Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis in Hong Kong.

Of 74 paediatric inpatients with acute glomerulonephritis, 58 (78%) had a raised (greater than 1/200) antistreptolysin O titre. Serum C3 concentration was low in 73, but returned to normal within six weeks. Streptococcal infection remains the commonest cause of acute nephritis in children in Hong Kong, possibly due to overcrowded living conditions.     

Appropriateness of hysterectomy in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hysterectomy is among the most frequently performed surgical procedures in developed countries, but few studies from the Asia-Pacific region have assessed the appropriateness of hysterectomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the rate of inappropriate hysterectomy in Taiwan and its association with patient characteristics and indications for the procedure. METHODS: A random sample of hysterectomies for which claims were submitted to the Taiwan Bureau of National Health Insurance from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998 was selected. A total of 658 charts were reviewed by an expert panel composed of 5 senior gynecologists. RESULTS: Overall, 74.2% of patients underwent hysterectomy for appropriate reasons, 5.6% for uncertain reasons, and 20.2% for inappropriate reasons. Inappropriate procedures were positively associated with younger age and premenopausal status. Primary indications that accounted for over 25% of inappropriate procedures were chronic pelvic pain (42.9%), abnormal uterine bleeding (37.5%), and endometriosis (27.7%). CONCLUSIONS: This study found a high rate of inappropriate hysterectomy in Taiwan. Gynecologists and physician organizations should take action to improve physician agreement on the use of hysterectomy, especially for indications associated with high rates of inappropriate procedures.     

Role of tyrosine kinase activity in cardiac slow delayed rectifier channel modulation by cell swelling

 We studied the effects of cell swelling on membrane currents of canine ventricular myocytes using the whole-cell patch-clamp method. Cell swelling was induced by lowering the osmolarity of the bath solution to 60% of control. Cell width and currents were measured simultaneously. Cell swelling induced little or no change in the L-type Ca, the inward rectifier, and the transient outward currents, but a marked increase in the slow delayed rectifier current (I _Ks) was seen. We further examined the role of protein kinase activities in I _Ks modulation by cell swelling. This modulation was not affected by inhibiting serine/threonine kinases using H-8. On the other hand, the modulation was inhibited by genistein (a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor) although not by daidzein (an inactive analogue of genistein). Our data suggest that in canine ventricle cell swelling can increase protein tyrosine kinase activity, which can augment I _Ks and contribute to changes in membrane electrical activity observed under these conditions. Received: 20 September 1996 / Received after revision and accepted: 5 December 1996     

Immunocytochemical and electrophysiological differentiation of rat cerebellar granule cells in explant cultures

We have used a combination of immunocytochemical and electrophysiological measurements to monitor the differentiation of cerebellar granule cells in vitro. We present immunocytochemical evidence showing that several characteristic features of developing rat cerebellar tissue were retained in postnatal explant cultures. Most notably the cultures expressed radiating GFAP-positive (Bergmann) glia processes, proliferating NSE-negative neuroblasts, and migrating NSE-positive granule cells. The latter were subdivided into 3 developmental stages--i.e., immature, intermediate, and mature granule cells, based upon cell differences in location from the explant, intensity of NSE staining, excitability, and the amplitude of voltage-dependent conductances. Immature cells were identifiable during the first week in culture and were located up to 140 micron from the explant. These cells stained lightly for NSE and displayed conductances of insufficient magnitude to generate action potentials. Intermediate cells were present after 1-2 weeks in culture and were located up to 500 micron from the explant. These cells were also NSE positive and were characterized by the presence of soma action potentials. Intermediate cells displayed 3 large voltage-dependent conductances: a transient, TTX-sensitive inward current; a delayed, TEA-sensitive outward current; and a transient, 4AP-sensitive outward current. Mature cells were present after 1 month in culture and, like intermediate cells, were no more than 500 micron from the explant. However, mature cells stained more intensely for NSE, and the somata of these cells were devoid of voltage-dependent conductances (although axonal currents were usually present). These results indicate that granule cells undergo a stereotypic sequence of differentiation in postnatal explant cultures. These stages may correspond to developmental changes in granule cells during migration into the (internal) granular cell layer in vivo.     

Development of monoclonal antibodies to rabbit ocular mucin

Monoclonal antibodies against rabbit ocular mucin (ROM) and porcine stomach mucin (PSM) were developed to explore the biosynthesis and functional significance of ocular mucin. A nitrocellulose-based dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for hybridoma screening and mucin quantitation. The sensitivity was found to be at the level of 1 ng mucin per dot, which was about 1000 times more sensitive than that of our previously-reported histochemical method. Both anti-ROM and anti-PSM antibodies demonstrated specific bindings to rabbit conjunctival goblet cells and apical surface mucin of conjunctival epithelium by immunofluorescent and peroxidase-anti-peroxidase studies. These antibodies also showed specific bindings to ocular mucin and goblet cells of human conjunctiva on the impression cytology specimens obtained from normal subjects. These results indicate that these mucin-specific monoclonal antibodies can be used as a marker for goblet cell differentiation and as a probe to measure mucin content in the tear film and ocular surface. Selective loss of goblet cells and mucin deficiency were noted in impression cytology specimens of patients with various mucin-deficient disorders. This information indicates the potential application of these antibodies to study various ocular surface disorders characterized by alterations in goblet cell differentiation and mucin biosynthesis.     

Allele-specific differential expression of a common adiponectin gene polymorphism related to obesity

Adiponectin gene polymorphisms have recently been reported to be associated with obesity, insulin sensitivity, and the risk of type 2 diabetes. We examined a T94G polymorphism of the adiponectin gene in 245 ostensibly normal nondiabetic subjects. The G allele frequency was lower among subjects with higher BMI (> or =27) than in those with lower BMI. BMI was inversely correlated with the dose of G allele. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that the adiponectin genotypes were significantly related to BMI after adjusting for age and gender. The dose of the G allele was associated with a reduction of approximately 1.12 kg/m(2) in BMI. We further found that the relative mRNA levels of G allele were consistently higher than those of T allele in the omental adipose tissue from 21 heterozygous subjects. Finally, we observed that the expression levels of adiponectin affected insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In conclusion, the allele-specific differential expression of this common polymorphism could be responsible for its biological effects observed in this and the other studies.