Volume 102  ·   Issue 09  ·  1989

Lunar phases and their connections with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and hemorrheological character (HCh) are studied with the lunar calendar (LC) instead of the solar calendar. AMI onset is maximal on the 1st day of the LC month, decreasing with an obvious trough around the 15th day. After the 15th day, occurrence increases gradually. The end and beginning of the lunar months show sharp peaks of AMI incidence. This study shows also that HCh variations have similar LC monthly rhythms. Our investigation demonstrates the correctness of traditional Chinese medical theory. This monthly rhythm forecasts the onset of AMI peaks and contributes to the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Since the vestibulospinal level of vestibular function is frequently neglected in the evaluation of vertiginous patients, we developed a new posture equilibrometer for recording body swaying X (left-right) and Y (fore-aft) components of angular displacement, velocity, and acceleration with its transducer on the head of the subject. The data from patients undergoing Romberg test with eyes open and closed, Romberg test with head turned left and right and Mann test were analysed. We conclude that the equilibrometry allows one to evaluate precisely the vestibulospinal function and the sensory interaction.

Twenty-three patients with myxoma in the cardiac chamber were analysed from their clinical manifestations and imaging diagnoses. All the patients were confirmed pathologically and 22 of them were further confirmed by operation. In this series, 18 patients had the tumors in the left atria, 3 in the right atria, and 2 in the right ventricles. Diagnosing myxoma by CT and two-dimensional echocardiography was evaluated. The results suggest that to diagnose myxoma in the cardiac chamber, CT is as effective as sonography because it can display clear image, precise location and mobility of the tumor with the flowing blood stream in the cardiac chamber, and provide reliable indication for surgery.

Twenty-two patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) from 10 families were studied with special attention to their clinical findings, HLA-B27 examinations and family histories. Results showed that HLA-B27 was positive in 19 and negative in 3. The hereditary relationship between ankylosing spondylitis and HLA-B27 in Chinese was similar to that in westerners. We consider that subjective symptoms and clinical findings are essential to early diagnosis of AS, but HLA-B27 examination and family history are supportive.

Four cases of rigid rigid spine syndrome are reported for the first time in China. They are 2 males and 2 females. One girl has a positive family history. Limitation of flexion of the cervical and dorsolumbar spine, contractures of joints, especially the elbow joints, extreme flattening of the chest and scoliosis are the prominent symptoms of this syndrome. The clinical criteria for this rigid spine syndrome tally with those described by Dubowitz (1965). Symptomatology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and genetics are discussed. However, the question whether rigid spine syndrome is a single, well defined disease entity remains to be explored.

Peripheral T lymphocyte subsets in 60 cases of Graves disease (GD) and 16 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) were determined by the use of OKT monoclonal antibodies (McAb). The results showed that in both diseases OKT3 cells (total T cells ) and OKT8 cells (suppressor T cells, TS cells) were lower and the ratio of LKT4 cells (helper T cells, TH cells)/OKT8 cells was much higher than those in normal controls. GD patients who were treated with antithyroid drugs (ATD) and whose serum T3, T4 recovered to normal, could be further divided into subgroups of high OKT4/OKT8 cell ratio and of normal ratio. The pathogenesis, treatment and relapse of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) were discussed in this paper on the basis of the results.

We evaluate the efficacy of rifampin combined with low dose harringtonine in acute leukemia (Group A, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) 6 cases and acute non–lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) 8 cases) in comparison with the patients treated with low dose harringtoninc only (Group B,8 ALL, and 5 ANLL). The complete remission (CR) rate in Groups A and B was 64.3% and 23.1%, while the median CR duration, 17 months and 8 months respectively, Group A was more effective than Group B. We also consider that rifampin and low dose harringtonine are more applicable for treatment of ANLL patients without peripheral leukocytosis and those complicated with infection.

This paper reports an interesting case of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), whose bone marrow karyotype at diagnosis was 46, XY, t(16;17) (q12;q25). Fourteen months later, the disease transformed into erythroleukemia, and several correlative clones with hyperdiploid appeared at the same time. Thus, we consider that detecting karyotypic evolution may help evaluate the prognosis of MDS.

Feces specimens from 35 patients with parasitologically confirmed giardiasis, 41 with acute gastroenteritis, 23 with acute bacillary dysentery, 40 normal persons as well as 15 jirds experimentally infected with Giardia lamblia were used for detecting parasite antigen by counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). It revealed that 33 (94%) of the 35 patients with giardiasis and 14 (93%) of 15 infected jirds were positive, while the other cases, either normal person or normal jird were negative. CIE was also performed in 4 with giardiasis before and after metronidazole treatment. Prior to metronidazole administration, they were all CIE positive, but from the second day on, all became CIE positive, Apparently, detecting giardia antigen in feces specimens by CIE is not only sensitive in detecting current infection but also helpful in evaluating the effects of antigiardia agents on giardiasis.

Ten Chinese Leishmania isolates from different endemic areas and hosts are characterized by isoenzyme electrophoresis for 9 enzymes. Seven were isolated from visceral leishmaniasis patients, one from an infected dog, one from a sandfly and one from a naturally infected raccoon dog. Eight of the 10 isolates were indistinguishable in isoenzyme profile from the L infantum reference strain. The isoenzyme profiles of the remaining two isolates (from kala azar patients in Xinjiang) could not be characterized in this study and need further research.

The perinatal mortality rates and causes of deaths in our hospital within the three 5-year periods (1955-1959, 1976-1980, 1981-1985) were reported as well as the total number of births (16 846), deaths (457), and autopsies (393, autopsy rate 85.9%). The perinatal mortality for the three 5-year period was 44.5%, 23.8%, and 17.2% respectively; it declined more significantly in 1981-1985 than in 1976-1980. Anoxia was the first cause of death for the three 5-year periods. Other causes in sequence in 1955-1959 were traumatic intracranial hemorrhage and pulmonary disease, in 1976-1980 malformation and pulmonary disease, and in 1981-1985 anoxia, pulmonary disease and hyaline membrane disease. Result suggest that accurate analysis of causes of deaths depends on meticulous systematic fetal and neonatal autopsy, including macerated fetuses, extensive discussion by pathologists, obstetricians and neonatalogists, and indispensable placental examination.