Treatment of pain according to syndrome differentiation in 169 cases of liver cancer

In 169 cases with liver cancer pain, the therapeutic effects of TCM and the authors' "analgesic therapy of four steps" were analysed. The results were that most patients with advanced liver cancer had mild pain, and only a small number of patients (14.2%) had moderate or severe pain. By the first step analgesic therapy, 46.1% of the patients were relieved and with the second or third step of analgesic therapy, 93.5% of the patients were relieved, only 6.5% of the patients with grade III pain needed the fourth step therapy. With TCM treatment alone, the remission rate of grade I and grade II pain was 100% and 76.9% respectively. "Analgesic therapy of four steps" produced less side effects or addiction to narcotics.     

Study on "massage to activate the meridian" apparatus in the treatment of cholecystolithiasis

This apparatus is designed in accordance with the doctrine and principles of traditional Chinese medicine and based on the theory of meridian and specific massage procedure in conjunction with the "Information Theory" and electron utilizing technique. It utilizes a programmed induction "Special Wave" to stimulate a series of acupuncture points, combined with administration of western drugs from a regime of "General Attack" treatment on the gallbladder stones, to enhance their evacuation. By stimulating the specific acupuncture points with this apparatus through the action of "Special Wave" strong contraction of the gallbladder can be elicitated. Experiments on dogs showed that under such stimulation the intra-gallbladder pressure can be increased 26 times, producing a jet of bile flow which facilitates the expulsion and evacuation of stones in the gallbladder. Method of use: first place a conductive rubber pad on the acupuncture point to be stimulated, then use a hand-held electrode to massage-stimulate the meridian. It is carried out forward and backward along the direction of meridian. The whole procedure is carried out under direct visualization with the help of ultrasonic B-scan. When dilatation of the common bile duct is observed, the hand-help electrode is used to perform push-compress massage on the meridian, and acupuncture points making the stones enter the common bile duct B-scan give proper orientation for the manipulation. This method has been tested clinically on 410 patients with good results. The evacuation rate of the gallbladder stones was 92.7% with complete evacuation achieved in 17.3%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Topoisomerase II-mediated DNA cleavage by amonafide and its structural analogs

Treatment of SV40-infected monkey cells with amonafide (benzisoquinolinedione), an intercalative antitumor drug, resulted in rapid accumulation of linearized intracellular SV40 DNA molecules that were protein linked. Studies using purified mammalian DNA topoisomerase II have shown that amonafide and its structural analogs interfere with the breakage-rejoining reaction of the enzyme by stabilizing a reversible enzyme-DNA "cleavable complex." Denaturation of the cleavable complex with sodium dodecyl sulfate resulted in DNA cleavage and the covalent association of topoisomerase II polypeptides with the cleaved DNA. Unwinding measurements indicate that amonafide is a DNA intercalator. These results suggest that amonafide and its structural analogs (e.g., mitonafide) represent a new class of intercalative topoisomerase II-active antitumor drugs. Different from other topoisomerase II-active antitumor drugs, amonafide and mitonafide induce specific DNA cleavage at a single major site on pBR322 DNA. The strong site specificity of amonafide may allow detailed characterization of the intercalator-stabilized, topoisomerase II-DNA cleavable complex.     

抑菌防霉剂—噻苯哒唑的合成

本文介绍了噻苯哒唑的新用途和采用“一锅煮”工艺制备噻唑酸进而制得该防霉剂的合成方法。     

一种新认识的胃癌癌前病变：人胃粘膜球样异型增生的组织病理学特点

Histopathologic features of globoid dysplasia of human gastric epithelium were described by means of observation of serial paraffin sections of 53 cases of globoid dysplasia. It was divided into three grades according to the architecture and cellular atypia. Penetration of outer layer globoid dysplastic cells through the basement membrane of "double layers structure" appeared in typical globoid dysplasia Grade III and infiltration of globoid dysplastic cells into stroma as well as the formation of incipient focus of signet ring cell carcinoma were described. The twinkling scene of infiltration of the globoid dysplastic cells into lamina propria through the basement membrane and the damage of basement membrane by globoid dysplastic cells were shown by Gordon Sweet's stain. Through the analysis of background lesions of the globoid dysplasia, a conclusion can be made that the globoid dysplasia might be an important precancerous lesion of the signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach.     

NMDA receptors regulate developmental gap junction uncoupling via CREB signaling

Signaling through gap junctions (electrical synapses) is important in the development of the mammalian central nervous system. Abundant between neurons during postnatal development, gap junction coupling subsequently decreases and remains low in the adult, confined to specific subsets of neurons. Here we report that developmental uncoupling of gap junctions in the rat hypothalamus in vivo and in vitro is associated with a decrease in connexin 36 (Cx36) protein expression. Both developmental gap junction uncoupling and Cx36 downregulation are prevented by the blockade of NMDA glutamate receptors, action potentials and the calcium-cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), and are accelerated by CREB overexpression. Developmental gap junction uncoupling and Cx36 downregulation are not affected by blockade of non-NMDA glutamate receptors, and do not occur in hypothalamic neurons from NMDA receptor subunit 1 (NMDAR1) knockout mice. These results demonstrate that NMDA receptor activity contributes to the developmental uncoupling of gap junctions via CREB-dependent downregulation of Cx36.     

A two decade survey of respiratory adenovirus in Taiwan: the reemergence of adenovirus types 7 and 4

From November 1999 to December 2001, three outbreaks of adenovirus (Ad) respiratory infection occurred in southern Taiwan. To determine the circulating serotypes and molecular epidemiology, a total of 524 virus strains were randomly selected from 1,064 strains isolated from 1981 to 2001, and were studied using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-RFLP. The major subgenus found was subgenus B (45%), followed by subgenus E (29%) and subgenus C (25%). Ad3 and Ad7 were the major types found during the 1st outbreak, which occurred from November 1999 to March 2000, while Ad4 was found mainly during the 2nd and 3rd outbreaks in October 2000 and September 2001, respectively. Both Ad7 and Ad4 were reemerged serotypes, whereas Ad3 was consistently isolated during the survey, although it declined drastically from 36 to 2% in 2001. Genotype analysis in this study showed that the only strain of Ad7 found in 1983 was Ad7a, but all randomly selected strains of Ad7 isolated during 1999-2000 were Ad7b. The clinical features of 217 patients were analyzed during the 1999-2000 outbreaks. About 79% of the total cases were less than 7 years old. The ratio of male to female was 2:1. Severe infections, such as pneumonia and acute bronchitis, accounted for nearly half of the cases (43%). These results show the reemergence and changing of serotypes, the clinical association of respiratory adenovirus infections, and the molecular epidemiology of Ad7 genotypes in Taiwan during the past two decades.     

Attachment and spreading of fibroblasts on an RGD peptide-modified injectable hyaluronan hydrogel

Hyaluronan (HA) hydrogels resist attachment and spreading of fibroblasts and most other mammalian cell types. A thiol-modified HA (3,3'-dithiobis(propanoic dihydrazide) [HA-DTPH]) was modified with peptides containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence and then crosslinked with polyethylene glycol (PEG) diacrylate (PEGDA) to create a biomaterial that supported cell attachment, spreading, and proliferation. The hydrogels were evaluated in vitro and in vivo in three assay systems. First, the behavior of human and murine fibroblasts on the surface of the hydrogels was evaluated. The concentration and structure of the RGD peptides and the length of the PEG spacer influenced cell attachment and spreading. Second, murine fibroblasts were seeded into HA-DTPH solutions and encapsulated via in situ crosslinking with or without bound RGD peptides. Cells remained viable and proliferated within the hydrogel for 15 days in vitro. Although the RGD peptides significantly enhanced cell proliferation on the hydrogel surface, the cell proliferation inside the hydrogel in vitro was increased only modestly. Third, HA-DTPH/PEGDA/peptide hydrogels were evaluated as injectable tissue engineering materials in vivo. A suspension of murine fibroblasts in HA-DTPH was crosslinked using PEGDA plus PEGDA peptide, and the viscous, gelling mixture was injected subcutaneously into the flanks of nude mice; gels formed in vivo following injection. After 4 weeks, growth of new fibrous tissue had been accelerated by the sense RGD peptides. Thus, attachment, spreading, and proliferation of cells is dramatically enhanced on RGD-modified surfaces but only modestly accelerated in vivo tissue formation.