Two Metal Complexes of the Macrocyclic Ligand 1,4,7-Triazacyclodecane (tacd). Crystal Structures of [Zn(tacd)2](ClO4)2 and [Cu(tacd)2]Br2.4H2O

Two metal complexes of 1,4,7-triazacyclodecane ( tacd ), [Zn( tacd )2] (ClO4)2 (1) and [Cu( tacd )2] Br2.4H2O (2), have been prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Crystals of (1) are monoclinic, P21/n, a 9.506(2), b 10.279(3), c 11.505(2) Ǻ, β 91.29(2)°; crystals of (2) are orthorhombic, Pbca, a 12.035(3), b 13.673(3), c 14.248(2) Ǻ. The zinc(II) atom in (1) is surrounded in a distorted octahedral N6 environment with Zn-N bonds at 2.121(5)-2.131(4) Ǻ; the copper(II) atom in (2) adopts an elongated octahedral coordination geometry with the Cu-N bonds at 2.066(4)-2.294(5) Ǻ.

[Effects of methylprednisolone pulse therapy on TNF alpha levels in chronic nephritis]

We examined the tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) bioactivity in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) treated with methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy (1 course of 1 g/day x 3 days). TNF alpha bioactivity in CGN, including 5 cases of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), 8 lupus nephritis (LN) and 6 purpura nephritis, was determined by ELISA with TNF alpha monoclonal antibody. TNF alpha values in the serum, urine and cultured lymphocyte supernatant (CLS) of patients was significantly higher than in control. (serum: 131.6 +/- 20.2 vs 70.4 +/- 13.8, urine: 26.2 +/- 8.2 vs 11.2 +/- 2.0, P < 0.05, CLS: 97.4 +/- 9.8 vs 59.5 +/- 10.1, P < 0.05, pretreatment vs control), but it was markedly reduced after treated with MP therapy. (serum: 60.2 +/- 11.2 vs 131.6 +/- 20.2, P < 0.05, urine: 10.2 +/- 1.6 vs 26.2 +/- 8.2, P < 0.05, CLS: 54.1 +/- 11.2 vs 97.4 +/- 9.8, P < 0.05, posttreatment vs pretreatment). These results indicated that TNF alpha levels in serum, urine and supernatant of lymphocyte were markedly higher in chronic nephritis, the MP pulse therapy possessed a striking effect on inhibiting the production of TNF alpha in peripheral lymphocytes.

[Clinicopathologic analysis of glandular odontogenic cyst]

Glandular odontogenic cyst has been characterized only recently, and a few cases have been reported. In this report, seven cases were studied by clinical pathology. 6 cases were male and 1 was female. The average age of the patients was 36 years, with a range of 21 to 59 years. The majority of the cyst were located in maxilla. The fibrous capsule is usually free from inflammatory cells. The lining epithelium may be partly squamous and without distinctive features. However, in more or less extensive areas the stratified epithelium has a surface layer of acidophilic cuboidal or columnar cells, forming irregular papillary projections. Within the thickness of the epithelium there are crypts or cyst-like spaces lining by cells like those seen at the surface epithelium. In 1 cases a part of the lining epithelium has the features of mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Use of tissue disposition data from rats and dogs to determine species differences in input parameters for a physiological model for perchloroethylene

Tissue disposition of perchloroethylene (PCE) was determined experimentally in two mammalian species of markedly different size in order to derive input parameters for the development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model, which could forecast the disposition of PCE in each species. Male Sprague-Dawley rats and male beagle dogs received a single bolus of 10 mg PCE/kg body wt in polyethylene glycol 400 by gavage. Serial samples of brain, liver, kidney, lung, heart, skeletal muscle, perirenal fat, and blood were taken for up to 72 hr following PCE administration. Blood and tissue PCE concentrations were analyzed using a gas chromatography headspace technique. Dogs exhibited considerably longer tissue and blood half-lives than did rats. The dogs also exhibited larger area under tissue concentration versus time curves for all tissues except the liver. Whole body clearance of PCE in the rat was greater than that in the dog. Model simulations indicated this could be attributed to more rapid and extensive PCE exhalation and metabolism by the rat. The in vivo blood:air partition coefficient determined for rats was similar to an in vitro value previously reported. In vivo tissue: blood partition coefficients, however, were 1.4 to 2.8 times greater than published in vitro values. The PCE in vivo blood:air partition coefficient for the dog was twice that of the rat, but tissue:blood partition coefficients were 1.5 to 3.0 times greater in the rat than in the dog. These results demonstrated the existence of significant differences in partition coefficients in two species commonly used in toxicity testing. The PBPK model was shown to have utility in predicting the impact of metabolism and exhalation on pharmacokinetics of PCE in different species of widely differing size.

[Morphologic and molecular evidence of apoptosis during reperfusion phase after brief period of renal ischemia]

A multiparametric analysis was made to demonstrate that brief period of ischemia can initiate extensive loss in a rat kidney through the process of apoptosis during early reperfusion. Microscopic examination of mouse renal tissues subject to a 5, 30, or 45 minute period of complete ischemia showed the presence of apoptotic bodies both within and occasionally between renal tubular, appearing as early 6 hours after reperfusion and increasing in numbers at 12 hours. Furthermore, DNA extracted from such reperfusion renal tissue demonstrated the appearance of a distinct "ladder pattern" of DNA fragments after electrophoresis in agarose gels. It was suggested that renal reperfusion injury after ischemia can initiate a form of cell death-apoptosis that is drastically different from cellular necrosis induced by prolonged severe ischemia.

Use of a physiologically based model to predict systemic uptake and respiratory elimination of perchloroethylene

The pharmacokinetics of inhaled perchloroethylene (PCE) were studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats to characterize the pulmonary absorption and elimination of the volatile organic chemical (VOC). The direct measurements of the time course of PCE in the blood and breath were used to evaluate the ability of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to predict systemic uptake and elimination of PCE. Fifty or 500 ppm PCE was inhaled for 2 hr through a miniaturized one-way breathing valve by unanesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats of 325-375 g. Serial samples of the inhaled and exhaled breath streams, as well as arterial blood, were collected during and following PCE inhalation and analyzed by headspace gas chromatography. PCE-exhaled breath concentrations increased rapidly to near steady state (i.e., within 20 min) and were directly proportional to the inhaled concentration. Uptake of PCE into the blood was also rapid, but blood levels continued to increase progressively over the course of the 2-hr exposure at both exposure levels. Cumulative uptake, or total absorbed dose, was not proportional to the exposure level. A PBPK model was developed from in vivo parameters determined from tissue concentration-time data in a companion ia study (Dallas et al., 1994, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 128, 50-59). PCE concentrations in the blood and exhaled breath during and following PCE inhalation were well predicted by the PBPK model. Despite species differences in blood:air and lung:air partition coefficients, the model was used to account for similar levels of PCE and other VOCs in the expired air of rats and humans. The model also accurately simulated percentage uptake and cumulative uptake of PCE over time. The model's ability to predict systemically absorbed doses of PCE under a variety of exposure scenarios should be useful in assessment of risks in occupational and environmental settings.

Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for perchloroethylene using tissue concentration-time data

The tissue disposition of perchloroethylene (PCE) was characterized experimentally in rats in order to (1) obtain input parameters from in vivo data for the development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model, and (2) use the PBPK model to predict the deposition of PCE in a variety of tissues following inhalation exposure. For the derivation of model input parameters, male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single bolus of 10 mg PCE/kg body wt in polyethylene glycol 400 by ia injection through an indwelling carotid arterial cannula. Other male Sprague-Dawley rats inhaled 500 ppm PCE for 2 hr in dynamic exposure inhalation chambers. Serial samples of brain, liver, kidney, lung, heart, skeletal muscle, perirenal fat, and blood were taken for up to 72 hr following ia injection, during the 2-hr inhalation exposure, and for up to 72 hr postexposure. Blood and tissue PCE concentrations were analyzed using a gas chromatography headspace technique. Following ia administration, the tissues exhibited similar terminal elimination half-lives (t1/2). As comparable tissue t1/2 are consistent with a blood-flow-limited model, tissue:blood partition coefficients were calculated for noneliminating compartments by division of the area under the tissue concentration-time curve (AUC) by the blood AUC. Liver PCE concentration versus time data were employed in the calculation of in vivo metabolic rate constants. A PBPK model was developed using these parameters derived from the ia data set and used to predict tissue PCE concentrations during and following PCE inhalation. Predicted tissue levels were in close agreement with the levels measured over time in the seven tissues and in blood. Tissue concentration-time data can thus provide valuable input for parameter estimation and for validation of PBPK model simulations, as long as independent in vivo data sets are used for each step.

[Studies on the effects of low-dose selenium and high-dose cadmium on myocardial injury]

The effects of low-dose selenium and high-dose cadmium on myocardial injury were studied in weanling S.D. rats fed with feed containing controlled levels of selenium and cadmium. Results indicated low-dose selenium and high-dose cadmium could injure heart and myocardial cell membrane system to a certain extent, and cause focal necrosis and reduction in activities of glutathione peroxidase and cytochrome oxidase of heart muscle in rats. It suggested there were certain factors in the grain produced in the areas where Keshan disease was prevalent, which injured heart muscle in rats. So, selenium supplement could prevent from myocardial injury caused by the grain grown in those areas.

Entrapment of posterior interosseous nerve of forearm. Report of 25 cases

Of the 25 cases of entrapment, or compression syndrome of the posterior interosseous nerve of the forearm reported, 23 were treated surgically. The compressing or entrapping factors found during the operations consisted of 14 sites in tendinous tissues, 12 in vessels, 6 in scar adhesions, and 3 unclear. Of 11 cases each had 2 or more compression sites. 19 patients underwent local decompression. And 4 cases had membranous and degenerated nerves resection and end-to-end anastomoses. Hypertrophy and inflammation appeared to be the main pathological changes in 10 cases. The causes and pathology are discussed and the early diagnosis and treatment emphasized.

[A biomechanical study of the human periodontal ligament]

The structures and mechanical properties of the normal human periodontal ligament(PDL) were investigated by VDA measuring system through the microscope.It was found that the mechanical properties of PDL is not linear.Its mechanical properties are depending on its fibrous properties,directions and components.The linear and index relationships of the tensile and compression stress-strain curve of PDL can be divided into 6 segments.The strain changes and moduli of every segment were calculated.The relationship between periodontal function and the variation law of stress-strain is investigated and its clinic value is shown.

[Effects of Epimedium sagittatum on immunopathology and extracellular matrices in rats with chronic renal insufficiency]

Chinese herb medicine, Epimedium sagittatum (EP), was used to treat animal models of chronic renal insufficiency induced in Wistar rats with 7/8 nephrectomy. The results showed: 1. EP decreased significantly the level of BUN and serum creatinine in the rats. 2. EP inhibited the hypertrophy of glomeruli in the rats. 3. EP inhibited deposition of IgG, C3, Fib and FN along the glomerular capillary walls in these rats.

Synthesis and Characterization of Gold(III) Halide Complexes of Quinaldic Acid (Hqd), Methyl Quinaldate and Ethyl Quinaldate, and X-Ray Structure of [(HQd)2H] [AuBr4].H2O

Complexes of the types HAuX4.2HQd, where X = Cl or Br and HQd = quinaldic acid, and AuX3L2, where L is methyl or ethyl quinaldate , have been prepared and characterized. Quinaldic acid as well as methyl and ethyl quinaldates function as monodentate ligands in these complexes, whose stereochemistries are discussed in relation to the number of gold-halogen stretching frequencies observed in their far-infrared spectra. The measured conductivities of these complexes are also discussed. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of monohydrated HAuBr4.2HQd revealed that it should be formulated as [( HQd )2H][AuBr4].H2O, in which a pair of zwitterionic HQd moieties are connected by a strong O...H...O hydrogen bond, and the gold(III) atom is in an elongated octahedral coordination environment with two long Au-O bonds of 3.388(8) and 3.440(8)Ǻ.

The rise and decline of the Cooperative Medical System in rural China

The Cooperative Medical System (CMS) in China is an established medical system that serves the rural areas and provides treatment and prevention of disease, immunization, family planning, and maternal and child health care services. Past experience suggests that the CMS benefited the peasants in rural China. During the 1980s, following reform of China's economic system, the CMS underwent major changes. In some places, CMS stations evolved into various other types of medical and health care systems; in other places, CMS stations ceased operation altogether. This article attempts to analyze the causes and meaning of these changes, and examines the conditions for continuation of this system.

Isolation of the phagocytic compartment from macrophages using a paramagnetic, particulate ligand

Isolation of Fc receptor-dependent phagosomes from a macrophage cell line, J774 A.1, was accomplished using antibody-opsonized, paramagnetic beads. Following binding and ingestion of these beads, cells were homogenized in a standard membrane isolation buffer. Phagosomes containing the trapped paramagnetic beads were isolated by subjecting the whole cell homogenate to a magnetic field. The method is extremely simple and the preparation of an enriched phagosome fraction from a whole cell homogenate is rapid and highly selective. The method should provide useful starting material for investigators interested in cytoskeletal involvement in phagocytosis, in kinetic studies of ingestion, in phagosome-lysosome fusion, and in the ability of a particular ligand to initiate phagocytosis.

[The clinical observation of 247 tuberculosis cases in Oral Maxillofacial region]

This paper presents a report of clinical observation on tuberculosis of oral and maxillofacial region in 247 patients.Of these which diagnosed by histopathology.94 cases are from mucous membrane of oral cavity,108 subjects from lymph nodes,27 ones from parotid gland,15 persons from facial dermis and 3 from jaw.Among 247 patients.154 cases were male and 93 female.The youngest was 2 years old and the eldest one was 71 of age and the mean age was 32 years old.The shortest course of disease was 15 days and the longest was 30 years,the mean course of time was two and half years.The rate of clinical diagnosis accord with pathology was 41.3%,most error diagnosis were to suspect inflammation,tumors and ulcer.In addition,the etiology,the clinical manifestion,diagnosis and therapies of oral and maxillofacial tuberculosis were analyzed.

[Treatment of rapid progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) with pulse methylprednisolone (MP) and urokinase (UK): a renal rebiopsy study]

We have performed a case controlled study on the morphological and immunopathological alterations which can be induced by pulse MP combined with UK in RPGN by means of before and post therapy renal biopsies. The results showed renal function and histologic patterns improved. The histopathological (endothelium and mesangial cell proliferation, crescent and interstitial infiltration) and immunopathological (deposition of IgG, C3, Collegen type III, IV, Laminin and FN.) changes improved in all the patients after treatment with pulse MP and UK. The results indicated that pulse MP and UK therapy seems to be useful in treatment of RPGN in early stage and renal rebiopsy could lead to a better understanding of RPGN outcome.

Toe-to-hand transfer: an analysis of 14 failed cases

Fourteen failed cases of 325 patients who had undergone the operation of toe-to-hand transfer to reconstruct the thumb and/or the finger are reported. Five key factors were related to the survival of the transferred toe: two sets of arterial blood supply in the case of an arterial anomaly, the resection of diseased vascular segments, the observation of capillary blood refill for the judgment of circulatory crisis, and the prevention and treatment of a hypercoagulable state.

[Tumor necrosis factor alpha in IgA nephropathy]

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) in serum and supernate of peripheral blood lymphocyte stimulated by PHA in 100 cases of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) was evaluated by means of ELISA with TNF alpha monoclone antibody (T5 & E6). The results show that TNF alpha content in serum and supernatant was significantly higher in IgAN than in control (P < 0.01), and was increased markedly in IgAN with sclerosis (P < 0.01). It suggests that TNF alpha play an important role in cellular immunity of IgA nephropathy.

Free toe transfer for thumb and finger reconstruction in 300 cases

From 1966 to 1989, we performed free toe transfer for thumb and finger reconstruction in 300 patients, with 286 survivals and 14 failures, a total survival rate of 95.55 percent. Follow-up for 2 to 23 years showed that movement and sensation of the reconstructed thumbs and fingers were satisfactory in all of the 286 cases. The optimal indications for the operation were defect of the thumb at the plane of the metacarpophalangeal joint and defects of the second to fifth fingers. Besides atraumatic isolation of the second toe and sophisticated microsurgical suturing technique, special attention was paid to intraoperative vascular variations, to providing the double arterial blood supply system if necessary, and to the identification and management of postoperative circulatory crisis.

Detection of Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli using polymerase chain reaction

Two oligonucleotide primers were used in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure to amplify a region of the invasive-associated locus (ial) of Shigella and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC). Detection of the amplified product can be done by agarose gel electrophoresis, which is specific and sensitive enough for routine diagnosis of these two pathogens. PCR is done using DNA extracted directly from faeces. The procedure can be completed in 7 h. These findings demonstrate a novel method for rapid, sensitive, specific, and simple diagnosis of diarrhoea caused by Shigella and EIEC.

[Suppressive effect of methylprednisolone on bovine serum albumin nephritis in mice]

Experiments were undertaken to study whether progressive processes of bovine serum albumin (BSA) nephritis in C57BL/B10-BR mice could be prevented by the treatment with methylprednisolone (MPSL), a glucocorticoid. Crescentic glomerulonephritis could be induced in 22 mice with high 95 per cent reproducibility by preimmunization of 0.2 mg of BSA four times every 2 weeks, followed by daily intraperitoneal injections of 50 mg/kg of BSA for 4 weeks (group IV, a control). In groups of 8 mice each, intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg of MPSL was initiated 3 days before preimmunization (group I), before daily intraperitoneal injection of BSA (group II), and after daily intraperitoneal injection of BSA (group II), and after daily intraperitoneal injection of BSA (group III). In each group, the treatment was continued until the final day of the experiment. In group I, anti-BSA antibody titers, the levels of circulating immune complexes (CIC) and urinary protein was significantly suppressed in comparison with those in group IV. Histologically, diffuse intra- and extra-capillary proliferation observed in group IV was apparently inhibited. In group II and III, urinary protein and intra-/extracapillary proliferation were significantly diminished compared with those of group IV in spite of minor or no decrease in antibody titers and the CIC levels. These results suggest that MPSL has a suppressive effect on the progressive processes of immune complex mediated glomerulonephritis through both its immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory actions, especially when used in the early stage of immune reaction.

Analyses of volatile C2 haloethanes and haloethenes in tissues: sample preparation and extraction

A tissue extraction procedure was developed which minimized loss of readily volatilizable compounds for subsequent quantification by headspace gas chromatography, and evaluated for perchloroethylene (PER), 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, and 1,1,2-trichloroethylene. Of the procedures evaluated, joint isooctane and saline tissue homogenization had the most efficient recovery, ranging from 73 to 104% for the four halocarbons from seven different rat tissues. PER concentrations were also determined in tissues of rats following in vivo halocarbon administration. Recovery did not appear to be tissue-dependent, but did vary somewhat with test chemical, with the least volatile, most lipophilic compounds exhibiting the highest recovery.

Polyphenols from Rhodiola crenulata

A novel gallotannin, crenulatin ( 7), has been isolated from RHODIOLA CRENULATA. The structure was elucidated by spectral analyses (including 2D-NMR spectral measurements) and chemical methods. Also six known polyphenols have been isolated and identified.

[Interleukin 6 production and interleukin 6 mRNA gene expression by mouse glomerular mesangial cells]

To investigate the relationship between Interleukin 6(IL 6) and glomerular mesangial cells (MC), the MC of BALB/c mouse were cultured and verified subsequently by anti-keratin and antidesmin antibodies. The cultured MC were divided into two parts those with Mac-1 marker and those without by flow cytometry. The IL 6 activity of cultured supernatants of MC was measured using the IL 6-dependent cell line subclone (MH 60). The results show that the mouse MC can produce IL6 and the level of IL 6 produced by MC with Mac-1 marker was higher than that without Mac-1. The RNA from the mouse glomerular mesangial cells was hybridized in dot blots with a-32pdCTP labeled IL6 cDNA probe, the dot blot autoradiograph showed the expression of IL6 mRNA gene in mouse mesangial cells.

Chemical synthesis, molecular cloning, and expression of the gene coding for the Trichosanthes trypsin inhibitor--a squash family inhibitor

The gene coding for a Trichosanthes trypsin inhibitor analog (Ala-6-TTI) in which methionine at position 6 was replaced by alanine was synthesized chemically. The synthetic gene was cloned into plasmid pWR590-1 and expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein composed of beta-galactosidase fragment of 590 amino acid residues and (Ala-6)-TTI, with methionine as a connecting residue. After cyanogen bromide cleavage and reduction of the fusion protein, followed by refolding with trypsin-Sepharose 4B as a matrix and affinity chromatography on the immobilized enzyme, the fully active (Ala-6)-TTI was obtained. The trypsin inhibitory activity and amino acid composition of the recombinant (Ala-6)-TTI were consistent with those of the natural one. The (Ala-6)-TTI gene was also cloned into the secretion expression vector, pVT102U/alpha, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In order to make the reading frame of the gene compatible with the vector, a nucleotide was inserted into the (Ala-6)-TTI gene via site-directed mutagenesis. The secreted (Ala-6)-TTI was purified and found to be correctly processed at the junction between the alpha-factor leader peptide and (Ala-6)-TTI downstream. Of the two expression systems, the latter is more advantageous in the high yield (greater than 2 mg/liter), easy purification and needlessness of disulfide refolding.

[Frequency distribution of earliest glaucomatous visual field defects]

42 eyes with established early glaucoma and normal visual field were followed-up with Goldmann perimetry for 2.5 years, during which time 24 eyes manifested reproducible glaucomatous visual field defects. The initial defects were characteristically shallow and located mostly in the superior Bjerrum region adjacent to the blind spot. This finding may be useful in designing protocols for the detection of early glaucomatous field defects.

[The clinical significance of following up the differential light threshold in glaucoma]

The correlation of the differential light threshold changes in the Bjerrum area to the glaucomatous visual field defects that followed was studied prospectively by the Humphrey Field Analyzer. Of 42 early glaucomatous eyes without field defects, 24 developed reproducible glaucomatous field defects in 2.5 years of follow-up. The agreement in location between the field defects and the meridian of highest light threshold elevation was remarkable (87.0%), and a mean 5 dB decline in local light sensitivity predicted ensuing field defect development. Thus, the discovery of glaucomatous field defects with automated Humphrey perimetry could be 1-2 years earlier than with Goldmann perimetry.

Automatic perimetry in detecting early glaucomatous visual field defects. A follow-up study

A prospective study was conducted to identify the value of the differential light threshold changes in glaucoma patients. Using Humphrey Field Analyzer, we determined the differential light threshold on 42 preselected points in the Bjerrum area in the age-matched early glaucoma and normal group, each in 50 eyes, whose initial Goldmann perimetries were normal. It was found that both generalized and localized sensitivity of the retina declined obviously in the glaucomatous group. After Goldmann perimetry follow-up for 2.5 years, 24 eyes showed reproducible typical visual field defects (VFD) in the glaucoma group, which appeared in the same location where light threshold had reduced previously. Therefore, a typical glaucoma VFD was preceded by the slight localized depression of light sensitivity in the Bjerrum area.

[Effect of serum from IgA nephropathy patients on IL-1 production from P388 D1 cell lines]

The study was designed to investigate IL-1 production from P388D1 cell using serum from 40 cases with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) as stimulative factor. It was found that there was a relationship between IL-1 and renal morphological change. The result indicated that IL-1 production by P388D1 cell was much higher in the presence of the serum than that in the absence (CPM: 47597 +/- 26213 vs 36567 +/- 14377 P less than 0.05). The level of IL-1 correlated obviously to the renal morphologic changes (r = 0.406, P less than 0.05). It is suggested that in the serum of IgAN patients there are certain factors stimulating P388D1 cell to produce IL-1, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of IgAN.

[Deafness, induced by sodium ethacrynate in guinea pigs, alleviated by microwave treatment]

Microwave is used to treat temporal hearing loss caused by intravenous injection of the ethacrynic acid in guinea pigs. The recovery of hearing is much faster in the treated groups than in the control group. The article proposes possible mechanism of the effects against the ethacrynic acid induced deafness and assume that the result of this research can provide an experimental basis for treatment of some perceptive deafness due to ischemia of stria vascularis of the cochlea.

[Logistic regression analysis of risk factors of glaucomatous visual field defects]

30 patients (42 eyes) of early primary glaucoma with normal visual field were followed up for 2.5 years, during which time visual field defects developed in 24 eyes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the initial values of suspected risk factors demonstrated that a positive family history, the vertical C/D ratio, and the diurnal peak IOP were significant in predicting impending visual field defects.

[Effects of Cordyceps sinensis, rhubarb and serum renotropin on tubular epithelial cell growth]

Primary cultured rat tubular epithelium was utilized to investigate the effect of Cordyceps sinensis (CS) on cellular proliferation and metabolism. Judging from incorporation rate of 3H-TdR, it was found that the addition of serum containing CS metabolites into the culture media could promote the DNA synthesis of tubular cells profoundly (P less than 0.001). In association with its beneficial effects on gentamycin nephrotoxity in vivo study, it is indicated that CS could enhance the regeneration of injured tubular cells. In addition, sera obtained from 5/6 nephrectomized rats (5/6 NT) and rhubarb treated rats were studied to see their effects on tubular cells growth. The results showed that the serum of 5/6 NT rats could promote the DNA synthesis of tubular epithelium, while the presence of experimental serum of rhubarb in culture median markedly inhibited the DNA synthesis of cells.