[Studies on the antitumor antibiotic aclacinomycin A]

During the course of screening for new antitumor antibiotics, a new anthracycline antibiotic--aclacinomycin A was separated from the broth and mycelium of Streptomyces AC-57. The strain AC-57 was isolated from the soil collected in the Shanghai suburbs. According to its culture and physiological characteristics the producer was identified as Str. galilaeus AC-57. The broth and mycelium were extracted and treated with solvents as usual way. The aclacinomycin A was separated by silica-gel column chromatography eluted with chrolo-form-methanol. Aclacinomycin A, its aglycone and sugar components were identified by comparison of their physico-chemical and spectral data (MS, UV, IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR) with authentic compound, purified from the market sample.

[Clinical therapeutic effect of xifukang in 53 patients with silicosis]

Xifukang is a compound preparation of Chinese herbs consisting of Hanbane grugs mainly. Since 1987, the significant efficiency have been obtained in treatment of 53 patients suffering from silicosis by self-control study. The results indicated that the clinical manifestations including dyspnea, cough, sputum production, chest pain, weakness, etc. were markedly improved (P less than 0.01) and measurements of pulmonary function (FVC, FEV and MVV) significant enhanced (P less than 0.01). After treatment 20 cases roentgenogram exam showed that the lung's clarity and the limited emphysema were improved, the silicolic nodule and mass-mergence opacity of 3 cases lessened in some degree. By discussing the effect of Xifukang which might lower the collagen protein content of experimental silicosis of Wistar rats and improve pathomorphous. The authors concluded that the therapeutic mechanism of Xifukang could be the actions of this remedy on promoting blood circulation to eliminate blood stasis dredging microcirculation, increasing ventilation/perfusion (VA/Q), protecting dust-cells, resisting fibrosis, regulating immune function, enhancing lung clearance, postponing and preventing development of silicosis.

[Experimental endolymphatic hydrops and its related morphological and functional changes in guinea pigs]

The endolymphatic hydrops was induced successfully in 13 guinea pigs by blocking the endolymphatic duct and sac, and the morphological and functional alterations (especially on semicircular canal function) after hydrops were studied by means of ENG, EcochG and serial section techniques. Hydrops in the cochlear duct was evident in the apical and/or near apical turns, especially in earlier stages. Dilation of the saccule was seen in all samples, but was barely noticeable in the utricle and semicircular canal's endolymphatic space. Degeneration in the corti's apparatus, stria vasculi and spiral ganglion occurred late. No evident changes of the sensory components in the saccule, utricle and semicircular canals were seen under the light microscope. The hearing loss in earlier stages of hydrops was evident at lower frequencies: later stages showed effects at all frequencies. The cochlear recruitment and fluctuation phenomena were observed in a few of the operated animals. The value of -SP/CAP in a few animals was significantly after operation. The functional changes of semicircular canals were demonstrated by the semicircular paralysis (CP), directional preponderance (DP), vestibular recruitment (VR) and elevated threshold of nystagmus to angular acceleration stimuli. There was no significant correlation between the degrees of hearing loss and impaired semicircular function. The criteria of ENG elicited by the quantitative angular acceleration stimuli for evaluating the semicircular canal function in guinea pigs is proposed for the first time in our experiment.

Phenotypic analysis of infiltrating cells in human myocarditis. An immunohistochemical study in paraffin-embedded tissue

To define the cellular subpopulations that infiltrate the heart in human myocarditis, formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from 18 hearts with histologically proved myocarditis were examined immunohistochemically. Disease was classified on routine stains as follows: mixed mononuclear cell (7 cases), granulomatous (3), giant cell (1), rheumatic (2), and fungal (5) myocarditis, respectively. On immunohistochemical examination, T-lymphocyte and macrophage predominance was found in nearly every case, except in fungal myocarditis, in which polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages prevailed. In contrast, B lymphocytes and natural killer cells were conspicuously absent, regardless of histologic classification. Giant cells in giant cell myocarditis and in the Aschoff lesions of rheumatic carditis expressed macrophage, but not myocyte, antigens, suggesting derivation along macrophage lineage. Immunohistochemical data obtainable in paraffin-embedded tissues supplement the study of myocarditis, providing information potentially relevant to immunopathogenesis, natural history, and therapy.

Photodecomposition of nitrocellulose: threshold power density and the effect of temperature

This Letter reports photolysis of nitrocellulose by cw UV light at low power density.

Monoclonal antibodies marking B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in paraffin-embedded tissue

Traditional methods for the immunophenotypic analysis of the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas require fresh or snap-frozen tissue for flow cytometric or immunohistochemical studies. The monoclonal antibodies LN1, LN2, and L26 have been recently developed to recognize B-cell-specific antigens that survive routine tissue processing and paraffin embedding. In this study, the ability of these three antibodies to mark the neoplastic cells in 160 cases of paraffin-embedded non-Hodgkin's lymphoma relative to frozen section immunophenotype (42 T-cell, 118 B-cell), manner of fixation (B5 versus 10% buffered formalin), and histological subtype was examined. With B5-fixed tissue, the percentages of B-cell lymphoma marking with the antibodies were as follows: L26, 96.6%; LN1, 88.2%; LN2, 93.7%. With formalin-fixed tissue, the percentages of B-cell lymphoma reacting with the antibodies were: L26, 89.1%; LN1, 26.2%; LN2, 57.8%. Each of the antibodies marked a small percentage of paraffin-embedded T-cell lymphomas: L26, 4.7%; LN1, 4.7%; LN2, 7.1%. LN2, and to a lesser extent LN1, stained Reed-Sternberg cells, a feature not seen with L26. Nor did L26 mark nonlymphoid neoplasms, a feature previously reported with LN1 and LN2. Since a high percentage of B-cell lymphomas react with these antibodies and they are relatively specific for B-cells, they should prove highly useful for the evaluation of both diagnostic and experimental pathology specimens. L26 offers the distinct advantage of working well in both B5 and formalin-fixed tissues and seemingly not marking epithelial neoplasms.