A549, a human lung cancer cell line, spontaneously produces a tumor-derived immunosuppressive factor (TDSF) which inhibits the production and action of interleukin 1 (IL-1). After exposure of macrophages to TDSF for 5 h, the production of IL-1 by macrophages was significantly inhibited. The inhibition was much stronger if TDSF existed continuously in macrophage culture. The response of thymocytes treated with nylon wool to exogenous IL-1 was significantly suppressed in the presence of TDSF, suggesting that TDSF can inhibit the action of IL-1. The thymocytes untreated with nylon wool could proliferate after being stimulated with Con A. The proliferation was significantly suppressed by TDSF in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the inhibitory action of TDSF on T cell activation is associated with IL-1, and that TDSF might exert an inhibitory action on other reactions mediated by IL-1. Furthermore, TDSF can reduce the supplementation of new T cells by inhibiting the proliferation of thymocytes.

The difference in pulmonary vascular response to hypoxia between Hilltop Sprague-Dawley (HT) rats and Wistar (W) rats was studied. Effects of inhibitor of leukotriene (LT) synthesis or prostaglandin (PG) synthesis on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) and chronic pulmonary hypertension were observed, and variations in plasma TXB₂ and 6-keto-PGF_1a during hypoxia were determined. The results showed that in rats of both strains LTs are the major mediator of HPV, which is also mediated by vasoconstrictive PGs in HT rats, while modulated by vasodilative PGs in W rats. This might be the crucial mechanism responsible for the higher pulmonary vascular responsiveness in HT rats. Differences in the modulating effect of histamine and in the structural feature of pulmonary arteriole might be contributing factors as well.

The influence of ginseng upon the development of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) in rats was observed with histochemical methods and microscopy. The incidence of liver cancer was 14.3 % in the experimental group and 100 % in the control group, with the difference being statistically significant. Degeneration and necrosis of the hepatocytes in the experimental group were milder than in the control group. Histochemical studies also revealed that the activity of SDH, 5′-NT and γ-GT, and the amounts of DNA, RNA and glycogen in the experimental group were maintained at relatively normal level, and decreased or increased in the control group. The results obtained in our experimental studies indicated that the ginseng seems to play a role of protecting the hepatocyte from injury by DEN, thereby inhibiting the development of liver cancer induced by DEN.

Eight dogs with cirrhotic portal hypertension were investigated for hemorrheology and hepatic hemodynamics. The whole-blood viscosity decreased in dogs with liver cirrhosis. The decrease in hematocrit may be responsible for low blood viscosity in cirrhosis. It was also found that the increase in portal venous resistance in cirrhosis was related to the anatomical changes of portal venous bed, but not to blood viscosity. Moreover, our experimental results indicated that raising blood viscosity might be one of the important measures for the treatment of esophageal variceal hemorrhage and for the prevention of rebleeding.

To compare the relationship of pre-S₁ and pre-S₂ proteins in hepatocytes with HBV replication, HBVDNA in situ hybridization was performed for a group of patients with chronic hepatitis by bio-probe, in conjunction with detection of intrahepatic HBsAg, HBcAg, pre-S₁ and-S₂ antigens. It was found that the expression of intrahepatic pre-s₁ and pre-S₂ proteins was visualized as cytoplasmic homogeneous and inclusion types, on some occasions as membranous localization. However, the positive rate for pre-S₁ protein was up to 75% (15/20), being significantly higher than that of pre-S₂ protein (35%; 7/20) in the same group (P<0.05). What in moreimportant, the intrahepatic pre-S₁ expression, rather than pre-s₂, was in parallel with the presence of intrahepatic HBVDNA and HBcAg. All these findings suggest that the pre-S₁ protein might be mainly expressed at the HBV replication phase, thus, to some extent, the detection of pre-S₁ protein might complement HBe system and HBVDNA clinical routine.

This study was undertaken to observe the changes in heart function and evaluate the effects of nifedipine on diastolic function in 70 patients with uncomplicated hypertension by M-mode and Doppler echocardiography. The results showed that diastolic abnormalities in hypertensive patients may precede systolic dysfunction and that nifedipine can improve diastolic function. It is easy and quick to estimate the diastolic function by measuring the EF slope, EA and EPSS, especially the E wave velocities. This method proved to be applicable to clinical practice.

A release assay of¹²⁵IUdR-labelled K562 cells as target cells was performed for measuring natural killer (NK) activity of mononuclear cells in the peripheral blood of 92 cases, including 42 healthy women, 22 patients with gynecological benign tumors, and 28 patients with gynecological malignancies. The NK activity of malignant tumor group was obviously lower than that of healthy women and of benign tumor group, suggesting that a defective NK activity was present in the patients with gynecological malignancies. The NK activity in patients with ovarian malignant tumors was much lower than in those with cervical cancer, the difference being of statistical significance. In this study the leukocyte interferon was investigated for its effects on the NK activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 4 cases of gynecological malignancies. The level of NK activity ascended significantly in every case nearly to normal. The augmentation of NK activity by interferon may be used as a new immunotherapy for gynecological malignancies.

The effects of musk-moxa-string therapy on the immune system in man were investigated in 39 patients with scrofula. Before treatment, the numbers of peripheral blood (PB) CD3⁺ and DC4⁺ cells and the ratio CD4⁺/ CD8⁺ were found to be lower in patients with scrofula than in normal subjects, while those of B cells and DR⁺ cells were higher. Response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) diminished in patients with scrofula. At month 2–6 of musk-moxa-string therapy the number of PB CD8⁺ cells showed slight diminution along with significant increaes in CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ cells and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio in total lymphocytes (P<0.001). In vitro a marked increased blastogenic response to mitogen stimulation with PHA was observed in PBMC of patients with scrofula after treatment (P<0.001). In contrast, B lymphocytes, monocytes, DR⁺ cells and blastogenic response to concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen were not influenced by musk-moxa-string therapy.

We used A chain extracted from urine of patient with myeloma (IgD λ) as antigen for immunizing BALB/C mice, and 86 hybridoma cell clones secreting monoclonal antibodies (McAb) were obtained after fusing twice and cloning 3–4 times. 15 of these clones secreted monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-Id McAb). The results showed that 12 of 15 anti-Id antibodies reacted only with homologous λ chain and IgD, not with A chain, κ chain, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, IgE, albumin and paraglobulin from normal subjects. Indirect immunofluorescent assay demonstrated that positive reaction rate between anti-Id McAbs and peripheral blood lymphocytes or bone marrow cells of the patient with myeloma was up to 23 %. No reaction was observed between anti-Id McAb and peripheral blood lymphocytes or bone marrow cells from normal subjects. Some of these McAbs presented positive reaction with plasmacytoma cell lines cultured in our laboratory.

Five hybridomas producing McAbs against human serum IgM-isotype were obtained by fusing the myeloma NS-1 cell and the RALB/C murine spleen cell which had been immunized by serum IgM of patient with B chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). These McAbs only reacted with human IgM, not with other immunoglobulins in ELISA and immune double diffusion test. An approximate positive rate of peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) was got when these McAbs and the McAbs aginst B cell were tested by indirecl immunofluorescent assay. The positive rate was similar to that obtained by direct immunofluorescent test. Immunoblotting showed that the molecular weight of the antigen to these McAbs was 70–90 Kd, indicating that the antigen was IgM. The practical value of the McAbs against human IgM was also discussed.

We measured the DNA content of bone marrow (BM) aspirate by flow cytometry (FCM) in 41 cases of acute leukemia (AL) and found no remarkable relation between pretreatment DNA index and percentage of proliferative cells and prognosis (P>0.05). After chemotherapy, reduction of proliferative cells rate, disappearance of DNA aneuploidy and decrease of leukemic cells in BM could be considered as the reliable indicators of effective treatment. Complete remission (CR) rate was significantly higher in patients responsive to treatment (81.82 %) than in those unresponsive (22.22 %; P< 0.05). It seems that these parameters may serve as indicators of efficiency of chemotherapy and be useful in monitoring regimen in time and in reducing the occurrance of chemotherapy-resistance, thereby facilitating individualization of chemotherapy in AL patients.

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) could improve mean arterial pressure (MAP), myocardial contractile parameters (±dp/dt_max, V_pm and V_max) and increase plasma epinephrine level significantly at 10 min after TRH administration in hemorrhagic shock rabbits, but the action of TRH on MAP and the myocardial contractility did not appear in rabbits pre-treated with reserpine (4 mg/kg, 24 h pre-treatment, i. v.). TRH had no effects on myocardial contractility and MAP at 20 and 30 min after administration to rabbits pre-treated with β-adrenergic Mocker propranolol (1 mg/kg, 1 h before TRH injection i.V.), but it did exert effects on these parameters in rabbits pre-treated with α-adrenergic blocker phenoxybenzamine. Experiments in vitro showed that, although TRH (10^-4M/L) had no direct effect on heart, left atrium and aortic strip, it did potentiate the inotropic effects of isoprenaline and dopamine on the left atrium. These results suggested that antishock effect of TRH is related to adrenergic system. TRH stimulates sympathomedullary system to secrete epinephrine and sensitize the β-receptors, but not α-receptors. Thus, TRH improves cardiac contractility, cardiac output and hemodynamics during hemorrhagic shock. The sensitization of the βand dopamine receptors played an important role in producing direct peripheral actions of TRH.