[Tumour necrotic factor (TNF) in the pathogenesis of liver necrosis in viral hepatitis and strategy for its prevention and treatment]

We determined serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBM) TNF activity in 8 healthy donors and 47 patients with hepatitis by using 3H-thymidine release method of Maennel et al. The serum TNF levels were significantly increased in chronic active hepatitis and subacute hepatic failure (13.8 +/- 6.3, and 19.4 +/- 3.9). Patients with serum bilirubin more than 10 mg/ml showed a higher serum TNF level than those with lower serum bilirubin. A significant elevation of TNF level was also observed in patients with positive endotoxemia or concurrent bacterial or viral infections. Experimental liver injury in Wistar rats induced by galactosamine (GLN) and LPS produced marked increase of serum TNF level and submassive liver necrosis. It is noteworthy that normal serum TNF and markedly ameliorated liver injury were observed in rats that received combined treatment with GLN, LPS and hepatopoietin (HPN), a low molecular peptide extracted from suckling porcine liver. In vitro, HPN also significantly suppressed TNF activity when it was co-incubated with PBM and LPS. An encouraging result was observed in preliminary clinical trial of HPN for the treatment of subacute liver failure. It suggests that Serum TNF appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis of liver injury from viral hepatitis and HPN seems to be a protection in liver injury against TNF activity.

Effects of the heat-tonification method on the surface temperature of the body observed by infra-red thermography

With the infra-red thermography, 73 tests of the effect of Heat-Tonification maneuvers on body surface temperature were made. The experiments showed that application of Heat-Tonification produced marked elevation of temperature at the site of puncture, over the face and the front of the neck. The differences between pre- and post-needling temperatures were statistically significant (P less than 0.02 and P less than 0.01). Furthermore, 44.8% of the tests showed elevation of temperature over the trunk and extremities, and the distribution of temperature elevation followed the course of the meridians mostly. The findings demonstrated that the Heat-Tonification method mobilized Qi and activated Blood through influence over the vegetative nervous system that led to readjustment of blood circulation.

[A comparative study of the intelligence of younger children in Guizhou city, the countryside and areas of Miao]

This essay sums up the experience of China-wechsler young child scale of intelligence (C-WYCST) to test the intelligence of the normal younger children living in Guizhou city, the countryside (Han and Miao). Primarily, we make clear the general information concerning the mental development by testing 1057 aged from 3 and 10 months to 6 and 10 months among them. The essay also demonstrates the importance of cultivating the younger children intelligence, especially to further the cultivation of the countries and the minority nationalities younger children in our prorinee.

The effect on egg shell quality of supplementing saline drinking water with sodium or ammonium bicarbonate

Supplementing the town water supply of laying hens with 600 mg sodium chloride (NaCl)/L significantly decreased egg shell quality and significantly increased the incidence of egg shell defects without affecting egg production and egg weight or food and water intakes. A smaller, but still significant, increase in egg shell defects was also observed with sodium bicarbonate (NHCO3) supplementation of town water. Ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) supplementation of town water had no significant effect on egg shell defects and, when added to drinking water containing NaCl, significantly reduced the incidence of shell defects. A smaller beneficial effect was observed when NHCO3was added to saline water. Ammonium bicarbonate, when added to saline drinking water at concentrations of 250 and 450 mg/L, reduced water intake, an effect not observed when these same supplements were added to town water. This suggests that the presence of NaCl in the water may affect kidney function so that the use of NH4HCO3may have limited value, especially at higher water salinities. Shell gland fluid composition was influenced less by treatment than by whether or not hens were laying eggs with defective shells.

Bioavailability of iron-milk-protein complexes and fortified cheddar cheese

Iron fortification is used to increase dietary iron intake. Dairy products are widely consumed but contain almost no iron. Cheddar cheese was fortified with ferric chloride or iron-casein, ferripolyphosphate-whey protein, and iron-whey protein complexes. Hemoglobin regeneration efficiency was determined to evaluate iron bioavailability. Maximal and basal iron bioavailabilities were measured in anemic weanling rats fed low iron diets (about 22 mg iron/kg) and normal adult rats fed high iron diets (about 145 mg iron/kg) of iron density (32 mg iron/1000 kcal) found in some high iron human diets. Maximal iron bioavailabilities for ferric chloride or iron-casein, ferripolyphosphate-whey protein, and iron-whey protein complexes were 85, 71, 73, and 72%, respectively, and for the respective iron-fortified cheeses they were 75, 66, 74, and 67%. Differences were not significant in maximal iron bioavailabilities among iron sources and between fortified cheeses and fortification iron sources. Basal iron bioavailabilities for 10-d feeding of the respective fortification iron sources were 5, 8, 6 and 7%, respectively, and 4, 4, 3, and 3% for 14 d feeding; the differences among the iron sources were not significant. Maximal and basal iron bioavailabilities of ferrous sulfate were 85 and 5%, respectively. Practical implications of these observations are discussed.

Sinus node electrogram recording in complete atrioventricular block

Surface electrocardiogram (ECG), sinus node electrogram (SNE), His bundle electrogram (HBE), and intracardiac electrogram of high right atrium (HRA) were recorded synchronously in 11 of the 14 consecutive cases with complete atrioventricular block (CAVB). SNE showed the presence of a pre-P wave that preceded in all the P wave on the ECG and had no relationship to QRS complex or TU repolarization. This confirmed that the pre-P wave arose from the sinus node. Direct sinoatrial conduction time (SACTd) in nine cases was within the normal range (less than 120 msec). SACTd in another two cases was prolonged to 185 msec and 210 msec, respectively, suggesting their abnormal sinus node conduction.

[The distribution, characteristics and effects of ir-BNP in central and peripheral tissues in rat]

The present study first investigated the distribution, biochemical characteristics, receptor binding and biological effects of immunoreactive brain natriuretic peptide (ir-BNP), in the central nervous system and some peripheral tissues in rats, using highly specific radioimmunoassay, radioreceptor assay and immunohistochemical method. The results suggest that BNP may be a novel neurotransmitter or circulatory hormone, which is widely distributed in various tissues and involved in the regulation of water electrolyte balance and cardiovascular activity.

Bioavailability of total iron from meat, spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.) and meat-spinach mixtures by anaemic and non-anaemic rats

1. Bioavailability of Fe from beef, spinach (Spinacea oleracea L.) and their mixtures was studied using anaemic and non-anaemic rats by haemoglobin regeneration efficiency (HRE) and apparent Fe absorption in two trials. 2. The initial haemoglobin levels of severely anaemic, mildly anaemic and non-anaemic rats were 63, 88 and 113 g/l, respectively. The Fe level in diets was about 30 mg/kg. All other nutrients equalled or exceeded the requirement of the growing rat. 3. The spinach Fe was well utilized by the rats with average HRE of 0.41, 0.53 and 0.36, and apparent Fe absorptions averaging 0.48, 0.59 and 0.37 for the severely anaemic, mildly anaemic and non-anaemic animals respectively. 4. Beef Fe was efficiently used by rats as reported by others. Average HRE were 0.42, 0.51 and 0.44, and average apparent Fe absorptions were 0.44, 0.47 and 0.46 for the severely anaemic, mildly anaemic and non-anaemic rats respectively. 5. When the percentage of meat Fe was increased from 0 to 25, 50, 75 or 100 of the dietary Fe, HRE and apparent Fe absorption were not increased significantly. A meat enhancement effect on total Fe absorption, reported by others for non-haem-Fe, did not occur in the present experiment. 6. Negative correlation coefficients between initial haemoglobin and HRE (r -0.79), and initial haemoglobin and apparent Fe absorption (r -0.73) were seen with the rats fed on dietary Fe from FeSO4.7H2O. This was not seen with the rats fed on dietary Fe from beef or spinach. 7. The Fe absorption pattern for the different Fe sources is evidence for a third Fe pool, a pool made up of highly soluble inorganic Fe salt, in addition to haem-Fe and non-haem-Fe complex pools. FeSO4.7H2O is not in the same gastrointestinal pool as non-haem-Fe complex such as spinach Fe. A suggested mechanism of absorption is discussed.

Missense Mutation in the Chlamydomonas Chloroplast Gene that Encodes the Rubisco Large Subunit

The 69-12Q mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii lacks ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity, but retains holoenzyme protein. It results from a mutation in the chloroplast large-subunit gene that causes an isoleucine-for-threonine substitution at amino-acid residue 173. Considering that lysine-175 is involved in catalysis, it appears that mutations cluster at the active site.

Residual tactile sensitivity with self-directed stimulation in hemianaesthesia

A case of hemianaesthesia caused by right hemisphere stroke was found to have good sensitivity and cutaneous localisation when she touched her impaired hand with her good contralateral hand or with a probe held by that hand. The capacity did not depend solely upon movement or positioning of her right arm, and she could also discriminate whether her own left fingers, as opposed to someone else's inter-digitated fingers, were being touched, but only when she did the touching. Thus, the threshold of the impaired hand appeared to be markedly affected by active involvement of the contralateral limb in delivering the stimulus.

Histone acetylation in chicken erythrocytes. Estimation of the percentage of sites actively modified

Within the N-terminal regions of the DNA-bound histone, 26 lysine residues per nucleosome may be acetylated and deacetylated. In the present paper the percentage of these residues actively acetylated and deacetylated in chicken erythrocytes was measured. This percentage is estimated as 3.7% in chicken immature, and 2.1% in chicken mature, erythrocytes. In metabolically active, dividing, cells one would predict that, after a few generations, each site would at some point in time be modified. We conclude that, in the relatively inactive immature chicken erythrocyte, no more than 1-2% of the genome is composed of dynamically acetylated and deacetylated histone, this percentage decreasing with cell maturity. The active histone acetylation and deacetylation may be confined to transcriptionally active or potentially active erythrocyte domains.