Target imaging diagnosis of human brain glioma. Clinical analysis of 40 cases

OBJECTIVE

To establish a method for localization and qualitative diagnosis of glioma.

METHODS

The monoclonal antibody SZ-39 against human glioma was labelled with 131I and injected intravenously into 40 patients with intracranial occupying lesions proved by X-CT. 72 hours after 131I-McAb-SZ39 administration, cranial bone nuclide-imaging agent 99mTc-MDP was injected intravenously, and the patients were examined by SPECT scan with dual nuclide double channel tomography and special software. On radio-immuno-image, the immunocomplex formed by specific conjugation of 131I-McAb-SZ39 with target tissue was red, while the cranial bone incorporated with 99mTc-MDP was green. The location of the immunocomplex area could be identified by the superimposition of the images.

RESULTS

21 patients with positive targeting diagnosis of glioma showed the accuracy rate checked by SPECT was 81%(17/21) and by X-CT 48% (10/21). Seven patients with negative targeting diagnosis showed the accuracy rate checked by SPECT was 86%(6/7) and by X-CT 14% (1/7). Pathologically, the sensitivity of targeting SPECT to glioma was 94.5%(17/18) and that of X-CT 55%(10/18).

CONCLUSIONS

Targeting SPECT examination could be used for localization and qualitative diagnosis of glioma and make up the inadequacy of X-CT in the qualitative diagnosis of atypical incipient and recurrent glioma, meningioma, metastatic carcinoma, and inflammatory lesions of brain.

[Investigation and experimental study on the standards and quality of leech pieces]

It has been confirmed by investigation that Whitmania pigra is the main medicinal breed of leech, and filiform pieces are the best for extraction. The quality of leech processed by 3 different methods has been studied qualitatively and quantitatively in terms of amounts of extraction, TLC, electrophoresis of protein and anti-thrombin action.

Identification of a nef allele that causes lymphocyte activation and acute disease in macaque monkeys

Residues 17 and 18 in nef of SIVmac239 were changed from RQ to YE to create a translated sequence of SRPSGDLYERLLRARGETYGRLLGEVEDGYSQSP from residues 10-43. The YXXL motifs in this context match very well with consensus sequences for SH2 binding domains and are similar to ones present in nef of the acutely lethal pathogen SIVpbj14. The YE variant of SIVmac239, unlike SIVmac239 but like SIVpbj14, replicated well in resting peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures, caused extensive T lymphocyte activation, and produced an acute disease in rhesus and pigtailed monkeys characterized by severe diarrhea, rash, and extensive lymphoid proliferation in the gastrointestinal tract. The YEnef gene transformed NIH 3T3 cells in culture. Both 239nef and YEnef were found to associate with src in cotransfected COS cells, and both 60 kDa src and 34 kDa nef were phosphorylated at tyrosine in these cells. The extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of 239nef was considerably less than that of YEnef in these assays. These findings identify an important determinant of the SIVpbj14 phenotype, and they provide evidence of a role for nef in signal transduction and cellular activation.

Influence of penning type and feeding level on sexual behavior and feet and leg soundness in boars

Ninety-six Yorkshire males at 28 d of age were placed on a pre-test feeding regimen (22% CP) of either ad libitum (A) access to feed or a restricted (R, 85% of A) diet. All pigs were housed in groups of four until approximately 30 kg body weight. The boars were then placed under test and assigned to a group pen (GP) containing eight boards or to individual pens (IP) and fed a 16% CP diet at A or R levels. Feeding types during pre-test and test phases were, therefore, ad libitum followed by ad libitum (AA), ad libitum: restricted (AR), restricted: ad libitum (RA), and restricted: restricted (RR) for each of the two (IP and GP) housing types. All boars were weighed every 2 wk to determine the feeding level and ADG. The pen floors were partly slatted with water nipples in the slatted areas. Areas available for each board were 1.63 and 2.15 m2 in IP and GP, respectively. Sexual behavior, semen characteristics, and feet and leg scores were recorded between 150 and 240 d of age. The IP boards required longer (P < .05) contact with receptive gilts before mating, made more (P < .01) ano-genital sniffings, and attempted more (P < .10) incorrect mounts than GP boars. The GP boards had a higher (P < .01) mating score, younger (P < .001) age at completion of the mating test, and lower (P < .01) total sperm count and sperm concentration (P < .001) than IP boars. The AA boards exhibited less (P < .10) chomping and salivation than boars on other feeding regimens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Complete nucleotide sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome VIII

The complete nucleotide sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome VIII reveals that it contains 269 predicted or known genes (300 base pairs or larger). Fifty-nine of these genes (22 percent) were previously identified. Of the 210 novel genes, 65 are predicted to encode proteins that are similar to other proteins of known or predicted function. Sixteen genes appear to be relatively recently duplicated. On average, there is one gene approximately every 2 kilobases. Although the coding density and base composition across the chromosome are not uniform, no regular pattern of variation is apparent.

Structure of 1,1,5,5-tetranitro-[4]peristylane. Structure solution from molecular packing analysis

The structure of the title compound, decahydro-2,2,5,5-tetranitro-1,6:3,4-dimethanocyclobuta[1,2: 3, 4]dicyclopentene, C12H12N4O8, was solved with the molecular packing program MOLPAK, starting with an AM1-geometry-optimized model of an isolated molecule. The 20 best predicted crystal structures from the MOLPAK procedure were subjected to lattice energy refinement with the WMIN program. A structure-factor calculation with the top MOLPAK/WMIN derived structure and the 197 Fo data to sin theta/lambda = 0.324 A-1 (theta = 30 degrees) gave an R value of 0.29. Final R = 0.057, wR = 0.067 for 730 reflections with I > 3 sigma (I). There are no unusual intermolecular distances and crystal packing is normal.

Kinetic characterization of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase extracted from whole-leaf and from guard-cell protoplasts of Vicia faba L. (C3 plant) with respect to tissue pre-illumination

Whole leaves and guard-cell protoplasts of the C3 plant Vicia faba L. (broad bean) were separately extracted following a period of illumination or following a period of darkness. Kinetic parameters of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31), Vmax and Km(PEP.Mg), were determined as a function of assay pH (7.0 or 8.1), the presence of 5 mM glucose-6-Pfree (Glc-6-P, an activator), and the presence of 5 mM malatefree (an inhibitor). On the basis of these parameters, guard-cell PEPC was distinguished from that of whole leaf, indicating either that guard cells contain a unique isoenzyme of PEPC or a different complement of isoenzymes or--and less likely--that the obligatorily different methodologies for the leaf (intact organ) and the guard-cell (protoplast) enzymes altered them specifically. The values of Vmax were relatively unchanged, regardless of assay conditions or tissue pretreatment. The values obtained for whole-leaf PEPC Vmax were restricted to a small range (52.4 +/- 5.9 (SD) to 64.4 +/- 4.8 (SD) mumol.g fresh mass-1.h-1; the high value coincided with the presence of Glc-6-P, and the low value was obtained in the presence of malate. Guard-cell PEPC Vmax was also restricted to a small range: 7.48 +/- 0.89 (SD) pmol.guard-cell pair-1.h-1 (pH 8.1, light, +Glc-6-P) to 5.79 +/- 0.60 (SD) pmol.guard-cell pair-1.h-1 (pH 7.0, dark, +malate). Depending on effectors, and particularly pH, large changes in Km(PEP.Mg) were calculated (whole-leaf PEPC: 0.03 to 3.84 mM; guard-cell PEPC: 0.06 to 3.43 mM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Clinical trials for removal of bilirubin by high-capacity nonionic adsorbent

To remove bilirubin from patients with hyperbilirubinemia, nonionic macroporous adsorbent NK-110 was tailor-made from styrene and divinyl benzene at Nankai University. Five patients were perfused through shunts filled with 500 ml of the above adsorbent. After 2 h of hemoperfusion, total bilirubin decreased within the range of 22-51%. During the treatment, no noticeable changes in electrolytes, urea nitrogen, serum glutamicpyruvic transaminase (SGPT), TTT, and amino acid concentrations were observed. Platelet depletion was satisfactory. Hemoglobin, white cell count, globulin, and albumin showed no remarkable changes. The nonionic adsorbent shows a high efficacy for bilirubin removal and has a great potential for future clinical applications.

Automated fluorescent DNA sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products

The methods described in this chapter provide some useful approaches for DNA sequencing of templates produced by PCR. These procedures have been employed successfully for large-scale DNA sequencing of cosmid fragments subcloned in plasmid or M13 vectors, and for sequence analysis of cDNAs cloned in bacteriophage lambda vectors. In addition, the method describing direct sequencing from PEG-precipitated PCR product has been used successfully for analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans genomic and cDNA sequences. It is important to reiterate that for every combination of amplification primer pair and target DNA, there is an optimal method for PCR amplification; the ability to sequence the products of any PCR experiment directly will also vary. A coupled PCR/DNA sequencing method that works well for one experimental system may work quite poorly with others. Hence, a few days or hours spent optimizing PCR amplification conditions and selecting the best DNA sequencing method for the target DNA of interest will be time well spent.

Fluorescence chemistries for automated primer-directed DNA sequencing

A major limitation in the applicability of automated DNA sequencing instruments has been the difficulty in using user-defined oligonucleotide primers which allow sequencing reactions to start at any specific point in a region of interest. Recently, new chemistries have become available for fluorescent labeling which will begin to facilitate the use of any oligonucleotide primer with automated DNA sequencers. In this report, we describe several methods for automated primer-directed DNA sequencing, and compare and discuss the relative merits and limitations of these methods.

[Comparative study on activity of adenylate cyclase in normal human ovary with ovarian tumors]

It has been documented that the binding activity sites of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) receptor and kd in human ovarian tumors are different from those in the normal ovary. And some observations suggest that the HCG receptor depends on adenylate cyclase (AC) for its physiological functions. We studied the activity of AC in normal human ovary and ovarian tumors. Five human ovarian specimens and eighteen ovarian tumor specimens were obtained from women patients undergoing gynecological surgery. Ovaries were homogenized and sonicated. The homogenates were centrifuged at 1000 x g for 15 min. After sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation (78000 x g, 4 h), the membrane fraction was collected from interface between 33% and 37%. The membrane protein approximately 10 micrograms, ATP 1 mmol/L, 3H-ATP 5 x 10(4) cpm, sulphydryl-ethyl alcohol 10 mmol/L, in a final volume of 200 microliters of Tris-HCl buffer (50 mmol/L), pH7.5, containing MgSO4 5 mmol/L, were incubated at 35 degrees C for 10 min. The reaction was stopped by boiling water bath for 3 min. The AC activity (U/mg): of human normal ovary, 67 +/- 8, of cystadenocarcinoma serous, 146 +/- 70; of cystadenocarcinoma mucinous, 289 +/- 83.

The C. elegans genome sequencing project: a beginning

The long-term goal of this project is the elucidation of the complete sequence of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome. During the first year methods have been developed and a strategy implemented that is amenable to large-scale sequencing. The three cosmids sequenced in this initial phase are surprisingly rich in genes, many of which have mammalian homologues.

[Establishment of standard strains of serotypes (groups) of Streptococcus pneumoniae in China]

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important human pathogen which is responsible for life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis as well as for less severe but highly prevalent diseases such as otitis media and sinusitis. The number of serogroups (types) of Streptococcus pneumoniae found in the world is total 46 groups or 83 types according to typing system of Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark. The standard strains established in our lab of 42 groups or 67 types distributed in 17 different regions in China. The significance of this study is that two of the new serotypes (10C, 16A) are first reported in the literature in which the microbes were the agents causing pneumococcal infections. Our standard strains also include some serotypes on rare occasions such as 19C and 22A and 33C which have been found only in Asia. Our findings not only increase the total number of known types of pneumococci from 83 to 85, but also indicate that China has made progress in the field of pneumococcal research. It is the first time to report establishing a series of standard strains of pneumococci involving many serotypes (groups) in China. The work is necessary as a preliminary for pneumococcal disease prevention and treatment. The standard strains listed here with providing the resource of strain and scientific basis for developing vaccine and biological products.