[Expression of glycoconjugates in laryngeal cancer]

Using the six lectins PNA, SNA, WGA, UEA-1 Amaranthin, and MAA, a cytochemical study was performed to observe the expression of glycoconjugates in squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx in 14 patients and in 3 normal laryngeal epithelia. SNA (Sambucus nigra agglutinin) failed to stain the cytoplasm in normal squamous epithelium of the larynx, but the cytoplasm of the epithelial dysplasia and carcinoma cells reacted to SNA, showing more intensely stained cytoplasma of carcinoma as compared to those of the epithelial dysplasia. PNA (Peanut agglutinin) specifically stained cell membranes of middle layer and basal cells in the normal squamous epithelium and epithelial dysplasias, but in squamous cell carcinomas, a lack of cell membrane staining of various degrees was noted. There was a similarity in the other lectin staining expressions in the normal controls and epithelial dysplasia and carcinoma. The expression of these six lectins was not related to the TNM-classification. Lectin staining may be a useful marker in either early diagnosis of cancer or the assessment of cellular differentiation.

Immunohistochemical staining for type IV collagen and laminin in the stroma of human pancreatic cancer

Fourteen human pancreatic cancer, six normal pancreatic, and four alcoholic chronic pancreatitis tissue samples were examined by immunohistochemistry with antitype IV collagen and antilaminin monoclonal antibodies (MAb). The basement membranes of acinar, ductal, and endothelial cells from all of the normal pancreatic and alcoholic chronic pancreatitis tissue samples were continuously immunostained, but the stroma was negatively immunostained by both antibodies. On the other hand, all 14 pancreatic cancer tissues showed irregular immunostaining on the basement membranes surrounding cancer cells, and positive fibrillar immunostaining for type IV collagen in the stroma of the carcinomatous parenchyma. Six of the 14 pancreatic cancer tissue samples also showed positive immunostaining for laminin in the stroma. The stromal type IV collagen with or without laminin in human pancreatic cancer tissues may have originated from basement membranes degraded through cancer invasion and proliferation.

Effect of the oral administration of sepimostat mesilate on cerulein induced acute pancreatitis in rats

The effect of a potent protease inhibitor, sepimostat mesilate (CAS 103926-82-5, FUT-187), on acute interstitial edematous pancreatitis induced by a supramaximal dose of cerulein, a cholecystokinin (CCK) analogue, was evaluated. The serum amylase activity increased 18-fold over normal control after the infusion of cerulein at 5 micrograms/kg/h for 6 h. The serum lipase activity showed a 235-fold increase. An elevated pancreatic water content, pancreatic interstitial edema, inflammatory infiltration and vacuolization of the acinar cells were found. Redistribution of cathepsin B shifted from the lysosomal pellet fraction to the zymogen granule pellet fraction was noted in the early stages. All these parameters of pancreatitis mentioned above were inhibited by FUT-187 pretreatment at doses of 30 to 300 mg/kg. These observations suggest that FUT-187 inhibits the redistribution of cathepsin B shift from the lysosomal fraction to the zymogen fraction in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis and improves the parameters of acute pancreatitis.

Immunohistochemical study of heparan sulfate proteoglycan in adenocarcinomas of the pancreas

The prognosis for carcinoma of the pancreas is extremely poor. One of the characteristics of this tumor is its invasion of the surrounding tissues. Reduction of glycoprotein is considered to be conducive to invasion of the basement membrane by carcinoma cells. Heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), a kind of glycoprotein, is an important component of basement membrane. In this study, the relation between HSPG and carcinoma of the pancreas was examined by using the immunohistochemical method, and the survival rate of pancreatic adenocarcinoma was evaluated. We found that some carcinomas contained little or no HSPG. The poorer the differentiation of an adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, the lower was its content of HSPG. The level of HSPG was significantly different in carcinomatous and in noncarcinomatous cells. There was a close correlation among the content of HSPG, the degree of differentiation of carcinomas of the pancreas, and the survival time. HSPG seems to be useful in prognosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.

[Studies on embryonal development of lamina cribrosa of human eyes]

The lamina cribrosa of 291 eyes were studied including 260 eyes taken from embryos and fetus of 7 weeks to full term and 31 eyes from infants under 1 year of age. From the observations, it is discovered that the development of the lamina cribrosa lags behind the development of the optic nerve. In the eyes taken from embryos or fetus < 4 months, only the ectodermal primordium of the lamina cribrosa is seen. The initial scleral part of the lamina cribrosa begins to be formed in the 5th month fetus. The fibrous tissue originating from the choroid and optic nerve sheath contributes the formation of the lamina cribrosa in the 8th month fetus. At this time, the morphology of the lamina cribrosa is similar to that of an adult, but the thickness of the structure is still increasing till one year after birth.

[A pathological analysis of the causes of failure of filtration operation in 25 glaucomatous eyes]

Histopathological investigations were carried out in 25 glaucomatous eyes of 25 cases which had been enucleated because of the failure of the filtration operations. Among them, 3 cases with malignant melanoma of either choroid or anterior uvea were misdiagnosed pre-operatively, post-operative rupture of filtering blebs leading to acute suppurative endophthalmitis or chronic endophthalmitis occurred in 5 cases and fibrous proliferation or incarcerations of iris, ciliary body or lens material were found in the filtration incisions in some cases. The causes of the failure of the filtration operations in these cases were discussed.

[Clinical analysis of 40 cases of malignant tumor of the floor of the mouth]

This is a retrospective review for 40 patients with malignant tumour of the floor of mouth.In the group,squamous carinoma is 62.5%.adenoid cystic carcinoma is 22.5%.Both of them are the major type,stage III.IV were 72.5%,Generally ipsilateral;radical mandibular and neck dissection was performed sellectively.65% of patient were given preoprative chemotherapy.Total 5 years survival rate was 50%,for stage I-III were 78.6%.Although preoperative chemotherapy was given that the group of lower pathological differetiation was still in lower survival rate,higher recurrence and mortality than those given surgery alone. Survival rate for squamous carcinoma was higher than that for adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Interaction between HMG proteins (1 + 2) and the negative regulatory region 1 (NCR1) in the 5'-flanking sequence of the human beta-globin gene

The pattern of high mobility group proteins 1 and 2 (HMG1,2) interaction with the 5'-flanking sequence of the human beta-globin gene has been analyzed by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). A 200 bp negative regulatory region in the 5'-flanking sequence of the human beta-globin gene can be folded by HMG proteins 1 and 2 into a circular structure (diameter 70 +/- 6 A) with a linear tail which seems to be a left-handed double helix structure.

[Prevention of fetal growth retardation by low dose aspirin]

A prospective randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial was conducted in 84 pregnant women with high risk of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). From the 28th to 30th week of gestation, low dose aspirin 75 mg/day (study group, n = 40) or placebo (control group, n = 44) was given consecutively for 6 to 8 weeks. It was found that the mean value of systolic/diastolic ratio of umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms in the study group was significantly lower than that of the control group after drug use. The occurrences of IUGR and preeclampsia in the study group (7.5% and 10.0% respectively) were remarkably lower than those in the control group (27.3% of both). The adverse effects of low dose aspirin on both mother and fetus were not observed. These results suggest that low dose aspirin administration (75 mg/day) beginning at earlier stage of third trimester may improve the fetal placental circulation, and thus prevent IUGR and/or preeclampsia effectively.

[Correlation between serotonin and prostaglandins in peritoneal fluid collected from patients with pelvic congestion]

The concentration of serotonin and prostaglandins in peritoneal fluid were measured in 14 patients with pelvic congestion and 14 normal women. Results showed that in pelvic congestion group 5-HT and TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha levels were higher than that of control; but DA and histamine were lower. It is suggested that the serotonin and prostaglandins may play an important role in developing pelvic congestion.

Propagation constant of a planar dielectric waveguide with arbitrary refractive-index variation

The calculation of a propagation constant is an interesting problem in the study of planar waveguides. We present a new method for solving the problem of a planar dielectric waveguide with arbitrary refractive-index variation for either TE or TM modes, and this method is simpler than other methods. Taking a parabolic refractive-index profile as an example, we show that high accuracy can be attained with this new method, provided that the waveguide is divided into layers of proper number and thickness.

[Comparative studies on the diagnosis of clonorchiasis by IEST and IFAT]

Both immunoenzymatic staining technique (IEST) and indirect fluorescent antibody test. (IFAT) with frozen sections of adult Clonorchis sinensis as antigen were employed for detecting 51 cases with clonorchiasis and 50 healthy persons. The positive rate was 92% with IEST and 88% with IFAT. The results showed no significant statistic difference (P > 0.05). The false positive rates were 2% with the former and 4% with the latter. When sera from 22 cases with acute schistosomiasis, 20 cases with chronic schistosomiasis and 15 cases with paragonimiasis were examined by IEST and IFAT, cross-reactions were 14%, 5% and 0% with IEST, and 14%, 10% and 0% with IFAT, respectively. The results showed that both IEST and IFAT are useful methods for serological diagnosis of clonorchiasis and the antigen on the gut was well demonstrated, while IEST might be more suitable in field surveys.

Changes in serum fibronectin levels at delivery in pregnant women and their fetuses with idiopathic fetal growth retardation

We determined maternal and neonatal umbilical artery serum concentrations of fibronectin (Fn) in 15 pregnant women with idiopathic IUGR (Intrauterine growth retardation) and 17 normal pregnant women at the time of delivery, by use of a rate nephelometric procedure. The results showed that the maternal serum levels of Fn in pregnant women with idiopathic IUGR were significantly higher than those in normal pregnant women at the time of delivery (P < 0.01), but umbilical artery serum concentrations in the two groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05), suggesting that the significant increase in maternal serum levels of Fn appeared to be related to uteroplacental vascular endothelial cell lesion, formation of microthrombi and deficiency of placental perfusion.

[Acute side effect of postoperative radiotherapy in malignant head and neck neoplasm]

From August 1989 to May 1991,160 patients with malignancies of the head and neck region were treated by surgery and postoperative radiotherapy.Seventy seven patiens underwent resection of the primary lesion combined with neck dissection and 83 patients had resecton of the primary lesion only before radiotherapy.After irradiation 33.8% (54/160) patients developed edema in face and neck,13.1%(21/160) patients developed headache.The style of neck dissection (unilateral,bilateral or no neck dessection) did significantly influence the rates of the acute side effect(P<0.01).The interval between surgery and radiotherapy and radiation dose were not important influential factors(P>0.05).The clinical manifestations,possible mechanism and prevention of the acuter side effect is presented.

Association between allotypes of complement components C2, BF, C4 of HLA class III and cerebral stroke

Allotypes of C2, BF and C4 in 58 patients with cerebral stroke (CS) and 110 normal control individuals in Guangzhou district were determined. The results show that there is a significant association between BF*F and CS.

A strategy for isolating differentiation-inducing complementary DNAs from human esophageal cancer cell line treated with retinoic acid

Treatment of the human esophageal cancer cell line EC8712 with retinoic acid (RA) stopped the cell growth significantly and gave rise to terminal differentiation of the cells characterized by increased expression of involucrin gene. Two cDNA libraries were constructed from the parental and RA-treated cells respectively. Repeated subtractive hybridization of single-stranded plasmid DNA prepared from pooled colonies of cDNA library of the parental cells with cDNA probe generated from the RA-treated cells exhausted sequences common to both libraries of the cell. The unhybridized cDNA probe represented, therefore, the genes activated after RA-treatment. By using these enriched cDNAs as probe to screen the cDNA library constructed from the RA-treated cells thirty-nine positive colonies were obtained, of which two were specifically due to RA-induction. One of these two cDNA clones, designated as pRA538, has undergone further analysis and shown differentiation-inducing effect on parental cancer cells. A novel strategy for cloning genes involved in terminal differentiation of cancer cells is developed.

Rational use of methotrexate in maintenance therapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

This study was undertaken to research the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of methotrexate (MTX). Plasma concentrations were measured by fluorescent spectrometry in 20 normal SD rats, and 28 measurements were done in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Both rats and children were divided into four groups. Either 20 mg/m2 or 40 mg/m2 of MTX was given IV or PO in each group. The plasma MTX concentrations were measured within 8 hours after administration. The concentration versus time curves were fitted by MCPKP program for pharmacokinetics (PK) and the parameters calculated. After PO administration, the peak concentration, duration of therapeutic concentration and bioavailability were much lower than that after IV administration. The differences were more obvious at 40 mg/m2 dosage. The higher the PO dosage, the lower the bioavailability. Absorption of PO MTX in children with ALL varied widely and uniform concentration was not expected even after equal dosage. Drug concentration was not necessarily increased with dosage. It is our conclusion that drug concentrations and PK parameters should be measured in patients receiving PO MTX therapy.

Equivalence of continuous and pulse simulated low dose rate irradiation in 9L gliosarcoma cells at 37 degrees and 41 degrees C

The development of a brachytherapy technique that will use a scanning source to simulate continuous low dose rate irradiation holds the possibility of improving dose distributions and other clinically relevant factors as well as enhancing radiation safety. Rat 9L gliosarcoma cells growing in vitro have been used as a model to determine the role of fraction size when individual pulses of irradiation are given at appropriate intervals to result in an overall dose rate that is identical to currently applied continuous low dose rate irradiation. With an overall dose rate of 0.5 Gy/hr, cell killing was identical for fractionation schemes of 0.25 Gy every 0.5 hr, 1.00 Gy every 2.0 hr, and 3.00 Gy every 6.0 hr. The cell sensitivity of these schemes was also identical to continuous irradiation at the same overall dose rate. Increasing the fraction size to 6.0 Gy with intervals of 12 hr increased the cytotoxicity. This breaking point was above the Dq (3.9 Gy) of acutely irradiated 9L cells. These data support the hypothesis that continuous low dose rate irradiation can be simulated by fractionated high dose rate irradiation as long as the fraction size remains less than the Dq of the acute radiation response of the cells and the overall dose rate remains constant. The role of simultaneous heating at 41 degrees C during pulsed and continuous low dose rate irradiation was also investigated. Substantial sensitization was observed for both continuous low dose rate irradiation and pulse simulated low dose rate irradiation. The Do thermal enhancement ratios were 1.98 and 1.92, respectively. The above results demonstrate that modalities utilizing intermittent high dose rate irradiation can be designed such that they will be equivalent to continuous low dose rate irradiation, and that in either case simultaneous extended low temperature heating can greatly enhance the cytotoxic effects of these irradiations.

Relationships between pelvic pain and prostaglandin levels in plasma and peritoneal fluid collected from women after sterilization

Prostaglandin levels in plasma and peritoneal fluid were determined in 10 sterilized women with pelvic pain without pathological findings. Another 15 healthy women were regarded as controls. The 6-keto-PGF1 alpha levels in peritoneal fluid collected from patients with pelvic pain were significantly higher than that from the controls (p less than 0.05). The results indicated that prostaglandins might play an important role in pelvic pain following sterilization.

Maintenance of intracellular free Ca2+ homeostasis following lethal heat shock

We have manipulated the extracellular Ca2+ concentration (1.8 mM in normal Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium) to test whether the resulting effect on intracellular free Ca2+ homeostasis was similar in heat-sterilized and nonheated mouse NIH-3T3 cells. The responsiveness of the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration to changes in the extracellular Ca2+ concentration was not affected by prior treatment of the cells with trypsin, or by the extracellular Ca2+ concentration during dye loading (indo-1, AM). Rather, the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration was dependent upon the ambient Ca2+ concentration during analysis by flow cytometry. When the extracellular Ca2+ concentration was decreased to 0.017 mM, either before or after a lethal heat shock, the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration (approximately 300 nM) decreased to a similar extent in both heated and control cells (to approximately 30-100 nM). Similarly, when the extracellular Ca2+ concentration was increased to 15.0 mM, either before or after a lethal heat shock, the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration exhibited a quantitatively similar increase in both heated and nonheated cells (to approximately 400-1000 nM). These data indicate that a lethal heat dose does not inhibit the intact cell's ability to maintain intracellular free Ca2+ homeostasis.

Sensitization of rat 9L gliosarcoma cells to low dose rate irradiation by long duration 41 degrees C hyperthermia

Modification of survival by long duration, 41 degrees C hyperthermia in combination with low dose rate radiation (0.5 Gy/h) was determined in rat 9L gliosarcoma cells. Cells were exposed to radiation in a manner that simulated continuous irradiation at a dose rate relevant to clinical brachytherapy. High dose rate X-irradiation was fractionated in 1.0-Gy fractions at 2-h intervals (FLDRI). Previous studies had demonstrated that 9L cells exposed to FLDRI with these parameters have survival characteristics that are equivalent to continuous low dose rate irradiation. Cells exposed to 41 degrees C throughout FLDRI were sensitized significantly (thermal enhancement ratio of 2.07) compared with cells irradiated at 37 degrees C. Incubation for 24 h at 41 degrees C before and/or after FLDRI at either 37 degrees C or 41 degrees C did not increase the slope of the radiation survival curves but did reduce the shoulder. Similarly, heating at 43 degrees C for 30 or 60 min before and/or after irradiation at 0.5 Gy/h also did not enhance cell sensitivity. Survival of cells after irradiation at high dose rate (60 Gy/h) was independent of the temperature during irradiation. Preheat at 41 degrees C for 24 h did not sensitize cells to high dose rate irradiation by increasing the slope of the survival curve, although a loss of shoulder was observed. Sensitization of cells heated at 43 degrees C for 30 or 60 min before high dose rate irradiation was expressed as classical slope modification. Our results demonstrate that 41 degrees C heating during FLDRI greatly sensitizes cells to radiation-induced killing for exposure durations up to 36 h. Heating 9L cells at 41 degrees C or 43 degrees C adjacent to FLDRI at 0.5 Gy/h resulted in no additional enhancement of terminal sensitivity, although shoulder modification was observed. The sensitization by simultaneous heating described above occurred even though thermotolerance developed during extended incubation at 41 degrees C. These in vitro data demonstrate that simultaneous protracted heating at modest temperatures could greatly enhance the cytotoxic effects of low dose rate interstitial irradiation and could be of significance in clinical application.

Light emission from a titanium vacuum arc using Fizeau interferometry with parallel detection

The lineshape of light emission from a titanium vacuum arc was studied using a Fizeau interferometer coupled with an optical multichannel analyzer (OMA). A viewing geometry normal to the cathode surface was employed. Temperatures of ~3 x 10(5) K and ~3.5 x 10(4) K were obtained for titanium ions and titanium atoms present in the cathode spot, respectively. In light of results from previous work, a case is made for the latter temperature being the actual heavy species temperature in the cathode spot.

Thickness determination of biological samples with a zeta-calibrated scanning tunneling microscope

A single-tube scanning tunneling microscope has been zeta-calibrated by using atomic steps of crystalline gold and was used for measuring the thickness of two biological samples, metal-coated as well as uncoated. The hexagonal surface layer of the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans with an open network-type structure shows thickness values that are strongly influenced by the substrate and the preparation method. In contrast, the thickness of the purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium with its densely packed less-corrugated structure exhibits very little variation in thickness in coated preparations and the values obtained are in good agreement with x-ray data.

Noninvolvement of the heat-induced increase in the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ in killing by heat and induction of thermotolerance

Mouse C3H 10T1/2 cells exhibited a two- to threefold increase in the concentration of free Ca2+ during heating at 45 degrees C. The increase was maximal for a heat dose which was still in the shoulder region of the survival curve. The increase was fully reversible in heat-sterilized cells. By changing the concentration of extracellular Ca2+, it was possible to modulate the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ in heated cells. Lowering the extracellular concentration to 0.03 mM reduced the baseline concentration of intracellular free Ca2+, and prevented it from increasing in heated cells to a level exceeding that of nonheated cells incubated in medium containing 2.0 or 5.0 mM Ca2+. Raising the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ to 15.0 mM raised the baseline, and resulted in a heat-induced increase in free Ca2+ which was twofold higher than that of cells heated in medium containing 2.0 or 5.0 mM Ca2+. An elevated concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ during and after heating did not potentiate thermal killing, nor did a reduced concentration during and after heating mitigate killing. Furthermore, the data argue against a heat-induced increase in free Ca2+ to some threshold level, which potentiates cell killing by some other parameter. In addition, cells heat-shocked in either 0.03 or 5.0 mM extracellular Ca2+, and then incubated in the same concentration for 12 h at 37 degrees C, developed quantitatively similar amounts of tolerance to a second heating. The data suggest that the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ does not play a critical role in thermal killing or the induction and development of thermotolerance.

The role of intracellular pH and its variance in low pH sensitization of killing by hyperthermia

Average intracellular pH (pHi) was measured in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and murine NG 108-15 neuroblastoma cells by the weak acid, [14C]5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione-2 [( 14C]-DMO). Intercell variance in pHi in CHO cells was determined by flow cytometry (FCM) and automated image analysis using the pH-sensitive fluorescent dye, 2',7'-bis-(carboxyethyl)-5(and-6)- carboxyfluorescein. Our results are summarized as follows: (i) When extracellular pH (pHe) ranged from 6.1 to 7.9, the relationship between pHe and average pHi was similar for both cell lines, except that pHi of NG108 cells was 0.3 to 0.2 pH units higher than that of CHO cells. (ii) When both cell lines were heated at 43.5 degrees C to give an isosurvival of 0.1 at pHe 7.2, lowering pHe (6.1-6.9) reduced survival more for CHO cells than for NG108-15 cells. However, plots of survival versus average pHi were identical for the two cell lines. (iii) Values of average pHi measured by [14C]DMO agree with those measured by FCM techniques. (iv) A distribution of pHi values was obtained for a population of cells. However, when the cells were sorted on the basis of low or high values of pHi and reanalyzed, the distributions of the sorted populations were almost identical to the distribution of the original population. These results indicated that the distribution of pHi for a cell population is much more homogeneous than that observed by FCM. (v) These observations indicate that pHi at the time of heating and not pHe is responsible for the low pH sensitization of heat killing.

Effects of pH on heat sensitization of mammalian cells with procaine hydrochloride

The enhancement of heat killing of CHO cells by treatment with 7 mM procaine HCl increased when cells were treated under alkaline conditions. Below a pH of 6.9, very little heat sensitization was observed; however, as the pH was increased to 7.4 and above, considerable heat sensitization occurred. There were no changes in intracellular pH at the beginning of heating that could be responsible for this phenomenon.

Comparison of DMO and flow cytometric methods for measuring intracellular pH and the effect of hyperthermia on the transmembrane pH gradient

Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured in both unheated and heated cells by the distribution of the weak acid, 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazolidinedione-2-14C (14C-DMO), and by the fluorescence intensity ratio (I530/I630) of the pH sensitive fluorescent dye, 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxy-fluorescein (BCECF), analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). BCECF-loaded Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were analyzed by FCM after they had incubated in fresh medium at 37 degrees C for 90 min, during which time a decrease in fluorescence ratio stabilized. After stabilization, the pHi determined for CHO cells by the FCM method at pHe values of 6.0-8.1 agreed-within 0.1 pH units with that determined by the 14C-DMO method. There is a pH gradient across the plasma membrane that is not affected by heat. In CHO cells, the gradient, determined by DMO and FCM, is less or greater than pHe by 0.30 and 0.15 pH units at pHe 7.4 and 6.3, respectively, and in NG108-15 cells, the gradient determined by DMO increases to 0.50 pH units at pHe 6.3. Both cells maintained their pH gradients for at least 4 h after heating, although 99.9% of the cells were reproductively dead (survival of 10(-3)) after heating at 45.5 degrees C either at the normal pHe of 7.4 or at a low pHe of 6.4-6.7.

[A study of relationship between allergenic pollens and pollinosis in Dongying area]

By means of continuous slide exposure for one year, we studied the relationship between the seasonal distribution of pollen in Dongying area and the pollinosis allergy condition. The pollen extract has been made use of for specific diagnosis and treatment. The results appeared satisfactory. In 500 patients with pollinosis desensitized with specific pollen antigen, the total effective rate was 89.8%.