The effect of cardiac glycosides containing medicinal herbs, e.g. Ting Li Zi (Descurainia sophia), against heart failure was detected by traditional Chinese doctors at the beginning of the first century, more than 16 centuries before Withering’s discovery of digitalis to promote diuresis. We ran infer the diagnosis from the description of the symptom complex, for which the herb as the main constituent of related formulas was prescribed. Cardiac glycosides were successfully isolated lately fromSemen Descurainiae by Chinese chemists.
Ting Li Zi was also recommended for hastening child delivery and to treat edema, amenorrhoea, insanity and, presumably, malignant growth by the traditional medical literature. The common mechanism of these actions may be the inhibition of Na-K-ATPase by the cardiac glycosides contained. The narrow therapeutic range restricts its widespread usage and makes the supply of standardized dosageforms necessary.
With preembedding protein A-gold technique, fibronectin has been localized ultrastructurally in normal murine liver. The use of small gold particles, thinner vibratome sections and prolonged incubation with primary antisera have overcome the penetration problem. Excellent ultrastructure preservation and adequate immunostaining intensity have been achieved. The technique allows precise localization of extracellular antigens and clear appreciation of the underlying structural details. The ultrastructural distribution of fibronectin and its possible functional associations have been discussed in detail.
This article describes a novel approach to the problem of automated white blood cell classification. Whereas in most earlier attempts, the segmentation of the cells has been recognized as the most difficult and most critical step in the sequence of operations, resulting in the classification, the method described here eliminates the necessity of the detection of the contour of the nucleus and of the cytoplasm, and is therefore less sensitive to such disturbing factors as the presence of granules, or other cells touching the cell of interest, etc.
The multiple sequential threshold method to be described here in two slightly different variants yields a correct classification rate of 94.7% for a 4 class problem (90 cells in the test set), and 91.8% for an 8 class problem (279 cells in the test set). Both experiments include immature cell types.
In this study artificial bone was made of collagen-hydroxylapatite (CHA) and its osteogenetic effects in different locations of the rabbit’s skeleton were evaluated. Collagen solution extracted from the adult rabbit’s skin was mixed with the chemically synthesized hydroxylapatite. 62 rabbits were divided into four groups. In 20 rabbits of group A, CHA was filled into bony defects of the shaft of radius; in 15 rabbits of group B, into bony cavities of the distal femoral condyles; in 15 rabbits of group C, into the bony defects of the lamina of vertebra; and in 12 rabbits of group D, nothing whatsoever was filled into the bony defects. Roentgenological and histological observations were made regularly. The experimental results showed that the CHA implanted into the bony defects of rabbits caused new bone formation and fusion with the host bone in specimens of groups A, B, C within 12 weeks, but non-fusion was seen in group D. It is clear that the osteogenetic effects of the specimens in group B were better than those in other groups. It is, therefore, suggested that CHA can be used as an ideal graft for bony defects caused by disease or trauma.
The authors have designed a method of combining nerve suture and nerve implantation to improve reinnervation and functional recovery of free transferred muscles. Experimental results on EMG recording, muscle power, muscle weight and histologic construction showed better recovery, compared with either mere nerve suture or nerve implantation. The change of motor end-plates with cholinesterase staining indicates more perfect reinnervation. The clinical significance of this method and certain considerations in performance are discussed in this paper.
Clonidine produced an inhibition of the electrical stimulationevoked contraction of the prostatic portion of the rat vas deferens. Berberine and yohimbine suppressed markedly the effect of clonidine. However, washing away the clonidine by Krebs’ solution produced a slow recovery of the responses.
Both berberine and yohimbine shifted clonidine cumulative dose-response curve rightward parallelly without decreasing the maximal response in rat vas deferens. The pA2 values of berberine and yohimbine were 5.3 and 7.8 respectively.
The contractile response to phenylephrine was competitively inhibited by berberine and prazosin in anococcygeus muscle from the same rat. The pA2 values of berberine and prazosin were 6.4 and 8.5 respectively.
The results indicate that berberine possesses competitive α1 and α2 blocking action like prazosin and yohimbine, and its selective ratio (α1/α2) was 8. As compared with these 2 drugs, the selectivity of berberine was much poorer. pD2 values were 8.8 for clonidine and 5.6 for phenylephrine.
The cumulative dose-response curves for phenylephrine were shifted parallelly to the right by berberine and prazosin without any change in the maximal response. The pA2 values of berberine in the isolated rat anococcygeus muscle and rabbit aortic strip were 6.62 and 6.54 respectively. The results indicate that berberine, like prazosin, has a competitive α-adrenoceptor blocking action.
The interaction between endogenous opioid peptides and GABA in lower brain stem in cardiovascular regulation was investigated. The results of our experiments suggested that endogenous opioid peptides and GABA in lower brain stem can reinforce each other in their inhibitory effect on blood pressure, but the mechanism of the interaction remains to be elucidated.
The present paper presents an analytical method for the determination of trace lead in blood by neopolarographic anodic stripping voltammetry with a glass carbon mercury film electrode. High-pressure wet digestion has been used for the pretreatment of blood samples. The trace lead can be determined in a 0.1 M HAc −0.1 M NaAc and 5×10−5 M Hg(NO3)2 medium with one drop of finger blood (0.020–0.050 ml). The limit of detection is 7.5 ×10−11 g/ml. The method has been applied to the determination of trace lead in blood samples of 41 healthy persons, 44 occupationally lead-exposed workers and 33 policemen on duty controlling the traffic for a period of more than 8 years. The results obtained showed no difference to those reported in the literature.
Weanling rats and mice were fed on a low-iron diet. By the end of the 4th week, the rats were sacrificed and tested for state 01 immunity, and the mice were infected with S. typhimurium. Rate of peripheral blood lymphocytic transformation, total serum complement activity (CH50) and splenic tissue cAMP levels in the iron-deficient rats were significantly decreased as compared with those of the controls. There was no significant difference in the levels of serum hemolysin (HC50) and serum lysozyme between iron-deficient and control rats. Gross histological changes could be observed in the spleen of the iron-deficient rats, but no change was seen in the thymus. After intraperitoneal injection with S. typhimurium, the mortality of iron-deficient mice was significantly increased as compared with that of the controls.