Volume 105  ·   Issue 12  ·  1992

Serum was obtained from an infertile woman (IS) inducing head-to-head agglutination of human sperm and was used to screen a human testis λgt11 cDNA library. A plaque producing the interacting antigen was located. The recombinant λgt11 was isolated and cut with EcoRI releasing a 0.7-kb cDNA. Using the 0.7-kb cDNA as a probe, a larger cDNA of 2.4 kb was isolated and its nucleotide sequence determined. It was composed of 2 427 nucleotides with an open reading frame of 1584 nucleotides encoding 528 amino acid residues. The specific antisperm antibody was isolated from IS by epitope selection, using positive plaques of E. coli Y1090. The epitope-selected antibodies interacted with a 75-kD human sperm protein and with a polypeptide in the form of a β-galactosidase fusion protein in the recombinant lysate of E. coli Y1089, determined by immunoblot. The fusion protein was purified by affinity chromatography on an anti-β-galactosidase-Sepharose column. It is proposed that production of anti-75-kD antibodies may be the underlying cause of the infertility.

A new highly active atrial natriuretic peptide (haANP), synthesized by a solid phase technique, was given by intravenous infusion to 20 patients with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and the curative result of haANP was observed. Compared with basal values, supine systolic and diastolic BP was lowered significantly (P < 0.01), which may be related to the specific receptor of hANP and inhibition of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). The haANP was found to possess significant effects of antispasm, detumescence and reducing proteinuria, probably by repairing mildly injured glomerulae, strong effects of diuresis and improving heart function with no side effects. Auto-antibody of hANP was found in patients with severe PIH, which affected the function of target cells of highly concentrated endogenous hANP. This auto-antibody might be one of the causes for PIH.

Technical considerations of urethral surgery in children are critical because of the small size and delicacy of their urethra. From 1984 to 1989, 10 children with serious traumatic urethral stricture (5 cases) and occlusion (5) were treated satisfactorily by an improved transurethral resection (TUR). The age of the children ranged from 4 to 14 years. The TUR technique, curative effects and prevention of urethral stricture are discussed.

140 patients with brain tumor were treated by CT-guided stereotactic injections of radionuclides, such as Aurum-198 (198 Au), Phosphorus-32 (32 P) and Yttrium-90 (90Y). Of these patients aged from 3 to 67 years (average 37), 64 were male and 76 female. Astrocytoma was found in 75 patients, craniopharyngioma in 46, metastatic carcinoma in 7, meningioma in 5, germinoma in 4 and pituitary adenoma in 3. The tumors were located in the deep part or functionally critical area of the brain. After 267 times of injection of colloidal isotopes, no major adverse effects or complications occurred. Follow-up for 6 to 48 months showed improvement in symptoms in 104 (74.3%) patients and CT scanning showed the diminished tumors.

The 4-year experience in the clinical usage of titanium nails in making internal fistula for hemodialysis in 428 cases (17 829 dialyses) is reported. The results were satisfactory and no obvious complications were found. Being simple in practice and having a high success rate and less complications, this method has been applied at 86 hospitals in China.

Chemosensitivity of salivary gland and oral cancer cell lines to 14 antitumor drugs was tested using a tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay and the relative antitumor activity (RAA) of the drugs was compared. Adriamycin (ADM), methotrexate and fluorouracil (5-FU) showed the most potent RAA against the cell lines while cantharidin did not. The rank orders of other 10 drugs against each cell line differed from each other.

Lectin binding patterns in psoriasis, lichen planus and seborrheic keratosis lesions were studied using 14 different biotinyl lectins and avidin-horseradish peroxidase. Compared with normal epidermis, there were significant quantitative and qualitative differences, some of which were characteristic.

In 18 dogs ischemic left ventricular failure characterized by a 30 percent reduction in peak rate of rise of left ventricular pressure (+dp/dt) and elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) to 15 mmHg or more was produced by ligation of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery followed by serial occlusions of the distal left circumflex coronary artery. In 10 days, administration of berberine in an intravenous bolus injection (1 mg/kg, within 3 minutes) followed by a constant infusion (0.2 mg/kg/min, 30 minutes) increased the cardiac output (CO) from 1.25±0.12 to 1.61±0.17 L/min (P<0.05), and +dp/dt from 810±85 to 1021±130 mmHg/s (P<0.01), and decreased LVEDP from 16.5±1.3 to 12.0±1.0 mmHg (P<0.05), diastolic blood pressure from 94±6 to 84±5 mmHg (P<0.01), systemic vascular resistance from 7303±278 to 5442±231 dynes.x/cm5 (P<0.01), but did not affect the heart rate. Injection of 5% glucose with the same volume did not improve CO and dp/dt (P>0.05) but increased the LVEDP from 17.1±1.4 to 17.8±1.6 mmHg (P<0.01) in 8 dogs. The levels of plasma concentration of berberine was determined with high-performance liquid chromatography. The changes in plasma drug level were found parallel to hemodynamic effects of berberine. The results of this study showed that berberine was able to improve the impaired left ventricular function by its positive inotropic effect and mild systemic vasodilatation.

The results of ultracytochemical studies on Trichomonas hominis showed that ACPase and CMPase were mainly located in the mature face sacs of the primary lysosomes, digestive vacuoles, as well as in the parabasal body. TPPase and NADPase were found in the saccules at the mature face and the intermediate saccules of parabasal body respectively. This study revealed that T. hominis had well-developed parabasal bodies. Negative COase and catalase reactions indicated that T. hominis lacked both mitochondria and microbody. Hydrogenosome was stained well with the Ur-Pb-Cu impregnation technique.

Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and immunoblot were used for the diagnosis of patients with cysticercosis cellulosae. 26 KD protein band of the whole Cysticercus antigen showed a high specificity to the sera from patients with cysticercosis cellulosae and had no cross reaction with sera from normal controls and other parasitic diseases including hydatidosis. The positive rate of Western blot with 26 KD band was 70% and the results showed no significant difference in comparison with those of CFT and ELISA.

Anisodamine was used as an antishock (chiefly septic) drug beginning in the early 1960s in China. Its underlining mechanism was believed to be due to its vasodilative action. But in normal animals it only produces slight vasodilation. Our work during the recent 15 years proved that anisodamine is not only beneficial in the treatment for septic shock, but also for hemorrhagic, traumatic, and SMAO shock, and its mechanism of action are based on its following biological actions: (1) it has membrane stabilization and cell protection action, which was probably related to its calcium antagonist action; (2) it protects ischemia intestine from releasing shock factors; and (3) its inhibition of endotoxin binding to cells and tissue at the membrane level probably makes it an special antishock drug for septic shock.