[Study of the mechanism of gastrodin and derivatives of gastrodigenin]

The tritiated alpha-isobutylhydroxybenzyl alcohol (3H-G018) was found to be able to bind benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor on the rat brain membrane. The 125I labeled G-018 also had the similar binding activity with this receptor. In the present investigation, we observed that gastrodigenin and its derivatives inhibited the 125I-G018 binding of BZ receptor competitively, but no inhibition was observed with gastrodin. The results suggested that Gastrodigenin was bound to BZ receptor, and otherwise, gastrodin would have no direct interaction with BZ receptor. Probably, it might metabolize into gastrodigenin in vivo, and then got through the blood brain barrier and bound to BZ receptor, which mediated its pharmacological effects on the central nervous system.

Delayed radiation encephalopathy after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer: a CT study of 45 cases

The CT features of 45 cases of delayed radiation encephalopathy (including radiation necrosis) following radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma are reported. The brain lesions were uni- or bilateral and involved mainly the white matter and subsequently the gray matter of the lower portion of the brain included within the portals of irradiation and its vicinity. The lesions were edematous and hypodense on CT and showed postcontrast enhancement in 50% of the cases. Within the period of follow-up (1-5 years), the lesions showed remissions and exacerbations and in some cases stabilized. In addition, there was progressive cerebral atrophy, manifesting itself mainly as dilatation of the temporal horns, the neighboring cisterns, and sylvian fissures. In some cases that were followed for a long time, the cerebral lesions showed either foci of calcification or encephalomalacia and/or porencephaly.

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration in Acanthopanax senticosus

Mature embryos of Acanthopanax senticosus explanted on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 0.5 mg/1 2,4-D developed somatic embryos directly from swollen cotyledon and embryo axes within one to two months. When the somatic embryos were transferred to medium supplemented with 2,4-D (0.5 mg/1) or IAA (1-3 mg/1) or Zeatin (0.5 mg/1) and NAA (0.2 mg/1), additional somatic embryos developed. Most (93%) embryos germinated on the above medium without 2,4-D. Sixty-two percent of the plantlets survived in soil. Histological observations revealed that the somatic embryos originated from cell masses of epidermal and sub-epidermal origin. There was no cytological separation zone between the somatic embryos and cultured expiants. Consequently, embryos were difficult to separate from their expiant tissue.

TG repeat polymorphism at the D21S167 locus

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[Relation of cytochemistry changes in the peripheral blood ANAE in chronic glomerulonephritis and differentiation-syndromes]

The ANAE reaction of the peripheral blood from 24 patients of chronic glomerulonephritis (grouped according to the identification of TCM) and 30 normal individuals were observed by cytochemistry and microspectrophotometry. It was found that the percentages of positive lymphocytes of the deficiency of Kidney-Yin was 47.8 +/- 7.6%, among which the percentages of lymphocytes of spot granular pattern and scattered granular pattern were 42.4 +/- 6.3% and 5.4 +/- 2.2% respectively, the ANAE relative quality of monocytes of the deficiency of Kidney-Yin was 51.26 +/- 2.59. They were 39.7 +/- 7.4%, 31.2 +/- 5.8%, 8.5 +/- 2.7% and 41.84 +/- 2.66 respectively in the deficiency of Kidney-Yang. The results of normal group were 65.5 +/- 6.8%, 53.6 +/- 6.7%, 11.9 +/- 3.4% and 54.78 +/- 3.34 in their given order. The differences in three groups each other were marked significantly. The authors have found the difference between the patients of chronic glomerulonephritis and the normal individuals was significant statistically.

Five polymorphic microsatellite VNTRs on the human X chromosome

The human genome contains approximately 50,000 copies of an interspersed repeat with the sequence (dT.dG/dA.dC)n, where n = approximately 10-60. We and others have found that several of these repeats have variable lengths in different individuals, with allelic fragments varying in size by multiples of 2 bp. These "microsatellite" variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) may be scored by PCR, using unique flanking primers to amplify the repeat-containing regions and resolving the products on DNA sequencing gels. Since few VNTRs have been found on the X chromosome, we screened a flow-sorted X chromosome-specific genomic library for microsatellites. Approximately 25% of the phage clones hybridized to a poly (dT-dG).poly(dA-dC) probe. Of seven X-linked microsatellites present in positive phages, five are polymorphic and three have both eight or more alleles and heterozygosities exceeding 75%. Using PCR to amplify genomic DNAs from hybrid cell panels, we confirmed the X localization of these VNTRs and regionally mapped four of them. The fifth VNTR was regionally mapped by virtue of its tight linkage to DXS87 in Centre du Polymorphisme Humain families. We conclude that whatever factors limit the occurrence of "classical" VNTRs and RFLPs on the X chromosome do not appear to operate in the case of microsatellite VNTRs.

[Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide levels and their clinical importance in infant with pneumonia associated with congestive heart failure]

Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) Levels were measured by radioimmunoassay both in 38 infants with pneumonia and 20 infants with pneumonia associated with congestive heart failure (CHF). 10 of the 20 infants with CHF were examined with echocardiography during CHF and recovery period. The plasma ANP Levels in the pneumonia group was 424.3 +/- 214.4 pg/ml (mean +/- SD). Which was significantly higher than that of the control group (P less than 0.01). The plasma ANP levels in pneumonia with CHF group was 684.4 +/- 366.9 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that in the group of pneumonia without CHF (P less than 0.01). Positive linear correlation was found between the mean pulmonary artery pressure and plasma ANP content (r = 0.717, P less than 0.05). The results of this study suggest that plasma ANP concentration may give useful information on the indication of using vasodilators in infant with pneumonia. It may also be taken as a practical diagnostic indicator in pneumonia associated with CHF.

[Treatment of ulcerative colitis by traditional Chinese medicine and dynamic study of immune functions]

The effect of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs enema and enteric-coated capsules in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) were compared in 260 cases. The immune complexes and the dynamic change of autoantibodies were monitored in 28 out of the 260 cases before and after treatment. The following results were observed. (1) There was no significant difference in the total effective rate between the enema group and the oral capsule group (93.3% and 87.5% respectively), but the recovery rates of purulent hemafecia, mucusfecia and erosion accompanying colitis, etc. in the former group were higher than those in the latter (P less than 0.01). (2) The circulating immune complexes were found 43 times above the normal range in 17 cases with positive rate 60.7%, and tended to decrease as the condition became better after treatment. Antinuclear antibodies were determined by the indirect fluorescent immune method and the indirect enzyme labelling method and the positive rates were 53.6% and 64.7% respectively, both being much higher than those in the controls (P less than 0.01).

Medicinal plants in therapy

One of the prerequisites for the success of primary health care is the availability and use of suitable drugs. Plants have always been a common source of medicaments, either in the form of traditional preparations or as pure active principles. It is thus reasonable for decision-makers to identify locally available plants or plant extracts that could usefully be added to the national list of drugs, or that could even replace some pharmaceutical preparations that need to be purchased and imported. This update article presents a list of plant-derived drugs, with the names of the plant sources, and their actions or uses in therapy.