Four hours after the spinal cord of rats was injured,the contents of malondi-aldehyde(MDA)and free fatty acid(FFA)were significantly increased,the activity of xan-thine oxidase(XOD)elevated,the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD)reduced,and the calcium content significantly increased in the tissues of the injured cord.These facts suggest that there is the generation of calcium-mediated free radicals and lipid peroxidation in the membrane.Intravenous injection of saponins of Panax notoginseng(PNS)in the dosage of 30,90,and 270mg/kg could all inhibit the production of MDA; 270mg/kg could inhibit the release of FFA and the activity of XOD;90mg/kg could significantly decrease the calcium content.These findings indicate that the inhibition of PNS on the calcium influx might be one of the mechanisms of anti-lipid peroxidation in spinal cord injury in rats.

A series of 29 cases of esophageal stenosis or obstruction caused by chemical burn or malignancy in the cervical or upper thoracic segment were treated by resection, and its continuity was re-established by a vascularized free or pedicled jejunal graft. It was successful in 28 cases, with only one failure. The age of these cases ranged from 4 to 65 years old. Among them, 4 children were between 4 and 6. Sixteen cases of pedicled jejunal grafts had their vessels anastomosed to cervical vessels at the upper end. The lengths of the grafts varied from 40 to 60 cm. In the 13 free jejunal grafts, jejunal blood vessels were anastomosed to the right gastroepiploic vessels and cervical vessels at the lower and upper ends, respectively, to re-establish circulation for long jejunal segments, while for the short jejunal grafts anastomosis was made to the cervical vessels only. The vascularized jejunal patch graft is an effective measure for repairing anastomotic fistula or localized wall defect. A regime of monitoring blood circulation of the jejunal transplant is described.