Volume 102  ·   Issue 07  ·  1989

There were 48 strains of thermophilic actinomyces isolated from the specimens of mouldy hay and sputum of the patients suffering from farmer’s lung (FL). Streptomyces thermohygroscopicus (STHs),one strain of them, was used for this investigation. The microorganisms were injected into the lungs of rabbits and rats by thyrocrico– or tracheocentesis. The result showed that the pathological changes in the lungs including macrophage alveolitis, granuloma formation and diffuse interstitial were similar to that induced by other thermophilic actinomyces. IgG and C3 deposition in the lesions were also observed by immunofluorescence examination. Specific immunocomplexes in the sera of some animals were detected by ELISA with the STHs was possibly one of the pathogens responsible for FL in China’s countryside.

Lacuna, a special small infarction in deep regions of the brain, is difficult to diagnose clinically. Of 182 stroke patients receiving CT scanning, 23 were diagnosed as having lacuna. 34 foci found on CT were distributed in the internal capsule, basal ganglia, thalamus and pons, with diameters varying from 3 to 22 mm. Combined CT and clinical findings showed that motor hemiplegia was present in 12 patients, pure sensory stroke in 1. 20(87%) of the 23 patients, partly or completely fulfilled the criteria for the lacuna syndrome. The detection of lacunae depends on the property of instrument, the method of scanning, and the thickness of slice. By showing some minor infarctions, CT has offered the possibility of diagnosis of lacunae.

This paper presents the results of diagnostic and therapeutic hysteroscopy in 70 patients with traumatic intrauterine adhesions. In all the patients, the diagnoses and types of intrauterine adhesions were confirmed by hysteroscopy. In 68 out of the 70 patients (97.14%) intrauterine adhesions were released successfully after 1-3 times of surgery. Of the 64 patients with amenorrhea or hypomenorrhea before treatment ,54 (84.38%) had regular menstruation. In 35 patients who desired to have a child and were followed up more than 6 months after the withdrawal of contraception,30 (85.71%) had intrauterine pregnancies. Among the 30 patients, 17 had full-term pregnancies, 12 were in progress and 1 had early spontaneous abortion .The postpartum course was uneventful in 17 patients with term delivery ,We conclude that hysteroscopy is of value in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic intrauterine adhesions.

Intramedullary pressure in the proximal femur was measured before and after treatment of congenital dialocation of the hip. The intramedullay pressure before treatment was higher than that of the control group , and after treatment it was lower as a whole; in the close reduction group the pressure decreased as compared with the operation group. In 8 hips, stress test yielded negative results. These findings suggested the characteristics of arteriai blockage may be that the potential cause of avascular necrosis of the femoral head after treatment of congenital dislocation of the hip.

A new combined measure of nerve transfer, including antebrachial medial cutaneous nerve, and free musculocutaneous flap transfer was applied to the treatment of irreversible avulsion of the brachial plexus. 12 patients underwent this operation for restoring elbow and finger flexion. Good result was obtained in 71% for elbow and 60% for finger flexion restoration. The definition of irreversible avulsion and the methods, key points and value of the operation are described and discussed in detail.

In order to understand the mechanism of immunosuppression caused by infusion of placental gamma globulin (PGG) in patients with renal allografts, rheumatoid arthritis, and graft–versus–host disease (GVHD) following bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we have examined the effect of PGG in vitro and in a model of the xenogeneic, local graft–versus–host reaction (LGVHR). PGG inhibited lymphocyte proliferation in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) (P<0.005) and depressed interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels in such cultures at 72 hours (P<0.01). In contrast phytohemagglutinin (PHA)– and pokeweed mitogen (PWM)–induced T and B lymphocyte blastogenesis was not affected by such PGG treatment. PGG neither decreased the [3H] TdR pulse incorporation in unstimulated lymphocytes nor affected cell viability. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry showed that PGG reduced the percentage of cells in S and G2, M phases during the MLC, but did not alter cell cycling during PWM-stimulated proliferation. An immunosuppressive effect of PGG on the LGCHR was tested in a model of intracutaneous transplantation of PGG–treat human lymphocytes into cyclophosphamide–immunosuppressed rats. Lymphoprepseparated human tonsillar lymphocytes were incubated with RPMI-1640 buffer containing: (1) PGG, 4 mg/ml, (2) human plasma albumin, 4 mg/ml, (3) mitomycin-C, 25 μg/ml, or (4) no additive. Cell of each preparation (3×107 cells in 0.1 ml) were injected intracutaneously into cyclophosphamide-treated male rats at separate abdominal locations. A fifth site received only the buffer solution. Five days after injection of cells, each rat received [125I]IUdR (10 μCi) intraperitoneally and was killed after 5 hours. For each site of injection, the diameters of induration were measured and 125I was counted. There was no difference between buffer–treated and a ibumin–treated groups either in the diameter of the area of induration (t=0.66; P>0.5) or in radioactive counts (t=0.22; P>0.05). In the PGG–treated group, the induration and radioactivity measurements were significantly less than in control groups (t=3.72 and P<0.1; t=2.62 and P<0.02, respectively). Cytophilic antibodies in PGG were thought to inhibit an early phase of T cell activation, and not to be cytotoxicity. In the LGVHR, the immune response might be abrogated either by immuno-regulatory suppression of T cell function or by toxicity to the infused lymphoid cells. For some clinical purposes, immuno-modulating, human antibodies might be preferred to murine, monoclonal antibodies.

T-lymphocyte subsets, B-lymphocyte, immunoglobulins and complement were studied in 38 children with Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP) in the acute stage. They had significantly lower CD3 percentage and lymphocyte blastogenesis rate, greater CD8 variation coefficient and B-lymphocyte percentage and higher levels immunogloblins (IgA, IgG, IgM) and complement 3 than the controls. 21(55%) of them had a low CD8 percentage. The results indicated that children with HSP had low T-lymphocyte percentages and function, high immunoglobulins, normal or elevated complement. On the other hand, no significant differences were found in the T-lymphocyte subsets values among healthy children aged 7-11 years. The normal values of T cell subsets in 35 normal controls were CD3 66-70%, CD4 37-41%, CD8 28-32%, respectively.

Clinical, hemodynamic, and angiographic data were examined in 53 patients who underwent catheterization within 6 months of documented acute transmural myocardial infarction (MI). The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of presence (23 patients, group I) or absence (30 patients, Group II) of angina pectoris 1 month after MI. Group I patients had more severe coronary artery disease and a greater prevalence of multivessel disease than group II patients. Partial preservation of segmental left ventricular wall function in group I was related to the presence of collateral vessels. In patients with single vessel disease, incidence of spontaneous recanalization of the infarct–related artery was mote common in group I as compared with those in group II. It is concluded that angina pectoris after MI suggests multivessel disease or infarct–related artery recanalization. Coronary angiography may be advised in these patients in order to select adequate therapeutic interventions and improve prognosis.

Rat spleen lymphocytes (RSL) stimulated by mitogens in vitro were cultured on cryostat sections of rat kidney. After 36 hours glomerular polyanions (GPA) were stained with colloidal iron (CI). The results showed that the RSL stimulated with Con A were able to reduce GPA stainability as that treated with neuraminidase solution, and the effect was dose-dependent on Con A, whereas the supernatant of lymphocytes induced with Con A and the lymphocytes induced with PHA were not able to reduce GPA stainability. The result is in favor of the recent concept that the pathogenesis of MCN is associated with the loss of GPA which results from the dysfunction of the subpopulation of T lymphocytes.

The main purpose of our study is to investigate the possible protective effects of Fructose 1-6 diphosphate (FDP) and Danshen 丹参 (Salvia Miltiozzhiza Bunze) on renal cortical Na-K-ATPase activity after renal ischemia and gentamicin nephrotoxicity. An 18.6% reduction in renal cortical Na-K-ATPase activity was shown after 30 min of renal pedicle clamping and 60 min of reflow, and a 32.5% reduction after 90 min of single injection of 100 mg/kg gentamicin. Light and electronic microscopy revealed no significant morphologic changes in both groups in the experiment. 4g/kg FDP and 18g/ kg Danshen were infused 60 min after reflow in the ischemic group, 90 min after injection of gentamicin in the gentamicin–treated group separately. The enzyme activity in the FDP-treated groups was found to be higher than that in the control kidneys while in the Danshen–treated groups no significant difference could be found. Our study showed that FDP and Danshen could prevent the decline of renal cortical Na-K-ATPase activity induced by ischemia and gentamicin. FDP could increase this enzyme activity while Danshen Showed no such direct effect.