Volume 93  ·   Issue 01  ·  1980

An important technic for the conversion of bioelectric signals with a signal to noise ratio equal to or lower than 1 to a signal to noise ratio higher than 1 by using the averaging program on the computer is described. The His bundle potential originating in the heart can be conducted to the body surface. This technic merits extensive application in the field of biomedical information processing. This study not only shows the existence of a strong correlation between the catheter and body-surface His bundle electrogram (HBE) H-V intervals but also A-wave stability. All information on the P-A, A-H and H-V intervals and H-wave width obtained by catheter, can also be recorded by this body-surface method.

Puncture of the vas deferens percutaneously may be used to inject an obliterating agent for contraception, radio opaque agents for X-ray examination or drugs to treat certain diseases of the seminal tract. It is a route recommended for extensive use in urology. The technic and some tests are described to promote popularization.

"Omohyoid muscle syndrome" (hyaline degeneration of omohyoid muscle) is presented in this article. The authors encountered 10 such cases. They were treated by simple severance of the omohyoid muscle with satisfactory results. One of them has been followed up for 4 years and 3 months without recurrence of the cervical mass.

The results of a 5.5-year mass survey on rectal malignancies have been analysed. Among 472,766 subjects examined, 142 cases of rectal malignancy (49 adenocarcinoma, 92 carcinoid and 1 squamous carcinoma) were found giving a morbidity rate of 30/100,000 and incidence of 14.8/100,000. 127 patients were treated by radical surgery and 15 by palliative measures. The overall 5-year survival rate is 91.0%

An ultrastructural study is made of the repair and regeneration in canine experimental myocardial infarction. Tissue samples are taken from the centre of the induced infarcted area for electron microscopy. It is observed that besides the reparative processes by proliferation of interstitial tissue, regeneration of myocardial cells is also evident. Regenerative myocardial cells are scattered among the proliferating interstitial cells, a few of them are contiguous to the original heart muscle cells. The ultrastructure of these cells is characterised by: a large nucleus, prominent nucleolus and fine chromatin with euchromatin predominating; a well developed Golgi complex; abundant glycogen granules and ribosomes; numerous myofilaments and myofibrils at different developmental stages in the periphery of the cell; and fascia adherens at the contact surfaces of the cells.

Muscular pseudohypertrophy due to cysticercosis cellulosae is a rare clinical syndrome. Two cases had been reported in China and 12 abroad. The present article reports 3 additional cases from North China. This syndrome is often mis- diagnosed and treated as acute rheumatic fever before the appearance of muscular hypertrophy of the extremities and trunk. So far no effective remedy is available for this syndrome. Prednisone or indomethacine may be useful in relieving the general symptoms. Specific drugs fOr killing cysticerci within the nodules are also wanting. Prophylaxis is most important.

Seven constituents have been isolated from Fructus schizandrae 五味子仁. Experiments showed that they were active in lowering the elevated SGPT levels in CCl4 intoxicated mice, but their potencies varied considerably. Further experiments indicated that these agents might temporarily inhibit the activity of liver GPT. Three of the 7 components showed a biphasic effect on pentobarbital sleeping time, while another constituent affected only the prolongation phase of the sleeping time. Four of the constituents have been found to promote glycogenesis in both normal and adrenalectomized mice, indicating that the effect on glycogenesis is not mediated by the pituitary-adrenal system.

The etiology of autumnal infantile acute gastroenteritis which occurred in 1978 in Beijing was studied. Typical rotavirus particles were found by electron microscopy in stool samples of 11 out of 32 cases. Rotavirus complement-fixing antigen was demonstrated in fecal specimens of 16 out of 23 cases. According to the morphologic appearance of the virus particles, the immune electron microscopic findings and a 4-fold or greater rise of the corresponding antibody titer in the course of infection, we confirmed the existence of rotavirus and its main etiologic role in autumnal infantile gastroenteritis in China.

Cultivation of Plasmodium knowlesi and P falciparum in vitro by the continuous transfer technic is reported. Various types of culture methods, media, sera and red blood cells were systematically studied. P knowlesi cultures were successfully trial incubated and maintained over 1 month at least 5 times and 1 was continuously cultivated for 183 days. Materials from cultures of 2, 4 and 5 months were taken for intravenous injection into normal monkeys and the infectivity of the parasites grown was proved unaltered. P falciparum was cultivated more or less the same way for more than 14 months. Inactivated new-born calf serum has been utilized successfully instead of human serum and the infectivity rate was 8-10%. All these tests can be repeated without difficulty and may provide the basis for expanded cultivation as well as for preparation of parasitic antigens.

18 cases of "pure" ovarian immature teratoma undergoing 34 operations are studied. The recurrence rate is rather high but there is a tendency for the recurrent tumor to develop from immaturity to relative maturity. The discovery of this biologic retroconversion from the malignant to benign led the authors to take an enthusiastic and active attitude towards treating these cases. The tumors, primary or metastatic or recurrent, were removed as thoroughly as possible, even including some big recurrent tumors in the liver. As a result the final outcome was much improved. None of the 8 patients treated in this manner since 1968 have died, while of 10 cases treated before 1976 0nly 1 is still living.