[Experimental study on effect of zhuyu tongfu mixture on anti-enterogenous infection caused by endotoxin].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Zhuyu Tongfu mixture (ZYTFM) in curing enterogenus infection. METHODS: Experimental model of enterogenous infection in mice caused by endotoxin was used. The positive translocation trate (PTR) and mumber of viable bacteria in viscera and serum level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured before and after ZYTFM treatment. RESULTS: The PTR and number of viable bacteria in liver, spleen and mesocolon in the ZYTFM group were much lower than those in the model group and the placebo group (P < 0.01). Whereas the SOD level of the ZYTFM group was significantly higher than that in the latter two groups (P < 0.05-0.01). Pathological examination displayed that ZYTFM could markedly alleviate the mucosal damage of small intestine. CONCLUSION: ZYTFM has an obvious curative effect on enterogenous infections induced by endotoxin.

Functional and occupational outcome in patients surviving massive burns.

This report gives the results of follow-up observations on patients with massive burns covering > or = 50 percent TBSA (total body surface area) who survived for more than 2 years. The relationship between the functional and occupational recovery, and a discussion of the factors that may influence the functional rehabilitation and return to occupation or productivity, are presented.

Classification and specificity of cement burns.

In this report cement burns are divided into abrasion, heat and explosive type according to the cause or to the environment in which the injury occurred. This classification reflects the obvious differences in the cause, damage factors, specificity of wounds and clinical manifestation of the various types of cement burns.

Retrievable, replaceable, macroencapsulated pancreatic islet xenografts. Long-term engraftment without immunosuppression.

Prevention of rejection and prolongation of graft survival are critical to achieving successful islet cell transplantation. Various techniques have been utilized to prolong graft survival. Recently, protection of pancreatic islets from host immune mechanisms by isolating the islets in artificial membranes has emerged as an attractive alternative to the use of immunosuppression. In this Rapid Communication, we describe a novel method for macroencapsulation of rat islets in hydrophilic macrobeads made with various combinations of agarose, collagen, and Gelfoam. Encapsulated xenotypic islets were placed intraperitoneally in mice in which diabetes was induced by streptozotocin. The encapsulated xenografts maintained normoglycemia > 170 days. Recipients mice had normal glucose tolerance tests, which indicates that the islets in the macrobeads were functioning as they would in an intact pancreas. Macrobeads retrieved up to 103 days after transplantation showed no evidence of tissue reaction or local inflammation. These retrieved macrobeads could also be retransplanted and replaced. Our studies indicate that the agarose-collagen/Gelfoam macrobeads we have developed serve both to protect islet xenografts from rejection and to provide a microenvironment in which the islets maintain and support their normal function in vivo. Because they may be retrieved after implantation and replaced, these macrobeads may be suitable for human clinical islet cell xenotransplantation.

A clinical study of electrical injuries.

Over a period of 10 years (January 1983 to December 1992), 173 patients with electrical burns were admitted to our Burn Center, constituting 6.8 per cent of acute admissions. There is a relative abundance of data in the medical literature concerning electrical burns, clearly depicting the local characteristics and peculiarities in different countries or societies. Our purpose is to present some statistical, epidemiological data from a Burn Center in China which has a multitudinous population, as well as to compare our data with that from other countries. Our data show that prevention and early wound management of electrical burns are very important in decreasing this incidence and the subsequent tissue amputation rate.

Specificity and treatment of thermal and inhalation injury following an explosion in a cement manufacturing kiln.

Six patients sustained a unique type of burn injury while working during the manufacture of cement in China. These patients suffered a combination of chemical and thermal injuries with extensive deep burns and inhalation injury, when they were involved in an accidental explosive leakage of cement from a manufacturing kiln. This report discusses the aetiology of the burn injury and the principles of treatment. All of these burns were preventable.