Clinical and experimental studies of cigarette smoking in microvascular tissue transfers

Circulatory crisis, attributed to cigarette smoking, in three microvascular cases (two toe transfers, one musculocutaneous flap) is reported. After anticoagulation and antispasm treatment only one transfer survived. Coordinated experimental studies in the rat demonstrated that cigarette smoking delayed anastomotic healing. Five days after anastomoses were performed, endothelial cells completely covered the sutures in the experimental smoking group in only 16-19% of sutures, while the control group had a 75% coverage rate. Mechanisms and characteristics of circulatory crisis caused by cigarette smoking are discussed.

Susceptibility to ozone-induced inflammation. I. Genetic control of the response to subacute exposure

We demonstrated previously that C57BL/6J (B6) inbred mice are susceptible and C3H/HeJ (C3) mice are resistant to airway inflammation that is induced by acute (3 h) exposure to 2 parts per million (ppm) ozone (O3). In the present study we tested the hypothesis that B6 and C3 mice are also differentially susceptible to the airway inflammatory responses to subacute (72 h) exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of O3 (0.12 and 0.30 ppm). Male mice (20-25 g, 5-7 wk) were exposed continuously to 0.12 ppm O3, 0.30 ppm O3, or filtered air (control). Pulmonary inflammation was assessed after 24, 48, and 72 h by differential cell count and total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) returns. Exposure to 0.12 ppm O3 caused significant influx of alveolar macrophages, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), lymphocytes, and total BAL protein in both strains, but no differences in the magnitude of the responses were found between B6 and C3 mice. In contrast to the effect of 0.12 ppm O3, exposure to 0.30 ppm O3 elicited significantly greater numbers of inflammatory cells and BAL protein concentration in B6 mice relative to C3 mice. The phenotypes of the B6 and C3 mice were termed susceptible and resistant, respectively. To further evaluate the potential genetic contribution to the inflammatory response to 0.30 ppm O3, the F1, F2, and backcross progeny from B6 and C3 progenitors were examined. The ratios of susceptible and resistant phenotypes of these progeny support the hypothesis that a single autosomal recessive gene confers susceptibility to subacute O3-induced inflammation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Effect of NO-like relaxing factor (NO-LRF) in rat tourniquet shock]

On tourniquet shock (ToS) rat model, it was found that the reactivity of isolated perfused aortic ring to noradrenaline was decreased, while the cGMP content of the aortic tissue was increased. These ToS-induced changes could be potentiated or attenuated respectively by perfusion with NO-precursor, L-arginine, or NO-synthesis inhibitor L-NNA independent of the presence of vascular endothelium. Guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue, could also attenuate the aortic reactivity. All these results suggest that the aortic musculature can produce a NO-LRF factor capable of lowering the vascular reactivity of the ToS animals. That L-arginine can ameliorate while L-NNA can exacerbate ToS, suggest that NO-LRF do play an adaptive role in the protective mechanism of the organism during ToS.

[A control study on memory and related factors in patients with depression]

The results of an analysis of memory function and related factors in 107 patients with depression and in 76 normal controls revealed that obvious disturbance of memory level and various functions including long-term memory, short-term memory and immediate memory, were seen in observation group. The disturbance of memory function was related to sex, age, education and occupation. No relationship in EGG and depression was found.

Vessel pathology and its clinical significance in toe transfer

One hundred cases of toe transfer were subjected to histopathologic vessel examination. Results indicated that vascular injuries are crucially responsible for perioperative and postoperative crisis. A thorough resection of the abnormal vessel segment can prevent circulatory crisis and elevate the survival rate.

[Role of endothelin in the pathogenesis of rat experimental hypertension produced by aorta narrowing and saline uptake]

Endothelin is a bioactive polypeptide released from vascular endothelium, which has a strong action promoting vascular contraction, proliferation and hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells. The present investigation was performed on the hypertensive rat produced by narrowing abdominal aorta and drinking saline. It was observed that the level of plasma endothelin in the hypertensive rats was doubled (9.70 +/- 0.68 vs. sham group 4.11 +/- 0.33 pg/ml, P < 0.01), and administration of specific endothelin-antiserum into hypertensive rats significantly attenuated the increase in the blood pressure (18.97 + 1.32 vs. 27.33 + 0.09 kPa in untreated hypertensive rats, P < 0.01), and dramatically ameliorated malfunction resulting from myocardial hypertrophy. The results suggest that endothelin is an important factor in the pathogenesis of hypertension, and that inhibition of endothelin action may be a new effective way in prevention and therapy of hypertension.

Ca(2+)-binding properties of the platelet glycoprotein IIb ligand-interacting domain

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb is the alpha subunit of platelet integrin GPIIb-IIIa. Analysis of the primary structure of this subunit has indicated the presence of four stretches of amino acid residues that are highly conserved among various integrin alpha subunits and that have been suggested to be putative calcium-binding sites. To verify the Ca(2+)-binding capacity of these conserved domains and their implication in integrin adhesive functions, a fragment corresponding to the amino acid sequence of GPIIb from positions 171 to 464 was expressed. The nucleotide sequence coding for this GPIIb domain was generated by polymerase chain reaction, cloned into the pTG1924 expression vector, and expressed in Escherichia coli strain TGE901. The recombinant protein was purified by gel exclusion chromatography and used in equilibrium dialysis experiments. The results demonstrate that the four binding sites can be occupied by Ca2+. Two classes of binding sites can be detected, including two sites with a Kd of 30 microns and two sites of lower affinity with a Kd of 120 microns. Interaction of Ca2+ with these two classes of sites was inhibited by a large excess of Mg2+ or Mn2+, suggesting that these cations are competitive for the same sites on GPIIb. Thus, the four Ca(2+)-binding sites of GPIIb are not similar and exhibit different affinities for divalent ions. To verify the functional implication of these Ca(2+)-binding sites, the effect of Ca2+ on the binding of fibrinogen to the recombinant protein was analyzed using a solid-phase assay. The results indicate that optimal fibrinogen binding occurs when the four calcium-binding sites are occupied and establish the functional importance of this Ca(2+)-binding domain in the ligand-binding activity of GPIIb.

Cervical nerve root transfer from contralateral normal side for treatment of brachial plexus root avulsions

The authors had designed cervical root nerve transfer from the contralateral normal side for the treatment of brachial plexus root avulsions in August 1986. Since then, the operation was performed in 50 cases. Follow-up studies showed that resection of C-7 root from the healthy side produced no long-term ill effect except numbness and pain of the fingers and weakness of gripping strength shortly after the procedure. In 10 recipient nerves of 9 cases with follow-ups of more than 2 years, satisfactory results were seen in 7. This is a new approach for the treatment of persistent cases of brachial plexus avulsion.

Induction of cytochrome P450 isozymes in human amnion FL cells

The human epithelial FL cell line contains low levels of constitutive ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities, of which ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase could be induced by norepinephrine, beta-naphthoflavone and 3-methylcholanthrene, but ethoxy-couarin O-deethylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities could be induced by norepinephrine, beta-naphthoflavone and 3-methylcholanthrene as well as phenobarbital. Inducibility of ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities was 3.1-6.7-, 1.8-3.1- and 1.4-2.0-fold respectively. Co-treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene and norepinephrine resulted in higher ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities than treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene alone. The induced ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase and ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activities remained at a high level for 24-36 h after removal of the inducer from the medium. The metabolizing ability of induced FL cells is stronger than that of non-induced ones in a given time following induction. The results further confirm that it is feasible to use the cytochrome P450 isozyme-induced FL cell as a biological indicator in short-term tests for screening promutagens/procarcinogens.

[Dynamic changes in depolarization of action potentials by high frequency stimulation in guinea pig papillary muscles]

The effect of high frequency stimulation on rate-dependent depression of depolarization of action potentials was studied with computer and standard microelectrode techniques in guinea pig papillary muscles. After increasing driving frequency from 0.5 to 6 Hz, decreases in Vmax, APA and OS were found. Changes of upstroke velocity during phase 0 between driving frequency 6 and 0.5 Hz could be described as a parabola. The rate-dependent depression of depolarization was exaggerated by tetrodotoxin (TTX), particularly during the accelerating period of phase 0. A progressive decline in Vmax, which could be fitted by a power function curve, was observed after changing driving frequency from 1 to 5 Hz. TTX significantly influenced the decline in Vmax and the regression coefficients in fitted equations.

[A comparative study of memory using WMS-R in cases with brain damage and normal subjects]

The data of comparative study using WMS-R in 54 cases with Brain damage, and in 52 normal subjects, were presented. The main findings revealed, (1) Overall, various impairments of memory function were observed, but there were somewhat in varying degrees of memory impairment from different category of disease. (2) More serious memory impairment was seen in epileptic group, metabolic disease group, and degenerative disorder group successively. (3) No correlation between the memory impairment and sex, as well as the morbid course, was found. It seems to be relate to the disease itself.

[Subcloning of K88ac antigen gene of enterotoigenic E. coli and the restriction map of recombinant plasmid]

We had reported a recombinant E. coli RR1(pNZ8801) which was obtained from a wild strain E. coli 79-1454. The recombinant plasmid was digested by EcoRI and generated three segments, medium segment (3.2Md) was removed, the largest and the smallest segment was ligased, then the mixture was transformed into E. coli RRI, screening Ap(r) Tc(s) clones, one of recombinants was named E. coli RR1(pNZ8802). The recombinant plasmid molecular weight is smaller, but expression of K88ac antigen is higher than first cloning. Subcloning can adhere to mucosae of piglet's intesting. Therefore, the recombinant can be use for oval living vaccine.

[A new method prepared gene probe]

Plasmid pNZ8802 containing K88ac gene was digested by EcoRI, and the small fragment was cloned to vector plasmid pUB110. One of the hybrid plasmids was named as pNZ8803 which was used to gene probe for detecting varity of strains. Strains containing K88ac or K88ab gene were all positive hybridization, and strains which did not containing K88ac gene were all negative hybridization. The result indicated that the gene probe was highly specificity and sensitivity.