Isolation of endothelial cells from human first trimester decidua using immunomagnetic beads.

A technique was developed for the isolation of purified endothelial cells from first trimester decidual tissue, using QB End/40-coated magnetic polystyrene beads (Dynabeads). QB End/40 is an endothelial-specific monoclonal antibody which reacts with the coagulation cascade co-factor, thrombomodulin. Small endothelial cell aggregates were released from first trimester decidua by the sequential use of collagenase and trypsin. This dissociation method yielded 15-20% endothelial cells which were further purified to greater than 90% homogeneity by rosetting with QB End/40-Dynabeads. Cultures of purified decidual endothelial cells provide a useful tool for investigating cell-cell interaction in the first trimester placental bed.     

Management of advanced stage intermediate grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

The treatment result of 271 cases of advanced stage intermediate grade lymphoma were reviewed. Ninety-four patients received CHOP chemotherapy, 45 BACOP and 17 m-BACOD. The clinical characteristics of the three groups of patients were comparable. Patients receiving CHOP had a complete response (CR) rate of 60 per cent, the disease-free survival of CR patients was 31 per cent at 5 years. The overall survival following CHOP chemotherapy was 38 per cent at 5 years. The use of the BACOP or m-BACOD regime did not appear to improve significantly the prognosis of these patients. Clinical staging, B symptoms, age and serum lactate dehydrogenase level were the most important independent prognostic factors.     

Long-term follow-up of patients receiving salvage chemotherapy for intermediate and high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

This is an analysis of the long-term follow-up data of 99 patients receiving HOAP-Bleo, IMVP-16 and PAC as salvage chemotherapy for refractory or relapsed intermediate or high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Most of the patients received HOAP-Bleo or PAC following failure of initial chemotherapy and IMVP-16 was used mainly for HOAP-Bleo failures. The longest follow-up time of the surviving patients was 108 months. Twenty-two and 29 per cent of the patients survived beyond 2 years following HOAP-Bleo and PAC respectively. The treatment outcome following IMVP-16 was worst with a 2-year survival of only 5 per cent, as it was used mainly following HOAP-Bleo failures. Although the prognosis of these refractory or relapsed cases are poor, salvage treatment is still worthwhile as a small proportion of these patients may have long-lasting remissions and occasional patients may be cured. Newer approaches such as autologous bone marrow transplantation should be compared with current salvage chemotherapy regimens.     

Evaluation of liver function and lipid metabolism following Norplant-2 rods removal

The effect of Norplant-2^R rods on liver function and lipid metabolism was evaluated in 100 Singaporean women. As with the Norplant six-capsule, the only change noted in liver function was that of a significantly elevated bilirubin, which was within the normal clinical range for the local population.As regards lipid metabolism, the mean values for total triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol seen at the end of five years of Norplant-2 rod use and six months postremoval were similar to the preinsertion mean. As a result, the HDL-cholesterol/total-cholesterol-HDL-chlesterol and LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio remained fairly constant. This indicates that the use of Norplant-2 rods does not directly contribute to cardiovascular risk.

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Resumen El efecto de las barras Norplant^R-2 sobre la función hepátia y el metabolismo de los lípidos se evaluó en 100 mujeres de Singapur. Al igual que en el sistema Norplant^R de seis cápsulas, el único cambio observado en la función hepática fue un aumento significativo de la bilirrubina, que sin embargo continuaba comprendida en la gama clínica normal de la población local.En cuanto al metabolismo de los lípidos, los valores medios de los triglicéridos totales, colesterol, colesterol LDL y colesterol HDL observados al cabo de cinco años de utilización de barras Norplant-2 y seis meses después de ser éstas retiradas eran similares a los valores anteriores a la inserción. Estos resultados hacen pensar que la utilización de barras Norplant-2 no contribuye directamente al riesgo cardiovascular.

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Resumé L'effet des bâtonnets Norplant^R-2 sur la fonction hépatique et le métabolisme des lipides a été évalué chez 100 femmes à Singapour. Comme pour le système Norplant^R à six capsules, le seul changement constaté dans la fonction hépatique était une élévation significative de la bilirubine, qui restait néanmoins à un niveau clinique normal pour la population locale.En ce qui concerne le métabolisme des lipides, les valeurs moyennes des triglycérides totaux, du cholestérol, des cholestérol-LDL et cholestérol-HDL, examinés à la fin de cinq années d'utilisation des bâtonnets Norplant-2 et six mois après le retrait, étaient semblables aux niveaux d'avant l'insertion. En conséquence, les rapports cholestérol-HDL/cholestérol total-cholestérol-HDL et cholestérol-LDL/cholestérol-HDL étaient restés assez constants. Ces résultats laissent penser que l'utilisation des bâtonnets Norpant-2 ne contribue pas directement au risque cardiovasculaire.

     

6-(αα-二苯基乙酰哌嗪基苯基)-4,5-二氢-5-甲基-3(2H)-哒嗪酮对兔血小板聚集及TXB2,cAMP的影响

6-(αα-二苯基乙酰哌嗪基苯基)-4,5-二氢-5-甲基-3(2H)-哒嗪酮(简称DMDP)是我院新合成的哒嗪酮的衍生物。DMDP可以显著抑制由花生四烯酸(AA(?),ADP和血小板活化因子(PAF)诱导的免血小板聚集,其IC₅₀分别为1.12±0.1.4.19±0.5和2.97±0.1μmol/L。实验还表明DMDP在1～500 μmol/L浓度范围内呈剂量依赖性地抑制兔血小板内血栓素B₂含量,但升高兔血小板内环腺苷酸水平,这可能是其抑制血小板聚集的作用机理之一。     

c-myc protein in normal tissue. Effects of fixation on its apparent subcellular distribution.

The c-myc protein is thought to be a DNA-associated nuclear protein. However, immunohistochemical studies on normal or tumor tissues have shown conflicting findings on its subcellular distribution. By using various fixation procedures on cytospin preparations of HL60 cells, the authors found the subcellular distribution of the c-myc protein to be dependent on the method of fixation. When studying mouse tissues in frozen sections using a biotinylated monoclonal antibody against the c-myc protein, they found the protein to be widely distributed in various normal adult mouse tissues, in most cases localized to the nucleus. However, when these tissues were studied after formalin fixation and paraffin embedding, a loss of nuclear staining was observed concurrent with the appearance of c-myc protein immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm. It is concluded that immunohistochemical studies on the expression of this oncogene should take into consideration the effects of fixation when its subcellular distribution is being examined.     

Coronary atherosclerosis among Hong Kong Chinese--a histological and morphometric study using electronic digitizer

In order to document the prevalence of atherosclerosis of the major coronary arteries among Hong Kong Chinese, a study on material from autopsies done during the year 1981 in Queen Mary Hospital was carried out. The narrowest part of the proximal coronary arteries was studied by light microscopy and morphometrically by electronic digitizer. We found an onset of atherosclerosis in young adult males and a linear progression with age. Females had a delayed onset with a sharp rise after menopause. We were surprised to find an incidence of atherosclerosis among Hong Kong Chinese comparable with that in western populations, as distinct from Chinese in Mainland China. However, mortality due to ischemic heart disease remained relatively low. Racial factors may contribute to this partial dissociation between coronary atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease.     

Effects of caffeine on mood and memory

The effects of caffeine on mood and memory tasks were investigated in a double-blind study of 95 healthy young adults who were randomly assigned to three doses: 0, 200, and 400 mg of oral administration of caffeine. Subjects completed a battery of tasks once predrug and several times postdrug. Caffeine, in general, showed nonsignificant effects on cognitive, learning, and memory performance. The exception is that 200 mg caffeine facilitated performance on the relatively more difficult cancellation (addition and multiplication) tasks than the digit cancellation task. In addition caffeine decreased boredom and relaxation, and increased other ratings of subjective moods--anxiousness, tenseness, and nervousness. The reduction in boredom or fatigue is associated with the repetitive nature of the task and the period of time during which the tasks were repeated. In general, high-to-moderate users of caffeine recalled more words than low users, particularly at the beginning of the lists. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of caffeine on task difficulty and sensitivity and the relative potency of caffeine doses on behavior. User effect is suggested as an important consideration of memory assessment.     

Surface IgM on lymphocytes from pregnant women

Surface IgM on peripheral lymphocytes from pregnant women were passively acquired from autologous serum. These cytophilic IgM antibodies occurred as relatively large molecules, suggesting that they were in the form of complexes or aggregates. The lymphocytes involved were mainly B cells. It was postulated that the present findings could be a mechanism for the modulation of lymphocyte surface receptors by serum factors during pregnancy.