Liver transplantation in Taiwan: the Chang Gung experience

Between March 1984 and February 1991, six orthotopic liver transplantations were performed at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan. The indications for transplantation were Wilson's disease (5 patients) and biliary atresia (1 patient). Donors and recipients were matched only for size and ABO blood group compatibility, and the recipient operations were performed without the use of a venovenous bypass. Arterial reconstruction was carried out by end-to-end hepatic artery anastomosis (4), thoracic aortic conduit (1), or interposition of an iliac artery graft (1), whereas biliary reconstruction was accomplished by a choledochocholedochostomy using a T-tube stent (4) or a choledochocholedochostomy using an external cholecystostomy without stenting (2). Biliary complications occurred in three patients, and all required additional surgery. The average duration of donor-liver cold ischemia, operating time, and blood loss during surgery were 7 h and 50 min (range, 4.5–9 h), 13.5 h (range, 11.8–17h), and 4,385 ml (range, 750–12,000 ml) respectively. The immunosuppressive regimens included a cyclosporinsteroid combination (n=2) and a triple-drug combination (n=4). All except one of the surviving patients experienced at least one rejection episode that was reversed by a methyl-prednisolone bolus and/or recycle. One patient developed a primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection that responded well to Ganciclovir treatment. Two of the patients died, one of injuries sustained in a traffic accident 3 years after transplantation, and the other of massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The overall survival value at 3 months was 83%, and the follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 7 years. All of the survivors have achieved complete rehabilitation and currently enjoy an excellent quality of life with normal liver function. Althought the present study involved a small number of cases, our results indicate that liver transplantation can be successfully achieved in a high proportion of patients with acceptable morbidity, mortality, and cost in an Asian setting. The extreme shortage of donor organs is currently the most important obstacle limiting the application of liver transplantation in Taiwan.Presented at The Second International Symposium on Treatment of Liver Cancer. Taipei, 3–4 February 1991     

大鼠马桑内酯急性局灶型癫痫大脑运动皮质的形态计量研究

用微量马桑内酯注入Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠左侧前肢运动皮质，造成急性局灶型癫痫。用光镜、电镜和体视学方法研究其运动皮质第Ｖ层结构的改变。结果显示：癫痫大鼠运动皮质灶区、灶旁区的神经细胞数和胶质细胞数均分别比对照大鼠灶区和灶旁区显著减少；灶区神经毡中突触性终末数，显著减少；突触性终末的面积分数明显减少，而树突的面积分数无变化；神经胶质突起的面积分数增加。     

Characterization of prorenin activation using a synthetic peptide substrate.

Human renin is synthesized as an inactive zymogen (prorenin) which is processed to the active form. We synthesized an 11-amino acid peptide which spans the human prorenin processing site in order to develop a simple assay to study human prorenin activation. Six enzymes which are capable of activating recombinant prorenin in vitro were studied. Four of these enzymes digested the synthetic peptide in a specific fashion, as analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Amino acid analysis of the purified digestion products revealed that trypsin cleaves between Arg-Leu, the authentic processing site, while kallikrein, plasmin and elastase all cleaved at alternate sites. On the other hand, pepsin and cathepsin D did not cleave this substrate, suggesting that the activation of prorenin by these proteases might occur at a site distinct from the authentic processing site. Our data suggest that this synthetic peptide may be used as a simple and specific assay for prorenin activation.     

城市灰仓鼠生态学初步研究

本文根据１９８９～１９９２年新疆１１个城市鼠类调查和实验室结果，讨论分析了城市灰仓鼠的某些生态学特征。捕获率３．７６％（６３０／１６７４１），占捕获总数的２６．２６％（仅次于小家鼠），其密度和构成比依次为老城＞新城＞城郊，土木建筑＞旧地板楼＞地下室＞砖平房。褐家鼠的迁入或老城新建筑结构比例的上升，可导致灰仓鼠构成比的下降；灭鼠或新城发展，可促使构成比的上升。在城市，灰仓鼠一年四季均可繁殖，窝数在４窝以上，平均胚胎数７．１只，性成熟日龄５０天左右，性比０．５４４，年内种群密度高峰在５月和１１月，总密度明显高于农区。首次证实灰仓鼠在低温条件下可冬眠。     

Studies on the relationship between transaldolase activity and testosterone synthesis in Leydig cells of pubertalmice

Objective: To study the relationship between transaldolase activity, protein expression and testosterone synthesis in Leydig cells of pubertal mice. Methods: Leydig cells were cultured for 2 hours and 8 hours, to the Stimulation Group, hCG was added and to the Controls, only the vehicle. The testosterone concentration was then determined by enzyme-linked immunoadsordent assay (ELISA) and the transaldolase activity and protein expression by Western blot. Results: (1) Both the testosterone concentration and the transaldolase activity in both Stimulation Groups were significantly higher than those in the corresponding Controls (2 h: p<0.05-0.01; 8 h: P<0.001); (2) The ratios of the A isoform, the B isoform and the total transaldolase protein to β-actin between the Stimulation and Control Groups did not differ signifi-cantly. Conclusion: hCG stimulates the transaldolase activity as well as the testosterone synthesis in the Leydig cells of pubertal mice, indicating a positive relationship between them.     

Effect of “Re Du Qing” on the activation,proliferation and membrane fluidity of lymphocytes

Summary Effects of Chinese Medicinal Preparation “Re Du Qing” (RDQ) on the activation, proliferation and membrane fluidity of T lymphocytes from human peripheral blood Were studied by means of³H-TdR incorporation and DPH fluorescence polarization. The results showed that “RDQ” can:1) significantly inhibit the activation of T lymphocytes; 2) restrain the proliferation of activated T lymphoblasts in the presence of exogenous interleukin-2 (IL-2); and 3) increase the membrane fluidity of T lymphocytes and antagonize the decreased fluidity of lymphocyte membrane mediated by Con A or PHA. The functional abnormalities of T lymphocytes in some autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and the usefulness of RDQ in the treatment of these diseases were also discussed.     

Stable Transfection of Nonosteogenic Cell Lines with Tissue Nonspecific Alkaline Phosphatase Enhances Mineral Deposition Both in the Presence and Absence of β-Glycerophosphate: Possible Role for Alkaline Phosphatase in Pathological Mineralization

It is documented that alkaline phosphatase (AP) plays an important role in bone mineralization. Considering that TN-AP is expressed in periodontal ligament fibroblasts, renal epithelial cells, and vascular endothelial cells, and that TN-AP is both a calcium-/phosphate-binding protein and a phosphohydrolytic enzyme, we hypothesize that membrane-bound AP also plays an important role in the initiation of physiological and pathological mineralizations in tissues other than bone and cartilage. To test this hypothesis, nonosteoblast cell lines, including a fibroblast line, a renal epithelial line, and a capillary endothelial line, were stably transfected to express high levels of rat bone AP on their cell surfaces. These rat bone AP-expressing cells were then cultured on filter membranes in the presence or absence of β-glycerol phosphate. von Kossa staining for calcium phosphate and transmission electron microscopy with electron diffraction analysis for minerals were employed to investigate the effect of membrane AP on extracellular calcium phosphate mineralization. Our results indicated that AP expression on these nonosteoblast-like cell surfaces have induced extracellular hydroxyapatite (HAP) mineralization. Our findings support the concept that membrane-bound AP contributes to extracellular apatitic mineralization by mechanisms that do not necessarily involve its hydrolase activity. They also suggest that AP might be important for the initiation of pathological mineralization in nonosteogenic tissues. Received: 11 January 1996 / Accepted: 31 October 1996     

手术联合中药治疗激素性股骨头缺血性坏死的实验研究

目的 :初步探讨激素性股骨头缺血性坏死的发病机制 ,观察手术 +中药治疗本病的疗效。方法 :通过对新西兰大白兔联合应用马血清 +甲基强的松龙造模及手术处理 ,对正常组、模型组、手术组、手术 +中药组实验兔的血脂、血液流变学、血生化及股骨头标本切片观察 ,分析比较。结果 :手术 +中药治疗本病的疗效优于单纯保髋手术。结论 :手术 +活血化瘀补肾壮骨方法是股骨头缺血性坏死治疗的合理方法     

电镜和荧光显微技术在细胞凋亡研究中的应用

目的：探讨荧光显微技术在检测细胞凋亡中的作用。方法：应用拓扑异构酶Ⅱ抑制剂VP-16及化学毒物叠氮钠分别诱导HL-60细胞凋亡和死亡，用透射电镜和经Hoechst 33258染色的荧光显微镜对凋亡及死亡动态观察和定量分析。结果：HL-60细胞在VP16处理后，荧光显微镜下可见核浓缩、染色质凝集、核碎裂等凋亡特征；而叠氮钠诱导的细胞死亡则出现核溶解、核染色质弥散，但无上述改变；两者电镜的观察与荧光显微镜的改变一致；凋亡细胞及坏死细胞荧光显微镜下呈不同的形态特征。对处理的不同时间点细胞的荧光显微镜观察发现：处理后4h核形态开始变化，有核浓缩的细胞比例在处理8h达高峰，然后下降，核碎裂细胞的比例在24h达高峰，约占80％，表明核浓缩发生在核碎裂之前。结论：荧光显微镜技术可明确观察判断细胞凋亡及坏死，并可进行动态及定量分析，是良好的凋亡检测方法。     

体感诱发电位在椎管内占位显微手术中的监测

目的　评价体感诱发电位 (SEP)在神经外科脊髓疾病显微手术中的监测作用 ,避免或减少医源性脊髓损伤。方法　 2 8例病人行术前、术中SEP全程监测 ,包括脊髓SEP(SSEP)及皮层SEP(CSEP) ,术中及时把监测信息反馈给术者。并将术中监测结果与术后疗效对照分析。结果　椎管内占位手术在行髓内肿瘤切除时最易引发SEP波幅降低及潜时延长。术中监测按Frankel分级D、E级患者波幅较基准电位下降不超过 50 % ,潜伏期延长不超过7% ;B、C级患者波幅较基准电位下降不超过 40 % ,潜伏期延长不超过 5 %。术后不会引起脊髓功能不可逆损害。结论　脊髓手术时行SSEP和CSEP联合监测可及时反映出脊髓功能的变化 ,提高术者术中操作的安全性 ,避免或减少术后并发症