Huang YS. Dynamic contrast-enhanced subtraction and delayed MRI of gastric tumors: radiologic-pathologic correlation. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2000; 24:872-7. [PMID: 11105703 DOI: 10.1097/00004728-200011000-00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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
PURPOSE Our goal was to determine whether dynamic MR subtraction images could be used to detect and stage gastric tumors. METHOD Dynamic MR subtraction images were prospectively performed in 20 patients without gastric lesions and in 39 patients with gastric tumors. The flat- or depressed-type early gastric cancers were excluded. The MR findings were assessed for layered pattern of the normal gastric wall, detectability of tumors, enhanced pattern of tumor, and depth of the tumor invasion. Surgical specimens were obtained from 30 of the patients with tumors, and histopathologic sections were made in the dynamic MR scanning direction. RESULTS The three-layered structure of the normal gastric wall was apparent in more of the dynamic MR subtraction images (60%) than of the nonsubtraction images (30%) in the control group. All 39 gastric tumors were detected by MRI. The intact inner layers overlying stromal tumors and outer layers interrupted by advanced gastric cancers were clear on the subtracted images. MRI accurately T-staged 88% of the gastric cancers. CONCLUSION Dynamic MR subtraction images can be used to identify gastric tumors and to stage gastric cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, ROC
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Wang CK, Zino JF, Kessler G. Enhancement of a 252Cf-based neutron beam via subcritical multiplication for neutron capture therapy. Appl Radiat Isot 2000; 53:811-4. [PMID: 11003524 DOI: 10.1016/s0969-8043(00)00237-2] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies indicated that an epithermal-neutron beam based on bare 252Cf is not feasible for neutron capture therapy (NCT). It was reported that a clinically useful epithermal-neutron beam requires a minimum of 1.0 g of 252Cf, which is more than twice the US current annual supply. However, it was reasoned that the required quantity of 252Cf could be dramatically reduced when used with a subcritical multiplying assembly (SMA). This reasoning is based on the assumption that the epithermal-neutron beam intensity for NCT is directly proportional to the fission neutron population, and that the neutron multiplying factor of the SMA can be estimated by 1/(1 - k(eff)). We have performed detailed Monte Carlo calculations to investigate the validity of the above reasoning. Our results show that 1/(1 - k(eff)) grossly overestimates the beam enhancement factor for NCT. For example, Monte Carlo calculations predict a beam enhancement factor of 6.0 for an optimized SMA geometry with k(eff) = 0.968. This factor is much less than 31 predicted by 1/(1 - k(eff)). The overestimation is due to the fact that most of the neutrons produced in the SMA are self-shielded, whereas self-shielding is negligible in a bare 252Cf source. Since the beam intensity of a 0.1 g 252Cf with the optimized SMA enhancement is still more than an order of magnitude too low compared to the existing reactor beams, we conclude that the enhancement via an SMA for a 252Cf-based epithermal-neutron beam is inadequate for NCT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0225, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Funk WD, Wang CK, Shelton DN, Harley CB, Pagon GD, Hoeffler WK. Telomerase expression restores dermal integrity to in vitro-aged fibroblasts in a reconstituted skin model. Exp Cell Res 2000; 258:270-8. [PMID: 10896778 DOI: 10.1006/excr.2000.4945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [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: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The lifespan of human fibroblasts and other primary cell strains can be extended by expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT). Since replicative senescence is accompanied by substantial alterations in gene expression, we evaluated characteristics of in vitro-aged dermal fibroblast populations before and after immortalization with telomerase. The biological behavior of these populations was assessed by incorporation into reconstituted human skin. Reminiscent of skin in the elderly, we observed increased fragility and subepidermal blistering with increased passage number of dermal fibroblasts, but the expression of telomerase in late passage populations restored the normal nonblistering phenotype. DNA microarray analysis showed that senescent fibroblasts express reduced levels of collagen I and III, as well as increased levels of a series of markers associated with the destruction of dermal matrix and inflammatory processes, and that the expression of telomerase results in mRNA expression patterns that are substantially similar to early passage cells. Thus, telomerase activity not only confers replicative immortality to skin fibroblasts, but can also prevent or reverse the loss of biological function seen in senescent cell populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W D Funk
- Geron Corporation, 230 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Kearfott KJ, Han S, Wagner EC, Samei E, Wang CK. Numerical simulation of a TLD pulsed laser-heating scheme for determination of shallow dose and deep dose in low-LET radiation fields. Appl Radiat Isot 2000; 52:1419-29. [PMID: 10855671 DOI: 10.1016/s0969-8043(99)00251-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A new method is described to determine the depth-dose distribution in low-LET radiation fields using a thick thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) with a pulsed laser-heating scheme to obtain TL glow output. The computational simulation entails heat conduction and glow curve production processes. An iterative algorithm is used to obtain the dose distribution in the detector. The simulation results indicate that the method can predict the shallow and deep dose in various radiation fields with relative errors less than 20%.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K J Kearfott
- Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Wang CK, Nelson CF, Brinkman AM, Miller AC, Hoeffler WK. Spontaneous cell sorting of fibroblasts and keratinocytes creates an organotypic human skin equivalent. J Invest Dermatol 2000; 114:674-80. [PMID: 10733672 DOI: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.2000.00938.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We show that an inherent ability of two distinct cell types, keratinocytes and fibroblasts, can be relied upon to accurately reconstitute full-thickness human skin including the dermal-epidermal junction by a cell-sorting mechanism. A cell slurry containing both cell types added to silicone chambers implanted on the backs of severe combined immunodeficient mice sorts out to reconstitute a clearly defined dermis and stratified epidermis within 2 wk, forming a cell-sorted skin equivalent. Immunostaining of the cell-sorted skin equivalent with human cell markers showed patterns similar to those of normal full-thickness skin. We compared the cell-sorted skin equivalent model with a composite skin model also made on severe combined immunodeficient mice. The composite grafts were constructed from partially differentiated keratinocyte sheets placed on top of a dermal equivalent constructed of devitalized dermis. Electron microscopy revealed that both models formed ample numbers of normal appearing hemidesmosomes. The cell-sorted skin equivalent model, however, had greater numbers of keratin intermediate filaments within the basal keratinocytes that connected to hemidesmosomes, and on the dermal side both collagen filaments and anchoring fibril connections to the lamina densa were more numerous compared with the composite model. Our results may provide some insight into why, in clinical applications for treating burns and other wounds, composite grafts may exhibit surface instability and blistering for up to a year following grafting, and suggest the possible usefulness of the cell-sorted skin equivalent in future grafting applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Abstract
The angiopoietin/Tie receptor system may contribute to angiogenesis and vascular remodeling by mediating interactions of endothelial cells with smooth muscle cells and pericytes. The temporal expression of angiopoietin-1 (Angpo-1), angiopoietin-2 (Angpo-2), Tie-1, and Tie-2 mRNA was studied in a focal cerebral ischemia model in rats. The cDNA fragments obtained from reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction amplification were cloned and used as a probe to detect individual genes. Northern blot analysis showed a delayed increase of a 4.4-kb Angpo-1 transcript for up to 2 weeks after ischemia, eightfold higher than the values of the sham-operated controls. A biphasic expression of a 2.4-kb Angpo-2 transcript was noted, peaking at 24 hours (6.4-fold) and 2 weeks (4.6-fold) after ischemia. The expression of Tie-2 mRNA (4.3 kb), a receptor for Angpo-1, and Tie-1 mRNA (4.3 kb) also increased starting 24 hours after reperfusion and remained elevated for up to 2 weeks after ischemia. The temporal profiles of the expression of these genes were different from those of other angiogenic genes such as basic fibrobast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and proteolytic enzymes (tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase plasminogen activator) and their inhibitors (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1). The expression patterns of these genes could be related to progressive tissue liquefaction and neovascularization after ischemia in this stroke model. Differential expression of these angiogenesis genes suggests the involvement of complex regulatory mechanisms that remain to be characterized.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Angiopoietin-1
- Angiopoietin-2
- Animals
- Blotting, Northern
- Brain/blood supply
- Brain/enzymology
- DNA Primers
- Endothelial Growth Factors/genetics
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/genetics
- Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
- Ischemic Attack, Transient/metabolism
- Lymphokines/genetics
- Male
- Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics
- Neovascularization, Physiologic/physiology
- Proteins/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/analysis
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Rats
- Rats, Long-Evans
- Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics
- Receptor, TIE-1
- Receptor, TIE-2
- Receptors, Cell Surface/genetics
- Receptors, TIE
- Reperfusion Injury/metabolism
- Stroke/metabolism
- Tissue Plasminogen Activator/metabolism
- Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T N Lin
- Neuroscience Division, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Cheung WM, Wang CK, Kuo JS, Lin TN. Changes in the level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) after mild and severe focal cerebral ischemia. CHINESE J PHYSIOL 1999; 42:227-35. [PMID: 10707898] [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
In the present study, we examined the temporal and spatial expression profiles of GFAP mRNA and protein in a focal cerebral ischemia model with ischemic injury confined to the cerebral cortex in the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. Northern blot analysis showed a respective 5.5-fold and 7.2-fold increase in the GFAP mRNA in the ischemic right MCA cortex in rats subjected to 30-min (mild) or 60-min (severe) ischemia followed by 72-hr reperfusion. The GFAP mRNA signal remained elevated up to 2-week reperfusion. Interestingly, increased GFAP mRNA signal was clearly demonstrated for the first time in the left MCA cortex. A significant 1.5-fold and 5-fold increase was observed after 72-hr reperfusion following mild and severe ischemia, respectively. However, unlike the ischemic right MCA cortex, this induction was transient in the non-ischemic left MCA counterpart. In situ hybridization studies further revealed characteristic spatial induction profile following mild vs. severe ischemia. In mild ischemia, following 24-hr reperfusion, increase in GFAP mRNA was observed mainly within the ischemic right MCA cortex. Following 72-hr reperfusion, GFAP mRNA signal was observed in virtually the entire ischemic cortex, particularly the amygdala region, then gradually reduced and restricted to right MCA territory and subcortical thalamic nucleus following 2-week reperfusion. On the other hand, in severe ischemia, following 24-hr reperfusion increased GFAP mRNA signal was observed in area surrounding right MCA territory (infarct region) and outer cortical layers within the right MCA territory. Following 72-hr reperfusion, no signal was detected within right MCA cortex; however, increased GFAP signal was detected throughout the remaining ipsilateral cortex and subcortical region, as well as the contralateral cerebral cortex. GFAP mRNA signals then gradually reduced its intensity and was restricted to area surrounding necrosis and ipsilateral thalamic nucleus following 2-week reperfusion. GFAP-like immunoreactivity was also detected in area expressing GFAP mRNA. It is very likely that de novo synthesis was responsible for this increase. In summary, increased GFAP signal was noted in both ipsilateral and contralateral cerebral following mild and severe ischemia. Although the temporal induction profile for mild vs. severe ischemia was similar, the spatial induction profile was different. The mechanism leading to this differential induction and their physiological and functional significance are not clear at present. It is very likely that some local factors may involve, nevertheless, the detailed mechanisms remain to be fully explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W M Cheung
- Neuroscience Division, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
This study is concerned with dose measurement of photon beams, both dynamic and static, by using x-ray film. As discussed in our last study (Burch et al 1997, Yeo et al 1997), x-ray film, as an integrating dosimeter, can be an ideal candidate if the over-response problem to low-energy photons (energies below 400 keV) is solved. In summary, the problem of the over-response can be explained as follows. Because the mass energy absorption coefficient of x-ray film increases as photon energy decreases, softening of the photon spectra with depth in a phantom makes the extent of film over-response a function of phantom depth (Burch et al 1997, Yeo et al 1997). Film dosimetry is based upon (a) calibration of the film response (i.e. optical density) at some specific depth in a phantom and (b) conversion of the film density which can cover whole depths in a phantom to dose by using the calibration curve. In megavoltage dosimetry, this normally causes over-response in doses at depths greater than the calibration depth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I J Yeo
- Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Radiation Oncology, Seoul, Korea
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Sokal I, Otto-Bruc AE, Surgucheva I, Verlinde CL, Wang CK, Baehr W, Palczewski K. Conformational changes in guanylyl cyclase-activating protein 1 (GCAP1) and its tryptophan mutants as a function of calcium concentration. J Biol Chem 1999; 274:19829-37. [PMID: 10391927 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.274.28.19829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Guanylyl cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs are 23-kDa Ca2+-binding proteins belonging to the calmodulin superfamily. Ca2+-free GCAPs are responsible for activation of photoreceptor guanylyl cyclase during light adaptation. In this study, we characterized GCAP1 mutants in which three endogenous nonessential Trp residues were replaced by Phe residues, eliminating intrinsic fluorescence. Subsequently, hydrophobic amino acids adjacent to each of the three functional Ca2+-binding loops were replaced by reporter Trp residues. Using fluorescence spectroscopy and biochemical assays, we found that binding of Ca2+ to GCAP1 causes a major conformational change especially in the region around the EF3-hand motif. This transition of GCAP1 from an activator to an inhibitor of GC requires an activation energy Ea = 9.3 kcal/mol. When Tyr99 adjacent to the EF3-hand motif was replaced by Cys, a mutation linked to autosomal dominant cone dystrophy in humans, Cys99 is unable to stabilize the inactive GCAP1-Ca2+ complex. Stopped-flow kinetic measurements indicated that GCAP1 rapidly loses its bound Ca2+ (k-1 = 72 s-1 at 37 degrees C) and was estimated to associate with Ca2+ at a rate (k1 > 2 x 10(8) M-1 s-1) close to the diffusion limit. Thus, GCAP1 displays thermodynamic and kinetic properties that are compatible with its involvement early in the phototransduction response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Sokal
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) cholangiography in excluding biliary atresia as the cause of neonatal cholestasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS MR cholangiography was performed on 10 control and 16 jaundiced neonates and infants aged 3 days to 5 months. Diagnosis of biliary atresia (n = 6) was confirmed with surgery and liver biopsy, with or without surgical cholangiography. Diagnosis of neonatal hepatitis (n = 9) was confirmed with clinical follow-up until jaundice resolved. In one infant, paucity of intrahepatic ducts was diagnosed at liver biopsy. MR cholangiography was performed with respiratory-triggered, heavily T2-weighted turbo spin-echo and optional inversion-recovery turbo spin-echo sequences. Diagnosis of biliary atresia was based on nonvisualization of either the common bile duct or common hepatic duct. Cholescintigraphy with technetium 99m disofenin was performed in all 16 jaundiced patients. RESULTS In the 10 controls, the nine patients with neonatal hepatitis, and the one infant with paucity of intrahepatic ducts, MR cholangiography clearly depicted the gallbladder and common hepatic and common bile ducts. MR cholangiography was 100% accurate in excluding biliary atresia as the cause of neonatal cholestasis, while 99mTc disofenin cholescintigraphic findings were false-positive in four of 10 patients with nonobstructive cholestasis. CONCLUSION MR cholangiography can be used to depict the major biliary structures of neonates and small infants and to exclude biliary atresia as the cause of neonatal cholestasis by allowing visualization of the biliary tract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T S Jaw
- Department of Radiology, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Abstract
Edwardsiella tarda (E. tarda) has recently become recognized as a pathogen in humans. Here we report a new case of E. tarda bacteraemia complicated by acute pancreatitis and pyomyoma. A 46-year-old female came to our emergency room complaining of sudden onset of left upper quadrant pain and vomiting for the previous few hours after drinking three bottles of wine. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed multiple biliary stones, acute pancreatitis with extensive inflammatory change, and a large uterine myoma. Fever, watery diarrhoea, and mild suprapubic discomfort with vaginal spotting were noted soon after admission. The patient's blood cultures yielded E. tarda and symptoms subsided after antibiotic therapy. Fever and severe suprapubic pain with rebound tenderness developed 12 days later. Repeat abdominal CT scan revealed an enlarged uterine myoma with central necrosis. The patient subsequently underwent anterior total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, revealing a uterine myoma with infarction and abscess formation. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged 1 week later.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C H Yang
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Municipal Jen-Ai Hospital, Taiwan
| | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
In this genotoxic study, the Ames Salmonella microsome test showed that an aqueous extract of betel quid did not induce mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. Mammalian cell studies (Chinese hamster ovary K1 cell; CHO-K1 cell) revealed that only higher concentrations (100 and 1000 microg/ml) of aqueous extract weekly increased the frequencies of sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) in the absence of S9. Animal (male Sprague-Dawley rat) studies showed that low-dose feeding (0.53 g dry aqueous extract/kg diet) significantly increased the activities of glutathione (GSH) peroxidase and cytoplasmic glutathione S-transferase (cGST) of liver, high-dose feeding (26.5 g dry aqueous extract/kg diet) lowered the contents of GSH and total glutathione. The effect of an aqueous extract of betel quid on the oxidation of 2'-deoxyguanosine (2'-dG) to 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) evaluated that this aqueous extract may act as a pro-oxidant at lower dosage and may be dependent on the iron ions in the model system. However, the aqueous extract of betel quid showed antioxidant activity at higher doses by the ability of the scavenging effect of the hydroxyl radicals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C K Wang
- Graduate Institute of Nutritional Science, Chung Shan Medical and Dental College, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | | | | |
Collapse
|