Volume 101  ·   Issue 05  ·  1988

Sixty cases of factitious urticaria, 70 cold urticaria, 1 cholinergic urticaria and 1 pressure urticaria were examined by dermatographism test, ice-cube test and carbachol skin test, and 189 cases of non-physical urticaria, 315 cases of other skin diseases and 131 normal subjects served as control. The results showed that the positive rates of dermatographism test in factitious urticaria (96.6%) and icecube test in cold urticaria (89.71%) were the highest. The difference was significant compared with the control groups (P<0.01). Carbachol skin test was sensitive and specific in cholinergic urticaria. The methods and clinical significance of the three skin tests are discussed.

104 unselected patients receiving penicillin were examined with penicillin-coated red cells and antipenicillin serum as well as other tests. The results were: antipenicillin antibody had developed in 39 (37.5%), penicillin was detected on red cell membrane in 1, 2 had positive direct antiglobulin tests and had hemolytic anemia due to antipenicillin antibody.

Smoking is a serious health problem in China, as evidenced by the following facts: High smoking prevalence in the male population, including male doctors and teachers; low smoking quitting rate; huge amounts of cigarette production with rapid annual increase rate; and small percentage of filtered cigarettes produced in China.

A male student, aged 14, was hospitalized on April 10, 1986, because of epistaxis and bleeding of the gums for 4 days.

This article reports the effect of comprehensive management on the prevention of stroke observed during 1981 to 1984 in Guangzhong neighborhood, Hongkou District, Shanghai, which was chosen randomly as a prevention group. About 50 000 people were included. A non-prevention group including about 70 000 people was selected randomly from other 12 neighborhoods of the same district. The results of the study show that the effect of comprehensive management on stroke prevention in the community is remarkable, especially in cutting stroke incidence. For example, the mean stroke incidence was 34.56/100 000/year in the prevention group whereas it was 103.23/100 000/year in the non-prevention group during 1981 to 1984. Comparison of the two groups showed u=9.66, the difference being extremely significant (p<0.01). We found that stroke mortafity in the prevention group was much lower than that of the non-prevention group, except in 1981. The difference in stroke mortality between the two groups was very significant (p<0.01). The protection rate for stroke using comprehensive measurement was up to 66.52% and the average effective index was 2.99.

By means of rosette formation of specific antibody and concanavalin A (Con A)-sensitized red blood cells (RBC), Fc and Con A receptors and effects of bisulfite and sulfite on the 2 receptors were studied. The results indicated that Fc receptors were mostly distributed on the periphery of pulmonary macrophages (PM). The distribution of Con A receptors on PM of different morphology was different. Con A receptors were located on the boundary of the round PM and the whole surface of membranous and flat PM. RBC bound to the PM mediated by either specific antibody or Con A were deformed. Bisulfite and sulfite were able to inhibit the activities of Fc and Con A receptors, and damage the PM function with the help of the receptors.

By using high performance liquid chromatography, we determined plasma fibrinopeptide A (FPA) levels in the leukemias and found that they are significantly higher than in normal controls. From this it is concluded that there is increased thrombotic activity in patients with acute leukemia. Quantitative measurement of plasma FPA can accurately reflect plasma thrombotic activity at the molecular level, and this can be used as a monitoring parameter of the hemostatic state in the leukemias. As chemotherapy markedly reduces both FPA and fibrinogen-degradation product levels, it can lower abnormal thrombotic activity in the leukemias, although the FPA remains, even after chemotherapy, higher than normal. Five cases of leukemia complicated by DIC havemLich higher FPA levels than those without DIC. It is considered that the FPA level can be used as a precise diagnostic index for DIC complicating leukemia.

Plasmids and biological characteristics of Shigela-strains isolated in Shanghai were studied for comparison with those of strains isolated in Tokyo from travellers back from various areas of South East Asia. Invasive ability was confirmed to be related to 140 or 120 mega dalton (M) plasmids. Thirty to 70 M plasmids were found to be conjugative R plasmids. Incidences of ampicillin, trimethoprim and mercury resistant strains (R plasmids) were higher in Shanghai strains than in South East Asian strains. A variety of small plasmids were detected in all strains. In S flexneri strains, 2.0 and 2.6 M plasmids were found to be common in the strains from both areas, and in Sonnei strains, 3.4 M col El plasmids were common. The plasmid patterns formed by the small plasmid combinations were not always specific for species or serotype. But at least these small plasmid DNA patterns could be used to trace epidemic strains.

Mutagenicity and teratogenicity of chlorpromazine and scopolamine with indicators of chromosomal aberration, sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and teratogenesis test of gestation in mice are presented in this paper. Chlorpromazine and scopolamine were divided into five (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 μg/ml) and six (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, 10 and 20 μg/ml) dosage groups respectively. Each was added directly to peripheral lymphocyte cultures of 10 healthy adults. Cultures treated with saline and mitomycin served as normal and positive controls. The chromosomal aberration and SCE were simultaneously studied. The frequency of chromosomal aberration and SCE in the chlorpromazine groups were markedly higher than these of the normal controls (p<0.01 or p<0.05). Those of the scopolamine groups were also significantly higher. The results showed that chlorpromazine damages DNA. Usual clinical doses of scopolamine do not damage DNA, but large doses do. Using 1/50 and 1/10 0f the LD50 dose (i.e., 1.8 and 9.2 μg of chlorpromazine or 4.6 and 59 μg of scopolamine per gram of body weight), their terato-genicity was tested in mice. Saline and cod-liver oil treated mice were used as normal and positive controls respectively. The incidences of malformed fetuses were 38.5% and 42.7% with chlorpromazine or 3.8% and 8.2% with scopolamine, while those in nomal and positive controls were 0 and 28.6% respectively. The results showed that the teratogenic effect of chlorpromazine in mice was greater than that of scopolamine.

273 cases of mucinous ovarian tumors and 221 cases of serous ovarian tumors were reviewed. After excluding those of benign tumors, the remaining 48 and 44 cases were divided into three groups: bordeline malignancy, local malignancy and carcinoma. The results of clinicopathologic analysis revealed that the borderline malignancy and local malignancy lesions were similar in clinical behaviors but different in benignancy and malignancy in pathology. They appeared to be malignant clinically, but were so indolent that they had much less extraovarian spread and more favorable prognosis than carcinomas. The concept of borderline tumors must include two groups of tumors. One is the benign tumors bordering malignancy named the "borderline malignancy" and the other is the malignant tumors bordering benignancy named "the local malignancy". The tumors of borderline malignancy and local malignancy are in the nature of one category of lesions in the borderline zone between benign and malignant varieties. The histologic criteria for borderline malignancy, local malignancy and carcinoma were summed up by experience. The unquestionable malignancy criteria were indicated and the significance of stromal invasion for diagnosis of carcinoma was discussed.