Multitest skin testing values of cell-mediated immunity among healthy individuals in Taiwan

The multitest CMI system, a disposable device that simultaneously applies seven standardized preloaded antigens and diluent control, is a major advance for measurement of delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) in assessment of cell-mediated immunity (CMI). The system was tested in 84 healthy volunteers, 42 in each sex, aged 4-62 years, to determine normal values for incidence and size of DTH responses to each of seven antigens. Incidence of positive responses to individual antigens varied from 84.5% to 11%, more than half of volunteers were reactive to Tuberculin, Candida and Diphtheria, and a third to Tetanus, Streptococcus and Tricophyton. 95.3% of volunteers to one or more antigens, and about two thirds to three or more. To better assess CMI, a two-part score based on 48-hour readings was employed. The mean number of positive antigens ranged between 2.2 and 3.3, the mean sum of their millimeter induration ranged between 10.8 and 18.2, the average sum of diameters were 16.7 mm in males and 15.2 mm in females. There was no statistic significance to sex and age during scoring, although there was somewhat higher in males, young and mature age groups. In our series, Tuberculin reaction is the highest one in this seven antigens, about 4.76% of volunteers are anergy. A statistical zone (95% confidence limits) of reduced DTH scores (hypoergy) was identified, it reveals sum of diameters less than 9mm in males and 7mm in females, number of positive antigens are less than 2 in each sex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Regional extraction of circulating norepinephrine, DOPA, and dihydroxyphenylglycol in humans

Dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG) is the main intraneuronal metabolite of the sympathetic neurotransmitter, norepinephrine (NE), and dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) the immediate product of the rate-limiting step in catecholamine biosynthesis. Simultaneous measurements of regional rates of appearance (spillovers) of NE, DOPA, and DHPG in plasma have the potential to provide unique information about aspects of sympathoneural function but have not actually been measured in humans. In the present study, spillovers of DHPG, DOPA, and NE in the heart, head, leg, and lungs, were estimated from regional extraction fractions of infused [3H]-1-NE, DHPG, and [13C6]DOPA or unlabelled DOPA in humans during cardiac catheterization. There was little cardiac extraction of DHPG (7 +/- SEM 2%) or DOPA (8 +/- 4%) but substantial extraction of NE (69 +/- 4%). Values for cardiac spillover of DHPG and DOPA therefore were similar to values for the arteriovenous increment times plasma flow (arteriovenous production rate), whereas the cardiac spillover of NE averaged about 7-times the NE arteriovenous production rate. Cardiac DHPG spillover (28 +/- 3 ng/min) exceeded the spillovers of NE (9 +/- 2 ng/min) and DOPA (15 +/- 4 ng/min). In contrast, cranial DOPA spillover (159 ng/min) exceeded those of NE and DHPG by 8- and 2-fold and accounted for about 1/10 of the total spillover of DOPA into arterial plasma. In the femoral vascular bed, arteriovenous production rates of NE and DHPG were unrelated to femoral spillovers of NE and DHPG. Arterial and regional clearances of [13C6]DOPA were similar to those of unlabelled DOPA. The results suggest that (1) endogenous NE, DOPA, and DHPG all are released into the bloodstream by the heart, head, and limbs of humans; (2) DHPG and DOPA are not co-released with NE; (3) cardiac arteriovenous production rates of DOPA and DHPG can be used to indicate cardiac spillover of these catechols, whereas the cardiac NE arteriovenous production rate substantially underestimates cardiac NE spillover; and (4) estimates of limb spillover of NE and DHPG require concurrent measurements of the corresponding regional clearances.     

Rapid hypertensinogenic effect of lead: studies in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Chronic lead exposure may cause hypertension in normotensive rats. This hypertensinogenic effect has been attributed to perturbations in the renin-angiotensin axis, the contractile response of the vascular smooth muscle, or the intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis as a consequence of the inhibition of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity. In this study we examined the short-term effect of lead exposure on blood pressure, plasma renin activity, vascular contractility, and renal Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and abundance in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Our data indicate that modest lead exposure caused blood pressure elevation within two weeks in this rat strain that is genetically susceptible to the development of hypertension. This rapid blood pressure-elevating effect did not appear to depend on the mechanisms described in hypertension associated with more chronic lead exposure listed above. This acute model provides an additional approach to the study of lead-induced hypertension.     

High-efficiency stable gene transfection using chloroquine-treated Chinese hamster ovary cells

We describe a highly efficient stable gene transfection procedure for Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using a modification of the calcium phosphate-DNA coprecipitation method. We have found that treatment of CHO cells with chloroquine increases the efficiency of gene transfer by up to 20-fold (from approx. 0.01% to approx. 0.2%) when transfection is done using the pSV2-neo plasmid. The optimized transfection procedure requires that CHO cells to be incubated with calcium phosphate-DNA coprecipitate and chloroquine (100 µM) for a total of 16 h. By using high-molecular-weight human genomic DNA as a DNA source for transfection, we show that this procedure is equally efficient for stably transferring a much larger gene, such as the 49-kb human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase gene.     

Fusiform posterior cerebral artery aneurysm treated with excision and end-to-end anastomosis. Case report

A case of a ruptured fusiform aneurysm of the posterior cerebral artery is reported. The aneurysm was excised and end-to-end anastomosis was carried out between the two ends of the posterior cerebral artery. There is no previous report of a posterior cerebral artery aneurysm treated with this technique. The pertinent literature is reviewed and the significance of this technique in the treatment of unclippable cerebral aneurysms is discussed.     

臀、会阴及其周围Ⅲ度烧伤的早期切痂治疗体会

目的　总结臀、会阴及其周围Ⅲ度烧伤的早期切痂治疗的经验。方法　对 3 2例臀、会阴Ⅲ度烧伤患者于伤后 3～ 7d内行切痂 ,嵌皮、大张皮片或皮瓣修复创面的资料进行回顾分析。结果　本组病例皮瓣、皮片大部分成活好 ,外观、功能恢复满意。结论　臀、会阴及周围Ⅲ度烧伤早期切痂治疗可缩短疗程 ,减少外观及功能障碍 ,近远期效果好