Expression of the Plasmodium berghei ookinete protein Pbs21 in a baculovirus-insect cell system produces an efficient transmission blocking immunogen

A surface protein of Plasmodium berghei ookinetes, Pbs21, was expressed in a baculovirus-insect cell system in cell culture and in Heliothis virescens larvae. Groups of BALB/c mice received two intraperitoneal inoculations of either i) Tris-buffer or homogenized H. virescens larvae infected with wild-type baculovirus; ii) enriched, homogenized ookinetes, or Hi) homogenizedH. virescens larvae expressing recombinant Pbs21 (rPbs21). All animals immunized with ookinetes or with rPbs21 had high litres of antibodies (IgG isotype) that bound to native Pbs21. The large majority of antibodies in immune sera of both groups recognized the antigen under non-reducing but not under reducing conditions. The predominant IgG-sub-classes in mice immunized with ookinetes was IgGl and in mice immunized with rPbs21, the subclasses were IgGl and IgG2a. Immunization with rPbs21 reduced the infec-tivity of P. berghei to mosquitoes by 91% compared to a 99% reduction following immunization with ookinetes. This preliminary data indicate that rPbs21 expressed in this eukaryotic system induces a transmission-blocking immunity which is more effective than that achieved using rPbsll expressed in Escherichia coli (Matsuoka et al. 1994).     

Effects of intravenous verapamil on cardiac arrhythmias and on the electrocardiogram.

The effects of intravenous verapamil on the electrocardiogram in 15 patients with heart disease in sinus rhythm and in 44 patients with supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias were evaluated. Verapamil prolonged the P-R interval without effect on the QRS duration or the Q-Tc interval. In patients with atrial flutter and fibrillation, A-V block was increased, with slowing of the ventricular rate, in almost all cases but sinus rhythm was restored in only 1 of 12 patients in atrial fibrillation and in 2 of the 11 patients with flutter. Verapamil had no effect in 3 patients with atrial fibrillation complicating WPW syndrome; in 1 of 5 patients with ventricular tachycardia it caused reversion to sinus rhythm. Sinus rhythm was restored promptly by verapamil in 13 of 17 patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardias; in 2 others, sinus rhythm became established 1 to 2 hours after administration of the drug. Transient hypotension, not requiring treatment, was the only side effect noted but not in the patients with supraventricular tachycardias, in whom blood pressure generally increased after reversion to sinus rhythm by verapamil.     

Left ventricular function during systole and diastole in mitral incompetence

Left ventricular function during systole and diastole was studied in 17 young patients with mitral incompetence and sinus rhythm; 13 had established chronic mitral incompetence, 3 had prolapsing posterior leaflet syndrome and 1 had ruptured chordae tendineae. In chronic mitral incompetence and prolapsing posterior leaflet syndrome, clinical disability was related to a low forward stroke index, a large regurgitant volume and tall left atrial V wave. The defect was mechanical, and the ventricle had adapted by compensatory dilatation so that overall systolic function was normal, as measured by peak rate of rise of left ventricular pressure ($\text{d<font color="red">P</font>}\text{dt}$) and ejection fraction. The dilated ventricle operated at a normal or slightly increased end-diastolic pressure, a consequence of normal resting tension (O point) and a more elastic myocardium with a low rate of change of instantaneous stiffness (m) and a flattened diastolic pressure-volume curve.In acute mitral incompetence, systolic function was normal but the sudden volume overload caused the unprepared ventricle with an almost normal modulus of elasticity and slope (m) to ascend its pressure-volume curve in diastole. End-diastolic pressure was increased.     

Treadmill exercise testing in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Graded treadmill exercise testing was performed in 54 patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and preexcitation (persistent in 36, intermittent in 9 and concealed in 9). Forty-eight patients had previous paroxysmal supraventricular arrhythmia (spontaneous or induced or both). At initiation of treadmill testing, the nine patients with intermittent and the nine with concealed preexcitation had normal conduction. None manifested preexcitation during exercise. Thirty-six patients had preexcitation at initiation of exercise; exercise produced no change in preexcitation in 2, partial normalization of the QRS complex in 16 (due to enhanced atrioventricular [A-V] nodal conduction), and total normalization of the QRS complex in 18 (due to enhanced A-V nodal conduction in 14 and to rate-dependent anomalous pathway block in 4). Exercise-provoked block of the anomalous pathway reflected prolonged anomalous pathway refractoriness, as measured with atrial stimulation. All 18 patients with either total or partial preexcitation at peak exercise manifested more than 1 mm flat or downsloping S-T segment depression. None had evidence of ischemic heart disease. None of the 54 patients manifested either paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation during or after treadmill exercise.Treadmill exercise testing in patients with preexcitation frequently produces partial or total normalization of the QRS complex due to enhanced A-V nodal conduction and, less commonly, total normalization due to rate-dependent block of the anomalous pathway. False positive S-T segment changes (suggesting ischemia) are always present in patients manifesting preexcitation during treadmill testing. Treadmill exercise testing in patients with preexcitation does not provoke paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation and is not useful as a provocative test for arrhythmia.     

New antiarrhythmic agents: amiodarone, aprindine, disopyramide, ethmozin, mexiletine, tocainide, verapamil.

The present status, clinical experience, side effects, clinical pharmacology and electrophysiologic actions of seven new antiarrhythmic agents are reviewed. The drugs selected for comment are amiodarone, aprindine, disopyramide, ethmozin, mexiletine, tocainide and verapamil. Each drug has been shown to have clinical efficacy in suppressing cardiac arrhythmias.     

Electrophysiologic demonstration of bilateral anomalous pathways in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (type B preexcitation).

Pre- and postoperative electrophysiologic studies are described that were suggestive of two (right- and left-sided) anomalous atrioventricular (A-V) connections in a patient with type B Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and intractable arrhythmias, who underwent epicardial mapping and successful surgical ablation of the right-sided anomalous pathway. The presence of the right-sided anomalous pathway capable of both antegrade and retrograde conduction was suggested by the following observations: (1) Type B preexcitation on the surface electro-cardiogram; (2) maximal preexcitation and minimal stimulus-delta with low lateral right atrial pacing; (3) epicardial mapping of the atria and ventricles; and (4) disappearance of ventricular preexcitation after surgical ablation of the right-sided anomalous pathway. The presence of an additional left-sided anomalous pathway capable of only retrograde conduction (concealed on the surface electrocardiogram) was sugg-sted by the following observations: (1) Left to right retrograde atrial activation sequence during reentrant tachycardia and ventricular pacing at rapid rates and with coupled ventricular pacing postoperatively; (2) spontaneous conversion of wide ORS tachycardia utilizing the anomalous pathway for antegrade conduction to narrow QRS tachycardia with significant slowing in rate; and (3) smooth antegrade A-V nodal conduction curves with echo zone postoperatively. The demonstration of bilateral anomalous pathway in patients with preexcitation has important electrophysiologic and surgical implications.     

肝癌中iNOS与P16、Bax的表达及其与细胞凋亡关系

探讨在肝癌(HCC)中一氧化氮合酶(iNOS)的表达对P16、Bax表达的影响及其与细胞凋亡的关系。采用免疫组化方法对HBsAg均阳性的98例HCC患者的iNOS、P16、Bax表达进行分析，TUNEL法检测细胞凋亡。iNOS和加以棕黄色颗粒着色于细胞质和／或细胞膜中，细胞核阴性，间质细胞着色不明显。P16以棕黄色着色于细胞核中，细胞质中偶见。细胞凋亡为细胞核着色，细胞质阴性。P16、Bax的表达及细胞的凋亡率与iNOS的表达有关。iNOS的表达可诱导抑癌基因P16、Bax的表达和细胞凋亡的发生，从而影响Hcc分化。故在诱导Hcc中iNOS的表达，有望提高肝细胞癌的临床效果。     

蜈龙抗癌颗粒治疗小鼠移植性肿瘤的药效学观察

目的:观察蜈龙抗癌颗粒对小鼠移植性肿瘤的治疗效果。方法:采用小鼠移植性肿瘤Lewis肺癌、P388白血病、S180肉瘤和H22肝癌,每个瘤株重复进行3批试验,每批试验用小鼠50只,随机分5组,分别为生理盐水对照组、环磷酰胺(100 mg.kg^-1)组和蜈龙抗癌颗粒低、中、高剂量组,对于Lewis肺癌和P388白血病瘤株,低、中、高剂量分别相当生药10,25,40 g.kg^-1.d^-1,对于S180肉瘤和H22肝癌瘤株,则分别为15,30,50 g.kg^-1.d^-1。观察用药后动物的一般表现、体重增长和肿瘤生长情况。结果:高剂量蜈龙抗癌颗粒对小鼠移植性肿瘤Lewis肺癌、P388白血病、S180肉瘤和H22肝癌的抑制率分别为90.1%,30.8%,49.8%和52.3%。阳性对照药环磷酰胺对以上4种瘤株的抑制率分别为90.6%,77.2%,79.6%和60.3%。高剂量组荷瘤小鼠的体重增长减缓。结论:蜈龙抗癌颗粒对小鼠移植性肿瘤Lewis肺癌、P388白血病、S180肉瘤和H22肝癌均有明显的抑制作用,并呈良好的量效关系。对小鼠Lewis肺癌的治疗效果最明显。高剂量连续用药9~11 d对小鼠有毒性作用。     

山药对糖尿病肠病患者血糖及胃肠激素的影响

目的探讨山药对糖尿病肠病患者空腹血糖、餐后2h血糖、空腹血清胰岛素、SP、VIP浓度变化的影响。方法将糖尿病肠病患者60人随机分为胰岛素组、胰岛素 山药组,观察两组干预前后空腹血糖、餐后血糖、空腹血清胰岛素的变化。以30名正常人、30名糖尿病肠病发作期患者为对照进行空腹血清SP,VIP浓度的检测。结果膳食摄入山药与胰岛素联合应用明显降低空腹血糖浓度、餐后2h血糖浓度,优于单纯胰岛素控制措施;糖尿病肠病患者血液SP浓度、VIP浓度,接近于正常水平。结论山药可调节糖尿病肠病患者血液SP浓度、VIP浓度,使之趋于正常水平,稳定糖尿病肠病患者血糖和改善肠道功能。     

脾气虚变应性鼻炎大鼠鼻中隔黏膜P物质及雌激素受体阳性细胞的表达

目的观察鼻中隔黏膜P物质(SP)、雌激素受体阳性(Estron Receptor Positive,ER+)细胞在变应性鼻炎大鼠及脾气虚型变应性鼻炎大鼠鼻黏膜中的表达变化,以研究脾气虚证与变应性鼻炎的相关性。方法以卵清蛋白为变应原建立大鼠变应性鼻炎模型(AR组),饮食不节加劳倦过度综合因素再加上卵清蛋白建立大鼠脾气虚变应性鼻炎模型(脾气虚AR组)。取该2组和健康大鼠血清行组胺检测,并取鼻中隔黏膜行常规HE染色,采用免疫组化法检测3组动物鼻中隔黏膜SP、ER+细胞表达。结果SP、ER+在2组动物中的表达均增高,与AR组相比,脾气虚AR组鼻中隔黏膜SP表达有进一步增强的趋势,但2组间相比较无显著性差异;鼻黏膜ER+细胞数目没有明显变化。结论SP的表达增加可能是脾气虚型变应性鼻炎病情加重的一个重要原因,而鼻黏膜ER+可能与脾气虚变应性鼻炎大鼠病情加重没有明显关系。