[Analysis of conventional echocardiographic features in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients complicated with left ventricular apical aneurysm].

Objective: To explore the basic characteristics of conventional echocardiography of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) patients complicating with left ventricular apical aneurysm (LVAA). Methods: This is a retrospective study. Patients who underwent echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and were diagnosed with ApHCM complicated with LVAA by CMR at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from August 2012 to July 2017 were enrolled. According to whether LVAA was detected by echocardiography, the enrolled patients were divided into two groups: LVAA detected by echocardiography group and LVAA not detected by echocardiography group. Clinical data of the two groups were compared to analyze the causes of missed diagnosis by echocardiography. Results: A total of 21 patients were included, of whom 67.0% (14/21) were males, aged (56.1±16.5) years. Patients with chest discomfort accounted for 81.0% (17/21), palpitation 38.1% (8/21), syncope 14.3% (3/21). ECG showed that 21 (100%) patients had ST-T changes and 18 (85.7%) had deep T-wave invertion. Echocardiography revealed ApHCM in 17 cases (81.0%) and LVAA in 7 cases (33.3%). The mean left ventricular apical aneurysm diameter was 33.0 (18.0, 37.0) mm, and left ventricular ejection fraction was (66.5±6.6) %, and left ventricular apex thickness was (21.0±6.3) mm. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction was presented in 4 cases and middle left ventricular obstruction in 10 cases. The mean left ventricular apical aneurysm diameter of LVAA detected by echocardiography was greater than that of LVAA not detected by echocardiography (25.0 (18.0, 28.0) mm vs. 16.0 (12.3, 21.0) mm, P=0.006). Conclusions: Conventional echocardiography examination has certain limitations in the diagnosis of ApHCM. Smaller LVAA complicated with ApHCM is likely to be unrecognized by echocardiography. Clinicians should improve their understanding of this disease.

[Influencing factors of postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery].

Objective: To analyze the influencing factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients after cardiac surgery using levosimendan or dobutamine, and explore the effect of positive inotropic drugs on AKI. Methods: The clinical data of 417 patients undergoing cardiac surgery from January to June 2018 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital and treated with levosimendan or dobutamine during perioperative period were retrospectively reviewed and collected. Patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group according to whether AKI occurred. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors related to the occurrence of AKI. The statistically significant factors (P<0.05) were further included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Totally, 417 patients were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of (58.2±10.4) years old and a male rate of 65.0% (n=271), and the AKI incidence rate was 25.2% (105/417). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that male, chronic kidney disease, high serum creatinine level in preoperative period, aortic obstruction time ≥ 120 minutes and extracorporeal circulation time ≥ 120 minutes were risk factors for AKI (all P<0.05). Vasodilator and levosimendan treatment during perioperative period were protective factors (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that chronic kidney disease (OR=17.291, 95%CI: 4.335-68.960, P<0.001) and high serum creatinine level (OR=1.097, 95%CI: 1.074-1.121, P<0.001) in preoperative period were independent risk factors for AKI. Perioperative application of levosimendan (OR=0.533, 95%CI: 0.288-0.984, P=0.044) was an independent protective factor. Conclusions: Risk factors for AKI after cardiac surgery include chronic kidney disease and high serum creatinine level in preoperative period. The use of levosimendan during preoperative period has the potential effect to protect against AKI.

[A case report of death from acute emamectin·chlorfenapyr poisoning].

To analyze the clinical data of a case of acute emamectin·chlorfenapyr poisoning in Guangzhou 12th People's Hospital in 2019. The patient developed high fever and night sweats, and gradually became unconscious. The patient died after 5 days of treatment. The toxicity and mortality of emamectin·chlorfenapyr were high. For acute poisoning patients, in addition to conventional symptomatic treatment, early blood purification treatment should be actively carried out.

[A 5-year follow-up study of pneumoconiosis patients with positive autoantibody].

Objective: To explore the progress of small shadow and the change of lung function in pneumoconiosis with positive autoantibody, so as to provide basis for clinical treatment of pneumoconiosis. Methods: A total of 756 patients were admitted to the pneumoconiosis department of the Guangzhou Occupational Disease Prevention Hospital from January 1, 2013 to June 1, 2019. The patients with combined infection were excluded. According to whether the autoantibody was positive, they were divided into positive group and negative group, 25 cases in each group. Follow-up observation of X-ray chest radiographs, chest CT, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)) and forced expired flow at 50% of FVC (MEF(50)) of pneumoconiosis patients for 5 years, to analyze the influence of positive autoantibody on the morphology of X-ray chest film, the pneumoconiosis promotion in 5 years and lung function. Results: There were 22 males and 3 females in the autoantibody positive group, aged 53.14±10.51 years. In the autoantibody negative group, there were 23 males and 2 females, aged 53.88±8.10 years. During the 5-year observation period, there was no significant difference of small shadow shape, pneumoconiosis stage, and the pneumoconiosis promotion in 5 years between the autoantibody positive group and the autoantibody negative group (P>0.05). However, the increment of small shadow area in the autoantibody positive group was higher than that in the autoantibody negative group (P<0.05). FEV(1) and MEF(50) of the autoantibody positive group were significantly lower than those of the autoantibody negative group in the fourth and third years, respectively (P<0.05). Positive autoantibody was negatively correlated with FEV(1) and MEF(50) (P<0.05). Conclusion: The positive autoantibody can't promote the progress of X-ray, but show more small shadows on chest CT; the positive autoantibody may aggravate the decline of lung function.

An estimation of the incidence of tuberous sclerosis complex in a nationwide retrospective cohort study (1997-2010).

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is caused by mutations in TSC1 and TSC2, leading to mammalian target of rapamycin hyperactivation. Patients with TSC develop hamartomas in brain, lungs, liver and skin. Two epidemiological studies, performed in Minnesota, U.S.A., have estimated the incidence of TSC to be 0·28-0·56 per 100 000 person-years (PY), based on < 12 patients. Furthermore, whether common comorbidities are associated with this rare disease is not known. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the incidence of TSC and investigate the associations of TSC with other comorbidities, including diabetes, peptic ulcers, stroke and myocardial infarction. METHODS: We estimated the incidence and prevalence of TSC and its comorbidities from 1997 to 2010, based on the Catastrophic Illness Certificate disease database and a beneficiary cohort of 1 million people. RESULTS: The incidence of TSC in Taiwan is 0·153 per 100 000 PY. The number of patients identified with TSC in Taiwan doubled from 206 in 2006 to 471 in 2010. In 2010, the prevalence of TSC in Taiwan was estimated to be 1·58 in 100 000. We confirmed that female patients with TSC are more likely to develop renal tumours than male patients. Surprisingly, patients with TSC have a significantly decreased risk of developing peptic ulcers compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large-scale and longitudinal incidence study of TSC. This study provides compelling evidence that TSC mutations in humans are associated with a decreased risk of peptic ulcers.

Analysis of interleukin 19 serum levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that affects multiple organs and diminishes a patients' quality of life. It has been suggested that interleukin 19 (IL-19) is engaged in intercellular signal transduction, which is related to the immune response and the local inflammatory reaction. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been used to explore the genetic basis underlying the pathogenesis of SLE. In this study, we investigated the potential correlation between the functional IL19 SNP rs2243188 and SLE. The frequency of allele C in rs2243188 was lower in the SLE population, particularly when the dominant inheritance model was applied. There was also a significant difference in the allele C frequency between the lupus nephritis (LN) and non-LN groups in both the dominant and recessive inheritance models. In addition, we identified significant differences in the serum IL-19 levels between the different classes of SLE. Although this study is still at the preliminary stage, the correlations between the IL19 SNP and SLE, and between the IL-19 levels and the different subclasses of SLE provide a reference for further exploration.

Dehydration is an independent predictor of discharge outcome and admission cost in acute ischaemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our aim was to investigate the influence of admission dehydration on the discharge outcome in acute ischaemic and hemorrhagic stroke. METHODS: Between January 2009 and December 2011, 4311 ischaemic and 1371 hemorrhagic stroke patients from the stroke registry of Chang Gung healthcare system were analyzed. The eligible patients were identified according to inclusion/exclusion criteria. In total, 2570 acute ischaemic and 573 acute hemorrhagic stroke patients were finally recruited. According to the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) to creatinine (Cr) ratio (BUN/Cr), these patients were divided into dehydrated (BUN/Cr ≥ 15) and non-dehydrated (BUN/Cr < 15) groups. Demographics, admission costs and discharge outcomes including modified Rankin scale (mRS) and Barthel index (BI) were examined. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of two-stage least squares including logistic and linear regression. RESULTS: Acute ischaemic stroke with admission dehydration had higher infection rates (P = 0.006), worse discharge BI (62.8 ± 37.4 vs. 73.4 ± 32.4, P < 0.001, adjusted P < 0.001), worse mRS (2.7 ± 1.6 vs. 2.3 ± 1.5, P < 0.001, adjusted P = 0.009) and higher admission costs (2470.8 ± 3160.8 vs. 1901.2 ± 2046.8 US dollars, P < 0.001, adjusted P = 0.013) than those without dehydration. However, acute hemorrhagic stroke with or without admission dehydration showd no difference in admission costs (P = 0.618) and discharge outcomes (BI, P = 0.058; mRS, P = 0.058). CONCLUSION: Admission dehydration is associated with worse discharge outcomes and higher admission costs in acute ischaemic stroke but not in hemorrhagic stroke.

Effect of Body Weight and Obesity on Esophageal Function.

The incidence of obesity in the population is gradually increasing. Obesity can cause a variety of complications in the digestive system such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, and impacts the integrity of the esophageal mucosal barrier and esophageal motility. However, not many studies have focused on the effect of varying degrees of obesity on the esophagus. A total of 611 participants were included in this study. We divided them into three groups according to their body mass index (BMI): the normal weight group, the overweight group, and the obesity group. We performed a retrospective comparison between groups based on indicators from high resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) and 24-hour pH impedance monitoring, and did a correlation analysis on multiple indicators such as esophageal mucosal barrier, esophageal motility, and acid reflux. The mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) in the overweight and obesity groups was lower than that in the normal group. The MNBI of the subjects in Z5-Z6 channels in the overweight group was significantly lower than that in the normal group. With respect to Z3-Z6 channels, MNBI values in the obesity group were significantly lower than those in the normal group. 'The acid exposure time (AET), the DeMeester scores (DMS) and 24-hour total reflux episodes was significantly higher in the obesity group than those in the normal and overweight groups. The upper esophageal sphincter (UES) residual pressure, and intrabolus pressure (IBP) in the overweight and obesity groups were significantly higher than those in the normal group. In addition, lower esophageal sphincter (LES) resting pressure, and esophagogastric junction contractile integral (EGJ-CI) in the obesity group were significantly higher than those in the normal group. We found that increase in body weight affected the integrity of esophageal mucosa, and different degrees of increase associated with different degrees and different aspects of changes in esophageal motility.

Single-cell tumor-immune microenvironment of BRCA1/2 mutated high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

The majority of high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSCs) are deficient in homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair, most commonly due to mutations or hypermethylation of the BRCA1/2 genes. We aimed to discover how BRCA1/2 mutations shape the cellular phenotypes and spatial interactions of the tumor microenvironment. Using a highly multiplex immunofluorescence and image analysis we generate spatial proteomic data for 21 markers in 124,623 single cells from 112 tumor cores originating from 31 tumors with BRCA1/2 mutation (BRCA1/2mut), and from 13 tumors without alterations in HR genes. We identify a phenotypically distinct tumor microenvironment in the BRCA1/2mut tumors with evidence of increased immunosurveillance. Importantly, we report a prognostic role of a proliferative tumor-cell subpopulation, which associates with enhanced spatial tumor-immune interactions by CD8+ and CD4 + T-cells in the BRCA1/2mut tumors. The single-cell spatial landscapes indicate distinct patterns of spatial immunosurveillance with the potential to improve immunotherapeutic strategies and patient stratification in HGSC.

The outcomes of statin therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke in Taiwan: a nationwide epidemiologic study.

BACKGROUND: Acute stroke is the third leading cause of death in Taiwan. Although statin therapy is widely recommended for stroke prevention, little is known about the epidemiology of statin therapy after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in Taiwan. To investigate the effects of statin therapy on recurrent stroke, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), coronary artery disease (CAD), cost of hospitalization and mortality, we conducted a nationwide population-based epidemiologic study. METHODS: Cases of AIS were identified from the annual hospitalization discharge diagnoses of the National Health Insurance Research Database with the corresponding International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision codes from January 2001 to December 2010. We divided the AIS patients into three groups: non-statin, pre-stroke statin and post-stroke statin. RESULTS: A total of 422 671 patients with AIS (including 365 419 cases in the non-statin group, 22 716 cases in the pre-stroke statin group and 34 536 cases in the post-stroke statin group) were identified. When compared to the non-statin group, both statin groups had a lower recurrent stroke risk [pre-stroke statin: odds ratio (OR) = 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.82-0.87; P < 0.0001; post-stroke statin: OR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.86-0.91; P < 0.0001], lower ICH risk (pre-statin: OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.69-0.82; P < 0.0001; post-stroke statin: OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.71-0.81; P < 0.0001), and a lower mortality rate (pre-stroke statin: OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.53-0.59; P < 0.0001; post-stroke statin: OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.48-0.53; P < 0.0001). In terms of CAD, only the post-statin group had a lower risk (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.79-0.84; P < 0.0001) than the non-statin group. The post-statin group had the lowest 1-year medical costs after index discharge among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Statin therapy reduced the risks of recurrent stroke, CAD, ICH and the first year mortality in patients after AIS. Treatment with statin therapy after AIS is a cost-effective strategy in Taiwan.

Normocalcemic effect of gallium nitrate in a hypercalcemic rat model.

An established rat hypercalcemia model was used to study the effects of gallium nitrate on elevated serum calcium levels. Gallium nitrate was administered by i.v. or i.p. injection at daily doses of 0.07-0.45 mmol/kg for 5 days to the hypercalcemic rats beginning 1 day following surgery. A dose-correlated normocalcemic response was observed. Gallium nitrate administered late after the induction of the hypercalcemic state was also effective in reducing serum calcium levels. The p.o. administration, however, even at doses as high as 0.45 mmol/kg, did not reduce serum calcium to normal levels. The values of area under the concentration versus time curve (0-24 h) of gallium in normal rats were comparable after i.v. [49.2 (micrograms/ml)h] or i.p. [57.0 (micrograms/ml)h] injections. In contrast, the p.o. route achieved only 15% bioavailability, which may explain the ineffectiveness of p.o. administered gallium nitrate at that dose level. This study suggests that daily i.v. bolus injections of gallium nitrate for managing hypercalcemia may be potentially as effective as the current regimen of continuous i.v. infusion.

Liblomycin-mediated DNA cleavage in human head and neck squamous carcinoma cells and purified DNA.

Liblomycin (LBM), a novel bleomycin analogue, and bleomycin A2 (BLM A2) were compared with respect to their relative potential to inhibit growth in a human head and neck squamous carcinoma cell line and to produce DNA damage within cellular DNA and nuclei DNA and against isolated naked DNA. Against the BLM-sensitive cell line 183A, the concentration of LBM that inhibits cell growth by 50% was 1.1 microM for a 30-min drug exposure, while it was 23 microM for BLM A2. Drug-mediated DNA double-strand cleavage within cells was compared with the relative ability of these drugs to produce DNA cleavage in isolated 183A cell nuclei. Though 30-min exposures of cells to equimolar concentrations of both drugs resulted in 4-fold greater cellular DNA damage by LBM than BLM A2, the two drugs were nearly equipotent in producing DNA injury within isolated nuclei. Against Simian virus 40 DNA, however, LBM was 10-fold less effective than BLM A2 in producing Forms II and III DNA from Form I DNA. Radioactivity from either [3H]BLM A2 or 125I-LBM found associated with cells after a 30-min incubation period was also assessed in the 183A cell line. The exposure of cells to radiolabeled drug (1 microM) resulted in a 71-fold greater amount of cell-associated radioactivity for LBM than for BLM A2. The relative abilities of the 183A cell line to partially reseal LBM- or BLM A2-mediated DNA double-strand breaks were also assessed. No preferential repair of overall drug-mediated DNA injury, however, was observed. Finally, drug-mediated specific cleavage sites on pBR322 DNA were determined. At doses that gave the same extent of DNA cleavage, both BLM A2 and LBM gave similar patterns of strand scission, although minor differences were observed. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the greater efficacy of LBM against the BLM-sensitive head and neck squamous cell line is due mainly to LBM's greater association with cells over a defined time period, even though the DNA cleaving ability of LBM is relatively lower than that of BLM A2.

Parasitism Performance of Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere over the Coconut Hispine Beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro).

In this study, the effect of host density, host, and parasitoid ages in choice and no-choice tests on the parasitism performance of Tetrastichus brontispae Ferriere, one of the major parasitoid of Brontispa longissima (Gestro), was investigated in the laboratory. The results revealed that an increased host density resulted in no increased parasitism of B. longissima by T. brontispae; the optimal host density was three host pupae per parasitoid when considering the costs for mass rearing. Moreover, parasitoid age was quite crucial for effective parasitism and affected the emergence rate. Although 2-h to 4-day-old parasitoids successfully parasitized the host pupae, younger parasitoids (within 2-day-old) presented higher parasitism capacity than older parasitoids. More importantly, both choice and no-choice tests confirmed that all host stages tested from 2-h to 4-day-old were suitable for T. brontispae parasitization, although 2-h to 2-day-old hosts were preferred. We also demonstrated that sex ratio, emergence rate, and egg to adult developmental time were not influenced by host density, parasitoid, and host age in both choice and no-choice tests. Our data will allow for more accurate prediction and interpretation on the parasitization by T. brontispae, supporting mass-production initiatives and mass release in programs of B. longissima.

Characterization of a monoclonal antibody which is an activator of rabbit platelets.

A monoclonal antibody (MAb) raised against rabbit platelet membranes was shown to be a strong agonist to induce platelet aggregation and secretion. This MAb, designated 19CB-1, was identified as an IgM and purified to near homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Q-sepharose column chromatography. Aggregation induced by 19CB-1 was only slightly affected in the presence of creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase and aspirin, indicating that it was not mediated through the cyclooxygenase pathway and the release of ADP. 19CB-1 Fab fragments did not induce platelet aggregation. However, 19CB-1-induced aggregation was inhibited by these Fab fragments. 19CB-1 also elicited a rise in cytoplasmic calcium concentration in fura-2 loaded platelets. In the absence of external calcium, a substantial calcium signal remained to be observed, suggesting the release of calcium from intracellular stores in response to 19CB-1. This MAb reacted primarily with a polypeptide of Mr = 57,000, as revealed by immunoblotting. These results suggest that the 57 kDa antigen is one of the platelet surface proteins directly involved in the activation of rabbit platelets.

In vitro neutralization of the inhibitory effect of Microcystin-LR to protein phosphatase 2A by antibody against the toxin.

Microcystin-LR (MCYST-LR) was found to be a very potent protein-phosphatase 2A (PP2A) inhibitor at an ID50 as low as 0.1 nM. Comparing to calyculin A and okadaic acid, MCYST-LR was found to be about 100 times stronger than calyculin A and okadaic acid for their inhibition to PP2A. The inhibitory effect on PP2A by MCYST-LR was abolished when antibodies against MCYST-LR were present in the assay system. Polyclonal antibodies were more effective than monoclonal antibodies in reversing the inhibitory effect. A dose-dependent neutralization of the inhibitory effect of MCYST to PP2A by anti-MCYST polyclonal antibodies were observed. Almost 80% of the enzyme activity was restored when as low as 0.012 micrograms of Pab was present. The specific reaction caused by the antibody was evident from an analysis that the antibodies had no effect on reversing the inhibition of PP2A caused by okadaic acid and calyculin A.

A mixture of antioxidants and fatty acids improves the viability of cultured rat hepatocytes untreated or treated with doxorubicin.

The objective of this study was to determine whether medium supplementation by antioxidants and fatty acids would improve the viability of cultured rat hepatocytes and protect them against doxorubicin toxicity. We examined the effects of three agents: vitamin E, sodium pyruvate and egg yolk (the combination of vitamin E, sodium pyruvate and fatty acids is a proprietary, patented technology of Warner Lambert called CRT) 0.3% (v/v) as a source of fatty acids, on cell viability measured by the dehydrogenase-dependent bioreduction of a tetrazolium salt (MTS). Untreated hepatocytes and hepatocytes treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4), EC(50) 5.7 mm) or doxorubicin (1 and 30 mum) were exposed to different amounts of a mixture of antioxidants and fatty acids. The mixture, identified as 1X, provided a final concentration of 5 units of vitamin E, 0.1% egg yolk and 10 mm sodium pyruvate while the 3X and 5X mixtures contained proportionately higher concentrations of these components. The mixtures were added 18 hr prior to, simultaneously with or following treatment with doxorubicin and just simultaneously with CCl(4). Neither vitamin E, sodium pyruvate nor egg yolk alone improved viability. However, the viability of untreated hepatocytes improved significantly when the 3X mixture was added after 18 hr as indicated by determination of MTS reduction activity 24 hr later. The viability of doxorubicin treated cultures (1 and 30 mum) increased significantly when exposed either to the 3X or 5X mixtures simultaneously. A significant increase in viability was also seen when cells were exposed to the 3X mixture following doxorubicin (1 mum). The mixtures did not protect against toxicity caused by CCl(4), perhaps due to the overwhelming level of damage at its EC(50) concentration. It is proposed that the antioxidant properties of vitamin E and sodium pyruvate protect the cells from low levels of reactive oxygen species generated spontaneously in culture and by doxorubicin metabolism while the fatty acids help to maintain the integrity of hepatocyte membranes, resulting in greater viability of the hepatocytes.

Determination of peplomycin in mouse tissues and biofluids by radioimmunoassay.

Peplomycin, an antitumour antibiotic analogue of bleomycin, was measured in mouse tissues using a rapid radioimmunoassay. Antiserum, obtained by immunizing rabbits with peplomycin-bovine serum albumin conjugate, showed no significant cross-reactivity with the closely related peplomycin analogues bleomycin and liblomycin, nor with a number of other structurally unrelated antitumour drugs. The assay is sensitive and can detect peplomycin levels as low as 2 ng ml-1. The relative intra- and inter-assay standard deviation is < or = 5%, indicating good assay reproducibility. Peplomycin levels in mouse tissues were easily determined without extraction. Fifteen minutes after administration of a single intraperitoneal dose of peplomycin at 8.5 mg kg-1 (1/10 of LD50), high drug levels were found in plasma (46 micrograms ml-1), kidneys (38 micrograms g-1), urine and bladder (32 micrograms ml-1), followed by gastrointestinal tract (13 micrograms g-1), lung (8 micrograms g-1), spleen (3.7 micrograms g-1), heart (3.6 micrograms g-1), gall bladder (2.7 micrograms g-1), liver (2 micrograms g-1), and brain (0.6 microgram g-1). The total amount of drug in all these organs accounted for more than 80% of the dose administered. We conclude that the radioimmunoassay is sensitive and reproducible and is an ideal tool for measuring peplomycin in tissues and biofluids for pharmacological studies.

[The in vitro potentiation of LAK cell cytotoxicity in cancer and aids patients induced by F3--a fractionated extract of Astragalus membranaceus].

The in vitro induction of LAK cell activity was studied in cancer and AIDS patients. F3, an immuno-regulatory component of Astragalus membranaceus was shown capable of potentiating the LAK cell inducing activity of rIL-2. The killing activity against Hs294T melanoma cell line of LAK cells induced by 50 U/ml rIL-2 in the presence of F3 (55 micrograms/ml) reached 64% which was comparable to that (60%) induced by 500 u/ml of rIL-2 alone. With F3 plus rIL-2, the effector to target cell ratio could be reduced to one-half in order to obtain an equivalent level of cytotoxicity when rIL-2 was used alone. In some patients, whose peripheral blood lymphocytes were relatively inert to rIL-2, F3 could make them responsive to rIL-2. These results imply that F3 may be useful to potentiate LAK cell activity, reduce the amount of rIL-2 and thus minimize the later's toxic side effects when used in vivo.