Volume N4 · Issue 03 · 1978

In acute and chronic experiments, stimulation of the central end of the vagus can reflexly liberate pitressin in adrenalectomized cats and dogs, as evidenced by the pressor response which disappears after hypophysectomy. It may involve a third pressor factor in acute experiments whose nature remains to be ascertained. Injection of ACH or nicotine into the internal carotid artery in adrenalectomized animals shows a prominent pressor response which disappears after hypophysectomy. It has been readily observed that in the animals after extirpation of the adrenal gland, the pituitary pressor response induced by vagal stimulation is more prominent. It seems that release of the vago-pituitary pressor response is not necessarily through adrenal function.

From August 1973 to July 1977, 500 cases (541 eyes) of various ophthalmic diseases were treated with argon laser photocoagulator type YJ 202 (China made) in this hospital with satisfactory results. Methods of treatment and complications are discussed. Lights of 4,880 A (blue) and 5,145 A (green) wave length predominate in the argon laser beam which is well absorbed by the retinal pigment epithelium and choroid pigment tissue and highly absorbed by hemoglobin. Therefore this ALP can be used not only in the treatment of retinal breaks but also in vascular diseases. The beam being ting in diameter, it may be more suited to treatment of macular diseases.

An antigenic material possibly associated with ovarian cancer has been demonstrated by the Ouchterlony technique in the sera from 42 (66.7 ½) of 63 patients with primary ovarian malignancy of various histological types. It was more frequently found in the sera of preperative patients in the later stages of the diseases, and those in relapse. Positive reactions could also be elicited from control sera of a very few persons without ovarian cancer. In none of the sera examined could the corresponding antibodies be demonstrated. The antigenic material was found to be an α2 or β glycoprotein on preliminary identification. There is an antigenic relationship between this material and fetal or normal adult ovaries. The possibility of immunodiagnosis of ovarian cancer is briefly discussed.

Change in rabbit peripheral microcirculation after treatment with Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae (RSM) in experimental animals with peripheral microcirculatory disturbances induced by intravenous injection of high molecular weight dextran (M.W. 210,000) in physiological saline are investigated. Greater blood flow speed, marked increase in the number of capillary network intersections and varying degrees of disaggregation of RBC are observed after venous injection of the solution. These results indicated that one of thr mechanisms of RSM is activity blood and relieving stasis by improving microcirculation.

A series of 21 cases of congenital megacolon are treated by a combined traditional Chinese-western therapy. Follow-up observation over a period of 1-4½ years duration after treatment revealed that normal defecation, recovery of intestinal tonicity and peristalsis, and reduction in size of the dilated colon were noted in 14 of the cases. Satisfactory evacuation function was also observed by barium enema examination. Diagnosis was based on typical history, physical signs, barium enema and histochemical study of the rectal mucosa for cholinesterase. The conbined therapy included: a. ear acupuncture, b. acupuncture point injection with Radix gingseng 人参 solution and neostigmin, c. oral administration of traditional Chinese herbs and d. dilation of the narrow bowel segment with a metal or plastic dilator. The advantages of this combined therapy are its being simple, non-incasive, economical and easily popularized.

In this study, the characteristics of rabbit experimental coronary arherosclerosis are found to be: The main branches of rabbit coronary arteries are "mural coronaries" and atherosclerotic changes seldom develop there; the arteries, chiefly the arterioles and small arteries, showing atherosclerotic changes are located most commonly in the papillary muscles and the trabeculae carneae of the left ventricles; and there is no parallel relationship between coronary and aortic atherosclerosis. The mechanisms of these characteristics are discussed.

A newly-designed surgical instrument for esophagogastrostomic anastomsis is fully described. It works on the principle of a "stapler". It had been tried on isolated pig organs for nearly a hundred times and experimental esophagogastrostomy on 16 dogs, before it was actually used clinically in 1975. It has been used clinically with success ever since and has been approved unanimously by noted surgeons as an effective new surgical instrument. It is supperior to the conventional way of such operation by manual suture in achieving good exposure and relatively accurate apposition of the mucosal layers, and thus in reducing complications, such as leakage or stricture at the anastomosis site.

Mesentexic-caval shunt was performed on 24 patients, there were no operative deaths in the 14 patients with selective shunt, and 5 of the 10 emergency shunt cases died post-operatively. Follow-up of the 18 surviving cases showed that only 1 patient developed mild encephalopathy, suggesting that this type of operation does not result in much interference to hepatic hemodynamics. The operative technic, as described in this paper is not difficult and is suitable for postplenectomy or postshunt patients with recurrent hemorrhage from esophageal varices.

The various methods commonly employed to treat hemorrhoids such as susgical operation, injection necrosis therapy, cryophemorrhoidectomy, rubber band threading and ligation can give good results in internal piles. When they are used to treat circumferential mixed hemorrhoids, the results are not so satisfactory. This article reports the results of comprehensive treatment in 202 cases of circuferential mixed hemorrhoids. The comprehensive treatment includes separation of the external piles, injection of 8% alum solution at the root of the primary pile artery and ligation of the internal piles with thick silk on a round needle by "8" shape transfixion stitches. All cases in this series were clinically cured in an average of 20 days without anal stricture.

211 patients cured after 131I therapy for thyrotoxicosis between October 1958 and December 1964 are studied. The period of observation ranged from 10 years and 4 months to 16 years and 6 months. The incidence of recurrence was 1.0%. The rate of permanent hypothyrodism was 2.8% in the first year and increased to 5.2% in the seventh year, much lower than reported in the world literature. No new cases were found thereafter. Overdosage might be the cause of early hypothyroidism, but there was no significant correlation between 131I dosage and development of late hypothyroidism. Not a single case of leukemia or carcinoma of the thyroid gland was observed following treatment, and the offspring in the series were all healthy.