Volume 92  ·   Issue 09  ·  1979

This paper presents the present state in diagnosing psychomotor epilepsy in 305 of 847 patients with electroencephalograms in the definiteIy diagnosed group. Average age of onset was 20.1 years. Differences in average age of onset in different series is attributed to the etiology. 56.07% of the cases had psychomotor attacks only, 13.11% had grand mal attacks only, 30.16% had both psychomotor and grand mal attacks, 1 had both psychomotor and petit mal attacks and 1 had both petit mal and myoclonus. Clinical manifestations included loss of consciousness, functional disturbances of the autonomic nervous system, somatomotor disturbances. psychomotor disturbances, special sensory disturbances, affective disturbances, cognitive disturbances and somatosensory disturbances. The relation between EEG and clinical findings is discussed. Improved sphenoidal electrodes were used with better results.

145 specimens of primary malignant, skin melanoma are studied histologically. Their histologic patterns are grouped in 15 histologic types including pleomorphous configuration, simulated benign nevus or carcinoma with or without sarcoma like structure, presence of bean bud like cells, semisimulation of other tumors, absence of characteristic superficial and deep zones as in benign nevus and appearance of 1 or 2 large eosinophilic nucleoli in the nucleus of the tumor cell. These histologic patterns are all valuable for making a correct diagnosis of malignant melanoma.

This paper presents an elcctrophoretic method in alkaline media, by means of which the change in Hb (increase of HbA, or appearance of HbA3 of diabetic patient is easily detected. Borate buffer (continuous system) is used as electrolyte. Judging by the features of the buffer composition, it is suggested that both normal HbA3 and diabetic "HbA3" may contain a sugar component in the Hb molecule (glycohemoglobin). The distirict heterogeneity of "HbA3" indicates that it probably contains more than one glycohemoglobin. The value of HbA3 in nondiabetic persons ranged from 2.9 to 6.1%. averaging 4.5%, while that of "HbA3" from diabetics ranged from 6.4 to 26.0%, averaging 14.0%. The "HbA3" level was correlated distinctly with the concentration of blood sugar in diabetics. No such correlation was observed between HbA3 and blood sugar in nondiabetic subjects. It is suggested that blood samples from nonfasting patients or patients receiving infusion of liquid containing glucose may be used to analyse "HbA3". Genetic studies on 3 diabetics' families were negative.

10 cases of crush syndrome are mainly treated according to the theories, methods and prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine in accordance with their individual condition. Of them, 7 are mainly treated with Rhizoma rhei 大黄 and Natrii sulfas 芒硝 by purging to remove entero-stagnation Tongli Gongxia 通里攻下 which produces rapid fluid excretion and lowers blood potassium to bring the patients out of danger. Two cases are treated both by this method and peritoneal dialysis. In the other case, Wulingsan 五苓散 (consists of Polyporus umbellatus 猪苓, Poria 茯苓, Rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae 白术, Rhizoma alismatis 泽泻 and Ramulus cinnamomi 桂枝) is the main treatment. Two patients dIed but the other 8 survived. Purging to remove entero-stagnation alone or combined with promoting blood circulation to remove stasis, Huoxue Huayu 活血化瘀 is effective in treating earthquake victims with crush injuries. It is safer, more reliable, economical and convenient and causes less suffering to the patient than peritoneal dialysis.

Thienpydin, an agent with a broad anthelmintic spectrum was used in 2,551 cases of hookworm disease, after its toxicity, parmacology, and potency against the intestinal nematodes had been successfully tried on animals. A single dose at 5 mg/kg yielded a larva negative rate of 88.7% for A. doudenale and 29.8% for N. americanus. Thienpydin was more potent than either tetrachloroethylene alone or tetramisole combined with bephenium. In addition, after thienpydin therapy 136 out of 146 cases were found to be negative for pinworm ova. Side effects were transient and mild.

The effect of acupuncture analgesia (AA) declined gradually in rats given continuous electroacupuncture for 6-8 hours, giving rise to a state of "acupuncture tolerance". Extracts from the brains of acupuncture-tolerant rats contained a substrate with anti-opiate activity as evidenced by in vitro tests with mouse vas deferens and in vivo tests against morphine analgesia in rats. Intraventricular injection of the substrate also antagonized AA effect in rats.

14 patients with carotid body tumors were treated surgically from 1959 through 1976. The treatment consisted of biopsy 1 case, resection of ectopic carotid body tumor 2 cases, enucleation of tumor 4 cases and tumor excision with an autogenous saphenous vein graft 7 cases. The patient undergoing tumor enucleation with an internal shunt died 28 hours postoperatively, possibly from cerebral thromboembolism. All other patients are living and well, followed up 1-12 years after operation.

The long-term results of 258 cases of intrahepatic portal hypertension treated either surgically (splenorenal shunts) or medically in this hospital during 1953-1975 are analyzed. The 5-year, 10-year, 15-year and 20-year absolute survival rates of the 140 surgical cases and the 118 medical cases were respectively as follows: 67.8% and 21.3%; 52.0% and 7.7%; 50.0% and 2.5% and 30.0% and 0%. The results in the medical group are poorer even if Child's C patients were excluded. Patients treated by splenorenal shunts have a much more favorable prognosis than those treated medically. Prophylactic shunts can considerably reduce the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and lead to longer survival. Prophylactic shunt is considered a justifiable procedure and spleno-renal shunt the operation of choice.