[Construction of Chinese genomic cosmid library]

A Chinese genomic library has been constructed using SuperCos1 cosmid vector. 6.09 x 10(5) clones were obtained with an everage insert size of 40 kb ranging from 32 to 45 kb, which cover approximately 8.12 fold human genomic DNA. DNA pools prepared from the total library were screened with 6 known markers distributed on different chromosomes, which all were tested positive.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of megestrol acetate on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at remission stage]

It has been reported that malnutrition is common in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. In order to observe the effects of Megestrol Acetate (MA) on nutritional status, respiratory muscle strength and immunological parameters in stable COPD patients, 31 stable COPD patients were divided into two groups at random--a treatment group of 16 cases and a control group of 15 cases. Before and after treatment all parameters were recorded, including food and energy intake, body weight, triceps skinfolds (TSF), pre-albumin, transferrin, albumin. Lung function, respiratory muscle and handgrip strength were examined and immunological parameters also determined. After taking MA 160 mg/day orally for two weeks, the treatment group got benefits as follows: heat energy and protein intake increased fro 6977.9 +/- 1136 kJ/d and 44.65 +/- 13.75 g/d to 9854.0 +/- 2355.3 kJ/d and 84.80 +/- 20.23 g/d respectively. With the increase of daily energy and protein intake, body weight increased from 48.27 +/- 8.61kg to 50.34 +/- 8.76 kg, TSF from 11.75 +/- 4.50 mm to 15.06 +/- 4.73 mm, serum pre-albumin from 306.6 +/- 33.7 mg/L to 332.6 +/- 1 mg/L, transferrin from 3.09 +/- 0.21 g/L to 3.46 +/- 0.32 g/L, albumin from 38.00 +/- 1.73 g/L to 42.64 +/- 3.36 g/L, MIP from 4.77 +/- 2.14 kPa (1 kPa = 7.5 mmHg) to 6.31 +/- 2.87 kPa, MEP from 6.21 +/- 2.90 kPa to 7.20 +/- 3.67 kPa and 6 minutes walking distance from 280.2 +/- 76.4 m to 370.6 +/- 81.5 m. Handgrip strength also improved. Blood lymphocyte transformation rate elevated too. (The changes of all these parameters indicated above were statistically significant, P < 0.01). However, parameters of lung function, blood gas analysis, serum immunoglobulin and complement 3 did not change significantly. In 15 control patients all the parameters did not change significantly. There were few side effects; only one case complained of nausea and vomiting. It was shown that MA can stimulate appetite and increase dietintake, improve nutritional status, elevate respiratory muscle strength, and enhance immunity. MA is a safe and effective drug which exerts a beneficial influence on stable COPD.

Detection of ultraviolet photoproducts in mouse skin exposed to natural sunlight

In the present study, we for the first time investigated the formation of ultraviolet (UV) photoproducts, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4) photoproducts (64PPs) and Dewar isomers, in vivo in shaved and depilated C3H/HeN mouse skin exposed to natural sunlight (NSL) at noon for 5 min to 1 h in mid-summer, using a highly sensitive immunohistochemical method. This method permits the quantitative analysis of UV-photoproducts in formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded sections with specific antibodies against CPDs, 64PPs and Dewar isomers. We demonstrated that the induction of CPDs in vivo in mouse skin by NSL was exposure time-dependent, but the accumulation of 64PPs or Dewar isomers was comparatively low in the skin sections from mice exposed to NSL in vivo. The results indicate that CPDs are the main photoproducts in vivo induced by sunlight and that their formation and repair may be important in connection with carcinogenesis in sun-exposed areas of human skin.

Transcriptional regulation of the Bacillus subtilis menp1 promoter

The Bacillus subtilis men genes encode biosynthetic enzymes for formation of the respiratory chain component menaquinone. The menp1 promoter previously was shown to be the primary cis element for menFD gene expression. In the present work, it was found that either supplementation with nonfermentable carbon sources or reutilization of glycolytic end products increased menp1 activity in the late postexponential phase. The effect on menp1 activity by a particular end product (such as acetoin or acetate) was prevented by blocking the corresponding pathway for end product utilization. Alteration of a TGAAA motif within the promoter region resulted in unregulated menp1 activity throughout the culture cycle, irrespective of the carbon source added.

[Effect of ultrasonic extraction on extraction rate of berberine]

The parameters are proposed which can be used in extracting berberine from the rhizoma of Coptis chinensis with ultrasound. Compared with traditional immersing method, ultrasonic extraction is time saving and of higher extraction rate.

Quantitative detection of ultraviolet light-induced photoproducts in mouse skin by immunohistochemistry

UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4)photoproducts [(6-4)photoproducts] in mouse skin DNA were quantitatively measured using an immunohistochemical approach with a computer-aided color image analyzer. The skins of the C3H/HeN mice were irradiated with ultraviolet B (UV-B, 280-320 nm), and processed to give conventional formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded histologic sections. Routine immunohistochemistry clearly demonstrated a dose-dependent induction of both photoproducts. CPDs were detectable at doses > or = 125 J/m2, while for (6-4)photoproducts, the minimal dose at which they were detectable was 250 J/m2 in the present study. A time course study showed that the repair of (6-4)photoproducts was more rapid than that of CPDs, and that epidermal cells had a higher capacity for their removal than dermal cells. About half of the (6-4)photoproducts were excised within the first 24 h after the irradiation, and the process was essentially complete by 72 h. In contrast, there was no apparent removal (less than 10%) of CPDs in the first 24 h and they only completely disappeared from the epidermal cells at 120 h after irradiation. The effect of DNA dilution due to increased turnover of epidermal cells after UV-B irradiation was evaluated by quantitative immunohistochemical measurement of the time course of bromodeoxy-uridine (BrdUrd) incorporated into nuclei at 2 days post irradiation when the proliferation reaches a peak. The removal of photoproducts was more marked than the decrease in BrdUrd staining. Our results suggest that mouse skin cells can repair both (6-4)photoproducts and CPDs, but with considerably lower efficiency, especially in the latter case, then human or monkey skin cells.

Inhibitory effect of probucol on nephrotoxicity induced by ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) in rats

Effects of dietary probucol on renal damage induced by a renal carcinogen, ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA), in male Wistar rats were quantitatively investigated with a computer-mediated image analyzer. The kidneys of rats fed a 1% probucol diet were protected from necrosis and lipid peroxidation induced by a single i.p. treatment with Fe-NTA solution at 5 mg Fe/kg body wt and were significantly resistant to a higher dose. For the parameter of lipid peroxidation, Schiff's staining method was utilized to demonstrate the extent of formation of aldehydes, products of lipid peroxidation. Thus following injection of Fe-NTA solution at 10 mg Fe/kg body wt the average areas of tubular necrosis were 85.8% versus 56.9% and the positive areas for Schiff's staining were 15.3% versus 5.6% in the renal cortices of rats fed control of 1% probucol diets respectively. These results indicate that probucol provides protection against Fe-NTA-induced nephrotoxicity through its antioxidant properties. In addition to being a cholesterol-lowering drug, useful for the control of hypercholesterolemia, probucol may therefore be beneficial for prevention and treatment of various pathogenic processes including those leading to carcinogenesis.

Inhibitory effect of probucol on benzo[a]pyrene induced lung tumorigenesis

The effects of probucol, a clinically used cholesterol lowering and antioxidant drug, on benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) induced pulmonary and forestomach tumorigenesis as well as induction of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in female A/J mice was investigated. Diet containing 1% probucol fed prior to, during and after 8 bi-weekly 1 mg/mouse oral intubations of B[a]P, reduced the number of pulmonary adenomas by 52% (P < 0.001) and the number of forestomach tumors by 31%. The 0.06% probucol diet also resulted in decreased tumor formation but the differences did not reach statistical significance. Both probucol diets significantly reduced the numbers of large ACF, putative preneoplastic lesions of the colon mucosa, but showed no effects on the total numbers of ACF. The results of this study suggest that probucol may also be useful as a chemopreventive agent, in addition to being a cholesterol lowering and anti-atherogenic drug with low toxicity.

[The effect of platelet-activating factor antagonists on early bacteria translocation of rat after burn injury]

30% third degree burn model of Wistar rat was used in this experiment. The animals were divided randomly into three groups (normal control, burn, and platelet-activating factor antagonist treatment). After poured E. coli which labelled with acridine orange into intestine, the rats were killed at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hrs postburn, the bacteria in mesentery lymph node (MLN), liver and pulmonary organisms were cultured and counted, also observed by fluorescent microscopy directly. The results showed that, in PAF antagonist (WEB2170) treatment group, the quantity of bacteria in MLN, liver and lung were decreased significantly (P < 0.001). The labelled bacteria in MLN, liver and lung of burn group were 100%, 80.0%, and 50.0% respectively compared with 40.0%, 30.0%, and 20.0% in treatment group. It is suggested that WEB 2170 could protect the intestine from bacteria translocation after burn injury.

Exotic collagen gradients in the byssus of the mussel Mytilus edulis

Byssal threads of the common mussel Mytilus edulis contain collagenous molecules from which two pepsin-resistant fragments have been isolated and characterized. These show a complementary distribution along the length of the thread, such that one predominates distally (Col-D) and the other proximally (Col-P). Both fragments contain three identical alpha-like chains with molecular masses of 50 kDa (Col-P) and 60 kDa (Col-D) and have typically collagenous amino acid compositions; for example, 35% glycine and almost 20% proline plus 4-trans-hydroxyproline. Hydroxylysine and 3-hydroxyproline were absent. Col-P sequences are also typical of collagen in consisting of tandem repeats of the triplet Gly-X-Y in which X and Y generally represent any amino acid. When proline occurs, it is hydroxylated to 4-trans-hydroxyproline only in the Y position. Seven instances where X is glycine have been detected in Col-P. Specific polyclonal anti-Col antibodies were used to isolate the precursors of Col-P and Col-D from the mussel foot. PreCol-P has a molecular mass of 95 kDa and contains 36% glycine but a lower imino acid content (13%). It has a complementary distribution with another precursor (preCol-D, 97 kDa) along the length of the foot. The two precursor compositions suggest resilin-like and silk-fibroin-like structures, respectively, in the noncollagenous domains of preCol-P and preCol-D. Immunogold labelling studies indicate that Col-P is associated with the coiled fibers of the inner core in the proximal portion of the thread, whereas Col-D is localized to the straight fiber bundles of the distal thread as well as to the outer core of the proximal thread.

A two-year experience with laparoscopic cholecystectomy--a report of 1475 cases from Kunming, China

Over a 2-year period, from 12 September 1991 to 11 September 1993, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed on 1475 patients with benign gallbladder disease in Kunming General Hospital, Yunnan, China. Of these, 28 cases (1.9%) were converted to open surgery. Various complications were documented in 27 instances including extrahepatic bile duct injury in 4 cases (0.3%), postoperative haemorrhage requiring laparotomy in 3 cases (0.2%) and bile leak from cystic duct stump in 1 case (0.07%). There was 1 (0.07%) death in the series. The junction between the gallbladder infundibulum and the cystic duct is an important landmark which laparoscopic surgeons must identify in the course of the procedure. Because the junction remains a comparatively constant landmark, in difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy, excessive dissection of the bile duct would be unnecessary. During dissection of the hepatic hilus, blund dissection is recommended and the blind use of cautery and haemostasis should be avoided.

Effect of estrogen on egg production, shell quality and calcium metabolism in molted hens

Force-molted White Leghorn laying hens were implanted with 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 3 Compudose 200 pellets (24 mg 17 beta estradiol/pellet). Plasma estradiol increased with increasing E2 dosages in a linear manner and decreased over time in a quadratic manner (P < 0.01). E2 treatment had a nonlinear effect on total plasma calcium. Oviduct weight, shell thickness and egg weight were not significantly affected by exogenous estradiol whereas tibial bone ash percentage was increased at only one dose (P < 0.05:0.5 pellet group). Physiological supplementation with estradiol does not improve shell quality.

Allotransplantation of whole spleen in patients with hepatic malignant tumors or hemophilia A. Operative technique and preliminary results

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that the spleen performs a vital function in the fight against malignant tumors. The spleen is the primary producer of tuftsin, which can directly or indirectly kill tumor cells or inhibit their growth. The spleen is also believed to produce coagulating factor VIII. Therefore, allotransplantation of the spleen can be used in the treatment of patients with malignant tumors and hemophilia A.

DESIGN

Heterotopic allotransplantation of whole spleen was performed in six patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and hemophilia A. An adjuvant immunotherapy with interferon alfa was simultaneously administered in the patients with liver cancer.

SETTING

Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical University, Wuhan, China.

RESULTS

Among six cases of allografting of whole spleen, five grafts were successful; one failed because of torsion of the splenic hilum. Three patients with hepatocellular carcinoma survived 9, 11, and 5 months after transplantation. Marked shrinkage of hepatic tumors and reduced serum alpha-fetoprotein levels were observed in these patients. On 5-year follow-up, three patients with hemophilia who had undergone splenic allografts were alive, and two had experienced substantial clinical improvement. In these two patients, when the grafts were functioning well and the recipients were free of acute rejection or graft-vs-host reaction, the mean plasma factor VIII activity remained between 30% and 36%, with peak factor VIII activities of 53.7% and 66.6%. We also evaluate operative technique and posttransplantation complications.

CONCLUSION

Our results strongly imply that the spleen is one of the primary sites of synthesis of factor VIII and that the spleen has an inherent ability to fight malignant diseases. Allografting of whole spleen may be a promising technique for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and severe hemophilia A.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 effects in rat kidney: regulation of protein phosphorylation

This study tested the hypothesis that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 treatment alters the pattern of protein phosphorylation in rat kidney. Treatment with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (100 ng/day s.c. x 7d) in vitamin D-deficient rats markedly decreased phosphorylation of a particulate protein (91 +/- 0.6 kDa, n = 9) and moderately increased phosphorylation of a cytosolic protein (108 +/- 0.8 kDa, n = 9) in the kidney. The decreased phosphorylation of the 91-kDa particulate protein showed a graded dose response (0-200 ng/day), as did the more moderate increase in phosphorylation of the 108-kDa cytosolic protein. In conclusion, this study has provided evidence that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 plays an important role in the regulation of protein phosphorylation in rat kidney and adds these biochemical events to the growing list of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 effects in this poorly understood target tissue.

Detection of active UV-photoproduct repair in monkey skin in vivo by quantitative immunohistochemistry

Ultraviolet-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine-pyrimidone (6-4)photoproducts in DNA were quantitatively measured in monkey skin using an immunohistochemical method with two specific monoclonal antibodies. The skins of Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were irradiated with UV light and processed for preparation of conventional formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded histological sections. Both of the photoproducts were detectable in the nuclei of epidermal cells at doses of 500 J/m2 for UVB and 50 J/m2 for UVC, respectively, nuclear staining being clearly dose-dependent. Time course studies also showed a statistically significant decrease in nuclear staining with time after exposure to either UVB or UVC irradiation. Although only 30% of CPDs were removed from DNA in the first 24 h, about half of the (6-4) photoproducts were repaired within 3 h post-UV irradiation. Staining completely disappeared by 48 h in the (6-4) photoproduct case and by 72 h in the case of CPDs. The results suggest that epidermal cells of monkey skin can efficiently repair UV-photoproducts in DNA, but that the capacity is slightly less than in man.

DNA adduct formation and assessment of aberrant crypt foci in vivo in the rat colon mucosa after treatment with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea

N-Nitroso-compound DNA adduct formation in vivo and occurrence of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) were studied in the rat colon mucosa after a single, local treatment with a carcinogen, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), using a simple surgical approach. A segment of F344 rat colon was ligated to make a pouch and injected with MNU solution. For the study of DNA adduct formation, the solution contained 50 microCi of [3H]MNU. The results demonstrated that similar ranges of carcinogen dose, i.e. 0.15 x 10(-2) - 1.5 x 10(-2) M MNU, could induce both DNA adduct formation and appearance of ACF in the rat colon with both parameters showing a nearly linear dose dependence. HPLC analysis revealed the DNA adducts to include both 7-methylguanine (7-mGua) and O6-methylguanine (O6-mGua) with the 7-mGua/O6-mGua ratio being 8.2-11.3:1 in the system used. Assessment of ACF development from 4 to 16 weeks after MNU treatment at a dose of 7.5 x 10(-2) M showed the numbers to increase up to the 8th week, followed by a decrease at weeks 12 and 16, when 40% of the ACF counted at the peak time point were still present. The percentage of large ACF (> or = 4 crypts/ACF) significantly increased with time. These results indicate a clear relation between DNA adducts and preneoplastic lesions, i.e. ACF. In conclusion, DNA adduct formation and ACF can be efficiently and simply detected in vivo by using the method described in the present paper.

Isolation and characterization of a carboxysome shell gene from Thiobacillus neapolitanus

The gene coding for the major carboxysome shell peptide (csoS1) from Thiobacillus neapolitanus has been isolated and sequenced. Oligonucleotide primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the 5' end of the gene were made possible by amino acid sequencing of the N-terminal residues of the shell peptide. A 41 bp PCR product was used as a probe to isolate the gene. The deduced amino acid composition of the 216 bp gene shows a high degree of hydrophobicity. The gene is located within a series of three repeated regions of DNA and appears to have arisen via gene duplication. The transcript of csoS1 is approximately 400 bases in length. The shell peptide shares significant homology with Synechococcus open reading frames implicated in carboxysome structure/assembly. These open reading frames and csoS1 are related and are probably members of a carboxysome gene family.

Genotypes of hepatitis C virus in Guangxi province, southern China

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been subdivided into at least four genotypes, and the prevalence of each genotype has been reported to differ widely in different countries. Of 304 patients with chronic liver diseases (68 with chronic hepatitis, 50 with liver cirrhosis and 186 with hepatocellular carcinoma) from Guangxi Province in southern China, only 9 (3.0%) had antibodies to HCV as determined by a second-generation enzyme immunoassay with a cut-off index of 2.0 or more. The HCV genotypes of these nine cases were examined using polymerase chain reaction with type-specific primers deduced from putative core gene. Seven of the nine cases had type II infection and the other two cases showed double infection with types II and IV. These findings indicate that the predominant HCV genotype in the Guangxi area is type II, as is the case in Japan, although the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with chronic liver diseases is much lower.

Characterization of the function of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-3 and comparison with ICAM-1 and ICAM-2 in immune responses

We have characterized the immunobiology of the interaction of intercellular adhesion molecule 3 (ICAM-3; CD50) with its counter-receptor, leukocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1; CD11a/CD18). Purified ICAM-3 supported LFA-1-dependent adhesion in a temperature- and cation-dependent manner. Activation of cells bearing LFA-1 increased adhesiveness for ICAM-3 in parallel to adhesiveness for ICAM-1. Although CBR-IC3/1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) blocked adhesion of cells to purified LFA-1, when tested alone, neither CBR-IC3/1 nor five novel ICAM-3 mAbs characterized here blocked adhesion of cells to purified ICAM-3 or homotypic adhesion. Two ICAM-3 mAbs, CBR-IC3/1 and CBR-IC3/2, were required to block LFA-1-dependent adhesion to purified ICAM-3- or LFA-1-dependent, ICAM-1-, ICAM-2-independent homotypic adhesion of lymphoid cell lines. Two ICAM-3 mAbs, CBR-IC3/1 and CBR-IC3/6, induced LFA-1-independent aggregation that was temperature and divalent cation dependent and was completely inhibited by ICAM-3 mAb, CBR-IC3/2, recognizing a distinct epitope. Purified ICAM-3 provided a costimulatory signal for proliferation of resting T lymphocytes. mAb to ICAM-3, together with mAbs to ICAM-1 and ICAM-2, inhibited peripheral blood lymphocyte proliferation in response to phytohemagglutinin, allogeneic stimulator cells, and specific antigen. Inhibition was almost complete and to the same level as with mAb to LFA-1, suggesting the most functionally important, and possibly all, of the ligands for LFA-1 have been defined.

A low prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus antibody in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Guangxi Province, southern China

BACKGROUND

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in southern China, including Guangxi Province, is among the highest in the world. Investigations of the etiology of HCC in this area have focused on hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin. However, hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown to be a possible pathogenic agent for HCC in a number of countries.

METHODS

Antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV), determined by second-generation enzyme immunoassay, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were assayed in the sera of 186 patients with HCC and 48 healthy control subjects from Guangxi Province in southern China.

RESULTS

HBsAg was detected in 131 (70.4%) of 186 patients with HCC, whereas only 10 (5.4%) patients were found to be positive for anti-HCV. The prevalence of anti-HCV in patients with HBsAg-positive HCC was 6.9% (9 of 131) and that in patients with HBsAg-negative HCC was 1.8% (1 of 55); there was no significant difference between these two groups. Anti-HCV was not detected in any of the healthy control subjects, in whom the prevalence of HBsAg was 10.4% (5 of 48).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that HCV does not seem to play an important role in the development of HCC in Guangxi Province; however, HBV infection appears to be a major pathogenic factor for HCC in this area.