Synthesis and Structure Elucidation of 5-Aminomethinimino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarboxylic Acid Phenylamides and Their Immunological Activity

A series of 5-aminomethinimino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarboxylic acid phenylamides 4 has been prepared by condensation of 5-amino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarboxylic acid phenylamides 1 with trichloroacetic aldehyde. Alcoholysis of trichloro derivatives 2 gave 5-alkoxymethine derivatives 3 which, on reaction with an appropriate amine, formed the corresponding compounds 4 . The compounds obtained were evaluated for their immunological activity. The properties of three compounds, described in this report, permitted inhibition of the immune response in all possible ways: diminishing both types of immune response ( 4d ), humoral immune response ( 4a ), or cellular immune response ( 4c ). Preparation 4d is comparable in its effectiveness to CsA, so it may be potentially used as an agent for prolongation of the function of transplanted organs. Two other compounds may potentially be used in cases where only one type the immune response is required for combating pathogen invasion.     

A Chinese adolescent girl with Fechtner-like syndrome

We describe a 15-y-old girl with Fechtner-like syndrome, who is the first Chinese reported to have this rare syndrome. She presented with left homonymous hemianopia and neuroimaging revealed haemorrhage in both parietal and occipital lobes. Peripheral blood smear showed macrothrombocytopenia and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies inside leucocytes. Thrombocytopenia and proteinuria responded to intravenous immunoglobulin and pulsed methylprednisolone. This case illustrates that life-threatening haemorrhage can occur in patients with Fechtner syndrome. Although there was no effective treatment reported in the literature, high dose steroid and immunoglobulin seemed to be useful in our patient. Our patient also had nephritic-nephrotic syndrome with renal insufficiency, which is unusual in adolescent female patients.     

抗淋球菌IgA蛋白酶单克隆抗体特性的初步研究

本文对以重组淋球菌ＩｇＡ蛋白酶为抗原制备的７株特异性ＭｃＡｂ的特性进行了初步研究。结果有５株（１Ｃ８、１Ｅ５、１Ｆ１１、１Ｇ３和２Ｅ６）能中和淋球菌ＩｇＡ蛋白酶活性。经相加试验初步证明，其中１Ｆ１１、２Ｇ３与其它３株ＭｃＡｂ的作用位点不同。因此，淋球菌ＩｇＡ蛋白酶至少存在３个中和表位。     

Prospective study of antigenemia,plasma viremia and lymphocytic viremia in HIV-infected hemophiliacs

A total of 186 blood samples from 24 HIV-1 seropositive hemophiliac patients, monitored every four months for 29 months, were investigated for the presence of viral antigen in plasma. In addition, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were cultured for HIV-1, using normal PBMC as a target for replication. Antigenemia was detected in 51 % of the patients and from PBMC in 87.5 % of the patients. The incidence of HIV isolation in asymptomatic patients (42.8 %) was similar to that found in symptomatic patients (51.4 %). Patients with opportunistic infections had a higher incidence of lymphocytic viremia (p<0.05). Plasma viremia was closely associated (p<0.05) with low CD4+ counts and infection progression. The persistence of antigenemia was also a marker of a poor clinical course. In treated patients, plasma viremia was the marker that better correlated with the clinical course, and it did not appear during the first nine months of therapy. Zidovudine doses of >500 mg/day significantly lowered the appearance of antigenemia and lymphocytic viremia (p<0.05).     

The use of laser scalpel in the surgical treatment of cholecystitis

A comparison of the results of 169 cholecystectomies with the use of a laser scalpel and 160--conventional methods was carried out. The CO2-laser was used for exposure of the gallbladder and coagulation of tissue of the liver in the region of its bed. Hemo- and cholestasis in all the cases was reliable, and due to this fact in 27% of the patients, the subhepatic recess was not drained. The incidence of complications after the elective cholecystectomy reduced by 11%, after the emergency one--by 9%, the lethality reduced considerably.     

小叶锦鸡儿的抗炎作用

小叶锦鸡儿可明显对抗角叉菜胶、热烫及巴豆油所致的炎症,抑制小鼠毛细血管通透性、单核巨噬细胞系统的吞噬功能、肉芽组织增生及大鼠炎症部位PGE₂的合成和释放。     

A preliminary study of the changes in the direct-acting mutagenicities of several nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons after exposure under sunlight

Five commercially available nitropolyclyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAH), namely, 4-nitrobiphenyl, 2-nitrofluorene, 9-nitroanthracene, 1-nitropyrene, and 2,7-dinitrofluorene, were exposed under restricted sunlight in the open air. The direct-acting mutagenicities of the samples after an exposure of 45 days were measured in order to compare them with those of the original samples in the Ames Salmonella typhimurium bioassay. It was found that the mutagenicities of some nitro-PAH do not change significantly while the mutagenicities of others increase or decrease after exposure. A preliminary study of nitro-PAH reaction products after exposure using GC, GC/MS, and FT-IR is also reported.     

Variations in peroxisomal catalase of neonatal rat hepatocyte subpopulations

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is teratogenic and induces severe alterations in hepatocytes. In the hepatocyte peroxisomal system, ethanol is converted in the presence of H₂O₂ to acetaldehyde and water. Therefore, peroxisomal catalase also acts as an antioxidant defence mechanism by removing H₂O₂ and preventing the formation of hydroxyl radicals in the cell. Alterations in peroxisomal catalase after pre- and pre+postnatal alcohol exposure were investigated in the rat. The effect of pre- and postnatal exposure to ethanol on hepatocyte subpopulations was analysed in isolated hepatocytes originating from periportal, intermediate and perivenous zones. Analysis of catalase revealed that the total activity and content of this enzyme were higher in 12-day-old cells than in cells from newborns and that this increment was more pronounced in treated cells. In controls, the amount of peroxisomal catalase increased mainly in periportal cells, whereas alcohol exposure induced a significant increase in the catalase of perivenous hepatocytes. We conclude that pre- and postnatal alcohol exposure mainly affects the perivenous hepatocyte peroxisomes and that the increase in peroxisomal catalase could constitute a defence mechanism against free radical generation induced by alcohol exposure during the perinatal period.