Consumption of dried fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida (hawthorn) suppresses high-cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats

Author name used in this publication: Mabel Yin-Chun YauAuthor name used in this publication: Peter Hoi-Fu Yu2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Correlation of antioxidative properties and vaso-relaxation effects of major active constituents of traditional Chinese medicines

Author name used in this publication: Shi-Lin Chen2008-2009 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Human coronavirus NL63 infection and other coronavirus infections in children hospitalized with acute respiratory disease in Hong Kong, China

Background. Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) is a recently discovered human coronavirus found to cause respiratory illness in children and adults that is distinct from the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus and human coronaviruses 229E (HCoV-229E) and OC43 (HCoV-OC43). Methods. We investigated the role that HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-229E played in children hospitalized with fever and acute respiratory symptoms in Hong Kong during the period from August 2001 through August 2002. Results. Coronavirus infections were detected in 26 (4.4%) of 587 children studied; 15 (2.6%) were positive for HCoV-NL63, 9 (1.5%) were positive for HCoV-OC43, and 2 (0.3%) were positive for HCoV-229E. In addition to causing upper respiratory disease, we found that HCoV-NL63 can present as croup, asthma exacerbation, febrile seizures, and high fever. The mean age (± standard deviation [SD]) of the infected children was 30.7 ± 19.8 months (range, 6-57 months). The mean maximum temperature (± SD) for the 12 children who were febrile was 39.3°C ± 0.9°C, and the mean total duration of fever (± SD) for all children was 2.6 ± 1.2 days (range, 1-5 days). HCoV-NL63 infections were noted in the spring and summer months of 2002, whereas HCoV-OC43 infection mainly occurred in the fall and winter months of 2001. HCoV-NL63 viruses appeared to cluster into 2 evolutionary lineages, and viruses from both lineages cocirculated in the same season. Conclusions. HCoV-NL63 is a significant pathogen that contributes to the hospitalization of children, and it was estimated to have caused 224 hospital admissions per 100,000 population aged 6 years each year in Hong Kong. © 2005 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

Calycosin and Formononetin Induce Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation by the Activation of Large-Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels (BKCa)

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Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Treatments with Traditional Chinese Medicine

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Evaluation of anti-oxidant capacity of root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, in comparison with roots of polygonum multiflorum thunb and Panax ginseng CA Meyer

Author name used in this publication: Jian-Hong WuAuthor name used in this publication: Alice Lai-Shan AuAuthor name used in this publication: Peter Hoi-Fu Yu2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

The electric dipole response of 76^{76}Se above 4 MeV

The dipole response of $^{76}_{34}$Se in the energy range 4 to 9 MeV has been analyzed using a $(\vec\gamma,{\gamma}')$ polarized photon scattering technique, performed at the High Intensity $\gamma$-Ray Source facility, to complement previous work performed using unpolarized photons. The results of this work offer both an enhanced sensitivity scan of the dipole response and an unambiguous determination of the parities of the observed J=1 states. The dipole response is found to be dominated by $E1$ excitations, and can reasonably be attributed to a pygmy dipole resonance. Evidence is presented to suggest that a significant amount of directly unobserved excitation strength is present in the region, due to unobserved branching transitions in the decays of resonantly excited states. The dipole response of the region is underestimated when considering only ground state decay branches. We investigate the electric dipole response theoretically, performing calculations in a 3D cartesian-basis time-dependent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock framework.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, to be submitted to PR

Discovery of a ROCK inhibitor, FPND, which prevents cerebral hemorrhage through maintaining vascular integrity by interference with VE-cadherin

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Involvement of organic cation transporter-3 and plasma membrane monoamine transporter in serotonin uptake in human brain vascular smooth muscle cells

The serotonin (5-HT) uptake system is supposed to play a crucial part in vascular functions by “fine-tuning” the local concentration of 5-HT in the vicinity of 5-HT2 receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells. In this study, the mechanism of 5-HT uptake in human brain vascular smooth muscle cells (HBVSMCs) was investigated. [3H]5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs was Na+-independent. Kinetic analyses of [3H]5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs revealed a Km of 50.36 ± 10.2 mM and a Vmax of 1033.61 ± 98.86 pmol/mg protein/min. The specific serotonin re-uptake transporter (SERT) inhibitor citalopram, the specific norepinephrine transporter (NET) inhibitor desipramine, and the dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor GBR12935 inhibited 5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs with IC50 values of 97.03 ± 40.10, 10.49 ± 5.98, and 2.80 ± 1.04 μM, respectively. These IC50 values were 100-fold higher than data reported by other authors, suggesting that those inhibitors were not blocking their corresponding transporters. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results demonstrated the presence of mRNA for organic cation transporter (OCT)-3 and plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT), but the absence of OCT-1, OCT-2, SERT, NET, and DAT. siRNA knockdown of OCT-3 and PMAT specifically attenuated 5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs. It is concluded that 5-HT uptake in HBVSMCs was mediated predominantly by a low-affinity and Na+-independent mechanism. The most probable candidates are OCT-3 and PMAT, but not the SERT

The Impact of the Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay on Treatment Decisions for Women With Estrogen Receptor-Positive, Node-Negative Breast Carcinoma in Hong Kong

Background The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Assay is validated to assess risk of distant recurrence and likelihood of chemotherapy (CT) benefit in estrogen receptor-positive ESBC in various populations. In Hong Kong, > 80% of breast cancers are early stage breast cancer (ESBC) and > 60% of these women receive CT. This prospective study measured changes in CT type and recommendations, as well as physician impression of assay impact in a homogenous Chinese population. Methods Consecutive patients with estrogen receptor-positive, T1-3 N0-1mi M0 ESBC were offered enrollment. After surgery, physicians discussed treatment options with patients, then ordered the assay, then reassessed treatment recommendation considering assay results. Changes in treatment recommendation, CT utilization, physician confidence, and physician rating of influence on their treatment recommendations were measured. Results A total of 146 evaluable patients received pre- and post-testing treatment recommendations. CT recommendations (including changes in intensity of CT) were changed for 34 of 146 patients (23.3%; 95% confidence interval, 16.7%-31.0%); change in intensity occurred in 7 of 146 (4.8%). There were 27 changes in treatment recommendations of adding or removing CT altogether (18.5% change; 95% confidence interval, 12.6%-25.8%). CT recommendations decreased from 52.1% to 37.7%, a net absolute reduction of 14.4% (P < .001; 27.6% net relative reduction). Pre-assay, 96% of physicians agreed/strongly agreed that they were confident in their treatment recommendation; post-assay, 90% of physicians agreed/strongly agreed with the same statement. Thirty percent of physicians agreed/strongly agreed that the test had influenced their recommendation, similar to the proportion of changed recommendations. Conclusions The Oncotype DX Assay appears to influence physician ESBC adjuvant treatment recommendations in Hong Kong.published_or_final_versio