Hb Westmead: an alpha 2-globin gene mutation detected by polymerase chain reaction and Stu I cleavage.

Hb Westmead or alpha 2 122(H5)His----Gln beta 2 is one of the most common hemoglobin variants in Guangxi, a province in Southern China. The alpha 2-globin DNA sequence of a carrier for this variant was selectively amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and analyzed with the restriction enzyme Stu I. We found that this mutant globin was encoded at the alpha 2 locus and that the CAC----CAG mutation at codon 122 created a new Stu I restriction site.

[Simultaneous determination of brucine and strychnine in semen Strychni by dual wavelength spectrophotometry and studies on processing principles of semen Strychni].

The paper reports the experimental result of the simultaneous quantitative determination of strychnine (ST) and brucine(BR) in Semen Strychni by dual wavelength spectrophotometry. The result shows that there are some deviations in the official method, because the wavelength combination might not have been chosen rightly and the correct coefficient is inconsistent with the facts. We have made a study of the thermal stability of ST and BR, too.

Epiglottic laryngoplasty after extended hemilaryngectomy for glottic cancer.

This paper reports the experience in the application of modified epiglottic laryngoplasty in 20 extended hemilaryngectomies for glottic carcinoma. The Kambic-Sedlacek-Tucker (K-S-T) technique using the epiglottis in glottic reconstruction can lead to early decannulation with an excellent airway, but a wide glottis formed after operation will increase the chance of aspiration and poor voice. Sphincteric function preservation of the glottis is a key point to success in partial laryngectomy.

[Analysis of DNA content of cells from liver cell dysplasia and hepatocellular carcinoma].

Nuclear DNA content of malignant cells was measured by OPTON type III microspectrophotometry in 19 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as cells from the paraneoplastic tissue. The mean DNA value increased significantly from non liver cell dysplasia (LCD), LCD to HCC (P less than 0.05-0.

[Observation on polytene chromosomes of the ovarian nurse cell of Anopheles minimus from Guangxi].

The ovarian nurse cell's polytene chromosomes of An. minimus exist as 5 arms, the telocentric X chromosome, the submetacentric chromosome 2 and the metacentric chromosome 3. The X chromosome is easily recognized by its length and shuttle-shaped zone 6.

[Effect of changing the functional state of frontal cortex by GABA on the acupuncture effect of PAG neurons].

The aim of this paper is to investigate the corticofugal modulation of nucleus periaqueductal gray (PAG) after electroacupuncture by topical administration of GABA on frontal cortex. Experiments were carried out on restrained rabbits immobilized with gallamine. Electrical stimulation of the n.

Smelting, underground mining, smoking, and lung cancer: a case-control study in a tin mine area.

An increased risk of lung cancer in the Dachang tin mine of Guangxi has been reported. To investigate the factors contributing to the excessive risk of lung cancer, we conducted a matched case-control study in the mine area and analyzed the effects of multiple factors, such as living and housing conditions, occupational exposure, and smoking, with the methods of conditional logistic regression. The case series consisted of 69 patients with primary bronchial cancer, 55 of whom had died.

Hepatitis B virus, aflatoxins, and hepatocellular carcinoma in southern Guangxi, China.

We examined the roles of the hepatitis B virus and aflatoxin B1 in the development of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) in a cohort of 7917 men aged 25 to 64 yr old in southern Guangxi, China, where the incidence of PHC is among the highest in the world. After accumulating 30,188 man-yr of observation, 149 deaths were observed, 76 (51%) of which were due to PHC. Ninety-one% (69 of 76) of PHC deaths were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive at enrollment into the study in contrast to 23% of all members of the cohort (RR = 38.

[Analysis of conditional logistic regression for risk factors of lung cancer in Dachang Tin Mine].

An increased risk of lung cancer in Dachang Tin Mine of Guangxi has been reported. To investigate the factors of the excessive risk of lung cancer, the authors conducted a matched pair case-control study in the mine area and analysed the effect of multiple factors, such as condition of living and housing, occupational exposure and smoking by statistical method of conditional logistic regression. The patients group consisted of 69 patients with primary bronchogenic cancer including 55 deceased.

Initiating carcinogen, triethylenemelamine, induces micronuclei in skin target cells.

Keratinocytes from mouse skin were cultured for a short period in vitro following single or multiple treatments at low dose levels in vivo with the known chromosome-damaging agent triethylenemelamine (TEM). The chemical was applied to the skin of HRA/Skh hairless mice at concentrations corresponding to those reported to initiate cancer in initiation-promotion assays. A significant dose-related depression in keratinocyte cell recovery occurred over the dose range 0.

[Epiglottic reconstruction after near total laryngectomy].

Near total laryngectomy results in large defect of the larynx requiring reconstruction. Pedicled composite epiglottic flap containing cartilage and epithelium is an ideal reconstructive tissue. This paper describes our experiences with 15 cases who underwent epiglottic laryngoplasty after near total laryngectomy since 1983.

The major aeroallergens in Guangxi, China.

Over a 2-year period we have identified pollen grains from 48 families of grasses, as well as mould spores and mite particles during air sampling in Guangxi Province. The major aeroallergens were Artemisia, Moraceae and Euophoribiacea, and the spores of Aspergillus, Penicillinum, Cephalosporium and Helminthosporium. Mites were probably also one of the major outdoor aeroallergens.

Infections caused by Penicillium marneffei in China and Southeast Asia: review of eighteen published cases and report of four more Chinese cases.

One accidental and 17 natural human infections caused by Penicillium marneffei have been reported in the literature. The accidental infection, in Paris, followed inoculation of a culture from a Vietnamese bamboo rat into the finger of a mycologist. All patients with natural infections had lived or traveled in the Far East.

Hb Duan [alpha 75(EF4)Asp----Ala], Hb Westmead [alpha 122(H5)His----Gln], and alpha-thalassemia-2 (-4.2 Kb deletion) in a Chinese family.

Detailed data are presented concerning the relative amounts of Hb A and two alpha chain variants (Hb Duan with alpha 75 Asp----Ala, and Hb Westmead with alpha 122 His----Gln), and the occurrence of an alpha-thalassemia-2 heterozygosity in five members of a small Chinese family. The three children who have the three abnormalities inherited the alpha-Duan and alpha-thalassemia-2 heterozygosities from their father, and the alpha-Westmead heterozygosity from their mother. The base substitution which leads to the synthesis of the alpha-Duan chain occurred at codon 75 of the alpha 1 globin gene of the chromosome which also carried the alpha-thalassemia-2 deletion; the concentration of alpha-Duan (37% of total alpha) is similar to that observed for other alpha chain variants, linked to an alpha-thalassemia-2 condition.