Human myeloma light chains with increased molecular weight: high frequency among lambda chains

The discovery of a human myeloma protein comprising a kappa L-chain with an increased mol. wt of 30,000) (Bouvet et. al., 1980) prompted investigations on the incidence of such heavier L-chains among other human myeloma proteins. In 105 samples examined, 34 were found to have L-chains heavier than normal (23,000-24,000), ranging from 25,000 up to 31,000, and five of lighter mol. wt (21,000-22,000). These mol. wt abnormalities were detected by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate 10% polyacrylamide gels (SDS-PAGE) after reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol. The mol. wt of three of the heavier kappa or lambda chains was also estimated by filtration through a Sephadex G100 column and by sedimentation equilibrium. All three methods indicated a mol. wt increase of about 15-25% as compared with the usual mol. wt. The distribution of the high mol. wt chains among all L-chains examined was found to be 11 out of 62 kappa chains (17.7%) and 23 out of 43 lambda chains (53%) (P less than 0.001). A preferential association of such L-chains with H-chains producing multiple bands in SDS-PAGE (P less than 0.01) and an association between multiple L-chain and multiple H-chain band (P less than 0.05) were also observed. In contrast, no abnormal L-chain was found in immunoglobulins from normal subjects. Spontaneous degradation of the normal H-chains sometimes yielded fragments of 30,000 mol. wt. These fragments were easily distinguishable from abnormal L-chains. The nature of extra mol. wt in heavy L-chains was investigated for the presence of carbohydrate moiety. Four large and three normal size L-chains were examined for amino-sugar and sialic acid content. A small amount (one residue per molecule) of amino-sugar was detected only in two normal and two heavy L-chains, whereas sialic acid was only found in the heaviest (27,000-30,000) L-chains (Lh) and in small percentage (one or two residues per molecule). Total sugar estimation in one Lh chain indicated a proportion not exceeding three or four residues per L-chain (mol. wt 1,000) and this is insufficient to explain the 15-25% (3,600-6,000) mol. wt increase. It is therefore possible that, at least in some heavy myeloma L-chains, an additional peptide is expressed. Whatever the nature of the increase it would be of interest to elucidate whether this is a marker of malignant process or of an intermediate step of normal Ig synthesis.     

微量元素Zn,Cu,Fe与高血压关系的病例对照研究

目的探讨原发性高血压的发病因素。方法病例对照研究方法,分析了微量元素Ｚｎ、Ｃｕ、Ｆｅ与高血压的关系。结果Ｃｕ、Ｆｅ、Ｚｎ／Ｃｕ、Ｚｎ／Ｆｅ、Ｆｅ／Ｃｕ与高血压有一定关系,其中以Ｃｕ、Ｆｅ／Ｃｕ与高血压的关系更为密切。同时单相关分析说明Ｆｅ对收缩压和舒张压有正性作用,Ｚｎ／Ｆｅ对收缩压有负性联系。结论Ｚｎ／Ｃｕ、Ｚｎ／Ｆｅ、Ｆｅ／Ｃｕ对血压的作用较独立的Ｚｎ、Ｃｕ、Ｆｅ显著     

SO_4~(2-)/ZrO_2在重油催化裂化中的应用研究

对 Ｓ Ｏ２－４ ／ Ｚｒ Ｏ２ 超强酸体系作为重油催化裂化助剂进行了研究。结果表明,加入适量的 Ｓ Ｏ２－４ ／ Ｚｒ Ｏ２ 可提高轻质油收率,并能降低催化剂生焦;在工业催化裂化高温水蒸汽流化的条件下, Ｓ Ｏ２－４ ／ Ｚｒ Ｏ２ 超强酸体系中的 Ｂ 酸对重油催化裂化起着至关重要的作用。     

Myopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with selective lysis of thick filaments

We present a undescribed condition in a girl who died at 8 years of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Muscle and endomyocardial biopsies disclosed a selective loss of thick filaments ultrastructurally. In muscle biopsy histochemical abnormalities of myofibrillar AT-Pase were confined to type 1 fibres. Gel electrophoresis of muscle homogenate showed no qualitative abnormalities of slow and fast myosin heavy chains (MHC) and light chains, and the amount of the different myosin isozymes was in agreement with histochemical myofibrillar ATPase findings. The pathogenetic mechanisms have not been elucidated in this case but we suspect an abnormality of the-cardiac MHC gene, the only gene expressed in the heart and in type 1 skeletal muscle fibres.     

Peptide formation in the presence of metal ion protecting groups

A quantitative study of the degree of racemization induced by the [(NH₃)₅Co-(III)-] protecting group when bound to the C-terminal of the amino acids Leu, Phe, and His, as has been carried out. Racemization was determined by forming the diastereomeric cobalt dipeptides [(Leu)(AA)Co(III)(NH3)₅] where AA = L-Leu, L-Phe, and L-His; after cobalt removal (using NaBH₄), the peptide diastereomers were analyzed quantitatively using an amino acid analyzer. No racemization was observed within experimental error (0.3%) as a result of the substitution of the [(NH3)₅Co(III)-] group on the amino acids and peptides studied.     

环丙沙星荧光特性的研究

目的:建立荧光测定环丙沙星含量的方法,对几种金属离子(Fe~(3+),Cu~(2+),Zn~(2+))与环丙沙星的络合反应及其对荧光特性的影响作初步的研究。方法:用日立荧光分光光度计测定,测量波长λ_(ex)=277 nm,λ_(em)=450nm。测定时的最佳pH为2.2。结果:环丙沙星浓度在0.1～0.8mg·L~(-1)范围内与荧光强度呈线性关系,相关系数为0.9999,检测限为4.5×10~(-3) mg·L~(-1)。结论:该法方便、快速,可用于直接测定环丙沙星含量,或用于微量分析。     

Biophysical studies and anti‐growth activities of a peptide,a certain analog and a fragment peptide derived from α‐fetoprotein

Abstract: A chemically synthesized 34‐amino acid peptide, an analog, and a fragment of the peptide have been purified and studied. Biophysical studies were carried out to determine some of the metal ion binding properties of the original peptide and an analog of this parent peptide, in which the two histidine residues were replaced by alanines. As shown by visible absorption spectroscopy, Co (II) forms a complex with the parent peptide, but not with the analog peptide, and one or two histidines in the parent peptide are ligands for Co (II) ion binding. The effects on disulfide bond formation in the peptide by Zn (II) and Co (II) ions were also examined for this analog. Anti‐growth assays were performed using the original cysteine‐containing peptide with Zn (II) ion complexed to the peptide through the two cysteine residues. These rat uterine growth assays showed that the complexing of Zn (II) ion to the peptide maintained the anti‐growth activity of the peptide, while gel‐filtration experiments showed the zinc ions maintained the peptide in its anti‐growth form indefinitely in solution. A saliently important part of this research was the discovery that a fragment of the peptide consisting of a middle sequence of 14 amino acids was found to have significant anti‐growth activity in the rat uterine assay. Its activity suggested that this fragment might be considered a viable candidate for testing in anti‐cancer protocols.     

Trace Metals' abnormalities in hemodialysis patients: relationship with medications

A multicenter collaborative study was performed to investigate the prevalence of abnormal blood contents of 6 trace metals, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), in hemodialysis (HD) patients and to analyze their relationship with the medications, such as CaCO3, Ca acetate, Al containing phosphate-binding agents, 1,25-dihydroxy vitD3, 1-hydroxy vitD3, and erythropoietin (EPO), as well as hematocrit level, by chi-square statistics. From 6 medical centers in Taiwan, we included 456 patients in maintenance HD for more than 4 months for this study, and they had continued the previously mentioned medications for at least 3 months. Blood samples were collected before initiating HD, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to measure plasma levels of Cu, Zn, and Al as well as whole blood levels of Pb, Cd, and Hg. Three hundred seventy-five (78%) of the HD patients had low plasma Zn levels, that is, <800 microg/L, and the mean (+/-SD) concentration was 705.8 (+/-128.23) microg/L in all subjects. One hundred forty-one (31%) of the HD patients had high plasma Al, that is, >50 microg/L, and the mean (+/-SD) was 44.30 (+/-28.28) microg/L in all subjects. Three hundred thirty-three (73%) of the dialysis patients had high Cd levels, that is, >2.5 microg/L, and the mean (+/-SD) was 3.32 (+/-1.49) microg/L in all subjects. The majority of HD patients had normal blood levels of Cu, PB, and Hg. Only 21 (4. 6%), 5 (1.1%), and 3 (0.06%) patients had elevated blood levels of Cu, Pb, and Hg, respectively. Their mean (+/-SD) blood concentration of Cu, Pb, and Hg were 1,049.78 (+/-233.25) microg/L, 7.45 (+/-3.95) microg/dL, and 3.17 (+/-25.56) microg/L, respectively. Three patients had elevated plasma Hg concentrations, that is, 546, 12.6, and 24.0 microg/L, respectively. In the 152 normal healthy age and sex matched control group, the blood levels of Al, Cd, and Pb were all significantly lower than the HD patients. However, the levels of Cu and Zn were higher in the control group. The Hg level was not significantly different in both groups. There was no statistical difference between patients with normal and abnormal blood levels of trace metals in various medications except Al containing phosphate binder. The Al containing phosphate binder users had significantly higher plasma Al levels (54.71 +/- 26.70 versus 41.15 +/- 28.03 microg/L, p < 0.001) and hematocrit levels (29.61 +/- 4.61 versus 27. 81 +/- 3.91, p < 0.0005). There was no statistical correlation between erythropoietin (EPO) dose and hematocrit level in these patients. In conclusion, the blood level of trace metals of these HD patients except Al was not related to their medications. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting this result as dose and duration of medication; efficiency of HD and water treatment may play an important role. Otherwise, environmental factors, diet, and the aging process may contribute to the trace metal burden in uremia. Thus, Zn and Cu are abundant in seafood, and Cd is abundant in contaminated plants such as rice.     

闽产47种中成药中重金属的含量测定

 目的　以福州、漳州、厦门、建阳等 4个地区的47种中成药为研究对象进行铅、砷、汞、镉含量测定。方法　按国标食品中重金属含量的测定方法。结果　参照药用植物及制剂进出口绿色行业标准 ,超标率(%)为:铅0;镉0;汞53.23;砷2.13;结论　铅、镉的含量在福建省的几个地区含量不高,符合标准,个别样品含砷量超标,汞的项目超标率较高。