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Sabri B, Greene MC, Dang Q, Wiener J, Stack C. Characteristics, incidence, and trends of intimate partner homicides in Massachusetts: Patterns by birthplace, race, and ethnicity. J Fam Trauma Child Custody Child Dev 2021; 18:353-371. [PMID: 35174359 PMCID: PMC8845359 DOI: 10.1080/26904586.2021.1882921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study compared the incidence rates of intimate partner homicide (IPH) in Massachusetts by place of birth and race/ethnicity. The analysis involved 340 IPH victim cases between 1994 and 2014. Victims were just under 40 years of age, on average, and most were female (85%), White (67%), and killed by stabbing (34.4%) or firearms (33%). The incidence of IPH victims ranged from 1.3 to 5.6 cases per million people per year between 1994 and 2014 (M = 2.4 per million). Foreign-born individuals had 1.9-fold higher IPH incidence rates of victims relative to U.S.-born individuals. The incidence of IPH-suicide victims was also significantly higher among foreign-born (M = 1.2 per million) relative to U.S.-born individuals (M = 0.4 per million). Furthermore, minority racial/ethnic groups had significantly high incidence rates of victims, with highest incidence of IPH among Blacks. In the full sample there was a 1.9% decline in the incidence of IPH victims per year, which was not statistically significant. The findings highlight the need for culturally specific prevention and intervention strategies to address risks of IPHs and IPH-suicides among diverse groups, particularly among groups most at-risk in Massachusetts such as foreign-born born individuals and racial and ethnic minorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bushra Sabri
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - M. Claire Greene
- Helbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA
| | - Quynh Dang
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julia Wiener
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Caroline Stack
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Thompson EE, Dang Q, Mitchell-Handley B, Rajendran K, Ram-Mohan S, Solway J, Ober C, Krishnan R. Cytokine-induced molecular responses in airway smooth muscle cells inform genome-wide association studies of asthma. Genome Med 2020; 12:64. [PMID: 32690065 PMCID: PMC7370514 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00759-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A challenge in the post-GWAS era is to assign function to disease-associated variants. However, available resources do not include all tissues or environmental exposures that are relevant to all diseases. For example, exaggerated bronchoconstriction of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) defines airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a cardinal feature of asthma. However, the contribution of ASMC to genetic and genomic studies has largely been overlooked. Our study aimed to address the gap in data availability from a critical tissue in genomic studies of asthma. METHODS We developed a cell model of AHR to discover variants associated with transcriptional, epigenetic, and cellular responses to two AHR promoting cytokines, IL-13 and IL-17A, and performed a GWAS of bronchial responsiveness (BRI) in humans. RESULTS Our study revealed significant response differences between ASMCs from asthma cases and controls, including genes implicated in asthma susceptibility. We defined molecular quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for expression (eQTLs) and methylation (meQTLs), and cellular QTLs for contractility (coQTLs) and performed a GWAS of BRI in human subjects. Variants in asthma GWAS were significantly enriched for ASM QTLs and BRI-associated SNPs, and near genes enriched for ASM function, many with small P values that did not reach stringent thresholds of significance in GWAS. CONCLUSIONS Our study identified significant differences between ASMCs from asthma cases and controls, potentially reflecting trained tolerance in these cells, as well as a set of variants, overlooked in previous GWAS, which reflect the AHR component of asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E Thompson
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Quynh Dang
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Kavitha Rajendran
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sumati Ram-Mohan
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julian Solway
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Carole Ober
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ramaswamy Krishnan
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Yoshie H, Koushki N, Kaviani R, Tabatabaei M, Rajendran K, Dang Q, Husain A, Yao S, Li C, Sullivan JK, Saint-Geniez M, Krishnan R, Ehrlicher AJ. Traction Force Screening Enabled by Compliant PDMS Elastomers. Biophys J 2019; 114:2194-2199. [PMID: 29742412 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.02.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Actomyosin contractility is an essential element of many aspects of cellular biology and manifests as traction forces that cells exert on their surroundings. The central role of these forces makes them a novel principal therapeutic target in diverse diseases. This requires accurate and higher-capacity measurements of traction forces; however, existing methods are largely low throughput, limiting their utility in broader applications. To address this need, we employ Fourier-transform traction force microscopy in a parallelized 96-well format, which we refer to as contractile force screening. Critically, rather than the frequently employed hydrogel polyacrylamide, we fabricate these plates using polydimethylsiloxane rubber. Key to this approach is that the polydimethylsiloxane used is very compliant, with a lower-bound Young's modulus of ∼0.4 kPa. We subdivide these monolithic substrates spatially into biochemically independent wells, creating a uniform multiwell platform for traction force screening. We demonstrate the utility and versatility of this platform by quantifying the compound and dose-dependent contractility responses of human airway smooth muscle cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells. By directly quantifying the endpoint of therapeutic intent, airway-smooth-muscle contractile force, this approach fills an important methodological void in current screening approaches for bronchodilator drug discovery, and, more generally, in measuring contractile response for a broad range of cell types and pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruka Yoshie
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Newsha Koushki
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rosa Kaviani
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mohammad Tabatabaei
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Quynh Dang
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Amjad Husain
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sean Yao
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Chuck Li
- Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California
| | | | - Magali Saint-Geniez
- Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Allen J Ehrlicher
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Cai C, Zhang H, Ou Y, Jiang Y, Zhong D, Qi H, Dang Q. Saikosaponin-d suppresses cell growth in renal cell carcinoma through EGFR/p38 signaling pathway. Neoplasma 2017; 64:518-525. [DOI: 10.4149/neo_2017_405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Nadkarni NA, Rajakumar A, Mokhashi N, Burke SD, Rana S, Salahuddin S, Dang Q, Thadhani R, Krishnan R, Stossel TP, Karumanchi SA. Gelsolin is an endogenous inhibitor of syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicle shedding in pregnancy. Pregnancy Hypertens 2016; 6:333-339. [PMID: 27939478 DOI: 10.1016/j.preghy.2016.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 02/20/2016] [Revised: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific inflammatory disorder, is characterized by high levels of anti-angiogenic protein, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1), in the maternal circulation. sFlt1 producing molecular machinery is present in syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles that are released by the placenta into maternal plasma during normal pregnancy, a process greatly accelerated in preeclampsia. We hypothesized that syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles exposes cytoplasmic actin to plasma resulting in depletion of plasma gelsolin (pGSN), an abundant plasma protein that scavenges circulating actin and other pro-inflammatory mediators. OBJECTIVE To test whether pGSN levels would be lower in preeclampsia and to assess whether recombinant human plasma gelsolin (rhpGSN) may promote placental health by decreasing shedding of syncytiotrophoblast extracellular vesicles. METHODS We tested pGSN levels in third trimester plasma samples from women with preeclampsia and non-hypertensive pregnancies. We then assessed whether rhpGSN may act as a negative regulator of syncytial shedding in placental explant culture and dynamic mechanical stretch studies. RESULTS pGSN levels fall in late pregnancy and decline further in preeclampsia patients. Recombinant human pGSN (rhpGSN) at 100μg/ml limits spontaneous syncytiotrophoblast vesicle release and sFlt1 protein dissemination by normal placental explants. Higher rhpGSN doses (500μg/ml) also limit syncytiotrophoblast vesicle and sFlt1 dissemination from preeclamptic placental explants. rhpGSN also mitigates syncytiotrophoblast vesicle during dynamic mechanical stretch. CONCLUSIONS 1) pGSN, an anti-inflammatory factor of maternal origin is reduced in preeclampsia and may contribute to disease progression and 2) exogenous rhpGSN supplementation can limit the dissemination of toxic syncytiotrophoblast vesicle that characterizes the disease state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil A Nadkarni
- Department of Neurology, McGaw Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, United States; Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Augustine Rajakumar
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Nikita Mokhashi
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Suzanne D Burke
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sarosh Rana
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Saira Salahuddin
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Quynh Dang
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ravi Thadhani
- Nephrology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ramaswamy Krishnan
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Thomas P Stossel
- Hematology Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - S Ananth Karumanchi
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
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Brill-Karniely Y, Nisenholz N, Rajendran K, Dang Q, Krishnan R, Zemel A. Dynamics of cell area and force during spreading. Biophys J 2016; 107:L37-L40. [PMID: 25517168 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.10.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiments on human pulmonary artery endothelial cells are presented to show that cell area and the force exerted on a substrate increase simultaneously, but with different rates during spreading; rapid-force increase systematically occurred several minutes past initial spreading. We examine this theoretically and present three complementary mechanisms that may accompany the development of lamellar stress during spreading and underlie the observed behavior. These include: 1), the dynamics of cytoskeleton assembly at the cell basis; 2), the strengthening of acto-myosin forces in response to the generated lamellar stresses; and 3), the passive strain-stiffening of the cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifat Brill-Karniely
- Institute of Dental Sciences and Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Noam Nisenholz
- Institute of Dental Sciences and Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Kavitha Rajendran
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Quynh Dang
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ramaswamy Krishnan
- Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Assaf Zemel
- Institute of Dental Sciences and Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
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7
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Zhao D, Dang Q, Haak M, Middeldorp J, Klumper F, Oepkes D, Lopriore E. ‘Superficial’ anastomoses in monochorionic placentas are not always superficial. Placenta 2015; 36:1059-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2015.07.127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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8
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Zhou EH, Watson C, Pizzo R, Cohen J, Dang Q, Ferreira de Barros PM, Park CY, Chen C, Brain JD, Butler JP, Ruberti JW, Fredberg JJ, Demokritou P. Assessing the impact of engineered nanoparticles on wound healing using a novel in vitro bioassay. Nanomedicine (Lond) 2015; 9:2803-15. [PMID: 24823434 DOI: 10.2217/nnm.14.40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM As engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) increasingly enter consumer products, humans become increasingly exposed. The first line of defense against ENPs is the epithelium, the integrity of which can be compromised by wounds induced by trauma, infection, or surgery, but the implications of ENPs on wound healing are poorly understood. MATERIALS & METHODS Herein, we developed an in vitro assay to assess the impact of ENPs on the wound healing of cells from human cornea. RESULTS & DISCUSSION We show that industrially relevant ENPs impeded wound healing and cellular migration in a manner dependent on the composition, dose and size of the ENPs as well as cell type. CuO and ZnO ENPs impeded both viability and wound healing for both fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Carboxylated polystyrene ENPs retarded wound healing of corneal fibroblasts without affecting viability. CONCLUSION Our results highlight the impact of ENPs on cellular wound healing and provide useful tools for studying the physiological impact of ENPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enhua H Zhou
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Krishnan R, Hardin C, Dang Q, Manomohan G, Tian X, Dubrovski O, Tambe D, Jader C, Gado E, Butler J, Fredberg J, Birukov K. Force Chains And Gap Formation in Thrombin‐induced Endothelial Permeability. FASEB J 2015. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.85.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Corey Hardin
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Massachusetts General HospitalUnited States
| | - Quynh Dang
- Center for Vascular Biology ResearchBIDMCUnited States
| | | | - Xinyong Tian
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care University of ChicagoUnited States
| | - Oleksii Dubrovski
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care University of ChicagoUnited States
| | - Dhananjay Tambe
- Department of Mechanical Engineering University of SouthAlabamaUnited States
| | | | - Emanuela Gado
- Microstructure and RheologyETHZurichSwitzerland
- Department of PhysicsGeorgetown UniversityUnited States
| | - James Butler
- Environmental Health Harvard T Chen School of PublicHealthUnited States
| | - Jeffrey Fredberg
- Environmental Health Harvard T Chen School of PublicHealthUnited States
| | - Konstantin Birukov
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care University of ChicagoUnited States
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10
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Nisenholz N, Rajendran K, Dang Q, Chen H, Kemkemer R, Krishnan R, Zemel A. Active mechanics and dynamics of cell spreading on elastic substrates. Soft Matter 2014; 10:7234-46. [PMID: 25103537 DOI: 10.1039/c4sm00780h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The spreading area of cells has been shown to play a central role in the determination of cell fate and tissue morphogenesis; however, a clear understanding of how spread cell area is determined is still lacking. The observation that cell area and force generally increase with substrate rigidity suggests that cell area is dictated mechanically, by means of a force-balance between the cell and the substrate. A simple mechanical model, corroborated by experimental measurements of cell area and force is presented to analyze the temporal force balance between the cell and the substrate during spreading. The cell is modeled as a thin elastic disc that is actively pulled by lamellipodia protrusions at the cell front. The essential molecular mechanisms of the motor activity at the cell front, including, actin polymerization, adhesion kinetics, and the actin retrograde flow, are accounted for and used to predict the dynamics of cell spreading on elastic substrates; simple, closed-form expressions for the evolution of cell size and force are derived. Time-resolved, traction force microscopy, combined with measurements of cell area are performed to investigate the simultaneous variations of cell size and force. We find that cell area and force increase simultaneously during spreading but the force develops with an apparent delay relative to the increase in cell area. We demonstrate that this may reflect the strain-stiffening property of the cytoskeleton. We further demonstrate that the radial cell force is a concave function of spreading speed and that this may reflect the strengthening of cell-substrate adhesions during spreading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Nisenholz
- Institute of Dental Sciences and Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.
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Wong T, MacLennan G, Dang Q, McCune K, Rengan R. Evaluation of Treatment Plan Robustness With Adaptive Re-planning for Recurrent Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Protons. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2014.05.2606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Richard P, Sandison G, Chapman E, Dang Q, Johnson B, Wong T, Parvathaneni U. Phantom Analysis of Dental Filling Materials: Impact on Head and Neck Tumor Visualization and Proton Beam Dosimetry. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2014.05.2617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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13
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Stine K, Dang Q. Encryption basics. J AHIMA 2011; 82:44-47. [PMID: 21667865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Stine
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Information Technology Laboratory, Computer Security Division, USA
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14
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Azziz-Baumgartner E, McKeown L, Melvin P, Dang Q, Reed J. Rates of femicide in women of different races, ethnicities, and places of birth: Massachusetts, 1993-2007. J Interpers Violence 2011; 26:1077-1090. [PMID: 20522891 DOI: 10.1177/0886260510365856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
To describe the epidemiology of intimate partner violence (IPV) homicide in Massachusetts, an IPV mortality data set developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health was analyzed. The rates of death were estimated by dividing the number of decedents over the aged-matched population and Poisson regression was used to estimate the contribution of race, ethnicity, and foreign-born status to the risk of dying from IPV. Out of the total 270 women whose deaths were associated with IPV, 239 (89%) were killed by a male partner. Black women had a risk of dying from IPV of 16.2 per 1,000,000 person-years. Hispanic women also had a higher risk of dying from IPV than non-Hispanic women; incidence risk ratio of 9.7 (Poisson regression 95% confidence interval 6.8-13.8). IPV femicide disproportionately affected Black and Hispanic women. Agencies must consider the importance of providing culturally appropriate services to IPV survivors and their community.
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Abstract
The impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on progression to end-stage liver disease (ESLD) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection remains controversial. We studied 157 HCV+ haemophilic men (85 HIV+ and 72 HIV-), on whom dates of HIV and HCV seroconversion and clinical outcomes were known. Time to ESLD was determined by Kaplan-Meier product-limit methods and risk factors for ESLD progression were analysed by a Cox proportional hazards model. Among HIV+ men, ESLD was more common, 17 of 85 (20.0%) than in HIV-, eight of 72 (11.1%) and median ESLD-free survival significantly shorter, P = 0.009, hazard ratio 3.00 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-7.08]. HAART treated HIV+ had longer ESLD-free survival than HIV+ untreated, 30.3 vs. 20.0 years, P = 0.043, hazard ratio, 3.14 (95% CI: 1.27-7.08), comparable with survival in HIV- men, P = 0.13, hazard ratio 2.20 (95% CI: 0.76-2.35). Progression was unrelated to HAART toxicity (n = 0) or HCV antiviral therapy (n = 7). HIV+ HAART Rx and HIV- did not differ in HCV duration, age at ESLD, age at death or present, overall or AIDS mortality, all P > 0.05. These data suggest that HAART improves ESLD-free survival, approaching that in HIV- men.
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Affiliation(s)
- M V Ragni
- Department of Medicine, Division Hematology/Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medicine Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4306, USA.
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16
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Berzsenyi Z, Dang Q. Effect of sowing date and N fertilisation on the yield and yield stability of maize ( Zea mays L.) hybrids in a long-term experiment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1556/aagr.56.2008.3.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The effect of sowing date, N fertilisation and genotype on the grain yield and yield stability of maize was studied between 1991 and 2006 in a long-term N fertilisation experiment set up on chernozem soil in Martonvásár, Hungary. The N treatments (0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kg ha−1) represented the main plot of the three-factor, split-split-plot experiment, with the sowing date (early, optimum, late, very late) in the sub-plots and hybrids from different maturity groups in the sub-sub-plots. The highest yields were obtained for the early and optimum sowing dates (8.712 and 8.706 t ha−1). Compared with the optimum sowing date, a delay of ten or twenty days led to yield losses of 5% and 12.5%, respectively. In the late and very late sowings and in years with unfavourable weather conditions, yield increments were only observed up to an N rate of 60 kg ha−1, while in the early and optimum sowings and in favourable years yield increments were significant up to 120 kg ha−1N. Yield stability was smallest in the early and very late sowings, in the control and for high N rates, and in the early and late maturity hybrids. It can be concluded that high yields and yield stability are not mutually exclusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z. Berzsenyi
- 1 Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Martonvásár Hungary
| | - Q. Dang
- 1 Agricultural Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Martonvásár Hungary
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Rothman EF, Gupta J, Pavlos C, Dang Q, Coutinho P. Batterer intervention program enrollment and completion among immigrant men in Massachusetts. Violence Against Women 2007; 13:527-43. [PMID: 17478677 DOI: 10.1177/1077801207300720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [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: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study describes immigrant clients enrolled in Massachusetts batterer intervention (BI) programs from 2002 to 2004 (N = 480). Our study sought to (a) describe the immigrant men enrolled in Massachusetts BI programs, (b) investigate whether immigrants were more or less likely to complete BI programs than were nonimmigrants, and (c) investigate whether immigrants in non-English, culturally specific groups were more or less likely to complete BI programs than were immigrants in mainstream groups. Of BI program clients, 14% were immigrants. Of these, 73% were not U.S. citizens. Immigrants were more likely to complete the programs than were nonimmigrants (54% vs. 38%). Although a greater proportion of immigrants who attended non-English groups completed the programs than did immigrants who attended mainstream groups (66% and 46%), neither the bivariate nor the adjusted odds ratio was statistically significant. Possible reasons for differences between immigrant and nonimmigrant characteristics and program completion rates are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily F Rothman
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, MA, USA
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Axelsson M, Dang Q, Pitsillides K, Munns S, Hicks J, Kassab GS. A novel, fully implantable, multichannel biotelemetry system for measurement of blood flow, pressure, ECG, and temperature. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2006; 102:1220-8. [PMID: 17122378 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00887.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [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: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biotelemetry provides high-quality data in awake, free-ranging animals without the effects of anesthesia and surgery. Although many biological parameters can be measured using biotelemetry, simultaneous telemetric measurements of pressure and flow have not been available. The objective of this study was to evaluate simultaneous measurements of blood flow, pressure, ECG, and temperature in a fully implantable system. This novel system allows the measurement of up to four channels of blood flow, up to three channels of pressure, and a single channel each of ECG and temperature. The system includes a bidirectional radio-frequency link that allows the implant to send data and accept commands to perform various tasks. The system is controlled by a base station decoder/controller that decodes the data stream sent by the implant into analog signals. The system also converts the data into a digital data stream that can be sent via ethernet to a remote computer for storage and/or analysis. The system was chronically implanted in swine and alligators for up to 5 wk. Both bench and in vivo animal tests were performed to evaluate system performance. Results show that this biotelemetry system is capable of long-term accurate monitoring of simultaneous blood flow and pressure. The system allows, within the room, recordings, since the implant transmission range is between 6 and 10 m, and, with a relay, backpack transmission distance of up to 500 m can be achieved. This system will have significant utility in chronic models of cardiovascular physiology and pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Axelsson
- Dept. of Zoology, Göteborg University, Sweden
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Dang Q, Chan C, Ngo T. The Impact of Domestic Violence on Asian American Health. Asian Am Pac Isl J Health 2001; 7:188-191. [PMID: 11567495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Dang
- Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, Boston, MA, USA
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Yu ZX, Dang Q, Wu YD. Aromatic dienophiles. 1. A theoretical study of an inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder reaction between 2-aminopyrrole and 1,3,5-triazine. J Org Chem 2001; 66:6029-36. [PMID: 11529728 DOI: 10.1021/jo010243p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study is devoted to a detailed theoretical study of an inverse-electron demand Diels-Alder reaction (IDA) with 1,3,5-triazine as the diene and 2-aminopyrrole 1A(alpha) as the dienophile, which is a key step in a cascade reaction for the one-pot synthesis of purine analogues. Geometries were optimized with the B3LYP/6-31G* method and energies were evaluated with the MP2/6-311++G** method. This IDA reaction occurs through a stepwise mechanism, where the first step corresponds to the nucleophilic attack of 2-aminopyrrole to triazine to form a zwitterionic intermediate, which is in equilibrium with a neutral intermediate through a hydrogen transfer process, followed by a rate-determining ring-closure step. It is shown that the B3LYP method significantly overestimates the activation energy, whereas the MP2 method offers a reasonable activation barrier of 27.9 kcal/mol in the gas phase. The solvation effect has been studied by the PCM model. In DMSO, the calculated activation energy of the IDA reaction is decreased to 24.0 kcal/mol with a strong endothermicity of 17.4 kcal/mol due to the energy penalty of transforming two aromatic reactants into a nonaromatic IDA adduct. The possible stepwise [2+2] pathway is ruled out based on its higher activation and reaction energies than those of the [4+2] pathway. By comparing the IDA reactions of triazine to 2-aminopyrrole and pyrrole, we address two crucial roles of the alpha-amino substituent in lowering activation and reaction energies and controlling the reaction regiochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z X Yu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
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Abstract
Homology between the two repeat (R) regions in the retroviral genome mediates minus-strand DNA transfer during reverse transcription. We sought to define the effects of R homology lengths on minus-strand DNA transfer. We generated five murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based vectors that contained identical sequences but different lengths of the 3' R (3, 6, 12, 24 and 69 nucleotides [nt]); 69 nt is the full-length MLV R. After one round of replication, viral titers from the vector with a full-length downstream R were compared with viral titers generated from the other four vectors with reduced R lengths. Viral titers generated from vectors with R lengths reduced to one-third (24 nt) or one-sixth (12 nt) that of the wild type were not significantly affected; however, viral titers generated from vectors with only 3- or 6-nt homology in the R region were significantly lower. Because expression and packaging of the RNA were similar among all the vectors, the differences in the viral titers most likely reflected the impact of the homology lengths on the efficiency of minus-strand DNA transfer. The molecular nature of minus-strand DNA transfer was characterized in 63 proviruses. Precise R-to-R transfer was observed in most proviruses generated from vectors with 12-, 24-, or 69-nt homology in R, whereas aberrant transfers were predominantly used to generate proviruses from vectors with 3- or 6-nt homology. Reverse transcription using RNA transcribed from an upstream promoter, termed read-in RNA transcripts, resulted in most of the aberrant transfers. These data demonstrate that minus-strand DNA transfer is homology driven and a minimum homology length is required for accurate and efficient minus-strand DNA transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA
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Dang Q, Auten J, Plavec I. Human beta interferon scaffold attachment region inhibits de novo methylation and confers long-term, copy number-dependent expression to a retroviral vector. J Virol 2000; 74:2671-8. [PMID: 10684282 PMCID: PMC111756 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.74.6.2671-2678.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/1999] [Accepted: 12/20/1999] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Moloney murine leukemia virus-based retroviral vector expression is gradually lost during prolonged in vitro culture of CEMSS T cells. However, when the human beta interferon scaffold attachment region (IFN-SAR) was inserted into the vector immediately upstream of the 3' long terminal repeat (LTR), expression was maintained for the length of the study (4 months). Clonal analysis of the retrovirus vector-infected CEMSS cells showed that SAR-containing retroviral vector expression levels were positively correlated with the proviral copy numbers (P < 0.0001), while there was no correlation between the proviral copy numbers and expression levels in control vector-infected clones. Thirty-three percent of the CEMSS cell clones infected with the control vector showed evidence of partial or complete methylation in the 5' LTR region. In sharp contrast, we detected no methylation in the clones infected with the SAR-containing vector. To demonstrate a direct inhibitory effect of methylation on retroviral vector expression, we have transfected 293 cells with in vitro-methylated proviral DNA. In transiently transfected cells, expression of methylated LTR was reduced but not completely inhibited, irrespective of the presence of the IFN-SAR sequence. In stably transfected cells, however, methylation completely abolished expression of the control vector but not of the SAR-containing vector. Furthermore, the expression of the SAR-containing vector was stable over time, indicating the ability of the SAR sequence to alleviate methylation-mediated transcriptional repression of a vector. This study extends our understanding of the mechanisms of retroviral vector inactivation by methylation and provides insight into a functional role for the SAR elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- SyStemix Inc., Palo Alto, California 94304, USA
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Dang Q, Brown BS, van Poelje PD, Colby TJ, Erion MD. Synthesis of phosphonate 3-phthalidyl esters as prodrugs for potential intracellular delivery of phosphonates. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 1999; 9:1505-10. [PMID: 10386925 DOI: 10.1016/s0960-894x(99)00239-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [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: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A new prodrug approach for intracellular delivery of phosphonates was developed via the synthesis of 3-phthalidyl esters of 1-naphthalenemethylphosphonate. This approach is advantageous over the traditional acyloxymethyl phosphonate prodrugs, because these prodrugs do not generate formaldehyde and have improved plasma half-lives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Metabasis Therapeutics, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA
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Son JW, Koh KK, Dang Q, Jin DK, Choi IS, Shin EK. Primary and elective stenting of unprotected isolated left main coronary ostial stenosis in acute coronary syndrome. J Invasive Cardiol 1999; 11:301-4. [PMID: 10745536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Direct surgical angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft has been done in patients who have left main coronary ostial stenosis. Recent reports have demonstrated that stenting of unprotected left main coronary artery stenosis has been attempted as an alternative to bypass surgery in selected patients with normal LV function. We report two patients with isolated left main coronary ostial stenosis who are undergoing primary and elective stenting, respectively. Major cardiac events did not occur during a 3-month follow-up. This study suggests that stenting of isolated left main coronary ostial stenosis in acute coronary syndrome is feasible and results in excellent outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Son
- Director of Heart Center, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, 1198 Kuwol-dong, Namdong-ku, Inchon 402-430, Korea
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Kim Y, Ratziu V, Choi SG, Lalazar A, Theiss G, Dang Q, Kim SJ, Friedman SL. Transcriptional activation of transforming growth factor beta1 and its receptors by the Kruppel-like factor Zf9/core promoter-binding protein and Sp1. Potential mechanisms for autocrine fibrogenesis in response to injury. J Biol Chem 1999. [PMID: 9837963 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.273.50.33750273.50.33750] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
We have explored the regulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) activity in tissue repair by examining the interactions of Zf9/core promoter-binding protein, a Kruppel-like zinc finger transcription factor induced early in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, with promoters for TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta receptors, types I and II. Nuclear extracts from culture-activated HSCs bound avidly by electrophoretic mobility shift assay to two tandem GC boxes within the TGF-beta1 promoter but minimally to a single GC box; these results correlated with transactivation by Zf9 of TGF-beta1 promoter-reporters. Zf9 transactivated the full-length TGF-beta1 promoter in either primary HSCs, HSC-T6 cells (an SV40-immortalized rat HSC line), Hep G2 cells, or Drosophila Schneider (S2) cells. Recombinant Zf9-GST also bound to GC box sequences within the promoters for the types I and II TGF-beta receptors. Both type I and type II TGF-beta receptor promoters were also transactivated by Zf9 in mammalian cells but not in S2 cells. In contrast, Sp1 significantly transactivated both receptor promoters in S2 cells. These results suggest that (a) Zf9/core promoter-binding protein may enhance TGF-beta activity through transactivation of both the TGF-beta1 gene and its key signaling receptors, and (b) transactivating potential of Zf9 and Sp1 toward promoters for TGF-beta1 and its receptors are not identical and depend on the cellular context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Kim
- Laboratory of Cell Regulation and Carcinogenesis, Division of Basic Sciences, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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26
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Kim Y, Ratziu V, Choi SG, Lalazar A, Theiss G, Dang Q, Kim SJ, Friedman SL. Transcriptional activation of transforming growth factor beta1 and its receptors by the Kruppel-like factor Zf9/core promoter-binding protein and Sp1. Potential mechanisms for autocrine fibrogenesis in response to injury. J Biol Chem 1998; 273:33750-8. [PMID: 9837963 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.273.50.33750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [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
We have explored the regulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) activity in tissue repair by examining the interactions of Zf9/core promoter-binding protein, a Kruppel-like zinc finger transcription factor induced early in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, with promoters for TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta receptors, types I and II. Nuclear extracts from culture-activated HSCs bound avidly by electrophoretic mobility shift assay to two tandem GC boxes within the TGF-beta1 promoter but minimally to a single GC box; these results correlated with transactivation by Zf9 of TGF-beta1 promoter-reporters. Zf9 transactivated the full-length TGF-beta1 promoter in either primary HSCs, HSC-T6 cells (an SV40-immortalized rat HSC line), Hep G2 cells, or Drosophila Schneider (S2) cells. Recombinant Zf9-GST also bound to GC box sequences within the promoters for the types I and II TGF-beta receptors. Both type I and type II TGF-beta receptor promoters were also transactivated by Zf9 in mammalian cells but not in S2 cells. In contrast, Sp1 significantly transactivated both receptor promoters in S2 cells. These results suggest that (a) Zf9/core promoter-binding protein may enhance TGF-beta activity through transactivation of both the TGF-beta1 gene and its key signaling receptors, and (b) transactivating potential of Zf9 and Sp1 toward promoters for TGF-beta1 and its receptors are not identical and depend on the cellular context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Kim
- Laboratory of Cell Regulation and Carcinogenesis, Division of Basic Sciences, NCI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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Ratziu V, Lalazar A, Wong L, Dang Q, Collins C, Shaulian E, Jensen S, Friedman SL. Zf9, a Kruppel-like transcription factor up-regulated in vivo during early hepatic fibrosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1998; 95:9500-5. [PMID: 9689109 PMCID: PMC21367 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.95.16.9500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [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: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Wound repair in the liver induces altered gene expression in stellate cells (resident mesenchymal cells) in a process known as "activation." A zinc finger transcription factor cDNA, zf9, was cloned from rat stellate cells activated in vivo. Zf9 expression and biosynthesis are increased markedly in activated cells in vivo compared with cells from normal rats ("quiescent" cells). The factor is localized to the nucleus and the perinuclear zone in activated but not quiescent cells. Zf9 mRNA also is expressed widely in nonhepatic adult rat tissues and the fetal liver. The zf9 nucleotide sequence predicts a member of the Kruppel-like family with a unique N-terminal domain rich in serine-proline clusters and leucines. The human zf9 gene maps to chromosome 10P near the telomere. Zf9 binds specifically to a DNA oligonucleotide containing a GC box motif. The N-terminal domain of Zf9 (amino acids 1-201) is transactivating in the chimeric GAL4 hybrid system. In Drosophila schneider cells, full length Zf9 transactivates a reporter construct driven by the SV40 promoter/enhancer, which contains several GC boxes. A physiologic role for Zf9 is suggested by its transactivation of a collagen alpha1(I) promoter reporter. Transactivation of collagen alpha1(I) by Zf9 is context-dependent, occurring strongly in stellate cells, modestly in Hep G2 cells, and not at all in D. schneider cells. Our results suggest that Zf9 may be an important signal in hepatic stellate cell activation after liver injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Ratziu
- University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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Abstract
We report a patient with Takayasu's arteritis who had recurrent restenosis following intracoronary bifurcation stenting of proximal left anterior descending and first diagonal arteries, and rotational atherectomy for in-stent restenosis. After all, the patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) and has remained asymptomatic during 3 months without damaging myocardium. We suggest that endoluminal stenting or rotational atherectomy may be an alternative treatment for the patients with coronary artery stenosis due to active Takayasu's arteritis as a therapy to postpone CABG.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Son
- Division of Cardiology, Heart Center, Gachon University, Gil Medical Center, Inchon, South Korea
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Guo Y, Dang Q. [Estrogen and progesterone receptors in endometrial carcinoma]. Zhonghua Fu Chan Ke Za Zhi 1997; 32:418-21. [PMID: 9639729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the relationship between estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) and the clinico-pathologic features in endometrial carcinoma. METHODS ER and PR contents of fresh tumor tissues taken from 70 cases of primary endometrial carcinoma were measured by biochemical (DCC) method and 30 paraffin-embedded archival specimens of the 70 cases also by immunohistochemical (IHC) method. RESULTS Both ER and PR positive rates were 77.1% by DCC assay and 83.3% by IHC method. Excellent correspondency of one method to the other was observed (ER 83.3%, PR 86.7%). And the IHC method displayed further the origin of the tissue examined. The ER and PR levels correlated negatively with the grades of tumor (P < 0.01). ER and PR positive rates in adenocarcinoma (including papillary adenocarcinoma) and adenoacanthoma were higher than those in the other histological types (ER, P < 0.01; PR, P < 0.005). There was a positive correlation between the ER levels and obesity. CONCLUSIONS The levels of ER and PR and the histopathological classification and grading of the tumor tissue reflect biologic behaviors of endometrial carcinoma. ER and PR assays are important for endocrinotherapy and in predicting prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Guo
- First Hospital, Beijing Medical University
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Abstract
Expression of both the apolipoprotein (apo)E and apoC-I genes in the liver is specified by a 319-nucleotide hepatic control region (HCR-1) that is located 15 kilobase pairs downstream of the apoE gene and 5 kilobase pairs downstream of the apoC-I gene. In vivo footprint analysis of HCR-1 in intact nuclei revealed several liver-specific protein-binding sites that were not detectable by in vitro methods. In addition to three previously identified in vitro footprints, four in vivo footprints were identified in a region of HCR-1 that is required for directing gene expression to hepatocytes. Prominent liver-specific DNase I-hypersensitive sites were associated with these footprints. Liver-specific nuclear protein binding to these sites was confirmed by oligonucleotide gel-retention assays. The in vivo analysis also identified a cluster of nuclear protein-binding sites in the Alu family repeat segment adjacent to the domain required for liver expression. Micrococcal nuclease digestion indicated the presence of a nucleosome in the central domain of HCR-1 in liver chromatin that was in phase with the nucleosome location in tissues that did not express the transgene. These results suggest that HCR-1 functions in a highly structured chromatin environment requiring a complex interaction of liver-enriched transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco, California 94141-9100, USA
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Dang Q, Walker D, Taylor S, Allan C, Chin P, Fan J, Taylor J. Structure of the hepatic control region of the human apolipoprotein E/C-I gene locus. J Biol Chem 1995; 270:22577-85. [PMID: 7673250 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.270.38.22577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The specificity of expression in the liver of the human apolipoprotein (apo) E/C-I gene locus is determined by a hepatic control region (HCR) that is located 15 kilobases downstream of the apoE gene. DNase I footprint studies of this sequence using nuclear extracts identified a region of the HCR that is enriched in nuclear protein-binding sites. Nuclease analysis of chromatin revealed liver-specific DNase I-hypersensitive sites that were associated with this region, and additional liver-specific nuclease-sensitive sites associated with the apoE gene were identified. The HCR domain has a limited binding affinity for the nuclear scaffold. The specific domain required for liver expression was tested by ligating subfragments of the HCR to the apoE gene and examining their activity in transgenic mice. A segment of 319 nucleotides that contained several potential regulatory sequences was required for full activity of liver-specific transcription with shorter segments yielding much lower levels of expression in the liver. All constructs that contained a fully active HCR were expressed in approximately a copy-dependent manner, suggesting that transgene expression was independent of integration position. Taken together, the properties of the HCR are consistent with its function as a locus control region for the liver-specific expression of the apoE gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco 94141-9100, USA
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Dang Q, Alghisi GC, Gasser SM. Phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain of yeast topoisomerase II by casein kinase II affects DNA-protein interaction. J Mol Biol 1994; 243:10-24. [PMID: 7932731 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1994.1626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase II is an abundant nuclear enzyme that is essential for cell proliferation. This homodimeric enzyme catalyzes the cleavage and re-ligation of double-stranded DNA required to separate replicated sister chromatids. Both biochemical and genetic studies show that its catalytic activity is required for chromosome condensation and segregation, and that its decatenation activity can be stimulated by a variety of protein kinases in vitro. In budding yeast, topoisomerase II is most highly phosphorylated in metaphase, and casein kinase II (CKII) was shown to be the major kinase modifying topoisomerase II. We have investigated the effects of phosphorylation of yeast topoisomerase II by CKII in vitro, by means of gel-retardation and filter binding assays. The phosphorylation of the C terminus of topoisomerase II by CKII appears to increase the stability of the complex formed with linear DNA fragments, while dephosphorylation has the opposite effect. Rephosphorylation of phosphatase-treated topoisomerase II by chicken casein kinase II restores a stable protein-DNA complex using a linear DNA fragment. The enhanced stability of the topoisomerase II-DNA complex is also observed with relaxed circular DNA, but not with supercoiled minicircles, in agreement with published results using topoisomerase II from Drosophila. Limited proteolysis and probing with domain-specific antibodies shows that, with the exception of a weakly modified residue between amino acid residues 660 and 1250, all residues modified by casein kinase II are in the last 180 amino acid residues of yeast topoisomerase II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Dang
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), Epalinges/Lausanne
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Vassetzky YS, Dang Q, Benedetti P, Gasser SM. Topoisomerase II forms multimers in vitro: effects of metals, beta-glycerophosphate, and phosphorylation of its C-terminal domain. Mol Cell Biol 1994; 14:6962-74. [PMID: 7935413 PMCID: PMC359227 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.14.10.6962-6974.1994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a novel assay for the study of protein-protein interactions involving DNA topoisomerase II. Under various conditions of incubation we observe that topoisomerase II forms complexes at least tetrameric in size, which can be sedimented by centrifugation through glycerol. The multimers are enzymatically active and can be visualized by electron microscopy. Dephosphorylation of topoisomerase II inhibits its multimerization, which can be restored at least partially by rephosphorylation of multiple sites within its 200 C-terminal amino acids by casein kinase II. Truncation of topoisomerase II just upstream of the major phosphoacceptor sites reduces its aggregation, rendering the truncated enzyme insensitive to either kinase treatments or phosphatase treatments. This is consistent with a model in which interactions involving the phosphorylated C-terminal domain of topoisomerase II aid either in chromosome segregation or in chromosome condensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y S Vassetzky
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Epalinges
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Fan J, Wang J, Bensadoun A, Lauer S, Dang Q, Mahley R, Taylor J. Overexpression of hepatic lipase in transgenic rabbits leads to a marked reduction of plasma HDL and IDL. Atherosclerosis 1994. [DOI: 10.1016/0021-9150(94)94340-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Fan J, Wang J, Bensadoun A, Lauer SJ, Dang Q, Mahley RW, Taylor JM. Overexpression of hepatic lipase in transgenic rabbits leads to a marked reduction of plasma high density lipoproteins and intermediate density lipoproteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1994; 91:8724-8. [PMID: 8078949 PMCID: PMC44679 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.91.18.8724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [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: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
To elucidate the precise metabolic roles of hepatic lipase (HL), a human HL cDNA in a liver-specific expression vector was used to generate transgenic lines in the rabbit, an animal that normally expresses low levels of this enzyme. HL was detected in the plasma of all rabbits only after the administration of heparin; HL activity in transgenic rabbits was found at levels up to 80-fold greater than that in nontransgenic littermates. This increase in enzyme activity was associated with as much as a 5-fold decrease in total plasma cholesterol levels. Expression of the transgene resulted in a dramatic reduction in the level of large high density lipoproteins (HDL1 and HDL2) as well as dense HDL3. A reduction in the quantity of intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL) was also observed. These results demonstrate that HL functions in the metabolism of HDL and IDL, thereby playing a key role in plasma cholesterol homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fan
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94141
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Abstract
The gene encoding topoisomerase II in yeast is unique and essential, required for both mitotic and meiotic proliferation. The use of temperature-sensitive mutants in topoisomerase II have demonstrated roles in the relaxation of tortional stress, reduction of recombination rates, and in the separation of sister chromatids after replication. In vertebrate cells, topoisomerase II was shown to be the most abundant component of the metaphase chromosomal scaffold, and has been shown to play a role in chromosome condensation in vitro. The cell cycle control of chromosome condensation may well require phosphorylation of topoisomerase II, since the enzyme is more highly phosphorylated in metaphase than in G1. Recent studies have identified casein kinase II as the major enzyme phosphorylating topoisomerase II in intact yeast cells. The target sites of CKII are exclusively in the C-terminal 400 amino acids of topoisomerase II, the region that is most divergent among the eukaryotic type II enzymes and which is absent in the bacterial gyrase homologues.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Gasser
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), Epalinges s/Lausanne
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Chi Q, Guo J, Dang Q. [Thin layer chromatography and extractive technology of Panax japonicum C.A. Mey. var. major (Burk.) C. Y. Wu et K. M. Feng growing in Qingba Mountain Area]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 1992; 17:478-80, 511. [PMID: 1482533] [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: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Chemical components of the root, stem and leaves of Panax japonicum var. major were compared with those of Radix ginseng and Radix notoginseng by TLC. The results showed that the total saponin of the root Panax japonicum var. major was closer to that of Radix ginseng and the total saponin of its stem and leaves was similar to Radix notoginseng. A better extractive technology was obtained after isolating and purifying the whole herb of Panax japonicum var. major by ethyl alcohol at different concentrations. The components were compared by TLC. The results showed that with 60% ethyl alcohol the yield of the total extract was 17.15%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Chi
- Shaanxi Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Materia Medica, Xian
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Abstract
The decatenation activity of DNA topoisomerase II is essential for viability as eukaryotic cells traverse mitosis. Phosphorylation has been shown to stimulate topoisomerase II activity in vitro. Here we show that topoisomerase II is a phosphoprotein in yeast and that the level of incorporated phosphate is significantly higher at mitosis than in G1. Comparison of tryptic phosphopeptide maps reveals that the major phosphorylation sites in vivo are targets for casein kinase II. Incorporation of phosphate into topoisomerase II is nearly undetectable at the non-permissive temperature in a conditional casein kinase II mutant. The sites modified by casein kinase II are located in the extreme C-terminal domain of topoisomerase II. This domain is absent in prokaryotic and highly divergent among eukaryotic type II topoisomerases, and may serve to regulate functions of topoisomerase II that are unique to eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Cardenas
- Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, Epalinges s/Lausanne
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Brun C, Dang Q, Miassod R. Studies of an 800-kilobase DNA stretch of the Drosophila X chromosome: comapping of a subclass of scaffold-attached regions with sequences able to replicate autonomously in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol 1990; 10:5455-63. [PMID: 2118999 PMCID: PMC361252 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.10.10.5455-5463.1990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously mapped scaffold-attached regions (SARs) on an 800-kilobase DNA walk from the Drosophila X chromosome. We have also previously shown that the strength of binding, i.e., the ability of SARs to bind to all nuclear scaffolds or only to a fraction of them varied from one SAR to another one. In the present study, 71 of the 85 subfragments that bind scaffolds and 38 fragments that do not bind scaffolds were tested for their ability to promote autonomous replicating sequence (ARS) activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sixteen SAR-containing fragments from the chromosome walk were also examined for association to yeast nuclear scaffolds in vitro. All identified ARSs (a total of 27) were present on SAR-containing fragments, except two, which were adjacent to SARs. There is thus a correlation between ARS and SAR activities, and this correlation defines a SAR subclass. Moreover, the presence of an ARS on a DNA fragment appeared to be highly correlated with the strength of binding. The binding activity was highly conserved from Drosophila melanogaster to yeast. These data suggest that Drosophila DNA sequences responsible for binding to components of the nuclear scaffold from either D. melanogaster or yeast may be involved in the process of heterologous extrachromosomal replication in yeasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Brun
- Laboratoire de Génétique et Biologie Cellulaires, C.N.R.S., Marseille, France
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Dang Q. [Prevention of blindness in rural areas of north China during the past 30 years (author's transl)]. Zhonghua Yan Ke Za Zhi 1980; 16:349-50. [PMID: 6788519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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