New eudesmane sesquiterpene and other constituents from Artemisia mongolica

The aerial parts of Artemisia mongolica afforded the eudesmane derivative ludovicin B, two coumarins, umbelliferone and esculetin, two methoxylated flavones, eupatilin and pectolinarigenin, as well as a new eudesmane sesquiterpene, 6alpha,8alpha-dihydroxyisocostic acid methyl ester. Structures were elucidated by highfield 1D and 2D NMR techniques.     

Ingenane diterpenes from Euphorbia petiolata

From the whole plants of Euphorbia petiolata, four new ingenane-type diterpenoids, 3,20-O-diacetylingenol 5-O-(2' E,4' Z)-tetradecadienoate (1), 5,20-O-diacetylingenol 3- O-(2' E,4' Z)-tetradecadienoate (2), ingenol 3-O-(2' E,4' Z)-tetradecadienoate (3), and 5,20-O-isopropylidenylingenol 3-O-(2' E,4' Z)-tetradecadienoate (4) were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and chemical transformations.     

Eudesmanolides and Other Constituents from Artemisia argyi

The phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of ARTEMISIA ARGYI afforded beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, alpha-amyrin, beta-amyrin, friedelin, naringenin, quercetin, and four eudesmane derivatives, two of which were new eudesmanolides. The structures of the novel compounds were elucidated by high field NMR techniques.     

Headache and family history

In two headache questionnaire surveys we inquired about the occurrence of headache in the mothers, fathers, siblings and children of the respondents. In total, 633 people completed valid questionnaires, 260 in the first survey and 373 in the second. The hypothesis was that familial headache occurrence would be positively associated with headache frequency. In each survey, the regression of headache frequency on the number of parents having headache was highly significant. Neither sex nor the sibling and children variables were significant predictors. In the cross-tabulations of the parental occurrence of headache with headache frequency we saw a clear "break-point" between the "no headache" and the headache frequency categories studied. For the final analyses the dichotomy "headache/no headache" was related in fourfold tables to headache occurrence in the father and the mother separately, and to the number of headache parents. The positive associations were not simply due to the large number of migraine cases since they remained after removing the migraineurs.     

头针结合现代康复治疗小儿脑瘫临床研究

目的观察头针与现代康复疗法在治疗小儿脑瘫中的协同作用.方法90例脑瘫患儿随机分为3组,Ⅰ组采用头针疗法、Ⅱ组采用现代康复疗法和Ⅲ组采用头针结合现代康复疗法,治疗前后进行日常生活能力(ADL)、运动功能评定.结果经60天治疗后,3个组ADL评分明显高于治疗前(P<0.01),Ⅲ组的ADL评分、运动功能评分明显优于Ⅰ、Ⅱ组(P<0.01),Ⅰ、Ⅱ组相比则差异无显著性意义.结论头针与现代康复疗法在治疗小儿脑瘫中有协同作用.     

经皮电刺激与电针治疗纤维肌痛综合征疗效对比

目的 :对比经皮电刺激与电针治疗纤维肌痛综合征 (FS)的疗效差异。方法 :将 66例患者随机分为经皮电刺激治疗组 (A组 )、电针治疗组 (B组 )、药物对照组 (C组 )进行临床疗效的对比研究。其中A组和B组均采用以FS常见的 1 8个压痛点邻近穴位为刺激点 ,C组采用口服阿米替林为主的西药。结果 :A组及B组的有效率及痊愈显效者 6个月、1 2个月及 2 4个月随访结果同C组比较 ,其差异具有非常显著性意义 (P <0 0 1 ) ,但A组同B组比较 ,差异无显著性意义 (P >0 0 5)。结论 :经皮电刺激或电针刺激穴位治疗纤维肌痛综合征的疗效优于药物组 ,而经皮电刺激是一种无创痛且被患者乐于接受的方法     

Interleukin-12 enhances the sensitivity of human osteosarcoma cells to 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide by a mechanism involving the Fas/Fas-ligand pathway.

Cyclophosphamide (CY) and its derivative ifosfamide are alkylating agents used to treat osteosarcoma (OS). The purpose of these studies was to determine whether alkylating agents affect the expression of Fas ligand (FasL) and whether interleukin 12 enhances the sensitivity of human OS cells to alkylating agents. 4-Hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC), the preactivated CY compound, and 4-hydroperoxydidechlorocloclophosphamide (4-HDC), its nonalkylating analogue, human OS LM6 cells, and a clone of cells derived by transfection with the interleukin 12 gene (LM6-#6) were used for these studies. Incubation of LM6 and LM6-#6 with 10 micro M 4-HC increased the expression of FasL mRNA (2.5- and 3.0-fold, respectively). By contrast, 4-HDC, Adriamycin (ADR), cisplatin (CDP), and methotrexate (MTX) had no effect on FasL mRNA expression. Increased FasL expression after treatment with 4-HC was also demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. Drug-induced FasL was functional and mediated cell death. We examined the effect of FasL up-regulation by 4-HC on LM6 and LM6-#6 cells. Flow cytometry showed that LM6-#6 cells expressed 2.2-fold more Fas than LM6 cells. Cytotoxicity of 4-HC, 4-HDC, ADR, CDP, and MTX on LM6, LM6-neo, and LM6-#6 were quantified. Colony-forming assay revealed an IC(50) of 2.10 micro M for 4-HC in LM6-neo cells compared with 0.41 micro M in LM6-#6 cells. The IC(50) for 4-HDC, ADR, CDP, and MTX were not significantly different between the two cell lines. We concluded that the increased expression of Fas enhanced LM6-#6 sensitivity to 4-HC. These data indicate that Fas/FasL may be involved in the cytotoxic pathway of CY. Combining biological agents with chemotherapeutic agents that have complementary Fas/FasL pathway actions may offer new therapeutic alternatives.     

Increased Fas expression reduces the metastatic potential of human osteosarcoma cells.

PURPOSE: The process of metastasis requires the single tumor cell that seeds the metastatic clone to complete a complex series of steps. Identifying factors responsible for these steps is essential in developing and improving targeted therapy for metastasis. Resistance to receptor-mediated cell death, such as the Fas/Fas ligand pathway, is one mechanism commonly exploited by metastatic cell populations. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN AND RESULTS: LM7, a subline of the SAOS human osteosarcoma cell line with low Fas expression, was selected for its high metastatic potential in an experimental nude mouse model. When transfected with the full-length Fas gene (LM7-Fas), these cells expressed higher levels of Fas than the parental LM7 cells or LM7-neo control-transfected cells. These cells were also more sensitive to Fas-induced cell death than controls. When injected intravenously into nude mice, the LM7-Fas cell line produced a significantly lower incidence of tumor nodules than control cell lines. Lung weight and tumor nodule size were also decreased in those mice injected with LM7-Fas. Levels of Fas were quantified in osteosarcoma lung nodules from 17 patients. Eight samples were Fas negative, whereas the remaining 9 were only weakly positive compared with normal human liver (positive control). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that altering Fas expression can impact the metastatic potential of osteosarcoma cells. We conclude that the increase of Fas on the surface of the LM7 osteosarcoma cells increased their sensitivity to Fas-induced cell death in the microenvironment of the lung, where Fas ligand is constitutively expressed. Thus, loss of Fas expression is one mechanism by which osteosarcoma cells may evade host resistance mechanisms in the lung, increasing metastatic potential. Fas may therefore be a new therapeutic target for osteosarcoma.     

扁桃体周脓肿感染途径的探讨

为探讨扁桃体周脓肿的真正发病机理、感染途径，对连续诊治的１３１例扁周脓肿患者进行研究。其中８３例患侧的扁桃体被切除，切除之扁桃体外侧面均平整。通过８３例组织学观察，扁桃体上极表面既无扁桃溃破亦无脓瘘，邻接扁桃体上方之软腭粘膜下发现有感染及／或纤维化的小唾液腺（Ｗｅｂｅｒ腺），这些与扁桃体相邻的腺体在其他非扁周脓肿患者则显示正常形态与结构。从而认为扁桃体周围的化脓性感染可能与Ｗｅｂｅｒ腺有关，而非急性扁桃体炎。主张早期扁桃体切除术治疗扁周脓肿，目的在于获得充分引流。     

Involvement of deprivation and environmental lead in neural tube defects: a matched case-control study

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the prevalence of neural tube defects in small geographical areas and seek to explain any spatial variations with reference to environmental lead and deprivation. SETTING: The Fylde of Lancashire in the north west of England. DESIGN: Cases were ascertained as part of a prospective survey of major congenital malformations in babies born in the Fylde to residents there between 1957 and 1981. A matched case-control analysis used infants with cardiovascular system, alimentary tract, and urinary system malformations as controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the effects of more than 10 micrograms/l lead in drinking water and the Townsend deprivation score. RESULTS: The prevalence of neural tube defects in 1957-73 was higher in Blackpool, Fleetwood, and North Fylde, whereas the three control groups showed no significant spatial variation. In 1957-81 mothers living in electoral wards with either a higher proportion of houses with more than 10 micrograms/l lead in the water or a higher deprivation score had a greater risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect. For spina bifida and cranium bifidum alone, this was also true. For anencephaly, deprivation was less important although the effect of lead was still seen. In some neural tube defects, lead may act independently of other possible factors associated with deprivation. It seemed unlikely that lead levels changed significantly during the survey. The percentage of houses with 10 micrograms/l or more of lead in the water in 1984-5 was similar to that found in Great Britain 10 years previously. CONCLUSION: There is evidence to suggest that lead is one cause of neural tube defects, especially anencephaly. This could link the known preventive actions of hard water and folic acid. Calcium is a toxicological antagonist of lead. One cause of a deficiency of folic acid is impaired absorption secondary to zinc deficiency, which may be produced or exacerbated by lead.