Soil beidellite and its relation to problems of potassium fertility and poor response to potassium fertilizers

Summary X-ray diffraction studies were made on soils with and without potassium fertility problems. All soils with clay fractions containing dominant beidellite or vermiculite showed potassium deficiency and lack of response to potassium fertilizer applications. All of the soils containing dominant montmorillonite or other clay minerals contained adequate potassium; on none of these, poor potassium response was reported. Special management practices are needed on the beidellitic and vermiculitic soils to increase potassium and ammonium fertilizer efficiency. Dominance of beidellite in the clay fraction should be reflected in soil classification. Establishment of a ‘beidellite’ family differentiating criterion in the Soil Taxonomy is proposed for this purpose.     

Clinical problems related to postmenopausal osteoporosis]

Authors discuss current hypotheses related to the causes of osteoporosis and its possible therapy. One of the frequent menopausal disorders is osteoporosis, i.e. decrease in bone density, which may eventually lead to the pathological fractures and marked deformities of the skeleton. Etiology of the postmenopausal osteoporosis is not clearly explained. However, one may assume that hormonal disturbances, especially estrogen deficit, plays an important causative role. The treatment is difficult. It is usually aimed at preventing of bone loss.     

Clinical transplantation: current problems, possible solutions

I have attempted to summarize the progress that has been made in organ transplantation in the past 50 years since the first identical twin transplant. For those who have worked long in this area its success has been remarkable. We currently expect patients to survive the operation and more than 90% of the graft to be functioning at a year with the half-life of the graft beyond 10 years, with some patients surviving into the fifth decade after kidney transplantation with grafts from unrelated donors and the fourth decade for liver transplants. Now the main stumbling block is shortage of organ donors and this is unlikely to be solved easily. There has been a considerable increase in donations from living volunteers and also the worry of immoral and illegal practices.In the future, we can expect considerable advances in immunosuppression with more effective, less toxic drugs and in some patients induction therapy that may approach tolerance so that no maintenance therapy will eventually be needed. Cell transplantation is likely to be developed as treatment for the clinic in the next 5-10 years, but developments of transplantation from animal to man still remains unsolved and unlikely to be successful in the clinic in the near future.     

重危型蝮蛇咬伤血清钾和心电图改变的临床分析

目的 探讨重危型蝮蛇咬伤患者血清钾和心电图改变的临床意义.方法 分析356例重危型蝮蛇咬伤患者人院时测定的血清钾和心电图变化.结果 356例重危型蝮蛇咬伤患者有78.09%血钾异常和82.30%心电图异常,与疾病的严重程度、疗效及预后关系密切,并影响病情变化.心电图主要表现为Q-T间期延长、ST-T改变及心律失常等,部分心肌损害严重患者,出现严重心律失常.结论 重危型蝮蛇咬伤易引起血清钾与心电图改变,病程越长中毒越重,血清钾和心电图改变也越明显,在治疗期间注意及时防治血钾异常和心肌损害等,可减少严重并发症发生.因此,患者血清钾、心电图的异常变化可作为判断病情、预后和疗效的一个重要参考指标.     

Clinical problems of viral hepatitis B in hematological neoplasms

A virus hepatitis B was observed intercurrently in 8 patients with malignant lymphomas or plasmacytoma respectively. Four of these patients where the therapy of the basic disease was discontinued after manifestations of hepatitis came to death by acute liver dystrophy. The therapy was continued in the remaining four patients without any changes, hepatitis showed a tendency towards an involution with remaining HBsAg carrier status. In our opinion these four cases clearly indicate that, naturally by carefully observing the situation of the liver, a continuation of the envisaged treatment might involve a smaller risk than limiting the treatment.     

Active sodium and potassium transport in high potassium and low potassium sheep red cells

The kinetic characteristics of the ouabain-sensitive (Na + K) transport system (pump) of high potassium (HK) and low potassium (LK) sheep red cells have been investigated. In sodium medium, the curve relating pump rate to external K is sigmoid with half maximal stimulation (K_1/2) occurring at 3 mM for both cell types, the maximum pump rate in HK cells being about four times that in LK cells. In sodium-free media, both HK and LK pumps are adequately described by the Michaelis-Menten equation, but the K_1/2 for HK cells is 0.6 ± 0.1 mM K, while that for LK is 0.2 ± 0.05 mM K. When the internal Na and K content of the cells was varied by the PCMBS method, it was found that the pump rate of HK cells showed a gradual increase from zero at very low internal Na to a maximum when internal K was reduced to nearly zero (100% Na). In LK cells, on the other hand, no pump activity was detected if Na constituted less than 70% of the total (Na + K) in the cell. Increasing Na from 70 to nearly 100% of the internal cation composition, however, resulted in an exponential increase in pump rate in these cells to about ⅙ the maximum rate observed in HK cells. While changes in internal composition altered the pump rate at saturating concentrations of external K, it had no effect on the apparent affinity of the pumps for external K. These results lead us to conclude that the individual pump sites in the HK and LK sheep red cell membranes must be different. Moreover, we believe that these data contribute significantly to defining the types of mechanism which can account for the kinetic characteristics of (Na + K) transport in sheep red cells and perhaps in other systems.     

Clinical and toxicologic problems related to acute poisoning with chromium]

Clinical course and toxicological findings in 18 patients intoxicated with ingested chromium salts are presented. Seventeen of these patients ingested potassium and sodium dichromate while the remaining patient--chromic acid. The first stage of 6-valent chromium is characterized by its irritating effect on the gastro-intestinal mucous membrane manifested by diarrhoea, vomiting often with blood, leading to severe water-electrolyte disorders, acidosis and shock. Lesions to kidneys, liver and myocardium may develop in the next stage. Probably endothelium is also in injured with resulting increase in its permeability. Acute renal failure is not seen even with high levels of chromium in the urine provided, that the recovery from the shock is prompt, and adequate diuresis induced with mannitol and/or furosemide is maintained. All patients with blood chromium concentration exceeding 1 mg/100 g died. This level is of prognostic and diagnostic value indicating an ingestion and absorption of the high doses of this metal.