1989年 · 第102卷第09期

Lunar phases and their connections with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and hemorrheological character (HCh) are studied with the lunar calendar (LC) instead of the solar calendar. AMI onset is maximal on the 1st day of the LC month, decreasing with an obvious trough around the 15th day. After the 15th day, occurrence increases gradually. The end and beginning of the lunar months show sharp peaks of AMI incidence. This study shows also that HCh variations have similar LC monthly rhythms. Our investigation demonstrates the correctness of traditional Chinese medical theory. This monthly rhythm forecasts the onset of AMI peaks and contributes to the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD).

To evaluate the effects of the fibrinolytic system on the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), the level of released plasminogen activator was measured by venous occlusion in 60 CHD cases, and 20 healthy subjects. The level of plasma basic plasminogen activator activity, plasminogen, fibrinogen and serum fibrin degradation products (FDP)were determined also. In comparison with control subjects, a lower level of released plasminogen activator was found of in all CHD patients, being especially marked in those with unstable angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction. The levels of plasma plasminogen, fibrinogen and FDP were also significantly changed in these patients. In acute myocardial infarction patients, the level of released plasminogen activator was lower in cases complicated with heart failure than in those without.

The present study compares the protective effects of sodium selenite (Se), hyaluronidase (Hy) and anisodamine (An) on infarct size, left ventricular myocardial contractility (LVMC) and relaxation (LVMR) and myocardial hypertrophy on the 3rd, 9th and 21st days after the ligation of left main coronary artery in the rats. The results showed that Se could reduce the infarct size, so could Hy and An. However, Se could relevantly improve LVMC and LVMR at the acute phase of infarction the indexes of the LVMC and LVMR in Se-, Hy- or An-treated rats were significantly better than those in the control rats. Se could enhance the extent of hypertrophy in non–infarcted myocardium, while Hy and An could not. On the 21st day of this experiment the total natural mortality in the Se-treated rats was significantly lower than that in the control or in the An-treated rats. These data suggest that Se is superior to Hy and An in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

The correlations of selenium level and glutathione peroxidase activity in blood and lipid peroxide concentration in plasma from 24 patients of dilated cardiomyopathy were studied. The results showed that in case of dilated cardiomyopathy, the selenium level and glutathione peroxidase activity were significantly lower (P<0.05), while lipid peroxide concentration was significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of healthy controls. Therefore, it is highly possible that dilated cardiomyopathy is associated with lipoperoxidation damage caused by the deficiency of both selenium and antioxidation ability.

The perinatal mortality rates and causes of deaths in our hospital within the three 5-year periods (1955-1959, 1976-1980, 1981-1985) were reported as well as the total number of births (16 846), deaths (457), and autopsies (393, autopsy rate 85.9%). The perinatal mortality for the three 5-year period was 44.5%, 23.8%, and 17.2% respectively; it declined more significantly in 1981-1985 than in 1976-1980. Anoxia was the first cause of death for the three 5-year periods. Other causes in sequence in 1955-1959 were traumatic intracranial hemorrhage and pulmonary disease, in 1976-1980 malformation and pulmonary disease, and in 1981-1985 anoxia, pulmonary disease and hyaline membrane disease. Result suggest that accurate analysis of causes of deaths depends on meticulous systematic fetal and neonatal autopsy, including macerated fetuses, extensive discussion by pathologists, obstetricians and neonatalogists, and indispensable placental examination.

Ten Chinese Leishmania isolates from different endemic areas and hosts are characterized by isoenzyme electrophoresis for 9 enzymes. Seven were isolated from visceral leishmaniasis patients, one from an infected dog, one from a sandfly and one from a naturally infected raccoon dog. Eight of the 10 isolates were indistinguishable in isoenzyme profile from the L infantum reference strain. The isoenzyme profiles of the remaining two isolates (from kala azar patients in Xinjiang) could not be characterized in this study and need further research.

Feces specimens from 35 patients with parasitologically confirmed giardiasis, 41 with acute gastroenteritis, 23 with acute bacillary dysentery, 40 normal persons as well as 15 jirds experimentally infected with Giardia lamblia were used for detecting parasite antigen by counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). It revealed that 33 (94%) of the 35 patients with giardiasis and 14 (93%) of 15 infected jirds were positive, while the other cases, either normal person or normal jird were negative. CIE was also performed in 4 with giardiasis before and after metronidazole treatment. Prior to metronidazole administration, they were all CIE positive, but from the second day on, all became CIE positive, Apparently, detecting giardia antigen in feces specimens by CIE is not only sensitive in detecting current infection but also helpful in evaluating the effects of antigiardia agents on giardiasis.

This paper reports an interesting case of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), whose bone marrow karyotype at diagnosis was 46, XY, t(16;17) (q12;q25). Fourteen months later, the disease transformed into erythroleukemia, and several correlative clones with hyperdiploid appeared at the same time. Thus, we consider that detecting karyotypic evolution may help evaluate the prognosis of MDS.

We evaluate the efficacy of rifampin combined with low dose harringtonine in acute leukemia (Group A, acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) 6 cases and acute non–lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) 8 cases) in comparison with the patients treated with low dose harringtoninc only (Group B,8 ALL, and 5 ANLL). The complete remission (CR) rate in Groups A and B was 64.3% and 23.1%, while the median CR duration, 17 months and 8 months respectively, Group A was more effective than Group B. We also consider that rifampin and low dose harringtonine are more applicable for treatment of ANLL patients without peripheral leukocytosis and those complicated with infection.

Peripheral T lymphocyte subsets in 60 cases of Graves disease (GD) and 16 cases of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) were determined by the use of OKT monoclonal antibodies (McAb). The results showed that in both diseases OKT3 cells (total T cells ) and OKT8 cells (suppressor T cells, TS cells) were lower and the ratio of LKT4 cells (helper T cells, TH cells)/OKT8 cells was much higher than those in normal controls. GD patients who were treated with antithyroid drugs (ATD) and whose serum T3, T4 recovered to normal, could be further divided into subgroups of high OKT4/OKT8 cell ratio and of normal ratio. The pathogenesis, treatment and relapse of autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) were discussed in this paper on the basis of the results.

Four cases of rigid rigid spine syndrome are reported for the first time in China. They are 2 males and 2 females. One girl has a positive family history. Limitation of flexion of the cervical and dorsolumbar spine, contractures of joints, especially the elbow joints, extreme flattening of the chest and scoliosis are the prominent symptoms of this syndrome. The clinical criteria for this rigid spine syndrome tally with those described by Dubowitz (1965). Symptomatology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and genetics are discussed. However, the question whether rigid spine syndrome is a single, well defined disease entity remains to be explored.