Volume 102  ·   Issue 11  ·  1989

This study was performed on four groups of subjects, including 10 patients with Cushing's disease, 10 patients with simple obesity, 8 patients with hypopituitarism and 13 normal subjects. The study was conducted by measuring the sequential changes of plasma ACTH, serum cortisol, 24-h UFC, 24-h 17 KS and 24-h 17 KGS following aminoglutethimide (AG) administration. The results suggest that normal subjects showed sequential changes of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal hormone concentrations with normal feedback regulation of the axis following AG administration. Patients with Cushing's disease had obvious autonomy in the production of ACTH from the pituitary. Patients with simple obesity might display abnormality to some degree in the production from the pituitary. Patients with hypopituitarism lost the capacity of ACTH production in various degrees because of pituitary lesions.

A new procedure for the selection of antigenic determinant of rabies virus glycoprotein is described. The glycoprotein was purified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The glycoprotein fragments digested with protease V8 were separated by 25% PAGE, transferred onto nitrocellulose membrane, immunostained with monoclonal antibodies (McAb) against glycoprotein. One McAb-positive fragment (G-V-6) was obtained by using the Western blot ana- lysis. The amino acid sequence of the fragment was analysed. The data indicated that the antigenic determinant of glycoprotein was located in a region bc- tween residues 130- 141. These suggest that the Western blot analysis will be a useful tool for the de- velopment of synthetic vaccines.

In this study, we observed the endotoxin induced platelet aggregation, 5-HT and beta-g releases, cellular cAMP decrease, and also the changes of morphology and membrane fluidity of platelet. These changes play an important role in septic shock, especially in disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). After anisodamine (654) intervention all the parameters mentioned above were improved to a certain extent. This preliminary study of the inhibiting mechanism of 654 on rabbit platelets activated by ET supports the clinical possibility of using 654 for relieving DIC and RDS.

The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) and the genetic effect of tritium internal exposure com pared with those of Co-60 gamma rays external exposure are studied in mice. Two different irradiation models are used: 1) irradiation by single intake of tritium, or by Co-60 gamma rays external exposure with gradually decreasing doses simulating the exponential decreasing function of tritium in the mouse body; 2) irradiation by continual intake of tritium, or by Co-60 gamma rays external exposure at constant dose rates. The biological effective end points observed in this study are dominant lethal mutations, dominant skeleton mutations, survival rates of primary oocytes and spermatogonia and chromosome aberrations in spermatocytes. The experimental results show that the RBE values of tritium would be 2.24 to 2.99 in the dose range of 0.02-0.06 Gy/day. The risk estimates of genetic damage from dominant skeleton mutations are 10959/106. Gy for tritium beta rays and 3605/106. Gy for Co-60 gamma rays.

Fibrous cortical defect (FCD) is a local disturbance of ossification, more commonly seen in metaphysis of tubular bones of growing children, with prcdilection site around the knee joint. The roentgenographic appearances of 6 patients with FCD werc characterized by an eccentric round or oval-shaped translucent area with lobulated sclerotic border, and the normal surrounding bone. The bony cortex was characterized by a superficially depressed defect which disappeared spontaneously and was labile. Multiple lesions were usually symmetric. Some patients had familial tendency.

From November 1986 to September 1987, 27 253 newborns were screened for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) with Time-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) for TSH concentrations in specimens of dried blood spots on filter paper. Specimens were obtained in 12 hospitals by heel pricking of the babies 48-72 hours after birth. The specimens with TSH concentration higher than 20Uu/ml were retested, and the babies were called back for confirmation of CH by TSH, T3, T4, Tg serum radioimmunoassay etc. and bone-age radiography if the repeated tests were positive. In the present series, 337 specimens were retested (1.23%). Altogether 25 babies were recalled (0.09%) and CH was confirmed in 5 cases, giving a screening incidence of 1:5 450. In addition, one case failed to respond to the recall because of a wrong address. TR-FIA or DELFIA (pharmacia-LKB) is non-radioactive and does no harm to man and the environment, and is thus feasible in ordinary laboratories. The method is sensitive and the results are reproducible, with a precision of 1.4μm/ml. Being rapid in terms of measuerement time, it is suitable for mass screening.

This paper analysed 102 strains of adenovirus types 3 (Ad3) and 7(As7) causing infant pneumonia from 1976 to 1988 in northern China. Two genotypes of Ad7, 7b and 7d, were identified by using restriction endonucleases, BamHI, BgLI, SmaI, XbaI and HindIII. 3genotypes of Ad3, 3I, 3II and 3III, were identified by using BgLII and BamHI. Of 56 Ad7 strains, 34 were 7b (76.8%) spread over last 10 years; 13 7d (23.2%) occurred from 1982, together with 7b. Of 46 Ad3 strains, 42 3I (91.3%) spread over these years. Ad3I and Ad7b were the dominant genotypes. The results indicated that Ad7d tended to increase with time from 1982. It is possible that Ad7d will become dominant genotype and replace Ad7b.

The mitotic activities of various cellular components of callus tissues in different periods after tibial fracture of rat were studied with 3H-thymidine labeling and electron radioautographic method. Silver grains were accumulated over the nuclear areas of mesenchymal cells, monocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells of capillaries, fibroblasts, chondroblasts and chondrocytes, as a result of incorporation of the labeling material during their mitosis. Although osteoblasts and osteocytes could not undergo mitosis, they also revealed silver grains over nuclear areas because of their derivation from the mesenchymal cells or osteogenic cells.

Phagaquosonographies (PASG) of 100 normal subject and 223 patients with cardiac cancer (CC) were analyzed. The apparatus was self-designed and self-manufactured. The wave patterns and the pre-ejection period and other 8 quantitative indices in PASG were compared and patients with CC were found to have abnormal levels (P<0.01). The phagaquosonograms in 82 patients with esophageal, gastric or cardias (non-cancer) diseases served as controls. The PASG showed positive results in 97.3%, suspicious in 2.3% and negative in 0.4% of CC cases and 100% negative in the normal subject. It was 1.2% positive, 8.5% suspicious and 90.3% negative in the esophageal, cardiac or gastric non-cancer diseases. PASG has high sensitivity (97.3%), and typical characteristics (98.8%). It is shown that this method can be used in screening, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and prediction of prognosis of cardiac cancer.

Three murine monoclonal antibodies COCL66-9, COC183A5 and COC183B2 were raised against human epithelial ovarian adenocarcinoma with soluble antigens. The monoclonal antibodies were stable after culture and stored under 80C for 9 to 20 months. The subclass and titer were all examined and the reactivity were tested on various paraffin embedded tissue sectionsm by immunoproxidase stainings. The results of positive staining against ovarian epithelial adenocarcinoma were 77.7%, 87.2% and 75.6% for COC166-9, COC183A5 and COCL83B2 respectively. Human ovarian carcinoma xenograft in nude mice were radioimaged after 131I-COC183B2 administration. Gamma scintigraphy demonstrated specific localization of the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody on these tumors. The results showed a bright future for immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy.

In the past few years, a great deal of departments have been achieved in both research and clinical work in the field of orthopaedics. This is a brief review of the chievements in the related basic research, spinal surgery, hand surgery and bone oncology in China.