Value of two-dimensional echocardiography in selecting patients and balloon sizes for percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty

The effect of valvular and subvalvular morphologic features and balloon size/mitral anulus size ratio on results of valvuloplasty were prospectively studied in 38 consecutive patients undergoing mitral valvuloplasty. The severity of valvular and subvalvular disease was graded echocardiographically from grade I to IV (mild to severe) for immobility, thickening, calcification of mitral leaflets and subvalvular thickening and fusion, yielding a maximal total score of 16. The diastolic mitral anulus diameter was measured in the apical four chamber view. After valvuloplasty, the mitral valve area increased from 0.9 +/- 0.3 to 2.2 +/- 0.5 cm2 (p less than 0.001) with increasing mitral regurgitation in 12 (32%) of the 38 patients. Multiple stepwise analysis revealed that the ratio of balloon size and annular size and the severity of subvalvular disease are two independent factors that correlated significantly with the mitral valve area after valvuloplasty (multiple r = 0.65, p less than 0.0002). One of 34 patients with mild subvalvular disease of grade III or less had an unsatisfactory increase in mitral valve area to less than or equal to 1.5 cm2, whereas 3 of 4 patients with severe (grade IV) subvalvular disease had a valve area less than or equal to 1.5 cm2 (p less than 0.002) after valvuloplasty. The increase in mitral regurgitation after valvuloplasty correlated significantly with the ratio of balloon to mitral anulus size and the severity of subvalvular disease (multiple r = 0.53, p less than 0.003). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Quality evaluation of Panax quinquefolium L. introduced and cultured in China]

An investigation was made on the shape, properties, tissue features, TLC identification and panaxoside content of the Panax quinquefolium introduced and cultured in China. The results showed that its quality was basically similar to that of the imported Panax quinquefolium.

Cell swelling induced by the permeant molecules urea or glycerol induces immediate high amplitude thyrotropin and prolactin secretion by perifused adenohypophyseal cells

The permeant molecules, urea and glycerol, evoked a prompt secretory burst of TSH and PRL when added to the extracellular medium of acutely dispersed anterior pituitary cells. Secretion of both hormones was proportional to the concentration of urea or glycerol between 26 and 104 mM (r greater than 0.89, P less than 0.001). Equivalent concentrations of the impermeant molecule, mannitol, did not induce secretion. The acute TSH and PRL secretory responses to TRH, hyposmolarity, and permeant molecules were qualitatively indistinguishable. These data support our hypothesis that cell swelling and resultant plasmalemma expansion is a potent inducer of hormone secretion. Since the secretory response to permeant molecules was not reduced in a Ca2+-free medium containing 0.1 mM EGTA, an increase in Ca2+ transport across the plasmalemma to raise cytosol Ca2+ concentration does not appear involved.

Allosteric regulation of the state of adenylylation of glutamine synthetase in permeabilized cell preparations of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides

Following a freeze-thaw cycle, and the treatment of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides with the nonionic detergent Lubrol PX, the permeabilized cell suspensions can be assayed directly both for the intracellular levels of glutamine synthetase and the state of adenylylation (i.e. the average number n of adenylylated subunits/dodecameric molecules). It seems that all components of the bicycle system are retained if cells grown with low concentrations of ammonia as the sole nitrogen source are used. The value of n was dependent upon the concentration of substrates (ATP, Pi) and allosteric effectors (ATP, glutamine and alpha-ketoglutarate) of adenylytransferase. The value of n affected by UTP, the specific substrate of the uridylyltransferase shows first the evidence that the bicycle cascade control system studied in Escherichia coli may exist in this phototrophic bacterium.

Study on some biologically active coordination compounds of metal ions (I)--Synthesis, characterization, structure and antitumor activity of complex of 3,6-di-(dimethylamino)-dibenzopyriodonium lanthanum EDTA

The title coordination compound has been synthesized by the reaction of HLaEDTA.7H2O with (formula; see text) in ethanol aqueous solution. The single crystal has grown from aqueous solution and has been characterized by IR, TG-DTA, X-ray powder diffraction, molar conductance, UV and 1H-NMR. The determination of its crystal and molecular structure shows that it crystallizes in space group P21/n with lattice parameters: a = 14.735A, b = 29.335A, c = 16.409A, beta = 99.24 degrees, v = 7009.30A3, z = 4, F(000) = 3488, molecular weight M = 1756.90, Dc = 1.665g/cm3. It has been refined by the full matrix least squares method to final discrepancy factor R = 0.096. The anion [La2(EDTA)2(H2O)4]2- turns out to be a dimer, in which each of the two EDTA4- ions is coordinated to a La3+ ion with five of its six coordinating sites and the remaining sixth one--the oxygen atom of carboxylis bridged to two La3+ ions, thus forming a parallelogrammic four-membered ring La2O2. The nine coordinations about each metal are completed by two water molecules. The average bond length is 2.560 A for La-O and 2.833A for La-N. Approximately, the dimer belongs to point group Ci with the centre of inversion at the centre of La2O2 parallelogram. The antitumor activity of the coordination compound was studied by observing its effect on the incorporation of 3H-TdR into DNA of leukemia (L7712) cells in vitro. The degree of inhibition reached 83.9% after exposing 2 X 10(5) cells per millilitre to 4 X 10(-5) mol/L of the compound for 24 h, being higher than those of its precursors.

[Correction of mandibular prognathism by intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy and improvement of the technic]

A new procedure, intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) becomes more and more popular in correction of mandibular prognathism recently. Simplified operation, decreased bleeding and mild reaction after operation are the advantages of this procedure. 32 cases of mandibular prognathism corrected by intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy were reported in this paper. Modifications for avoiding fracture and displacement of proximal segment, the main complication and indications of IVRO were discussed.

[Comparative study of the ECG exercise test and ambulatory ECG monitoring after recovery from acute myocardial infarction]

Early ECG exercise tests (EET) and ambulatory ECG monitoring (AEM) were performed in 42 patients surviving AMI in order to determine the sensitivity of the two methods for detecting ST-segment deviation and arrhythmias. 23 patients had ST changes during EET and AEM. Of them, 21 patients had ST changes induced by EET and 10 were recorded by AEM. The more the ECG leads used for monitoring during and after EET, the higher the percentage of patients with ST changes will be. There were 2 cases with ST changes found in AEM only. All the 6 patients who had ST elevations during EET had an anterior infarction and echocardiograms did show that they had left ventricular aneurysms or abnormal ventricular wall movement. AEM recorded ventricular premature beats (VPBs) in 37 cases (88.0%), while EET induced VPBs in 8 patients. The 42 patients were followed up for an average time of 6 +/- 1.7 m. (3.4 to 9.3 m.) Cardiac death occurred in 2 cases. One of them had horizontal ST depression of 3 mm during EET, the other had a negative EET but multifocal VPBs during AEM. It is concluded that for detecting ST changes EET is more sensitive than AEM, while VPBs are more frequently found in AEM than in EET. The authors are of the opinion that for better, prediction of the prognosis of patients after AMI, it is preferable to have early EET in combination with AEM.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide increases cAMP, tension, and rate in rat atria

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was studied in rat isolated atria to ascertain the role of cyclic nucleotides in the positive chronotropic and inotropic actions of this novel cardiac neuropeptide. In electrically driven left and right atria, CGRP (3-100 nM) caused concentration-dependent increases in contractile tension that developed slowly and persisted for greater than 30 min while CGRP remained in the bath. In spontaneously beating right atria, CGRP (3-100 nM) caused concentration-dependent prolonged increases in heart rate and small transient increases in contractile force. CGRP (100 nM, 2 min) elevated adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) content in left atria 2-fold and right atria 1.6-fold. Time courses and concentration-response relationships for cAMP elevation correlated well with chronotropic and inotropic responses. Guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels in both atria were not altered by CGRP. Compared with norepinephrine (NE), CGRP was 14-fold more potent at increasing rate [50% effective concentration (EC50) = 4.55 +/- 0.48 nM for CGRP and 64.8 +/- 10.5 nM for NE] and 60-fold more potent at increasing contractile force (EC50 = 3.31 +/- 0.57 nM for CGRP and 201 +/- 18 nM for NE). Preincubation with atenolol (3 microM) or indomethacin (3 microM) did not alter chronotropic, inotropic, and cAMP responses to CGRP in atria, indicating that these responses were not mediated by released catecholamines or prostaglandins. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that CGRP causes positive chronotropic and isotropic effects via activation of cAMP responses in rat atrial myocardium.

Preliminary investigation towards optimal use of the tactile sense as communication channel

A brief survey is given on the current development of tactile stimulation systems for profoundly deaf people. The problems that exist in the current state of the art are analysed, and our philosophy for making a tactile stimulation device is explained. An applied psychophysical study of the tactile sense is in progress, and the preliminary results of an investigation into the ability of the tactile sense to recognize graphic shapes are presented.

The impact of China's rural industrialization upon the urbanization of population and its theoretical significance

The author examines the impact of industrialization on urbanization and the rural structure in China. "The development of rural industries and industrialization of rural areas are the most feasible and effective ways to help in the transference of rural population and...urbanization. The growth of rural industries will help expand and re-direct rural labor from agricultural resources to non-agricultural resources, to the processing of farm produce and by-products, to pre- and pro-production services for agriculture and to cooperation with urban industries... The results will include the expansion of laboring fields, a more elaborate social division of labor, changes in social, economic and employment structures as well as an increase in employment opportunities...."

Rapid and transitory stimulation of 3-O-methylglucose transport by growth hormone

The regulation of hexose transport by growth hormone (GH) was investigated using isolated rat adipocytes. GH caused a rapid (less than 3 min) rise in rates of 3-O-methylglucose transport that reached a maximum of two to six times the basal rates in 10-30 min. The stimulation of transport was transitory, and rates of transport started to decline 15-30 min after GH was added. Transport stimulation required a period of preincubation; no stimulation was observed in freshly isolated cells. GH stimulated hexose transport between 100 and 5,000 ng/ml, with a 50% effective dose between 200 and 300 ng/ml. Depletion of cellular ATP by 2,4-dinitrophenol blocked the ability of GH to stimulate transport but not the decline of transport rates following stimulation by GH. In contrast, an inhibitor of RNA synthesis, actinomycin D, had no effect on either the initial stimulation by GH or the initial subsequent decline of transport when added simultaneously or 15 min prior to GH. Actinomycin D did, however, cause a second rise in hexose transport at approximately 120 min that was blocked by 2,4-dinitrophenol. These results suggest that changes in glucose transport contribute to the effects of GH on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue. These changes are rapid, of substantial magnitude, and of a complex nature, suggesting that regulation of glucose transport by GH most likely involves multiple mechanisms.

Depressant effect of acetate in isolated cardiac tissue

Because acetate may have cardiodepressant properties in vitro, but previous studies have not separated out effects of acetate from possible effects of osmolality, sodium concentration, or calcium complexing, the effects of isosmotic acetate substitution (at a constant calcium concentration) on contractility were studied in isolated rat atrial tissue and in an isolated perfused non-working whole heart preparation. In spontaneously contracting right atrial tissue acetate induced dose dependent inhibition of isometric tension in the clinically important dose range of 4 to 16 mmol.litre-1. Bath acetate concentrations of 4, 16, or 64 mmol.litre-1 reduced peak tension (mean(SEM] to 78(2.7)%, 56(2.5)%, or 61(4.6)% respectively of control values. Because the calcium concentrations of the acetate baths were set equal to that of the control bath, calcium complexing by acetate could not have accounted for acetate's cardiodepressant effect. The inhibitory action was demonstrable with both isosmotic and hyperosmotic acetate solutions. Acetate had no effect on the spontaneous rate of atrial contraction. Inhibition of contractility (+dP/dt) by acetate in the whole heart preparation was also demonstrable at bath acetate concentrations of 8 and 16 mmol.litre-1. The results suggest that acetate has a myocardial depressant effect in vitro at concentrations achievable in the plasma during haemodialysis. The myocardial depressant action is not dependent on calcium complexing or on changes in bath osmolality or sodium concentration.

Nuclear matrix-intermediate filament system and its alteration in adenovirus infected HeLa cell

The nuclear matrix-intermediate filament (NM-IF) of normal and adenovirus infected HeLa cells were investigated by means of both electron microscopy and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. After infection there were some changes in NM-IF, and the viral factory was suspended in nuclear matrix. Two new polypeptides appeared in 2-D gel of NM-IF after infection. They are probably not viral proteins but cellular polypeptides. During viral replication, all of vimentin were degraded and phosphorylated keratin 18 increased. These facts suggest that NM-IF plays a certain role in adenovirus replication.

Immunochemical characterisation of somatostatin in ruminants

Following development and validation of a radioimmunoassay for somatostatin, the immunoreactivity of this peptide in the plasma of ruminants was measured and the levels in sheep were 9-31 pM (mean 18 +/- 7 pM, n = 48), in lambs 10-54 pM (mean 25 +/- 10 pM, n = 18) and in calves 5-35 pM (mean 12 +/- 6 pM, n = 22). Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity was present in sheep in high concentrations in the antrum (2342 +/- 280 pmol/g wet weight), duodenum (446 +/- 73 pmol/g) and pancreas (832 +/- 208 pmol/g). Lower concentrations (6-150 pmol/g) were found in other regions of the gastrointestinal tract. Molecular sieve chromatography on Bio-Gel P-10 showed that while most of the somatostatin in the antrum was somatostatin-14, in the duodenum about 30% of the total immunoreactivity was somatostatin-28.

[Benign tumor and pseudotumor of the gallbladder--report of 40 patients]

Benign tumor and pseudotumor of the gallbladder are infrequently reported in our country. In this paper, 5 patients with benign tumor (3 tubular adenoma, 1 leiomyoma and 1 fibroma) and 35 pseudotumor (26 cholesterol polyps and 9 inflammatory polyps) of the gallbladder are presented. Most patients presented a typical clinical manifestation of chronic cholecystitis. Oral cholecystography gave a lower detection rate. B-ultrasonography was able to show the presence of neoplasm in the gallbladder (37/40). Correct diagnosis was established by operation and pathology. In this series, all patients were cured by cholecystectomy. The authors believe that, for the neoplasms detected by B-ultrasonography with definite clinical symptoms or with a diameter of more than 1.0 cm, cholecystectomy is indicated. For those older or weaker patients with milder symptoms or with neoplasms less than 1.0 cm in diameter, periodic B-ultrasonography follow-up is suggested.

Thin slice CT study of solitary pulmonary nodules with emphasis on the relation to vasculatures

Thin (2 mm) and thick (10 mm) slice X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning was performed in 49 and 31 patients, respectively, to assess the morphology of solitary pulmonary nodules or masses and to determine the relationship between the tumor and surrounding vasculature. When the pulmonary vein passed singly into the tumor or was larger than the artery (pattern I), 38 of 40 nodules (95%) were malignant (p less than 0.001). When the pulmonary artery passed singly into the tumor or was larger than the vein (pattern II) and when no pulmonary vessel passed into the tumor but when a pulmonary vessel was compressed by the tumor or passed through it (pattern III), only 11 of 19 nodules (58%) were malignant. Based on the morphology and vasculature patterns the accuracy of diagnosis with thin slice CT was 80.9% while that of thick slice CT was 67.7%. Thin slice CT can increase the diagnostic accuracy of primary lung cancer.

The effects on fetal brain development in the rat of a severely iodine deficient diet derived from an endemic area: observations on the first generation

Rats were fed on a severely iodine deficient diet (iodine content 4.5 micrograms/100 g) similar to that being consumed by people living in a village with a high rate of endemic cretinism. After a period of 4 months, the thyroid and brain were studied in the adult and their fetuses at 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 days of gestation, and in postnatal animals at 1, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 60 days of age. By comparison with a control group (diet with iodine content 54.7 micrograms/100 g) the experimental group showed marked goitres, a higher uptake of 125I by the thyroid, reduced serum T4, and reduction in brain weight. The cerebral and cerebellar histological findings showed that the density of brain cells had increased, and the mean neuron size was reduced. Furthermore, disappearance of the cerebellar EGL was delayed. These findings indicate that this animal model is likely to be suitable for the studies of endemic cretinism in man.