Volume 97  ·   Issue 11  ·  1984

A simple radioreceptor assay (RRA) of insulin has been established by using insulin receptor on human placental membrane (HPM). In this system, 60-70% of bound 125I-insulin can be displaced when native insulin (338 mU/ml) is added. This method is suitable for clinical application as shown by its sensitivity, accuracy and precision. Serum insulin concentration of normal adults, patients with diabetes mellitus and other diseases determined both by RRA and radioimmunoassay (RIA) tend to be coincident. Experiments showed that RRA as well as RIA, may distinguish nondiabetic and diabetic subjects and patients with insulin dependent diabetes meUitus (IDDM) and noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Fasting sera obtained from 40 normal adults were determined by RRA and RIA simultaneously. The concentrations of insulin were 11.25±4.2 μU/ml and 11.19±3.9 μU/ml respectively. The insulin release curves of 9 IDDM patients measured by RRA and RIA were consistent. However, the values of insulin release of 7 normal adults and 8 NIDDM patients determined by RRA were slightly lower than those determined by RIA. Before and after oral administration of nipedipine in 4 cases of coronary heart diseases, insulin release curves, determined by RIA did not change significantly, but from those obtained by RRA, one could observe that the release curves of insulin were much lower or the peak value was delayed. These results are consistent with those of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and suggest that RRA may be more specific than RIA.

A pedigree survey, and cytogenctic study of a fragile X syndrome family is done. The level of intellectual development, testes size and sex gland function in these patients are discussed.

Two cases with cyclic oculomotor spasm and relaxation phenomenon are presented with a brief discussion of the nomenclature, clinical manifestation, etiology and treatment.

Recent anatomic studies have shown that the left bundle system of human heart actually branches out three divisions, that is, left anterior, left posterior and left mid-septal divisions. When the mid-septal fascicles are diseased, the prominent anterior shift of QRS loop and the prominent tall R wave in the right chest leads could be recorded in VCG and in EKG respectively. It was denominated anterior conduction delay (ACD). ACD is considered to be a manifestation of left mid-septal fascicular block. In the present study, 61 cases of ACD are discussed and the EKG criteria of ACD are recommended.

In order to study the therapeutic effects of some drugs, especially those of traditional Chinese medicine, on echinococcosis, experimental infection of Echinococcus granulosus cyst (EGC) was conducted on 50 hybrid white mice. The protoscolices isolated from EGC of sheep liver or lung were injected intraperitoneally into the mice. The results showed that secondary fertile echinococcus cyst can be produced on the intraperitoneal omentum, mesentery and liver surface. Serial histo-sections of EGC showed that embryonic protoscolices might be produced either by hyperplasia of brood capsule (BC) originated from fertile cyst, or directly from the germinal membrane (GM) of the wall of fertile cyst.

This paper presents preliminary results dealing with the mode of action of pyquiton (praziquantel). Based upon in vitro analyses using some neurotrans- mitters and relevant blocking agents it is suggested that pyquiton may display a 5-HT-like action or may be a 5-HT receptor agonist, while Ca十+ may play an essential role in contractile activity of schistosomes which is controHed to a certain degree by Mg++. The effects of pyquiton on schistosome meta- bolism is studied in several ways. The results in- dicate that effect of pyquiton on carbohydrate meta bolism of the worm may be important in the drug's cidal mechanism. Morphologic studies show that the tegument of the worm is a major target attacked by pyquitom The rapid and severe damage of the schistosome tegument results in exposure of the worm's surface antigen, leaving it vulnerable to host immune attack.

Amniotic fluid analysis involving 119 tapings was performed in 95 high risk pregnancy patients from March 1980 to October 1981. This is, at present, the most accurate method for assessing fetal maturity. The accuracy of the L/S ratio, foam test and creatine value was 96.98%, 94.89% and 86.6%, respectively. The study shows that amniotic fluid analysis plays an essential role in the planned delivery of high risk pregnancies. Intra-amniotic administration of dexamethasone can promote fetal maturity and is also very important in the management of the condition.

The SGC-7901 gastric adenocarcinoma cell line is established. It is cultured from material obtained from metastasized lymph nodes on the gastric lesser curvature in a female patient. The cell line re produces continuously every 7 days. Polygonal and epithelioid cells account for 95.2% of the cell population. There is marked poikilocytosis. The chromosome modal number is 67, constituting 42% of the karyotyped cells. Chromosome aberration is observed in 6% of the cases. Percentage of secondary tumor growth is high by animal inoculation. Both the cultured cells and those of the primary tumor were PAS positive and Accian blue negative. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed microvilli over the cell surface and intracellular secretory granules; multiple intercellular junctional and inlay structures were also demonstrated.

We observed ultrastructurally the terminal villi of 10 pre-eclamptic placentas and found that the proliferation of cytotrophoblast cells is closely related to the local circulatory disturbance and probably is a kind of compensatory process. Fibrinoid deposition in the villus is a process of fibrinoid degeneration, to which the thickening of subtrophoblast lamina would be related. Variation of the cytotrophoblast cells and stroma cells of the villus showed configurations similar to those of the decidual cells. The formation of fibrinoid material possibly due to the degenerative changes in the two types of cells is discussed.

We surveyed antibiotic resistant and various bioactive Escherichia coli strains isolated in the Capital Hospital in Beijing in 1981. It was found that most of the clinical strains in Beijing were antibiotic resistant. Tetracycline resistant strains were most prevalent (92%), and incidences of resistant strains to streptomycin, sulfonamides, chloramphenicol, ampicillin and kanamycin decreased in this order, suggesting that tetracycline derivatives were widely used in Beijing. Incidence of conjugative R plasmids in Beiijng (38%) was same as that in Tokyo and lower than that in Moscow. We examined hemagglutination, the common antigens with small intestine adhesive bacteria, colicin production, enterotoxin production, DNase production, invading ability into intestinal epithelial cells, active iron incorporating ability and capsules of the collected strains and found that incidences of these bioactive strains were not so different from those in Tokyo, although minor differences were found in many characters. None of the genes for these bioactive characters were found on the highly conjugative plasmids. This lower incidences of bioactive as well as conjugative R plasmids in Beiijng and Tokyo than those in Moscow suggested that plasmids in E coli strains in Beijing were similar to those in Tokyo but different from those in Moscow.