Simple obesity and obesity hyperlipemia treated with otoacupoint pellet pressure and body acupuncture

161 cases of simple obesity with or without hyperlipemia were treated by pellet pressure on auricular acupoints plus body acupuncture for 3 months in a single-blind experiment. Patients on Capsulae Olei Oenothera Erythrosepalae were taken as positive controls. Body weight, circumference of chest, abdomen, arms and legs, the appetite, sleep, bowel movement, blood TC, TG and HDL-C were recorded for comparison. The results indicated that treatment in the auricular and body acupoint group was superior to treatment in the control group. In the acupoint group body weight dropped by an average of 5.04 kg in 84.55% of the patients, who also showed decreased appetite, blood TC and TG.

Characterization of secretin release in secretin cell-enriched preparation isolated from canine duodenal mucosa

The release of secretin was studied in secretin cell-enriched preparations isolated from canine duodenal mucosa. The crude enterocytes were isolated by treating the duodenal mucosa sequentially with collagenase and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Secretin cell-enriched fraction was prepared by centrifugation of the crude enterocytes in a counterflow elutriation rotor to obtain a final preparation containing 3.2 +/- 0.3 pmol/10(6) cell of immunoreactive secretin, which was 13-fold greater than the crude cell preparation (N = 5). The cells were incubated in Hanks' balanced salt solution for 20 min at 37 degrees C under 95% O2/5% CO2 before adding various agents and further incubated for various periods of time. The amounts of secretin released into the medium and retained by the cells were then determined by a specific radioimmunoassay. The release of immunoreactive secretin was increased dose-dependently over the control by dibutyryl cyclic-3',5'-adenosine monophosphate, forskolin, 4 beta-12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, the synthetic serine protease inhibitor, camostat, and the calcium ionophore, A23187. The effects of forskolin, the phorbol ester, and A23187 were time-dependent and not observed at 4 degrees C. The release of immunoreactive secretin was also stimulated by KCl in high concentration and by sodium oleate. The effect of A23187 was abolished in a Ca(2+)-free medium, while those of dibutyryl cyclic-3',5'-adenosine monophosphate and forskolin were potentiated by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, which did not have a significant effect when added alone. These results indicate that the release of secretin is regulated by both Ca(2+)- and cyclic-3',5'-adenosine monophosphate-dependent mechanisms.2+ release.

Prevention of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats by treatment with an anti-rat CD5 antibody (OX19)

Treatment of Lewis rats with a single dose of OX19 antibody, specific for rat CD5, uniformly prevented the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). This protective effect had several notable characteristics: (1) it persisted for at least 10 days; (2) it could be achieved with either high doses of the antibody (> 200 micrograms) or lower doses (100-200 micrograms), which did not deplete T cell populations; and (3) the treated animals were able to mount comparable T cell responses to both myelin basic protein and myelin-unrelated antigens. In addition, antibody treatment consistently prevented the development of adoptively transferred EAE, suggesting that enhanced suppressor cell activity may have contributed to the protection. Antibodies such as OX19 appear capable of blocking the development of EAE, and perhaps other autoimmune diseases as well.

Squamous metaplasia of normal and carcinoma in situ of HPV 16-immortalized human endocervical cells

The importance of cervical squamous metaplasia and human papillomavirus 16 (HPV 16) infection for cervical carcinoma has been well established. Nearly 87% of the intraepithelial neoplasia of the cervix occur in the transformation zone, which is composed of squamous metaplastic cells with unclear origin. HPV DNA, mostly HPV 16, has been found in 90% of cervical carcinomas, but only limited experimental data are available to discern the role of HPV 16 in this tissue specific oncogenesis. We have initiated in vivo studies of cultured endocervical cells as an experimental model system for development of cervical neoplasia. Using a modified in vivo implantation system, cultured normal endocervical epithelial cells formed epithelium resembling squamous metaplasia, whereas those immortalized by HPV 16 developed into lesions resembling carcinoma in situ. In contrast, their ectocervical counterparts formed well differentiated stratified squamous epithelium and a lesion with mild dysplastic change, respectively. The HPV 16-immortalized cells showed in vivo cytokeratin expression patterns similar to their respective normal counterparts, confirming their different origins. Thus, this study provides direct experimental evidence for the transformation of simple epithelial cells of endocervical origin into stratified squamous metaplasia and indicates the differential susceptibility of endo- and ectocervical epithelial cells for conversion to cancer by HPV 16.

[Infrared light scanning in differentiating benign and malignant breast diseases]

One hundred and fifty patients with various breast diseases were studied using infrared light scanning. The results were compared with those of X-ray mammography and BUS. In 42 cases of breast cancer, 97% were correctly diagnosed using infrared light scanning. The method was significantly superior to X-ray (60%) and BUS (83%). To detect benign diseases, including adenofibromas (30 cases) and hyperplasias (21 cases), infrared light scanning was useful in this series in contrast to X-ray and BUS.

Ni-Ti memory alloy clamp plate for fracture of short tubular bone

The clamp shape implant has a special memorial function. It consists of one main rod and 3 or 4 pairs of curved short arms located at both sides of the rod. Each pair of arms rolls into a circle, which can embrace 2/3 of the circumference of the fractured bone shaft, thus fixing fragmental bones at multiple points more securely without any limitation to the motion of adjacent joints. Therefore, clamp implant is especially useful for comminuted fracture of the short tubular bone, which is difficult to fix by other methods.

[Diagnosis of aortic dissection with magnetic resonance imaging]

Eight patients with suspected or known aortic dissection were imaged with magnetic resonance (MR). All of them were eventually shown to have dissection. In most instances the diagnosis was established by aortography and/or computed tomography (CT) prior to the MR study. MR demonstrated the intimal flap and determined whether the dissection was type I, type II or type III. In addition, MR differentiated between the true and false lumens. Our early experience suggests that MR can serve as the initial imaging test in clinically suspected cases of aortic dissection and that the information provided by MR obviates the use of iodinated contrast media.

[Behavior of intermediate filaments in human epithelial cells during mitosis]

By indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy, we studied the behavior of intermediate filaments during mitosis in three human epithelial cell lines, derived from normal epidermis (PcaSE-1, from a cancer patient), stratified epithelium (CNE, from nasopharyngeal carcinoma) and simple epithelium (SPC-A-1 from lung adenocarcinoma) respectively. CNE cells and SPC-A-1 cells express two different intermediate filament systems; keratin filaments and vimentin filaments, but PcaSE-1 cells only express keratin filaments. The keratin filament system in PcaSE-1 cells remained intact and encircled the developing mitotic spindle as the cells entered mitosis. In contrast, in CNE cells and SPC-A-1 cells, keratin filaments appeared to disassemble into amorphous cytoplasmic bodies during mitosis. However, their vimentin filaments remained morphologically intact throughout mitosis. We propose; (1) The disassembly of keratin filaments in mitotic epithelial cells is more or less associated with the degree of their cell malignancy rather than with the abundance of keratin filaments in interphase. (2) Intermediate filaments may be involved in the positioning and/or centering of the spindle during mitosis. (3) The possible function of vimentin filament system in CNE cells is positioning and orientation of chromosomes.

The isolation and characterization of a Norwalk virus-specific cDNA

Norwalk virus, an important cause of epidemic, acute, nonbacterial gastroenteritis in adults and children, has eluded adaptation to tissue culture, the development of an animal model, and molecular cloning. In this study, a portion of the Norwalk viral genome encoding an immunoreactive region was cloned from very small quantities of infected stool using sequence-independent single primer amplification. Six overlapping complementary DNA (cDNA) clones were isolated by immunologic screening. The expressed recombinant protein from a representative clone reacted with six of seven high titer. Norwalk-specific, postinfection sera but not with corresponding preinfection sera. Nucleic acid sequence for all clones defined a single open reading frame contiguous with the lambda gt11-expressed beta-galactosidase protein. Only oligonucleotide probes specific for the positive strand (defined by the open reading frame) hybridized to an RNaseA-sensitive, DNaseI-resistant nucleic acid sequence extracted from Norwalk-infected stool. Furthermore, RNA extracted from serial postinfection, but not preinfection, stools from three of five volunteers hybridized to a Norwalk virus cDNA probe. Clone-specific oligonucleotide probes hybridized with cesium chloride gradient fractions containing purified Norwalk virion. In conclusion, an antigenic, protein-coding region of the Norwalk virus genome has been identified. This epitope has potential utility in future sero- and molecular epidemiologic studies of Norwalk viral gastroenteritis.

[Aging-resistant function of soybean phospholipid paste]

Existing chiefly in biomembrane system, phospholipid is a fundamental component in the tissues of all organisms. The ageing of biomembrane is manifested mainly in the changing of phospholipid composition. Experiments have shown that soybean phospholipid paste is obviously helpful in decreasing blood lipids and retarding the ageing process of tissues, thus making a good natural agent for resisting ageing.

Theoretical and Experimental Rate Constants for Two Isotopic Modifications of the Reaction H + H2

Theoretical rate constants for two isotopic modifications of the simplest possible chemical reaction, namely, H + D(2) --> HD + D and D + H(2) --> HD + H, are presented. Experimental results, which have previously been obtained in the higher temperature regime by a shock tube technique, are combined with lower temperature results to give an experimental determination of the rate behavior over the large temperature range approximately 200 to 2000 K. It is now possible to assess the accuracy of ab initio potential energy surface calculations and to judge theoretical chemical kinetic methods.

[Myocardial protection by retrograde cardioplegic perfusion through the right atrium]

Three types of cardioplegic delivery with ink into the isolated canine hearts were compared: (1) antegrade aortic root perfusion (AARP), (2) retrograde coronary sinus perfusion (RCSP) and (3) retrograde right atrium perfusion (RRAP). Ink was not distributed in the area distal to the coronary occlusion by AARP but well distribution in the same area by RCSP or RRAP. The right ventricular wall and ventricular septum were poorly perfused by RCSP but well perfused by RRAP. During cardiopulmonary bypass, RRAP created a fairly rapid cardiac arrest and satisfactory myocardial cooling. During Perfusion, the right heart was somewhat dilated but all the 10 canine hearts rebeat well. The left and right ventricular ejection fraction showed no significant change after bypass. No marked myocardial ultrastructural injury was found in left and right ventricles at the end of 90 minutes' ischemia. 4 patient, 1 of whom had 162 minutes' aortic cross-clamping received RRAP in operations on ascending aorta or coronary arteries and the myocardial protect ion was satisfactory. No complication was found pertaining to RRAP.

[Analysis of islet B cell reserve in patients with NIDDM]

The plasma glucose and insulin response to oral glucose or carbohydrate meal tolerance tests were determined in 78 normal controls, 71 persons with IGT and 110 patients with NIDDM. The results showed that: (1) The fasting serum insulin levels and insulin/glucose ratio were all higher in persons with IGT than those in the normal controls, and they were normal in diabetics with fasting plasma glucose less than 7.8 mmol/L. In diabetics with fasting plasma glucose at 7.8-20.3 mmol/L, fasting insulin levels were within normal limit, but the values of insulin/glucose ratio were significantly decreased. (2) After glucose challenge, the values of serum insulin/glucose ratio were all increased in IGT, but were progressively decreased in diabetics as fasting plasma glucose gradually became higher. (3) Fasting serum insulin levels were increased in normal weight and over-weight individuals with IGT. But in those with diabetes, fasting insulin was increased in comparison with normal controls. When fasting plasma glucose was greater than 11.1 mmol/L, insulin/glucose ratio was decreased significantly. Our data suggests that the increased insulin secretion in persons with IGT was due to peripheral resistance and relative insulin insufficiency, and that hyperglycemia could compensate for B cell impairment.

Growth stimulation of 3T3 fibroblasts by cystatin

Treatment of cultures of mouse 3T3 fibroblasts with Cystatin C, a thiol-proteinase inhibitor isolated from chicken egg white, resulted in an enhanced rate of cell proliferation. This stimulation was demonstrated using two independent assay systems: (a) assessment of total cell number and (b) measurement of [3H]thymidine incorporated into acid-precipitable DNA. In both assays, the dose-response curves of Cystatin stimulation showed a rising function that plateaued at a concentration of approximately 120 micrograms/ml. The addition of Cystatin to cultures of Kirsten murine sarcoma virus-transformed 3T3 cells also enhanced DNA synthesis in these target cells. Control experiments showed that the presence of Cystatin did not alter the level of binding of radioactively labeled epidermal growth factor and platelet derived growth factor to 3T3 cells. These results argue against the possibility that the observed growth stimulation by Cystatin was due to growth factor contamination of the Cystatin preparation.

Serial isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a cystic fibrosis patient have identical pilin sequences

Five isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, and CD10) from a patient with cystic fibrosis were examined with regard to several genotypic and phenotypic characteristics to determine whether the patient was colonized with one or several distinct strains. Isolates CD2, CD3, and CD4 were obtained from a single sputum sample, and CD5 and CD10 were obtained 1 and 2 years later, respectively. On the basis of colonial morphology, serotyping, and antibiograms, the five isolates appeared to be different strains. However, Southern blot analysis with a 1.2-kilobase DNA probe containing the P. aeruginosa PAK pilin gene indicated that all five strains were identical at that genetic locus. The pilin genes of the five isolates were cloned and sequenced at the nucleotide level and found to be identical. Southern blot analysis with a probe from a separate region of the P. aeruginosa chromosome, a 741-base-pair PstI-NruI DNA fragment adjacent to the exotoxin A gene, also revealed genetic identity among these five clinical isolates. On this basis, it was concluded that this patient was colonized with a single strain of P. aeruginosa and that the strain had remained genetically stable over a period of 2 years. The predicted pilin sequence of the CD isolates was almost identical to that of strain PA103 (97% homology) and serologically related to PAO pilin, with which it shared 80% homology. No immunological cross-reactivity was detected between the CD and PAK pilins, which shared the least homology (62%) among the four pilins considered in this study. Although all five CD isolates contained identical pilin genes, three had acquired mutations which prevented normal expression of the pilus system. CD3 was a putative regulatory mutant which was unable to produce normal amounts of pilin, and CD4 and CD10 were putative assembly mutants which produced normal amounts of pilin but were unable to assemble the pilin subunit into intact pili.

Antibodies against mammary derived growth inhibitor (MDGI) react with a fibroblast growth inhibitor and with heart fatty acid binding protein

A polypeptide growth inhibitor, designated as mammary derived growth inhibitor, has previously been purified from lactating bovine mammary glands. Polyclonal rabbit antiserum raised against mammary derived growth inhibitor cross-reacts with bovine heart fatty acid binding protein and bovine peripheral myelin P2 protein. These results are consistent with the observation that the amino acid sequence of mammary derived growth inhibitor showed homology to the sequences of these proteins. In a parallel series of immunoblotting experiments, rabbit anti-mammary derived growth inhibitor also reacted specifically with a fibroblast growth inhibitor purified from the conditioned medium of cultured mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. These data suggest that bovine mammary derived growth inhibitor and mouse fibroblast growth inhibitor may share common structural features and raise the possibility that these growth inhibitors may together define a new family of growth regulatory molecules.