New interpretations in rhinosporidiosis, enigmatic disease of the last nine decades.

Fungal etiology is widely quoted for the disease rhinosporidiosis. Identity of the fungal sporangium and its relationship with the disease have baffled medical scientists and mycologists for several decades. This study provides unequivocal evidence against involvement of fungus in rhinosporidiosis. The so-called sporangium is found to be a unique body containing residue-loaded lysosomal bodies ('spores') for elimination from the system. 'Sporangia' have been redesignated nodular bodies (NB) and 'spores' as spheres of cellular waste (scw). Two carbohydrates, namely defective proteoglycans synthesized intracellularly and an exogenous polysaccharide ingested through diet of tapioca constitute indigestible material in NB and scw. Polysaccharide in NB which has beta, 1-4 glycosidic bonds between mannose residues is not degraded by gastrointestinal enzymes nor in intracellular lysosomes which break only alpha-glycosidic bonds. A link between NB and dry tapioca has been deduced. Rhinosporidiosis is a complex phenotype with perhaps no parallel in medical science. This report erases 99 years (1892-1991) of controversies regarding 'causal organism' of rhinosporidiosis.     

Tear film profile in Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Tear film profile was studied in 30 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. Tear film pH, fluorescein staining, marginal tear strip and Schimer test values in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy were comparable with controls, indicating normal tear secretion. Tear film break-up-time (BUT) in late Graves' ophthalmopathy was significantly low suggesting unstable tear film. Rose bengal as well as lissamine green staining intensity scores were significantly high, indicating presence of drying epithelial cells in early as well as late Graves' ophthalmopathy patients.     

大狼毒三萜类化学成分的研究

自大戟科(Euphorbiaceae)植物大狼毒(Euphorbia nematocypha Hand—Mazz)根的乙醇提取物的苯溶解部分,经20%AgNO₃硅胶层析,分离得到七个三萜类成分。根据光谱(IR,EIMS,¹H—NMR和¹³C—NMR)和化学方法,确定其中一个化合物为新化合物,命名为大狼毒醇(nematocyphol,Ⅳa),其它化合物为已知物:印度荆芥醇乙酸酯(nepehinol acetate Ⅰ),日尔曼醇乙酸酯(germanicol acetate Ⅱ),大戟醇(euphol,Ⅲ),蒲公英醇(taraxasterol,Ⅴa),24-亚甲基环阿尔廷醇(24-methylenecycloartanol,Ⅴa)和印度荆芥醇(nepehinol,Ⅶa)。这些化合物均为首次从大狼毒中得到。     

Investigations into the mechanism of vasoconstrictor action of the topical steroid betamethasone-17-valerate in the rat.

1. The effect of topical betamethasone upon skin blood flow was investigated in the rat. Two types of vasodilator stimuli were used; local heating to the surface of the skin and intradermal application of inflammatory agents. Blood flow was measured by laser doppler velocimetry. 2. Topical betamethasone-17-valerate (1 g with an 18 h pretreatment) significantly inhibited the heat-induced vasodilatation in the rat skin, as also did systemically administered betamethasone (1 mg kg-1, 3 h pretreatment). 3. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (captopril, 5 mg kg-1 and enalapril, 1 mg kg-1, 30 min pretreatments) were the only drugs out of several different types of systemically administered inhibitors and antagonists that were tested which also inhibited the heat-induced vasodilatation. Aprotinin (100,000 KIU kg-1, 5 min pretreatment) a serine protease inhibitor, significantly potentiated the heat-induced response. 4. Bradykinin (50 nmol per site), des-Arg9-bradykinin (5 nmol per site), substance P (0.1 nmol per site) and capsaicin (1 mumol per site) induced an increase in skin blood flow. 5. Topical betamethasone treatment resulted in a significant inhibition of the vasodilator response to des-Arg9-bradykinin, whereas captopril treatment inhibited the responses to substance P, capsaicin, bradykinin and des-Arg9-bradykinin. 6. Intradermal application of captopril (10-100 micrograms) also caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the heat-induced vasodilatation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)